People-smuggling gangs in North African countries will be broken by UK police officers working alongside security forces, it has been reported.
National Crime Agency officers will join nations in the region in their efforts to stop the people traffickers, The Times newspaper reported.
The Italian government has predicted that up to 400,000 migrants will seek to travel to Europe through Italy this summer.
A record numbers of people crossed the English Channel last year in small boats.
Fewer than 7,000 have been detected making the journey so far in 2023, the latest Home Office figures show.
British Minister of State for Immigration, Robert Jenrick, will travel to North Africa and Europe this week to discuss with international partners “the shared global challenge of organised immigration crime”.
The NCA and the Home Office have been contacted for comment.
UK government unveils 'robust' bill to stop migrant Channel crossings - in pictures
Mr Jenrick will visit Algeria, Tunisia, Italy and France as the Home Office launches an advertising campaign aimed at deterring Albanians from arriving in the UK in small boats.
The drive, which will run on Facebook and Instagram from next week, will send the message that people “face being detained and removed” if they make the journey.
The campaign will also aim to “bust the myths of organised crime gangs” who use social media to encourage people to take dangerous routes to the UK, the Home Office said.
“Evil criminal gangs do not care about the safety of the people they smuggle across the Channel and have no qualms about peddling lies online, even putting children at risk," an office spokesman said.
How is Europe clamping down on people who help refugees? - video
Opposition critics and charities have called the campaign a “gimmick”, with Labour accusing the government of “tinkering at the edges” of an asylum system “in chaos”.
The Home Office would not say how much the publicity drive is expected to cost.
The government’s Illegal Migration Bill aims to send asylum seekers who arrive in Britain by unauthorised routes back home or to a third country, such as Rwanda.
Ministers also hope the legislation will cut the daily £5.5 million ($6.8 million) cost of housing migrants who make it to the UK.
The Bill, currently in the House of Lords, has been attacked by critics including the Archbishop of Canterbury, who say it is unworkable and morally unacceptable.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
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Kanye%20West
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
