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Fifty-seven years, then a resignation letter: Bérenger walks out of the MMM

Fifty-seven years. That's how long Paul Bérenger had his name on the Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM), the party he helped found in 1969. On Monday he walked away, describing his departure as a "wrenching decision" made without compromising his convictions.

He didn't leave alone, his daughter Joanna Bérenger and fellow MP Chetan Baboolall submitted their own letters the same day. All three will sit in parliament as independents from today, with the Speaker and the Clerk of the National Assembly finalising their new seating arrangement.

The breaking point was last Saturday's delegate assembly at Belle-Rose, where 306 of 400 MMM delegates voted to keep the party in government, overriding Bérenger's position that the MMM should not remain in the ruling coalition without firm guarantees on the electoral programme.

MMM President Reza Uteem was clinical: the party "takes note" and "the page has turned." En Avant Moris leader Patrick Belcourt went further. "It's not a page or a chapter," he said. "It's a book that has closed."

Bérenger, 80, plans to launch a new political movement "with activists and citizens who share our values." Name and structure still to come.

At 80, founding another political party. Few people on this island understand its fault lines the way Bérenger does. What comes next won't be boring.

Alalila faces court challenge as taxi drivers revolt

Two weeks after launch, the Alalila platform (powered by Uber's global technology and operated by Logidis) has already landed in court. An attorney representing 243 taxi drivers filed an injunction contesting the legality of the service, arguing it bypasses regulations that govern the licensed taxi sector.

Logidis says thousands of daily ride requests are coming in, with driver registrations growing every day. The company maintains the platform operates legally. Traditional taxi operators are not convinced.

A judge now decides.

Uber's global expansion playbook: launch, generate demand, fight in court. We know how this story usually ends.

Subsidised rice and flour turning up for sale in the Comoros

About a month ago the State Trading Corporation (STC) opened an internal investigation after discovering that major distributors were buying subsidised ration rice and flour meant for Mauritian households, and reselling portions in the Comoros Islands. Some of those same distributors were also supplying local hotels and restaurants, equally prohibited under the subsidy rules.

The STC temporarily took over direct distribution, bringing in roughly 70 trucking companies to fill the gap. Criminal prosecutions are expected.

The Comoros connection is particularly galling: Mauritius exports the subsidy, Comorians get the rice, and the public purse takes the hit.

Interpol called in as Twaha Academy suspect flees to South Africa

Five formal complaints have been filed with police against mufti Azhar Peerbocus, head of Twaha Academy boarding school. The allegations include confining a student overnight in his room and forcing another to consume a substance in cigarette form. Investigators are also analysing an audio recording in which a voice allegedly belonging to Peerbocus offers a student Rs 1,000 to give false testimony.

Before police could question him, Peerbocus left Mauritius on a one-way ticket to South Africa. Authorities have since contacted Interpol and alerted South African police. The Family Protection Brigade plans to interview 15 students.

A one-way ticket suggests he knew what was coming.

90 electric buses from India complete the NTC fleet gift

India has delivered 90 electric buses to the National Transport Corporation (NTC), completing a government-to-government gift of 100 vehicles. The handover marks another step toward greener public transport on the island.

📰️ SHORTS

Courthouse fire, quickly contained – A fire broke out Monday morning at Port Louis's New Court House. Staff were evacuated; firefighters contained it fast with no injuries and no damage.

Jellyfish warning at Belle Mare – The National Coast Guard is warning beachgoers after jellyfish were spotted along the Belle Mare public beach shoreline. Exercise caution.

Qurbani beef to top Rs 215/kg – Ahead of Qurbani at end of May, beef-on-the-hoof prices are set to exceed Rs 215 per kilo, up on last year's rates.

Officers questioned over drugs in police vehicle – A sergeant and a constable from Metro North were questioned after illegal substances were found in a police vehicle; their homes were also searched.

Motorcyclist dies in Petite-Julie crash – A motorcyclist was killed Monday afternoon in a collision involving two cars and a bike at Petite-Julie.

$4,770.30 gold price, up 8.68%

Gold surged to $4,770.30 an ounce on Tuesday morning, up 8.68% from the previous reading. Safe-haven demand spikes every time the Hormuz standoff escalates and markets price in a longer conflict. For Mauritius, whose import bill runs in dollars, pricier commodities and a softer rupee arrive at the same time.

$98.10 Brent crude, creeping toward $100

Brent crude settled at $98.10 per barrel Tuesday morning, edging toward a threshold Mauritians last felt during the Ukraine-era supply crunch. Fuel prices at the STC are reviewed monthly. If the Iran blockade holds, the next revision will be uncomfortable reading.

2,247.11 SEMDEX, up 1.08%

The local stock exchange closed Monday at 2,247.11, gaining 23.91 points. Quiet progress, given how badly the Hormuz announcement battered international markets. Foreign investors rotating toward smaller, less-exposed markets may explain the modest local lift.

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Mauritius: Chagos fight continues after UK shelves the deal

What exactly does Mauritius hold after the Chagos deal collapsed? A 2019 International Court of Justice ruling backing its sovereignty claim, and foreign minister promising to leave no diplomatic stone unturned.

Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful vowed to pursue "every diplomatic and legal avenue" to complete what he called a matter of justice. The proposed deal would have handed sovereignty to Mauritius while Britain retained Diego Garcia military base on a 99-year lease. Washington withdrew support under the Trump administration, and London followed. UK opposition figures, including Kemi Badenoch, welcomed the collapse.

Britain says the arrangement remains optimal. It won't. Not without American backing. That's a position, not a policy.

At least 56 dead in Nigerian Air Force airstrike

At least 56 people died and 14 were injured on Saturday when an Air Force strike hit Jilli village in Yobe state, northeastern Nigeria. Military commanders said the target was an enclave linked to Boko Haram, the jihadist group fighting in Nigeria's north since 2009. Witnesses and Amnesty International say traders and ordinary residents were caught in the blast. The Air Force opened an investigation.

Benin's Wadagni sweeps presidency with 94% of votes

Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, chosen successor to outgoing President Patrice Talon, won Benin's presidential election on Sunday with 94% of votes cast and a 58.78% turnout. His opponent conceded before counting finished. Wadagni inherits an economy posting 7.5% GDP growth and a security crisis in the north, where the al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM (Jama'at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin) killed 54 soldiers in a single 2024 attack.

Strong mandate. Serious inbox.

US blockade of Hormuz begins as Iran calls it piracy

More than 34,000 ships have already diverted from the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israel war on Iran began, and Monday marked the formal start of a US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Thousands rallied in Tehran calling it piracy. Trump said Iran "wants peace deal very badly" and that the door to negotiations remains open.

The numbers tells the story more plainly. The Containerized Freight Index (which tracks global shipping costs) jumped over 10% in the past month and is up 35% year-on-year. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have suspended all Hormuz routes. About 20% of global oil supply moves through the strait.

For Mauritius, already watching Brent approach $100, the length of this standoff matters more than almost anything happening in domestic politics right now.

Pope Leo XIV makes history with first papal visit to Algeria

Pope Leo XIV landed in Algeria on Monday, making him the first pontiff ever to visit the Muslim-majority nation. His 11-day Africa tour continues through Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. The visit focuses on interfaith dialogue in a country of 47 million Sunni Muslims with barely 9,000 Catholics.

Leo is also honouring Saint Augustine, the 4th-century bishop born in what is now Algeria. Trump called him "very weak" last week and has refused to apologise. Leo told reporters in Algiers he doesn't fear the Trump administration.

Starting your Africa tour in the country with the fewest Catholics and the most diplomatic sensitivity is a choice. A deliberate one.

Lafarge convicted for paying ISIS to keep its Syria plant running

A French court found cement company Lafarge guilty of financing terrorism, paying approximately €5.6 million to the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front between 2013 and 2014 to maintain factory operations in northern Syria. Former CEO Bruno Lafont received a six-year sentence. Seven other executives also received convictions. Lafarge faces €1.12 million in fines and €30 million in asset confiscations.

The court called the payments "a genuine commercial partnership." There's corporate risk appetite, and then there's this.

Pablo Escobar's hippos have become Colombia's biggest headache

How do you solve a problem four decades old? Colombia will cull up to 80 hippos descended from four animals Pablo Escobar brought to his private zoo in the 1980s. An estimated 170 now roam the Magdalena River freely, competing with manatees and breeding fast.

Escobar died in 1993. Sterilisation and zoo relocation programmes both failed to control the population. When soldiers shot one in 2009, photos of them posing with the body triggered such public outrage the programme halted for 17 years.

One man's zoo vanity project, decades of ecological chaos. Colombia is still cleaning up Escobar's mess.