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The UK said on Tuesday a 2025 deal to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius had secured the future of a key US-UK military base on the Indian Ocean archipelago, after US President Donald Trump accused Britain of “great stupidity”. Trump, who had endorsed the deal when it was signed in May last year, posted on social media Tuesday that the UK “giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired”.Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on Britain and other European countries for opposing his claims on Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.The Chagos agreement will see Britain hand the archipelago — some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius — to its former colony and pay to lease the US-UK military base for a century.Britain insisted the agreement, which is in the final stages of being scrutinised in parliament, would go ahead despite Trump’s U-turn.”Our position hasn’t changed,” a UK government spokesperson said, hailing the deal’s “robust provisions” and highlighting that nations from Australia to Japan had welcomed it.”This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations,” the spokesperson added, referring to the largest of the Chagos islands.Mauritius said they had “taken note” of Trump’s comments criticising the deal, but said the issue was no longer up for debate. “The sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago is already recognised without ambiguity under international law and should no longer be a subject for debate,” Mauritian Attorney General Gavin Glover said in a statement.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said in May last year that Washington “welcomes the historic agreement”.”The Trump administration determined that this agreement secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia,” Rubio said in a statement at the time. UK foreign office minister Stephen Doughty told parliament Tuesday that Britain would have “discussions” with the US in the coming days “to remind them of the strength of this deal and how it secures the base”.- ‘Significant contributions’ -The UK kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence from Britain in the 1960s.But it evicted thousands of islanders, who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts.In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius after decades of legal battles.Challenges in international and domestic courts had left the status of the military base “under threat”, according to the UK government.The UK government spokesperson insisted the base was “one of the most significant contributions to the UK and US intelligence and security relationship”.”Almost every operation from the base is in partnership with the US,” the spokesperson added.The base played a major strategic role in the Cold War, offering proximity to Asia, and later served as a staging ground for US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.It was used recently to launch B-2 bomber attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen during the Gaza war.Opposition politicians in the UK have been critical of the deal, which would see Britain pay Mauritius £101 million ($136 million) annually for 99 years.The net cost over the length of the lease would be around £3.4 billion if inflation was factored in, according to the government.Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative party, said: “Unfortunately on this issue President Trump is right.””Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands,” said Nigel Farage, the leader of the hard-right Reform UK party. But Ed Davey, leader of the centrist Liberal Democrat party, said in a post on X that Prime Minister Keir Starmer should begin to stand up to the US leader.”This shows Starmer’s approach to Trump has failed,” he said. “The Chagos seal was sold as proof the government could work with him. Now it’s falling apart. It’s time for the government to stand up to Trump — appeasing a bully never works.”burs-aks-mp/gv

The UK government said on Tuesday its deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “secures” the future of a key US-UK military base on the Indian Ocean archipelago, after US President Donald Trump accused Britain of “great stupidity”. The US president’s comments mark a major change of position for Trump, who previously endorsed the deal when it was signed in May 2025.”The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform earlier on Tuesday.The harsh comments follow Trump’s threat to slap tariffs on Britain and other European countries for defending Greenland’s sovereignty from Washington.The Chagos agreement will see Britain hand the archipelago to its former colony and pay to lease a key US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island, for a century.”This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out,” Downing Street said in response to Trump’s criticism.”It has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan and South Korea,” a government spokesperson added.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said in May that Washington “welcomes the historic agreement”.”The Trump Administration determined that this agreement secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia,” Rubio said in a statement at the time. – ‘Can’t reverse the clock’ -“The treaty has been signed with the Mauritian government. So I can’t reverse the clock on that,” UK cabinet minister Darren Jones told Times Radio.He added that the deal was in the final stages of going through parliament.The UK kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence from Britain in the 1960s.But it evicted thousands of Chagos islanders, who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts.In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius after decades of legal battles.Challenges in international and domestic courts had left the status of the military base “under threat”, according to the UK government.Opposition politicians in the UK have been critical of the deal, which would see Britain pay Mauritius £101 million ($136 million) annually for 99 years to lease Diego Garcia.The net cost over the length of the lease would be around £3.4 billion if inflation was factored in, according to the government.Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative party,  said: “Unfortunately on this issue President Trump is right.””Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands,” said Nigel Farage, the populist leader of the hard-right Reform UK party. But Ed Davey, leader of the centrist Liberal Democrat party, said Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer should begin to stand up to the US leader.”This shows Starmer’s approach to Trump has failed. The Chagos Deal was sold as proof the government could work with him. Now it’s falling apart. It’s time for the government to stand up to Trump; appeasing a bully never works.”burs-aks/jkb

Nepal’s rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah will go into a head-to-head election battle with the veteran prime minister he helped unseat, as he champions youth demands that toppled last year’s government.The 35-year-old resigned last week as mayor of Kathmandu to contest general elections, announcing Tuesday that he will directly challenge ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli by running in the same constituency.Nepal will hold general elections on March 5, the first since mass anti-corruption protests in September 2025 overthrew Oli, a 73-year-old Marxist leader and four-term prime minister.”Contesting against a major figure… signals that I am not taking the easy way out,” Shah told AFP, ahead of his formal confirmation of candidacy.”It demonstrates that, despite the problems or betrayals that have affected the country, we are moving toward addressing them”, he added.Better known as Balen, the former mayor arrived for the interview at a Kathmandu hotel dressed in black and wearing a traditional Nepali hat or “topi”, though he was without his trademark dark square sunglasses.His hip-hop songs tackling corruption and inequality have drawn millions of views.A civil engineer and rapper before joining politics, Shah stunned the political establishment in 2022 when he became the first independent candidate to be elected as Kathmandu mayor.He built a reputation as a sharp-tongued reformer, launching campaigns targeting tax evasion, traffic congestion, education and city waste.Shah’s approach, however, drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and for communicating directly with his millions of social media followers rather than engaging with journalists.”We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement,” he said.- ‘Ripple effect’ -In December, Shah joined the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP),  led by television host Rabi Lamichhane, 50.RSP, which became parliament’s fourth-largest force in the last elections in 2022, challenged parties that had dominated Nepal since the end of its civil war in 2006.If the RSP secures a parliamentary majority, Shah would become prime minister.”We share the same ideology,” Shah said, describing a vision of “a liberal economic system with social justice,” including free education and healthcare for the poor.Rather than contesting from his Kathmandu base, Shah will challenge Oli in his stronghold of Jhapa-5, a largely rural district 300 kilometres (185 miles) southeast of Kathmandu.”This should not be perceived as an egoistic decision,” Shah said. “The ripple effect would simply be greater if I contest from Jhapa.”The September 8-9 demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on major social media platforms, with protesters gathered under a loose “Gen Z” banner.But deeper grievances — economic stagnation and entrenched corruption — fuelled the unrest in the country of 30 million, in which at least 77 people were killed.- ‘Grow our economy’ -Shah backed the protests while urging restraint, emerging as a central figure in the movement.”Gen Z’s number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he said, adding that his party had drawn on protesters for support.”The Gen Z protest has opened a door — 40 percent of our central committee members and proportional representatives are new faces who emerged from the September protest,” he said.Young Nepalis are looking for leaders promising economic reform. The World Bank estimates 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.”We need to grow our economy,” Shah said, citing tourism, trade and skilled jobs as ways to stem the mass outflow of workers.Landlocked Nepal, wedged between regional giants India and China, faces geopolitical pressures, but Shah sees an opportunity to make Nepal a trade hub.”My approach is to maintain a natural relationship with both neighbouring nations,” he said.And while focused on politics, he said that music remains central to his identity.”Music is a medium to express oneself,” he said. “I will continue it, even if I am elected as prime minister.”

A blast at a Chinese restaurant in central Kabul on Monday killed at least seven people and wounded more than a dozen others, emergency services said. An AFP journalist saw police vehicles and an ambulance at the scene following the explosion on a street known for its flower sellers in the Shahr-e-Naw area.Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion occurred at the Chinese Noodle restaurant, which he said mainly served Chinese Muslims. “A Chinese Muslim, Ayub, and six Afghans were killed, and several others were wounded. The blast occurred near the kitchen,” Zadran said in a statement.The police spokesman, who said the cause was under investigation, had earlier said the blast hit a hotel.The Islamic State armed group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, the SITE Intelligence Group reported, saying it was a suicide attack targeting Chinese nationals.”The Islamic State in Afghanistan has placed Chinese nationals on its list of targets, especially in light of the escalating crimes committed by the Chinese government against the oppressed Uyghur Muslims,” the IS statement said.Italian NGO EMERGENCY said its hospital near the targeted restaurant had received “seven people dead on arrival”, with 13 others admitted to the surgical department.”Among the wounded are four women and a child,” Dejan Panic, the NGO’s country director, said in a statement.The owner of a flower shop, requesting anonymity for security reasons, said the blast happened at around 3:30 pm (1100 GMT) at the other end of the street from his business.He told AFP he heard the “strong sound” of a blast in the crowded area.”It was an emergency situation. Everybody feared for his own life,” he said.”I could see at least five wounded.”Within hours of the blast the street was reopened to traffic, with cars streaming past the restaurant’s covered entrance. Windows in the building opposite were smashed, according to an AFP photographer.Taliban officials have vowed to restore security to the country and are courting foreign investors to secure crucial revenue streams as foreign aid funding dries up.Chinese business visitors have flocked to Afghanistan since the Taliban government took power in 2021 for the second time. The following year, the Islamic State group claimed a deadly attack on a Kabul hotel popular with Chinese guests.China, which shares a rugged 76-kilometre (47-mile) border with Afghanistan, has close ties with the Taliban government. 

A fire that ripped through a shopping mall in Pakistan’s biggest city has killed at least 21 people, rescuers in Karachi said Monday.Families rushed to the Gul Plaza building after the blaze erupted on Saturday night at one of the coastal city’s busiest malls, where dozens of people were still missing.”In total 21 bodies have been recovered,” Hassan Khan, spokesman for the Rescue 1122 Sindh emergency service, told AFP.”The search operation will continue,” he said.The dead include a 25-year-old rescuer, Khan said, while at least 30 injured people were hospitalised.Standing outside the burnt mall, Shehbaz Ghulam said his nephew’s whereabouts were unknown.”We have made requests to the authorities. We also request the media to help us in any way possible,” the 45-year-old said.”No matter what condition he is in, if he is found and returned to us, we will find some peace,” he told AFP.The top police officer in Karachi’s southern district, Syed Asad Raza, told AFP the force has “a list of 60 missing persons”.Rescue workers said that the blaze had been brought under control.A government committee has launched an investigation, but it was not immediately clear what had caused the fire.Among those waiting outside the mall was Muhammad Qaisar, who last heard from his wife, sister and daughter-in-law at 8:00 pm on Saturday.”The phone kept ringing until 10:00 pm, but no one answered. It continued to ring until midnight, but no one picked up,” Qaisar, 55, told AFP.The three-storey shopping mall housed at least 1,200 shops, offering a wide range of goods and was famous for wedding shopping and home decoration items.Shopkeepers and families criticised authorities for slow rescue efforts.Fires are common in Karachi’s markets and factories, which are known for their poor infrastructure.

A construction worker by trade, Saravanan B waited all year to celebrate his true passion — daring bare-hands bullfighting that has never gone out of fashion in India’s south.Known as jallikattu, the centuries-old tradition is kept alive at annual harvest festivals in India’s Tamil Nadu state, despite regular injuries and even deaths as a result of the often dangerous sport.To Saravanan, 31, running and wrestling with the bulls is simply a way of life.”I grew up watching it” and developed “an interest in becoming a jallikattu fighter from a very young age”, he said.That fascination has never faded, and at age 18 he joined the ranks of the muscular men he grew up idolising, tackling raging bulls head-on.At the Pongal harvest festival held last week in his village near Tamil Nadu’s Madurai city, Saravanan said he was fighting bulls “purely for my enjoyment” — and not for the prize money.”Usually, whatever prize I get, I give it to others,” he said.The event has remained popular even after dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured over the years, and despite persistent allegations of animal cruelty and repeated legal challenges.Critics claim organisers feed bulls alcohol, throw chilli powder into their eyes to provoke panic, or sharpen their horns with glass.There have also been reports of animals being seriously injured or dying during these contests.Organisers strongly deny these accusations, saying strict rules govern the events and insisting jallikattu is an essential part of Tamil culture.Saravanan rejects the claims that it is cruel.”People who don’t understand jallikattu may feel it is hurting the bull” but “I always see the bull as my friend. I never hurt the bull,” he said.He bears more than one scar, but to him the risks are worth the joy and pride of taking part.”I got several injuries during bullfighting,” he said. “I have many marks on my body.”Saravanan follows a strict exercise routine and avoids smoking or drinking to stay fit, training with bulls at least twice a week.Others share his passion, too — including his fiancee who “likes jallikattu fighters”, he said.”This is one of the main reasons for our marriage.”Compared to some other sports, jallikattu prize pots are quite modest.”But for a bullfighter, winning… is a matter of pride,” said Saravanan.

New Zealand overcame a valiant 124 by Virat Kohli to down India by 41 runs and seal their first-ever ODI series victory on Indian soil on Sunday.Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips guided New Zealand to 337-8 with a fourth-wicket stand of 219 after the tourists slipped to 5-2 and 58-3 in Indore.Mitchell made 137 and Phillips hit 106 off 88 balls.The Black Caps then bowled out India for 296 in 46 overs despite Kohli’s 54th ODI century and clinched the three-match series 2-1.New Zealand had lost all seven of their previous ODI series in India, a run dating back to 1988.The Black Caps registered their first ever Test series win in India with a 3-0 sweep in October 2024, and added another landmark success in this series despite being without several key players including Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner, Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra and Jacob Duffy.”We’re the sum of all the parts and we really try to work together as a group — that’s part of the Kiwi way,” captain Michael Bracewell said.”We’re just a small country from the bottom of the world and we try to work together to take on some of the bigger countries in the world.”He added: “We really rally around there as a group and when things come like that, it’s pretty special.”India — the world’s most populated nation with 1.4 billion people — are the top-ranked ODI side ahead of New Zealand.The in-form Kohli, who plays just the 50-over format after retiring from Test and T20 international cricket, threatened to pull off a remarkable chase in a 99-run seventh-wicket partnership with Harshit Rana, who made 52.New Zealand left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox returned figures of 2-42 from his 10 overs after Bracewell left the field with a calf injury and did not return.- Mitchell magic -Mitchell led the team in Bracewell’s absence, which also left New Zealand a bowler short.Zak Foulkes and fellow seamer Kristian Clarke took three wickets each.India slumped to 71-4 before Kohli hit back in an 88-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 53, and then with Rana.”The way Virat is batting, that’s definitely a plus always,” said India captain Shubman Gill. “The way Harshit has batted in the series, batting at number eight, it’s not easy.”Kohli struck 10 fours and three sixes in his 108-ball knock before he was caught off Clarke and walked back to a rousing ovation after his 85th international century.Earlier the in-form Mitchell picked up from where he left off after his match-winning 131 not out in the second ODI, which levelled the series at 1-1.Mitchell reached his ninth ODI ton with a single off Ravindra Jadeja before Phillips also brought up his hundred.Arshdeep finally dismissed Phillips caught behind to end the marathon stand and Mitchell soon followed, falling to Mohammed Siraj.Mitchell was named player of the match and series for his 352 runs in three matches.New Zealand wobbled, losing four more wickets but Bracewell hammered an unbeaten 28 off 18 balls.The teams next play five T20 matches in a final tune-up for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka between February 7 and March 8.

Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips struck counter-attacking centuries as New Zealand posted 337-8 against India in their third and deciding one-day international on Sunday.New Zealand slipped to 5-2 and then 58-3 after being invited to bat first in Indore before Mitchell and Phillips put on 219 runs for the fourth wicket.Mitchell made 137 and Phillips hit 106 off 88 balls to take the attack to the opposition bowlers as New Zealand look for their first ODI series win in India.The in-form Mitchell picked up where he left off from his match-winning 131 not out in the previous match, which levelled the series at 1-1.Mitchell reached his ninth ODI ton with a single of Ravindra Jadeja, letting out a scream and celebrating with his partner.Phillips reached his hundred off Arshdeep Singh and pointed his bat to the sky as the crowd and the New Zealand dressing room stood to applaud.Arshdeep finally got Phillips caught behind to end the marathon stand and Mitchell soon followed after falling to Mohammed Siraj.New Zealand wobbled with four more wickets but captain Michael Bracewell hammered an unbeaten 28 off 18 balls to boost their total.Left-arm quick Arshdeep struck in the first over when he bowled Henry Nicholls for a first-ball duck and Harshit Rana removed Devon Conway for five in the next over.Rana stuck again to remove Will Young for 30 but Mitchell and Phillips then rebuilt the innings and put New Zealand on course to a challenging total.The series will be followed by five T20s ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka between February 7 and March 8.

An Afghan man went on trial in Germany on Friday accused of ramming a car into a crowd in Munich last year, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother and injuring dozens.The suspect, partially identified as Farhad N., 25, remained silent and did not offer a statement at the opening of the trial, sitting in the dock wearing a green fur-lined hooded jacket.He faces two charges of murder and 44 of attempted murder, with prosecutors saying he acted out of a “religious motivation” and expected to die in the attack.The vehicle rampage in February 2025 was one of several deadly attacks linked to migrants which inflamed a heated debate on immigration ahead of a general election that month.Farhad N. is accused of deliberately steering his car into a 1,400-strong trade union street rally in Munich on February 13.The vehicle came to a halt after 23 metres (75 feet) “because its front wheels lost contact with the ground due to people lying in front of and underneath the car”, according to the charge sheet.A 37-year-old woman and her young daughter were both hurled through the air for 10 metres and sustained severe head injuries, of which they died several days later.Prosecutors have said Kabul-born Farhad N. “committed the act out of excessive religious motivation”, and that he had uttered the words “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is the greatest”, after the car rampage.”He believed he was obliged to attack and kill randomly selected people in Germany in response to the suffering of Muslims in Islamic countries,” they said when he was charged in August.However, he is not believed to have been part of any Islamist militant movement such as the Islamic State group.Farhad N. was examined by a psychiatrist after exhibiting “certain unusual behaviours” during pretrial detention, including a tic in which he sometimes twitches his head, a court spokesman said on Friday.The preliminary psychiatric report concluded that he is criminally responsible, but the presiding judge has said that the issue could be considered during the proceedings, according to the spokesman.The trial is scheduled to run for 38 days until the end of June.- Spate of attacks -Farhad N. arrived in Germany in 2016 as an unaccompanied teenager, having travelled overland at the height of the mass migrant influx to Europe. His asylum request was rejected but he was spared deportation, found work with a series of jobs and was able to remain in the country.Police said Farhad N. worked in security and was heavily engaged in fitness training and bodybuilding.The Munich attack came a month after another Afghan man had carried out a knife attack on a kindergarten group that killed two people, including a two-year-old boy, in the city of Aschaffenburg.The perpetrator was later confined to a psychiatric facility after judges found he had acted during an acute psychotic episode.In December 2024, six people were killed and hundreds wounded when a car ploughed into a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg. A Saudi man was arrested and is currently on trial.Several Syrian nationals were also arrested over attacks or plots at around the same time, including a stabbing spree that killed three people at a street festival in the city of Solingen.Germany took in more than a million asylum seekers in 2015-2016 — an influx that has proved deeply divisive and helped fuel the rise of the far-right AfD. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took power last May, has vowed to crack down on criminal migrants and has ramped up deportations of convicts to Afghanistan.Germany in December also deported a man to Syria for the first time since that country’s civil war broke out in 2011.

A worsening malnutrition crisis is having dire effects on women and girls in Afghanistan who are failed by the international community, the World Food Programme’s top official in the country told AFP.The UN agency supplies most of the food aid to Afghanistan, which has been run by Taliban officials since 2021.While aid donations have been slashed over the past couple of years, the Afghan government has faced criticism from abroad for banning women from most professions and blocking girls from attending school beyond the age of 12.John Aylieff, director for Afghanistan at the World Food Programme (WFP), spoke to AFP about the “heartbreaking” struggle to feed families.- What do you expect to happen this year? -“In the next 12 months, five million women and children in this country will experience acute malnutrition, the life-threatening type of malnutrition,” he said, out of a population of more than 40 million.”Nearly four million children in this country will need malnutrition treatment. These numbers are staggering.”- What’s the impact of funding cuts? -“I think we are, as an international community, abandoning and letting down the very people, women and children in particular, that we pledged to protect,” he said, following “immensely generous” funding in 2021 and 2022.”But since then, funding to Afghanistan has been cut and cut further and cut further,” said Aylieff, with $600 million in donations to WFP for 2024 halved last year.”If we can’t treat children with malnutrition, those children are going to die. Clinics treating children with malnutrition are closing down.””When those women carry their child, maybe four or five hours to the clinic, and they get there and they’re told WFP simply does not have the money to treat your child anymore — this is heartbreaking.”- What are the consequences for women? -“One of the phenomena which has surprised us the most this year (2025) is the dramatic surge in the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women who are malnourished,” said Aylieff.”They’re not getting the food assistance that would otherwise be helping them. Those women are also sacrificing their own health and their own nutrition to feed their children. Many of them just don’t know how to cope.””In areas where we’ve stopped assisting as WFP, we’re seeing girls being sold off into early marriage just so their families can put food on the table. We’re seeing children being pulled out of school and sent to work.””And we’re getting an increasing number of distress calls to WFP from very desperate women across the country, including some suicide calls.””This is very harrowing.”