Latest news with #return
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Downing Street ‘confident' UK-France migrant returns deal complies with law
Britain's migrant return deal with France is 'robust' against legal challenge and the EU is expected to approve the scheme, Downing Street has said, after the French President suggested it needed to be ratified before put into action. The UK is 'confident' the agreement complies with both domestic and international law and has discussed the plans with Brussels, Number 10 said on Friday. The one in, one out migrant return scheme set out by the Prime Minister and Emmanuel Macron is due to begin within weeks, but still needs final legal verification and consultation with Brussels. Asked whether the Government was concerned about the scheme potentially being held up in the courts, a Number 10 spokesman said: 'We've done a lot of work to make sure the system is robust to legal challenges, and of course, France is a safe country and a member of the ECHR. 'We're confident that this arrangement complies with both domestic and international law, and clearly… we've discussed these arrangements already with the (European) Commission.' The Prime Minister is holding talks with his Cabinet at an 'away day' at Chequers, his grace-and-favour Chequers country estate, on Friday after securing the agreement on Thursday. Ministers expect the commission to support the arrangement, Downing Street said, amid concerns among some European governments that migrants who have travelled to Britain could end up back on their territory. Under the pilot scheme, for each small boat migrant sent back across the English Channel an asylum seeker will be allowed to enter the UK from France under a legal route. By resetting our relationships across Europe, my government has made new levels of co-operation possible. For the first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France — smashing the business model of people smuggling gangs. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 11, 2025 No details have been given about how many people will be covered by the pilot, but French officials had indicated it could initially be limited to about 50 a week – a small fraction of the weekly average this year of 782. Speaking to broadcasters on Friday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper declined to put a number on the scheme but she insisted it would 'fundamentally undermine' the people smugglers organising the crossings. Meanwhile, crossings continued in the Channel on Friday, with HM Coastguard confirming UK Border Force and RNLI vessels had been sent to respond to 'multiple incidents' involving small boats. At least 21,000 people have already made the journey since January, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings. To those considering dangerous Channel crossings – there is now no guarantee you will remain in the UK. The UK-France pilot agreement undermines the business model of the criminal gangs who profit from endangering the lives of migrants. — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) July 11, 2025 The returns scheme will be accompanied by a crackdown on illegal working in the UK as the Government attempts to address the 'pull factors' encouraging people to attempt the crossing from France. The Home Office said authorities would soon undertake 'a major nationwide blitz targeting illegal working hotspots, focusing on the gig economy and migrants working as delivery riders'. Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have already committed to ramp up facial verification and fraud checks over the coming months after being called in for talks with ministers. Mr Macron has repeatedly stressed the need for the UK to avoid attracting migrants, saying 'you should not underestimate the impact the situation has' in parts of northern France around Calais and Dunkirk. He said a third of illegal migrants entering Europe's Schengen border-free area sought to eventually reach the UK, and welcomed measures to tackle illegal work. Prominent figures including former head of MI6 Sir Alex Younger and former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair have made the case for digital ID cards to deter Channel crossings. Number 10 has publicly downplayed the prospect of introducing such a measure but said the Government was 'always looking for a range of solutions'. Asked on Friday why the proposal was not part of Government plans, a spokesman said: 'It is not Government policy. 'Our focus is on a huge rollout of e-visas, with more than 10 million of them already issued, clearly. 'As we demonstrated over the last couple of days, we are always looking for a range of solutions to both illegal migration and illegal working. But mandatory ID cards are not parts of our plans.' Sir Keir said the 'completely unprecedented' scale of the crackdown on illegal working would mean for cross-Channel migrants that 'the jobs they have been promised in the UK will no longer exist'.
LBCI
6 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Syrian returns from Lebanon to begin under UN-backed plan
Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, U.N.-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns. Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said. "I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said. The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria. Reuters
CNN
08-07-2025
- General
- CNN
Pamela Brown shares her memories of attending Camp Mystic
CNN's Pamela Brown reflects on her return to Camp Mystic, where she spent a summer as a young girl, after the deadly Texas flooding.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Guilty Brit returns Pompeii relics stolen by his 'Uncle Bob' more than 50 years ago in latest example of tourists returning artefacts illegally taken from the ancient site
A guilty British man has returned Pompeii relics that were stolen by his 'Uncle Bob' over 50 years ago. Nephew Paul shipped five chunks of plaster from the walls of ancient site back to the Pompeii Archaeological Park alongside an apology note and explanation. Inside the wooden box containing the artefacts, a note read: 'These stones were taken from the site at Pompeii. Illegally by Uncle Bob'. Paul had wrapped the box in bubble wrap to ensure the safety of the stones on their three-hour journey from Bolton to Naples after they had been stored in the attic of his uncle's Manchester home for over five decades. In images shared by the Pompeii Archaeological Site's Facebook page last week, another note can be seen left by Paul with the backstory of how Uncle Bob came to be in possession of the stones. The second note read: 'Hi, I spoke to Sophie Hay about finding pieces of rock found in my great uncle Bob' attic, with a note stating he had stole them from Pompeii in the 70s. As promises, we have returned them back to you. Regards, Paul'. But this is not the first time someone has shipped back their plaster chunks stolen from the ancient site. Grateful for the return, the Pompeii Archaeological Site explained the chilling reasons why many previous visitors decide to return their stolen artefacts. 'Every now and then, packages arrive in Pompeii with stolen artifacts over the years, which visitors then decide to return. Some because they are victims of the so-called "curse of Pompeii", that "bad luck" that can strike those who steal artifacts, which pushes many tourists, after a while, to send back by mail what was taken from the site,' it said on Facebook. Last year a tourist who stole pumice stones from Pompeii returned the artefacts along with a grovelling letter, claiming the pilfered fragments were 'cursed'. The woman sent a package containing three small stones and a letter written in English saying she 'didn't know about the curse' of Pompeii when she stole the artefacts during a holiday in southern Italy. The young tourist, who did not give her name, revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer within a year of her visit to Pompeii in the letter. 'I didn't know about the curse. I didn't know that I should not take any rocks,' the woman wrote. 'Within a year, I got breast cancer. I am a young and healthy female, and doctors said it was "just bad luck".' 'Please accept my apology and these pieces,' the tourist added, before signing off the letter with 'I'm sorry' in Italian. In 2020, a Canadian woman, identified only as Nicole, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora and a piece of ceramics she had pilfered from Pompeii to a travel agent in the Italian city. Nicole, who had stolen the artefacts in 2005, said she was returning them after they had given her 15 years of bad luck. She wrote a letter of confession in which she detailed her theft and her subsequent run of misfortune, including two cases of breast cancer and financial hardship. Nicole wrote: 'Please, take them back, they bring bad luck.' She said she took the artefacts because she wanted to own a piece of history that no one else had, but they had 'so much negative energy... linked to that land of destruction'. At the time, she said: 'I am now 36 and had breast cancer twice. The last time ending in a double mastectomy. 'My family and I also had financial problems. We're good people and I don't want to pass this curse on to my family or children.' Her package also contained another letter of confession written by a couple from Canada who stole from the site in 2005. She said they took the artefacts without thinking of those who suffered there thousands of years ago. So many stolen relics have been returned to the site along with letters expressing guilt that officials at Pompeii set up a museum to display them. Some thieves have even tried to sell parts of Pompeii online, with a brick from the ruins appearing on eBay in 2015.
Washington Post
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Ricky Hatton, 46, to make boxing comeback in Dubai
MANCHESTER, England — Ricky Hatton, the 46-year-old former two-weight world champion, will return to the ring to fight in the United Arab Emirates in December, 13 years after he retired. The Manchester native, who turns 47 in October, will face Eisa Al Dah in Dubai on Dec. 2, it has been announced.
