#international-treaty

#international-treaty

The interim first minister of the Chagossian government in exile has said he is hopeful that Sir Keir Starmer's controversial deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will be stopped on Monday. Louis Misley Mandarin spoke to The Independent ahead of two crucial decisions on the deal, which would see the UK pay Mauritious at least 120 million annually during a 99-year agreement to lease back the military base on Diego Garcia.

The first-ever treaty to protect marine diversity in international waters will come into force early next year, after it was ratified by the 60th nation, Morocco. Morocco's formal adoption of the Marine Biodiversity Treaty on Friday means the agreement will now enter into force on January 17, 2026, offering new protections to an area covering two-thirds of the world's oceans and as many as 10 million different species, many of which are still unidentified.