8-8-17 The change will mean that non-EU passengers no longer have to fill out landing cards, meaning they will not have to reveal where they are staying in Britain, or for how long — details also excluded from information they supply before arrival.
Critics have questioned how quickly the proposal has been pushed through, and have warned that it risked the loss of valuable intelligence.
David Wood, former director-general of immigration enforcement at the Home Office, said: “It seems the most incredible haste to abandon the system of landing cards.
“We could access them to find out where someone was staying or where they had stayed if we were carrying out an investigation.”
Around 16 million visitors and migrants arriving at airports and ports across Britain will no longer be required to fill in landing cards, under new Home Office plans released last week.
Lucy Moreton, general secretary of the Immigration Services Union, said: “This is being done in an immense hurry. I am surprised it has not been mentioned to us.
“What I am most worried about is that they are not going to replace the intelligence… gathered by officers at the border and that will undermine the security of the border.”
In the future, authorities will rely on “advance passenger information” that non-EU travellers provide, such as their name, gender, date of birth, passport number and the country issuing their travel document.
All non-EU passengers will still be checked against criminal and terrorist watch lists.
Conservative MP Tim Loughton, who was the chairman of the Home Affairs committee in the last parliament, criticised the proposal.
He said: “It defies logic, at a time when so much effort is being put into improving border security, to remove a longstanding tool like this without a proper replacement and for what is a relatively small saving.”
At the moment, landing cards are handed to air and sea passengers to complete as they approach Britain.
They provide personal details of a traveller, including name, date of birth, a contact address in Britain and the proposed length of stay.
Border Force staff can also add comments to the cards such as travelling companions and the amount of cash a person is carrying.
The cards are set to be scrapped on October 1 as part of the Government’s “digital transformation” of border controls. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/838241/Government-plan-ease-checks-16-MILLION-non-EU-migrants-security
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8-7-17 The streets of the Northern Ireland’s capital descended into chaos as anger at the police spilled over into action.
Gangs of masked youths torched cars, hurled bottles and Molotov cocktails at officers in the Markets area, close to the city centre.
A local councillor branded the action “mindless vandalism” as photos showed at least two burned out wreckages of cars, with the windows smashed and paint hurled over others.
The situation is said to have turned ugly after Belfast City Council removed wood from the site of a nationalist bonfire, angering residents who live in a predominantly nationalist neighbourhood.
FLYNET SPLASHNEWS
The streets of the Northern Ireland’s capital have descended into chaos
Tension has risen between nationalist and loyalist groups in the city, with the council attempting to quell unrest by cracking down on the number of bonfires springing up across Belfast.
A number of bonfires were due to be burned over summer to mark the anniversary of the introduction of the controversial state policy of internment - detention without trial - on 9 August 1971.
A council spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that bonfire material was removed from a car park during an operation in the Markets area today."
FLYNET SPLASHNEWS
Tension has risen between nationalist and loyalist groups in the city
Deirdre Hargey
Police Service of Northern Ireland superintendent Andrea McMullan said the "localised" disorder was the fault of a "small group of youths".
She said: "We are working with local representatives and members of the community to address the situation," she said.
"There has been some stone-throwing, damage to parked cars and a number of petrol bombs have also been thrown.
Emmet McDonoughBrown @EmmetMcDB
Disgraceful damage to peoples cars. No excuse for it whatsoever. If you saw anything suspicious in the area report to @PoliceServiceNI
"Local residents of the Markets do not want this kind of activity on their doorsteps and we would urge those engaged in violence and criminal damage to stop - and go home."
The Sinn Fein councillor for the Markets area, Deirdre Hargey, said: "The damage to cars in Stewart Street is unacceptable and I condemn those responsible in the strongest possible way.
"Both commuters and residents have been affected. Cars have been smashed with stones and several have been set alight. It is nothing short of mindless vandalism.
FLYNET SPLASHNEWS
"There is no defending this behaviour at all and it needs to stop now.
"I'm asking all parents to take responsibility for their children and know where they are at all times. The community, both young and old, have been involved in a positive community festival over the last few days and those involved in this negative behaviour damage the good reputation of this community.
The community does not want this type of behaviour and it's not representative of the people of this area.”
Alliance councillor Emmet McDonough Brown also condemned the rioting, tweeting: “Damage to cars & attacks on police near Stewart Street is disgraceful, wrong, and not representative of community. Totally counterproductive.”
He branded the perpetrators as “thugs who have no place in the community”.
And he appealed for calm, saying: “Belfast is a thriving, cosmopolitan city and we cannot allow the thugs behind these recent attacks to detract from the positive image of Belfast that attracts investors and tourists alike.” http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/838158/chaos-streets-police-youth-violence-Belfast-vandals-petrol-bombs-Northern-Ireland
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8-7-17 France’s interior minister has pledged to welcome an additional 3,500 migrants to the country next year after President Emmanuel Macron vowed to “no longer see anyone on the streets”. Gérard Collomb told the Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper that as well as creating the additional accommodation for migrants, he planned to “speed up the processing of administrative situations to allow people who file applications to be accommodated in existing places”. The move comes as Mr Macron’s domestic approval ratings have plummeted as criticism grows over conditions at refugee camps in Calais on France’s northern coast — where charities say the situation is much worse than a year ago. https://www.ft.com/content/6d1c3db4-7a9e-11e7-ab01-a13271d1ee9c
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8-7-17
Italy’s ultimatum to EU - Eastern Europe must take migrants or we’ll block their cash
ITALY’S former Prime Minister has delivered a furious ultimatum to Eastern Europe demanding they take a fair share of migrants or face economic sanctions.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/837984/Italy-EU-refugee-crisis-latest-news-migrant-quota-eastern-european-Matteo-Renzi
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