Latest news with #Rwanda-style
The National
26-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Stagecoach strike disrupts bus routes across west Scotland
The 24-hour walkout, which is affecting services in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Glasgow, will be followed by two further strike days on June 2 and 6. Trade union Unite said six weeks of further action are planned after talks with the bus operator failed to improve on a 4% pay offer for members. READ MORE: Edinburgh Marathon results 2025 – see full list Around 430 drivers operating out of depots in Ayr, Arran, Ardrossan and Kilmarnock are on strike, the union said. But depots in Dumfries and Galloway are not involved in the action. Strike action for other days had previously been suspended for further talks after the company withdrew a threat to cancel drivers' annual leave entitlement. Unite industrial officer, Siobhan McCready, said: "The drivers are being asked to fund a pay rise by working longer hours, taking longer unpaid breaks and losing a week of annual leave." Stagecoach said several services had been suspended and timetables reduced as it said it wanted a "fair and sustainable" pay deal for drivers that preserves the viability of bus services. READ MORE: UK Government to ask Kosovo to take migrants in Rwanda-style plan The operator thanked passengers for "patience and understanding" and urged them to check services before setting out to travel. A Stagecoach spokesperson said: "Regrettably, the industrial action will disrupt our services and inconvenience our customers. "We're working hard to minimise the impact of this disruption, but unfortunately, the limited services we're running will affect customers travelling in and around Ayrshire."
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
UK Government to ask Kosovo to take migrants in Rwanda-style plan
Earlier this month, Keir Starmer announced that the Government is beginning talks on a "return hubs" plan to send asylum seekers who have their claims rejected to third countries. The Prime Minister made the announcement in Albania, which has ruled itself out of any potential deal. However, The Times reports that Kosovo in the western Balkans, is one of nine countries which has been shortlisted by ministers as potential destinations for return hubs. READ MORE: SNP file formal complaint over 'race-baiting' Reform UK ad Kosovo's president, Vjosa Osmani, has also signalled that her country would be "open" to talks over the deal. Other nations to have been shortlisted include Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and several countries outside Europe. If established, the return hubs will target asylum seekers who have exhausted their avenues for appeal, differing slightly from the former Tory government's Rwanda scheme which proposed asylum seekers have their claims processed in Rwanda before a decision is reached. As well as acting as a deterrent for small boats crossings, the UK Government said it hopes the move will reduce asylum seekers' ability to find other reasons to prevent deportation, such as starting a family. While no formal talks have begun with any countries, ministers are understood to want to have made progress by the time the UK hosts a meeting of western Balkans leaders in London in the autumn, where illegal immigration is set to be discussed. Senior government sources told The Times that Kosovo was a "plausible" country for setting up a return hub because it is one of the main routes used by illegal immigrants on their way towards the European Union. According to the Foreign Office, nearly 22,000 illegal migrants used the western Balkans route to enter the EU last year, The Times reports. Kosovo, one of the poorest nations in Europe, has a population of about 1.6 million and is bordered by Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the south east, Albania to the southwest and Montenegro to the west. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar must not 'stay silent' on two-child benefit cap and demand action from PM Last week, the Kosovian president said that her country would be open to taking part in the Rwanda-style plan. 'There's been no formal talks with the UK on this issue. It hasn't been raised so far,' Osmani said. 'We would be open to discussing it, however I can't say more than that because I don't know the details. I cannot give an answer on a request that hasn't been made so far.' Several other European countries are exploring similar schemes, including Italy – whose deal with Albania has been caught up in legal action – Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Tommy Sheppard: End the pretence that Israel is a normal country
Why now? Maybe the campaigning effort of decent folk inside the Labour Party is bearing fruit. Maybe they've been embarrassed in front of other world leaders. Or maybe Netanyahu and his ministers have just gone too far, making it plain that Israeli war aims now include the displacement or eradication of the civilian population of Gaza. It is, of course, very little, very late. The real question is why it has taken so long for a Labour Government to falter in its often generous support for Israel. A big part of the answer is the misunderstanding and confusion within the party of what antisemitism is and how to fight it. Undoubtedly there are opponents of Israel's actions who are antisemitic. But they are a tiny minority dwarfed by the majority of humanity who condemn the Israeli government not because of the religion or culture of its members, but because for generations it has broken international law and denied the human rights of others. READ MORE: UK Government to ask Kosovo to take migrants in Rwanda-style plan The Israeli state's foreign office and its various agencies have worked hard, and with considerable success, to imply any criticism of Israel should be seen as antisemitic. It isn't. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, whose 2016 definition of antisemitism has been adopted by many countries, states clearly that 'criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic'. Despite this, the incessant repetition of accusations of antisemitism towards those criticising Israel causes confusion in the minds of the public. It makes many people who instinctively condemn violations of human rights across the world think twice when they are caused by the Israeli Defence Force. Judgment is clouded. Action inhibited. Far from Israel being judged against the same criteria as others it is often given the benefit of the doubt. The wild response of the Israeli government to the UK's mild rebuke illustrates this perfectly. It accuses Starmer of antisemitism and of supporting Hamas. These claims are ludicrous but they're also dangerous. They trivialise the meaning of antisemitism and weaken the fight against it. Antisemitism is real. It's not about criticism of Israel for committing war crimes but the hatred and demonisation of people because they are Jewish. We should never drop our guard and always ensure Jewish communities are protected. The irony is that many of those who have fought for Palestinian rights have also been the ones at the forefront of resisting antisemitism, fighting on the streets for decades against the fascists who promote it. Playing out in front of our eyes in real time, there is an actual genocide going on in Gaza. It involves a deliberate policy of starving the civilian population, allowing only a trickle of supplies through to maintain a black market and keep the people divided. And it involves the systematic slaughter of civilians from air, land and sea. It is set against a narrative of demonising and dehumanising Palestinians. Take a look at Louis Theroux's programme on Israeli settlers to see clearly the objective they have in mind for the Palestinian people and land they live on. READ MORE: Kenny MacAskill: It's time for McColl to be given another crack at Ferguson Marine Theroux portrays a lethal cocktail of religious extremism, anti-Arab racism and plentiful weaponry which not only terrorises indigenous Palestinians but drives Israeli policy towards their extinction. As the Israeli government gets ready to force the people out of Gaza and begin process of occupying and settling it, the world needs to stop turning a blind eye. We need concrete action to force the Israelis to desist, and we need to be explicit that it has nothing to do with their religion and everything to do with upholding human rights and international law. Despite the violent manner of its creation, there was widespread support across this country for the state of Israel. People understood the desire to create a safe space where Jews can live in peace, see their culture flourish, and never again suffer the pogroms of the past. But this ambition has been hijacked by extreme right-wing forces who can see no co-existence with the peoples of the Middle East. They have turned Israel into a rogue state. Their perspective is the supremacy of one culture over others, a country whose internal security depends on repression and lives in permanent hostility with its neighbours. That offers no future for Palestinians and a miserable one for Israelis. Netanyahu will not stop unless he is made to. The UK's baby steps must become longer strides, acting in concert with others. Israel must be isolated politically and diplomatically. From Eurovision to Uefa, it's time to stop pretending Israel is a normal country just like ours. We must stop all arms sales now and end the UK's complicity in the slaughter of innocents. We must develop and apply economic sanctions as we do with Russia and other major transgressors against international law. And perhaps above all else, we must now give full diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, accepting an obligation to see that state develop rather than waiting until the land it has been promised disappears under a never-ending military occupation.
The National
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Glasgow councillors show support for migrants after Starmer speech
SNP, Green and Labour councillors all spoke out on Thursday after the UK Government announced plans to cut immigration earlier this week. Council leader Susan Aitken said the Government's policy failures are to blame for the city's housing crisis rather than asylum seekers and refugees. And then SNP and Green councillors united to pass a motion which opposed the Prime Minister's immigration plans. READ MORE: Labour suffers blow as Albania snubs Rwanda-style scheme A Labour group amendment wasn't accepted by the SNP. Councillor Allan Casey, the council's homelessness convener who brought the motion, said the group hadn't criticised their government's proposals. 'There was no mention of the rhetoric of your party leader,' he added. 'That's quite a shame.' Casey said the content of the UK Government's white paper was 'alarming', but the 'language accompanying it is even more dangerous'. He said the Prime Minister had 'adopted rhetoric that would not be out of place in a Nigel Farage leaflet' after the Reform party's success in recent local elections in England, adding his language 'increasingly mirrors the infamous warnings of Enoch Powell'. 'That kind of fear-mongering has no place in… progressive politics,' Casey said. 'Migration is not a burden, it's a blessing.' He highlighted its benefits for the city's hospitals, care homes, universities, businesses and public services. Aitken said the Prime Minister's language was 'in great danger of fracturing the cohesion, integration and the diversity of Glasgow, of Scotland and of the UK as a whole'. READ MORE: Keir Starmer announces Rwanda-style plan to deport asylum seekers Councillor Bill Butler, Labour, said: 'Migrants have enriched Glasgow, cultural, socially and economically. Diversity is not a weakness, it is a strength.' He said the housing emergency, challenges in social care, education and the NHS and the drugs crisis are 'not the fault of migrants, but the responsibility of governments'. The Labour councillor called for the construction of a 'humane, fair and evidence-based migration policy'. 'Migrants are not the problem,' he said. 'They form an integral part of the solution.' Following the motion, the council's chief executive will now write to the UK Government and Glasgow MPs to set out opposition to the white paper and seek support for a 'tailored' Scottish visa. A Green amendment urged Labour MPs and MSPs in the city to distance themselves from the Prime Minister's words and 'unite our country against the real causes of community breakdown… gross wealth inequality and austerity'. Labour's proposed amendment had stated immigration policy should 'reflect the specific demographic and economic needs of cities like Glasgow, ensuring that they must always provide the ability to develop a humane and rational immigration system'. Earlier in the meeting, Aitken was asked about the city's housing pressures. She said: 'I want to be clear that while that crisis has been caused by changes to the way the Home Office processes asylum decisions, asylum seekers and refugees are not the cause of the challenges we face. The cause is a failure of Westminster policies. 'We remain firmly committed to being a place of sanctuary, dignity and wellbeing for those who fled war, persecution and hardship.'
The National
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Jimmy Carr hosts secret Israeli party at British museum
On Tuesday, the Israeli embassy organised a party to celebrate the anniversary of Israel's 77th Independence Day. The party was not advertised and staff at the museum were reportedly asked to leave work early, according to the Middle East Eye. The event was hosted by television personality Jimmy Carr and was also attended by Maria Eagle, Labour's minister for defence procurement and industry, who gave a speech. READ MORE: Labour suffers blow as Albania snubs Rwanda-style scheme In her speech, Eagle boasted about the regular Royal Air Force spy planes which have been flying over Gaza on reconnaissance missions. "The UK stood with Israel, with the RAF conducting surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean in support of hostage rescue efforts," she told the room. "We stood with Israel; when Iran launched its reckless coordinated missile and drone attacks, with RAF aircraft intercepting a number of them." She added that "it's been hard over the last couple of years to see Israel going through some of the most difficult times in its history". Other politicians seen at the event were Stephen Crabb, a former Tory minister, and Britain's trade envoy to Israel, Lord Ian Austin. The event's keynote speech was given by Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, a controversial figure who once called the Nakba – when 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced and more than 500 Palestinian cities, towns and villages were destroyed by Israel in 1948 during the country's formation – an "Arab lie", and who has rejected the notion of a two-state solution. READ MORE: SNP win by-election as Reform UK beat Scottish Labour The secret party comes as Israel approved plans to "capture" and occupy Gaza for an unspecified amount of time. On the same day as the event, the UK Government was in court facing a legal challenge over its decision to continue to supply F-35 parts to Israel. While the event was kept under wraps, a protest organised by Energy Embargo for Palestine (EEFP), which describes itself as an "anti-imperialist climate organisation", took place outside the museum. A spokesperson for the group told the Middle East Eye: "It is not lost on us that Maria Eagle's speech in the British Museum comes on the same day that the UK government was brought to court by [legal groups] Glan and Al-Haq." They added that EEFP has "exposed the true face of the British Museum, which presents as a progressive institution", and that British Museum staff members were "lied to".
