A senior Conservative MP has called on the UK government to step up its efforts to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda and deter boat crossings by Albanians.
Former Welsh Secretary David Jones has also demanded the British government puts pressure on Albania after it emerged that four out of 10 asylum seekers currently crossing the English Channel are coming from a country that has been at peace for three decades.
A leaked report from Britain’s military has revealed that of the 2,863 migrants smuggled by nine separate gangs in the six weeks from the start of June, 1,075 – or 37.5 per cent – were Albanian, three times more than any other nationality.
“If migrants understand that if they attempt to come illegally across the Channel and they will be finding that their application is processed in Kigali, that would give them some pause for thought,” Mr Jones told The National.
He urged the government to “press on” with the policy that was halted on 14 June after the first Rwanda deportation flight was grounded following a last-minute intervention from the European Court of Human Rights.
“The fact that we stopped the deportation of asylum seekers was really rather poor and it's given the impression that we've gone soft on the policy,” Mr Jones said.
He suggested that Britain should now consider “other partner countries around the world” with which to have a similar arrangement to the Rwanda agreement.
More than 17,000 migrants have crossed the busy shipping lanes from France to Britain in 2022 which, if the good weather continues, could surpass the 28,526 people who arrived illegally in 2021, a major increase from 8,404 the previous year.
Furthermore, numbers from Albania could grow in the coming weeks after smuggling gangs posted on the TikTok social media site a “summer sale” for £3,500 ($4,240) per person with a “100 per cent guarantee” that they would arrive in Britain.
With Albania at peace since a civil war in 1997, the migrants have been told by the people smugglers to claim that they are victims of human trafficking as an alternative to political asylum.
Claiming modern slavery has prevented and delayed their removal or deportation.
“If these people are not genuinely fleeing for their lives, then it is not up to the British taxpayer to support them,” said Richard Tice of the right-wing Reform UK party.
The government is proposing to change legislation through a British Bill of Rights that would displace the authority of the European Court of Human Rights which the UK helped introduce shortly after the Second World War.
With Albania attempting to join the EU, Mr Jones suggested that London should put pressure on Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government to help stop the people smuggling.
“Albania is not in a conflict or an area of the world where there are water shortages,” he said.
“This is just straightforward, criminal people trafficking and the British government should be taking a far firmer stance with the Albanian authorities
“It's surprising that an EU accession state is not doing more to crack down on organised trafficking from their country. I hope that the British government is engaging with the Albanian authorities and trying to get them to fulfil their obligations.”
The number of babies born in Britain to parents originally from the Western Balkans country has pushed Albania into the top 10 nationalities whose mothers and fathers were not born in the UK, according to an Office for National Statistics report.
In the past four years the country has also moved from 23rd to eighth place for the numbers of children born to Albanian fathers. The ONS report also highlighted that 29 per cent of all UK births were from women born outside Britain.
What is blockchain?
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.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
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History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
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Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
