2842. 🇸🇴 Somaliland Finally Receives International Recognition (By Israel) But Still No Stamps.

 

🇸🇴 Somaliland Recognised By Israel.

  The former British protectorate of British Somaliland which declared itself to be the independent state of Somaliland on 18 May 1991 and since then, apart from a functioning postal service, has been a fully operative de facto sovereign state, has finally received its first recognition as an independent state by the government of Israel (also of course a former British protectorate, then known as Palestine).

  Somaliland had previously been a sovereign state from 26 June 1960, when it received its independence from the United Kingdom, until 1 July 1960 when it was absorbed into the Republic of Somalia, after Italian Somaliland had received its independence from Italy. A rebellion against the communist dictator of Somalia, Siad Barre, began in Somaliland in May 1988 and Barre was overthrown in January 1991 and the result was violent chaos right across Somalia and Somaliland’s secession from Somalia on 18 May 1991 as mentioned above. Since then, Somaliland has remained separate and relatively peaceful and sought international recognition but without success until 26 December 2025 when the Israeli government announced its formal recognition of Somaliland as a fully independent sovereign state. Given Somaliland’s strategic location at the mouth of the Red Sea, Israel doubtless sees influence with the breakaway state as being highly advantageous to it but this represents an important step in Somaliland becoming Africa’s 55th country and, who knows, developing a postal service which actually issues postage stamps. Will any African states now follow? Look out for recognition by Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

Independent Somaliland’s only 3 stamps (issued 26 June 1960) -

post scriptum - the flag emoji shows the flag of Somalia, no emoji of Somaliland’s flag is available. This is also true of Turkish Cyprus, Alderney (but one exists for Sark), British Antarctic Territory, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension.

🇮🇴 Chagosians form a government in exile.

With the British Indian Ocean Territory (the Chagos Islands) still not yet under Mauritian sovereignty (though if the Starmer government has its way, it soon will be despite the objections of those of Chagossian descent) the Chagossians formed a ‘government-in-exile’ on 17 December 2025 with Midley Mandarin as interim First Minister. Philatelically, it will be interesting to see where this one goes - will, for instance, the Chagossian government-in-exile issue propaganda stamps to highlight its cause as the Tibetan government-in-exile did after the Dalai Lama was exiled in India (two sets of four - the first issued in 1972 and the second in 1974)? They were very collectable and historically interesting even though their significance as postage stamps was highly questionable. The story of the Chagos Islands may not yet have reached the final page, even in the stamp album.

Midley Mandarin, interim Chief Minister of Chagos government-in-exile

Commonwealth countries which are not known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during 2025 -

Anguilla

Antigua and Barbuda 

Belize 

British Indian Ocean Territory 

British Virgin Islands

Cameroon

Cayman Islands

Cook Islands including Rarotonga 

Cook Islands Aitutaki 

Cook Islands Penrhyn

Dominica

Gabon

Ghana 

Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique 

Kingdom of eSwatini 

Lesotho 

Montserrat 

Nauru

Nevis

Nigeria

Niue

Papua New Guinea 

Rwanda

St Kitts or St Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

St Vincent and The Grenadines

Solomon Islands

Tokelau 

Tonga

Tonga Niuafo’ou

Turks and Caicos Islands 

Tuvalu

Uganda

United Republic of Tanzania 

Vanuatu 

Zambia

Therefore at the end of the year 36 out of 89 (40.5%) Commonwealth philatelic entities are not known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during 2025. This compares with the figure for 2024 at the end of that year of 28 out of 89 or 31.5%.

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2841. 🇲🇺 Mauritius Reprints Extinct Birds Definitives.

 

New issues.

🇲🇺 Mauritius Post -

2025 - Extinct birds definitives - reprinted values with ‘2025’ inscription on lower border - 3 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

🇮🇳 India Post -

December 2025 - 85th anniversary of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, personalised My Stamp sold by India Post in sheetlets of 12 with attached labels and at a premium price - 1 stamp.

🇴🇲 Oman Post -

30 October 2025 - Omani gemstones - 6 stamps produced in a sheetlet of one of each stamps, 1 miniature sheet containing 1 of each stamp (6 x 500 baisa) and a second limited edition miniature sheet containing all 6 designs but in a higher value (6 x 2 rials). Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

2840. 🎄Happy Christmas!

 

🎄 Happy Christmas!

New issues -

🇲🇲 Myanmar Post  -

21 December 2025 - Centenary of Mandalay University - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post -

15 December 2025 - Great Victory Day - 1 stamp. Lithographed by Government Printer, Gazipur. Rating:- **.

🇮🇳 India Post -

22 December 2025 - Medicinal plants - 1 miniature sheet containing 5 different stamps. 

22 December 2025 - Centenary of the Association of Indian Universities - 1 stamp. Rating:- **.

2839. 🇬🇧 Royal Mail’s Stranger Things Issue Makes Internet Appearance.

 

🇬🇧 Royal Mail -

13 January 2026 - Stranger Things, American television programme (of no significance at all to the United Kingdom) - 10 stamps (2 se-tenant strips of 5) and 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps plus other items including a Prestige booklet costing £28.45. These illustrations of presentations packs can be seen on the internet from 2 different sources. Rating:- 0. 

British stamps should celebrate Britain in all its aspects. Royal Mail has sunk to the level of Stamperija. It surprises me that Buckingham Palace approves this rubbish; it seems demeaning to place the King’s cameo on products such as these which have no relevance ro the country over which he reigns. One can only imagine what George V would have had to say about it all.

🇵🇰 Pakistan Post -

10 December 2025 - 75th anniversary of Peshawar University - 1 stamp. Designed by the ‘customer’ and lithographed by Pakistan Seurity Printing Corporation Karachi and perforated 13. Rating:- ***.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post -

5 January 2026 - Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse - 4 stamps, 2 miniature sheets each containing a single stamp and 2 ‘Heartwarming’ personalised stamps with attached labels issued in sheetlets of16. Designed by Wong Chun-Hong & lithographed by Brebner Print and perforated 14. Rating:- *****.

2838. 🇬🇬 Guernsey Post To Feature Rare Birds On Alderney Issue.

 

New issues -

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post -

🇬🇬 Issues inscribed Alderney -

11 February 2026 - 10th anniversary of the Alderney Bird Observatory - 6 stamps (there may be additional items - details awaited). Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

🇮🇳 India Post -

13 December 2025 - 150th anniversary of the Bombay Gymkhana - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

14 December 2025 - Perumbidhugu Mutharaiya - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

16 December 2025 - Birth centenary of Arudra, poet, lyricist and writer - 1 stamp. Rating:- **.

🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post -

18 December 2025 - PABEX Philatelic Exhibition 2025 held in Dhaka - Previously issued Ghavial stamps with overprint applied - 4 stamps in a se-tenant block of 4. Rating:- ***.

2837. 🇬🇧 Royal Mail Issue To Feature Stranger Things.

 

🇬🇧 Royal Mail -

13 January 2026 - Stranger Things - It appears that the first issue of 2026 (made up of a multitude of expensive products) will be on the subject of a Netflix television  programme titled Stranger Things with which I am wholly unfamiliar but which is described by Wikipedia as an “American series … the first season was released on Netflix on July 15 2016” and “the fifth and final season is being released in three parts in November and December 2025”. Wikipedia informs us that the programme combines “elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, fantasy and coming of age drama”. Presumably this is one of those cult productions which few know about but those who do are prepared to spend a lot of money on items related to it. 

Rating:- 0.

🇬🇧 Postal service of the British Antarctic Territory -

I reproduce below news of a new postbox presented to the territory by HM King Charles III as described by the BBC News internet page -

New issues -

🇴🇲 Oman Post -

10 December 2025 - Joint issue with the Russian postal service, 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries- explorers Ahmed bin Majid and Alana’s Nikitin  - 1 stamp issued in sheetlets of 9 and 1 miniature sheet containing a single circular stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

🇬🇧 Royal Mail -

16 December 2025 - 250th birth anniversary of Jane Austen, author of novels - 1 ‘Collector sheet’ containing 10 identical‘Union Flag’ stamps with attached labels and sold at a premium (£18.20). Rating:- *.