1. Cabinet has taken note of attempts to hack the Government Web Portal between 1611 hours on Friday 20 May 2005 to 0747 hours on Saturday 21 May 2005 . The attacks did not however affect the operation of the Government Web Portal and there has been no disruption in service. It has been established that the attacks originated from dial-up sessions locally and the matter has been reported to the Police for investigation under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act.
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2. Cabinet has taken note of the visit of Mrs F. Van Houpte from the Directorate Development of the European Commission on 6 June 2005 in the context of the Dialogue on the EU Action Plan on Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol Countries. Mrs Van Houpte will have a formal working session on 7 June 2005 which will be co-chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Technology and Natural Resources and the Head of the European Commission in Mauritius , HE Mr Juan Carlos Rey.
Cabinet has also reviewed the eventual impact that the negative vote of France and the Netherlands in the Referendum on the EU Constitution could have on the EU Agricultural Reforms with particular reference to sugar.
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3. Cabinet has agreed, in principle, to the recommendations of the High Powered Committee(HPC) on power generation from bagasse/coal plants set up under the Chair of the Director-General of the Economic Development section of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to assess the implications for the country, in terms of Government policy of generating electricity from bagasse with coal as complementary fuel, given the anticipated changes in the sugar industry. The HPC has recommended inter alia the conduct of a techno-economic study to look into the viability of exploiting the additional 2 million tonnes of cane biomass available. Cabinet has further agreed, that in the event of changes to existing policy, the matter would be referred back to Cabinet for consideration.
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4. Cabinet has taken note of the negative impact of the surge in textile exports from China following the dismantlement of the Multi Fibre Agreement on African textiles exports to the US market. Cabinet has also reviewed the ongoing situation regarding the imposition of safeguard measures by the US on imports of some seven textile products from China and its possible positive impact on African exports to the US .
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5. Cabinet has taken note of a draft resolution proposing a 25-member Security Council with six new permanent members, circulated by Brazil , Japan , India and Germany , which are lobbying for permanent seats in an enlarged Council and that China has opposed Japan being granted permanent status in the Security Council in view of its wartime history. It was expected that the Draft Resolution would be on the agenda of the UN General Assembly scheduled for September 2005. Government would give further consideration to the issue.
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6. Cabinet has taken note of positive developments regarding the Chikungunya virus and that there has been a decrease in the number of cases reported as compared to the previous weeks. The epidemic is under control and inspection of premises in affected areas to identify and treat mosquito breeding places is ongoing.
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7. Cabinet has taken note of the visit of the Zimbabwean Ambassador to the Prime Minister on Monday 31 May 2005 . Cabinet has also taken note that the Maldivian Parliament has passed a motion to introduce multiparty system in the Maldives .
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8. Cabinet has agreed to make a financial contribution of EURO 10,000 to the Union of the Comoros to support operations being carried out for the supply of drinking water to the local population following the eruption of the Karthala Volcano on 16 April 2005 , whereby all cisterns containing rain water used for domestic and other purposes had been contaminated.
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9. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius becoming a member of the FAO/SIDA Project for the Management of Non-Tuna Fisheries in the South West Indian Ocean which aims at the long-term conservation and sustainability of the non-tuna fishery resources in the region taking into account its environmental, social and economic concerns.
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10. Cabinet has taken note of Mauritius hosting the Fourth Regional Scientific Symposium of the Western Indian Marine Science Association from 30 August to 02 September 2005 . The Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association is a professional non-governmental organisation which groups about one thousand Marine Scientists from East Africa and Western Indian Ocean islands. About one hundred foreign participants are expected to participate in the Symposium.
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11. Cabinet has taken note of developments following the setting-up of a Technical Implementation Committee(TIC) to implement the joint Study Group Report on the Modalities for a Comprehensive Economic and Partnership Agreement(CECPA) between Mauritius and India . The TIC will be supported by a Committee for Economic Cooperation and six sub-committees.
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12. Cabinet has taken note of the proposal from the Authorities of Denmark to organise a "Danish Export Promotion Days" in Mauritius during the first week of December 2005. The main objective of this activity would be to encourage Danish operators to explore the investment opportunities in Mauritius thereby promoting closer economic cooperaion between the two countries.
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13. Cabinet has taken note of the launching of the Booklet on the "Bien-être des Personnes Agées", giving an overview of the achievements of the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizen Welfare & Reform Institutions in respect of the elderly for period 2000 to 2005.
Cabinet has further taken note that a delegation from Anugraha , India has attended a workshop on ageing issues from 31 May to 1 June 2005.
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14. Cabinet has taken note of Regulations being made under section 173 of the Local Government Act to provide for the postponement of the dates for the election of Presidents and Vice-Presidents of District Councils and Village Councils from 1 to 7 July 2005 to 1 to 7 August 2005 .
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15. Cabinet has taken note that the National Heritage Fund is organising in collaboration with the Ministry of Arts and Culture, a National Workshop on Intangible Heritage on 13 and 14 June 2005 at the Clos St Louis, Domaine Les Pailles. The Workshop will focus inter alia on the importance of Intangible Cultural Heritage as mainspring of cultural diversity as stipulated in the UNESCO Convention and the preparation of an inventory on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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16. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Arts and Culture in collaboration with socio-cultural organisations and "Le Caudan Water Front" is organising a "Dragon Boat Festival" on Sunday 12 June 2005 as from 1400 hours at Le Caudan, Port Louis . The programme will comprise in addition to Boat races, défilé of Lion and dance groups, fire crackers, performances by the China Cultural Centre and Mauritius Karate Association.
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17. Cabinet has taken note that Mr Krishen Maurymoothoo, Art Director of Maurice Publicité has won the International Logo Competition for the 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desentification launched by the UN Secretariat of the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in April 2005.
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