People are held on a beach after crossing the English Channel to the UK. Lord Justice Edis said there was concern with a failure of governance that allowed an unlawful policy to operate against people who made crossings to the UK for an unknown period of time. EPA
People are held on a beach after crossing the English Channel to the UK. Lord Justice Edis said there was concern with a failure of governance that allowed an unlawful policy to operate against people who made crossings to the UK for an unknown period of time. EPA
People are held on a beach after crossing the English Channel to the UK. Lord Justice Edis said there was concern with a failure of governance that allowed an unlawful policy to operate against people who made crossings to the UK for an unknown period of time. EPA
People are held on a beach after crossing the English Channel to the UK. Lord Justice Edis said there was concern with a failure of governance that allowed an unlawful policy to operate against people

UK 'failure of governance' permitted Channel asylum seekers' phones to be taken illegally


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

Asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel can claim compensation after immigration officials unlawfully confiscated their mobile phones, the High Court ruled.

Judges said a “failure of governance” at the Home Office led to “robust denials” being wrongly made in High Court proceedings about the existence of an unlawful blanket policy of taking mobile phones.

Lord Justice Edis said: “We are concerned with a failure of governance which allowed an unlawful policy to operate for an unknown period of time before November 2020.”

Anyone whose mobile phone was seized between April and November 2020 after crossing the English Channel may be eligible for compensation. That is believed to be about 1,300 people.

Three people, who cannot be identified, won a legal challenge against the home secretary in March after it was admitted their mobile phones were unlawfully taken from them and other people crossing in small boats.

After the three issued their claims at the High Court in London, lawyers acting for the Home Office repeatedly denied there was a blanket policy and asserted that it was lawful to seize mobile phones from some asylum claimants.

The Home Office later realised such a blanket policy had been in operation during the relevant period and, after “very significant concessions” were made on behalf of the department, Lord Justice Edis and Justice Lane ruled in favour of the three.

They were separately arrested after being intercepted at sea on small boats between April and September 2020. Officials confiscated their property at Tug Haven in Dover, Kent.

In their March ruling, judges said there was an “apparent failure” by the then home secretary Priti Patel — for which she had apologised “to comply with her duty of candour” when responding to the claims.

Lord Justice Edis said the factors that led to the error being made included the great pressure staff were under dealing with small boat crossings, media scrutiny, legal process and the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said documents seen by the court showed that those at the Home Office who were dealing with the High Court claims, as well as those responsible for applying the policy, “failed to prioritise the need to ensure that everything that was done was lawful”.

This meant, he said, that the policies being applied at the time were “ad hoc” and were not clearly understood by those applying them, nor clearly recorded, which made it “more difficult than it should have been to communicate accurately and quickly what those policies were”.

The judge said it was “very surprising” that the mistake was not reported because some of those working on the legal challenges were also, at around the same time, drawing up a change in the policy — to ensure it was not applied indiscriminately to every migrant — which took effect in November 2020.

THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

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Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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Ashes 2019 schedule

August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston

August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's

August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley

September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

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Price: From Dh149,900

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

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South Korea

Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm

Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km

Updated: October 15, 2022, 12:05 PM`