Chagos Islands dispute: UN backs end to UK control - BBC News

The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.

Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.

Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.

In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.

The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.

It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".

UK warns of setting precedent

Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York

The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.

The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.

Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.

UK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.

Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.

US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.

"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.

Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.

However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.

Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.

The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.

Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.

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2019-05-23 09:16:57Z
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Chagos Islands dispute: UN backs end to UK control - BBC News

The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.

Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.

Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.

In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.

The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.

It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".

UK warns of setting precedent

Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York

The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.

The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.

Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.

UK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.

Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.

US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.

"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.

Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.

However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.

Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.

The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.

Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48371388

2019-05-23 08:21:26Z
52780301757167

Chagos Islands dispute: UN backs end to UK control - BBC News

The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.

Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.

Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.

In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.

The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.

It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".

UK warns of setting precedent

Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York

The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.

The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.

Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.

UK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.

Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.

US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.

"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.

Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.

However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.

Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.

The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.

Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.

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2019-05-23 07:21:06Z
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Huawei Feels U.S. Squeeze in U.K., Japan as Partners Curb Business - The Wall Street Journal

The peril to Huawei Technologies Co.’s global business is growing as foreign partners back away from the Chinese maker of networking equipment and smartphones in the face of U.S. restrictions.

U.K.-based chip design company Arm Holdings PLC is suspending its business with Huawei following Washington’s blacklisting of the Chinese technology giant, according to a person familiar with the matter. Meanwhile, mobile-phone carriers in Japan and the U.K. have suspended launches of Huawei smartphone models over concerns that U.S....

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2019-05-23 07:14:00Z
52780301503841

Chagos Islands dispute: UN backs end to UK control - BBC News

The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.

Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.

Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.

In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.

The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.

It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".

UK warns of setting precedent

Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York

The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.

The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.

Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.

UK Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.

Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.

US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.

"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.

Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.

However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.

Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.

The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.

Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.

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2019-05-23 05:18:46Z
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British Steel on verge of administration - BBC News

British Steel is on the verge of administration as it continues to lobby for government backing, sources say.

The UK's second-biggest steel maker had been trying to secure £75m in financial support to help it to address "Brexit-related issues".

If the firm does not get the cash it would put 5,000 jobs at risk and endanger 20,000 in the supply chain.

Company sources said that the direction of talks with the government would become clearer in the coming hours.

British Steel's main plant is at Scunthorpe, but it also has a site in Teesside.

The request for emergency financial support from the government is understood to have been reduced from £75m to about £30m.

The report said British Steel shareholder Greybull Capital and lenders had agreed to pump new money into the firm.

Unless a deal is reached by Tuesday afternoon, the firm could go into administration within 48 hours. EY would be expected to be appointed as administrators on Wednesday.

If a company goes into administration, then the insolvency practitioners appointed to run the business will try to rescue it by selling it, or parts of it, as a going concern.

But if that is not possible it will be liquidated, meaning that it will be closed down and its saleable assets will be sold.

In a statement, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said: "As the business department, we are in regular conversation with a wide range of companies."

In April, British Steel borrowed £100m from the government to enable it to pay an EU carbon bill, so it could avoid a steep fine.

Tough decision for the government

Sources close to Greybull Capital say its lenders have told them that unless they can secure a £30m lifeline they will pull the plug on British Steel tomorrow.

The timing of this could hardly be worse for the government coming as it does right before the European elections.

Cynics might suggest that Greybull is not unhappy with the timescale of the plea.

Business Secretary Greg Clark has a very tough decision, as I've already written.

The question may be whether the government can put this down to Brexit mitigation and tap the same source of contingency funds Chris Grayling disastrously used to procure emergency ferry capacity.

At least there would be an immediate dividend - to stave off the collapse of a firm that employs 4,500 people directly and has 20,000 more at risk in the supply chain.

However, having already lent £100m to cover a genuinely Brexit-related carbon emissions bill - further assistance to a private company struggling in a deeply challenged industry may be a precedent they would rather not set.

Slump in orders

Last Thursday, British Steel said it had the backing of shareholders and lenders and that operations continued as usual while it sought a "permanent solution" from the government to its financial troubles.

It is understood that along with administration, nationalisation or a management buyout are being discussed as fall-back options for the company.

British Steel's troubles have been linked to a slump in orders from European customers ‎due to uncertainty over the Brexit process.

The firm has also been struggling with the weakness of the pound since the EU referendum in June 2016 and the escalating trade US-China trade war.

One of its biggest customers is Network Rail, 95% of whose rails are supplied by British Steel's Scunthorpe plant.

The recent history of the UK steel market goes back to 2007 when India's Tata conglomerate entered the market after acquiring the Anglo Dutch group, Corus. In 2010 it was renamed Tata Steel Europe.

After a difficult few years and restructuring attempts, Tata pulled out of the UK steel market, selling the Scunthorpe long products division to private equity firm Greybull Capital for a nominal £1.

Greybull's rescue came during the depths of the steel crisis in 2016 and saved more than 4,000 jobs.

It then rebranded the company as British Steel and recently returned it to profit.

On Monday, the government, trade unions and employers signed a UK Steel Charter in Parliament. The charter calls on the government and large companies to buy British to boost UK industry.

The GMB union said it had written to British Steel on Tuesday demanding that the firm works with the government to save the Scunthorpe steelworks.

GMB national officer Ross Murdoch said: "Given this latest speculation, these are understandably extremely difficult times for our members."

"Yesterday the government, alongside trade unions and employers, signed a UK Steel Charter at Westminster. They must now put their money where their mouth is.

"GMB calls on the government and Greybull to redouble efforts to save this proud steelworks and the highly skilled jobs."

The shadow minister for steel, Gill Furniss, called on the government to intervene, saying the UK steel industry was critical to the UK's manufacturing base and strategically important to UK industry.

"Administration would be devastating for the thousands of workers and their families who rely on this key industry in a part of the country which has not had enough support and investment from government over decades," she said.

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2019-05-21 06:22:32Z
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Brexit: Hammond to warn Tories over no-deal 'hijack' - BBC News

Chancellor Philip Hammond is to warn prospective Conservative leadership contenders against "hijacking" Brexit by "knowingly inflicting" a damaging no-deal exit on the economy.

In a speech to the CBI, he will urge Tories not to ape the "populist right" by claiming a clean break from the EU is the only "truly legitimate Brexit".

It comes as Theresa May prepares to discuss her Brexit plan with cabinet.

No 10 has promised a "bold, new offer" to try to win over Labour MPs.

The Commons will vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - legislation required to bring the withdrawal agreement negotiated with the EU into British law - in the first week of June.

MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement three times and if the bill falls at the first attempt, the prime minister is likely to come under intense pressure from Conservatives to stand down.

Talks with Labour on finding a compromise deal acceptable to their MPs broke down last week.

But Downing Street hopes to appeal to Labour MPs committed to Brexit with new proposals to protect and enhance employment rights and environmental standards outside the EU.

'Last rites'

International Development Secretary Rory Stewart suggested on Sunday that the two sides were "half an inch apart" on key issues and "sensible" Labour MPs could be won round.

But shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said Labour MPs would vote against the Withdrawal Agreement Bill as she had heard there was "no radical difference" in what was being offered.

Ms Thornberry told BBC Radio 4's Today that Mrs May was "setting up her own political version of the last rites", adding: "She cannot expect to get this through without fundamental changes."

She said Labour was still pushing for a customs union with the EU and close alignment with the single market.

However, Commons leader and Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom said she would back the bill "so long as it continues to be leaving the European Union", which she defined as being outside both of those structures.

She also stressed the need to be prepared for a no-deal Brexit, telling Today: "What I do think is that for any negotiation to succeed, you have to be prepared to walk away."

The cabinet is expected to discuss planning for a no-deal exit, which remains the default legal position if the UK does not agree a deal before the 31 October deadline for leaving.

• Reality Check: What does a 'WTO Brexit' mean?
• What happens next?

But Mr Hammond will warn business leaders on Tuesday that there is "no mandate" for such an outcome and that even with "all the preparation in the world" it would be highly damaging.

"To advocate for no deal is to hijack the result of the referendum and in doing so knowingly to inflict damage on our economy and our living standards," he will say.

He will say he will continue to make the case for a negotiated exit, based on what he regards as the "absolute obligation to protect jobs, businesses and future prosperity".

"We need to be clear, that if we do not resolve this issue in the next few weeks, there is a real risk of a new prime minister abandoning the search for a deal, and shifting towards seeking a damaging no-deal exit as a matter of policy."

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If the UK left the EU without a deal, it would trade with the bloc using World Trade Organization rules.

On Sunday, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said that was now "the only way the democratic will of the people can be delivered".

The UK was originally due to leave the EU on 29 March, but the deadline was pushed back when MPs failed to approve Mrs May's deal.

When the new deadline was announced, the government said it would "continue to make all necessary preparations" for a no-deal Brexit, after it was reported that departments had stood down their planning.

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2019-05-21 00:00:07Z
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