Musings From Abroad

British PM Sunak remains adamant over migration deal with Rwanda

Published

4 weeks ago

April 24, 2024

British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has remained adamant on the controversial migration deal, promising to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks.

This would happen after parliament passed long-awaited legislation that would make it easier to remove people who come to Britain illegally.

The Supreme Court ruled the policy illegal in November, but Sunak says the new law is more important than any legal issues. This is how he plans to keep his promise to stop people coming across the Channel in small boats.

Sunak also said he would stop people from taking small boats across the Channel, which is a dangerous route that goes for about 20 miles (32 km). Last year, more than 29,000 people came this way. In 2022, a record 45,775 refugees came this way.

For many Britons, leaving the European Union in 2016 meant taking back control of Britain’s borders and stopping people from freely moving into the country but reports show the situation remains a problem. There have been 6,265 people found so far this year, which is almost 25% more than the same time last year.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to the plan in April 2022. It sends anyone who came to Britain illegally after January 1, 2022, to Rwanda, which is about 4,000 miles (6,400 km) away.

Nevertheless, European courts stopped the first flight of people being sent back to their home countries in June 2022. The Supreme Court then supported a decision that the plan was illegal because migrants could be sent back to their home countries or to other countries where they would be mistreated.

Sunak said that the government had reserved commercial charter planes, ready an airfield, and trained staff to take migrants to Rwanda. He said that the first flight would leave in 10 to 12 weeks, but his party thinks that the new law doesn’t go far enough to stop asylum seekers from being able to appeal against being sent back to their home country.

Because of the law, British courts won’t be able to decide if Rwanda is safe, but they might have to decide on specific cases on their own, though only for very narrow reasons.

“If it ever comes to a choice between our national security — securing our borders — and membership of a foreign court, I’m, of course, always going to prioritise our national security,” Sunak said.

Britain has already paid Rwanda more than 200 million pounds ($304 million), and it could cost more than 600 million pounds to resettle about 300 people. At this point, about 50,000 people could be sent there, but it’s still unclear how many people Rwanda can hold.

Related Topics:Featured Rishi Sunak Rwanda

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Musings From Abroad

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

Published

2 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.

Musings From Abroad

Prince Harry, Meghan treated to street-style dances in Nigeria as their trip winds down

Published

6 days ago

May 13, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

On Sunday, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were treated to street-style dances in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, where they announced a partnership between their Archewell Foundation and the non-profit Giants of Africa, which utilizes sports to empower young people.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are making their first visit to Nigeria, where they were welcomed by the country’s chief of defence staff. The couple watched basketball practice at Ilupeju Senior Grammar School on Lagos Mainland, where Harry participated in ball-bouncing drills and shot a hoop.

“What you guys are doing here at Giants of Africa is truly amazing,” he said. “The power of sport can change lives. It brings people together and creates community and there are no barriers, which is the most important thing.”

The couple watched basketball practice at Ilupeju Senior Grammar School on Lagos Mainland, and Harry stepped on the court for some ball-bouncing drills and to shoot a hoop.

Former Toronto Raptors star Masai Ujiri, president of Giants of Africa, wished Meghan a happy Mother’s Day and said his organization was uniting communities and uplifting young people through sport, especially. Archewell Foundation and Giants of Africa will construct a basketball court in Nigeria’s capital Abuja.

“Talk about full circle again – never did I think we would be able to be here all those years later supporting the expansion of this incredible organization,” she said.
Harry and Meghan were set to round off their Lagos trip by attending a reception for a local charity. The couple live in the United States with their two children after Harry gave up working as a member of the royal family in 2020.