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Migrants attacked in South Africa, five hurt

July 21, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

July 20 (Reuters) – South African residents have attacked migrants from African countries in a Johannesburg township, injuring at least five people and increasing concerns of a wave of xenophobia after the soccer World Cup.

Local media said four of those injured at Kya Sands were from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The fifth was a South African who said his attackers refused to believe he was a local.

Tensions have long been building between South Africans and millions of foreign migrants they accuse of taking jobs and homes, but open animosity appeared to be put on hold during the World Cup as South Africa showed its best face to the world.

A spate of attacks on foreign workers in 2008 killed 62 people and damaged investor confidence. Another wave could wreck the positive image that Africa’s biggest economy was able to portray during the soccer tournament.

Running battles erupted late on Monday at Kya Sands after a robbery inside the township sparked anger between locals and foreigners, the Eye Witness News website said. It took police several hours to quell the unrest.

Eye Witness News said two men had deep cuts to their heads. One said he had been attacked with an axe. A woman was carried out on her husband’s back, saying she had failed to outrun a mob and had been kicked in the chest.

Foreign migrants are estimated to make up more than 10 percent of South Africa’s population of about 49 million. Many are Zimbabweans who fled economic collapse at home.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: african countries, animosity, attackers, deep cuts, economic collapse, Eye Witness News, foreigners, Investor Confidence, Kya Sands, Local Media, migrants, positive image, reuters, soccer tournament, Soccer World Cup, South African Residents, south africans, spate, xenophobia, zimbabweans

China strike wave persists, hits Japanese firm

July 2, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

China, July 1 (Reuters) – A strike at a Japanese-owned electronics factory in north China crippled production on Thursday, widening the industrial unrest that has put manufacturers at odds with increasingly assertive workers.

Employees at the Tianjin Mitsumi Electric Co. factory continued a stoppage that began on Tuesday. Handmade banners with workers’ demands hung from the factory gate while about 20 workers gathered near a building entrance, cheering reporters outside.

The factory is wholly owned by Tokyo-listed Mitsumi Electric (6767.T), a maker of electronics components.

“Human traffickers are not welcome”, read one banner at the factory gate. “We want a pay rise” and “We want fair treatment” said others.

Mitsumi spokesman Yoshitsugu Murakami confirmed the strike at the north port city factory, but had no details about why the workers had downed tools or by how much production had been hit. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ TAKE A LOOK-China labour in the spotlight [ID:nSGE65103V] For a graph on China’s averages wages, click here ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ The plant with 3,000 workers is the latest high-profile target in slow-burning but persistent labour unrest that has hit foreign-owned companies, often left vulnerable by tight supply chains.

Over past weeks, striking workers have demanded higher wages from car parts makers and other manufacturers, especially Japanese auto parts companies with operations in the south.

Workers, many of them migrants from poor villages, say their wages have not kept up with rising prices or the profits reaped by companies using China as a low-cost production base.

Police guarded the Mitsumi plant and stopped reporters from speaking to the workers inside, underscoring the sensitivity of the unrest for the Communist Party-run government, wary of unrest that could challenge its grip on power.

The striking workers at the Mitsumi factory were demanding higher wages and improved benefits, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. [ID:nTOE65T083]

Japanese companies, with their usually tight supply chains, appear especially vulnerable to the industrial unrest. But a Chinese plant of New York-listed Ingersoll-Rand Plc (IR.N), which makes commercial air conditioning systems, was also recently hit by a three-day strike. [ID:nN28263020]

The Xinhua report on the Mitsumi strike did not say what level of pay rise the workers were demanding. One worker told Xinhua he received just 1,500 yuan ($220) a month after working two hours of overtime every working day and also working on Saturdays.

China’s domestic media have been largely mute about the strikes, apparently due to state censorship. But Xinhua has issued reports about the unrest on its English-language service.

Labour costs in China have been rising, partly encouraged by a government that wants to turn farmers and workers into more confident consumers, even as it tries to keep a lid on strikes.

Earlier strikes disrupted production at auto makers Toyota and Honda, and have laid bare the rising demands of China’s 150 million migrant workers, especially younger ones wanting their share of urban prosperity. (Writing by Chris Buckley; Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in BEIJING, Sachi Izumi in TOKYO, editing by Jonathan Thatcher)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 6767, Communist Party, Electric Co, Electronics Components, Human Traffickers, Industrial Unrest, japanese auto, japanese firm, Labour Unrest, migrants, Murakami, north china, Poor Villages, stoppage, Strike Wave, Striking Workers, Supply Chains, target, tianjin, Tight Supply

Migrants fear for future after World Cup

June 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – As Alvin Kaidar mingled with the opposition ahead of a shanty town soccer match on a red dirt clearing, he spoke of his fears — not about the upcoming game, but simply of being able to stay alive.

World

Kaidar, in his early 20s from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was taking part in a match between local South Africans from a nearby township and refugees from a squatter camp, many of whom fear a return of the deadly xenophobic attacks that struck the country in 2008.

“The majority of us foreigners are scared because we don’t have anywhere to run to,” he told Reuters on the sidelines, as players warmed up with a traditional dance and song, on a bright winter’s day.

“We are scared. I wish they would turn their minds so that we can live another life, you know, to be together like Africans. But they don’t like us.

“They all tell us, in the shop, wherever you go, they say these people after the World Cup will just chase us.”

The World Cup in South Africa has fueled a sense of pride in the country and the continent but rumors are rife that the sporadic attacks which killed 62 migrants and left 100,000 homeless in 2008 will resume once the tournament is over.

POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE

The potential for violence runs high because the foreign migrants are seen by locals as willing to work for paltry wages, taking away menial jobs and basic services.

A quarter of the South African workforce is unemployed and 16 years after apartheid ended, millions of poor blacks are yet to receive the housing, water, electricity and the improved education they had hoped for.

“This is a good event, it’s bringing people together and it gives hope,” Kaidar said, of the match organized by a Spanish charity Play4Africa and the United Nations Refugee Agency,

UNHCR.

“Football is like happiness. It can link people together because it is not often that you find foreigners and citizens coming together.”

The UNHCR regional representative Sanda Kimbimbi, talking to Reuters amongst the swirling red dust kicked up by the players as they ran, said the matches were an opportunity to address the mistrust that had built up.

“South Africa is a country of asylum,” he said. “It’s essentially a migration movement, it’s a search for employment or sometimes (it’s) because of the dire economic conditions, the dire humanitarian situation prevailing in the countries where people come from.

“South Africa is hosting the World Cup. South Africa’s image is excellent and it would be really sad if that image was to be tarnished because of the action of some people.”

The South African Institute of Race Relations estimates the number of African migrants at about five million — equal to the country’s white population.

(Writing by Kate Holton; Editing by Michael Holden)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: apartheid, Bright Winter, Democratic Republic Of Congo, improved education, Menial Jobs, migrants, Nearby Township, Poor Blacks, Red Dirt, refugee agency, Regional Representative, republic of congo, reuters, Sanda, shanty town, sidelines, south africans, sporadic attacks, Squatter Camp, traditional dance

Israeli troops kill infiltrator from Egypt-report

June 17, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

June 16 (Reuters) – Israeli soldiers shot and killed an armed infiltrator from Egypt, Israel Army Radio reported.

A military spokesman said there was no immediate comment on the incident, which took place on Tuesday along a desert border where attempted penetrations, usually by smugglers or migrants seeking jobs, are common.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Army Radio, desert, Egypt, Israel, israel army, Israel Radio, Israeli Soldiers, israeli troops, Michael Roddy, migrants, military spokesman, reuters, Seeking Jobs, smugglers

U.N. refugee body says hopes resume work in Libya

June 10, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

GENEVA, June 9 (Reuters) – The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday it wants to talk with Libya about resuming work in the country after the authorities last week told the agency it must cease operations.

The Libyan Foreign Ministry late on Tuesday said the presence of an UNHCR office in the capital Tripoli was illegal and accused the agency of unlawful activities.

“We are seeking open, constructive dialogue with Libya to dispel any misunderstandings which we hope would lead to consensus to resume our work,” spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said.

The Geneva-based agency, headed by High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, would be making no further comment at this stage, she added.

Reporting the Libyan expulsion order, not yet enforced, on Tuesday, Fleming said it had special gravity because of Italy’s policy of sending people fleeing North Africa and the Middle East by sea out of Italian into Libyan waters.

Libya has not signed the 1951 convention on refugees and does not have a domestic asylum system so the UNHCR has been helping the authorities determine whether people arriving are refugees or other migrants, she told a briefing. There are estimated to be more than 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers.

“This will leave a huge vacuum for the thousands of refugees and asylum seekers who are there already and of course those who continue to arrive steadily on boats every week,” Fleming told a Tuesday news briefing.

The UNHCR says Libya has given it no deadline or reason for the closure decision.

In its Tuesday statement, the Libyan Foreign Ministry said it had repeatedly told U.N. representatives that Tripoli saw the U.N. refugee office presence as illegal since it is not bound by a convention with the United Nations.

Libya has been opening up to the United States and Europe, but the move against the UNHCR is a sign of the unpredictability of Muammar Gaddafi’s government, diplomats in Geneva said.

The UNHCR says it has registered about 9,000 refugees in Libya, and that there are 3,700 asylum seekers. The largest group of refugees are Palestinians, with people from Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Liberia and Ethiopia making up the rest. The biggest group of asylum seekers are from Eritrea.

The UNCHR provides healthcare, shelter, education and training to refugees as well as legal advice on how to move from Libya to a country where they can settle permanently.

The agency has been working in the North African country since 1991 and has 26 staff there, mostly local.

European countries argue that many of the people involved are economic migrants rather than political refugees. (Reporting by Robert Evans; Editing by Matthew Jones)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Antonio Guterres, Asylum System, constructive dialogue, diplomats, expulsion, foreign ministry, Melissa Fleming, migrants, misunderstandings, Muammar Gaddafi, news briefing, north africa, refugee agency, Refugee Office, Refugees And Asylum Seekers, reuters, Tripoli, Tuesday News, Unhcr Office, unpredictability

J-K govt begins process of Kashmiri Pandits’ return to valley

May 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

With more than 4,000 displaced families of Kashmiri Pandits wishing to return to their homes, Jammu and Kashmir government today began the process to facilitate the return of the community to the Valley.

“The families (of displaced Kashmiri Pandits) are advised to furnish their plan of return to the valley so that necessary arrangements can be made for their return,” Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants), Jammu, said in a notification issued here.

Incentives under the Prime Minister’s package for Kashmiri migrants would be made available to them, the notice said.

As many as 4,440 applications have been received from Kashmiri migrant families, who wish to return to the valley under the policy of Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants to Kashmir Valley, officials of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department said.

Of the 4,440 applications received, 1,682 families are still in possession of immovable assets and these applications have been referred for verification.

The families who had sold their immovable properties and have applied to return to the valley are advised to furnish details about the arrangements made by them for permanent settlement in the valley so that assistance available under the package can be provided to them, the Relief Commissioner said.

The largest number of applications – 1,237 – have been received from Srinagar district followed by 1,140 applications from Anantnag district, 462 from Baramulla, 431 from Budgam, 359 from Pulawama, 283 from Kulgam, 240 from Kupawara, 150 from Shopian and 98 from Ganderbal.

However, no application for the return of Kashmiri migrants have been received from Bandipore district.

As many as 3,000 migrant youth would be given jobs under the special employment package in this direction and interviews have been conducted for finalisation of the list.

Central Government has sanctioned a package of Rs 1,618 crore for the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants to the Valley.

As many as 38,119 families of Kashmiris are registered as migrants with the Relief Organisation in Jammu. Of these, 34,202 families are Hindus, 2,168 Muslims and 1,749 Sikhs.

According to statistics available, about 19,338 Kashmiri migrants live in Delhi.

11 Kashmiri migrant families live in Himachal Pradesh, 924 in Haryana, 114 in Chandigarh, 319 in Punjab, 57 in Uttaranchal, 222 in UP, 43 in MP, one in Tamil Nadu, 38 in Karnataka, 208 in Maharashtra and 48 Rajasthan.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 1 618, applications, assets, Central Government, crore, Employment Package, Immovable Properties, incentives, jammu and kashmir government, Kashmir, kashmiri pandits, Migran, Migrant Families, Migrant Youth, migrants, necessary arrangements, possession, Prime Minister, Rehabilitation Department, rs 1

‘Nepalis living in terror in Meghalaya’

May 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Kathmandu, May 29 (IANS) Known as the tranquil abode of clouds, India’s north-eastern Meghalaya state has now become an abode of terror for Nepali migrants who say they are being attacked, threatened and told to leave the state immediately or face dire consequences.

‘Nepalis can’t sleep at night,’ says Til Bahadur Bishwakarma, a 40-year-old Nepali who served with the Indian Army for nine years and lives in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. ‘In many places, men have formed bands to guard their families at night. Those who want to leave have to seek tortuous routes through the neighbouring state of Assam for fear of vigilantes.’

Bishwakarma is the secretary of the Migrant Nepalese Association India that has submitted a memorandum to Meghalaya’s new government headed by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, asking him to stop attempts to ‘terrorise Nepali people in

Meghalaya with the ultimate goal of total elimination of Nepali population’.

Though there are no official figures about the number of Nepalis working in Meghalaya, Bishwakarma estimates there are between 5-800,000 migrants, working mostly in the coal mines of Garo, Khasi and Jayantia regions.

Since the violence started this month, he says nearly 70 percent of the coal mine workers have begun fleeing.

The trouble started after renewed friction with neighbouring Assam state, from which Meghalaya was separated in 1972 but with which it still remains locked in border disputes.

The Assam government sent people to disputed villages on its border with Meghalaya for a census but the Khasi tribals of Meghalaya, living in the no-man’s-land villages, reportedly sent away the investigators, saying they belonged to Meghalaya.

Soon after that, Bishwakarma says hundreds of Khasis, armed with knives and bows and arrows, attacked Nepalis during a weekly market. When police intervened, five Khasis were said to have been killed in the firing, resulting in even more fierce attacks on Nepali migrants.

In Umiam village, Vishwakarma says a 70-year Nepali cowherd was set ablaze. Three more Nepali huts were also set on fire.

The killing was followed by attacks on Nepalis and threats. ‘People, including even government employees, have been receiving quit Meghalaya notices, warning them to leave within a week or even 24 hours,’ Vishwakarma says.

The association says Meghalaya has seen such attacks against migrants since the 70s. There were riots targeting Bengalis in 1979, against Nepalis in 1987, followed by still more violence against people from Bihar and non-tribals.

Nepalis, it says, are a peace-loving community who have sacrificed their lives for India during the wars with China and Pakistan.

The association is asking the Meghalaya government to provide compensation to the displaced and injured Nepalis, medical treatment and deployment of paramilitary forces in the trouble-prone areas to ensure their safety.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: abode, Assam government, Assam state, Border Disputes, bows and arrows, Chief Minister, coal mine, Coal Mines, garo, indian army, Kathmandu, Khasi, Khasis, migrants, Mukul, Neighbouring State, Nepalese Association, shillong, State Of Assam, tribals

Over one million school students in England speak English as a second-language

May 14, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 14 (ANI): According to official figures, almost one million students in Britain speak English as a second language, while in some parts of London, their number is over 75 percent of the students.

The figures released by Britain’s Department of Education reveal that some 905,610 children do not speak English as a first language in 2010 – a rise of 42,750 in 12 months.

According to the Telegraph, a breakdown of the figures shows a hugely mixed picture across the country.

In 15 council areas in London and the south-east, the majority of primary school pupils now speak English as a second language.

In Leicester and Luton some 48 per cent of children speak English as a second language, compared with 43 per cent in Bradford, 42 per cent in Birmingham, 40.5 in Blackburn and 34 per cent in Manchester.

However this phenomenon is not as widespread as it may seem, the number of foreign language speakers is still lower than one percent of primary pupils in Redcar and Cleveland, in the north-east. In many other areas the numbers are below two percent.

These swelling numbers were cited by the Tory Party as one of the reasons they are formulating an immigration policy that will put an upper limit on the number of migrants into the country.

The Conservative claim about the supposedly immense stress that these students with relatively poor English skills would put on English schoolteachers is offset by what the schoolteachers themselves feel.

The teachers’ leaders have said that an increase in children with other languages improves schools’ cultural outlook and acts as an inspiration to British born pupils, the paper reports.

“Children who come to this country speaking English as a second language are an inspiration to native British children in the speed in which they learn the language and the hard work they put in to pass exams within just a few years,” the paper quoted John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, as saying. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: blackburn, Council Areas, Department Of Education, english as a second language, English As A Second Language London, first language, foreign language, general secretary, Immigration Policy, John Dunford, Language Speakers, leicester, migrants, one million, Redcar And Cleveland, school pupils, school students, Schoolteachers, speaking english, Tory Party

Indonesia detains Afghans en route to Australia

May 4, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Indonesian police have detained 82 Afghan and Iranian migrants who were intercepted at sea as they tried to reach Australia.

Maritime police officer Anang Hidayat says the migrants were stopped Sunday off Java island in a wooden boat, shortly after three suspected people smugglers had been arrested onshore.

“We stopped their boat about a [kilometre] offshore,” he said.

Six crew members were also arrested.

The migrants paid up to $5,400 to the smugglers, Mr Hidayat said.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: afghans, Australia, crew members, En Route, Hidayat, Indonesia, Indonesian Police, java island, kilometre, Maritime Police, migrants, police officer, smugglers, Wooden Boat

Rural to urban migration linked to increased obesity, diabetes risk in India

April 28, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 28 (ANI): People who migrate from rural to urban areas are more likely to become obese compared to individuals who do not move, a new study in India has found.

What’s more, this migration is a factor driving the diabetes epidemic in India, according to the study published this week in PLoS Medicine.

Like the rest of the world, the sub-continent too is experiencing a diabetes epidemic.

Diabetes has increased in urban areas of India from 5 percent to 15 percent between 1984 and 2004. As in other developing countries this is thought to result from increased consumption of saturated fats and sugar and reduced levels of physical activity.

The process of urbanization – migration from rural areas to towns and cities and the expansion of urban areas into the periphery – is linked to changes in diet and behaviour.

To examine how migration has impacted on obesity and diabetes in India, Shah Ebrahim and colleagues interviewed rural migrants working in urban factories.

To reach the conclusion, researchers recruited rural-urban migrants working in four factories in central, north and south India and the spouses of these workers if they were living in the same town. Each migrant worker or spouse asked a sibling still living in the rural area that they were originally from to join the study. Non-migrant factory workers and their siblings from urban areas were also recruited.

Each participant answered questions about their diet and physical activity and had their blood sugar and body mass index measured.

The results showed similar levels of obesity in urban and migrant men (41.9 percent and 37.8 percent respectively), in comparison with 19 percent of men in rural areas. Diabetes also stood at similar levels in urban and migrant men (13.5 percent in urban and 14.3 percent respectively), in comparison with 6.2 percent in rural men. These patterns of obesity and diabetes were similar in women.

The findings demonstrate that rural-urban migration in India is associated with rapid increases in obesity and diabetes and also indicated that changes in migrant behaviour – such as reduced physical activity – put them at similar risk to the urban population. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: body mass index, diabetes epidemic, diabetes risk, Levels Of Obesity, migrant worker, migrants, obesity and diabetes, periphery, physical activity, Rural Area, rural areas, saturated fats, Shah Ebrahim, south India, study in india, towns and cities, urban areas, Urban Factories, Urban Migration, urbanization

Obama slams controversial Arizona immigration bill over ‘racial profiling’ fears

April 24, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Phoenix, Apr 24(ANI): Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has signed a controversial immigration Bill into state law, which U.S. President Barack Obama said could violate people’s civil rights.

The Bill, which will take effect in 90 days, will make it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally.

The measure would also require migrants to produce papers verifying their status when asked to do so by a police officer,

After signing the law, Brewer, who faces a tough election battle and growing anger in the state over illegal immigrants, said the law “protects every Arizona citizen”.

“We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act, but decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation,” CBS quoted Brewer, as saying.

“We must acknowledge the truth: people across America are watching Arizona. Some of those people from outside our state are waiting to see us fail. We cannot give them that chance. We must use this new tool wisely. We must react calmly,” she added.

Russell Pearce, the Republican state lawmaker who sponsored the legislation, said critics of the Bill are “against law enforcement, our citizens and the rule of law”.

However, civil rights and Hispanic groups have condemned the measure, arguing it could lead to profiling.

Obama said that he has instructed the Justice Department to examine the Arizona Bill to see if it is legal.

He had earlier said that the Federal Government must enact immigration reform at the national level.

“That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe,” Obama said. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Arizona Governor, Barack Obama, civil rights, election battle, fairness, Hispanic Groups, illegal immigrants, Immigration Bill, Immigration Law, Immigration Reform, inaction, Justice Department, migrants, Notions, police officer, republican state, Rule Of Law, Russell Pearce, State Lawmaker, Unacceptable Situation

New Zealand may impose a two-year block on student loans for fresh migrants

April 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Wellington, April 19(ANI): New Zealand Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce has said his Government is planning to implement a two-year stand-down period before new permanent residents can borrow from the Government to fund tertiary studies here.

“You”re allowed to borrow for a student loan the moment you arrive, and that creates some interesting incentives for people to sign up to tertiary institutions where perhaps they”re not as committed to the country, or not committed to tertiary education as perhaps others would be,” Joyce said.

He, however, said the proposed two-year delay would not affect fee-paying international students.

New Zealand is also considering limiting the period undergraduate students can access interest-free student loans, possibly to six or seven years, saving around 10 million dollars to 20 million dollars a year, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The Labour Party”s tertiary education spokeswoman, Maryan Street, expressed concern over another proposal outlined by Joyce to remove the current fee cap on expensive university courses, such as medicine. “That is a disincentive for people to enroll in those more expensive courses and they are typically medicine, dentistry, and other science programmes. Those are exactly the sorts of skills we are going to require as we go forward in New Zealand,” Street said.

Meanwhile, Pene Delaney, Co-President of New Zealand Union of Students”” Associations, said: “The proposal needed to take into consideration smaller countries, including the Pacific Island states that don””t possess the tertiary infrastructure to support such studies.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 10 million, 20 million dollars, co president, delaney, education minister, international students, Labour Party, Maryan, Medicine Dentistry, migrants, New Zealand Herald, Pacific Island States, permanent residents, spokeswoman, Student Loans, Students Associations, Tertiary Education, Tertiary Institutions, Tertiary Studies, Undergraduate Students

FACTBOX – UK immigration and where the parties stand

April 17, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

REUTERS – Opinion polls indicate that Britons view immigration as an important election issue, second only to the state of the economy.

Here are some facts about inward migration in Britain, the policies of the main political parties and those of minor ones, like the anti-immigration British National Party (BNP), whose resurgence analysts say could erode support for the big three parties in some areas.

MAKING SENSE OF THE FIGURES

* The Office of National Statistics (ONS) says net inward migration to the UK is up threefold since Labour came to power. It increased from 48,000 per year in 1997 to 163,000 per year in 2008. New entrants peaked at 237,000 in 2007 before falling back.

* According to a London School of Economics (LSE) pre-election report, 10.2 percent of Britain’s population is foreign-born (based on OECD 2007 figures).

* LSE report says inward flows have fallen since 2006, and from late 2008 the pool of immigrants has shrunk due to the recession.

* Migrants from Central and Eastern Europe from countries that joined the European Union in 2004 fell 32 percent in the year to June 2009 (ONS).

* Interior ministry (Home Office) says asylum applications dropped 30 percent in the final quarter of 2009 compared with the last quarter of 2008.

* Home Office says provisional figures show 30 percent more people were allowed to settle in the UK in 2009 versus 2008.

* Pool of immigrants has risen in all regions, but most in London followed by West Midlands and Greater Manchester (LSE).

* Immigrants made up 39 percent of London’s population in 2009 (LSE).

* Migrants are arriving from more countries than ever before, with the most coming from Poland, India and Pakistan, followed by South Africa and the United States (LSE).

* An LSE report commissioned by the Mayor of London estimated there were 725,000 illegal immigrants in the UK in 2007.

* UK (with 10.2 percent) has a lower share of foreign-born people than Australia (25 percent), Germany (12.9 percent) or the United States (13.6 percent).

DEBUNKING MYTHS

* Immigrants on average are less likely to be in social housing than those born in the UK, even when the immigrant is from a developing country (LSE study).

* Immigrants are on average more educated than their UK-born counterparts. More than half of the UK-born workforce left school at 16 or earlier, but fewer than one in six new immigrants stopped education at 16 (LSE study).

LABOUR POLICIES

* Controlling immigration is one of party’s 5 election pledges.

* Main plank of policy is new Australian-style points-based system, which has reduced numbers arriving (30 percent drop between 2007 and 2008). Party says will introduce similar system for settlement and citizenship.

* Says has doubled immigration officers at borders and will continue to fight illegal entry with more border controls.

* Labour says asylum claims at record low.

CONSERVATIVES

* Believe UK can benefit from immigration, but want controls.

* Say will reduce net immigration to levels of 1990s and “tens of thousands a year”, instead of the “hundreds of thousands” under Labour.

* Will cap numbers of non-EU economic migrants allowed to work. Says cap will change each year to allow flexibility on need. Will set up dedicated border police force to crack down on illegal immigration and trafficking.

* Plan much tighter student visa system.

* Want to introduce English language test for spouses.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

* Support controls. Will reintroduce exit checks abolished by the Conservatives and Labour in the 1990s.

* Want regional points-based system to ensure migration targets under-populated areas that will benefit from more migrants, like Scotland.

* National Border Force will be given powers of arrest.

BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY (BNP)

The far-right anti-immigration party says wants to stop a “tsunami” of migrants. Wants Britain to return to the way it has “traditionally been”. Will stop all new immigration and introduce system of voluntary resettlement.

* According to its website will deport “the two million plus” who are illegals.

* Deport all those who are not British and commit crimes.

* Review all recent grants of residence or citizenship.

* Offer generous grants to foreigners who wish to leave.

(Compiled by Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Asylum Applications, british national party, british national party bnp, britons, Central And Eastern Europe, election issue, election report, Factbox, greater manchester, illegal immigrants, India and Pakistan, Interior Ministry, london school of economics, Mayor Of London, migrants, Office Of National Statistics, Opinion Polls, Provisional Figures, South Africa And The United States, Uk Immigration

Top anti-racism judge shot dead in Moscow

April 13, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

One of Russia’s top criminal judges has been murdered in the capital, Moscow.

Eduard Chuvashov had presided over several high-profile trials, including the sentencing of some of Russia’s most notorious neo-Nazis.

According to one of Russia’s main news agencies, a security camera recorded the moment the gunman entered the apartment building and opened fire.

The judge had just come out of his apartment.

Mr Chuvashov is reported to have died instantly after being hit in the head and chest.

The gunman, who managed to escape, is reported to have been in his 20s and of Slavic appearance.

Officials have been quoted as saying this was probably a contract killing connected to the judge’s work.

Local media said Mr Chuvashov was the judge who sentenced 12 ultra-nationalists from the Russian fascist group known as the “White Wolves” in February.

Mostly teenagers, the group were found guilty of a string of brutal murders against dark-skinned migrants from Central Asian countries, many of whom had been bludgeoned to death.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Anti Racism, Apartment Building, appearance, asian countries, brutal murders, eduard, gunman, Local Media, Main News, migrants, Moscow Russia, nationalists, Neo Nazis, News Agencies, security camera, teenagers, White Wolves, wolves

Community group hopes to create mid-north NSW legal centre

April 13, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

An advocacy group will apply for funding for a Community Legal Centre pilot program on the New South Wales mid-north coast

Community Legal Centres provide help and advice for people who are disadvantaged or struggling financially.

Catherine Peek from Disability Advocacy NSW says there are no centres between Newcastle and Lismore.

Ms Peek met with the Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland in Port Macquarie to discuss how to get a centre for the mid-north coast.

“It was a really positive meeting,” she said.

“He’s made some suggestions to the group and one of those suggestions was to apply to his department for a small amount of pilot project funding.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to set up a pilot in the area over the next couple of years to get something off the ground.

Ms Peek says she thinks there is a huge need for a community legal centre in the region.

“We’ve got an ageing population, a high Indigenous population and more and more migrants and refugees,” she said.

” I think all of those groups would great benefit in having a centre where they knew that they could get free and accessible legal advice for any issue.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: advocacy group, ageing population, community group, Disability Advocacy, Federal Attorney General, free advice, indigenous population, legal advice, Legal Help, Lismore, Mid North Coast, migrants, New South Wales, newcastle, peek, pilot program, pilot project, Port Macquarie, refugees, Robert Mcclelland

Immigration Place to replace bridge

March 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The group behind Canberra’s Immigration Bridge project will hold an international competition to design an alternative monument.

It has scrapped the original plan to build a commemorative bridge over Lake Burley Griffin and now wants to create a memorial to Australia’s migrants on land instead.

The 400 metre footbridge would have spanned the lake from Acton Peninsula to the Parliamentary Triangle.

But the proposal was criticised on aesthetic grounds and by boating clubs that say the bridge would have obstructed their activities on the lake.

Immigration Bridge chairman Laurie O’Donnell says the group changed its plans because of community opposition to the bridge idea.

“We want the monument to be something that all Australians can support and feel proud of,” he said.

“So we are moving in a new direction that we hope all sections of the community can unite behind.”

Immigration Place

A site for the new monument has not been formally approved but Mr O’Donnell says it will probably be located near the National Archives in the Parliamentary Triangle.

“The new vision is for an interactive space called Immigration Place,” he said.

“This will not be a static monument in the traditional sense but instead be a living space where people can see, hear and experience stories from the immigrant community.”

Mr O’Donnell says it could also be used to hold citizenship ceremonies.

Once a site is selected the design competition will be launched. It is hoped the monument will be completed in time for Canberra’s centenary celebrations in 2013.

Refund policy

Mr O’Donnell says people who paid to have their names inscribed on the bridge will not lose out.

“We want them to continue to support us because they have paid their money for their names,” he said.

“They will be recorded and displayed in the new Immigration Place and that will be part of the design brief requirement.

“If they don’t wish to proceed we’re making a refund policy which will be on the website and they can approach us for that.”

‘Sensible decision’

Peter Dowling from the ACT National Trust says he is pleased the bridge will no longer go ahead.

But he supports the idea of a monument to immigrants.

The trust believes the bridge would have been detrimental to the view across the lake and would have clashed with Walter Burley Griffin’s plan for Canberra.

Mr Dowling says common sense has prevailed.

“It is a very sensible decision,” he said.

“It would have been an awful thing to have a monument to immigrants to Australia but a monument that wasn’t appreciated.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: act, Aesthetic Grounds, Australia, Boating Clubs, Bridge Project, canberra-2600, centenary celebrations, Citizenship Ceremonies, Community Opposition, design competition, Footbridge, Immigrant Community, immigration, Interactive Space, international competition, Lake Burley Griffin, migrants, National Archives, new direction, new immigration, New Vision, Parliamentary Triangle, Refund Policy, Traditional Sense, urban-development-and-planning

Territory population grows by 5000

March 26, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The Northern Territory’s population has increased by more than 5000 people in the year to the end of September.

The population is now just over 227,000.

The Chief Minister Paul Henderson says the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released today show a record sixth consecutive quarter of population growth driven by interstate migrants who have moved to the Territory.

“This is the longest period of sustained population growth the Territory has ever seen,” Mr Henderson said.

“It certainly means that people around Australia are backing the Territory and backing the economic growth that is occurring here.”

The Opposition Leader, Terry Mills said a population increase was nothing to “crow about”, when housing in major centres was unaffordable and progress building remote indigenous houses was slow.

“It is not a good mix when you have a population increase against a failure to release land,” Mr Mills said.

“The Housing Institute of Australia is saying that we should have an extra 4200 houses built right now and a good part of the population increase are indigenous births.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Australia, australian bureau of statistics, Births, bureau of statistics, Chief Minister, community-and-society, darwin-0800, driven, economic growth, failure, Housing Institute, migrants, Mr Henderson, Northern Territory, nt, opposition leader, Paul Henderson, people, population growth, Population Increase, population-and-demographics, Sixth Consecutive Quarter

Experts urge government to address Sundarbans humanitarian crisis

July 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kolkata, July 15 (ANI): India – In view of the massive humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of cyclone Aila in the Sunderbans, experts from the field of oceanography and social science, representatives from a local voluntary group and Greenpeace demanded immediate deployment of resources to attend to the humanitarian crisis in the region. They also called for the state and the center to take a long term perspective on protecting the people and ecology of the Sunderbans.

“The crisis that climate change can wreck on this region is immense and the government needs to address adaptation plans, but additionally must ensure that global warming doesn’t cross the 2 degree tipping point that will devastate not only the Sunderbans, but Kolkata and Bangladesh too” said Dr Sudhir Chella Rajan, professor of Humanities at the IIT Chennai(1).

Last year, Greenpeace had alerted the Government and people of the subcontinent that the South Asian region could face a wave of migrants displaced by the impacts of climate change if global warming is not kept below 2 degree tipping point. Based on its report “Blue Alert – Climate Migrants in South Asia: Estimates and Solutions”, authored by Dr Sudhir Chella Rajan, climate activists of the organization warned that this would include sea level rise, storm surges and drought associated with shrinking water supplies and monsoon variability.

The current situation with Aila reflects the concerns raised by the report. According to current estimates, lakhs have been rendered homeless and dependent on relief materials. With agricultural fields ruined by salt water ingress there is likely to be a shortage of locally grown food in the affected areas, and a loss of livelihood.

Delayed and insufficient monsoons have worsened the situation in the monocrop agriculture region. Thousands of people from this region have already sought refuge in Kolkata in search of food and employment, with many thousand more climate migrants likely.

Jiten Nandi, on behalf of ‘With the people of Sunderbans’ (2), a voluntary group who worked extensively on ground in the relief work, said that “while there was support in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, with time, it appears that the fate of the people in the Sunderbans is no longer of concern to the government. The region has never faced such disaster in the last 100 years and the situation is worsening in certain areas even as we speak. We not only need immediate relief but also a long term solution for this extremely vulnerable delta.”

Dr. Sudhir Chella Rajan added that, “India should seek policy options that are proactive in terms of developing international strategies to reduce the risk of destructive climate change. This was extremely crucial this year as the international climate negotiations are going to try and broker a deal by December this year at Copenhagen. This deal will have far reaching implications for the people and the planet.”

Dr. Sugata Hazra, Head of the Department of Oceanography, Jadavpur University explained the science of how sea level rise is going to worsen the situation in the Sunderbans region and focused on long term measures like building embankments and focusing on alternative livelihood to sustain the people and economy of the region.

Maitree Dasgupta, Climate Campaigner with Greenpeace said, “The Government of India’s pre budget economic assessment notes that climate change has cost the country 2.5% of the GDP (3). This clearly goes to show that climate change is going to hit us on all fronts – our people, our environment and also our economy. We cannot afford to adapt to run away climate change. It is in India’s national interest to see a strong deal emerge at Copenhagen. Towards this, India must announce its 8 National Missions that form part of the NAPCC and also put in place a national Renewable Energy Bill that will help us make the shift to clean energy away from dirty coal.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: agricultural fields, agriculture region, Aila, Greenpeace, humanitarian crisis, iit chennai, Kolkata, migrants, Monsoon Variability, monsoons, relief materials, sea level rise, south-asia, South-Asian region, storm surges, sudhir, t cross, term perspective, tipping point, voluntary group, water supplies

1,650 immigrants per day wrecking the quality of life in UK: Poll

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 14(ANI): A major poll has found that almost half of all Brits consider the record 1,650 immigrants settling in every day are wrecking the quality of life in UK.

The YouGov poll, commissioned by Optimum Population Trust, also found that two-thirds of the 2,000 people demanded a limit imposed to stem the flow of immigrants to stop population explosion, The Daily Star reports.

Further, the poll revealed that almost 74 per cent blamed Britain’s open-door policies for clogged roads and crowded trains and buses.

Migrants were also blamed for the lack of affordable housing and were regarded as a strain on public services like school and hospitals.

“The poll demonstrates public unhappiness at the pressure on public services,” Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green said.

“It shows why we badly need an annual limit on immigration,” he added.Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Phil Woolas has said that UK’s new points-based system would ensure that only the people Britain needs would be allowed to work and study. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: affordable housing, brits, Buses, Daily Star, damian, hospitals, immigrants, immigration minister, July 14, migrants, Minister Phil, open door policies, optimum population, Phil Woolas, population explosion, quality of life, trains, two thirds, unhappiness, Yougov Poll

Shiv Sena wants houses in Mumbai for only for locals

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, July 14 (ANI): In turf battle ahead of state polls in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena has promised houses in Mumbai to state’s bona-fide residents.

Having lost ground to its faction, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, over hardline political posturing, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray led a bunch of party activists and supporters to the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) head office demanding that non-Maharashtrians should be barred in that allotment of shelters.

“In another two to three months, Shiv Sena is confident of coming to power and then our government will provide 500 square feet area houses to Marathi ‘manoos’ (bona-fide residents of Maharashtra) to ensure that they need not go out of Mumbai to reside.

Marathi manoos is entitled to shelter and none else. This is our stand,” said Thackeray.

“In Mumbai, the houses are built by the MMRDA for the poor. These houses are also grabbed by builders. Immigrants from Bihar and Bangladesh are begging for accommodation whereas what we are demanding is proper accommodation from government which is our right,” he added.

The MMRDA last month announced that it would provide 43,000 homes at a rent starting as low as Rupees 800 per month.

The project is aimed at reducing the number of slums in Mumbai.

Shiv Sena members feel that the housing scheme doesn’t give preference to Maharashtrians and would encourage outsiders to settle in Mumbai.

Maharashtra will hold elections to state assembly by October and the migrants’ issue could swing votes. (ANI)

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