MAY 01, 2024

The detentions come following the passage of the Safety of Rwanda Act, which declared the central African nation a safe country for failed asylum seekers to be sent to.

Officers have raided the homes of the first people to be deported to Rwanda.

told It comes following the recent passing of the Safety of Rwanda Act, which declared the central African nation safe following concerns raised by the Supreme Court last year.

A video released by the Home Office showed officers entering homes and bringing out people detained in handcuffs, before putting them in the back of secure vans.

According to the government, "operational teams within the Home Office have been working at pace to safely and swiftly detain individuals in scope for relocation to Rwanda, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks".

It comes after a failed asylum seeker voluntarily chose to go to Kigali once their application to stay in the UK failed.

The Rwanda plan has been a major policy for the Conservative government since April 2022, but has faced repeated legal challenges.

It is understood that women are among those detained.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "Our Rwanda partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.

"Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.

"This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs."

The government has previously said it has 2,200 "detention spaces", alongside 200 new caseworkers and 500 "highly trained escorts" ready.

It added that planes have been booked, with flights set to take off in nine to 11 weeks' time.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, told Sky News the scheme was equivalent to flogging a dead horse.

He told political editor Beth Rigby: "I don't believe in the scheme. I don't think it will work.

"I know we have to stop the boats.

"I want to get going with our plan - stop the boats on day one, which requires us to stop the gangs that are running this vile trade or to work with law enforcement across the borders to make sure that people are not getting the boats in the first place.

"And that's why I've already had discussions in The Hague about how quickly we can share data and intelligence to do that.

"So I'm absolutely determined to tackle this problem because the government has lost control of the borders.

"What I'm not going to do is flog a dead horse."

The Rwanda plan was introduced in a bid to deter people from crossing the Channel in small boats and entering the UK illegally.

Since the passage of the latest legislation, tensions have grown between the UK and Ireland after people entered the Republic to escape facing deportation.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

But the government in Westminster says it will not take people back until a reciprocal agreement is put in place to allow returns to France for people who cross the Channel.

The latest figures show that 7,567 people have crossed the Channel since the start of 2024 - 27% higher than this time last year, and 13% higher than the equivalent period in 2022.

MAY 02, 2024

Nigerian travellers are at risk whenever they fly as critical airport infrastructure meant to ensure their safety creaks on the back of poor maintenance.

Safety infrastructures such as runways, communication aids, navigational aids, airfield lights, aircraft evacuation equipment among others are poorly maintained, increasingly threatening air safety, BusinessDay’s findings show.

Concerns have been raised on how poor maintenance of key safety infrastructures across airports in the country may have led to recent serious air incidents, raising questions about Nigeria in the global aviation space.

BusinessDay’s findings show that Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt airport runways are not regularly rubberised to avoid airlines from skidding off the runway during rainy season because of the slippery ground.

Horace Miller-Jaja, a captain with over 40 years of experience in Nigeria told BusinessDay that runway 18L at the Lagos airport has had a history of being slippery when it rains.

“The Lagos airport has asphalt runway, no grooves. Drainage has often been an issue. One would want to ask when the runway was rubberised last in preparation for the coming raining seasoning,” Miller-Jaja said.

Over the years, aircraft have continued to skid off runways across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt airports, which has made the need to rubberise these runways urgent.

The captain said airport infrastructure has to be maintained and improved upon to enhance the safety.

“Poor non-calibrated navigational aids affect the accuracy of aircrafts using these aids such as Very High frequency (VHF) omni-directional range (VORs) and Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at airports,” Miller-Jaja said.

He said the ripple effect of having poor safety infrastructures is that the airspace will be downgraded and classed as unsafe by world bodies such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Pilot associations around the globe.

He also said airlines could stop flying into the country, because their assessments and audits do not meet acceptable standards to fly into the airport.

Umar Ahmed Farouk, the managing director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) disclosed recently that some airlines avoided the Nigerian airspace because they found it extremely difficult to communicate with air traffic controllers; because the communication system was weak and over-saturated due to demand.

Farouk hinted that as the industry is growing, it is expected that more routes will open but there was no corresponding facility to match the emerging air traffic.

He said this is the reason NAMA decided it was going to invest in infrastructure.

“The funding is not there. We are approaching it systematically to make sure that communication is good,” Farouk said.

“Recently, the minister approached the presidency for intervention and N40 billion was budgeted but we are yet to access the money.

“As soon as it is done, we will be able to tackle safety critical challenges that are before us as far as communication is concerned. If you go to Navaids, we are also having obsolete facilities. For an average electronic system, the lifespan is about ten years. Most of these electronics have been working for the past 15-20 years.

“You will expect the performance to be below the standard. We are replacing them. If not for funding, we would have finished replacing all of them,” Farouk said.

“The TRACON we are having has been having challenges. I will categorically tell you that since 2014, we have not had enough spare parts. The cost of spares is the issue and the obsolete state of the equipment.

“The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the modernization of the TRACON system. 15 percent of the fund has been paid and we are hopeful when the presentation from Thales, they will commence installation as soon as other things are put in place,” he said.

BusinessDay findings show that when there incidents with aircraft at the Lagos airport, the busiest airport in Nigeria, there are no towing equipment on ground to tow the aircrafts from the airside and this is the reason why the runway is closed for almost a whole day and airlines have to divert flights each time there is an air incident at the airport.

The recent Dana incident led to the temporary closure of the Lagos runway for over 18 hours.

“That runway was closed for the whole day during the Dana incident. The equipment for evacuating aircraft from the runway has been taken away from the Lagos runway and taken to Kano. Lagos that has more aircraft and traffic do not have that equipment at the moment. This is the issue the ministry should address urgently,” Olamide Ohunayo, an aviation analyst said.

Ohunayo hinted that the recent runway occurrence is a bit worrying but there is a need to look beyond the airlines.

He said as we await investigation of Dana Air by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), there is a need to look at the infrastructure that could lead to runway incidents especially during the rainy season.

“Some airports have issues with runway lights and all these have roles to play in these serious incidents,” he added.

John Ojikutu, industry expert and the CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, said there is a lot wrong with the airport safety management system.

“If runways are regularly rubberised, are they done by qualified persons and certified by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)?,” Ojikutu said.

“Did NAMA do the relevant inspection on the runway before it was open to flight operations. The way an aircraft that has gone for Periodic Maintenance cannot be put into operations without the NCAA certification or approval, so should the runways not be put into use without the approval of the responsible authority, the NCAA,” Ojikutu said.

Apart from the runways, he said several other airport infrastructure that can affect air safety include poor runway lightings and the approach lightings, the Visual Approach Slope Indicators, approach plane that is below minimum safe level where there is no ILS or where the ILS safe level has exceeded the tolerance safety levels.

“Others include Acqua plant on the runways if not inspected and reported to the pilot. There are regulations for the periodic maintenance and auditing of all safety infrastructure, services and the skills of responsible manpower management. It is the responsibility of the NCAA to oversee that these are regularly done and where there is doubt, the NCAA must enforce the rules and regulations,” he added.

MAY 04, 2024

After a previously aborted attempt in 2013, Milan's council made another attempt to ban ice cream and pizza after midnight from the streets of the city earlier this month.

By Simone Baglivo, Europe producer, and Kieren Williams, news reporter

Milan has once again backed down on attempts to ban ice cream from its streets after midnight.

Following widespread criticism, the city's council has U-turned on its plans that would have cracked down on late night snacking on its streets.

The council claimed the proposed ban was to protect the "tranquility" of residents, but for many a late-night gelato is a part of Italian culture.

Earlier this month, Milan's local government filed a legislative starting paper which would have banned the serving of ice cream and pizzas outdoors in the northern Italian city late at night, starting from 17 May.

However, following a widespread backlash, security councillor Marco Granelli has said the local government has backed down.

He said the new law will instead focus on drinks, especially alcohol, and ice cream and takeaway foods will not be banned.

"We can say right now that ice cream is not the item we are interested in and will be excluded from the bans," he said.

"About other food, we are testing different technical options."

The local government will "collect observations" on the matter until 10 May, Mr Granelli added.

The proposed ban would have covered 12 districts, kicking in from 12.30am on weekdays, and 1.30am on weekends and public holidays, applying to outdoor tables only.

Mr Granelli previously said: "The goal is to seek a balance between socialising and entertainment, and the peace and tranquility of residents."

The decision to abandon the ban has been praised by the president of the Italian Federation of Businesses.

Lino Enrico Stoppani told Sky News: "The anti-ice cream law was absurd and was a devastating message for the tourism we live on."

Mr Stoppani also hit out at the local government for increasing taxes and instead called for the municipality to "first combat illegal activities and increase law and order".

This is not the first time Milan has made an attempt to ban ice cream.

Back in 2013, the then mayor Giuliano Pisapia tried to implement similar measures.

But he too faced a fierce backlash, including a reported 'occupy gelato' movement, which led to him backing down.

He was reported as having said after backtracking: "People can eat ice cream day and night, anywhere they like."

MAY 04, 2024

• Agreement comes after airlines expressed concerns about costs
• Carriers had until May to review the city’s newest proposal

(Bloomberg) -- United Airlines Holdings Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. have reached an agreement to press ahead with an $8.5 billion revamp of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, the world’s fourth busiest airport.

The deal comes after months of disagreements over ballooning costs for the project, which was first announced in 2018. In separate statements, the dual hub partners said they and the city have found a solution to avoid further delays and keep costs in check — although it won’t be easy. 

“The path ahead will be challenging, and we’ll all need to continue working together to get this project completed within the allotted budget,” American said in a statement.

Mayor Brandon Johnson praised the agreement. “We look forward to prioritizing the O’Hare Global Terminal to bring benefits to the traveling public sooner, while providing thousands of jobs and contracting opportunities to Chicago,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. 

Chicago unveiled the expansion plan for O’Hare in 2018, vowing to transform the aging hub into a global showcase. But six years later, very little has been done and estimates for the project were running some $2 billion over budget.

Under the agreement, the airlines will need to approve any plans to cut the scope of the project or add to the budget, according to United. Construction will also happen in phases, with priority being given to the construction of one of two satellite concourses.

The Chicago Department of Aviation will also plan a phased construction of the Global Terminal, which would replace the existing terminal two.

“The Global Terminal has always been the centerpiece of this program and the crucial piece needed to ensure Chicago maintains its status as a global hub,” United said in a statement. “Under this new phasing plan, we can deliver the most impactful elements of the modernization project the quickest.”

The full scope of the agreement has yet to be announced by either the city or the airlines, and it’s not yet clear whether it will include the 25% gate increase that had previously been a part of the project. Reaching that target is critical, Senator Tammy Duckworth said at a groundbreaking event for improvements to Terminal 3 last month. 

“The end goal is always to get the point where we have the 25% increase,” she said. “We can’t go through all of this and only have three additional gates.”

(Updates to add Chicago mayor’s statement and background.)

MAY 05, 2024

By Ogaga Ariemu

The Nigerian government said it plans to reduce the number of security checks at the country’s airports.

The development comes as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN and the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA partner to cut down on multiple security checks at Nigerian airports.

Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director of FAAN, disclosed this at the weekend.

According to her, multiple airport checks have become a menace in Nigeria.

Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director of FAAN, at the weekend, disclosed that the agency and the office of the NSA have agreed to carry

“On the issue of checking my baggage, it borders me so much, and that was the first inquiry that I made when I assumed office. As far back as 2011 and 2012, when I was in the industry, I worked on this with the former Minister.

“It goes beyond FAAN, a lot of those agencies, Customs, NDLEA, Quarantine, Agriculture, we now have EFCC, we have almost everybody at the airports, we had Executive order 001 during the Buhari administration to move them out under the then Vice President office, now we have the National Single Window, I have personally sat with the NSA over the last five weeks to have conversations with him as to how we will streamline the facilitation.

“We have agreed on a few things; the first one is a short-term intervention where we reduce the number of agencies at the airports because we have some that were doing just sort of routine checks, just moving around to observe rather than disturbing passengers,” she stated.

MAY 05, 2024

Story by Mollie Quirk

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been branded as "naïve" for ignoring a stark security warning ahead of their Nigeria trip.

The couple, who stepped down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, will be visiting the West African country shortly after Harry's return trip to the UK. Harry is returning to his home country this coming week for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, with the Duke due to give a reading at St Paul's Cathedral.

The trip to Nigeria is also in honour of the sporting event, with the Sussexes set to take part in talks about the games. According to reports, it is believed that Harry and Meghan will be travelling to the West African country with a team of people from the Archewell company and will likely stay at a lavish hotel.

The couple have been advised to keep a low profile during their visit to Nigeria to reduce security risks, a former head of royal protection has said. But former Divisional Commander in the Metropolitan Police, Dai Davies, has warned the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could struggle to do that after it emerged the couple will visit the African country in May.

Mr Davies spoke to the Express, where he warned the couple could face several security risks on their trip. Warning them to keep a low profile due to potential terror threats, disease and kidnapping attempts, he said: "But Harry and Meghan don't know the meaning of low profile.

"It's a brave man to say Nigeria is safe. But they are private citizens now. They can go where they like with their protection officers. They are probably ex-military and I'm sure are very good."

Touching on the couple's "naivety", he told the paper: "I think there's a naivety in him and those advising him. There's a narrative born out of privilege: 'If I want to go somewhere, then why shouldn't I?'

"But I would be very careful, looking at all the circumstances of this visit, and ensuring it's as safe as possible."

MAY 05, 2024

The United kingdom (UK) says only international students coming in for their Doctor of Philosophy.(PhD) studies were eligible to bring in dependents to the country.

Dr. Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria made this known in an interview with the Newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that, the educational system policy changed earlier this year for international students in higher education not to bring dependents into the UK was to curb the increase of foreign student bringing in dependents.

He explained that the huge surge in dependence was putting an unsustainable pressure on many universities, adding that, it was the reason these changes were introduced.

Montgomery added that before his posting as High Commissioner to Nigeria, he had spoken to some of these universities on the policy change, which had been in the pipeline for some time.

He noted that the universities Chancellors had complained of the huge student populations’ highlighting that accommodation was a huge challenge, access to medical services under the National Health Service and access to school if they brought in dependents.

According to him, the restrictions do not apply to all categories, adding that those doing a long term research degree, like a PhD, or doctorate were not affected.

“Those coming to the UK for doctorate can still bring their dependency but if you are coming to the UK with a study visa for an undergraduate degree, or short term master’s degree am afraid the rules have been changed.

“People need to understand why this change was brought in, and it is a sensible change because we have a large higher education sector and most of these universities are in towns across the country.

“There has been a surge recently, in demand for British education and I can give you the macro figures and there has also been a huge increase in foreign students bringing their dependants.

“In the case of Nigeria, in 2019, before the Coronavirus pandemic, there were only one and a half thousand dependents being brought in from Nigeria, with those on study visas,

“In 2022, that figure had increased to fifty two thousand dependants so that’s a thirty fold increase in dependence. And it’s not just about Nigeria by the way.

“It is also about all foreign students, we saw similar rises, for example amongst Indian students coming to study in the UK,” he added.

Speaking on the policy initiation it is early to ascertain the impact of the policy on undergraduates because these changes were announced in 2023, but came into effect early this year and we would have to wait until September 2024, before we get the next run of academic tickets, he said.

“I think what your wider audience needs to hear is that the demand for UK education is really strong, in

2022, 65,000 study visas was approved to Nigerian applicants, 65,000, while in  September  2023 we received about 115,000 Study visa applications from Nigeria.

“Of which 95 per cent were approved and over 110,000 study visas were issued last September compared to 65,000 of the previous year, there’s almost a doubling of Nigerian study visas in 2023 which means the demand is really high.

” And it is something which I am genuinely pleased and proud about that the UK has such a good higher educational sector and we are still at the six economy, and is still one of the biggest economies but we are only 2.5 per cent of the global economy.

“So we have 17 of the top 100 universities in the world. We have 17 per cent of the top universities, so it is one of our units.

“I really like the demand but there are other factors at play in terms of schooling in the UK , the value of the Naira in the coming months will also determine how easy or hard it will be for many people to afford our education.

“But I really hope that the number of people who bring dependants in UK may actually not be a majority, but a minority of people have tried to study in the UK so am hoping that the demand will be sustained.

MAY 06, 2024

By Oluyemi Ogunseyin

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, on Sunday said that the number of dependents who accompany students from Nigeria to the United Kingdom (UK) rose from 1,500 to 52,000 between 2019 and 2022. Montgomery made this known in a statement following his interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. "In the…

Richard Montgomery says dependents from Nigeria to the United Kingdom (UK) rose from 1,500 to 52,000 in three years

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, on Sunday said that the number of dependents who accompany students from Nigeria to the United Kingdom (UK) rose from 1,500 to 52,000 between 2019 and 2022.

Montgomery made this known in a statement following his interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

“In the case of Nigeria, in 2019, before the Coronavirus pandemic, there were only 1,500 dependents being brought in from Nigeria, with those on study visas,” he said.

“In 2022, that figure had increased to 52,000 dependents so that’s a thirty fold increase in dependence.”

Montgomery said the increase in dependents accompanying students to the UK is not peculiar to Nigeria alone.

He added that it is also about all foreign students, as there was a similar increase among Indians coming to study in the UK.

Montgomery disclosed that those coming to the UK for doctorate degree can still bring their dependents.

However, for those coming to the UK with a study visa for an undergraduate degree, or short term master’s degree, he said the rules have been changed.

“People need to understand why this change was brought in, and it is a sensible change because we have a large higher education sector and most of these universities are in towns across the country,” he explained.

“There has been a surge recently, in demand for British education and I can give you the macro figures and there has also been a huge increase in foreign.”

MAY 06, 2024

BY  Olasunkanmi Akinlotan

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has said it has concluded plans with the Office of the National Security Adviser to reduce the number of security checkpoints at the country’s airports.

This follows complaints by travellers who have bemoaned the delays caused by multiple physical security checks.

Speaking with newsmen over the weekend, the Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku said the agency and the office of the NSA have agreed to carry out short and long-term measures to address the issue.

Part of the measures will include the creation of a joint coordination room where all the agencies can perform the necessary checks by monitoring CCTV cameras.

Kuku noted that the issue of multiple security checkpoints was the first challenge she took up upon the assumption of office.

The FAAN MD added that she has had productive conversations with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to craft viable solutions to the issue.

She said, “On the issues of the checking of baggage, it borders me so much and that was the first inquiry that I made when I assumed office. As far back as 2011 and 2012 when I was in the industry, I have worked on this with the former Minister.

“It goes beyond FAAN, a lot of those agencies, Customs, NDLEA, Quarantine, Agriculture, we now have EFCC, we have almost everybody at the airports, we had Executive order 001 during the Buhari administration to move them out under the then Vice President office, now we have the National Single Window, I have personally sat with the NSA over the last five weeks to have conversations with him as to how we will streamline the facilitation.”

Hinting at resolutions which came out of her meeting with the security agencies, Kuku said, “We have agreed on a few things, the first one is a short-term intervention where we reduce the number of agencies at the airports.

“The second is the longer term, a joint coordination room, we do have cameras, so we are asking all of those agencies, depending on what it is they are looking for to move to the joint coordination room to look at the cameras and observe and for those that are more concerned with the baggage, they can move down to where we load the bags.”

MAY 06, 2024

BY  Angus Whitley, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Qantas Airways Ltd. will pay a A$100 million ($66 million) penalty and compensate passengers for selling tickets on thousands of flights it had already decided to cancel, as Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson continues costly repairs to the airline’s battered reputation.

Under an agreement with Australia’s competition watchdog, Qantas will also pay between A$225 to A$450 to more than 86,000 impacted customers as part of a A$20 million remediation program, the airline said Monday.

The deal settles a fiery legal dispute between Qantas and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that last year triggered the early retirement of then-Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce and led to a boardroom cleanout to repair the company’s brand.

Joyce’s replacement, Vanessa Hudson, is now footing the bill as Qantas attempts to restore its status as a marquee carrier. She kicked off her tenure last year by ploughing extra money into major customer bugbears like on-board catering and call-center staffing. Last month, she overhauled the frequent flyer business to make it easier for customers to redeem points for flights.

“Today represents another important step forward,” Hudson said Monday.

Shares in Qantas rose as much as 0.5% to A$5.91 in early Sydney trading. The stock has risen 10% this year. 

Joyce’s reign was known for its focus on shareholders, profits and bumper dividends. Hudson’s first few months have put a bigger emphasis on customers.

While Qantas on Monday apologized to passengers and acknowledged its shortcomings as flights restarted after the pandemic, the size of the fine is also a financial letoff. The ACCC was pursuing a record penalty of more than A$250 million to punish Qantas for selling tickets on flights there were never going to take off.

The watchdog claimed Qantas kept on selling tickets — typically for more than two weeks but sometimes longer than a month — on thousands of flights it had already scrapped. Qantas’ misconduct stretched from May 2021 until August 2023, affecting tens of thousands of flights, the ACCC said.

“Qantas’ conduct was egregious and unacceptable,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in a statement. “Many consumers will have made holiday, business and travel plans after booking on a phantom flight that had been cancelled.”

Impacted customers who made a booking two or more days after the flight was cancelled will receive A$225 for a domestic or trans-Tasman flight, and A$450 for an international service. This is in addition to any refund already offered.