Labour has settled one of the last remaining wrongs of British colonial rule

Handing the Chagos Islands back Mauritius has not weakened our standings overseas - if anything it has enhanced it

The government has finally put right one of the last wrongs remaining from British colonial rule.

In the 1960s we severed the Chagos Islands from Mauritius and then expelled hundreds of islanders so we could lease the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia to the US military.

This was later judged illegal by the international courts and criticised by the UN. Now, at last, we have agreed to hand the islands back to Mauritius.

Confected Tory anger at this should be dismissed as the hypocritical rantings of a party which still hankers after empire. Talks to return the islands began under the previous government, whose former ministers now condemn the deal.

There are no security concerns as the US base is not affected. Indeed, the White House has welcomed the agreement. Labour has not weakened our standing overseas. If anything, by resolving a dispute which should have been settled years ago, it has enhanced it.

Life savers

Each year more than 4,000 women in the UK die from ovarian cancer. Worldwide, the figure is more than 200,000.

Now, for the first time, scientists at Oxford have developed a vaccine. It’s still at the trial stage but initial results leave the researchers confident of success.

The hope is that preventative jabs on the NHS could in time eliminate the disease. This breakthrough is a testament to the ingenuity and brilliance of this country’s world-leading scientists. Thanks to their work, ovarian cancer could be prevented and thousands of lives saved.

Hug of hope

Inspirational teenager Liz Hatton has touched the heart of fellow cancer patient Princess Kate, and not just her.

Liz’s positive response to contracting the disease and her tender embrace with the royal deservedly touched hearts everywhere.