<B>Ebene cyber village has still not taken off</B>

The Mauritius Housing Company seems to have failed in its mission. As the cyber village has remained empty since August 2003 after the participants of the Jeux des Iles de l’Océan Indien left it, the company has decided to lower the cost of flats to attract more buyers. It even organised a guided tour in the village last Saturday to try and show the public how the 154 flats and 56 houses can fit their needs. However, people appeared reluctant to buy them in view of the high prices and the repayment of the loan contracted. People would need a monthly salary of Rs 50,000 to guarantee a correct refund. As a result, although people might have been interested by the environment and proximity to the main towns, most of them do not have the means to repay that much. Those who do would prefer to buy a plot of land of their choice and build their dream house.

<B>Hacker threats on government portal </B>

A hacker tried to sabotage the newly inaugurated government portal on the Internet at the end of May. The authorities have taken this attempt this attempt seriously and an enquiry has been opened. The police say they should have the name of the cyber criminal soon as they already have the exact time when he connected and the connection was done through dial-up mode. According to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, the latter should have a prison sentence as well as having to pay a fine.

<B>A forthcoming business park in Rose-Belle</B>

The deputy prime minister and minister of Finance, Pravind Jugnauth, laid the foundation for the brand new industrial, commercial and informatics complex in Rose-Belle. The Business Parks of Mauritius Ltd (BPML) has already invested Rs 120 million in the project. With this new project, Rose-Belle will be a new development area thanks to its proximity to the airport and Plaine-Wilhems. The complex is expected to provide a large number of jobs in the south of the country.

<B>New suspect in MCB crime</B>

Yusuf Ruhumatally – known as Yul – the brother of one of the main suspects in the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) crime, was arrested for “possession of articles obtained by means of a crime.” He confessed that he went to St Patrick’s church during the night of the 11th of February with two bags his brothers had left in his van. But he is adamant that he didn’t know what those bags contained. Steve Monvoisin and Pooveden Subbaroyan, also called Vinesen, are said to be his main accomplices but Yul Ruhumatally is now seen as the new player in this case.