The UN's refugee body has accused the UK's Home Office of continuing to misrepresent its support for Britain's controversial Rwanda removal policy, The Guardian newspaper has reported.
The first deportation flights to the African country scheduled for June 14 were grounded at the last minute after the European Court of Human Rights granted interim injunctions to stop deportees being sent there.
A UNHCR assessment that asylum seekers do not have access to “fair and efficient procedures for the determination of refugee status” in Rwanda was at the centre of the European court’s ruling.
A court hearing is scheduled for September to determine the lawfulness of the Rwanda policy.
Before reaching the ECHR, several applications for injunctions had been made at the UK’s High Court and Supreme Court. At the time, the courts heard that the Home Office misled refugees about UN involvement in the UK’s Rwanda plans.
However, recent correspondence between The Guardian and the Home Office revealed that British officials continue to claim that their Rwanda asylum scheme has the support of the UNHCR.
The newspaper was in touch with the Home Office after a critical assessment of the UK’s Rwanda plans was published by the charity Asylos last week.
A Home Office representative responded to the enquiries saying: “Our own assessment of Rwanda has found it is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers, including working with the UN Refugee Agency, which said the country has a safe and protective environment for refugees.
"As part of our partnership, the UK is providing an initial investment of £120 million ($142.3m) to boost the development of Rwanda, including jobs, skills and opportunities, to benefit both migrants and host communities.”
Last year, the UNHCR supported an emergency transit mechanism with the EU, which evacuates the most vulnerable refugees in Libya to Rwanda.
But a representative for the UN agency said that they had “serious concerns with regard to specific shortcomings” in the UK’s asylum processing proposal as well as the African country’s “capacity to offer long-term solutions for those being removed”.
When the UNHCR joined in the proceedings against the Home Office brought by migrants and campaign groups to stop the deportation flights, the court heard that the UNHCR had concerns about the asylum process in Rwanda, including discriminatory access to asylum, a lack of legal representation and interpreters, and difficulties in appealing.
Lawyers for the UN told the courts at the time that it found there had been “inaccuracies” in the way the agency’s views had been described by the Home Office.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
