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Oil just crashed. Mauritius already paid more at the pump.

Petrol hit Rs 64.25 a litre and diesel Rs 71.25 on Wednesday. A 10% jump. Two days later, Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was open again, and global crude fell by a tenth in hours.

Mauritius won't see that relief this cycle. The Petroleum Pricing Committee formula locks in the month's price, and the next review is weeks away. Locals are absorbing a Rs 12.30 diesel increase while the global market softens.

The ripple is moving fast. Consumer prices on some goods could rise 20 to 50%, traders warn. Bus operators, whose fleets of Chinese-built coaches drink 120 litres a day compared to 60 for Japanese models, have written to Finance Ministry demanding a fare rise. Minister of Transport Osman Mahomed says fares stay flat, with the state continuing to subsidise beyond the Rs 40 base rate. ACIM, the Consumers' Association, is calling for a temporary revision of the pricing formula and cuts to taxes on both fuels. Minister of Commerce Michael Sik Yuen told a press conference: "We don't know if petrol prices will rise again. We pray the war ends as soon as possible."

With Hormuz conditionally open, a US naval blockade still on Iranian ports, and shipping firms still hesitant, a second Mauritius hike looks less certain than it did 48 hours ago. The calendar, not the market, makes the next call.

Last time oil moved this much in a month, food prices in Mauritius followed within weeks.

Fifteen years later, the Bramer Bank fraud finally gets its verdict

In 2011, Rs 80 million moved through accounts at the now-defunct Bramer Bank in a scheme authorities spent fifteen years untangling. Four men pleaded guilty on Friday, and the Financial Crimes Division of the Intermediate Court handed down the verdicts. The heaviest went to Muhammad Saif Ullah Maulaboksh: 18 months in prison plus Rs 1.58 million in fines for laundering Rs 34.7 million across 16 counts.

Chandra Prakashsingh Dip, son of former Police Commissioner Anil Kumar Dip, was fined Rs 1.33 million but faces no prison time. Darmendra Mulloo, who faced 156 money laundering counts totalling Rs 18.5 million, got 9 months and a Rs 5 million fine. A fourth accused, Sheik Mohammed Khadafi Jany, was fined Rs 125,000.

The magistrate noted the prosecution failed to call a key witness, leaving the scheme's mastermind unnamed.

Twaha Academy probe deepens: DVR seized, two more witnesses questioned

The digital video recorder at the Twaha Academy is now with forensic analysts. Police seized the device Thursday as part of their investigation into alleged child abuse at the school, sending it to the IT Unit for examination.

Two witnesses were interviewed that same day, a former teacher and a former cook who previously worked at the institution. Former director Mufti Azhar Peerbocus, who faces multiple student complaints of maltreatment, has been in South Africa since the investigation opened. Mauritian authorities issued an "Arrest Upon Arrival" notice against him.

Grand-Gaube death: five charged with premeditated assault

Three men and two women accused of the fatal attack on Vijay Ramrad in Grand-Gaube were charged Friday with aggravated assault with premeditation. Ramrad, 56, died in intensive care on April 11 after a brief discharge from Flacq Hospital; his wife told police the group forced their way in and beat him on March 27. The suspects reportedly admitted victim owed a large sum of money to one of them.

MCB banker challenges AML unit in Supreme Court over Menlo Park probe

Deepshikha Gowreesunker, a former Mauritius Commercial Bank relationship manager, filed a Supreme Court motion on April 16 to have the Anti-Money Laundering Unit removed from her case, claiming the unit is biased. Her arrest in May 2025 was tied to the Menlo Park affair, a probe into a Mauritius Investment Corporation loan; she alleges WhatsApp messages from former Bank of Mauritius Governor Rama Sithanen show outside interference in the investigation.

🗞️ SHORTS

Rodrigues shows Mauritius how to desalinate – Mauritius is eyeing Rodrigues-tested desalination methods to tackle mainland water shortages after Minister Assirvaden's official visit to the island.

School phone ban coming in five weeks – Education Minister Gungapersad says the mobile phone ban for schools will take effect within five weeks.

FCC seizes 608 vehicles worth Rs 444m – The Financial Crimes Commission has seized 608 vehicles valued at Rs 444.4 million since November 2024.

Landfill standoff ends after 7-month debt – Mare-Chicose lorry drivers ended their blockade Friday after Sotravic/Strata agreed to clear seven months of unpaid fees.

SC French O Level results alarm teachers – French teachers call this year's SC O Level results alarming and say they can no longer stay silent.

$150 return train to the World Cup final venue – The round-trip from Manhattan's Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey normally costs $12.90. For the World Cup, NJ Transit confirmed the fare at $150, nearly 12 times higher, for the 15-minute, 14-kilometre ride. The stadium hosts eight matches including the final on July 19. NJ Transit says it faces $48 million budget gap after FIFA contributed nothing to transport costs; the New Jersey governor says FIFA should foot the bill.

25 hostages freed in a Naples bank vault – Three masked robbers held 25 people inside a Naples bank on Thursday, then escaped through a tunnel cut into the city's sewer network. All hostages were freed unharmed. Italian police launched a search underground, but the gang had vanished.

1,100 Kenyan workers losing jobs as Meta cuts Sama contract – Meta is ending its deal with Sama, a Kenyan firm that handled content moderation and AI data labelling for the platform, leaving 1,100 workers facing redundancy. The move follows years of lawsuits and advocacy over pay and the psychological toll of reviewing harmful content. Sama confirmed the decision was Meta's.

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Sassou-N'Guesso sworn in for fifth term as PM Ramgoolam flies to Brazzaville

Denis Sassou-N'Guesso took his oath for a fifth presidential term on Thursday at the Concorde Stadium in Brazzaville. At 82, he has governed the Republic of Congo for over 40 years, winning March's election with 94.9% of the vote; six opposition candidates alleged fraud, though the African Union declared proceedings "peaceful and orderly." He pledged to create jobs, invest in infrastructure, and revive agriculture.

PM Navin Ramgoolam travelled to Brazzaville for the ceremony, signalling Mauritius's engagement with Central Africa. Congo sits on significant oil reserves, though a 94.5% debt-to-GDP ratio and widespread poverty remain deep structural challenges for his new mandate, which runs to 2031.

Iran war's energy shock pushes Africa and Asia toward nuclear power

The crisis that closed the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas, rattled energy planners far beyond the Middle East. Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa have all signalled greater interest in nuclear generation, joining countries in Asia already accelerating plans.

Rachel Bronson of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists identifies three drivers: energy dependence as a security vulnerability, industrial policy for power-hungry economies, and surging demand from data centres. Critics counter that nuclear plants take decades to build, making them no quick fix for a crisis measured in months.

Pan-Africanist Kemi Seba arrested in South Africa, facing extradition to Benin

Kemi Seba, the French-born Beninese activist who has spent years building an anti-France movement across the continent, was arrested at a Pretoria shopping mall on Monday. South African police picked him up on a warrant from Benin, where he faces charges of inciting rebellion after posting a video in December declaring it "the day of liberation" during a reported coup attempt against President Patrice Talon. His 18-year-old son was arrested alongside him.

Both remain in custody; the court date was postponed to April 20. France had stripped Seba of his French nationality in 2024. He has 1.5 million social media followers and leads the pan-African NGO known as Pan-Africanist Emergency.

Seba has been among the loudest voices for African sovereignty. It is Benin, his adopted country, that wants him back.

Hormuz is open again, but nobody's rushing through just yet

Is the Strait of Hormuz actually open? Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yes on Friday, declaring it "completely open" for commercial vessels. His statement coincided with the 10-day Lebanon-Israel ceasefire that began Thursday, and crude oil fell by around 10% on the news.

The opening comes with conditions attached. US President Donald Trump confirmed the strait was open but said the American naval blockade on Iranian ports stays until a comprehensive deal, including nuclear terms, is completed. Shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said they are assessing risks before sending ships through; Iran's own state media suggested vessels would need permission from the Revolutionary Guard, contradicting Araghchi's declaration. France and the UK launched a 40-nation coalition to ensure lasting freedom of navigation.

Lebanon residents went home. Two wars pausing at once.

South Americans deported to Congo: Trump's third-country deal goes live

Fifteen people from Peru and Ecuador landed in Kinshasa on Friday as part of a deal struck between Washington and the Democratic Republic of Congo. All fifteen had legal protections from US courts against return to their home countries; Washington sent them to Congo instead.

The US pays the DRC between $4.7 and $7.5 million under the arrangement and covers all operating costs, with around 50 deportees expected per month. Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda have also accepted US deportees under similar arrangements. Human rights groups call the scheme illegal.

Third-country deportation: you entered the US, now you're in the DRC. Neither of you had a vote in that.

South Sudan on the edge of full-scale famine, UN warns

More than 7.5 million people will need food assistance in South Sudan this year, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council on Thursday. Fletcher warned of "full-scale famine" risk driven by intensifying fighting between government forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition, particularly in Jonglei State.

Over 280,000 civilians have been displaced from Jonglei since December, and expected flooding will cut off communities before the next harvest. Nutrition centres have been destroyed. The 2018 peace deal that was meant to end the cycle holds in name only.

In Kenya, grief is gig work

In Kenya's Luo community, families hire professional mourners to wail, sing dirges, and provides visible grief from the moment the body leaves the mortuary through burial. Services often bundle tent hire and catering.

Victor Ouma puts it simply: "Funerals occur regularly, jobs don't." Professor Owuor Olunga traces it to urbanisation: in cities, extended family networks thin out, leaving no crowd to fill a hall. A packed funeral signals high social standing in Luo culture. If you can't fill the seats, you can rent the crowd.

If you've ever wondered who fills a funeral when the deceased had no friends, now you know.