Mauritius (; ; Mauritian Creole: Moris; Officially the Republic of Mauritius (French: République de Maurice), is an island nation in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres (560 mi) east of Madagascar and about 3,943 kilometers (2,450 mi) southwest of India. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the republic includes the islands of St. Brandon, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 200 kilometers (125 mi) to the southwest.

History

---

More on [ Mauritius ]

BBC News | Africa | World Edition

Mugabe's party 'wants mediation'
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:13:06 -0000
Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe's party has agreed to outside mediation over a deadlocked deal, a minister says.
Congo president's call to arms
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:41:27 -0000
DR Congo's leader makes a televised appeal for people in the east to take up arms against rebel general Laurant Nkunda.
Somalis 'feared dead' off Yemen
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:17:56 -0000
About 100 Somalis are feared drowned in the Gulf of Aden after being forced overboard by smugglers, the UN says.
Rwanda opts for English teaching
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:19:07 -0000
Rwanda's parliament decides all education, from nursery school to university, will be taught in English instead of French.
Namibia mediator wins Nobel Prize
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:42:42 -0000
Finnish ex-President Martti Ahtisaari wins this year's Nobel Peace Prize for three decades of mediation around the world.
Libya 'to pull Swiss bank assets'
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:58:47 -0000
Libya is to withdraw an estimated $7m of assets from Swiss banks in a row over the arrest of the Libyan leader's son.

NYT > Africa

Rift Unsettles South Africa’s Top Party
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:07:42 -0000
A well-known stalwart of the governing African National Congress took steps to break with the party and start another, arguing that the A.N.C. had turned its back on democracy.
World Briefing | Africa: Zimbabwe: Inflation Rate Spirals Higher Still
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:04:43 -0000
Zimbabwe’s inflation rate, already one of the highest in world history, rose from an annual rate of 11 million percent in June to 231 million percent in July.
Somali Pirates Said to Be Near Arms Cargo Deal
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:01:25 -0000
The Somali pirates who hijacked an arms-laden Ukrainian freighter nearly two weeks ago may soon be getting their ransom.

L.A. Times - Africa

S. Africa deaths probed; hemorrhagic fever suspected
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:39:00 -0700
The U.N. health agency says it is investigating a mystery disease that killed three people in the South African city of Johannesburg.
Pirates threaten to blow up hijacked ship off Somalia
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:45:00 -0700
A spokesman for the group of pirates holding an arms-laden tanker off the coast of Somalia has threatened to blow up the ship in three days if no ransom is paid.
For first time, scientists predict arrival of asteroid
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:36:00 -0700
The object burned up over Sudan, posing no threat to people. The successful prediction shows that an alert system is working, Jet Propulsion Laboratory expert says. Scientists for the first time were able predict the arrival of an asteroid before it entered Earth's atmosphere.

UN News Centre - Africa

Ban calls on rebels, army to immediately cease fire in eastern DR Congo
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Voicing "increasing concern" at developments in the border areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on rebels and the Congolese Government to immediately observe an effective ceasefire and cooperate with United Nations peacekeepers to achieve a separation of forces.
Ban concerned over Zimbabwe ‘impasse,' urges parties to reach deal soon
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the parties in Zimbabwe to step up their efforts to reach a "workable agreement" following the power-sharing deal reached earlier this month that ended months of political upheaval and set the stage for the formation of a government of national unity.
Over 6 million Ethiopians in need of emergency food aid, UN reports
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations' humanitarian arm has warned that food insecurity is worsening in Ethiopia, with over six million people now in need of emergency aid to stay alive.

The Economist: Middle East and Africa

Saudi Arabia: Can it make peace in the wider region?
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Saudi Arabia has had mixed success in its diplomacy, but it has raised its profile and should keep on tryingBY TRADITION, Muslim leaders seal pacts by bowing together in prayer, side by side. And what better place to do this than in Mecca, the city Muslims face for their devotions, and where pilgrims of every sect and faction mingle peaceably by the million? So it is natural that Saudi Arabia’s rulers, who not only control the holy city but also happen to be colossally rich, should adopt the role of peacemakers.In recent years, as an ailing Egyptian government has faded from its former role as the Arab world’s chief broker, the Saudis have tried interceding in regional troubles ranging from Lebanon to Israel-Palestine, Somalia and Iraq. Yet for all the pious ritual and lavish banqueting enjoyed by their guests, and for all the moral authority carried by King Abdullah, who styles himself the Servant of the Holy Places, the Saudis have an uneven record of success. ...
South Africa: A Terror threat to the ruling party
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
A new opposition party at last?THE possibility of a split in the African National Congress (ANC) seemed to grow this week when Mosiuoa Lekota, a former party chairman, called for people fed up with the antics of the ruling party’s new leaders to meet in the next few weeks to chart a new way forward. Mr Lekota, also known as “Terror” (for his once-dazzling skills on a football field), was the minister of defence until resigning last month, along with the country’s then president, Thabo Mbeki. Though Mr Lekota stopped short of calling for a new party, that is the likely outcome. Mr Lekota, an ally of Mr Mbeki, had earlier written an open letter to the ANC’s new secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, who also happens to be the Communist Party’s chairman. In it he complained that those who did not share the majority view backing the ANC’s new leader, Jacob Zuma, who is likely to become the country’s national president next year, were being “hounded out and purged” from party and government. Mr Lekota also said that corruption charges against Mr Zuma should not be dropped for political reasons, and deplored recent verbal attacks on the courts by leaders of the ANC’s pro-Zuma wing. The ANC, he said, was deviating from its original principles. Staying in it would mean endorsing practices “dangerous to democracy”. ...
Kenya and Sudan: The mystery tanks
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Who are the real owners of the tanks nabbed by Somali pirates?THE publication of the manifest of a Ukrainian ship recently captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia is embarrassing Kenya’s government. It apparently shows that MV Faina’s cargo of 33 T-72 Soviet-era tanks and other weapons was consigned to Kenya’s defence ministry on behalf of the government of south Sudan. Much will turn on the real meaning of the acronym GOSS, evident as the buyer on the manifest. Most people take this to mean the Government of South Sudan, meaning that the tanks were destined for that region. The Kenyans say it means the Kenyan army’s own General Ordinance Supplies and Security, proving that the tanks were going to Kenya. But that does not necessarily mean they were not going on to south Sudan. Kenya has no history of using Soviet equipment. A Russian source said that the only Russian arms Kenya has bought in recent years have been Kalashnikov rifles for game rangers. ...

Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune

In Somalia, a 'forgotten crisis'
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:26:58 -0000
The world pays attention to its pirates, not to the continuing famine and warfare.
As fears ease, Baghdad sees walls tumble
By STEPHEN FARRELL, ALISSA J. RUBIN, SAM DAGHER AND ERICA GOODE Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:26:58 -0000
The slow dismantling of the walls is the most visible sign of a fundamental change in the Iraqi capital, as the American surge strategy draws to a close.
Roadside bomb in Baghdad kills Shiite legislator
By Sam Dagher Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:26:04 -0000
The attack on an Iraqi member of Parliament from Moktada al-Sadr's political movement prompted supporters of Sadr to blame the U.S.
In lull of sectarian violence, an Iraqi town rebuilds
By Erica Goode and Mohammed Hussein Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:14:09 -0000
The sectarian violence that once raged throughout the city of Samarra has quieted in the last few months. Yet quiet is a relative term.
Christians fleeing Mosul after targeted killings
By ERICA GOODE AND SUADAD AL-SALHY Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:26:58 -0000
Since late September, as many as 14 Christians have been killed in Mosul, according to government officials and humanitarian groups.
Nuclear aid by Russian to Iranians suspected
By ELAINE SCIOLINO Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:26:58 -0000
Inspectors are investigating whether a Russian scientist helped Iran conduct experiments on how to detonate a nuclear weapon, according to officials.

Subscribe to Africa RSS feed