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Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
UK hands over Chagos Islands to Mauritius: All you need to know for UPSC Exam
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today on the Chagos Islands. (Relevance: Islands in the news are important for CSE, as UPSC has previously asked questions about places and disputed islands. The Chagos Archipelago holds geopolitical and environmental importance. Additionally, Chagos has long been the subject of a dispute between Mauritius and the UK, which held on to these islands for decades after granting independence to Mauritius in 1968; thus, knowing about the major developments with regard to it becomes essential for the UPSC exam.) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday (May 22) signed a deal transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, including the key Diego Garcia military base. The base, which plays a central role in UK-US defence operations in the Indian Ocean, will now be leased from Mauritius under a new 99-year lease. 1. Under the deal, the UK will pay Mauritius an average of £101 million ($129m) per year — amounting to a total of £3.4 billion ($4.35 billion) over the course of the lease. Starmer also claimed the arrangement would cost less than operating an aircraft carrier annually. 2. The US, which co-operates the Diego Garcia base with the UK, will shoulder the base's operational costs — which Starmer said exceed the UK's financial contribution. US President Donald Trump voiced his support for the deal in February following a meeting with Starmer in Washington. 1. The Chagos archipelago comprises more than 60 low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean roughly 1,600 km to the northeast of the main island of Mauritius. Chagos has a land area of only 56.1 sq km, with Diego Garcia alone spread over 32.5 sq km — which is about the same as the land area of Lakshadweep. 2. Including the lagoons within its atolls, however, Chagos has a total area of more than 15,000 sq km. The Great Chagos Bank, spread over 12,642 sq km, is the world's largest atoll structure. 3. The Chagos islands remained uninhabited until the late 18th century, when the French brought in enslaved laborers from Africa and India to work on newly established coconut plantations. In 1814, under the Treaty of Paris, France ceded Mauritius—including the Chagos Archipelago—to the British. 4. In 1965, the UK constituted the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), of which the Chagos Islands were a central part. The BIOT was meant to provide the British (and by extension their Cold War allies, the Americans) with an overseas base in the Indian Ocean. 5. Chagos was attached to Mauritius, another British colony in the Indian Ocean, for administrative purposes. But when Mauritius gained independence in 1968, Chagos remained with Britain. The UK government gave the newly-independent country a grant of 3 million pounds over the 'detachment' of the Chagos archipelago. 1. Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean. In 1966, Britain signed an agreement with the US which made the BIOT available for the two countries' defence needs. Land was acquired in 1967, and four years later, the plantation on Diego Garcia was shut down. 2. Diego Garcia became a fully operational military base in 1986. It has played a pivotal role in military operations, including US-UK strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen (2024–2025), humanitarian missions to Gaza, and earlier, bombing campaigns against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in 2001. 3. 'Diego Garcia is the site of a joint U.S.-UK military facility that plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security. It enables the United States to support operations that demonstrate our shared commitment to regional stability, provide rapid response to crises, and counter some of the most challenging security threats we face.' – Former U.S. President Joe Biden said this in October 2024. 4. Notably, Diego Garcia is a coral atoll and southernmost member of the Chagos Archipelago. It is located 7 degrees south of the equator. (1) With reference to the Chagos archipelago, consider the following statements: 1. It lies to the south of the Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean. 2. These islands were uninhabited until the late 18th century. 3. In 1814, France ceded the islands to the Portuguese. Which of the statements given above are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 (2) Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago is located in: (a) Central Indian Ocean (b) Southern Indian Ocean (c) Southern Arabian Sea (d) Southern Bay of Bengal (Sources: UK-Mauritius treaty on Chagos Archipelago, Diego Garcia, UK hands over Chagos Islands to Mauritius for £101 million a year in last-minute deal) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for April 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Manas Srivastava 🚨 Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why Trump's 'Imaginary' Canada-US border remark oversimplifies centuries of treaty, conflict, and compromise
Continue to video 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by The origins: from revolution to the 49th Parallel Live Events Borderlines through indigenous lands British Columbia, railroads, and the threat of American expansion The Alaska panhandle dispute: a diplomatic setback Not just a line: a modern-day reality Conclusion: more than a ruler's stroke US President Donald Trump stirred controversy again this week by calling the Canada-US border an 'artificially drawn line,' claiming it was created 'with a ruler' across the top of North America. Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a media appearance at the White House on May 6, Trump doubled down on his long-held idea that the international boundary is little more than an "imaginary" divider."When you look at it, somebody drew that line many years ago with, like, a ruler — just a straight line right across the top of the country," Trump said. When reporters asked Carney for a response, he quipped: 'I'm glad that you couldn't tell what was going through my mind.'Also read: Canada–US relations in 2025: a cross-border partnership tested by politics and trade But while the border may appear simple on modern maps, historians argue that this perspective dangerously oversimplifies centuries of complex negotiations, Indigenous displacement, colonial land deals, and treaty-making. The 8,891-kilometre-long Canada-US border — the longest undefended boundary in the world — was not the product of a single act but rather the outcome of over 125 years of treaty wrangling, surveying expeditions, and political foundation of the modern border dates back to the 1783 Treaty of Paris, signed at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War. It marked the initial lines between the new United States and British North America. But it was only the beginning of an evolving process that required decades to fully Stephen Bown, author of Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada, notes that many early treaties were drawn by diplomats who had never stepped foot in the lands they were dividing. "The maps they used were wildly inaccurate," Bown says. "Often, the people signing these deals had no real understanding of the geography or the Indigenous communities already living there."Also read: Canadians, don't travel to the US before reading this, new measures could ruin your travel plans The Treaty of 1818 significantly shaped the western boundary, establishing the now-famous 49th parallel as the dividing line from the Great Lakes to the Rocky Mountains. The straight-line demarcation made surveying easier, but it ignored natural features, human geography, and traditional Indigenous imposition of these arbitrary lines had devastating impacts on Indigenous Peoples, whose ancestral lands spanned what would later become Canada and the United States. One prominent example is the Blackfoot Confederacy, whose territory historically stretched from the Canadian Prairies into present-day Montana.'These boundaries weren't just imaginary — they were imposed on communities who never agreed to them,' says Craig Baird, host of the Canadian History Ehx podcast. 'The idea that this was all just drawn with a ruler minimizes the real consequences.'In fact, Bown emphasizes that many land claims were fraudulent or at least morally questionable. He cites the 1869 acquisition of Rupert's Land by Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company — a deal that transferred massive swaths of Indigenous territory to the Canadian government for £300,000. 'The Hudson's Bay Company didn't own that land,' Bown explains. 'They just pretended they did, and Britain went along with it.'By the mid-19th century, America's doctrine of Manifest Destiny — the belief that the US was divinely destined to expand across North America — placed pressure on British colonial holdings in the West. There were real fears that British Columbia might be annexed by the USAlso read: Sorry, not sorry, America: why Canadians are rethinking everything U.S. To prevent this, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald offered the colony an ambitious deal: join Confederation in exchange for a transcontinental railway. The resulting Canadian Pacific Railway helped secure B.C. as part of Canada in 1871 and further reinforced the border with the US'Railways were as much about sovereignty and statecraft as they were about transportation,' Bown says. 'Without that railway promise, we may have seen a very different map today.'The last major adjustment to the border came in 1908 with the settlement of the Alaska boundary dispute. At issue was control over the southeastern panhandle — a coastal strip critical to Yukon's access to the Pacific between the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom resulted in a decision favoring the Americans. 'The British were trying to improve relations with the US at the time,' says Baird. 'And Canada was effectively overruled in the process.'As a result, key ports like Juneau remained American, and the Yukon was left landlocked — a decision that still stings for some historians and the Canada-US border is more than just a line on a map. It supports nearly $2 billion in daily trade and represents one of the most peaceful international boundaries on the planet. It cuts through lakes, forests, towns, and even homes — yet remains a symbol of long-standing diplomatic as Baird notes, the border's permanence isn't up for debate. 'Redrawing it in the 21st century is practically impossible,' he says. 'It's been there for centuries. You can't just erase it with a Sharpie.'Also read: 'Canada won't be for sale': Carney-Trump showdown at the White House President Trump's comment may have been intended to provoke, but it also reveals a lack of understanding about the painstaking history that defines one of the world's most significant international from being an arbitrary or imaginary line, the Canada-US border is the product of generations of legal wrangling, Indigenous dispossession, and political maneuvering. While it may look simple on a map, its roots run deep in the complex history of North America — a history that cannot be flattened into a single quote or political soundbite.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Is Donald Trump right when he says the border is just an 'artificially drawn line'?
Social Sharing U.S. President Donald Trump repeated one of his favourite talking points in his meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney Tuesday, saying the Canada-U.S. border is an "artificially drawn line." "Somebody drew that line many years ago with, like, a ruler — just a straight line right across the top of the country," he said when the two leaders met in front of reporters at the White House. When a reporter later asked Carney what he was thinking when Trump made the comment, the prime minister quipped, "I'm glad that you couldn't tell what was going through my mind." Trump has frequently called the border line "imaginary" when musing about annexing Canada. Canadian history experts say establishing the Canada-U.S. border was, in fact, a long and complex process that involved numerous treaties and took more than a century. However, they say, Trump does have a point. "He's just trying to use that to cause chaos and to provoke annoyance to people, and to stir the pot," said Stephen Bown, author of Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada. "But from a historian's point of view, he's not inaccurate, either." Carney asked about his thoughts on Trump calling Canada-U.S. border 'artificial' 12 hours ago Duration 1:23 Speaking Tuesday from the roof of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, Prime Minister Mark Carney said 'I'm glad you couldn't tell' what was going through his mind when he heard President Donald Trump calling the Canada-U.S. border 'artificial' during their sit-down in the Oval Office. Border lines initially were 'somewhat nonsensical' Bown says a lot of international boundary agreements from the 19th century are "somewhat nonsensical" because they were signed by people who didn't know exactly what they were agreeing to. The drawing of borders between the United States and British North America effectively began in the east with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, following the American Revolution. Many treaties followed in the ensuing decades, but it was the Treaty of 1818 that began the long push west, drawing a line across the 49th parallel as British North America and the U.S. expanded — in part because the straight line would be easier to survey than the pre-existing boundaries that were based on watersheds and other natural features. "When all the lines were just being randomly drawn upon maps by people in conference rooms, often in Europe or in Washington, between various diplomats, none of these people had ever been to any of the land that they were marking up," Bown said. "The maps that they were working from were completely inaccurate, because there weren't significant numbers of European-descended settlers living in a lot of that land, especially in the West, during those time periods." In many cases, the lines bisected through traditional lands of Indigenous Peoples. The Blackfoot Confederacy, for example, stretched through what is now the Canadian Prairies and Montana. Westward push completed, Canada secures B.C. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 settled a dispute between the British and the Americans, again using the 49th parallel to cut through the Rocky Mountains to the pacific coast, completing the westward push. Bown says many of the claims to land were made by people who had "no real authority" to make them in the first place. In 1869, for example, Canada's first prime minister John A. Macdonald facilitated the transfer of Rupert's Land, spanning much of what is now eastern and central Canada, from the Hudson's Bay Company for £300,000. WATCH | Carney tells Trump Canada is not for sale: Canada won't ever be for sale, Carney tells Trump at White House 15 hours ago Duration 1:23 During a meeting in the Oval Office, Prime Minister Mark Carney told U.S. President Donald Trump that Canada will never be for sale, going on to say that the opportunity between the two nations 'is in the partnership and what we can build together,' including around security. Trump, who has repeatedly raised the notion of Canada as the 51st state, added 'never say never.' "In what sense the Hudson's Bay Company have any title to the land? They didn't," Bown said. "They just recognized, 'Britain wants to pretend that we do, and they're going to pay us some money if we say that we do, so OK.' And that land became part of Canada." He says Manifest Destiny — the Americans' belief that they were destined by God to expand westward — threatened to take British Columbia until Macdonald's promise of a railway lured the colony to join the Canadian Confederation in 1871. Bown says it's easy today to translate old border agreements onto modern maps, but much of the actual land along the borders wasn't surveyed until a generation after the agreements were signed. Last major border move defined Alaska Among the last major redrawings of the Canada-U.S. border happened in 1908, when the southeast border of Alaska, among other borders, was negotiated between the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. Craig Baird, host of the podcast Canadian History Ehx, says the U.K. was trying to develop a better relationship with the U.S. at that time, giving the Americans a favourable outcome. "That's why there's a large chunk of that Alaska panhandle, including Juneau, that actually is part of the United States and not part of Canada," he said. "And it's also a reason why the Yukon doesn't have access to the Pacific Ocean. That was a big sticking point, that we really wanted Yukon to have some sort of access to the Pacific Ocean." Baird says disputes over the Canada-U.S. border have generally been settled peacefully through treaties. But after centuries of tweaks and skirmishes, he says that invisible line is "pretty much carved into stone now." The Canada-U.S. border is the world's longest undefended border, stretching almost 9,000 kilometres across land and water. Redrawing it in the 21st century, Baird says, would be nearly impossible. "It is something that has been there for a long time, and it's not going to change," he said.
CairoScene
28-04-2025
- Science
- CairoScene
Red Sea's Largest Coral Colony Discovered Off Amaala Coast
The ancient colossal coral stands as the largest documented coral colony of its type in the Red Sea. A colossal coral colony estimated to be between 400 and 800 years old has been discovered in the Red Sea within the waters of Amaala in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, according to Red Sea Global (RSG). The coral, identified as part of the Pavona species, measures between 26 and 36 metres in length and 21 metres in width, rivaling the size of the current world record holder located in the Pacific. It stands as the largest documented coral colony of its type in the Red Sea. The find is expected to become a major attraction for diving tourists visiting Amaala, with access carefully managed to minimize environmental impact. Researchers have described the coral as a "time capsule" that could offer critical insights into past oceanographic transformations and help model responses to future environmental changes. Based on its size, photogrammetry, and growth rate comparisons with Pacific species, the coral's estimated age could predate the world's current largest known coral in the Solomon Islands, which is believed to be between 300 and 500 years old. If confirmed, the coral would have begun its growth during historic periods such as Genghis Khan's conquests, the rise of early Islamic states in Southeast Asia, and the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Protecting such giant coral colonies has been deemed crucial for safeguarding reefs in the Red Sea and potentially across the globe. Researchers from RSG and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) are conducting further studies to more precisely determine the coral's age and to examine its resilience to environmental stressors.
Mid East Info
27-04-2025
- Science
- Mid East Info
A 800-year lost treasure: ancient living coral giant discovered in the Red Sea breaks records
Scientists stunned by monumental find of colossal coral at new tourism destination AMAALA, which could rewrite marine history and offer new and unique diving experiences Riyadh,April 2025 – Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, today announce the significant discovery of a giant coral colony in the Red Sea (the 'Pavona' species) within the waters of AMAALA on the northwestern coast of Saudi Arabia. Rivalling the size of the current world record holder ( a 32 x 34-meter colony found in the Pacific ), this remarkable new find in the Red Sea stretched to the length of six to eight London buses end to end (26-36 x 21 meters). It is the largest coral colony of this type documented in the Red Sea to date. This natural wonder could become a key highlight for tourists at AMAALA on diving excursions, offering a unique and unforgettable experience. Access would be permitted in line with RSG's responsible ethos, minimizing any potential impact, while allowing tourists to witness the breathtaking beauty of the Red Sea's underwater world. 'The discovery of a coral of such extraordinary dimensions demonstrates the ecological significance as well as the pristine beauty of the Red Sea,' said Ahmed Alansari, RSG's Head of Environmental Protection and Regeneration. 'At RSG, we believe it is critically important to protect our coral reefs. In particular, these giants represent a time capsule of information, providing the ideal tools for tracing past oceanographic transformations that can help us model responses to future environmental changes. Understanding how this coral has survived for so long will be crucial for protecting other reefs in the Red Sea and potentially all over the world, for generations to come.' Coral from the time of Genghis Khan: Determining the age of these giant corals with minimal impact is challenging due to the invasive nature of accurate techniques and an absence of published growth rates for this particular species of coral in the Red Sea. However, estimations have been made based on the coral's size, growth rates of this species found in the Pacific, and results from photogrammetry efforts (RSG has stitched 3,000 images together to create a 3D model that is precisely scaled). Using these tools, the coral cluster is estimated to be between 400 and 800 years old, which may be even older than the world's largest coral recently discovered in the Solomons at 300-500 years old. If the upper estimate holds true, this coral began growing around the time when Genghis Khan invaded China, the earliest Islamic states in Southeast Asia were formed and the Treaty of Paris was signed ending The First Hundred Years' War. Upcoming studies by researchers from RSG and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) will help pinpoint the coral's age more accurately and provide insights into the environmental conditions in which it has thrived. Like stumbling across a white rhino in the wild: Coral in the Red Sea is known for being particularly resilient, having undergone a long process of natural section, adapting genetically to the naturally warmer waters and higher salinity levels. This colony will be subject to ongoing monitoring and research to understand what makes these giants so resilient to multiple stressors over long time periods and help inform conservation efforts for other reefs in the Red Sea and around the world. The two RSG scientists who discovered the giant coral colony, Rhonda Suka and Sylvia Jagerroos, are now leading its mapping and documentation. Ms. Suka said: 'Finding such an invaluable specimen was a truly mind-boggling experience. This colony's resilience gives us hope for the continued success of corals in the Red Sea, particularly in the face of increasing environmental and anthropogenic stress.' Ms. Jagerroos said: 'A coral this massive is incredibly rare — like stumbling upon a northern white rhino in the wild. You know they exist somewhere, but actually finding one is almost unheard of.' Mapping these giants is an important part of conserving them, something the 'Map the Giants' project is doing on a global scale by identifying and documenting these vital giant coral structures, which it classes as anything larger than five meters. This is the second colony RSG has submitted to the project in the last few months. AMAALA is set to welcome its first guests later this year with the ambitious goal of becoming the world's most comprehensive health and wellness destination. Launching with more than 1,400 hotel rooms across eight luxury resorts, it will welcome some of the most renowned wellness operators globally, offering a wide array of programs tailored to diverse lifestyles and well-being needs. This follows RSG's other destination, The Red Sea, which began welcoming guests in 2023 and now has five hotels open. About Red Sea Global: Red Sea Global (RSG – ) is a vertically integrated real estate developer with a diverse portfolio across tourism, residential, experiences, infrastructure, transport, healthcare, and services. This includes the luxury regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea, which began welcoming guests in 2023, and AMAALA, which remains on track to welcome first guests in 2025. A third destination, Thuwal Private Retreat opened in 2024. RSG has also been entrusted with refurbishment works at Al Wajh Airport, focused on upgrading the existing terminal and infrastructure, and building a new international terminal. RSG is a PIF company and a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's ambition to diversify its economy. Across its growing portfolio of destinations, subsidiaries, and businesses, RSG seeks to lead the world towards a more sustainable future, showing how responsible development can uplift communities, drive economies, and enhance the environment. About AMAALA: AMAALA is an unparalleled ultra-luxury wellness destination along the northwestern coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. Considered a premiere destination, with one of the world's most pristine environments, AMAALA is sustainably developed by Red Sea Global (RSG) and focuses on coastal lifestyle with regeneration and wellness at its core. AMAALA's first phase, situated at Triple Bay, is set to welcome guests in 2025, with the ambitious goal of becoming the world's most comprehensive health and wellness destination. Launching with more than 1,400 hotel rooms across eight luxury resorts, it will welcome some of the most renowned wellness operators globally, offering a wide array of programs tailored to diverse lifestyles and well-being needs. Upon completion, the destination will have 30 hotels, 4,000 keys, 1,200 villas, apartments, and homes spread across its unique landscape complemented by high-end retail and fine dining experiences. Two of AMAALA's hallmark features include Corallium Marine Life Institute — an educational and scientific research center—and the AMAALA Yacht Club, destined to become an international hub for luxury yachting.
