Musings From Abroad

Again, British parliament’s upper house frustrates Rwanda migrant plan

Published

1 month ago

April 17, 2024

Rishi Sunak’s plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda have suffered another setback as it has been rejected again by Britain’s upper house of parliament.

The parliament suggested changes that would delay the policy, but not stop it. The prime minister hopes that this will help his party’s chances in the next election.

Ahead of general elections later this year, Sunak has put a lot of political capital into the Rwanda plan, saying that it will help him keep his promise to stop thousands of people from coming to Britain illegally in small boats.

The House of Lords, which is Britain’s unelected upper house, tried to change the new laws a third time after Monday when the House of Commons turned down its second set of plans. But the move probably won’t stop the bill from being approved this week, which means it will become law.

Sunak wants to go to Rwanda as soon as possible, but the plan could still be thrown out of court. The House of Lords agreed with four ideas. One of them was an amendment to make sure the law follows international law.

The bill returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday as Conservative members are likely to vote against the changes that are being suggested. If that didn’t happen, the upper house might decide it wasn’t possible to get elected lawmakers to make any changes and pass it.

Asylum seekers who come to Britain illegally will be sent back to their home country. This is because of a policy made two years ago that aims to stop dangerous Channel crossings in small boats and end the business model of people smugglers.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) stopped the first planned removal flight in June 2022. Last year, the UK Supreme Court said the plan was illegal.

Sunak’s new law, which doesn’t follow some existing human rights laws, is meant to go against the Supreme Court’s decision by saying that British courts should treat Rwanda as a safe place to visit and that people can only appeal in very rare cases.

Nowadays, Europe is worried about people coming in illegally from Africa and the Middle East. In June 2023, a record 45,000 people had flown across the English Channel in small boats.

Related Topics:British parliament Featured Rwanda

Click to comment

Musings From Abroad

Nigeria’s Air Peace accused of safety violation by UK regulator

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority has received a letter from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority claiming that Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, had allegedly broken several aviation safety laws.

The allegation comes just three months after the Nigerian airline initiated the Lagos-London route.

“United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report with reference number: CAA-UK, -2024-0217” and “NATS Management System Safety Report” were the titles of the CAA’s letter of complaint that was sent to the NCAA. Additionally, the NCAA has written to Air Peace to elucidate the matters at hand.

The letter was labelled “United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report” and has the reference number NCAA/DOLTS/APL/Vol.11/03624 on it. Capt. O.O. Lawani, the NCAA General Manager of Operations, signed the document, which had the date May 14, 2024.

The NCAA stated in the letter that the flight captain acknowledged using an electronic flight bag for navigation and that the UK CAA had alerted it to the lack of operational approval for Electronic Flight Bag functions that could compromise the aircraft’s safety.

NCAA added that “no mounting device for the use of EFB, no charging points, or battery for backup” was mentioned in the letter from the CAA.

Air Peace has started flying from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos to London Gatwick as part of Nigeria and the United Kingdom’s bilateral air services agreement.

As of the time of publication, Stanley Olisa, the Air Peace spokesperson, could not be reached.

Since Air Peace started operating flights from Lagos to London, international airlines including British Airways, Virgin, and others have reduced their fares on the route.

Several industry watchers have urged Nigeria’s government to back Air Peace by opposing ‘aero politics” along the route and taking retaliatory measures to undermine Air Peace’s viability there.

Musings From Abroad

China’s Hailiang, Shinzoom to establish vehicle battery installations in Morocco

Published

5 days ago

May 16, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Hailiang and Shinzoom, Chinese car battery makers, will establish two separate operations in Morocco as the country strives to adapt its burgeoning automotive sector to rising demand for electric vehicles, Moroccan officials announced on Tuesday.

Tanger Tech, the Moroccan northern industrial zone’s development authority, said Hailiang intends to establish a $450 million copper facility on a 30-hectare plot of land. Shinzoom, a subsidiary of Hunan Zhongke, plans to invest $460 million in an anode plant spanning 20 hectares, according to a statement.

In April, the Moroccan government approved Chinese electric battery company BTR New Material Group (835185.BJE)’s plans to build a factory in Tangier to manufacture crucial component cathodes.

Another Chinese firm, CNGR Advanced Material (300919.SZ), plans to develop a cathode plant in Jorf Lasfar, 100 miles south of Casablanca, where the government has set aside 283 hectares for electric battery sectors.

Last year, the Moroccan government and China’s Gotion agreed to examine establishing an electric vehicle battery plant in the country, with a potential investment of up to $6.3 billion. Last month, Industry Minister Ryad Mezzour told Reuters that the Gotion project was moving forward, with conversations over its footprint and location.

Morocco’s strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar, free trade agreements with important EU and US markets, and existing automotive sector cluster all attract Chinese enterprises.

In 2023, the automotive sector topped Morocco’s industrial exports with $14 billion, a 27% increase. Morocco is home to Stellantis (STLAM.MI) and Renault (RENA.PA) production factories with an annual combined capacity of 700,000 automobiles, as well as a network of local suppliers.