Rowling hates it, so I love it by default.

The deal to transfer the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, home to a military base used by the UK and the US that plays a crucial role in the region's stability and international security.

Under the agreement, the base will remain under UK and US jurisdiction for at least the next 99 years.

The UK government said that the treaty would "address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare" of Chagossians - the native people of the islands.

Several leading Conservatives have called the decision "weak", with former securities minister Tom Tugendhat saying it is a "shameful retreat undermining our security and leaving our allies exposed".

Since 1971, only Diego Garcia has been inhabited - by US military employees - after the UK expelled the Chagossians at the request of the US. Some moved to Mauritius and some have lived in the UK, in Crawley, West Sussex, since 2002.

The islands had been a dependency of Mauritius when it was a French colony, but both were handed to the UK in 1845. Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968 and has since claimed the Chagos archipelago as Mauritian.

The primary internal opposition to a full-blown youth mobility scheme is coming from Starmer’s top interior minister Yvette Cooper.

Wut 😒... Yvette Cooper? The fuck?

Sir Keir, who was on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the assault was launched, said the rockets were aimed at civilian targets and it is "too soon to assess the impact fully".

"I utterly condemn this attempt by the Iranian regime to harm innocent Israelis, to escalate this incredibly dangerous situation and push the region ever closer to the brink," he said.
[…]
Sir Keir called on Iran to "stop these attacks", saying it had "menaced the Middle East for far too long".

"I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink, and I'm deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation," he added.
[…]
Asked if the UK would be prepared to use British military capabilities to help Israel defend itself against Iran, which backs the militant group, the prime minister said: "This, as you'll appreciate, is an evolving situation.

"But what I will say is that we stand with Israel and her right to self-defence. And any relevant updates will be provided in due course."

A few hours after that statement, Mr Healey confirmed the involvement of British forces tonight - though it is not clear in what capacity or whether personnel were involved in shooting down the Iranian missiles, as US forces did.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is not yet confirming what kind of support it gave Israel, but RAF Typhoon jets, operating from an air base in Cyprus, were deployed to help Israel during Iran's previous attack in April.
[…]
"My calls have been about the importance of creating the space and the conditions for that de-escalation, and to find that political route forward," the prime minister told reporters after his televised address.

He added that with Mr Netanyahu he was able to "make the case for a ceasefire in Gaza", which has been under siege for the past year following the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023.

The prime minister also repeated the advice for Britons in Lebanon to leave immediately, saying "we're doing everything we can to get people out, but the situation is extremely volatile".

Briefing notes, obtained through freedom of information (FoI) requests by Palestine Action, show details of government meetings, predating the 7 October Hamas attacks and Israel’s response in Gaza, intended to “reassure” Elbit Systems UK, an Israeli arms manufacturer, which is subject to a direct action campaign by the campaign group.

As well as Home Office ministers attending meetings with Elbit Systems representatives, the heavily redacted briefing notes show that one was attended by a director from the Attorney General’s Office said to be representing the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). They also show that Home Office officials contacted the police about Palestine Action.

Tim Crosland, a coordinator of Defend Our Juries, which claims that jurors’ absolute right to acquit a defendant according to their conscience is being eroded by judges placing limits on what defendants can say about their motivations, said: “These disclosures, despite the extensive redaction, are the smoking gun on what has been obvious for a while: the government has been trying to put a stop to juries acquitting those who expose and resist corporate complicity in violations of international law and mass loss of life.

Documents previously revealed through FoI requests suggested Israeli embassy officials in London attempted to get the Attorney General’s Office to intervene in UK court cases relating to the prosecution of protesters.

She's back! And she's learned NOTHING.

Why is anyone listening to this woman? I couldn't watch the whole video, she's mad!

Abdul Hai, acquitted of murder over the death of Richard Everitt in 1994, said social media sites must be held accountable

Universities UK ‘holding back’ on requests to restart Erasmus programme, but hopeful amid talks on youth mobility

Robert Jenrick has defended being handed a £75,000 donation from a company which had received money from a firm registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), despite criticising Labour over the freebies row.

Questions have been raised over the ultimate source of the funds from The Spott Fitness, which gave Mr Jenrick three separate £25,000 donations in July.

As first reported by Tortoise Media, the company received a loan from a firm based in the BVI.

The Tory leadership contender told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that The Spott Fitness "as I understand it... is a fitness company that operates in the UK", and the donation was "perfectly legal and valid".

...

Pressed for details on who owns the company and who works for it, the former immigration minister said this would be set out "on Companies House in the normal way" and he has "obviously met people who are involved in the company".

According to Companies House records, The Spott Fitness has no employees and net current liabilities of £330,000. It has two directors - Mark Dembovsky and Benjamin Hodson.

Earlier this year it registered a loan from Centrovalli, a firm based in the British Virgin Islands, though the amount borrowed has not been declared.

...

However, Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International UK, said that when companies fund politicians via offshore loans "it raises serious questions about the money's provenance".

He added: "Electoral law was supposed to only allow businesses with a substantive UK presence to make political contributions, yet examples like this show it permits anonymous cash from anywhere in the world into our democracy."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/20833084

By Imran Mullah in Liverpool, United Kingdom
Published date: 27 September 2024 16:35 BST