The first direct charter flight of the Sichuan Airlines, linking Seychelles to Chengdu in China, arrived in the island nation on Tuesday. The flight touched down at the Seychelles International Airport at Pointe Larue at 6.47 am carrying 264 passengers, together with a delegation of high officials from Chengdu led by the Deputy Mayor of the city. Also onboard was a group of Chinese businessmen who will be participating in the trade fair organised by the Enterprise Seychelles Agency (ESA). The trade fair will be held at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Hotel from Thursday, November 21 to Saturday 23. Apart from the officials and the businessmen, there were also several tourists present on the flight. The passengers were welcomed at the airport by the Minister for Tourism and Foreign Affairs, Sylvestre Radegonde, the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry Devika Vidot, the Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles, Lin Nan, as well as the principal secretary for Tourism, Sherin Francis. In his welcoming address,  Radegonde said that the last time Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, had a direct flight from China was almost six years ago. Radegonde added that the new flight is the result of extensive negotiations and discussions and «it represents the culmination of our shared commitment to strengthening ties with China.» He told reporters that the flight from Chengdu was a chartered one and that they expect to have more from there in the future. «We are having discussions at the moment regarding this flight route. If everything goes well and we get enough people, this might become a regular flight,» he added. Vidot talked about the participation of the 34 businessmen in the trade fair and described China as very developed country, especially in regards to innovation and technology. She said that this event is meant to bring Seychellois entrepreneurs closer to Chinese suppliers as well as show these suppliers the business landscape in Seychelles. «We are making it easier for them; we've removed the language and geographical barrier so they are able to ask questions and learn more about the processes, so they are able to do it themselves in the future,» added Vidot.  According to ESA, the exhibitors from China have shown a lot of interest in displaying agricultural equipment, however, there will be representatives of different sectors such as manufacturing, tourism and hoteliers, beekeeping as well as crafts.

Football fans in Sudan, a country torn apart by war, are savouring a rare moment of pride after the national team qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals. The feat, achieved at the expense of Ghana, one of the continent's traditional powerhouses, comes despite the team having to play all their matches abroad and the domestic league being suspended. Streets of Port Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of displaced endure agonising waits for water and healthcare, came alive after the match, with car horns blaring and ecstatic fans waving Sudanese flags from the windows. The match marked Sudan's 10th qualification for the continental tournament, offering a rare moment of happiness to a nation devastated by 19 months of war. «Our joy after the game... could not truly reflect the emotions in our hearts,» one jubilant fan, Hassan Mohamed, told AFP. In Port Sudan, the country's de facto capital since last year, fans gathered in cafes Monday to watch the final group stage match against Angola, played in Benghazi, Libya. Others followed the action on mobile phones, holding their breath in the final moments, an AFP correspondent reported. Despite a goalless draw, Sudan secured the second qualifying spot for next year's AFCON finals from a group that, besides Angola and Ghana, also included Niger. As the referee's whistle signalled the end of the game, chairs toppled over as fans jumped for joy. Celebrations spilled into the streets of the Red Sea port city, where car horns echoed in triumph. It was only the second time that Sudan, the champions in 1970, made it to the AFCON finals in the last seven editions. - 'Impossible smile' - Social media platforms lit up with images of the players, as Sudanese users hailed the team's qualification as a «rare joy in dark times». «Their aim was to bring a smile back to the Sudanese people,» Khalid Omer Yousif, vice-chairman of the Sudanese Congress Party, wrote on X. Speaking to AFP by phone, sports journalist Nasr al-Din al-Fadalabi called the achievement «an impossible smile in a time of sorrow». Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Tens of thousands have been killed and more than 11 million have been displaced, including over three million who fled the country. Inside Sudan, displaced people face compounding humanitarian crises and the threat of famine, even in areas spared direct fighting. The war has devastated the country's infrastructure, crippled the health sector and shuttered most businesses. Football has not escaped the turmoil. - Politics on the pitch - With the domestic league suspended, Sudanese football has taken a new path. Home games were relocated to South Sudan and Libya, and the national team trained in Saudi Arabia. Players have signed contracts abroad, including goalkeeper Mohamed Mustafa in Tanzania. Sudanese footballers in Libya benefit from local status, while others who played abroad are now in the national team. Among them is Mohamed Eisa, a star forward who spent years in British leagues and now plays in Iran. The war has also seeped into football. In an October match against Ghana, team captain Ramadan Agab mimicked a victory gesture associated with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, taunting his paramilitary rivals. Burhan has praised the team in public statements and visits to the football federation. For many Sudanese, this week's qualification was a moment of pride and unity. «Despite the divisions among some and despite so many obstacles... they (the players) have overcome every challenge,» said fan Akrama Ali Karamallah. «I believe they will go even further, and as they say, nothing is impossible.» © Agence France-Presse 

Rafael Nadal said early Wednesday he had left a sporting and personal 'legacy' after retiring from professional tennis, as tributes flooded in for the 22-time Grand Slam winner. The 38-year-old's glittering and historic career came to a close as Netherlands defeated Spain in the Davis Cup and Nadal gave an emotional speech that ran over 10 minutes long to more than 10,000 fans in Malaga. After 23 years in the game and many struggles with injury, Nadal retires as the second-most successful men's singles player of all time. «I leave with the peace of mind that I have left a legacy, which I really feel is not just a sporting one but a personal one,» Nadal said at his retirement ceremony. «I understand that the love I have received, if it was just for what happened on the court, would not be the same.» Nadal said he hoped people would remember him for more than just his record-breaking achievements on the court, including 14 French Open titles and a record 81-match unbeaten streak on the red dirt which made him the 'King of Clay'. The Spaniard never smashed a racquet on court during his career and was adored for his positive attitude. «The titles, the numbers are there, so people probably know that, but the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person, from a small village in Mallorca,» continued Nadal. «I just want to be remembered as a good person, a kid that followed their dreams and achieved (even) more than what I had dreamed.» Nadal was celebrated with a video montage on the many screens around the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga featuring many tennis greats. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams among others left messages in the video, alongside former football stars including David Beckham, Raul and Andres Iniesta, who retired from playing in October. «Your tenacity, your fighting spirit, the energy that you brought, the power, is something that will be studied and transferred to many generations coming up,» said Djokovic, who has the record of 24 Grand Slam men's singles titles and is the last of the 'big three' still playing. «Congratulations on the most incredible career, it was such a privilege to play with you but also against you,» said Federer, Nadal's greatest rival, who retired in 2022 with 20 Grand Slams. - 'Eternal' - Nadal's last match was a 6-4, 6-4 defeat by Botic van de Zandschulp in the first singles rubber of Tuesday's Davis Cup quarter-final, and although Carlos Alcaraz forced a doubles decider Spain were eventually defeated to bring the curtain down on his career. «I'm not tired of playing tennis, it's just that my body has reached a moment where it doesn't want to play any more, so I have to accept the situation,» said Nadal. The Spaniard welled up during the Spanish national anthem at the start of the match and admitted it was «an emotional day». World number three Alcaraz, 21, is one of the game's brightest talents and a player some hope can become Nadal's heir. «His legacy is going to be eternal,» Alcaraz told reporters. «He has been great for tennis, for the sport in general, it is difficult -- at least for me -- to feel that I should continue the legacy that he has left. »It is difficult, almost impossible, I will just try to do my best, right now it's time to say great things about Rafa... «It is just great to have had Rafa in tennis, in Spain and in my life.» Spain's Davis Cup captain David Ferrer also paid tribute to Nadal. «There are people who will be remembered for their achievements in life, others until the end of their days, and others eternally,» said Ferrer. «You will be remembered eternally.» Nadal thanked fans in Spain in his speech but also around the rest of the world where he found many admirers. In Paris, where he won a record 14 French Open titles and earned the nickname the 'King of Clay', his image was projected onto the night sky in front of the Eiffel Tower. «I am crying as we speak... Rafael Nadal... What an absolute icon of sport period! There will never be another one like Rafa!» wrote former world number one Boris Becker on social media platform X. © Agence France-Presse

Up to 12 missiles were launched into the Kursk region on Wednesday, according to Russian reports.

The N-Dubz star, 36, made her confession during last night's episode of I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out of Here as well as revealing she had been celibate for the past three tears.

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Simon Cowell embraced Liam Payne 's father Geoff and mother Karen as they left their son's funeral this afternoon in emotional scenes following the service in the Home Counties.

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The Kingston Western police are probing the fatal stabbing of a 12-year-old boy on Tuesday evening in downtown Kingston. He has since been identified as Omar Collie. Reports reaching The Gleaner are that sometime after 3:20 p.m. a female...

Four men who were convicted for fatally stabbing 18-year-old Jovine Jones of Claremont, Hanover, 42 times on October 9, 2009 and dumping his body beside a river have lost their appeal to have their murder convictions overturned. The Court...

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More than a year after the death of their daughter, Wesley and Sheila Lees say they're still trying to understand what unfolded at the Aberdeen Regional Hospital, and what needs to change to prevent similar tragedies. 

Bitcoin has continued to rally amid trader expectations of a crypto-friendly regime from US President-elect Donald Trump Read Full Article at RT.com

Standing in for Keir Starmer at PMQs, Angela Rayner hit out at 'scaremongering' over how many will be hit by the Budget raid.

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Good progress is being made in the salary negotiations of the Medical Association of Iceland with the Icelandic government, but the doctors' strikes will begin in five days if an agreement is not reached before that time.

A sharp deterioration in the population's health, as well as in healthcare systems, is often the consequence of armed conflicts, natural hazards or human-made disasters, of which there have been many in recent times. The European Union (EU), a significant global humanitarian player, views health as an essential part of its assistance. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Enforcement of the Digital Services Act at national level is still very limited owing to delayed implementation. The European Commission has therefore begun infringement procedures against several Member States. At European level, the Commission has started formal proceedings against five very large platforms and has found, on a preliminary basis, that the platform X does not comply with the act. The other investigations are still ongoing. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

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