LONDON // Tougher controls to stop Muslim "preachers of hate" from entering the United Kingdom were unveiled by the government yesterday.
The measures, which are also designed to keep neo-Nazis, violent anti-abortionists and animal rights extremists out of Britain, include strengthening the rules to exclude any foreign national suspected of stirring up racial tensions.
The changes outlined by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, included placing the burden of proof on people barred from entering the United Kingdom that they were innocent of accusations that they were extremists.
The only practical way of doing that, the government says, would be for them to publicly disown their reported views. Unless they can do this to the satisfaction of the border control authorities, they would face a permanent ban from entering Britain.
At present, the burden of proof is on the home office, similar to an interior ministry, which has to provide evidence that an individual does actually possess the extremist views ascribed to them.
"Coming to Britain is a privilege and I don't want to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life," Ms Smith said.
"I am determined to stop those who foster, encourage or spread extremism and hatred through preaching violent messages in our communities, from coming to the UK.
"These tough new measures will clamp down on those people intent on stirring up tensions by encouraging violence and hatred in our country by preventing them entering the UK."
Over the past three years, 230 foreigners have been barred from entering Britain on national security grounds or because of "unacceptable types of behaviour", a category that includes fomenting or glorifying terrorism and inciting hatred.
Among those excluded were Omar Bakri Mohammed, the extremist Muslim cleric who was barred after terrorist attacks in London on July 7 2005, and Yusuf al Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born cleric who was stopped from entering Britain this year after being described as a "dangerous and divisive" preacher of hate by David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party.
Few others of those barred are known because, until now, individuals could only be named if they chose to mount legal challenges to exclusion orders.
Under the new rules, barred people will be named and the information shared with the EU and other nations.
The "naming and shaming" is also intended to ensure that excluded individuals do not slip through the net at some future date.
Government officials, however, were at pains to point out yesterday that the new measures were not designed to keep people out of Britain just because they held ideas that were controversial or politically disagreeable.
"The aim is to ban people from the UK who espouse achieving their ends by violent or other illegal means," one official said. "The measures are aimed at preventing anyone who will stir up tensions in the UK from entering the country.
"We have not named them in the past but now, when it was in the public interest, we will. It's about excluding people for whom it is not in the public interest to come into this country."
The home office accepts that the new rules will probably lead to a sizeable increase in the number of people being barred from entering the United Kingdom.
Not everyone believes that the new measures will be effective, however. Patrick Mercer, a Conservative MP and member of the House of Commons home affairs committee, fears that the clampdown could target the wrong people.
"It's the people who are working undercover, who aren't known about, who are working inside the community and influencing people there - they are the really dangerous people," he told the BBC.
Mr Mercer said he felt the government would do better to target foreign-born extremists already settled in Britain. "Let's try to get rid of them rather than trying to keep new people out," he said.
Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrats' spokesman on home affairs, described the new measures as inadequate because they fail to address the problem of those using the internet to spread racial or religious hatred, and the threats posed by those already admitted into the country.
"The main problem with these sort of eye-catching gimmicks is that they don't make us any safer at all,"
dsapsted@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
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- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
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Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
Quick%20facts
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Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
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WORLD CUP FINAL
England v South Africa
Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)
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