<B>Tense relationship between the Savriacootys</B>

The relations between Stephano and Marie-Linley Savriacooty seem to be degenerating. Last week, Stephano Savriacooty told the police that his wife, Marie-Linley, threatened to make a statement against him if he didn?t come back home. ?Come home. If you do not, I will make a statement to the police and I will say that you were the one who organised my kidnapping with your friends in Rose-Hill? are supposed to be Marie-Linley?s words. Her new lawyer, Jacques Panglose, denied all the accusations.

<B>Chikungunya: ready, get set?</B>

Summer will soon be back? and the chikungunya may well seize the opportunity to attack once again and even more violently. The authorities made it clear at the beginning of winter that this would be the right time to eradicate the mosquitoes responsible for the propagation of the disease. But no real effort at eradication has been noticed so far. The ministries of Health and Environment are blaming each other for the lack of action. Finally, nothing is done to clear the country of the mosquitoes and the chikungunya is getting ready for the counter-offensive?

<B>Two more violent deaths?</B>

Two more violent attacks occurred last week, the first one in Curepipe and the second one in Rivière-du-Rempart. Alimah Awasali, 63, was found dead at her home in Curepipe at about 11pm last Monday. She had been stabbed several times in her neck and nape. Someone broke a pane of glass in her kitchen and got into her house but no valuable objects had disappeared from the house. In Rivière-du-Rempart, two days later, Siddick Sohomow, 45, was stabbed to death by a group of men who surprised him while he was going back home. He tried to seek help when he arrived near his house but he finally passed away in hospital.

<B>Empowerement Programme defines its objectives</B>

The steering committee of the Empowerment Programme (EP) and the minister of Finance, Rama Sithanen, met at Government House to discuss the main objectives of the EP. Its main aim is to fight poverty, democratise the economy and develop skills to meet the new needs of economic development. With the Rs 5 billion the government has granted the EP, the committee will have to find ways of ?helping people to find their way out of poverty?. The EP will help channel the initiatives of the already existing institutions; it will not be a new authority.