Day: October 23, 2023

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IFBB International Grand Prix: Seychellois bodybuilder wins pro card

Seychellois bodybuilder Savio Larue is the second bodybuilder from Seychelles to win a pro card allowing him to move up into the professional ranks of the sport.

Larue got the accreditation during his participation in the Men’s Physique category of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) International Grand Prix held in Seychelles on Saturday.

The Seychellois bodybuilder claimed the overall prize, winning a chance to pursue a professional career in bodybuilding.

“To be able to win a pro card is a massive achievement for me, as it is something I have been working towards. This accomplishment is not only for me, as such competitions will open a lot of doors for the younger bodybuilders, who will also be able to follow in my footsteps,” said Larue.

The first Seychellois bodybuilder to turn professional was Ziad Mekdachi, who clinched his pro card in 2019 at the 4th Arnold Classic Africa 2019 IFBB pro qualifier.

For Larue, this is the beginning of more hard work, as he will now have to compete with other professionals in the sport from around the world.

“My only regret today is that my mum is not here to witness this, as she had always supported me after I told her that this was my goal,” said an emotional Larue, who was one of three athletes to win a pro card on Saturday night, the other two being from Mauritius.

Jean Risley Coomarasamy from Mauritius, also got his pro card after winning the men’s classic physique category in which he was the only competitor.

Coomarasamy from Mauritius got his pro card after winning the men’s classic physique category. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

“I have worked really hard, particularly to win a pro card and I am so happy to have finally achieved it here in Seychelles,” said Coomarasamy, who also received a full sponsorship for his first professional competition, which will take place next year.

The other pro card winner in the Bodybuilding category was Jimmy Raynald from Mauritius, who said that “I came here to do my best, where I worked hard in preparation to perform today, and having worked for so long to win this, I am very happy.”

Aside from battling for pro cards, the 17 athletes competed in numerous categories.

Jimmy Raynald from Mauritius also got his pro card in the bodybuilding category. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

The show opened with the Fit Model contest, with two participants – Inaa Sindeleeva from Kazakhstan and Seychellois Shireen Azemia. The more experienced Kazakh claimed first place with Azemia as the runner-up spot.

This was Azemia’s first international competition and she said this has given her a lot to learn from and improve.

“The competition was good and I was able to learn a lot from Inaa, where since we started, she has been giving me advice and teaching a few things as well,” said Azemia, who says she wants to keep progressing further in the sport.

Elicks Rapide was another winner from Seychelles in the Junior Men’s Physique, where he was the only competitor in the category.

“This was great and I want to learn from this experience, where my aim is to move forward and also move on to the Classic Physique category, which means I will have to put on some weight in the next few months,” said Rapide.

Andy Anthony, who competed in the men’s -80kg bodybuilding category, came out first among four competitors.

“I have achieved what I can here to do, even though a pro card was definitely on my mind, but I was up against someone who has been doing this even before I ever thought of getting into bodybuilding, so he deserved it and next I hope it will be me,” said Anthony.

Other winners of the night were Kamlesh Lochun in the Masters Bodybuilding, Derrick Mensah in Men’s Classic Physique +174cm and Jeremie Genave in Men’s Classic Bodybuilding.

This was the first-ever IFBB international competition held in Seychelles, with more expected to come in the coming year.

The next international bodybuilding tournament in Seychelles is expected to be in June 2024.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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ARP Speaker to pay official visit to Algeria from 24 to 27 October

The President of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, Brahim Bouderbala, will pay an official visit to Algeria from October 24 to 27, at the head of a parliamentary delegation, at the invitation of President of the National People’s Assembly of Algeria, Brahim Boughali. According to a statement issued by the parliament on Monday, the visit comes within the framework of the existing historical relations between the Tunisian and Algerian peoples. It will be an opportunity to discuss ways to further strengthen parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, which should further cement the bonds of brotherhood and bilateral cooperation at various levels. The Parliament added in its statement that during the visit, the President of the Assembly of People’s Representatives will hold talks with both the President of the National People’s Assembly and the President of the National Council of the Nation, as well as a number of Algerian officials.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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Tunindex starts week on positive note

The Tunis Stock Exchange’s benchmark index, Tunindex, started the week on a positive note, rising 0.57% to 8494.87 points, albeit on a relatively low trading volume of 2.3 million TND. This was announced on Monday by broker Tunisie Valeurs. Euro-Cycles took the lead with an impressive 6% rise to TND 11.870 on a trading volume of TND 64,000. Meanwhile, SIAME’s share price rose by 4.9% to TND 3.670 on a volume of TND 103,000. It is important to note that this stock has experienced a modest decline of 2.3% since the beginning of the year. Continuing its downward trend, UADH fell by 4.4% to TND 0.220, attracting TND 12,000 in capital during the session. This car retailer has lost a substantial 43.6% of its value since the beginning of the year. In a bearish market characterised by selling pressure, SOTIPAPIER fell by 3.5% to close at TND 4.990. This action resulted in a turnover of TND 34,000 during the session. Finally, Lilas was the most active stock during the session, despite a slight decline of 0.98% to 8.090 TND. It attracted a significant capital flow of TND 858,000.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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Israeli agression on Palestenians discussed as FM meets with heads of diplomatic missions

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Nabil Ammar, Monday, had a meeting with the heads of permanent diplomatic missions abroad. The meeting shed light on the latest developments in Palestine and the ongoing «blatant attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestenians,» reads a statement of the Ministry. The meeting also focused on the repercussions of the Gaza war on the security and peace in the region and in the world. The Foreign Minister urged all missions abroad to increase media and diplomatic action in various countries and within international organisations so as to mobilize official and popular support for an immediate halt to the crimes perpetrated by the occupation as well as defend the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to recover their usurped land. The FM also reiterated the role of diplomacy, reminding of Tunisia’s firm position regarding all current issues. The meeting, which was held via video conferencing, was attended by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Ministry executives.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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“Tunisia has no new programme to present to IMF” (Finance Minister)

Tunisia does not have a new programme to present to the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri Nemsia said on Monday, adding that negotiations with the international financial institution were continuing. Speaking at a plenary session of the ARP, Nemsia noted that an IMF mission will visit Tunisia in December under Article IV and will hold meetings with government officials as part of the negotiations between the two parties. “This will not change Tunisia’s position on conditions that could undermine social peace,” she added. According to her, if Tunisia has not yet been able to reach an agreement with the IMF, “it is because it has rejected the conditions demanded by the Fund, in particular those relating to the subsidy system, which could affect social peace, considered a red line by the head of state. In the same context, the Finance Minister pointed out that “although Tunisia does not have a new programme to present to the Fund, it is working to introduce reforms through the 2024 Finance Law, which provides for alternative mechanisms to finance the subsidy system.” These reforms “will be home-grown and must benefit vulnerable social groups, the middle class and the Tunisian economy. Nemsia said the Ministry of Finance’s approach does not contradict the general policy of the State. “On the contrary, we are committed to the approach approved by the Head of State, which consists of relying on ourselves and negotiating with the various donors on an equal footing.’ The provisions of the Finance Bill 2024 are designed to mobilise funds without the need to resort to external loans and also to meet the country’s financial commitments at this delicate time, the Minister said. She pointed out that Tunisia has so far managed to repay its debts and that it is committed to repaying the remaining loans for 2023, including a loan due at the end of October. As a reminder, the volume of external borrowing provided for in the original Finance Law for 2023 was revised downwards from 14,859 million dinars (MD) to 10,563 MD, by the Amending Finance Law.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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Tunisia, EBRD sign MoU to reduce carbon emissions from electricity production

A memorandum of understanding was signed on Monday between the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). It concerns Tunisia’s objectives to reduce carbon emissions in the electricity production sector and the energy transition, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Industry. The MoU aims to streamline Tunisia’s integration into European electricity markets through technical assistance to the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) and the development of the national electricity grid within the framework of the Tunisia-Italy Electrical Interconnection Project (ELMED). On this occasion, EBRD’s Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED), Heike Harmgart, reaffirmed the EBRD Group’s commitment to continue supporting Tunisia in various areas, including renewable energy power generation projects, energy transition programmes and electricity transmission.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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Seychelles Fishing Authority vigilant against illegal fishers of small emperor red snappers

The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) is asking fishermen to respect the size limit that it has imposed on certain species of fish, a top official said on Monday.

This comes after several reports of fishermen selling emperor red snappers that are below the length of 32cm, which is the minimum length of the fish that is allowed to be caught and sold.

"In the last three months, we have had about three or four cases of these fish being sold at local fish markets and we want the public to be aware of this and not buy these fishes, otherwise, the fishermen will continue to catch them," said Roddy Allisop, the monitoring and surveillance manager at the SFA.

Allisop told reporters that these cases have mainly been at La Retraite, Au Cap, and Anse Aux Pins on the main island of Mahe and these cases are being dealt with and the necessary legal action is being undertaken.

The ban on fishing emperor red snapper below the length of 32 cm is part of the restrictions imposed under the Fisheries (Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery) Regulations 2021.

SFA said that there are ongoing investigations on three separate cases of such illegal fishing in contravention of the fisheries regulation 2021.

"Breaches of any of these regulations carry a fine of up to SCR20,000 ($1,541). In cases involving commercial fishers, in addition to a fine, other penalties may include suspension or revocation of a fishing licence and prohibition from operating any fishing vessel in Seychelles," said SFA's legal adviser, Yannick Roucou.

The ban was put in place from October 1 in 2022, a year after a study showed that the average catch rate - catch-per-unit-effort - across nine target species groups had decreased by 65 percent since the early 1990s.

The catch rate of snappers reduced from around 36 kilos per day in 1994 to 16 kilos per day in 2016. Likewise, the jobfish catch rate had dropped from 45 kilos per day in 1990 to 24 kilos per day in 2016.

The evidence of overfishing prompted the introduction of measures proposed in the Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery Co-management Plan to improve the sustainability of the fish stocks.

Meanwhile, the SFA said that further studies will be done in regard to fish stock inside the Mahe Plateau, where there could be further restrictions announced in 2024.

Allisop added that after the next study, size restrictions could also be added to new species as well.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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Tunisian banks and Red Crescent to raise funds for Palestinian people

Tunisian public and private banks decided to raise funds for the Palestinian people in an effort to ease the tragedy they are currently going through, the Banking and Financial Council (CBF) announced on Monday, adding that these funds will be fully transferred to the Tunisian Red Crescent (CRT). The CBF member banks will first contribute to supplying this fund. To allow customers to participate in this humanitarian effort, a system will be deployed to facilitate donations from citizens wishing to take part in the operation, the same source said. Banks and financial institutions make the following payment methods available to citizens: 1/ Transfer or payment in cash directly to the account opened for this purpose ‘DONS GAZA PALESTINE’ for the benefit of the CRT RIB 1: No. 03 135 120 0101 001948 17 RIB 2: No. 05 001 000 0275 045462 26 2/ Payment via TPE: banks will also provide the Red Crescent with TPE, in order to collect donations from citizens, at the points made available by the Red Crescent intended for fundraising. Regarding online donations on behalf of the Red Crescent, the URL will be communicated “shortly”, according to the press release.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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Seychelles Fishing Authority vigilant against illegal fishers of small emperor red snappers

The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) is asking fishermen to respect the size limit that it has imposed on certain species of fish, a top official said on Monday.

This comes after several reports of fishermen selling emperor red snappers that are below the length of 32cm, which is the minimum length of the fish that is allowed to be caught and sold.

“In the last three months, we have had about three or four cases of these fish being sold at local fish markets and we want the public to be aware of this and not buy these fishes, otherwise, the fishermen will continue to catch them,” said Roddy Allisop, the monitoring and surveillance manager at the SFA.

Allisop told reporters that these cases have mainly been at La Retraite, Au Cap, and Anse Aux Pins on the main island of Mahe and these cases are being dealt with and the necessary legal action is being undertaken.

The ban on fishing emperor red snapper below the length of 32 cm is part of the restrictions imposed under the Fisheries (Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery) Regulations 2021.

SFA said that there are ongoing investigations on three separate cases of such illegal fishing in contravention of the fisheries regulation 2021.

“Breaches of any of these regulations carry a fine of up to SCR20,000 ($1,541). In cases involving commercial fishers, in addition to a fine, other penalties may include suspension or revocation of a fishing licence and prohibition from operating any fishing vessel in Seychelles,” said SFA’s legal adviser, Yannick Roucou.

The ban was put in place from October 1 in 2022, a year after a study showed that the average catch rate – catch-per-unit-effort – across nine target species groups had decreased by 65 percent since the early 1990s.

The catch rate of snappers reduced from around 36 kilos per day in 1994 to 16 kilos per day in 2016. Likewise, the jobfish catch rate had dropped from 45 kilos per day in 1990 to 24 kilos per day in 2016.

The evidence of overfishing prompted the introduction of measures proposed in the Mahe Plateau Trap and Line Fishery Co-management Plan to improve the sustainability of the fish stocks.

Meanwhile, the SFA said that further studies will be done in regard to fish stock inside the Mahe Plateau, where there could be further restrictions announced in 2024.

Allisop added that after the next study, size restrictions could also be added to new species as well.

Source: Seychelles News Agency