Djibouti News Gazette

After an absence of four years, the popular Seychelles Regatta Festival will return along the northern Mahe beach of Beau Vallon from August 25-27 and funds raised will go towards the redevelopment of the site.

The event, which will celebrate its golden anniversary this year, was officially launched on Saturday at La Plaine St Andre, the premises of Takamaka – the main sponsor.

The annual Regatta which first took place back in 1973, at Beau Vallon Beach, did not take place for the past four years mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money earned from the event usually went towards a chosen cause but the President of Round Table Seychelles, Alexander Durup, said this year it will go towards the redevelopment of the site where Regatta has taken place for the last 50 years.

“For 50 years we have used the site and we feel like it has been left behind along the way. We hope to put all the money we earn this year into building a family park that will be free for all Seychellois,” said Durup.

The REGATTA50 as it’s being advertised will also see the return of Miss Regatta. Miss Regatta Seychelles is an annual beauty pageant held as part of the Seychelles Regatta Festival. It is open to young Seychellois women between 18 and 35 years old.

Also part of the event is the popular Regatta lottery which was also launched at the event, and the star prize is a Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyrider SUV.

“We wanted to bring back Regatta as Seychelles knows, where people can expect a fantastic opening ceremony, along with a couple of special things planned that I will not reveal just yet,” Durup said.

The 2023 Regatta logo was made by Seychellois artist Georges Camille. His son Alex Camille unveiled the logo on behalf of his father, along with the President of Round Table Seychelles.

The Regatta weekend will be full of activities, especially sports, and this year it will include rugby, beach soccer, beach volleyball and boxing.

They will also be as musical performances, food, drinks and many more.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan will undertake a state visit to the Maldives from June 10 to 14 at the invitation of the President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, according to State House on Saturday.

“President Ramkalawan and President Solih have previously interacted on various international platforms and most recently met on the sidelines of the 5th UN Conference of Least Developed Countries in Doha last March. Seychelles and Maldives enjoy close bonds of friendship with a wide range of shared values and common interests since the establishment of diplomatic ties in July 1980,” said the press statement.

President Ramkalawan will be accompanied on this mission to the Maldives by the First Lady, Linda Ramkalawan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde and the director general, Bilateral Affairs Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Lindy Ernesta.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Four Indigenous children survived an Amazon plane crash that killed three adults and then wandered on their own in the jungle for 40 days before being found alive by Colombian soldiers.

The announcement of their rescue on Friday brought a happy ending to a saga that had captivated many Colombians, a watch with highs and lows as searchers frantically combed through the rainforest hunting for the youngsters.

President Gustavo Petro celebrated the news upon returning from Cuba, where he signed a cease-fire with representatives of the National Liberation Army rebel group. He said he hoped to talk with them Saturday, and officials said late Friday that the youngsters were being brought to Bogota to be checked at a hospital.

An air force video showed a helicopter using lines to pull the youngsters up because it couldn’t land in the dense rainforest where they were found. The craft flew off in the fading light, the air force said it was going to San Jose del Guaviare, a small town on the edge of the jungle.

No details were released on how the four siblings aged 13, 9, 4 and 11 months managed to survive on their own for so long, though they belong to an Indigenous group that lives in the remote region.

Petro called them an ‘example of survival’ and predicted their saga ‘will remain in history.’

The military tweeted pictures showing a group of soldiers and volunteers posing with the children, who were wrapped in thermal blankets. One of the soldiers held a bottle to the smallest child’s lips.

The crash happened in the early hours of May 1, when the Cessna single-engine propeller plane with six passengers and a pilot declared an emergency due to an engine failure.

Source: Somali National News Agency

Security forces ended the siege of Pearl Beach Hotel in Mogadishu, killing all seven terrorists who raided the hotel, Police said.

Tragically, six civilians were killed and ten others were injured in the attack.

Three members of the security forces martyred during the rescue operation.

Despite the loss of life, the security forces were able to safely evacuate 84 civilians from the hotel, including small children, women, and the elderly.

The government has praised the swift and effective response of the security forces in dealing with this threat.

Source: Somali National News Agency