Daily Archives: July 5, 2020

A British family is leaving their comfortable life in London in order to pursue something more.

The Seath family, including Karolina, Barry and their two children, are about to move to an island you probably never heard of in a bid to help replenish and revitalize the areas coral reef, which have been ravaged by the rising sea temperatures off the coast of Africas smallest island.

The island in the Seychelles, measuring just 400 metres long by 300 metres wide, will play host to the familys land-based coral farm, which will only be the second of its kind in the entire world the other being on Australias Great Barrier Reef.

We are just a normal husband, wife, and two kids, living the sort of life that most others do but we felt the need to make a positive change for ourselves, our children, and the world we had largely taken for granted, Barry Seath said.

So we have sold our home and parted company with most of our worldly possessions.

Barry says hes taken several vacations to the Seychelles, and each time the Seaths witnessed the slow deterioration of the reefs as they went snorkelling around the islands coast.

Moyenne Island in the Seychelles. (SWNS)

Every time we visited, we noticed the coral was getting worse and worse, he said.

All the tourists say the same thing. They love the beaches, but are really disappointed with the coral. They expect these lush coral reefs, but what they actually find is lots of coral rubble.

More than 15 years as the head of a London recruitment firm was enough for Barry, who decided a change was needed so he could show their two daughters an enviro-friendly way of alternate living.

After making that decision, Barry partnered with coral experts at the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles in order to build and develop the islands new farming facility, which is scheduled to take just three months and cost around 25,000.

Aside from the environmental sustainability aspects of their new endeavour, Barry says the family also hopes to bring more visitors back to the tiny African nation as its tourism-dependent economy has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Our long-term goal is to show everyone thatwith just a relatively small investmentyou can make a serious impact on the marine environment that will in turn boost the tourism industry. It should be a no-brainer.

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British family moving to Africa's smallest island to save its coral reefs - Yahoo News Canada

01 July 2020 | Cabinet Business

President Danny Faure chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet today, Wednesday 1st July at which a number of legal and policy memoranda were considered.

Cabinet approved for the implementation of the Immovable property Tax Act, 2019.

Cabinet approved for the ratification of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Cabinet also approved the Procedure for the Execution of Treaties.

Cabinet also approved the Tourism Development (Boat Charter) Regulations.

Cabinet approved for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation between the Department of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Seychelles and the International Young Leaders Club.

Cabinet was briefed on the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Developments Communication Strategy 2019-2022.

Cabinet was also briefed by the Human Rights Commission on the implementation of its mandate, and on the proactive role the Commission could play in protecting human rights in Seychelles.

Cabinet was briefed on the COVID -19 pandemic, the Spanish crew change incident and progress on National Framework for integrated management of the reopening of Seychelles.

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Cabinet Business - 1 July 2020 - News - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

Rather than continue living a comfortable urban life, this British family has sold their London home in favor of launching the worlds smallest nature reserve to save a nations coral reef system.

Karolina and Barry Seathalong with their two young daughtersare preparing to move to an island in the Seychelles measuring just 1,300 feet long by 980 feet wide (400 by 300 meters).

Theyve launched a charity and teamed up with local biologists in a bid to revitalize the coral reefs in the smallest African country, which have been devastated by rising sea temperatures.

Their land-based coral farm will be only the second of its kind in the world, the other being on Australias Great Barrier Reef, to specialize in regrowing coral to regenerate the reef.

47-year-old Barry, who is a former recruitment consultant and policeman, said: We are just a normal husband, wife, and two kids, living the sort of life that most others do but we felt the need to make a positive change for ourselves, our children, and the world we had largely taken for granted. So we have sold our home and parted company with most of our worldly possessions.

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Over the course of several vacations to the Seychelles, the Seaths witnessed the gradual deterioration of the reefs as they snorkeled around the coastline.

Every time we visited, we noticed the coral was getting worse and worse, said Barry. All the tourists say the same thing. They love the beaches, but are really disappointed with the coral. They expect these lush coral reefs, but what they actually find is lots of coral rubble.

After more than 15 years running a London recruitment firm, Barry felt it was time to make a change and show his daughters an alternative way of eco-friendly living.

Barry then teamed up with experts at the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles in order to develop the facility. Building the farm is scheduled to take just three months with all the equipment, including tanks, chillers, filters, and pipework, costing 25,000.

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Once complete, it will be the first large-scale, land-based coral farm in the Indian Ocean. The eco-warriors hope to use the facility to grow around 10,000 corals per year.

Once planted across local reefs, their diverse range of coral species is expected to maintain the biodiversity of the reefs and replenish the estimated 250,000 individual corals that have already been lost in the seas and reefs in the Seychelles archipelago.

Its not going to change things overnight and will take a lot of work, but as we scale up operations, we expect to have a major and positive impact on the coral reefs in the area, said Barry.

In order to produce the coral at scale, the team plans to harness the latest techniques in micro-fragmentationa recently-discovered coral farming technique which can dramatically increase growth rates far beyond what occurs in the wild.

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Much like how skin cells grow over a cut, the process involves cutting an individual coral into small pieces to stimulate its growth rate. Ordinarily, it takes coral reefs between 25 to 75 years to reach sexual maturity. This means that it can take up to 6 years just to plant 600 coralbut micro-fragmenting helps them to grow 40 times faster than they do in the wild.

The corals can then be grown in temperature-controlled tanks for up to nine months before they are replanted on the local reefs. Whilst in the tanks, the corals will also be exposed to warmer temperatures, enabling them to adapt at a young age to the ever-increasing sea temperatures they will face when returned to their natural habitat.

The Seaths are already talking to UK university researchers about using their tanks to carry out groundbreaking research on new coral farming techniques. And, the Seaths project could provide a rare chance for scientists to develop their laboratory research on a larger scale while also providing educational tours to local schoolchildren and tourists.

The farm will be located on Moyenne Island, a tiny property located just off the coast of Mah, the Seychelles largest island.

Moyenne was designated the worlds smallest National Park in 2012 after its only inhabitant, British expat and former newspaper editor Brendon Grimshaw, passed away.

Grimshaw lived there for four decades after he bought the island for just 8,000 in 1962. Over the course of his life on the island, the conservationist planted thousands of trees and introduced giant tortoises which still roam the area to this day.

The island has an amazing history. There are stories of hotel groups and rich individuals wanting to buy the island from Brendon, says Barry. They told him he could just name his price, but he refused every time. He didnt want it to be developed.

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We hope to honor Brendons legacy by using the island as the venue of our first coral farm.

Since the novel coronavirus outbreaks have also devastated the Seychelles tourism-dependent economy, the family hopes that replenishing the coral reefs will help bring more visitors back to the East African nation in the future. Additionally, the team hopes the farms success will help to launch more coral farms around the world.

Barry said: Our long-term goal is to show everyone thatwith just a relatively small investmentyou can make a serious impact on the marine environment that will in turn boost the tourism industry. It should be a no-brainer.

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The Seaths plan to divide the project responsibilities amongst themselves with Karolina coordinating social media for the project, while parenting their daughters. Meanwhile, Barry will work as a full-time volunteer on the farm as his daughters, 11-year-old Georgina and 7-year-old Josephine, take on the role of youth ambassadors alongside their studies at a new school on Mah island, which is just a 15-minute boat trip from Moyenne.

The sisters are eager to start their new adventure, with Josephine saying, Ill miss my friends, but Im really looking forward to seeing lots of different animals and doing lots of snorkeling and helping my dad look after the coral.

Georgina wants to learn to dive so she can help with the project, adding: Im really excited to have this opportunity to move abroad and learn more about the world. I hope we can make a real difference.

The family is hoping that international flights will return to normal as coronavirus lockdowns are eased ahead of their planned departure in late August. Until then, they are busy establishing a nonprofit charity called Coral Reef Conservation UKand they are already collecting donations from individuals and corporations.

The worlds only other land-based coral farm, which sits on The Great Barrier Reef, relies on considerable funding from the Australian government. Although there was a similar 1.6 million-facility which was launched in the Bahamas, it was destroyed by a hurricane just weeks after completion.

The Seaths, however, have kept total costs to just 200,000 for the first two years, thanks to a generous offer from the islands current owner.

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The family have enough money to support themselves for that time, but they will still need additional donations to fund the projects operating costs.

Because we are working for free and since the landowner has agreed to pay the building costs, we are able to create this farm at a fraction of the cost you might expect, said Barry. So its a real opportunity to make a massive difference for a pretty small amount of money.

Were very excited at the opportunity to make a positive impact and we hope that people will be able to support us.

If you are interested in contributing to the Seaths labor of love, you can donate to their GoFundMe campaign or visit their website for more information.

(WATCH the Seaths informational video below)

Its Not Hard To Sea That You Should Share This Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media

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Family Sells Their London Home to Move to the Smallest African Country and Save Its Coral Reefs - Good News Network

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To the hard life in the sea joins you in the last few months the threat of the Covid-19, the Spanish fleet avoided during the early weeks of confinement, delaying the relay of the crews in the fleets of long-distance. However, in may, are already organized two new projects over to the crew at Mauritania and Seychelles with the support of External, the latter with two flights that involved the displacement of 189 people. It is in this archipelago african where the tuna spaniards are living today, and from the 23rd of June, with the fear that the virus has embarked as a stowaway. According to industry sources consulted by ABC in the capital of Port Victoria, there are

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The tuna fleet, stranded in the Seychelles by the Covid-19 NEWS WIRE FAX - Wire News Fax

Situation update

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak continues to grow in the WHO African Region since it wasfirst detected in Algeria on 25 February 2020. Since our last External Situation Report 17 issued on 24 June 2020(from 24 to 30 June 2020), a total of 67 077 new confirmed COVID-19 cases (a 28% increase) was reported from45 countries. Of the 67 077 reported new cases in the region, 43% (45 101) were recorded in South Africa. SouthAfrica remains the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in the region, consistently registering the highest dailycase incidence, now standing at more than 6 000 cases daily in the past week. On 27 June 2020, the WHO AfricanRegion and South Africa recorded their highest daily case count of 10 421 and 7 210, respectively. The WHOAfrican region also recorded the highest daily death toll of 172 on 30 June 2020.

During this period, six countries in the region observed the highest percentage increase in incidence cases:Seychelles 636% (from 11 to 81 cases), Zambia 213% (from 509 to 1 594 cases), Namibia 182% (from 72 to 203cases), Botswana 155% (from 89 to 227 cases), Malawi 58% (from 803 to 1 265 cases) and Angola 50% (from189 to 284 cases). Seychelles reported new confirmed COVID-19 cases after 78 consecutive days of zeroreporting. The confirmed case-patients were part of 207 sea crew arriving on two Air Seychelles chartered flights.Eleven crewmen turned positive on antibody test, of which three tested positive by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) on 24 June 2020. This event occurred just as the Government was considering opening up commercialflights and tourism from 1 July 2020. Only Equatorial Guinea and United Republic of Tanzania did not officiallysubmit reports indicating any confirmed cases in the past week. A total of 26 new health worker infections wererecorded from three countries: Malawi (18), Sierra Leone (5) and South Sudan (3).

From 24 to 30 June 2020, an additional 898 COVID-19 related deaths (17% increase) were reported from 31countries, with 62% (555) of the deaths recorded in South Africa. This was followed by Nigeria, which registeredthe second highest number of deaths, at 57, followed by Algeria with 51 deaths. The other countries that reportednew deaths include; Democratic Republic of the Congo (35), Ethiopia (28), Senegal (23), Kenya (20), Ghana(17), Mauritania (16), Central African Republic (10), Benin (8), Cte d'Ivoire (8), Cabo Verde (7), Zambia (6),Cameroon (5), Madagascar (5), Mali (5), Malawi (5), Sierra Leone (5), Guinea-Bissau (5), Congo (4), Eswatini(4), Guinea (4), Angola (3), Gabon (3), South Sudan (3), Liberia (2), Mozambique (1), Sao Tome and Principe(1) and Zimbabwe (2).

During the reporting period (24 to 30 June 2020), the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the regionexceeded 300 000, and is now at 303 986 cases, including 303 665 confirmed and 321 probable cases, reportedacross the 47 Member States. The probable cases have been reported from Sao Tome and Principe (320) andDemocratic Republic of the Congo (1). A total of 6 155 deaths have been reported in 42 countries, giving anoverall case fatality ratio (CFR) of 2.0%. Five countries (Eritrea, Seychelles, Lesotho, Namibia and Uganda)have not registered any COVID-19 related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

The current figures in the region represents 2.9% of confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1.2% of deaths reportedworldwide. Table 1 shows the list of affected countries and their respective number of cases and deaths. Thedaily and weekly distribution of cases by date and week of reporting are presented in Figures 1 and 2, respectively.The highest number of cases in the region have been reported from 10 countries: South Africa (151 209), Nigeria(25 694), Ghana (17 741), Algeria (13 907), Cameroon (12 592), Cte dIvoire (9 214), Democratic Republic ofCongo (7 039), Senegal (6 793), Kenya (6 366) and Ethiopia (5 848), which collectively account for 84%(256 401) of all reported cases.

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COVID-19 Situation update for the WHO African Region, External Situation Report 18 (01 July 2020) - South Africa - ReliefWeb

Overview Of Bottled Water Equipment Industry 2020-2026:

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Bottled Water Equipment market is expected to pick up in healthy CAGR by 2020-2026 Top companies | Dow Chemical, Seychelles, Velocity, Norland, Liquid...

The United Kingdom announced on Friday that it would permit quarantine-free entry for about 60 lower risk nations, excluding India, the US and some other countries.

The UK Foreign Office Travel Advisory pertaining to India will stay the same, aimed towards helping British nationals avoid all non-essential travel to the COVID-19 hit country.

Reportedly, the list prepared by the UK mentioning names of the nations that are low-risk include Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.

Among the Asian countries Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Caribbean, Mauritius and the Seychelles have made it to the UKs low-risk nations list.

The new measures will become effective from July 10. Under them, visitors from selected green destinations will be allowed to enter England without any quarantine, unless they have made a stopover at the non-exempt countries in the last 14 days.

A leading daily reported that the UK government will keep the exempted countries under its review and watch. In case health risks rise, quarantine measures could be reintroduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases in the UK.

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UK allows quarantine-free entry for 60 nations except India and the USA - Happytrips

Africa remains one of the best destinations for VC investors and businesses, owing to its large population and emerging economy. Last year alone $1.34 billion was invested in Africa, a significant increase from the paltry $0.5 billion investment recorded in 2018.

Although investment in Africa is relatively low risk, there are several countries that are essentially safe havens for business and investments due to their favourable ecosystem, policies and economy.

Setting up businesses in safe havens guarantees a list of benefits including the lowest available tax income when compared to other countries, little or no taxation on foreign investment, lowtaxing ofpatentrevenues, financial account privacy, tax holidays etc. Businesses are also able to avoid withholding tax to a degree.

Tax havens also have favourable regulations and general ecosystem that makes starting a business easy and profitable.

Based on research, TechNext curated a list of top 10 safe havens (countries) for businesses in Africa. We examined the countrys rankings in the Corporate Tax Haven Index and World Bank Group Ease of Doing Business report.

For the ranking, we looked at the degree and category of taxation by each country, its degree of financial secrecy and the protection it provides businesses from foreign tax authorities.

Under the doing business report, we looked at how easy it is for businesses to operate in the country based on 11 areas including starting a business, power supply, property registration, getting credit, protecting minority investors, trading across borders and others.

Without further ado, here are the 10 Countries;

Since Mauritius became a tax haven through the enactment of the 1992Mauritius Offshore Business Activity Act which enabled foreign entities to incorporate companies with a high level of privacy and extremely low or no taxation, it has been criticized for impoverishing African governments and widening wealth inequality.

While this is true, it doesnt remove the fact that the country is a perfect safe haven for businesses in Africa. Located on an Island on the East of Africa, Mauritius is ranked 14 in the global Corporate Tax Haven Index. This makes it the best tax haven on the continent.

To add to that, the country also ranked 20th in the World Bank Group Global Ease of Doing Business Report. With a score of 79.58, Mauritius proves itself as a top spot for businesses in Africa.

However, while its profitable to establish a business in the country, its reputation as a tax haven draws the ire of foreign authorities on companies based in its region.

Rwanda is one of Africas fastest-growing economies with yearly growth averaging more than 6%. The world Banks Doing Business 2019 report ranked the country 29th, highlighting the ease of starting a business.

In 2019, Rwanda replaced its stifling special billing machine system for value-added tax invoices with free software that allows taxpayers to issue value-added tax invoices from any printer.

Although the country wasnt ranked in the global Corporate Tax Haven Index, its high score of 77.88 in the ease of doing business report makes it a top pick for doing business in Africa.

South Africa is Africas second-largest economy. It has one of the easiest business ecosystems on the continent with advanced legal and financial structures to help business stand firm. It ranked 82 on the World Banks ease of doing business report, scoring 66.03 to be one of the top 5 picks to launch a business on the continent.

Apart from the ease of doing business, South Africa has policies that give businesses the opportunity to pay lower taxes according to the global Corporate Tax Haven Index. The country was ranked 42nd in the Global Tax Haven report.

Besides being a tourist hot spot, Seychelles is a good place to start a business. The country ranks amongst the top 100 easiest countries to do business in. Considering the major factors like regulations and resources to help a business grow, Seychelles scored 62.41.

The country also has a reputation for being a tax haven. In the Corporate Tax Haven Global Index, Seychelles ranked 44 with a score of 68 out of 100 making it a good place for businesses to make profits without paying huge taxes.

Kenya is East Africas leading regional hub for ICT and financial services. The countrys internet growth together with the ease of getting credit and starting a business ranked it 61 globally ahead of Nigeria.

Kenyan government introduced a new law which improved the ease in accessing credit for businesses.

Apart from good credit ratings, Kenya also has low tax compared to other countries. It ranked 58th in the global Corporate Tax Haven Index.

Botswana operates on a territorial basis. This means that companies in Botswana pay tax only on income that is derived from a source in the country. This makes it possible for a business with a presence outside the country to make money without having to pay tax.

Due to this policy among others, Botswana was ranked 56th globally in the Corporate Tax Haven Index. Also, the country made it to the top 100 companies with the best ease of doing business. Botswana scored 65.40 making it a good choice when deciding a base for African businesses.

As of 2017, Ghana was ranked the third-largest tax haven in Africa. Now, its no longer in the top 5 but still has some of the benefits like reduced taxes that businesses enjoyed. The Corporate Tax Haven Index ranked the country as 60th in the world.

Apart from a good tax rating, the World Banks doing business report says Ghana has above-average ease of doing business with a score of 59.22. This was mainly due to the simplified process of importing which the country recently adopted.

In the past, Tanzania served as an attractive destination for foreign organisations to stash away their wealth without paying taxes. Today some of the laws that made the country a tax haven for billionaires are still available and can be utilised by businesses. The Corporate Tax Haven Index ranked the country as 62nd in the world.

The ease of doing business in the country is quite fair and the inadequacies can be filled with the added benefit of low taxes. The World Banks Doing Business 2019 global report places Tanzania at 144.

Although there are several other countries with easier business environments, the Gambia makes the list because it offers very low tax rates to businesses. The Corporate Tax Haven Index ranked the country as 63rd in the world just after Tanzania.

The ease of doing business in the country was still ranked above average at 149.

Liberia has for years been a safe haven for investors and businesses trying to avoid tax. The country is connected to the popular Panama Papers scandal and has on several occasions been blacklisted by countries.

However, the tax laws which led to this bad reputation can significantly be of help to businesses. The Corporate Tax Haven Index ranked Liberia as 57th in the world.

While Liberias haven index score is high enough to rank 7th, the below-average ease of doing business in the country drops it to 10th. The country ranks 174 in the World Banks ease of doing business report.

African countries are among the fastest-growing economies in the world. However, while the capital flows to tax havens are one factor limiting the benefits of economic growth, it also provides a perfect safe haven for businesses to thrive.

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the Top 10 Safe Havens for Businesses in Africa and What They Offer - Technext