🇲🇺 Shots fired, car torched: what really happened at Camp-Thorel

Shots fired, car torched: what really happened at Camp-Thorel

A Sunday evening walk on a health track in Camp-Thorel turned into something far uglier. A group from Rose-Hill had brought quads onto a public fitness trail in the east of the island, angering local residents who'd complained about it before. Words became blows. Then someone fired shots into the air.

A vehicle belonging to the Rose-Hill group was set on fire. Several people fled into nearby woods. By 10 PM, the Special Supporting Unit had joined regular police on the ground, the quads were seized, and a spent cartridge recovered. Officers were still deployed well into the night.

Police have since issued a call for calm and say an investigation is underway. No arrests had been announced as of Monday morning. What started as a dispute over shared public space escalated fast, and the east now has its eyes on what happens next.

A fitness trail conflict that ends with gunfire and arson is not a minor disagreement.

Exam fee hike could push struggling students out of school, union warns

Repeating students sitting the School Certificate or Higher School Certificate are facing higher examination fees this year, and the Union of Private Secondary Education Employees, known as UPSEE, says many families simply cannot absorb the extra cost.

UPSEE warns that for households already stretched thin, this increase could be the nudge that tips a struggling teenager out of education entirely. The union is calling on the government to review the hike before it costs students more than just money. No response from the ministry has been announced.

A fee that feels administrative to some families is a wall to others.

US health agency flags Mauritius over chikungunya surge

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States' main public health body, has issued a Level 2 travel alert for Mauritius this week, citing a surge in chikungunya cases.

A Level 2 advisory means 'practice enhanced precautions': one step below 'reconsider travel.' With the island averaging 125 new cases a day and winter not slowing things down, the outbreak is now visible far beyond local health circles.

Wanted for two months, she's posting videos on TikTok

A woman from Pailles with an active arrest warrant has been taunting police on TikTok while on the run for two months. Behind the clips, according to Defi Media, are drug-related allegations. Police are investigating.

After decades of silence, government orders national asbestos census

Mauritians living in old Central Housing Authority (CHA) homes built with asbestos have waited years, sometimes decades, for action. Now the government has announced a national census of asbestos housing. It is not a demolition order, but it is the first formal count of what is out there.

A census doesn't rehouse anyone, but without one, nothing else can start.

Shorts

Ramasawmy devices to go under FCC lens – Bobysen Ramasawmy stays in detention as his digital devices are examined in the Ally Royals FCC obstruction case.

Minister opens probe into Virahsawmy complaint – Minister Subron opens an inquiry after Micheline Virahsawmy alleged harassment by a government arts body employee.

Perrine bags kickboxing bronze in Turkey – Wayne Perrine takes bronze at the Kickboxing World Cup in Turkey after losing his under-51kg semi-final.

India sugar ban puts Mauritius on alert – India suspended sugar exports to September 30, and Mauritius is watching the impact on local prices.

Agalega runs short before Mother's Day – Agalega is short on fizzy drinks, juices and snacks just two weeks before Mother's Day.

Higher gold duties

India raised import taxes on gold as Middle East tensions squeeze its currency, and Mauritius's role as a gold transit hub is now under scrutiny from traders watching margins erode.

8th FA Cup

Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley, Antoine Semenyo scoring the only goal, as the club keeps its domestic treble alive heading into the final weeks of the season.

151st Preakness Stakes

Napoleon Solo held off Iron Honor to win the race at Laurel Park in his first victory of the year, keeping the Triple Crown conversation open.

WHO declares Ebola outbreak a global emergency

What began as 65 deaths on Friday has now grown to 336 suspected cases and 88 deaths across eastern DRC and Uganda. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern.

The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment and a fatality rate up to 50%. WHO has not recommended border closures but flags countries bordering DRC as high-risk. Doctors Without Borders is mobilising a large-scale response.

No vaccine, no treatment, 50% fatality potential. And it's already crossed into Uganda.

South Sudan holds SPLA Day for first time since 2013 civil war

South Sudan observed SPLA Day as a national commemoration for the first time since its 2013 civil war: a tentative signal of stability in a country that has known little of it.

Shakira and Burna Boy drop official FIFA World Cup 2026 anthem

Shakira and Nigeria's Burna Boy released 'Dai Dai', the official 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, with royalties going to a children's education and football fund.

Drone hits UAE nuclear plant, fire breaks out

A drone struck the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, starting a fire on the site. No injuries were reported and the plant said operations were not disrupted. No group has claimed responsibility.

Barakah is the Arab world's first operational nuclear power plant. A strike on nuclear infrastructure, even one that causes no meltdown, is a serious escalation and will heighten security conversations across the Gulf.

Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026 as five countries boycott over Israel

Bulgaria won Eurovision 2026 in Vienna with 'Bangaranga', Israel second, as five countries boycotted and protests ran outside all weekend.

North Korean soccer team touches down in South Korea

North Korea's Naegohyang FC landed in South Korea for the Asian Women's Champions League semi-final: the first visit by North Korean athletes to the South in eight years.

The Ethiopian running secret that data can't explain

Ethiopian runners dominate the world stage. The Western response: buy more gadgets. More heart rate monitors, more lactate testers. In Addis Ababa, the approach is almost the opposite: energy as communal, training shaped by group rhythm rather than individual data.

An essay at Aeon unpacks why the best runners in the world keep winning without the tools we're convinced are essential.

Turns out obsessing over your own stats might be getting in the way.