World Hindi Day is commemorated since 2008 every year on January 10. In Mauritius, it is an occasion to ponder on the language.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Mauritius (UoM), Professor Konrad Morgan, has submitted his resignation on Monday. He justified his departure due to a combination of factors and personal reasons.

Winners of International Hindi Competition
The World Hindi Secretariat had launched the International Hindi Competition of poems last year. The names of the winners were announced on the occasion of the World Hindi Day. The first prize went to Neetu Singh from India, the second prize to Vashisht Kumar Jhumman from Mauritius and the third prize to Dr Kowshal Shrivastav from Australia. Moreover, Kessen Bundhoo from Mauritius received a special mention from the jury.

The outlook for liberty is dismal. Those writers who are critical of Washington’s illegal wars and overthrow of the US Constitution could find themselves in indefinite detainment, because criticism of Washington’s policies can be alleged to be aiding Washington’s enemies, which might include charities that provide aid to bombed Palestinian children and flotillas that attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The Ministry of Health has issued a communiqué regarding the prevalence of gastroenteritis in the country during this summer and the precautions to be taken. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the stomach and intestines. The result is three to seven days of suffering and diarrhoea which in turn causes dehydration.

iPhone 4S was launched by Tim Cook, Chief Executive of Apple, just before the death of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of the incorporation, on October 5 in the US but is being released simultaneously in 21 other countries, including Mauritius, today. The 16 GB smartphone will cost approximately Rs 30,000 while the 32 GB one will cost around Rs 35,000.

Even as India moves toward creating a single, overarching higher-education regulator, the Indian government is changing its current system to ensure more openness in curricula changes and how funds are disbursed, reported the Hindustan Times. The changes will affect the All India Council for Technical Education and University Grants Commission, which oversee professional education and universities respectively.

Face it, today is Friday the 13th -an unlucky day, the sort of day you trip on your shoe laces or lose your wallet! Even worse news-If Friday the 13th is unlucky, then 2012 is an unusually unlucky year. This week's Friday the 13th is one of the three to endure this year. The next two are in April and July.

Abuses and injustices were legion. The Indian Indentured labourers could never rid themselves of the woes and miseries that dogged them  on the estates where they were employed. Some were lucky to leave at the end of their indentureship.

The Competition Commission of Mauritius is shaken by a disagreement between its Executive Chairman (EC) and Board members on the findings of the EC on the import of cattle for slaughter.

Marie Lisette Talate, the torch bearer of exiled islanders of the Diego Garcia archipelago, died on Wednesday morning after more than 40 years of struggle to regain ‘her paradise.’ Together with other women militants like Charlesia Alexis, Lisette had a tough tune since she was forced to land in Mauritius after the British took over the islets of the archipelago in 1965.

Peoples of Indian origin meet in Rajasthan this weekend to discuss “Global Indian Inclusive Growth.”  This 10th Annual Indian Diaspora meeting, also called the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas(PBD), will be held in Jaipur, from January 7 to 9. The PBD-2012 will be inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and the closing address will be delivered by President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil on January 9.