<B>Chagossians? visit postponed to 25th October</B>

A date for the Chagossians? trip down memory lane was announced last week by the British authorities. After an nth postponement, British under-secretary of State, Bill Rammell, told Olivier Bancoult, the leader of Groupe Réfugiés Chagos, that the voyage will take place on 25th October. Olivier Bancoult seems to have resigned himself after the latest date (7th May) was cancelled. He had expressed his discontent to Bill Rammell but had no other choice than to accept this decision. He nevertheless thanked the British government for the steps taken. He hopes that the South African ship will cater for more than 100 passengers.

<B>Sugar cane harvest down by 5%</B>

The sugar cane harvest is expected to be lower than in previous years, according to the latest survey published by the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute (MSIRI). According to its director, Jean-Claude Autrey, the harvest will be around 10% lower than last year and 5% lower than normal. The only hope is that the sugar level in the canes seems higher than normal. Hence, this could compensate for the decrease in the harvest caused by the long rainy period.

<B>Stock exchange slumps with coming elections</B>

As in most countries, the stock exchange has been going down for the past month as general elections approach? The fact that investors do not know which alliance will come to power on the 3rd July makes them reluctant to make huge investments. Hence, after a long period of constant rise, the Semdex has dropped to 693.16 points. The government?s last budget discouraged investors in the stock exchange as it contained no special measure to boost investment. The decrease of State Bank of Mauritius shares is another factor accounting for the fall in the Semdex.

<B>Nature Watch resorts to extreme measures</B>

Even if the government has announced its intention to go ahead with the South Eastern Highway project, The Nature Watch organisation appears even more determined to stop the project. As a result, the non-governmental organisation has applied to the Supreme Court for an injunction against the State to prevent the highway from crossing the Ferney valley. After reading the affidavit, the sitting judge refused to emit the order before hearing both parties on the issue.