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UAE President pledges $100M to support nations in migrant crisis

The announcement came during Presidents’s participation at the International Conference on Development and Migration, which took place in the Italian capital, Rome….reports Asian Lite News

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the UAE’s contribution of US$100 million to support development projects in countries affected by irregular migration, including backing initiatives proposed in the Rome Process.

The announcement came during his participation at the International Conference on Development and Migration, which took place in the Italian capital, Rome.

The conference was inaugurated by Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, in the presence of heads of state, government ministers, and representatives of regional and international organisations concerned with migration and its humanitarian, social and economic impact.

The conference focused on the challenges presented by irregular migration and emphasised the urgent need for integrated solutions to address its root causes. Participants stated the importance of intensifying international cooperation to safeguard the wellbeing of migrants and protect their dignity, highlighting the fact that thousands of lives are lost each year through irregular migration. The conference also explored the links between migration and socio-economic development and stability in the migrants’ countries of origin.

Upon his arrival at the conference, which was held at the headquarters of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, His Highness the President was received by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Sheikh Mohamed thanked the Italian Republic for hosting the important conference and for inviting the UAE to participate in it.

He explained that the conference confirmed the participating countries’ desire to enhance cooperation, integration, and joint efforts regarding an international issue of great importance and sensitivity, which is irregular migration. This collaboration, he said, serves people’s aspirations for stability, progress, and prosperity.

His Highness added that the conference comes at a crucial stage in the world, requiring greater cooperation and solidarity among nations. He stated that the UAE firmly believes that international collective action and building bridges of cooperation among different countries are the means to tackle shared global challenges and uplift humanity, ensuring a prosperous future for coming generations.

The UAE President stressed that irregular migration, which tragically claims thousands of lives each year, stands as one of the most critical challenges facing the world today. Addressing this phenomenon requires comprehensive solutions rooted in development and stability, he explained, as it is through development that we can achieve peace and stability, both within societies and on an international scale.

His Highness added that dealing with cases of displacement, whether it be asylum or migration, requires strengthening joint efforts to address the main causes through comprehensive development efforts and close cooperation between all affected countries, which include countries of origin, transit and countries hosting migrants, in addition to the support of international and regional agencies and initiatives to build on previous progress in facing these challenges.

His Highness said that climate change is one of the main drivers of irregular migration as it leads to drought, agricultural crop destruction, and increased poverty in many countries. He stated that he was looking forward to meeting participants at COP28 in the UAE later this year, explaining that the climate conference will aim to accelerate international efforts to address the impacts of climate change and support the implementation of the outcomes from previous conferences.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed reaffirmed the UAE’s belief in the importance of diplomacy and dialogue as tools for building trust, and that it will continue to support global peace and stability, calling for cooperation for the greater good of humanity.

In conclusion, His Highness expressed his thanks to the Italian Republic for its efforts in coordinating the conference, and extended his wishes for its success in achieving outcomes that serve development, stability, and peace in the world.

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-Top News UK News

Braverman calls migrant crisis an ‘invasion’, faces heat

Manston, a former military base in Kent, opened as a processing centre in February this year, for the growing number of migrants reaching the UK in small boats…reports Asian Lite News

Indian-origin Suella Braverman, already under fire over her re-appointment as the UK Home Secretary, has sparked off another outrage by comparing migrant crisis in the country to “invasion”.

Braverman, who was forced to resign from her position under former Prime Minister Liz Truss for breaching the ministerial code of conduct, said on Monday that migrants have launched an “invasion on our southern coast”.

“Let’s stop pretending that they are all refugees in distress,” she said while responding to questions in the House of Commons amid concerns about conditions at the Manston processing site in Kent.

Manston, a former military base in Kent, opened as a processing centre in February this year, for the growing number of migrants reaching the UK in small boats.

Addressing the MPs for the first time since her re-appointment last week, the Home Secretary said some 40,000 people have arrived on the south coast in 2022 with many of them members of criminal gangs.

“Disgusted to hear Suella Braverman say there’s an ‘invasion on our southern coast’. Language like this whips up hate and spreads division,” the Daily Mirror quoted Labour MP Zarah Sultana as saying.

“For Suella Braverman to use language like ‘invasion’, to describe refugees. people who are themselves escaping conflict. is offensive. They know what being invaded feels like. We are lucky that most of us do not,” Clare Moseley, from refugee charity Care4Calais, told The Evening Standard.

Braverman, who admitted to using her personal email six times for official documents, made the remarks days after fellow Indian-origin Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “compassion” would be at the heart of his administration.

“Rishi Sunak pledged to bring integrity, professionalism and accountability as Prime Minister. Instead, he brought back Suella Braverman,” local media reports quoted Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the Labour Party, as saying.

After questions on asylum centres being overcrowded, disease-ridden and dangerous, Braverman admitted that “the system is broken” and “Illegal migration is out of control”.

She also denied blocking the use of hotels for asylum seekers, which put pressure on the Manston processing centre designed for 1,600 people

“Indeed since I took over 12,000 people have arrived, 9,500 people have been transferred out of Manston or Western Jet Foil, many of them into hotels,” Braverman said.

Home secretary struggles to cling on

Suella Braverman is under fresh pressure over the Channel migrant crisis and security breaches on Monfay – with a Tory MP swiping that chaos in Kent might have been caused ‘deliberately’ by the ministers, a media report said.

The UK Home Secretary is also facing demands to come to the Commons to explain using her personal email to send sensitive government information to a backbench ally, Daily Mail reported.

Meanwhile, she is in the spotlight over conditions at the Manston migrant processing centre, after reports of overcrowding and outbreaks of disease.

Veteran MP Roger Gale, who represents North Thanet, suggested the Home Office actively decided not to book more hotel space to stop arrivals staying at the reception centre too long.

There are claims that officials are now looking at booking individual rooms for migrants to ease the pressure, rather than blocking out entire hotels, Daily Mail reported.

Others MPs have criticised France for failing to stop small boats attempting the crossing, while an ex-borders chief suggested mooring a cruise ship in the middle of the Channel where people can be accommodated.

Concern has been growing over the conditions of migrants being held in while waiting to be processed once they arrive in the UK, and after one of the sites in Dover was firebombed over the weekend.

So far this year, close to 40,000 people have made the treacherous journey from France, crossing the world’s busiest shipping lanes in dinghies and other small boats, provisional government figures show.

Gale said he believes it was a decision taken by the Home Secretary, but is not sure whether it was Priti Patel or Suella Braverman.

Sources close to Patel distanced themselves from the problems, arguing that overcrowding was not as bad before.

“Priti was signing off hotels in the summer – despite how unpalatable it was politically – because it’s the right thing to do,’ one source said, Daily Mail reported.

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French minister urges UK to “take its responsibilities”

Following the death of at least 27 migrants trying to cross the Channel to reach Britain on Wednesday, he called for “an even more intense fight against smugglers.”…reports Asian Lite News.

French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin has urged Britain to “take its responsibilities” on migrants, saying France will not be “hostage to UK’s domestic policy.”

“We have to work with our British friends. They must help us collectively to better fight against smugglers,” Darmanin said, according to French newspaper Le Figaro.

The French Minister accused the UK of closing legal ways to applications of asylum. “In France, there have been 150,000 asylum requests since January 1. In Britain, it’s 30,000.”

Following the death of at least 27 migrants trying to cross the Channel to reach Britain on Wednesday, he called for “an even more intense fight against smugglers.”

“Migrants should not be criminalised, but those who organise these transfers,” he added.

A growing number of illegal immigrants made Channel crossings to Britain recently. The BBC reported that more than 1,000 people had arrived in a single day in November for the first time, and more than 25,000 people have crossed the Channel so far this year.

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