🇲🇺 Six dead from leptospirosis this week — and the last victim never went to a hospital

Six dead from leptospirosis this week — and the last victim never went to a hospital

A man in his forties from Bambous died from leptospirosis this week, and doctors only found out after the autopsy. He had not visited a hospital or sought any treatment. The Forensic Doctor at Candos confirmed the diagnosis; a second test backed it up. Health authorities say they held back the announcement until all tests were complete.

That brings the leptospirosis death toll to six this year, with 21 confirmed cases since January. The interim Director of Health, Dr Fazil Khodabocus, said this patient's case is a reminder of how dangerous it is to stay home when symptoms appear — the disease moves fast, and it is treatable if caught early. Six confirmed deaths in under five months is a serious escalation.

The island is also tracking 70 active chikungunya cases and more than 2,558 total since January, concentrated in areas already flagged by health teams. Mpox remains stable at two cases.

Leptospirosis is carried in rat urine and spreads through contaminated water. With winter rains starting, the risk window is widening.

Up to 500 litres of heavy oil flowed into Port Louis harbour after an Engen pipeline leak

On Friday afternoon, a pipeline operated by Engen Ltd ruptured near the Ruisseau de La Paix during a cleaning operation. Between 200 and 500 litres of heavy fuel oil mixed with water drained into the waterway, flowed through the Lataniers River, and reached the port channel.

The Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) activated its spill response plan, deploying a 100-metre floating boom at the river mouth. Engen put down absorbents. Investigators confirmed the pipeline has since been repaired, no further leakage detected, and port operations were not disrupted. Environmental police have opened an enquiry — if protocols were broken, prosecutions are possible.

The spill reached the port channel before the boom was in place. The two-hour gap between the incident and the MPA being notified is going to be a question.

Government caps Eid livestock at Rs 186/kg after importers pushed for Rs 220

An interministerial committee has set the retail ceiling price for imported live cattle at Rs 186 per kilogram ahead of Eid-ul-Adha 2026. Importers had lobbied for Rs 220. Minister Shakeel Mohamed, chairing the committee, confirmed the cap holds until ten days after the celebrations.

The committee also flagged what it called "anomalies" in how cattle have been imported and sold this season. Mohamed told operators who object that they are free to challenge the cap in court. The government is clearly braced for pushback.

A Nigerian man tried to leave Mauritius on a fake passport he bought online for $340

At Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport on 24 April, an Air Mauritius check-in agent noticed something off on a traveller's passport. The passenger, Akunana Nzubechukwu Gideon, 27, a Nigerian national living in Sodnac, Quatre-Bornes, was trying to board a flight to Johannesburg. Police confirmed the document was a fake. Confronted by investigators, Gideon told them he had bought the Mauritian passport online for USD 340 — roughly Rs 15,900 — filling in his details on a website and receiving the forged document via FedEx.

Three laptops and an iPhone were seized for analysis. The bigger concern: if Mauritian passports are being assembled and sold online, this is unlikely to be the first attempt.

An "explosive" document deepens the OMCA-Ras Natty Baby controversy as FCC widens its probe

A hospital admission form from India's Park Hospital, filled out when singer Ras Natty Baby was transferred there by OMCA Foundation, lists his nationality as Indian and religion as Hindu. He was Mauritian. The document, now at the centre of a fresh wave of scrutiny, adds to a week in which the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) audited OMCA's devices and finances after at least six complaints from families alleging opaque fundraising. Dr Vasantrao Gudjadhur, a senior health ministry advisor, said the speed at which OMCA arranged Ras Natty Baby's departure from the Jeetoo Hospital ICU — against medical advice — points to what he called "premeditation."

Shorts

Rs 700K drug haul in Curepipe – ADSU central officers seized cannabis, cocaine and synthetic drugs worth an estimated Rs 700,000 in a Curepipe operation.

Alicia Kok Shun wins silver in Algeria – Alicia Kok Shun claimed silver in the 50m breaststroke at the African Swimming Championships, finishing fourth in the heats before surging in the final.

UAE to open its first Mauritius embassy – Cabinet has approved a resident UAE ambassador in Port Louis — the UAE's first formal embassy on the island.

Woman, 70, files complaint against sergeant – A Curepipe retiree has reported a police sergeant to Rose-Belle police, alleging violence and extortion during a relationship that began in 2023.

Bérenger's new party holds founding congress – Paul Bérenger's Fron Militan Progresis held its founding congress in Vacoas-Phoenix, unveiling its logo with a stated aim to block both the MSM and PTr.

Rs 2.4 million

stolen from a 70-year-old retiree in Butte-aux-Papayes by a fraudster posing as a bank official in a "vishing" phone scam — a reminder that voice phishing is getting more convincing.

30 years

since Port Louis's Caudan Waterfront opened on 24 November 1996, with a series of anniversary events planned — three decades since the capital got its waterfront facelift.

38

softball home runs in a single season — a new NCAA Division I record set by Nebraska's Megan Grant, who broke the previous mark as her team beat UCLA 7-2 to claim the Big Ten title.

South Africa's court clears the way for a Ramaphosa impeachment probe — and his rivals are ready

A court has cleared the path for a parliamentary impeachment inquiry into South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, rejecting opposition arguments that ANC lawmakers had shielded him. Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), immediately called for Ramaphosa's resignation.

The scandal at the centre of it all: a large sum of cash, hidden in a couch at his Phala Phala farm, theft he reported to his own security chief. Ramaphosa denies wrongdoing, saying the money came from a buffalo sale. He is in his final term as president.

At least 36 killed as Islamic State-linked rebels attack villages in eastern DR Congo's Ituri

IS-affiliated fighters killed at least 36 people in two days of attacks across villages in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local and security sources.

Four African countries make their Venice Biennale debut this year

Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and a fourth nation are making their first appearances at the Venice Art Biennale as African representation at the world's oldest art fair keeps growing.

Sixteen years of Orbán: Hungary gets a new prime minister as Péter Magyar is sworn in

Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary's prime minister on Saturday, ending Viktor Orbán's uninterrupted grip on the country that stretched back to 2010. Magyar has promised to fight corruption and restore democratic institutions — vague goals, but ones that resonate with a significant portion of Hungarians who watched the state media, courts, and civil society get systematically reshaped over the past 16 years.

Orbán had become the European Union's most persistent internal irritant, blocking Ukraine aid and cozying up to Moscow while technically remaining an EU member. His exit reshapes the bloc's political calculus considerably.

WHO coordinates evacuation of cruise ship struck by hantavirus off Spain

The World Health Organization and several European governments are working to evacuate passengers from the MV Hondius, a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak while anchored near Spain. Three people have died and a third British case has emerged. Experts say hantavirus is far less transmissible than coronavirus — it does not spread person to person — but the cluster on a single vessel is unusual and under close watch.

Keir Starmer says he is staying despite Labour's worst local election results in years

British PM Keir Starmer is refusing to resign after Labour suffered crushing losses in local elections, with calls from within the party to rethink the direction of his government. He insists he will stay and revive Labour — a position that becomes harder to defend with each set of results.

Nine years without a single electricity bill: one man's solar experiment in Mahébourg

Vinesh Kunnee has not paid for electricity since 2017. At 44, the Mahébourg resident runs his entire home on solar power — no grid connection, no restrictions, no monthly bill. He started planning the setup in 2010, well before solar became fashionable, after watching what he called the fragility of global energy systems. The full installation took years and real upfront money.

As CEB tariffs keep rising and more Mauritians look at solar panels, Kunnee's story is the one everyone wants to replicate. Nine years of zero electricity bills is the kind of maths that makes you pull out a calculator.