Inside the British Virgin Islands’ corruption crisis | TBIJ
Inside the British Virgin Islands’ corruption crisis | TBIJ
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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
New Zealand pressed Cook Islands for months over China deals, OIA documents reveal | RNZ News
Summary: - New Zealand and the Cook Islands are in a growing diplomatic rift over Cook Islands’ deals with China, notably a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). - NZ sought for eight months to see the Cook Islands’ Beijing agreements, arguing NZ should be consulted under their free association arrangements. - NZ halted NZ$18.2 million in funding and warned that elements of its development programme could be undermined by the Cook Islands-China agreements. - Official doc