A group thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, on a lifeboat after the small boat in which they were travelling was intercepted in the Channel on Wednesday. PA
A group thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, on a lifeboat after the small boat in which they were travelling was intercepted in the Channel on Wednesday. PA
A group thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, on a lifeboat after the small boat in which they were travelling was intercepted in the Channel on Wednesday. PA
A group thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, on a lifeboat after the small boat in which they were travelling was intercepted in the Channel on Wednesday. PA

Man stabbed crossing the Channel on busiest day for migrant arrivals this year


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

A man was stabbed while making the journey across the English Channel in a small boat on Wednesday, as a record 450 migrants made the perilous journey to the UK.

The Home Office said the stabbing was an isolated incident, while police confirmed they were investigating.

A police representative told The Sun: "At 12.52pm on Wednesday, March 20, Kent Police received a report of a man with injuries consistent with stab wounds, following the arrival of a small boat at Dover Western Docks.

"The man has been taken to hospital with injuries which are not described as life-threatening and officers are carrying out inquiries to establish the full circumstances, including where, when and how the injuries were sustained."

It came on what is thought to be the busiest day of the year for illegal Channel crossings, with pictures showing large numbers of people being brought to shore by Border Force officials in Dover.

With the weather calm, the 450 migrants arrived on eight small boats on Wednesday, according to reports.

The total beats the previous high of 401 set on March 4.

A total of 3,529 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the cross-Channel journey from France, according to the latest provisional Home Office figures. A seven-year-old girl died this month after a boat in which she was travelling capsized.

Ministers are under renewed pressure to chart a course forward for the government's troubled Rwanda Bill, as a parliamentary stand-off over the legislation persists.

The plan to send some undocumented asylum seekers on a one-way ticket to Kigali, Rwanda's capital, was dealt another blow on Wednesday when peers inflicted a further series of defeats to the draft law.

MPs rejected a string of changes made to the draft legislation by the House of Lords earlier this week and ministers urged the unelected chamber to help get it on to the statute books.

But peers have again pressed their demands for revisions to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, including overturning the bid to oust the courts from the process.

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, sought to blame Labour for the latest setback, claiming the opposition was seeking to thwart its passage.

He said: "While Labour and their allies try anything to delay, disrupt or destroy that plan, people are risking their lives in the hands of people who don't care if they die as long as they pay.

"The talking needs to end so we can get on with the job of saving lives and stopping the boats."

But his opposite number, Yvette Cooper, said the government would be bringing the bill back next week to "get on with it" if they were serious about implementing their plan.

"The half-a-billion-pound Rwanda scheme is a failing farce, which will only cover less than 1 per cent of asylum arrivals," she said.

"It is clearer than ever that Rishi Sunak knows this plan won't work and only sees it as a political gimmick to get what the former immigration minister described as 'symbolic flights off just before an election'."

100,000 migrants cross the Channel in five years - in pictures

  • It is thought the number of migrants who have arrived in the UK since 2018 by crossing the English Channel on small boats now exceeds 100,000. PA
    It is thought the number of migrants who have arrived in the UK since 2018 by crossing the English Channel on small boats now exceeds 100,000. PA
  • The milestone adds pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to fulfil his pledge to “stop the boats”. PA
    The milestone adds pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to fulfil his pledge to “stop the boats”. PA
  • An aerial view shows rolled-up inflatable dinghies and outboard engines, stored in a Port Authority yard in Dover. AFP
    An aerial view shows rolled-up inflatable dinghies and outboard engines, stored in a Port Authority yard in Dover. AFP
  • A group of people thought to be migrants are driven away from Dover. PA
    A group of people thought to be migrants are driven away from Dover. PA
  • Migrants are being hosted on the Bibby Stockholm, which is being used as an accommodation barge in Dorset. AFP
    Migrants are being hosted on the Bibby Stockholm, which is being used as an accommodation barge in Dorset. AFP
  • Migrants seeking asylum in the UK have also been housed at Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent. PA
    Migrants seeking asylum in the UK have also been housed at Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent. PA
  • A migrant walks back to his makeshift camp at sunrise after a failed attempt to cross the Channel in Sangatte, near Calais. Reuters
    A migrant walks back to his makeshift camp at sunrise after a failed attempt to cross the Channel in Sangatte, near Calais. Reuters

The latest move means a continuation of the Westminster impasse known as parliamentary "ping pong", where the chambers bat one another's proposed changes to draft legislation back and forth.

There is little chance of the bill being cleared before MPs leave Westminster for the Easter break next Tuesday.

The bill and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to prevent further legal challenges to the stalled asylum scheme after the Supreme Court ruled the plan was unlawful.

As well as compelling judges to regard the east African country as safe, it would also give ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions.

But the Lords has again insisted on an amendment to restore the jurisdiction of domestic courts in relation to the safety of Rwanda and enable them to intervene.

Peers also renewed their demand for the bill to have "due regard" for domestic and international law and for Rwanda to be declared safe only when the protections in the treaty are fully implemented and while they remain in place.

Other changes included moves to reduce the risk of unaccompanied children being sent to Rwanda and a block on the removal of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as those who have worked with the UK military or government overseas, such as Afghan interpreters.

While you're here
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Countries recognising Palestine

France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra

 

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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 four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

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

What is tokenisation?

Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets. 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

The cost of Covid testing around the world

Egypt

Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists

Information can be found through VFS Global.

Jordan

Dh212

Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.

Cambodia

Dh478

Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.

Zanzibar

AED 295

Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.

Abu Dhabi

Dh85

Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.

UK

From Dh400

Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.

Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

GP3 qualifying, 10:15am

Formula 2, practice 11:30am

Formula 1, first practice, 1pm

GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm

Formula 1 second practice, 5pm

Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm

Updated: March 28, 2024, 12:53 PM