Britain should give up Chagos Islands: UN court

Yahoo – AFP, Danny KEMP, Jan HENNOP, February 25, 2019

Britain allowed a few of the evicted Chagossian islanders back for a brief visit in 

2006 (AFP Photo/STRINGER)

The Hague (AFP) - Britain should give up control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean "as rapidly as possible", the UN's top court said Monday in a decades-old row with Mauritius over an archipelago that is home to a huge US airbase.

The International Court of Justice said in a legal opinion that Britain had illegally split the islands from Mauritius before independence in 1968, after which the entire population of islanders was evicted.

Mauritius and the exiled Chagossians reacted with delight to the "historic" opinion delivered by judges in The Hague, which is non-binding but will carry heavy symbolic and political weight.

Britain however defended its hold on the islands, saying the Diego Garcia military base, which has been used to bomb Iraq and Afghanistan, protected people around the world.

"The United Kingdom's continued administration of the Chagos Archipelago constitutes a wrongful act," chief judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said.

"The United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring an end to its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible, thereby allowing Mauritius to complete the decolonisation of its territory."

The UN General Assembly in 2017 adopted a resolution presented by Mauritius and backed by African countries asking the ICJ to offer legal advice on the island chain's fate and the legality of the deportations.

'So happy'

Colonial power Britain split off the islands from Mauritius -- which lies around 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away -- three years before Port Louis gained independence in 1968. It also paid Mauritius three million pounds.

Between 1968 and 1973 around 2,000 Chagos islanders were evicted, to Britain, Mauritius and the Seychelles, to make way for a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands. The evictions were described in a British diplomatic cable at the time as the removal of "some few Tarzans and Man Fridays".

The Chagos Islanders have already taken their battle through the courts in Britain, 
where their supporters include the current leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn 
(second from the right in this 2007 photo) (AFP Photo/ADRIAN DENNIS)

Diego Garcia is now under lease to the United States and played a key strategic role in the Cold War before being used as a staging ground for US bombing campaigns against Afghanistan and Iraq in the 2000s.

Olivier Bancoult, chairman of the Mauritius-based Chagos Refugees Group, told reporters outside court that he was "so happy".

"It is a big victory against an injustice done by the British government for many years. We people have been suffering for many years -- I am so lucky today," he said.

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth hailed it as a " historic moment for Mauritius and all its people".

"Our territorial integrity will now be made complete, and when that occurs, the Chagossians and their descendants will finally be able to return home," he said in a statement.

The ICJ opinion comes as a stunning blow to London in a case that goes to the heart of historic issues of decolonisation and current questions about Britain's place in the world as it prepares to leave the European Union.

Mauritius' lawyer Philippe Sands said there was "no wiggle room" in the judges' view and that Britain would resist pressure to comply.

"I suspect the United Kingdom will say to itself, what resistance can we put up to moving forward -- and particularly in the context of Brexit, as the United Kingdom finds itself a little bit isolated in the world," he told reporters outside court.

Britain's foreign ministry rejected the court's opinion.

"The defence facilities on the British Indian Ocean Territory help to protect people here in Britain and around the world from terrorist threats, organised crime and piracy," the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement.

'Shameful' evictions

When judges heard the case in September, Mauritius argued that it was illegal for Britain to have broken up its territory while it was still the colonial power.

Britain, while apologising for the "shameful" way it evicted thousands of islanders, insisted Mauritius was wrong to have brought the case to the ICJ.

The United States meanwhile said the court had a "duty" not to take a position on the row.

The Chagos Islanders have already taken their battle through the courts in Britain, where their supporters included the current Labour opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

The legal opinion is only the 28th since the ICJ was set up in 1946 in the wake of World War II to provide a tribunal to resolve disputes between UN member states.

Previously such opinions include one on Israel's West Bank barrier in 2004, which judges said was illegal, and declaring legal Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2010.c

Kerry in Kenya calls for unity to defeat terrorism

Yahoo – AFP, Nicolas Revise, 4 May 2015

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shakes hands with Kenyan President 

Uhuru Kenyatta following a meeting at the State House in Nairobi on May 4, 2015 

(AFP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Nairobi (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry vowed support to Kenya on Monday in the battle against Somalia's Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab, after calling for unity in the face of terror attacks.

"The US continues to stand resolutely with the government and people of Kenya in the effort to end scourge of violent extremism," Kerry said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks 

to Somali refugees from the Dadaab Camp

 via video in Nairobi on May 4, 2015 (AFP

Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Kenya is struggling to stop increased cross-border attacks by the militants even though it has thousands of troops in neighbouring southern Somalia as part of an African Union force, which Washington has funded by over half a billion dollars since 2007.

Last month Shebab gunmen massacred close to 150 people, mostly students, in a raid on a university in the northeastern Kenyan town of Garissa, the worst ever attack by the insurgents.

The raid followed a string of other massacres in the northeast and Muslim-majority coastal areas, and after the September 2013 siege of the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi which left at least 67 dead.

Since the Garissa attack Kenya threatened to shut down the world's largest refugee camp complex in Dadaab and send 360,000 Somali refugees back home, but Kerry said after meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta that it would remain open.

"I'm confident Dadaab will remain open while we work through how they will be able to go home, by doing a better job of finishing our task in Somalia," Kerry said.

Kerry's trip to the east African nation is the first high-level visit since 2012, and comes after years of tensions surrounding Kenyatta after he was charged by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

The ICC has since abandoned the case against Kenyatta over his alleged role in the 2007-2008 post-election violence, citing a lack of evidence and Kenya's failure to cooperate -- somewhat removing Kenyatta's pariah status.

Kenyatta told Kerry during their meeting that the country needs "support in terms of training, equipment and surveillance," as well as to "work more closely with the US to control financing of terrorism," a Kenyan government statement read.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L), stands next to Rukia Ali, a victim of 

the 1998 US embassy bombing, during a wreath laying ceremony at the

 August 7 Memorial Park, the bombing site in Nairobi, on May 4, 2015

(AFP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Obama to visit Kenya in July

Diplomats earlier said Kerry would raise human rights issues with Kenyatta, whose government has been accused of clamping down on civil society groups and the press.

The pair's meeting also came as Kenya's deputy president William Ruto reportedly told worshippers at a church service in Nairobi that homosexuality "violates our religious and cultural beliefs."

Kerry and Kenyatta met for around half an hour, with the Secretary of State saying it was a "good meeting". The US envoy also met opposition leaders.

Kerry's trip also comes ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit to his late father's home country in July.

Earlier Kerry visited a memorial in Kenya to the 1998 bombing of the US embassy. The attack by Al-Qaeda was the worst carried out by Islamist militants against the east African nation, killing 213 people.

"The terrorists who struck on August 7, 1998 failed utterly in their purpose, which was to implant fear in the hearts of the Kenyan people and to divide America from the citizens of this country," Kerry said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, foreground, speaks to US Embassy

employees in Nairobi, on May 4, 2015 (AFP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

"We do have however the power to fight back, not only with our military and law enforcement, but also through something that may be even more powerful and that may make a bigger difference in the end, and that is our unity and the character of our ideals," Kerry said.

Kerry, who arrived from Sri Lanka on Sunday afternoon, later heads for the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, where the US has a major military base, and where refugees from war-torn Yemen are arriving.

Kerry then heads to Saudi Arabia and France for talks on regional security, as well as to take part in commemorations marking the end of World War II in Europe.

Related Article:

Obama plans first presidential trip to Kenya, father's homeland

Desmond Tutu warns of 'Nazi' parallel to Uganda anti-gay law

Google – AFP, 24 February 2014

A picture dated August 17, 2012 shows a billboard for a play examining the

subject of homosexuality, in Kampala, Uganda (AFP/File, Kasamani Isaac)

Cape Town — South African peace icon Desmond Tutu warned on Sunday that Uganda's controversial anti-gay law recalled sinister attempts by the Nazi and apartheid regimes to "legislate against love".

The Anglican cleric said he was "very disheartened" to learn that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni intended to sign a bill that will see homosexuals jailed for life, urging him instead to clamp down on rape, child abuse and the sex trade.

"In South Africa, apartheid police used to rush into bedrooms where whites were suspected of making love to blacks," Tutu said in a statement. "It was demeaning to those whose 'crime' was to love each other, it was demeaning to the policemen ? and it was a blot on our entire society."

Tutu dismissed the arguments of Museveni's science advisors who concluded that homosexuality was a learned, rather than genetically-determined behaviour -- and therefore could be "unlearned".

"The history of people is littered with attempts to legislate against love or marriage across class, caste and race," Tutu argued.

"But there is no scientific basis or genetic rationale for love... There is no scientific justification for prejudice and discrimination, ever. And nor is there any moral justification.

"Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa, among others, attest to these facts."

Uganda's anti-gay bill cruised through parliament in December after its architects agreed to drop an extremely controversial death penalty clause, although the bill still says repeat homosexuals should be jailed for life, and also outlaws the promotion of homosexuality and requires people to denounce gays.

Museveni rallied behind the bill this month despite earlier opposing it.

"My plea to President Museveni is to use his country's debate around the Anti-Homosexuality Bill as a catalyst to further strengthen the culture of human rights and justice in Uganda," Tutu said.

He argued that Uganda should step up criminal sanctions against child sexual abusers, rape, sexual violence and commercial sex, "regardless of gender or sexual orientation".

"Tightening such areas of the law would surely provide children and families far more protection than criminalising acts of love between consenting adults."

Pope to resign in historic move

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday announced he would resign, citing old age, in a stunning announcement that marked a first in the modern history of the Catholic Church.

MSN - AFP, 11 February 2013

Pope to resign in historic move

The German-born pope said he would step down on February 28, which will make him the first pontiff to resign in centuries.

"I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," the 85-year-old pope said in a speech delivered in Latin at a meeting of cardinals in the Vatican.

 Dressed in red vestments and his voice barely audible as he read from a written text, the pope made the announcement in a hall in his residence -- the Apostolic Palace next to St Peter's Square.

 Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said he expected a conclave of cardinals to be held in March within 15 or 20 days of the resignation and a new pope elected before Easter Sunday on March 31.

Benedict , an academic theologian who has written numerous books including a trilogy on the life of Jesus Christ that he completed last Christmas, will retire to a monastery within the Vatican walls.

"In order to govern the ship of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me," the pope said.

 "For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours (1900 GMT), the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked," he said.

Tributes poured in for Benedict from around the world including his native Germany where Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had the "greatest respect" for his decision, and hailed him as "one of the most significant religious thinkers of our time".

French President Francois Hollande said the pope's decision was "eminently respectable".

British Prime Minister David Cameron said the pope had worked "tirelessly" to boost ties with Britain.

Benedict, formerly Joseph Ratzinger, was the Catholic Church's doctrinal enforcer for many years and earned the nickname "God's Rottweiler".

He was elected in 2005 at a time when the Vatican was being rocked by multiple scandals over child abuse committed by priests.

The guiding principle of his papacy has been to reinvigorate the Catholic faith, particularly among young people and in countries with rising levels of secularism like Europe and North America.

Benedict has championed Christianity's European roots and showed his conservatism by repeatedly stressing family values and fiercely opposing abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage.

Pope Benedict, who has looked increasingly weary in recent months and often has to use a mobile platform to move around St Peter's basilica during Church services, had hinted in a book of interviews in 2010 that he might resign if he felt he was no longer able to carry out his duties.

The scandal over confidential memos leaked from the Vatican by the pope's once loyal butler last year was a particularly hard blow for the pope.

"The pope caught us a bit by surprise," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said at a hastily-arranged press conference.

Lombardi stressed that the pope's decision was his own and was "well thought out" and that "there is no illness that has contributed to it".

He said the pope had chosen a consistory to make his announcement because it would group cardinals together, adding that most of them had not been informed of the pope's announcement beforehand.

The only other pope to resign because he felt unable to fulfil his duties was Celestine V in 1294, a hermit who stepped down after just a few months in office saying he yearned for a simpler life and was not physically capable for the office.

In 1415, Gregory XII resigned in a bid to end the "Western Schism", when two rival claimants declared themselves pope in Pisa and Avignon and threatened to tear apart Roman Catholicism.

Other popes have stepped down for a variety of reasons in the papacy's mediaeval history.

Pope Benedict XVI speaks to journalists during a press

 conference aboard the airplane, May 11, 2010, on the way

 to Lisbon, for his four-day visit to Portugal. (Vincenzo Pinto/

AFP/Getty Images)

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Based in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.)

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“ … Spirituality (Religions)

Number one: Spirituality. The systems of spiritual design on your planet are starting to change. This is not telling you that certain ones are going to go away. They're simply going to change. Some of the largest spiritual systems, which you would call organized religion on the planet, are shifting. They're going to shift away from that which is authority on the outside to authority on the inside. It will eventually be a different way of worship, slowly changing the rules while keeping the basic doctrine the same.

The doctrine of the Christ has always been to find the God inside. The teachings were clear. The examples of the miracles were given as an example of what humans could do, not to set a man up for worship as a God. So when that has been absorbed, the teaching of the Christ can remain the teaching of the Christ. It simply changes the interpretation. 

The teachings of the great prophets of the Middle East (all related to each other) are about unity and love. So once the holy words are redefined with new wisdom, the Human changes, not the words of the prophets. In fact, the prophets become even more divinely inspired and their wisdom becomes even more profound.

You're going to lose a pope soon. I have no clock. Soon to us can mean anything to you. The one who replaces him may surprise you, for his particular organization will be in survival mode at that point in time. That is to say that fewer and fewer are interested in starting the priesthood. Fewer and fewer young people are interested in the organization, and the new pope must make changes to keep his church alive. That means that his organization will remain, but with a more modern look at what truly is before all of you in a new energy. It is not the fall of the church. It is instead the recalibration of the divinity inside that would match the worship that goes on. It's a win-win situation. The new pope will have a difficult time, since the old guard will still be there. There could even be an assassination attempt, such is the way the old energy dies hard. That is number one. Watch for it. It's a change in the way spiritual systems work. It's a realignment of spiritual systems that resound to a stronger truth that is Human driven, rather than prophet driven.…”

Lightning strikes St Peter's dome at Vatican on day

 the Pope announced resignation, by Filippo Monteforte

What is the chance of lightning striking St Peter's? - New

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Feb 18, 2013)

"... Let us speak for a moment about some recent developments—first, Pope Benedict. A most unusual event indeed, a pope resigning, and the announced reason, “advanced age,” is factual in a way.

The pope seen publicly is a clone. Because it is aging rapidly and its energy is ebbing, it will not be able to function much longer and replacement clones are hard to come by these days. That is why the pontiff himself, who looks healthier and younger than the clone, will remain in seclusion. Depending upon his life span and the timing of the truth about clones coming forth, he may be seen later on looking quite refreshed.

The significance of this resignation is much more far reaching than a failing clone—it cracks open the door to truths that have been hidden for centuries, such as pedophilia in the priesthood has been rampant for over 1500 years.

The Vatican, which has been a major world player under the Illuminati umbrella, is the international headquarters of Satanism, and its untold wealth includes stolen art treasures acquired in collaboration with Nazis during World War II. Any pope who raised an objection to the mammoth deceit, unconscionable behavior and amassing of fortunes was short-lived.

Yet, possibly the most shocking revelation will be the disclosure of ancient records that will show how the Bible long ago was strategically altered—most notably the fabricated story about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection—to give the church control over the Catholic populace.

When all of that becomes public knowledge, the Vatican’s long reign will be over. The crumbling will be extremely sad and difficult for Catholics, but all devout Christians will be profoundly affected by learning that the foundation of their lives was built on lies.

Compassion for all of those souls can help them accept that the truth about Jesus’ life and teachings is far more valuable than what they have been taught. Their beliefs that are based in spirituality rather than in dogma will endure and the rituals based on falsehoods will fade away. ..."

"... The Rothschild faction of the Illuminati, which governed its empire from London and the Vatican, lost its media foothold along with its other powers in that part of the world. A section of the Illuminati’s Rockefeller faction, headquartered in Washington, DC, and New York City, still has influence on major media in the US as well as on Wall Street; and their lingering foothold in Congress is evident in the intransigence that has stagnated progress. ..."

UK's top cardinal accused of 'inappropriate acts' by priests

Cardinals Dolan and Mahony quizzed on child abuse

How the Vatican built a secret property empire using Mussolini's millions

Jesus cites wife in fourth-century script, says US scholar


(SaLuSa channelled by Mike Quinsey, March 16, 2012)
“…. Each project is underway and that will result in a sudden wealth of information reaching you. Events are such that the facts can no longer be kept hidden, and with that there will be an explosion of people coming forward to tell what they know. It may take longer where the Vatican is concerned, as it is akin to a secret society that has kept its dark secrets hidden well away. However, nothing will remain concealed for too long, as you are entitled to know the truth and the extent to which you have been deceived….”  

(Matthew channelled by Suzanne Ward, June 3, 2012)

“ ….   5. Because the dissemination of accurate information is crucial, another good indicator of the light’s progress is that mainstream media censorship clearly is on the decline. For instance, even though the Vatican is one of the kingpins under the Illuminati umbrella, it now is public knowledge that investigation into the Vatican’s financial affairs is underway. Ultimately this will lead to uncovering the cesspool of darkness in that tiny sovereign state, including that it is the international headquarters of satanic worship and a vast storehouse of stolen art treasures. …." 

Ugandan peacemaker wins Dutch award

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 6 January 2010 - 12:12pm

Betty Bigombe (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

This year’s Geuzenpenning award goes to Ugandan peace advocate Betty Bigombe. The medal is awarded to people or organisations that campaign for democracy and fight dictatorship, racism and discrimination.

Betty Bigombe has been given the award for her work as a mediator in the conflict between the Ugandan government and the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army. The organisation which awards the medal says that as chief mediator in the northern Uganda conflict, “she has tirelessly played the role of peace advocate and advisor to the warring factions” and praises her as a “valued advisor” to the Sudanese government, currently hosting Ugandan peace talks.

Betty Bigombe with Lord's Resistance Army negotiators.
(James Akena/Reuters/CS Monitor)

The Geuzenpenning, which literally means “beggars’ medal”, is awarded annually by the Geuzen Resistance 1940-1945 foundation. The organisation takes it’s name from a resistance group that fought Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.

Last year the prize went to two human rights organisations, the Palestinian Al-Haq and the Israeli B’Tselem. Past winners include the Anne Frank Foundation and the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Bétancourt.