s from Friday 10 May 2013, it will be an offence if a driving licence holder does not have both the driving licence and the driving licence counterpart (DLC) in his possession. Both documents henceforth constitute the driving licence. The authorities have adopted the slogan “Zero Point Zero Traka” to sensitise motorists and licence holders more effectively on the new system. More sensitisation campaigns will be launched across the country and through the media to inform pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles about discipline on the road and respect for road signs and traffic lights.

The PPS is meant to deter the commission of road traffic offences by assigning penalty points on conviction for certain road traffic offences. Thus, drivers failing to observe the road codes will be severely reprimanded. Penalty points attributed to an offence will remain effective for a period of three years. The PPS may cause a driver to have his driving licence suspended for at least six months if he has exceeded the threshold limit of 15 penalty points. On a second disqualification, the driving licence will be cancelled. Under the proposed Mauritian system, the counter will start at zero, and points will be totalled cumulatively for each and every offence.

Penalty points will be imposed by the Court, in addition to other sanctions such as monetary fines, and used especially to tackle the most dangerous safety related road traffic offences committed by drivers. The range of points provided varies from 2 to 10 in relation to the severity of the offence. The penalty points will be entered on the DLC.

The PPS is in line with government’s strategy to increase road safety and to comply with international norms and subsequently reduce casualties on roads. The system is expected to instill a greater sense of responsibility in motorists and make our road safer.

Mauritian Transport Minister Anil Bachoo said Thursday that the PPS is meant to assign penalty points on conviction for certain road traffic offences.

He added that drivers who fail to observe the traffic codes will be severely reprimanded.

‘Penalty points attributed to an offence will remain effective for a period of three years. The PPS may cause a driver to have his licence suspended for at least six months when he exceeds the threshold limit of 15 penalty points,’ the minister emphasised.

He said that upon a second disqualification, the driver’s licence will be cancelled.

‘Penalty points will be imposed by the Court in addition to other sanctions such as monetary fines and used especially to tackle the most dangerous safety-related road traffic offences committed by drivers. The range of points provided varies from 2 to 10 in relation to the severity of the offence,’ Bachoo stated.

According to him, the government wants to improve road safety and to comply with international norms and subsequently reduce casualties on the roads of the island.

The minister observed that the number of road accidents keeps on increasing in the island.

‘Drivers are becoming reckless. People are getting away with murder. Enough is enough,’ Bachoo warned.

Every year, about 150 people die and 3,500 other injured in road accidents in Mauritius, according to available statistics.

The post Mauritius introduces Penalty Points System (PPS) for drivers appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

Prior to Rountree, Jude dated Sienna Miller off and on for seven years. While on a break from Miller in 2009 (who’s now engaged to baby daddy Tom Sturridge) he welcomed a child with ex-girlfriend Samantha Burke. He also has three children from his previous marriage to Sadie Frost, whom he divorced in 2003.

Tread carefully, Law, Alicia seems like quite the catch!

The post Jude Law dating Mauritian model Alicia Rountree appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who is now Pope Francis.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, and said he would take the name Francis I. Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal he had been chosen to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

“Pray for me,” the new pontiff, dressed in the white robes of a pope for the first time, urged the crowd.

The choice of Bergoglio, who becomes the first Latin American pope, was announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam” (“I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope.”)

Francis becomes the 266th pontiff in the Church’s 2,000-year history at a time of great crisis, with the church under fire over a child sex abuse scandal. Although a conservative, he is seen as a reformer and was not among the small group of frontrunners identified before the election.

He has spoken out strongly against gay marriage, denouncing it in 2010 as “an attempt to destroy God’s plan”.

Replacing Pope Benedict, who resigned last month, he also overturned one of the main assumptions before the election, that the new pope would be relatively young.

Bergoglio is the oldest of most of the possible candidates and was barely mentioned in feverish speculation about the top contenders before the conclave.

Francis is the first non-European pope since Syrian born Gregory III in the eighth century, and the third successive non-Italian pontiff.

CHEERING CROWDS
Thousands of people sheltering from heavy rain under a sea of umbrellas had occupied the square all day to await the decision and the crowd swelled as soon as the white smoke emerged. They cheered wildly and raced towards the basilica as the smoke billowed from a narrow makeshift chimney and St Peter’s bells rang. The excited crowd cheered even more loudly when Francis appeared, the first pontiff to take that name. “Viva il Papa (pope),” they chanted. Frontrunners at the conclave had included Brazilian Odilo Scherer – and Italy’s Angelo Scola, who would have returned the papacy to traditional Italian hands after 35 years of the German Benedict XVI and Polish John Paul II.

In brief remarks from St. Peter’s balcony, Francis said it seemed the cardinal electors “went to the end of the world” to find him. He said the world should follow a path of love and fraternity and called for the crowd to pray for him.

Bergoglio is the first Jesuit to become pope.

The decision by 115 cardinal electors sequestered in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel came sooner than many experts expected because there were several frontrunners before the vote to replace Pope Benedict.The cardinals faced a thorny task in finding a leader capable of overcoming crises caused by priestly child abuse and a leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church government or Curia. Francis will head a Church also shaken by rivalry from other churches, the advance of secularism, especially in its European heartland, and allegations of scandal at the Vatican bank. The series of crises is thought to have contributed to Benedict’s decision to become the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate.

RESERVED AND HUMBLE

Bergoglio was a moderate rival candidate at the 2005 conclave to the conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who went on to become Benedict. Italian media say he impressed cardinals in pre-conclave meetings where they discussed the Church’s problems. Reserved and humble, Francis does not fit the profile of an active preacher that many cardinals had previously said they were seeking. He studied chemistry before joining the priesthood.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m absolutely delighted. It’s a very unique moment. There is a great sense of unity here. It’s great they have come to a decision about who will lead the Church,” said John Mcginley, a Scottish priest from Glasgow who travelled to see the conclave.

“He’s very humble, I heard that in Buenos Aires he used to take public transport, have an apartment and cook for himself. The fact that he chose the name Francis means a lot. It means we will have a humble, simple pope close to the poor people. But it was a big surprise,” said Jules Charette, 54, a Canadian lawyer who travelled to Rome for the conclave.

Bands from the Italian armed forces and the Vatican’s own Swiss guard army paraded in front of the basilica before the new pope appeared. The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first ballot and four ballots were held on Wednesday. Francis obtained the required two thirds majority in the fifth ballot.

Following a split ballot when they were first shut away amid the chapel’s Renaissance splendour on Tuesday evening, the cardinal electors held a first full day of deliberations on Wednesday. Black smoke rose after the morning session to signal no decision. The previous four popes were all elected within two or three days.

Seven ballots have been required on average over the last nine conclaves. Benedict was clear frontrunner in 2005 and elected after only four ballots.

In preparatory meetings before the conclave, the cardinals seemed divided between those who believe the new pontiff must be a strong manager to get the dysfunctional bureaucracy under control and others who are looking more for a proven pastoral figure to revitalise their faith across the globe.

Apart from Brazil’s Scherer and Italy’s Scola, a host of other candidates from numerous nations had also been mentioned as potential popes – including U.S. cardinals Timothy Dolan and Sean O’Malley, Canada’s Marc Ouellet and Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri.But the frontrunners list never mentioned Bergoglio.

The post Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio elected 266th pontiff and takes name Pope Francis appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

Mauritius top searched terms:
(1) spycam (gay)
(2) Mauritius porn
(3) indian sex
(4) big boobs
(5) taboo mom son
(6) teen
(7) tickling (gay)
(8) anal
(9) mauritian
(10) french mom

- Europeans appear fiercely patriotic preferring home-grown porn
- Gay search terms prominent in South American countries
- Californians use ‘Asian’, Vermont ‘lesbian’ and Kentucky ‘free gay porn’

While in North America the preferred search term is ‘MILF’, (an acronym of which the first word is ‘mother’), in Europe there is appears to be a strong national bias. Britain, Norway, Sweden, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands are porno patriots preferring to search for women or men from their own countries. But then you get to Finland where there seems to be is a preference for senior citizens with ‘mature’ and ‘granny’ the top two search terms respectively, while in Hungary the term ‘woodman’ rates highly.

Things start to get peculiar when you hit the Ukraine where ‘raincoat (gay)’ is the top search, before becoming hugely disturbing in Romania where ‘mom and son’ is the most popular term. But it is in Asia and the Middle East that things really start to get weird. In Syria, where you might imagine people have little time for porn considering recent events, the preferred search is ‘Aunt’ while in Iran the peculiar term ‘hotel businessman (gay)’ is riding high at no.6.

The prominence of gay search terms is a trait that is repeated across south America – perhaps due to religion – although like Europe there appears to be a bias towards searches for people of their own nationalities.

Venezuela throws up a curiosity, where almost all the to searches are for gay terms except for two vintage American porno Stars – Nina Hartley and Mason Storm.

The list was compiled by pornography search engine PORNMD which has created an interactive global map where you can check the top searches for other country.

The post Mauritius most popular porn site search term revealed appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

L’humoriste est bien décider à satisfaire la Terre entière puisqu’il présentera également son nouveau spectacle aux Etats Unis en avril prochain.

Tout sur Jamel est un spectacle qui a triomphé en France, pendant pratiquement un an, il a parcouru de nombreuses villes terminant son chemin en décembre 2012. Pendant une heure 30, il raconte toute sa vie de son enfance à son mariage avec Mélissa Theuriau. Un moment haut en couleurs.

The post Jamel Debbouze à l’Ile Maurice le 16 Mars appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

Emirates has been flying to Mauritius since 2002 and usually operates the route using a Boeing 777-300 aircraft. In December 2012 the airline increased its timetable to Mauritius from 12 flights a week to a double daily service in response to growing demand.

The special flight is due to touchdown on 12th March 2013 as flight number EK 701 at 09.40. In addition to customers, it will also carry a specially invited group of VIP and media guests who will experience Emirates’ unique A380 inflight product and service to the island for the first time. Later that evening the return flight will depart at 23.20 as flight EK702.

“The A380 is the flag-ship of the Emirates fleet. We felt that by arranging this special flight it was a fitting way to support the official celebrations of the island’s independence,” said Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President Commercial, West Asia and Indian Ocean, Emirates.” “Emirates believes in connecting people and so on this special day for the Mauritian people, it is pleasing to be able to bring even more visitors to the island.”

Emirates is the largest operator of the A380 with 31 aircraft in its fleet and 59 on order. In January 2013 it opened the world’s only dedicated and purpose-built A380 concourse at Dubai International Airport. With 528,000 m2 spread across eleven floors and the capacity to handle 15 million passengers a year, the concourse offers Emirates customers a seamless and unrivalled experience in terms of comfort, convenience and choice of facilities. Part of the airport’s Terminal 3 complex, Concourse A will become the “home of the Emirates A380”, from where passengers will be able connect to more than 20 Emirates A380 destinations around the world.

The post Emirates to operate special A380 Service to Mauritius appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

Excellency Dr. the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius and Mrs. Ramgoolam

Distinguished Guests, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a singular honour and privilege to address this distinguished gathering on the eve of the 45th Anniversary of the Independence of Mauritius. I extend to the Government and the people of Mauritius, warm greetings and good wishes on behalf of the Government and the people of the Republic of India. I would also like to convey my sincere gratitude for the exceptionally warm welcome and hospitality accorded to me and to my delegation today. I thank you for your kind words and agree with your remarks that India and Mauritius share a unique relationship. I am also very happy to see that we stand in a hall named after Swami Vivekananda, whose message of tolerance, compassion and understanding remains universally relevant today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there are few events in a nation’s history that compel greater remembrance, tribute, solemnity, introspection and indeed more celebration than the commemoration of its Independence. My thoughts go to the period when India won her freedom in 1947 after a prolonged valiant struggle and courageous sacrifice. Our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had gloriously remarked in Parliament “A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance”.

Mauritius had her own architects of freedom, outstanding men and women; steeled by moral conviction and unfazed by the odds that they were up against. Among them, none stood taller than Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the Father of the Mauritian nation. Chacha Ramgoolam seized the essence of the struggle of his countrymen and women when he said – and I quote, “The natural evolution of a people cannot be thwarted. That will be accomplished naturally as day follows night”. The indelible mark of Chacha Ramgoolam’s vision can be seen today in the impressive progress achieved by this country over the last 45 years, most visibly in the crucial areas of education and health which are the cornerstones of a stable and prosperous society. The contribution of visionary Mauritian leaders have transformed this nation’s destiny in a relatively short period of time.

On a historic occasion as this, it is incumbent upon us to pay tribute to the legacy of those whose sacrifices paved the road to the freedom that is enjoyed here today.
Ladies and Gentlemen, for India, Mauritius symbolises the very triumph of its own civilisational ethos and character. The remarkable socio-economic progress attained by Mauritius exemplifies the victory of the principles that India holds dear to her soul – democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression, tolerance, social harmony and human enterprise.

The people of India appreciate the tribute paid by the people of Mauritius to the Father of the Indian Nation, Mahatma Gandhi in selecting March 12 – the day Mahatma Gandhi began his iconic Dandi March – as the Independence Day of Mauritius. Both our peoples are drawn largely from the same historical, cultural and spiritual provenance. Both nations have abiding faith in the ideals of democracy and secularism and both nations intuitively advocate a rule-based architecture of global governance as a bulwark against common challenges such as the threat of terrorism, tackling poverty , human rights abuse, and addressing climate change. It is thus no wonder that the relationship between India and Mauritius has an unwavering vitality.

Forged in the resilience of the thousands of brave men and women who were brought here to toil on sugarcane fields, and drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s epochal and transformative stopover in 1901, our partnership has grown in spirit and substance with each passing year. Regular high-level political interaction has been a hallmark of the Indo-Mauritian bilateral relationship. From the days of Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and Smt. Indira Gandhi, regular bilateral contact at the highest level have nourished and guided this partnership well into the 21st century. Our cooperation encompasses diverse areas of mutual interest including Trade and Investment, Education, ICT, Renewable Energy, Textiles, Science and Technology, Mutual Legal Assistance, Cultural Exchanges, etc. Tomorrow we will discuss how to further enhance this vibrant and mutually beneficial cooperation. Myriad people-to-people contacts are the lifeblood of our friendship.

Ladies and Gentlemen, for several millennia, the Indian Ocean has been a key arbiter of the subcontinent’s fortunes. You are the proverbial Star and Key of the Indian Ocean. Naturally we have a convergence of interests as the Indian ocean straddles Asia and Africa. Let me assure you that India will remain a steadfast partner of Mauritius.
Mr. Prime Minister, we are grateful to Mauritius for standing by us on issues of great importance to India. Mauritius has been steadfast in its support of India’s principled, moral and consistent stand on the issue of terrorism. We are grateful for your support for India’s rightful claim to Permanent Membership of the United Nations Security Council.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen , our bilateral economic and commercial relations have grown in recent years but there still remain areas of untapped potential. India and Mauritius must to explore new avenues and opportunities to enhance and enrich our engagement even further for our mutual benefit.

To the communities of Indian origin I extend my felicitations and say to them that India is blessed with a diaspora that mirrors India’s own rich diversity. Enriched by diverse linguistic, cultural and religious identities of India you have contributed immensely to the nation-building process of this land, too , making India equally proud of you and your achievements as citizens of this great country.

Excellency, I thank you once again for the honour you have accorded me by inviting me to be Chief Guest at your Independence Day celebrations . I speak for all Indians when I say that we cherish our close ties with Mauritius. We see in you a trusted partner in realising our shared vision of stability, peace and prosperity in this region and the world. We look forward to working together with you to achieve the full potential of our partnership. I truly believe that there can be no limit to our success in every sphere.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

May I request you to join me in raising a toast: to the health and happiness of Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius and Mrs. Ramgoolam; to the continued success, prosperity and well-being of the Mauritian people; and to the enduring, successful partnership between India and the friendly Republic of Mauritius.

The post Speech by President Pranab Mukherjee at the State Banquet hosted by Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

mauritius-independence-day

Phoenicians, Arabs, Indians and Malays were the first people who traded in this part of the Indian Ocean and in the course of their journeys bad weather or other obligations pushed them towards the island. The Arabs have left their marks for they were involved in trading with East Africa and India. The fact that a map of the period designating Rodrigues as Dina Arabi , Mauritius as Dina Mozare and Reunion as Dina Margabim confirms that the Arabs were trading in this part of the Indian Ocean and artifacts like wax tablets on Mauritian shores also point out of their presence in the island.

The Portuguese were the first European to visit Mauritius. Fernandez Pereira sighted Mauritius in 1507 and named it Cerne after his ship. Another Portuguese captain Don Pedro Mascarenhas explored the islands and they were named the Mascarenhas. The Portuguese used the island as a stop over for repairs and refuelling. The Portuguese brought a few animals and left them on the island. Rats escaped from the ships and swam to the shore and grew in number.

The Dutch were engaged in trading with the East Indies. They had established trading posts where they bought spices richly valued and other goods that they sold in Europe and made big profits. Their several stops at Mauritius due to bad weather and repairs and refuelling inspired them to settle in Mauritius. In 1638 they sent Simons Gooyer as governor and a group of 25 men. He was instructed to cut down ebony trees, a hard and tough wood good for building ships and houses and send them to Holland or Batavia, to find ambergris, a valuable object used for making perfume, to receive unhealthy men and help them improve their health and produce food for passing ships on their way to and from Holland or Batavia. The Dutch were partly successful. They got easily discouraged and with the setting up of a trading post at the Cape they abandoned Mauritius in 1658. Later, fearing their rival English merchants might occupy the island, they returned in 1664 and stayed till 1710 with no great success, achieving almost nothing. They claimed rats, the weather and the climate as reasons for their failure. However the main reason being that the island was not profitable and they concentrated on the Cape.

For a short spell until the taking over by the French in 1715 and officially in 1721 the island was a pirates’ lair. It was occupied by pirates who used it as a base to attack passing merchant men. In 1715 Captain Dufresne d’Arsel occupied the island on behalf of Louis XV the French king and named it Ile de France. In 1721 the French East India Company got the island from the French king to set up a colony .The island had four regimes until its capture by the British in 1810. The latter did so because the island posed as a continuous nuisance to its trade and had no other alternative. From 1721 company rule ensured the administration with the excellent feat of Mahé de Labourdonnais who saved the island from the same fate as under the Dutch. He laid the foundation of the island.

He continued the work started by Maupin. He consolidated the main transfer of the headquarters from Grand Port to Port Louis. He gave a boost to the island and is considered as the founder of Ile de France. He started to build the town, developed the infrastructure, built the roads, hospital, warehouses, aqueduct, harbour, fortifications and batteries. Indian sailors and artisans were brought. Slaves were brought and trained He brought girls from France, families from Bourbon, organised concerts ,dances, social gatherings and paid dowry of daughters. The EIC went bankrupt and sold the island to the king and it became a crown colony.

Here the contribution of Pierre Poivre in the development of the island is immense. From 1790 to 1803 the island begot the revolutionary rule and it was left to fend for itself for the island refused to conform to the wishes of the revolutionary government in France. The islanders resorted to corsairing to survive. In 1803 the regime changed with Napoleon Bonaparte acceding to emperorship. General Decaen was appointed as the governor and ruled according to the wishes of the emperor. This in no way deterred the British from their attempts to snatch the island by hook or by crook and in 1810 they conquered the island and retained it until Independence in 1968.

No need to say that a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Slavery was the main source of labour the sugar planters used. The abolition of slavery in 1833 throughout the British Empire necessitated the tapping of new sources of labour .The Indian indentured labourers were brought that changed the whole spectrum of Mauritian history politically, socially and economically .The Indians became a force to reckon with. They became the political masters as was feared by Celicourt Antelme when he opposed constitutional reform as far back as in 1884 and his prediction proved true. Sugar dominated as the main pillar of economy. After independence, in 1968 EPZ, Tourism, and now ICT have superseded the sugar industry and have become our main income earners and employers.

The accession of the island to Independence on 12 March1968 did expose it to a spell of instability and hardships as the country was wobbling and once it picked up and the new plans took off it has begun to soar and there is no looking back. It is a different Mauritius and thanks to the sharp vision of its rulers and commitment of its administrators it has gone beyond and has joined the ranks of developing countries. Our voice is heard and respected in world forums and tribunes.

The post Mauritius celebrates its 45th year of Independence and its 21st year of the Republic appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

(photos : Beekash Roopun)

The post Roche-Bois : Angry mob outraged by injuries sustained by Gregory Jeanot during a fight with Bangladeshis appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.

She said: “It was wonderful. I felt very comfortable. That was no better place to do it than Mauritius. For 19 years, I spend the weeks over Christmas there with my family.”

And insiders have revealed that Rosanna could see herself appearing in the American edition of Hugh Hefner’s publication if the shoot does well.

A source said: “While Rosanna would be well known in Germany, particularly through her dad who is extremely famous there, this will really give her career a boost.

“And if the issue does well in the US, there’s a chance that Playboy America will decide to print them as well. That would be huge if it happens.”

It is believed that Rosanna received a six-figure sum for the top-shelf shoot, which has been supported by her family and boyfriend. Previously, the top model admitted she was happy to strip off so she’d be reminded how great her body looked when she’s older.

The post Miss World strips off for Playboy in Mauritius appeared first on Mauritius News Ile Maurice.