Celebrities have written to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for a kinder, fairer and more effective asylum system.
Actors Olivia Colman, Joanna Lumley and Stephen Fry are among 40 figures from stage, screen, music and journalism to sign an open letter to Mr Johnson, urging him to rethink the UK’s planned asylum reforms and do more to help refugees.
“We are refugees, descendants of refugees and supporters of refugees," they say in a letter, organised by the coalition of campaign groups Together With Refugees as the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill makes its way through Parliament.
“For some of us, if we were living in Afghanistan right now, our lives could be in danger and we would have to become refugees.
“We are proud the UK is offering protection to those Afghan refugees able to get on to an official scheme. People up and down the country are doing incredible things to make them welcome as they start their new lives.
“But many others have been left behind in grave danger. They will have to escape any way they can – by foot, boat or hiding in the back of a lorry.
"But proposed new laws would mean our country turning away people like them who are in desperate need of safety. As a nation we must – and can – do more.
“That’s why we are backing Together With Refugees’ call for a kinder, fairer and more effective system for refugees in the UK.
“Now is not the time to turn them away. Now is the time to offer our hand in kindness and protection. We urge you to think again.”
Signatories also include: actors Fiona Shaw, Simon Callow, Imelda Staunton, Zoe Wanamaker and Thandiwe Newton; the band Kaiser Chiefs; television personalities Robert Rinder and Gok Wan; and comedians Romesh Ranganathan, Frankie Boyle and Shaparak Khorsandi, also known as Shappi.
“I had to flee from Iran with my family when I was a child when my father’s life was in danger, just because he is a popular humorist who opposed those in power," Khorsandi said.
“It’s horrendous to think of the many more people all over the world, including Afghanistan, living in fear for their lives just because of who they are or what they say.
“I can’t imagine what would have happened if my family hadn’t been welcomed here in the UK.
“We must not turn our back on those who have struggled to reach our shores in need of safety. The Prime Minister must oppose this anti-refugee Bill.”
Rinder said: “We must oppose this Bill currently going through Parliament. In 1945 my grandfather arrived in the UK as a child refugee from the hell of the Holocaust.
“We can help to provide sanctuary to those in danger now who have overcome terrible struggles to find their way to safety and freedom.
“This is what our country is at its very best. We must not turn our backs.”
Protests, demonstrations and other events are taking place this week around the country against the proposed laws.
The Bill intends to make it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK without permission.
This means that, for the first time, how someone enters the UK, legally or illegally, will affect how their asylum claim progresses, and their status in the UK if the claim is successful.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
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Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
HOW TO WATCH
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
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Barbie
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16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
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5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
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Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
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B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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