The future of Western Sahara becomes clearer in Washington
The future of Western Sahara becomes clearer in Washington
Keep reading
China factor spices up tussle over key part of the Indian Ocean | The Straits Times
Summary: - The piece analyzes how the Chagos Archipelago dispute (Diego Garcia) fits into wider Indian Ocean geopolitics, focusing on Mauritius, Britain, the United States, and India. - Key background: Chagos was detached from Mauritius at independence (1968); Diego Garcia hosts a long-running US military base, with the archipelago under BIOT. - 2019 ICJ ruling suggested Mauritius could exercise sovereignty; UN resolutions backed this emphasis, though Britain contests binding
Polls are open on Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas islands, but voters feel forgotten - ABC News
Summary: - Polls opened for remote voters on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island, both part of the NT’s Lingiari electorate, Australia’s largest marginal seat by area. - Voters on the islands, about 1,000km apart, say they feel neglected by national campaigns and candidates, with climate change and cost of living as top concerns. - Local leaders warn of rising sea levels and storm surges threatening the Cocos atoll; discussions of a long-term “managed retreat” h
Inside the British Virgin Islands’ corruption crisis | TBIJ
Summary: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s report on the British Virgin Islands (BVI) details a prolonged corruption crisis that exposed how the territory’s governance has been undermined by tensions between locally elected leaders and the British governor. Key points include: - The governor’s limited, but pivotal, role in national security, foreign affairs, and civil service oversight, contrasted with locally controlled domestic matters. - Tensions under pro-independe