Latest news with #Mauritius
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain's national decline has just reached a new low
It's probably for the best that the Cypriot government has shown no interest in getting its hands on Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the United Kingdom's two 'sovereign base areas' from which the RAF flies for operations in the Middle East. For judging by the conduct of this Government, it is currently open season on our overseas possessions. Fresh from bending over backwards to hand the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius – with a dowry – the Government is now preparing to hand Spain a 'special role' in Gibraltar. This will reportedly include 'new powers over the issuance of residency permits, visas and asylum', according to the Independent, as part of 'an accord to settle the post-Brexit border arrangements for the British overseas territory.' How far we have fallen. When General Franco closed the border with Gibraltar in 1969 as part of his effort to besiege the Rock into submission, both it and we stood firm. The blockade was eventually lifted in 1982, after Spain's return to democracy. Today, faced with a far less menacing prospect, we have simply folded. This is not merely a collection of objectionable new procedures, either. If this deal is passed, Madrid will now control who is and is not allowed to settle in Gibraltar, whilst Spaniards – because it is part of the Schengen area – have freedom of movement. It isn't difficult to imagine how this could erode the Rock's British character over time, especially if a future Spanish government was playing an active role in the process. Because we should not forget that Spain absolutely wants its hands on the territory and is not shy about flexing its muscles; Spanish ships not infrequently violate Gibraltar's sovereign waters. As over Northern Ireland, we have once again allowed the EU to insist that the interests of its common market trump the political and territorial integrity of the British state and its dependencies. It is very difficult to imagine many European countries doing the same. Consider Madrid's steely refusal to compromise on its own Gibraltars, the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the Moroccan coast; or France, which proudly staged parts of the French Olympics in that most lovely part of their country – Tahiti. Indeed, watching Britain get bullied from pillar to post over our overseas territories it is sometimes difficult to remember that Paris has quietly got away with holding on to French Guiana; France's longest land border is with Brazil. Gibraltar's British status would be vastly more secure had we taken the French approach. But when the Integration With Britain Party won the 1969 Gibraltarian elections – held in the shadow of Franco's belligerence – Westminster said no. Perhaps what we're seeing today, then, is simply the final triumph of the Foreign Office mindset which refused Gibraltar then, and Malta in the 1950s; a mindset which views overseas possessions not as assets but as expensive and vaguely embarrassing entanglements. What a pity we can't muster the same national self-belief as the French. Or, indeed, the Spanish.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britain ‘may have to inform Iran ally Mauritius' before air strikes from Chagos
Britain will be required to inform Mauritius about any future air strikes on Iran because of Sir Keir Starmer's Chagos Islands deal. The Iranian ally may have to be given advance warning about such strikes, after the Government decided to give away the Indian Ocean territory and lease back the Diego Garcia military base there. The base, which is jointly used by the UK and US, has previously been used for bombing runs on Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Air Force (USAF) has recently stationed B-2 long-range bombers there, which could be used if Donald Trump decides to launch an attack on Iran.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Healey defends Chagos Islands deal as ‘vital' to UK's long-term interests
John Healey has robustly defended the UK's Chagos Islands deal, insisting the agreement needed to be struck to defend Britain's interests as he appeared at a military conference. The Defence Secretary was asked about the upsides of 'giving away the Chagos Islands' as he spoke at the Royal United Services Institute's (Rusi) land warfare conference in central London. Under the terms of the deal, the UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million a year for 99 years in order to lease back the Diego Garcia base – a total cost of at least £13 billion in cash terms. The joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia is seen as vital for western influence in the Indian Ocean, and is also home to important military and intelligence infrastructure. Britain is ceding control of the archipelago to Mauritius, after the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on the UK's territorial claim in 2019 saying it should do so. A £40 million fund has also been established for the Chagossians, who were expelled from the islands between 1965 and 1973 to make way for the Diego Garcia base and have not been allowed to return. Asked by an audience member at the Rusi conference to set out the benefits of the deal, Mr Healey said: 'I mean, that's a description which is completely wrong. 'What we've done is to recognise that there were moves and jeopardy to our ability to continue to operate that sovereign base in an entirely sovereign way, jointly with the US.' He listed the Trump administration, the UN, and Britain's Five Eyes intelligence allies among those who backed the deal. Mr Healey added: 'This is the way that we secure our vital military and intelligence interests for the long-term, and this is the way that we secure what is perhaps the most important single contribution to that special relationship in defence and security and intelligence that we have in the US.' 'Did we have to do it?' the same audience member could be heard to ask. 'Yes,' Mr Healey replied. As he spoke at the conference, Mr Healey also announced the Government was investing £100 million in 'new initial funding to develop land drone swarms'. The swarms will fly alongside Apache helicopters to offer support in battle, Mr Healey said, as part of the UK's efforts to learn from Ukraine on drone warfare.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Fact check: China has made only one public statement on Chagos Islands deal
Claims have circulated around international support for the Government's deal with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands and its implications for the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia. The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the deal had 'secured the base for the long term' and that 'has been opposed by our adversaries' including China. The Conservative Party has claimed it is 'pure disinformation' that critics of the deal are siding with China. Evaluation There is limited information on what Beijing thinks about the deal. Certainly the only known public statement from a Chinese official on the deal applauded the agreement in the context of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It did not mention China's view on the continued presence of the military base on Diego Garcia. China abstained on the UN vote which was a key stage in the road to the deal, and one expert the PA news agency spoke to said he believes that Beijing 'privately views the agreement … somewhat as a setback', citing a variety of reasons. The facts How long have the Chagos Islands been in UK hands? Britain took control of Mauritius from 1810 when it was seized from the French. Between 1814 and 1965 the Chagos Archipelago was administered by the UK as a dependency of the Mauritius colony. In 1965 the UK detached the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius and several Islands from the Seychelles and created the new British Indian Ocean Territory. Three years later Mauritius became an independent country. Between 1967 and 1973 the UK removed the population of the Chagos Archipelago. What has China said about the UK-Mauritius deal? On May 26 the new Chinese ambassador to Mauritius, Huang Shifang, gave a speech at a reception attended by the Mauritian Prime Minister, the Vice President and others. The official text of the speech – which was sent to the PA news agency by the Chinese embassy in Mauritius – does not directly mention the Chagos deal. A release from the Mauritian Prime Minister's office the next day said of the ambassador's speech: 'Acknowledging Mauritius's firm adherence to the One-China Policy, she commended the recent achievement regarding the Chagos Archipelago.' The closest that the official text of the speech comes to this is a section where the ambassador says: 'China highly appreciates Mauritius's adherence to the One-China Policy, and fully supports Mauritius in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.' However, a short video excerpt from the speech, posted to YouTube, shows that immediately afterwards the ambassador added: 'In particular we applaud loudly for the historical achievement on the Chagos agreement. Massive congratulations.' What might Beijing think behind closed doors? It is difficult to say what policymakers in the Chinese capital might be thinking about the deal behind closed doors. The prime minister's statement appears to claim that China opposed the part of the deal which allows Diego Garcia to remain open. When the ambassador's speech supported Mauritius's work on its territorial integrity she linked that to the country's One China Policy. The One China Policy is Beijing's claim that 'Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory'. So the ambassador's statement – if an accurate representation of Beijing's thinking – could show that China supports the handing over of Chagos to Mauritius because it reinforces the principle of territorial integrity which the Chinese leadership thinks supports its claim to Taiwan. But this does not rule out Beijing being disappointed about the part of the deal which allows the Diego Garcia base to remain open. When quizzed on Sir Keir's claims, his official spokesperson pointed towards the deal's support from the US and other allies. This included a post from US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth who said the deal secures 'key US national security interests in the region' and added: 'We are confident the base is protected for many years ahead.' Benjamin Sacks, a professor of political geography at the RAND School of Public Policy in the US, told PA: 'I contend that Beijing privately views the agreement, even if modified to ameliorate some Chagossians' outstanding demands, somewhat as a setback. In practical terms, it gains little if any advantage from it.' He said the deal resolves the question as to whether the UK, 'a major state actor supporting existing rules-based orders (RBOs), was violating them in respect to the Chagos'. He added: 'The Chagos issue constituted a perennial problem for British foreign policy; one that China could simultaneously exploit to demonstrate its supposed adherence to existing RBOs and undermine the UK's traditionally important role in maintaining it.' The deal 'deters Port Louis (Mauritius) from becoming an effective client state of Beijing' while allowing it to balance a strong economic relationship with China while continuing its close relationships with Beijing's competitors, India, the UK and the US, he said. Dr Sacks added: 'Analysis … suggests that China prioritises decolonisation so as to replace European and American influence with its own. For this reason, Beijing will applaud the agreement as a 'win' against the major Western powers.' As for the base at Diego Garcia: 'Beijing will have to contend with its continued presence for at least the next 99 years, and likely longer.' He said it can also be argued that the base's deterrence effect 'is stronger now that the agreement has secured and clarified its future within international laws and norms'. What has China said about the Chagos Islands in the past? In 2017 China abstained on a UN General Assembly vote which asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to deliver an advisory opinion on the dispute between the UK and Mauritius. This ICJ opinion was ultimately cited in the UK-Mauritius agreement. At the time the Chinese representative to the General Assembly said: 'China calls upon the countries concerned to continue to make efforts in good faith and to continue to carry out bilateral negotiations and consultations, so as to seek an appropriate solution to the question of Chagos archipelago as soon as possible.' The court opinion that followed in 2019 was that the UK is 'under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as quickly as possible'. In the wake of this opinion, in 2019 the General Assembly adopted a resolution which welcomed the court's decision. At this point China was one of the 116 votes for the resolution. Six countries voted against and 56 abstained. The Chinese representative said at the time: 'The Chinese Government is a consistent and firm supporter of the decolonisation process.' More recently in a China-Mauritius meeting on August 1 last year – according to a Mauritian press release – the Chinese representative 'reiterated China's aid to Mauritius in its quest for sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago'. UNGA – Thursday, 22 June 2017, 10 am (archived)
Zawya
3 days ago
- Health
- Zawya
World Donor Day 2025: World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mauritius donated blood and called upon students to commit as lifetime donor
'As the new generation, take the lead—donate blood! It gives hope and strengthens our nation's heartbeat,' urged Dr. Anne Ancia, WHO Representative, on 12 June 2025 at Sir Leckraz Teeluck State Secondary School, during the national celebration of World Blood Donor Day. Dr. Ancia joined the Minister of Health and Wellness, Hon. Anil Kumar Bacchoo, in encouraging young people to step forward as blood donors. 'One unit of blood can save up to three lives,' she told the students, appealing to them to commit to becoming lifelong donors. 'Blood donation is far more than a symbolic act of solidarity—it saves lives every day,' Dr. Ancia emphasized. 'It supports patients undergoing trauma care, orthopedic or heart surgeries, women suffering postpartum hemorrhage, and children living with conditions such as anemia, thalassemia, or hemophilia.' In his address, Minister Bacchoo highlighted the vital role of blood donation in maintaining a strong and responsive healthcare system. He called on the youth to donate regularly, reminding them that they are the future of Mauritius' life-saving blood supply. To encourage youth participation, the Minister announced forward-looking initiatives, including a dedicated blood donor app and policy reforms like removing outdated age restrictions. These innovative and youth-friendly measures aim to make regular blood donation easier and more accessible for all. The event also brought together the National Blood Transfusion Service and various schools and longtime blood donors, reaffirming their commitment to ensuring the year-round safety, availability, and adequacy of blood and blood products for all in need. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) - Mauritius.
