Former Madagascan president Andry Rajoelina has beaten his rival and predecessor Marc Ravalomanana in an election beset by allegations of fraud, the electoral commission said Thursday. Rajoelina has returned to power after he won 55.66 percent against 44.34 percent for Ravalomanana in the run-off vote held last week, it said. The results, announced under high [...]
The US government partial shutdown was set to stretch deep into next week after legislators failed Thursday to make a breakthrough in the row over President Donald Trump's demand for a US-Mexico border wall. After convening for just a few minutes following the official Christmas break, a still nearly empty Senate adjourned, deciding to renew [...]
President Danny Faure of Seychelles has approved the amendment to the Elections Act which makes provision to employ a permanent chief electoral officer. The chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Luciana Lagrenade, told reporters on Thursday that the amendment will ensure separation of powers between the board and the secretariat. “The new chief electoral officer will [...]
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck early Wednesday near Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna, injuring several people, displacing some 600 and damaging buildings, Italian civil protection officials said. Two people were pulled from a collapsed building and around 10 were taken to hospital suffering light injuries from falling debris. An elderly woman suffered multiple fractures, Agi [...]
The Seychelles’ Vallee de Mai, which is home to the world’s largest nut, the unique coco de mer, celebrates its 35th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site this month. It was on December 9, 1983, that Vallee de Mai was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Managed by the Seychelles Islands [...]
Five African heads of state on Wednesday voiced "strong concern over acts of violence" during the presidential campaign of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where voting has been postponed in two restive regions. Clashes in some locations are enough "to compromise voter's peace of mind," added a statement issued at the end of a one-day [...]
A famous artist in Seychelles -- Michael Adams -- launched a new book on Friday that showcases 46 years’ worth of paintings, mostly of scenes inspired by the country of coco de mer and black parrots. Titled ‘Michael Adams - A Monograph’, the 393-page hardback book consists of Adams' biography as well as 275 full-colour [...]
Organisations in Seychelles working on various projects under the biodiversity programme of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) had the opportunity to showcase achievements and results in a recently organised workshop. The IOC communication assistant, Mihary Randrianarivelo, told SNA that Seychelles has greatly benefited in terms of building its capacity and protecting its biodiversity. “This is [...]
Indonesian search and rescue teams Wednesday plucked stranded residents from remote islands and pushed into isolated communities still desperate for aid in the aftermath of a volcano-triggered tsunami that killed more than 400. Medical workers have warned that clean water and medicine supplies were running low -- stoking fears of a public health crisis -- [...]
Christians in Seychelles join the rest of the world on Tuesday in celebrating Christmas, an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, on December 25. Believers in the island nation in the western Indian Ocean attend mass in their respective parishes. As Catholics and Anglicans celebrate this important event, the leaders of the island nation's two Dioceses -- Bishop [...]
