Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritius published on Saturday the list of 15 public holidays for 2023 as follows:

1. New Year - Sunday 1 January
2. New Year - Monday 2 January
3. Chinese Spring Festival- Sunday 22 January
4. Abolition of Slavery – Wednesday 1 February
5. Thaipoosam Cavadee  (Hindu Festival) - Saturday 4 February
6. Maha Shivaratree (Hindu Festival) - Saturday 18 February
7.  Independence and Republic Day - Sunday 12 March
8.  Ugaadi (Hindu Festival) - Wednesday 22 March
9. Eid-Ul-Fitr (Islamic Festival) Saturday 22 April
10. Labour Day - Monday 1 May
11. Ganesh Chaturthi –(Hindu Festival) Wednesday 20 September
12.  All Saints Day - Wednesday 1 November
13.  Arrival of Indentured Labourers - Thursday 2 November
14.  Divali (Hindu Festival) - Sunday 12 November
15.  Christmas - Monday 25 December

-0-PANA NA/RA 16July2022

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Special Envoy and Ambassador of the United States to Libya, Richard Norland, met on Thursday in Brazzaville with Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso on the Libyan crisis Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritius is to use its International Financial Centre (IFC) as a leading platform for trade, investments and capital-raising for the African region, according to the Mauritian Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Mahen Seeruttun Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation and Organisations, Omar Ketti, is leading Libya's delegation to the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), which began on Thursday, in the Zambian capital, Lusaka Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, has announced that he has discussed with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki, efforts to appoint a new Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General to Libya Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Statistics Mauritius said on Tuesday that the number of tourists who visit the island is on the rise, jumping from a mere 3,225 in June 2021 to 376,556 in June 2022 Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Six patients suffering from COVID-19 have died in the last 36 hours in Mauritius, according to the local media citing health authorities Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) –The Mauritian Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Renganaden Padayachy, on Monday said that the objective for 2022 is to achieve an economic growth rate that reaches between 6% and 7% Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) in Libya, Mrs Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - U Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said here Saturday the government will offer an amount of Rs 1,000 monthly or 22 Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – The Mauritian Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, has said that the maintenance of regional peace and security are prerequisites to sustainable socio-economic development and successful regional integration Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – The Mauritius Anti-Drug Squad and Mauritian customs officers on Monday arrested a 41-year-old Guinean and a 26-year-old Mauritian for alleged drug smuggling Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Tuesday denied claims by former CEO of Mauritius Telecom, Sherry Singh, that the government has allowed the use of equipment "to enable sniffing, interception, monitoring or recording of internet traffic to and from Mauritius and/or countries in the region" Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Annually, some 3,400 out of 7,000 prisoners, are linked to drugs due to a rise in drug trafficking, or crimes related to drugs such as money laundering and larceny, Health and Wellness Minister Kailesh Jagutpal said on Monday Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Statistics Mauritius on Tuesday said that  the rate of unemployment in the country for the first quarter of 2022 is estimated at 8 Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritian health authorities said here Saturday the recorded two deaths from coronavirus (COVID-19) over the past week Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) – Expressing great concern that Libya is gripped by political and security uncertainty after the failure to hold national elections in December 2021 and expiration of the timeline for the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) roadmap, the African Union has once again called the country’s two chambers of parliament to reach an agreement on the constitutional basis for the elections Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced on Tuesday that sanitary restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic would be eased from 1 July Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) – The African Union Commission (AUC) is deploying a mission to observe the forthcoming general elections scheduled for 9 August 2022, the Commission announced in a press statement on Monday Full text...

Vienna, Austria (PANA) - Legalised cannabis use in some countries and states appears to have accelerated daily use and related health impacts, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed in a new report released on Monday Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Health authorities in Mauritius on Friday recorded one death directly linked to coronavirus (COVID-19) and two other deaths from infections attributed to other diseases Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Friday expressed his full support for the national reconciliation project to build stability and peace in Libya Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Speaker of Libya's Parliament, Aguila Saleh, has hailed the role of the African Union (AU) in supporting the country's stability and establishing the rules of democracy through a peaceful process Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritian Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change Minister Kavy Ramano, highlighted on Thursday that out of more than 70,000 tons of plastic waste generated from packaging, only 3,000 tons were recycled, while the rest was dumped in a landfill or ended up in nature Full text...

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - Tensions are spiking once again in the chronically turbulent eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the M23 rebel movement – widely thought to be long dead – has dramatically resurrected Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Najla al-Mangouch and her Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, on Thursday met in Vienna with their discussion focusing on bilateral relations Full text...

Plaisance, Mauritius (PANA) - The first batch of Mauritian pilgrims to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, left on Wednesday on a Saudi Airlines flight, PANA reported from Plaisance, in the south of the island Full text...

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) on Wednesday concluded a three-day Field Mission to Burundi reaffirming its commitment to promoting peace and security on the continent and the need to realise a conflict-free Africa as envisioned in Agenda 2063 Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The African Union (AU) representative in Sudan, Mohamed Belaiche on Tuesday suspended his participation in the tripartite talks to end the crisis in the country Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Manfi, received on Tuesday a written message from the President of the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville, Denis Sassou Nguesso, and chairman of the African Union (AU) High Level Committee on Libya, declaring his support to the Libyan people to achieve general elections Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Bamako, the Malian capital, will host the 14th Conference of the Francophone Union of Internal Auditors from 10 to 11 October Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Manfi, in his capacity as deputy chairman of the African Union (AU), participated in a meeting via video technology on Monday devoted to listening to a briefing by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the Ukrainian-Russian crisis Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Congolese minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Claude Gakosso, presented on Monday in Tripoli to the Libyan prime minister of the government of national unity, Abdelhamid al-Dbaiba, a proposal of the African Union (AU) to support the national reconciliation in Libya Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Najla al-Mangouch, Monday hailed the great role played by the African Union (AU) in supporting efforts for stability and national reconciliation in Libya Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Statistics Mauritius said on Friday that the Balance of Visible Trade in Mauritius showed a deficit of Rs 14,483 million in April 2022, lower by 12 Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritius will make a symbolic donation of USD25,000 as a gesture of solidarity to Malawi which was badly affected by the tropical storm Ana recently Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) -  Health authorities in Mauritius said Friday they recorded one death from coronavirus (COVID-19) over the period 9-15 June 2022 Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritian Health and Wellness Minister Kailesh Jagutpal on Thursday launched a policy and action plan on sexual and reproductive health that would provide the necessary guidance to improve the sexual and reproductive health service delivery system in the island Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Madagascar has made available to Mauritius some 80 hectares of land in Moramanga to set up a textile centre Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth told Parliament on Wednesday that any act of misdemeanor on the part of police officers will be promptly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Statistics Mauritius on Friday said that the island received a total of 230,863 tourists from Europe from January to May 2022 as opposed to only 1,172 during the same period in 2021 Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian health authorities announced on Saturday that three deaths were caused by COVID-19 over the period 2 to 8 June, 2022, in the island Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritian health authorities on Saturday announced that regulations have been made under the Quarantine Act to include Monkeypox as a notifiable disease in Mauritius, the Government Information Service (GIS) said Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – The Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture has estimated the island's sugar production at 250,000 tonnes, with harvest scheduled to begin next Monday Full text...

Le Morne, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritius on Wednesday launched an 18-month coral farming and fish farming assistance project by training and building the capacity of coastal communities in coral farming and reef rehabilitation techniques Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – The Mauritius Society for Animal Welfare (MSAW) on Wednesday launched a free mass sterilisation campaign in a bid to curb the growth of the dog population “in a more humane, efficient and cost-effective manner”, the Government information Service (GIS) reported Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Mauritania have expressed recognition of the important steps recently taken to strengthen governance and accountability in the West African country Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Coal, with a share of 33%, in Mauritius remained the total primary energy requirement in 2021 Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritius will introduce a Green Transformation Package to increase the share of electricity supply from local renewable sources Full text...