Britain and the European Union were expected to announce a Christmas Eve trade deal Thursday after 10 months of Brexit talks dragged out over yet another late night session. The two sides had hoped to unveil the accord on Wednesday, and the front pages of several British newspapers already proclaimed victory for Prime Minister Boris [...]
Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift that carries the scent of Seychelles? Three new perfumes made from the unique coco de mer, the world's biggest nut, are now available on the local market. A brainchild of Silvana Bisogni, the perfumes are made in Seychelles in the laboratory of Island Scent at Au Cap, where they [...]
President Donald Trump on Tuesday rejected a massive Covid economic relief package passed by Congress, branding it "a disgrace" in an act of political brinkmanship less than a month before he must leave office and when millions of Americans are suffering fallout from the pandemic. Trump dropped the bombshell via a pre-recorded statement made in [...]
A new artisanal fishery management plan seeks long-term sustainability to avoid depletion of the wild fish stocks in Seychelles. The 'Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery Co-Management Plan' is the first step in regulating artisanal fishing in the seas surrounding the main island of Mahe. The plan which will be implemented and enforced by the Seychelles [...]
Sydney on Wednesday eased lockdown restrictions for Christmas after Australia's largest city reported a second day of new coronavirus cases in the single digits. Amid a record testing and tracing effort, just eight new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, prompting authorities to announce all residents could have at least some visitors over [...]
Seychelles has received a consignment of 50,000 doses of a China-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine donated by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the chief executive of the Health Care Agency said on Tuesday. Officials are now studying and deciding who will receive the vaccine first and when the first vaccinations will take place. Dr. [...]
The Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Trade has done a series of consultative meetings to discuss a new Business Tax regime. The overhaul of the Business Tax, expected to start in January 2021, is part of the recommendations made in a report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). The report [...]
Europe scrambled Monday to thrash out a coordinated response to a new strain of the coronavirus which has prompted an international suspension of travel links with the UK, while the United States saw its own caseload top 18 million. With travellers in Europe facing a nightmare holiday season, EU ambassadors were to meet Tuesday to [...]
The Central African Republic said Monday that Russia and Rwanda had sent in hundreds of troops after an alleged attempted coup ahead of upcoming elections. Rwanda confirmed soldiers had been deployed under a bilateral agreement, while Russia denied any troops had been sent, although it noted that personnel were there under an accord with the [...]
An increase in Seychelles' external debt has resulted in the island nation's credit rating being downgraded from 'B+' to a 'B' with a stable outlook this year on the Fitch Ratings released last week. The Fitch 'B' ratings indicate that while financial commitments are currently being met, the capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to [...]
