19 h. ago Cate Blanchett dedicates Freedom of the City of London to ‘those fleeing persecution’

Cate Blanchett dedicates Freedom of the City of London to ‘those fleeing persecution’  The Independent

Politics

20 h. ago Cate Blanchett is honoured with the Freedom of the City of London for her acting work and humanitarian campaigning

Cate Blanchett is honoured with the Freedom of the City of London for her acting work and humanitarian campaigning  Daily Mail

Politics

1 week ago How Europe’s immigration crackdown is fuelling smuggling gangs – video

It has been 10 years since the migrant crisis began - when thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty sought refuge in Europe. A decade later, migration remains one of the continent’s most divisive and politicised issues.Across Europe, anti-immigrant policies have hardened, physical border walls have gone up, and new barriers - both visible and invisible - continue to appear. As a result, migrants are forced on to ever more dangerous routes in search of safety. And the smuggling gangs that EU politicians claim to want to stop are growing more powerful than ever.The Guardian’s European community affairs correspondent, Ashifa Kassam, and video journalist Frances Rankin travel to the edges of ‘Fortress Europe’ to find out what 10 years of tightening migration policy means for people on the move today. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Asylum changes seek to use children as a weapon, says Labour peer Alf Dubs

Dubs, who was a child refugee, says Shabana Mahmood’s ‘shabby’ plans will increase community tensionsUK politics live – latest updatesThe home secretary is seeking “to use children as a weapon” in her changes to the asylum system, a veteran Labour peer who came to Britain as a child refugee has said.Alf Dubs, who arrived in the UK aged six in 1939 fleeing the persecution of Jews in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, described Shabana Mahmood’s proposals as “a shabby thing”. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago The Guardian view on Labour’s asylum plans: ministers cannot out

Shabana Mahmood’s asylum overhaul burdens an overstretched system and hands political advantage to her opponentsIn government, politicians often mistake gestures for progress. It is disappointing to see Shabana Mahmood succumb to that temptation. The home secretary’s flurry of proposals are designed to signal purpose, but constitute a wishlist of demands that her department can’t deliver. Currently, those fleeing persecution are given a five-year right to stay in the country and can apply for settled status after that. Ms Mahmood wants refugees to stay in the country initially only for a 30-month period, and then review their status to see whether they will be allowed to remain in the country for another 30 months. After two decades in Britain, they could apply to stay here permanently.Denmark is held up as the model. A decade ago a centre-left government there was under pressure, with a surging populist right and immigration dominating voters’ concerns. Danish Social Democrats clai...

Politics

4 w. ago US will limit number of refugees to 7,500 and give priority to white South Africans

Low number represents a dramatic drop after US previously allowed in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and persecutionThe Trump administration is going to restrict the number of refugees it admits into the United States next year to the token level of just 7,500 – and those spots will mostly be filled by white South Africans.The low number represents a dramatic drop after the US previously allowed in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and persecution from around the world. Continue reading...

Events