In 2019 the International Court of Justice issued a non-binding opinion determining that Britain’s separation of Mauritius and the Chagos Islands was unlawful, on the basis that international law forbade a colonial power from dividing a territory prior to independence.

Although unenforceable, that decision galvanised international outrage and became an increasing diplomatic headache for Britain.

On October 3rd the British government announced a preliminary deal to cede sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius

The Mauritian government has argued that the deal marks the return of Britain’s last African colony and the righting of a historic injustice. That perspective has caught on internationally; the United Nations General Assembly voted in support of Mauritius’s claim. The reality is much messier.

What is often missing from these discussions, however, is the critical historical context that explains why this transfer is happening now, and why the colony was established in the Indian Ocean in the first place.

https://theconversation.com/uk-hands-chagos-islands-to-mauritius-marking-the-end-of-a-longstanding-sovereignty-dispute-240575

Chagossians are concerned that they, as the Indigenous people forcibly removed from the islands to make way for the military base between 1967 and 1973, have not been included in the negotiations.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy78ejg71exo

Others view the move as a betrayal of British interests. Mauritius is a country that maintains close ties with China, so critics argue this transfer could open the door to increased Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/10/27/giving-china-aligned-mauritius-chagos-islands-big-mistake/

The Chagos islands then

¯\(°_o)/¯

What-the-actual-fuck

Sometimes the dots don't line up

*some breadcrumbs just need to be swept away into the bin*

@stueytheround @BillyBones haven't read it yet myself - bookmarked though 👍

@Museek 👋

@BillyBones total legend he was

Rising damp was brilliant a master class in sitcom making

@BillyBones awesome actor

"Miss jones, miss jones"

The complete series 1 of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

https://youtu.be/25qtWz3DlSI

For anyone who hasn't seen it

More coffee vicar

......

"No your honor not me"

.....

@SpaceShanks

@SpaceShanks 😜

Right outside ma flat

Hmmmm

Dodgy lookin guy sitting in a dodgy looking car with a laptop tapping away at the keys like hes possessed

🤔 interesting

The House of Medici ruthlessly wielded control of Florence for nearly 300 years. Through financial and political machinations, they transformed the city into a cultural powerhouse and the epicentre of the Renaissance, spawning popes and royalty along the way.

#HistoryHits #Podcasts

Check out this Podcast: Rise of the Medici

https://player.fm/1BmbXxH

mutant sheep, radioactive equipment, Russian-Ukrainian hit squads, Egyptian artifacts, and teenage crypto founder angst. If you’re as confused as we are by all that, take solace, it has simply been one of those weeks in the dockets....

#CourtWatch

https://open.substack.com/pub/seamushughes/p/court-watch-94-were-feeling-feisty