Bangladesh opens a government gateway for overseas recruits
Mauritius and Bangladesh have struck a deal to clean up the recruitment of foreign workers: a new central recruiting agency in Dhaka will handle all placements for sectors facing labour shortages here. The agreement, struck between Labour Minister Reza Uteem and his Bangladeshi counterpart at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, is meant to stamp out illegal hiring and cut the risk of trafficking.
Mauritius already runs a similar system with India through the India-Mauritius Mobility Partnership, which channels recruits through India's National Skills Development Corporation. The government says this framework makes hiring transparent and ethical. Immigration officials are also intensifying operations to track down undocumented foreign workers on the island.
Mauritius sits in the oil shock red zone
A ratings firm flagged Mauritius this week as one of Africa's most exposed economies to a sustained oil-price spike. The island imports 100 percent of its crude and runs a wide current-account deficit. Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have already tightened global supply, pushed crude prices higher, and begun to bleed into shipping costs and inflation.
The Bank of Mauritius's decision to raise the policy rate in May was a first line of defence against imported price pressure. If the Hormuz tensions hold, that move may not be enough.
DPP files charges against El Capo in cocaine case
Eight months after his arrest, the Director of Public Prosecutions formally charged Brandon Rodrigues Sena, the 31-year-old French national known as El Capo, on three counts: drug dealing (cocaine), driving under the influence of drugs, and carrying an offensive weapon. He was arrested in October 2025 with multiple grams of cocaine. Prosecutors believe he was a key player in a major international trafficking ring dismantled in 2022.
Mauritius signs expanded trade pact with Europe
Mauritius and four other Eastern and Southern African states have sealed a deeper trade agreement with the EU, replacing an interim text that had been running since 2009. The deal opens fresh market access for local exporters and is worth Rs 26.3 billion in annual Mauritian exports. The agreement removes or lowers tariff barriers on fish, sugar, and other key products.
Shorts
Electric buses roll on schedule – 95 percent of Mauritius's fleet of 100 electric buses are now operating, serving 13 routes, as Transport Minister Osman Mahomed showcased the shift to a Seychellois counterpart eyeing a similar overhaul.
Air Mauritius denies Mpox claim – The airline has dismissed online allegations that one of its cabin crew was infected with Mpox, calling the claim 'false and wholly unfounded' and reserving legal action against the source.
Preschool subsidy rules to tighten – Cabinet approved reforms to the private preschool subsidy system Friday, ending certain allowances and cutting funding starting in 2027.
Indecent conduct earns jail time – A young man has been sentenced to two weeks in prison for indecent conduct at Flic-en-Flac, after videos of the act circulated widely on social media.
New leader takes Tyack village post – Fawaaz Jummun, 36, a labourers' son, has been elected president of Tyack village council, his first major public role.
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