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British police have asked prosecutors for guidance on tougher arrest rules related to protests where the Palestinian flag is used, as a thousand officers are to be deployed on Saturday to control mass marches in London.
A series of protests are being held across the UK and major cities around the world calling for solidarity with Palestine amid the conflict with Israel.
Following the intervention by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, police said the Palestinian flag was an expression of support for its people.
However, that the Attorney General and prosecutors were urged to give clarity on when a flag or banner would be deemed as being used to intimidate or cause distress.
“There are some situations where the presence of a flag or banner or the use of specific words or phrases could be seen as intimidation. In some circumstances, it could also be seen as intending to cause harassment, alarm or distress,” the force said.
The March for Palestine is expected to draw tens of thousands into the UK capital, with protesters heading to the BBC's headquarters.
More than 1,000 officers will be on duty, working alongside stewards and organisers.
“Our role as an independent and impartial service is to balance the right to lawful protest with potential disruption to Londoners,” deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said.
“People do not have the right to incite violence or hatred. The law is clear that support for proscribed organisations is illegal. Anyone with a flag in support of Hamas or any other proscribed terrorist organisation will be arrested.”
Demonstrators in various other cities, including Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Coventry, Cambridge, Plymouth and Swansea, will express their support for besieged Gaza residents and Palestine.
Organisers expect the national demonstration to attract “thousands” of people, and pointed to the 200,000 people who joined their rally during the 2021 war on Gaza.
“We expect there to be more this time,” said Bhavesh Hindocha a representative of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
He added that people were being deterred from joining the demonstrations after Ms Braverman warned police chiefs in a letter that public displays of Palestinian flags could be considered “illegitimate” if they implied support for acts of terrorism.
“There's a lot of fear. People are scared to come out because of the threat of arrests. The government would like us not to protest,” he said.
Campaigner Muktar Ali, of Bradford Friends of Palestine, said a lot of people in the north would be travelling to London.
“There will be a national march in London and I have had a lot of calls from people in the north wishing to travel down to attend. There will also be protests across the north in Liverpool, Manchester and Bolton,” he told The National.
“The footage coming out of Gaza is difficult to watch. There are bodies of children and of people drying due to not having medication. Hospitals and universities have been destroyed.
“These marches are very important. We want the world to know that Israel is committing war crimes on innocent people. They should not be targeting the innocent civilian population.
“We need to raise awareness of their plight to help them. We are just ordinary people but we stand together with one voice, to call on the UK and other nations to help Palestine.”
Cambridge also is expected to echo with voices calling for solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine.
The focus remains on demanding an end the prolonged siege of Gaza and presenting a united front against the continuing conflict and its repercussions.
Ministers say enforcement must act decisively against any support shown towards Hamas or actions that seem to intimidate the UK’s Jewish community.
Dame Lynne Owens, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, gave more clarity when she said expressing support for Palestinians, including the act of waving Palestinian flags, would not automatically be considered a criminal offence.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
The years Ramadan fell in May
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