🇲🇺 Sixty families told to leave their asbestos homes in 15 days, with nowhere to go

Sixty families told to leave their asbestos homes in 15 days, with nowhere to go

Where do you go when the state says your house is poison, then gives you two weeks to leave? That is the question facing 60 families in the south, all in old ex-CHA and EDC houses across Grand-Port. Last week the district council served them an eviction notice, 15 days to clear out of homes laced with asbestos. No alternative housing was offered.

The notice came from the district council acting on instructions from the local government ministry. A month ago Minister Shakeel Mohamed told the National Assembly the government would finally strip the asbestos out of these houses. Families welcomed it. Successive governments had promised the same for years and never delivered.

This time the authorities moved fast, perhaps too fast. There was no warning of when evictions would start and no relocation plan for the months of works ahead. Lalit has now asked Mohamed to freeze the order until proper planning is in place. The families wait with their bags half-packed and no address to give.

A 15-day notice to leave a home you have lived in for decades is not a relocation plan, it is a deadline.

Police sweep the north and haul in 91 suspects in one day

Ninety-one people were arrested on Wednesday across the north in a single coordinated operation the police named Thunderstrike. Most were wanted in connection with theft cases already under investigation.

The sweep pulled in the northern CID, the DCIU, the Special Supporting Unit and the Dog Unit, all under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner Ramkeelawon. Police framed it as part of a wider push to tighten public safety across the region after break-ins.

How many of the 91 stay in custody, and how many walk out within hours, is the part that decides whether the number means anything.

Victoria terminal traders say the new power bill makes no sense

Vendors at the Victoria Urban Terminal are pushing back hard against fresh electricity charges they say arrived with no written warning. They call the amounts excessive and want a billing system that actually reflects what they use.

One trader notes their contracts require 30 days written notice for any change in conditions, notice they never got. He already pays around Rs 4,000 a month to trade there. Another, Alvin, runs a few stalls part-time, yet says the charge lands like he never leaves.

Mauritius lands second in Africa on a new 2026 performance ranking

Mauritius has taken second place on Africa's 2026 performance index, just behind South Africa. The ranking was co-developed by Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, two of the continent's most widely read publications.

Solar panels to power the country's electric buses

Transport Minister Osman Mahomed is banking on the 2026-27 budget to fund 1,349 solar panels that would generate 610 kW to charge the National Transport Corporation's electric buses. The idea is to run the fleet on sunlight rather than the grid.

Shorts

Gas bottles are running late in some regions – Households in several areas report delays getting their cooking gas refilled.

The FCC warns online scams are surging again – The financial crimes watchdog is urging caution as fraud cases multiply online.

Kolektif 420 plans an anti-drug march on June 27 – The group will march through Port Louis against drugs later this month.

Versions clash over an opened syrup at Victoria – After an MP's Facebook live, the hospital denies any wrongdoing over the medicine.

Pensioner bitten and robbed of Rs 1,000 – A 67-year-old woman was attacked in the street at Tyack on Wednesday morning.

5,918 plants

Police pulled that many cannabis plants out of the ground at Gokhoola on Thursday, a haul worth Rs 15 million.

$20 million

Hong Kong customs seized fake World Cup jerseys worth that much, 230,000 counterfeit items as tournament fever feeds a global knockoff trade.

Under 2 euros an hour

Migrant workers building a $350 million US consulate in Milan say they took home that little, far below the wages they were promised.

Museveni says the fire of Ebola is dying down in Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told the nation the outbreak is fading, with no new cases reported for five straight days. He called the virus easy to contain and credited a fast response.

It is a notable turn after weeks of regional alarm that reached as far as airport screening here in Mauritius.

A 78-year-old returns to coach Congo

Veteran French coach Claude Le Roy is back with Republic of the Congo, a side he last led a decade ago.

FIFA chief shrugs off a visa row and ticket anger

Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices and said FIFA cannot tell governments who to let in.

The ECB raises rates for the first time since 2023

The European Central Bank, the institution that sets borrowing costs for the euro area, lifted rates to 2.25% to fight an inflation surge. It is the first hike in two years.

The bank pointed to price pressures and energy shocks tied to the war in Iran. Higher euro-area rates tend to ripple outward, and Mauritius watches them closely.

Belfast erupts after a knife attack

Anti-immigration riots broke out in Northern Ireland after a stabbing, with arson, injured police and 16 arrests.

Two sentenced to death over the 2015 Bangkok bombing

A Thai court condemned two Uyghur men for the Erawan Shrine blast that killed 20 people a decade ago.

Could an African side actually win the 2026 World Cup?

For the first time, Africa sends 10 teams to the World Cup, the most the continent has ever fielded at one tournament.

No African team has ever reached a final. With ten on the pitch this summer, the maths finally tilts toward a deeper run, and maybe the conversation stops being a debate.

🙏 Merci, à demain! 👋

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