The Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) and the French Navy have collaborated in training to mitigate the effects of oil spills in the island nation's waters. The final assessment of the training took place on Thursday at the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) base, where members of the SCG, along with other relevant partners took part in an oil spill simulation exercise. "This exercise is part of full training that started earlier this week, with the French Navy and the SCG, in relation to anti-pollution measures," said the chief commissioner of the French Navy, Timothee Sevaistre, in an interview ..read more

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the signature of an extradition agreement between Seychelles and France to allow the transfer of persons accused or convicted of crimes between the two countries. A bill is expected to be presented to the National Assembly for approval for this agreement with France, to help each other in criminal matters. This agreement follows the rules set by the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act of 2022. Vice President Ahmed Afif told reporters on Thursday that the decision is not based on particular figures at this point but on putting in place a legal framewo ..read more

Fish exporters and government partners from Seychelles are participating in the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain, to enhance the reputation of the island nation's seafood industry and provide promising new market opportunities for its growing private sector. Taking place from April 23-25, the event marks its 30th edition and has become the largest in history, with 2,244 companies from 87 countries showcasing their products and services. According to the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), "Following the success of its participation last year, Seychelles' local fish exporters a ..read more

Russia's children's rights commissioner on Wednesday announced a deal with Ukraine to exchange almost 50 children displaced by Moscow's invasion but a Ukrainian official later declined to confirm the agreement. Kremlin official Maria Lvova-Belova announced "for the first time in a face-to-face format, we held talks with the Ukrainian side. Twenty-nine children are due to go to Ukraine and 19 to Russia". Moscow has been accused of forcibly taking Ukrainian children into Russian territory during its full-scale offensive, with Lvova-Belova wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charg ..read more

Storms and flash floods turned roads into gushing rivers and swamped homes with waist-high muddy water across the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people. The East Africa region has been lashed by relentless downpours in recent weeks, as the El Nino weather pattern exacerbates the seasonal rainfall. Across Nairobi, vehicles were stuck in the deluge and people waded through floodwaters in slum areas to reach safety. "The number of bodies recovered so far are 10 and we have other people who are missing," Fred Abuga, a local police commander, told AFP. According to the Nai ..read more

The number of people in France living beyond 110 years is growing fast, the national demographic studies institute said Wednesday, with women dominating the supercentenarian contest. The phenomenon was unheard of in France of until the late 1980s, but in 2022 the authorities recorded 39 cases of people dying aged 110 or older, the INED institute said in a report. Centenarians, meanwhile, have seen a "spectacular" rise in numbers, INED said, growing from around 1,000 in 1970 to 8,000 in 2000 and 31,000 at the start of this year. On current trends, 200,000 people in France will be 100 or older b ..read more

The European Union on Wednesday backed a United Nations demand for an independent probe into the reported discovery of mass graves at two Gaza hospitals destroyed in Israeli sieges. "This is something that forces us to call for an independent investigation of all the suspicions and all the circumstances, because indeed it creates the impression that there might have been violations of international human rights committed," EU spokesman Peter Stano said. "That's why it's important to have independent investigation and to ensure accountability." The UN rights office said Tuesday international in ..read more

The Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior, arrived in Port Victoria in Seychelles after a week-long expedition with a team of scientists and students from the University of Seychelles exploring the seagrass meadows around Owen Bank in the western rim of the Mahe Plateau. In a press communique on Saturday, the global environmentalist campaign network, Greenpeace, said that the seagrass meadows in this region remain largely undocumented so the Rainbow Warrior is supporting the team from Seychelles to verify their extent and document the diverse marine life within this vital ecosyst ..read more

The United States has begun discussions with Niger on withdrawing the more than 1,000 American personnel in the military-ruled country, which has been a key base for regional counter-terrorism operations, officials said Monday. Niger's government -- a military junta that ousted the country's president last year -- said in March that it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington, which agreed to remove its troops last week and said it would send a delegation to Niamey within days. "We can confirm the beginning of discussions between the US and Niger for the orderly withdrawal o ..read more

Asia was the world's most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said Tuesday, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the UN's weather and climate agency said Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace. The World Meteorological Organization said the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region's future water security. The WMO said Asia was warming faster than the global average, with temperatures last year near ..read more