Italy's new policy of shipping asylum seekers to Albania has encountered an early setback after four of the first 16 migrants had to return to Italy.
The 16 people from Egypt and Bangladesh were taken to Albania by an Italian warship three days after they were intercepted in the Mediterranean. However, two said they were children, meaning they could not be admitted to a detention centre for adult men.
Two others headed back to the warship for health reasons, local media said. The group was the first bound for the Albanian centre where asylum seekers will plead their cases to Italian judges by video link. Italy is paying about $700 million for Albania to house them on its territory.
The early mishap fuelled fresh murmurs of criticism of the Albania scheme agreed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year. The leader of Italy's Left party, Nicola Fratoianni, said the processing of migrants at sea was “illegitimate and violates international and constitutional norms”.
Angelo Bonelli, an environmentalist MP, said the system was “not only a money-wasting machine but already has obvious flaws”, according to Italian media. “If with only 16 migrants they were unable to identify the two boys, imagine what will happen when there are hundreds of migrants,” Mr Bonelli said.
A small group of activists gathered at the Albanian port to protest the arrival of the migrants, holding a banner reading “The European dream ends here”. The arrangement is being closely watched by other EU countries as leaders debate get-tough policies on migration at a summit on Thursday and Friday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a letter to EU members that they can “draw lessons from this experience in practice” as they consider handling asylum claims offshore. Ms von der Leyen said Europe could “explore possible ways forward as regards the idea of developing return hubs outside the EU”.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala praised the Italian deal at the Brussels summit and said the EU should seek to replicate the model with other countries. Talks have already been held with some African countries, he added.
“Illegal migration today is an issue of the EU’s internal security as well as its cohesion,” Mr Fiala said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also agreed to explore the idea of processing asylum claims abroad, while warning of legal and practical issues with the idea.
Although the Italian centre in Gjader has capacity for 3,000 migrants, it will start with 400 and increase to 880 in a few weeks. Migrants picked up by the Italian coastguard will initially be screened on board the ships before being sent to Albania. More than 300 Italian soldiers, doctors and judges are involved in the operation.
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Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
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At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
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Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
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Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
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