🇲🇺 Fifty pilgrims refuse Mecca accommodation and the minister is called in

Fifty pilgrims refuse Mecca accommodation and the minister is called in

About 50 Mauritian pilgrims arrived in Azizia on Monday expecting decent rooms for eight days of the Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. What they found was a building their organiser had refurbished at the last minute, with rooms in a state many judged unacceptable. They refused to enter. They sat in the lobby and waited.

The Islamic Cultural Centre, the body that oversees Hajj logistics for Mauritius, was alerted immediately, as was Minister Shakeel Mohamed and Ambassador Riad Haleemuth in Riyadh. The ICC said it is searching for alternative accommodation. No timeline was given.

A sharper question hangs over the whole episode: how did the ICC clear this building before departure? Assurances were given. The pilgrims arrived and found something quite different on the ground. For families who saved for years for this journey, a broken promise thousands of kilometres from home is not a minor inconvenience.

Travelling this far for the most important spiritual journey of your life, then sleeping in a lobby, is not an acceptable outcome.

Camp-Thorel: four arrested as transport minister declares war on quads

Four people are now in custody after Sunday's clashes at Camp-Thorel, where a confrontation between quad riders from Rose-Hill and local residents escalated into gunfire and two burnt vehicles. Officers are reviewing video footage to identify the shooter. A shell casing was recovered.

Transport Minister Osman Mahomed went on Radio Plus Monday to say quad riding on public roads is illegal: fines up to Rs 100,000, up to five years in prison, and plans to tighten quad import controls. "If we continue like this, we will have too many problems," Mahomed said.

Mauritius reactivates its Ebola plan as the WHO calls a global emergency

Is Mauritius at risk? Acting health director Dr Fazil Khodabocus says no immediate danger, but is not taking chances: travellers from high-risk countries face 21 days of monitoring and Victoria Hospital in Candos can now run Ebola tests.

The trigger is the World Health Organization declaring an international health emergency over an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over 91 deaths recorded. No approved vaccine or treatment exists for this strain.

No cases on the island. The plan is precautionary. Worth watching closely.

Smart card scheme planned to stop subsidised gas being resold commercially

The Commerce Ministry is designing a smart card system, possibly app-based, to cap how much subsidised cooking gas each household can buy per month. Restaurants and vendors are buying the subsidised product at domestic rates and reselling it commercially, draining a benefit meant for ordinary families.

Dookun-Luchoomun: government is taking apart the education system

Former Education Minister Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun is accusing the current government of systematically dismantling what she describes as a carefully built education system, replacing it with nothing coherent. A second report cites her telling Le Mauricien the minister in charge has no credible vision in place.

Shorts

Eid-ul-Adha falls on 28 May – Eid-ul-Adha will be celebrated on 28 May after the new moon was sighted Monday evening.

Air Mauritius eyes narrow-body jets – CEO André Viljoen says MK is weighing A321LR and Boeing 737 MAX jets for a regional route expansion.

Alalila-Uber case comes back today – Court pushed the Taxi by Alalila powered by Uber platform dispute to 19 May.

Quirin-MMM reunion talks are off – Discussions about independent MP Franco Quirin rejoining the MMM have ended without agreement.

Crowd damages ambulance mid-evacuation – A Jeetoo ambulancier filed a complaint after bystanders damaged his vehicle during an evacuation at Petite-Riviere.

40,000

delegates registered at the 13th UN World Urban Forum in Baku, a record for the event, where President Dharambeer Gokhool is representing Mauritius.

46

children abducted in school raids by criminal gangs in northern Nigeria, on the same day joint US-Nigerian forces struck jihadist targets in the northeast.

8th

consecutive Women's Six Nations title for England, who beat France 43-28 in Bordeaux to seal a fifth straight Grand Slam.

Cape Verde's ruling party loses its majority in a surprise vote

Cape Verdeans voted Sunday in a legislative election that was expected to give Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva a rare third term. Instead, the opposition won, ending the MpD party's parliamentary grip. Five parties contested, and none secured a majority.

Cape Verde is consistently ranked among Africa's most stable democracies. A peaceful power transfer here will be closely watched across the continent as a reference point for how competitive politics can work.

Four dead in Kenya as fuel price protests turn violent

Kenyan transport workers struck after a 23.5% diesel hike; protests that followed killed four people. Former Deputy President Gachagua blamed government corruption for the pricing.

Rwanda closes Goma border as Ebola supplies reach eastern DRC

Rwanda shut its Goma crossing after the WHO emergency declaration, as health supplies arrived in Bunia in eastern DRC. The death toll is 88 with about 350 suspected cases.

Russia and Belarus drill with nuclear weapons already stationed in Belarus

Moscow and Minsk launched joint military exercises this week to practice using Russian nuclear weapons already deployed in Belarus. Russia transferred tactical nuclear warheads there in 2023, the first time Russian nuclear arms have been stationed outside Russia since the Soviet Union collapsed. These drills land as European defence budgets accelerate and NATO allies sharpen their deterrence debate.

At least 2,707 executions in 2025: the highest count since 1981

Amnesty counted at least 2,707 executions worldwide in 2025, a 44-year high driven largely by Iran. China's numbers are unpublished and estimated to be far higher.

A data point that keeps getting buried under bigger headlines. It shouldn't.

Spanish court clears Shakira of tax fraud and orders a $64 million refund

A Spanish court acquitted Shakira of tax fraud, ruling she was not a legal resident in Spain in 2011. More than 55 million euros, roughly $64 million, will be refunded.

Two Americans broke into a baby monkey's enclosure in Japan and got arrested

Punch is a baby macaque at a Japanese facility who became an internet sensation. Two American tourists decided watching clips online wasn't enough and climbed into his enclosure. Japanese authorities arrested them.

Punch is reportedly fine. This keeps happening with internet-famous animals: viral fame attracts people who confuse a cute clip with an invitation.