British High Commission News

An Indian court on Monday sentenced crew members of a private American ship, including 25 foreigners, to five years in prison for illegal possession of arms in Indian waters in a verdict that could spark diplomatic tension. The crew, which included foreign nationals from Ukraine, Estonia and six British former soldiers, was arrested from the 'Seaman Guard Ohio' in 2013 after they failed to produce papers authorising them to carry weapons in India's territorial waters. Ten Indians were also arrested. The court in India's southern city of Tuticorin, in Tamil Nadu state, found the crew guilty of violating Indian laws by possessing prohibited arms. It also fined each crew member 3,000 rupees ($45).

Mozambique has awarded a British consortium a management contract for its Maputo port, including a 15-year lease, according to the British High Commission. Officials said a consortium headed by the British Mersey Docks and Harbor Co. - which runs the port of Liverpool - had won the contract, which allows for the private management of the port. The agreement will reportedly lead to $50 million investment in revamping the port, though it wasn't immediately clear how this would be financed.