Category Archives: Seychelles

In what is believed to be a rare feat, Jonathan, a 190-year-old tortoise has been named as the worlds oldest living land animal by Guinness Book of World Records. The tortoise, at St Helena island, British Overseas Territory, celebrates its 190th birthday in 2022.

According to the records website, Jonathan is believed to have been born in 1832, thus making him 190 years old in 2022. Jonathans age is an estimation based on the fact that he was fully mature, and hence at least 50 years old, when he arrived in St Helena from the Seychelles in 1882. In all likelihood, he is even older than we think, the records site stated.

The official record title states that he is the oldest chelonian a category which encompasses all turtles, terrapins and tortoises.

Now, as he ages, he has no sense of smell and is blind. But his hearing though is excellent and he loves the company of humans, and responds well to his vet Joe Hollins voice as he associates him with a feast.

The records site also suggested that the veterinary section is still feeding him by hand once a week to boost his calories, vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

The previous record was held by another tortoise Tui Malila who lived to be at least 188. It was presented to the royal family of Tonga by Captain Cook in 1777 and remained in their care until its death in 1965, the site mentioned.

Among Jonathans favourite foods are cabbage, cucumber, carrot, apple and other seasonal fruits.

He loves banana, but it tends to gum up his mouth. Lettuce hearts, though not very nutritious, are a favourite, the site said.

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Guinness Book of World Records: Meet 190-year-old Jonathan, the worlds oldest living tortoise - The Indian Express

One of the most easily visible impacts of climate change is coral bleaching. As temperatures rise worldwide, water temperatures are climbing as well, causing colorful coral to become stressed and kick out their symbiotic algae partners. These events leave the reefs without their primary food source and susceptible to disease.

Weve already seen this happen multiple times throughout recent history. In 2020, the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, Australia, experienced its third major bleaching event over the span of only five yearsand it might see another one by the end of this month. In some instances, the bleaching is so intense that it leads to high mortality. Reef decline impacts the communities of fish that live there, as well as the populations of people who depend on reefs for food or income.

In 1998, the African archipelago of Seychelles experienced a massive heatwave that caused almost all the coral in the area to die out. Researchers scoping out the impacts of the disaster for the past 20 years have learned that about half of the reefs have recovered, while the other half have been replaced with seaweed. But more recently, an international team of scientists found that the fish populations, even the ones swimming around the most damaged coral, were substantially healthier than predictedat least when it comes to nutritional value for humans. They published their findings yesterday in OneEarth.

[Related: Fish sounds tell us about underwater reefsbut we need better tech to really listen]

The Seychelles is a great place to study how fish contribute to peoples health because loads of people eat fish, says James Robinson, a coral reef ecologist at Lancaster University in the UK and lead author on the paper.

Robinson set off to find fish with a handful of local anglers and captured samples of 43 tropical reef species from both the recovered and seaweed-infested regions. He and his fellow researchers then sent off snips of frozen muscle from the subjects to analyze things like the concentration of minerals and fatty acids.

We wanted to first understand how nutritious are reef fish, so we took all these values and compared them to other meats like chicken, pork, and beef, Robinson says. What we found is that reef fish are similar or more nutritious than those meats that was super cool, uncovering the roles that reefs are playing in peoples health.

But they also discovered something strange: Beyond being generally healthy, the reed fish were more nutritious after the bleaching event than before. After comparing the data, the study authors found an increase in fish biomass and a corresponding increase in nutrients in fish from today versus pre-1998 fish.

Whats more, the fish on the seaweed-heavy reefs had more iron and zinc than the same species on recovering coral sites. The significant change in the food web, moving toward nutrient-heavy macroalgae, propagated up the food chain to everything that eats the seaweed, Robinson says.

This sort of says that reefs in Seychelles are continuing to provide food despite these really severe climate impacts, Robinson says.

However, not all bleached reefs give away to productive seaweedsometimes, theyre replaced by grassy turf algae, which hasnt been studied in this method yet. So theres always the possibility that other bleaching events, like the ones in recent years, wont see the same nutritional silver lining. Still, this research emphasizes the importance of protecting coral reefs as a part of protecting the food systemeven after climate impacts.

Currently, Seychelles is heavily dependent on imports, with about 90 percent of their total food coming from outside the country. Globally, climate change poses a growing threat to food systems, whether due to smaller farming yields or troublesome impacts on fisheries.

We should focus attention on if we can manage coral reefs to protect that food supply and understand how bleaching will affect it at the same time, Robinson says. Most reefs are not managed for fishing, so theres a risk that if you fish too hard, you lose that nutritional benefit. Hopefully this is another great reason to manage and protect reef fishes.

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Nutrient-rich fish are thriving in a coral graveyard off the coast of Africa - Popular Science

For more information on the Eastern Orthodox Mission to Alaska, see Michael Oleksas excellent book, Orthodox Alaska

Over the course of several columns, I have attempted to provide a view of Church history that expands on the Readers Digest versions, which we too often receive.

The final result has been less a panorama than a few select keyholes into the past, which I hope will open new doors of understanding of Christianity and specifically, of Eastern Orthodoxy.

So much more could be said. This series, in fact, could extend for many more years come.

Early church history can and does consume entire books. The 1,100 years of Byzantine history fills bookshelves. The history of Russia and the other Slavic nations occupy armies of scholars.

And I have barely touched the vast array of topics in Eastern Orthodox theology and spirituality, from iconography to monasticism, from the Jesus prayer to the

Divine Liturgy.

I have decided to leave the details of the above topics to those who can do them a little more justice.

For instance, an overview of Orthodox Church history and teaching can be found in Timothy Wares book The Orthodox Church, which is both authoritative and accessible to the non-scholarly reader.

I would like to end this series on a personal note: how did I end up as an Eastern Orthodox Christian?

What was it about this rather strange faith that originally attracted me and that now commands my devotion and service?

A personal history of my religious background is in order. I was born in the Seychelles, to a Roman Catholic mother and an Anglican father. At the insistence of my mothers parents, I was christened Roman Catholic.

In 1979, we left the Seychelles and spent the next 10 years living in East and Southern Africa. During this period my religious experiences were more Protestant than Catholic.

My father would bring my sister and I to Sunday school at whatever denomination was convenient, and pick us up afterward.

1989 saw us immigrate to Canada. Then, in my early teens, I was tending toward spiritual rebelliousness.

My father, however, insisted that I be confirmed Anglican, in the tradition of his family.

Then, he said, I could do what I wanted. I acquiesced with bad grace. After Confirmation, I dropped out of Christianity and sought the dubious pleasures of a purely secular, hedonistic lifestyle.

By Gods providence, however, I was a very bad hedonist.

Having failed to live a dissolute life, I found myself in an emotional and spiritual crisis. At the time, I was working for a couple who were Evangelical Protestants.

They had been trying to get me to become a Christian for a while, but it was not until I hit bottom that I finally paid attention to their message: God loves you. Otherwise He would not have sent His Son to die for you.

I dedicated my life to Christ from then on. I roamed in Evangelical circles for a while, but was uncomfortable with the hyper-emotionalism.

Finally, I rediscovered my roots and joined the Anglican community of St. Johns in Shaughnessy, Vancouver. It was then I encountered the Orthodox Church.

One night in 1993, I was at a poetry reading in Vancouver, and met a young man, who (like me) was an aspiring poet taking a B.A. in English Literature at University of British Columbia. He invited me and my friends to his church: Saint Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church in Langley.

My first experiences of Orthodoxy were strange.

There were no drums, bass, guitars, or piano; worship was chanted in a cappella harmony. Each service was lit by candles and fragrant with incense.

And most troubling of all, communion was restricted to those who were members of the Orthodox Church.

I struggled for months with this all or nothing mentality.

I was interested in the worship, which claimed to derive from the first century, but I was not sure I wanted to make the commitment required to participate.

Finally, unable to accept the Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility, I had to decide whether the intense, strange Orthodox Church was some weird cult, or the real spiritual home for which I was longing.

Given the significance of the decision, I was rather impulsive.

I read only one book about Orthodoxy (and not a very good one at that). I listened to the witness of my best friend (who became Orthodox before I did) and the loving attitude of St. Hermans community.

I attended more services, got used to the strangeness, and fell in love with the dignity and beauty of Orthodox worship.

I asked questions, thought through the answers, and found them acceptable. I made the commitment.

In fact, I took the right approach, for Eastern Orthodoxy is best encountered through a direct experience with its worship and fellowship.

Newspaper articles are useful as far as they go, but Christianity is less about a text (central as the Bible text is) than the person of Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead.

Encountering Eastern Orthodoxy is likewise a personal matter, which means simply meeting and praying with Orthodox Christians with an eye to growing in ones understanding of the community. If you find yourself curious as to what this little-known faith has to offer, the best thing you can do is follow the advice that the apostle Philip offered his friend Nathanael: Come and see!

(John 1:46).

See more here:

Faith: What does it mean to be Orthodox (part 10) - Kamloops This Week

COVID-19 cases in Seychelles()DeathsRecoveriesActive cases

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# of cases

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COVID-19 pandemic in Seychelles - Wikipedia

CountryFormal Relations BeganNotesAfghanistan24 February 2017Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Afghanistan were established as of 24 February 2017[2]Albania16 May 1980Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Albania were established as of 16 May 1980[3]Algeria1976Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Algeria established in 1976. Ambassador of Algeria to Seychelles with residence in Antananarivo was accredited 26 October 1978Andorra28 April 2000Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Andorra established as of 28 April 2000[4]Angola7 November 1986Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Angola established as of 7 November 1986[5]Argentina2 October 1986Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Argentina established as of 2 October 1986[6]Armenia19 April 2006

Both countries established diplomatic relations as of September 30, 1997.[37][38][39]

Both countries established diplomatic relations on March 15, 2013.[62][63]

In an effort to reduce the increasing piracy in the nearby region, Seychelles requested the Indian Navy to carry out anti-piracy operations in her waters.[77] This made India-Seychelles relations stronger. The Seychelles also praised the Indian Navy for their anti-piracy operations.[77]

Both are the members of Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie.

Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the North Korea and the Republic of Seychelles is June 28, 1976.From 1980, DPR Korea and Seychelles have a good relations in military.

Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and the Soviet Union were established on 30 June 1976, a day after the island nation gained its independence from the United Kingdom.[137]

Both countries established diplomatic relations on June 28, 1976.[155]

The Seychelles became a crown colony separate from Mauritius in 1903 and independence was granted in 1976, as a republic within the Commonwealth.

Peace Corps Volunteers served in Seychelles between 1974 and 1995. A U.S. consulate was opened in May 1976 and became an embassy after Seychelles' independence in June 1976. The Embassy was subsequently closed in August 1996, and the United States opened a consular agency on September 2, 1996 to provide services to residents of Seychelles. The agency is under the supervision of the American Embassy in Port Louis, Mauritius. The U.S. Ambassador to Mauritius also is accredited to Seychelles. Seychelles cooperates with the United States in many areas of security and previously allowed the basing of non-armed drones in its territory.

President James Alix Michel's official visited to Vietnam in August, 2013. The statement says this is an official visit to Vietnam made by a high-ranking leader of Seychelles.[179]

Both countries are members of La Francophonie.

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Foreign relations of Seychelles - Wikipedia

As the cruise restart continues, vessels are returning to additional destinations, including the Seychelles, South Africa and more.

Here are some of the main deployment moves that took place recently:

Cruising Returns to the Seychelles

Another destination welcomed the cruise ships back recently, as Ponant resumed service in the Seychelles on Nov. 18. With the 180-guest Le Bellot, the French luxury line became the first operator to sail in the archipelago since March 2020.

During the 2021/2022 winter season, Ponant is also positioning two additional vessels in the destination, offering five itineraries and 19 cruises through April.

Variety Cruises is also relaunching its year-round cruises in the Seychelles this month. The brand is planning a program with three different itineraries aboard the 42-guest Pegasos, running between Dec. 25, 2021, and Oct. 26, 2024.

Royal Caribbean Returns to Los Angeles

Royal Caribbean International resumed homeport operations in Los Angeles on Nov. 19. Setting sail on its first post-pandemic cruise, the Navigator of the Seas marked the companys return to the West Coast after more than a decade of absence.

The Voyager-class vessel is now offering year-round itineraries in the region, with visits to several ports in Mexico and California, including Mazatln, Cabo San Lucas, Catalina Island and Puerto Vallarta.

More Cruise Lines Return to the Caribbean and North America

With summer programs in Europe now complete, more cruise lines are returning to North America and the Caribbean.

In late November, SeaDream Yacht Club marked its return to the Caribbean, with the SeaDream I sailing from Barbados and the SeaDream II sailing from San Juan.

Regent Seven Seas also celebrated its return to cruising in the U.S. and the Caribbean recently, with the Seven Seas Explorers call to Miami on Nov. 15.

Other brands that returned to North America recently include Seabourn, Azamara and Oceania.

Antarctica Resumption Picking Up Pace

Several cruise operators have already resumed guest operations in Antarctica. Only recently, Crystal, Silversea, Polar Latitudes, Quark, Oceanwide, Albatros, Antarctica21 and Hurtigruten have returned to the Frozen Continent.

Other brands returning soon including Poseidon, Swan Hellenic, Aurora Expeditions and Scenic.

Read more:

December Update: Key Cruise Deployment and Itinerary Moves - Cruise Industry News

All coral reefs in the western Indian Ocean are at high risk of collapse in the next 50 years due to global heating and overfishing, according to a new assessment.

From Seychelles to the Delagoa region off the coast of Mozambique and South Africa, the reef systems are at risk of becoming functionally extinct by the 2070s, with a huge loss of biodiversity, and threatening the livelihoods and food sources for hundreds of thousands of people.

The study, published today in the journal Nature Sustainability, examined coral reefs in 10 countries around the western Indian ocean. It analysed the health of 11 sub-regions using the International Union for the Conservation of Natures (IUCN) red list of ecosystems framework, akin to the method used to examine a plant or animals risk of extinction.

The assessment found reefs in island nations in particular were highly threatened due to rising water temperatures driven by global heating, which is making bleaching events when corals expel algae living in their tissue, causing them to turn completely white more common. Reefs in eastern and southern Madagascar, the Comoros and Mascarene Islands were all classified as critically endangered.

Reefs in north Seychelles and along the entire east African coast were classified as vulnerable to collapse due to overfishing especially of top predators which is altering their ecology and promoting a build-up of different algae that can smother coral.

David Obura, chair of the IUCN corals group, who led the study, said that while the global decline of coral reefs has been established for some time, region-specific assessments of specific regions provided greater clarity about the causes and the extent of the damage.

The most urgent threat is from climate change up to 50 years from now. But while we estimate 50 years into the future, whether we can meet the 1.5C [rise] future or not depends on what we do in the next 10 years. So, its really a 10-year horizon that we have to be concerned about, he said.

The collapse of a reef means it becomes functionally extinct as a reef system. You might still find some species there but they wont be able to construct a reef any more. All of the services we get coastal protection from sea-level rise, tourism, fisheries, especially for low-income households and communities are at risk. The tourism sector is huge in east Africa and it depends on heathy reefs.

Since the 1950s, the worlds coral reef cover has halved due to global heating, overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. The decline of the ecosystems, which are vital nurseries for juvenile fish globally, is expected to continue as the climate continues to heat.

Mishal Gudka, a senior scientist at Cordio East Africa and a co-author of the study, said their assessment detected overfishing of top predators on all the reefs from which there was data.

These results highlight the need to improve local fisheries management to ensure the health of reef systems and secure sustainable fish stocks, which support jobs for a quarter of a million people in the region, Gudka said.

Alongside cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, Obura said better enforcement of fishery regulations and greater involvement of local communities in reef management could help maintain their survival.

This assessment reaffirms the urgency of the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises addressed by Cop26 last month in Glasgow, and Cop15 [biodiversity summit] in a few months in Kunming. We need to take decisive action to address both global threats to corals from climate change, and local ones, such as overfishing, he said.

Find more Age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and features

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All coral reefs in western Indian Ocean at high risk of collapse in next 50 years - The Guardian

Saweetie is helping her friends and family put their best faces forward this December.

You can never go wrong with one of Sephoras makeup kits, the Best Friend rapper, 28, told Page Six Style of her go-to holiday gift. Theyve got all types of cutely packaged sets, mini- and full-size.

Saweetie, who caught up with us after after hostingJack Daniels Tennessee HoneysIcy Season party last week, added that shell throw a mini bottle of the booze ($2.99) in loved ones stockings, along with candy, lip gloss and a good portable charger.

And for those truly stuck on what to give this year, theres always candles; Saweeties previously said that she cant live without Voluspas vibe-enhancing votives.

Theyre usable all year round, so its my go-to for easy gifting, the Grammy nominee told us.

As for whats on her own wish list this winter? Saweeties itching for a warm-weather getaway.

Ive been dying to go to Seychelles, she said. So a vacation there would be the ultimate gift!

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Saweetie is giving the gift of glam this holiday season - Page Six

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South Africa was witnessing the fourth wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, its health ministerJoe Phaahla said in his statement December 3, 2021, days after the Omicron widget was detected in the country.

He added that the situation this time was much more concerning. There is a much steeper upward curve than has ever been seen in the last three waves, Phaahla said.

He appreciated the countrys Genomic and Surveillance Network for detecting and reporting Omicron.

But he criticised the travel bans imposed on South Africa and the neighbouring countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

These include Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, the Seychelles and Zambia

Travel restrictions have also been imposed on Ethiopia in east Africa and Nigeria in the western part of the continent.

Doyin Odubanjo, a leading public health expert, said in an interview that such travel bans were of little value. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa too criticised the bans imposed on the African nations and said that they were unscientific.

The bans undermined international cooperation and solidarity in the common fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramaphosa said.

He added that South African epidemiologist Salim Abdul Karim had already warned about mutations, which could be more transmissible but less severe.

The number of daily new cases of COVID-19 in South Africa has increased by nearly 13-fold between November 24 and December 4. This is a steep 1,184 per cent increase in 10-days.

The number of new cases per day moved up to 16,366 new cases per day December 4, from a total of 1,275 new cases per day November 24.

Gauteng was the province where Omicron was originally detected. However, it has now been reported from all nine provinces. Of them, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga had high positivity rates, the health minister said.

Gauteng accounted for over 32 per cent of the 3,020,569 COVID-19 cases as of December 4 in the country, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

Each of the two provincesKwaZulu-Natal and Western Caperecorded 17.3 per cent of the total COVID-19 infection.

Phaahla said while the new variant had infected vaccinated people, it had led to just mild illness. Most of those admitted to hospitals were unvaccinated or young people below 40 years, most of whom were not vaccinated.

Just 36.8 per cent of South Africas population is fully vaccinated, according to Phaahla. All adults and all children aged 12 years and above are eligible for vaccination.

But, some 63 per cent of the population is yet to be fully vaccinated. The minister urged everyone to get vaccinated.

He called for more vigilance, along with health and safety measures, including wearing of masks, hand washing and sanitising, physical distancing, avoiding crowds and good ventilation to be prioritised.

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Omicron: South Africa health minister declares 4th wave of COVID-19 - Down To Earth Magazine

The past two years have seen people from across the globe rethink their way of living and one thing that many realised, was that they hadnt been living life to the full.

Hence, more and more people are now prioritising family and the opportunities to spend quality time together. Is there any better way to spend quality time with family and friends than on a cruise ship?

With Egypt being a trending travel destination, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises recently debuted images of their newest Super Ship, the S.S. Sphinx, which set sail this year as the only river cruise in Egypt. This floating boutique hotel features the signature touches that Uniworlds ships are known for.

The ship operates on the Splendours of Egypt & The Nile itinerary, which is a 12-day adventure-filled sailing to experience Egypt and the Niles top sites, starting and ending in Cairo. On this cruise, you get to explore the Temple of Karnak and temples dedicated to Hathor, Horus and other mythological figures.

You can also pay homage to Egypts first female ruler at the Temple of Hatshepsut, step into the famous Egyptian Museum and more.

Uniworlds cruises are inclusive of all meals onboard, premium spirits and wine, beautifully appointed river view accommodations, offshore excursions, airport transfers, onboard gratuities and Wi-Fi.

The best time to visit Egypt is between October and April, when the temperatures are a little cooler.

ALSO READ: Take a cue from these celebs for your next trip

If an international cruise and seeing the Northern Lights have both been on your bucket list for ages, why not combine the two?

No trip to the Arctic is complete if you havent seen the spectacular Aurora Borealis, natures ultimate light show. Hurtigruten Cruises currently has a Northern Lights Promise offer which is valid until the end of March 2022, where you can get another six- or seven-day Classic Voyage free of charge if the Northern Lights do not appear on your voyage to Norway.

The best time to travel to Norway to see the Northern Lights is between November and March.

If the Seychelles white, outstretched beaches and impressive granite boulders are what youre after for your next trip, Ponant has a variety of cruise ship options to choose from.

Their The Essential Seychelles itinerary allows you to discover the must-see jewels of the Seychelles, including Saint Anne Marine National Park, Remire Island, Curieuse Island, an encounter with the archipelagos unique, giant tortoises and much more.

The best time to visit the Seychelles is between April and May or between October and November.

Departing from Seattle in the United States, Holland Americas seven-day Alaskan explorer trip takes you on a round-trip Seattle adventure. The itinerary includes the spectacular Glacier Bay National Park, whale-watching and stops in rough-hewn Ketchikan, as well as Alaskas capital, Juneau.

The cruise season in Alaska starts in May and runs all the way through to September.

If youre in the mood for some island hopping, Royal Caribbean Cruises seven-night Southern Caribbean Island Hop cruise might just be right up your alley.

The itinerary includes visits to Bridgetown in Barbados, Scarborough in Tobago, the Port of Spain in Trinidad, St Georges in Grenada, Kingstown in St Vincent, Roseau in Dominica and Castries in St Lucia.

The best time to cruise the Caribbean is from November to mid-December (if youd like to avoid the busy season).

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Top five international cruises for your 2022 bucket list - Citizen