Cancellations out of BEY are mounting and I’d be surprised if it’s not closed by the end of the day Yesterday might just have been the last chance for many to get out for a while
Britain to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius ending years of dispute
Agreement to hand back UK’s last African colony follows 13 rounds of negotiations and international pressure
Fri 4 Oct 2024 02.56 AEST
First published on Thu 3 Oct 2024 20.12 AEST
The UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony.
The agreement will allow a right of return for Chagossians, who the UK expelled from their homes in the 1960s and 1970s, in what has been described as a crime against humanity and one of the most shameful episodes of postwar colonialism.
However, there will be an exception for the key island of Diego Garcia, which is home to a joint UK-US military base, and which will remain under UK control. Plans for the base were the reason the UK severed the Chagos Islands from the rest of Mauritius when it granted the latter independence in 1968 and forcibly displaced up to 2,000 people…
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Iran has moved every single crude tanker out to sea, expecting a strike on oil export infrastructure. This is the first time that anyone can find where zero crude tankers were at dock in Iran.
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If that wasn’t so deadly, it would be a beautiful light show to watch.
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Iranian missile strikes on Israel. Israeli ground invasion of a sovereign nation ( Lebanon) . Yemeni Houthi missile attacks on international shipping / Israel. Wagner activities continue in north / central africa. Russo - Ukraine war continues with ground assaults on both sides of an ever shifting “border” .
The fuse on this powder keg is getting shorter and shorter.
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On the humanitarian front, from the latest UN briefing:
West and Central Africa
- Floods have reached catastrophic levels, with more than 5 million people in 16 countries affected.
Ukraine
- More than 50 attacks in Kharkiv in September, with more than 190 people, including children, injured.
Lebanon
- Around 300k have crossed the border into Lebanon
- Earlier this year the WHO supplied 3 months blood supply to the Red Cross. It is now seeking to procure blood testing kits to secure safe transfusions.-
Gaza and the West Bank
- Of the 319k children under 5yo screened for malnutrition, nearly 22k have been diagnosed as malnourished. WHO food basket supplies in October will not be distributed because of restrictions on access to essential supplies. Hot meals and bakery items will continue through community kitchens by UN partners.
- The UN is assisting Palestine farmers in the olive harvest in the West Bank. Harvesting has been severely restricted because of access restrictions and settler violence and the crop will be significantly lower this year.
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Add to that the numerous military coups in Africa that have resulted in French and US counter terrorism units being pushed out of substantial areas that are increasingly being dominated by ISIS.
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The ME estimated casualty count from War and conflict, complied from offical sources ( including Israel)
Israel
1139 deaths
8130 injured
Lebanon
1974 deaths
9384 injured
Gaza
41788 deaths
96794 injured
West Bank
723 deaths
5750 injured
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Reportedly, Israel has had strikes on the Lebanon Syria border crossing on the basis that it is being used to smuggle arms to Hezbollah.
There are also reports of bunker bombs which can destroy tunnels under buildings.
A US Congressman has urged that more heavy bombs be released for Israel.
Biden is requesting Israel to be proportionate in its acts in Lebanon. He has ruled out US boots on the ground.
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Qantas ending up sourcing two flights as tag flights from Cyprus back to Sydney so hopefully people actually heed warnings this time
Some have taken available commercial flights to nearby locations, such as Doha.
Others wishing to leave would need to get to the airport. Israel had previously warned not to drive on some main roads. Some have left cities and towns for the hills and rural areas.
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The flights aren’t until Monday and Wednesday so that should give plenty of time for people to get out and spend a few nights in Cyprus. I would hope they don’t leave it to the last minute as airlines are pulling services constantly
The world has well and truly gone mad.
lol does anyone take him seriously?
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The South could threaten to send the North back to the stone age, but I’m fairly certain the North are already there.
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How Israel could hit Iran (barely), meaty stuff from 5 minutes in.
A tearful woman who had decided to leave was interviewed on SBS. She leaves behind her 83yo mother, who supported her decision.
US CENTCOM has tweeted that it has conducted strikes on 15 Houthi controlled locations in Yemen, including locations with military capabilities. This had been done to protect freedom of navigation and to protect merchant vessels.
Reportedly the strikes had hit cities and the Port, which had been previously damaged by Israeli missiles. The Port is the principal access for humanitarian aid.
Little publicity is given to Australia’s role, although Defence regularly includes media releases on its site, including ADF personnel assigned to assist, together with media releases by the Minister for Defence.
Australia currently has command of the Combined Task Force 153 for the Red Sea for a 6 month period from October. Its mission is to deter and impede illicit non State actors. It is separate from Australia’s role in Operation Hydranth, a dedicated ADF contribution to support UK and US defensive actions targeting the capabilities used in Houthi actions in the Red Sea.
Australia has also been involved in Operation Beech, established after the latest Israel/Hamas conflict.
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and it’s off to the glue factory for the horses.
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In cooperation with the UAE, the WHO has begun airlifts of medical supplies from its hub in Dubai to Lebanon