This week we focus on the UK’s Rwanda Plan, which was just passed after having been one of the year’s most contested bills in migration regulation.
In other news, tens of thousands of Colombians protest their president’s social reforms, Xi Jinping meets US Secretary of State, and a far-right Greek Party is banned from EU elections. Have a read to start your week well informed!
Spotlight: The bill UK Conservatives just won’t let go.
by Elisa Latora and Pietro Ferrari
On Tuesday, the UK parliament passed one of the year’s most contested bills in migration regulation. The Rwanda Plan has proved itself to be a hard-to-knock down legislation – where many have tried, but none have succeeded. Still, the UK’s Conservatives are hanging onto it for dear life.
Many human rights activists and organizations have highlighted how this law is against the European Convention on Human Rights. Even the ECHR, in 2022, declared that Rwanda cannot be considered a safe country where to transfer any asylum seekers, especially because the British government has no way of guaranteeing their safety and fair treatment once in Rwanda. If this wasn’t enough, late into 2023, the plan had been ruled unlawful following an appeal by asylum seekers selected for the deportation, backed by the UN Refugee Agency (as we reported in a past Monday Briefing). Finally, in November of last year, the bill was blocked by a ruling from the UK Supreme Court. This should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t.
Continuing to hang on to a clearly flawed and cruel bill, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak exploited the tragic death last week of five migrants crossing the Channel to “underscore” the “need of a deterrent”. He stated this only hours after the “Safety of Rwanda Bill”, Sunak’s “deterrent”, had been passed in parliament. The “Safety of Rwanda Bill”, which ensures that Rwanda be considered a “safe” country for asylum seekers, is the missing puzzle piece to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling. This means that the Rwanda Plan can now go ahead, creating an unprecedented mechanism to deal with illegal immigration in the UK. People found on British territory without proper documentation could be deported to Rwanda, where they will wait until their asylum applications are processed. The deal is expected to cost £1.8 million for each of the first 300 deportees.
The bill has been widely criticized, and not only by the Labour-led opposition in parliament. Sunak is, nonetheless, very convinced that this new course will only improve the situation which sees his party currently sinking in polls. The Tories are far behind the Labour Party in all polls, just five years after achieving record high results in the 2019 election. With the next general election expected to be announced in the coming months, many in the Conservative Party believe that a tougher approach to immigration might regain them some momentum in the foreseeable future. Or maybe, when you’re sinking, it’s hard to distinguish that everything around is sinking along with you.
Around the World: Protests in Colombia, Xi Jinping meets US Secretary of State, and US unveils $1 billion Ukraine weapons package.
by Chiara Todesco, Vatsal Aggarwal, and Giulio Savare
- Huge crowds protest Colombian president’s planned reforms. [link to Al Jazeera]
Tens of thousands of Colombians are protesting President Gustavo Petro’s social reforms across major cities, including Bogota. Demonstrators oppose Petro’s plans to overhaul healthcare, retirement, employment, and prison sectors. The government aims to amend the constitution to implement blocked reforms. Protests intensified after a Senate committee rejected a healthcare reform proposal. Petro characterized the protests as a “soft coup” to obstruct his reforms and called for a pro-government rally. His presidency, the first by a leftist in Colombia, has faced legislative setbacks and declining approval ratings amid broader concerns about the country’s direction and peace efforts.
2. China evacuates over 100,000 as heavy rain continues to lash south. [link to Al Jazeera]
The heavy rain and flooding in China’s Guangdong province have led to the evacuation of over 100,000 people, with authorities issuing the highest alert level due to ongoing storms. The situation highlights the impact of climate change, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe. This event is part of a global trend of escalating extreme weather, particularly affecting Asia. Climate scientists attribute these phenomena to human-induced climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions. The flooding in Guangdong underscores the urgent need for climate action to mitigate the impacts of climate change on vulnerable regions and populations.
3. U.S. unveils $1 billion Ukraine weapons package. [link to The Washington Post]
On Wednesday, the White House said that the US will be sending weapons to Ukraine including air defense systems and artillery rounds, as Kyiv is countering a resurgent Russian campaign. The US government also announced that last month, the Pentagon secretly sent to Ukraine powerful long-range missiles which were used to attack a Russian airfield in Crimea. Recently, Russia resupplied its equipment and replaced personnel, consolidating around the town of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region. Capturing the town would allow Moscow to threaten larger cities.
4. Kenya: Floods cause widespread devastation in Nairobi. [link to BBC]
Nairobi, Kenya, faces severe flooding from heavy rainfall, with roads resembling rivers and over 40,000 people displaced nationwide. Nairobi county official Edwin Sifuna has called for national emergency assistance as the city struggles to cope. Residents in Mathare sought refuge on rooftops, and major highways are underwater, causing extensive traffic disruptions. The broader East Africa region is also affected, with nearly 100,000 displaced in Burundi and 58 fatalities in Tanzania due to heavy rains influenced by the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). This weather pattern, similar to El Niño, intensifies rain, with past occurrences leading to extreme flooding and significant casualties in the region
5. Xi Jinping tells Antony Blinken US should avoid ‘vicious competition’ with China. [link to FT]
Amid tensions over economic issues, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday. The visit was set as an attempt to stabilize the bilateral relations and strengthen communication on international and regional hot issues, preventing escalations among the two superpowers. The talks also covered Chinese support for Russia’s defence industry, frictions in the South China Sea, Taiwan, and economic competition.
6. US returns ancient artefacts looted from Cambodia, Indonesia. [link to Al Jazeera]
New York is a major trafficking hub for trafficking of antiquities. On Friday, the Manhattan District Attorney announced that the US have returned 27 pieces to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and three to Jakarta (Indonesia) in two recent repatriation ceremonies, including a bronze statue of the Hindu deity Shiva. The statues were looted, sold or illegally transferred from the Southeast Asian countries to the US. Several works have been seized in recent years in New York from private collectors but also from prestigious museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Keo Chhea, Cambodia’s ambassador to the US, expressed his approval for the return of the artefacts, describing it as “a renewal of commitment between nations to safeguard the soul of our shared heritage”.
European News: Greek Party banned from EU elections, Arrest of German man on suspicion of spying for China, Paris Olympic Opening.
by Pietro Ferrari and Zoe Di Lieto
- AfD politician’s aide arrested on suspicion of spying for China. [link to The Guardian]
An assistant to Maximilian Krah, leading candidate for AFD in the upcoming European Elections, has been arrested and accused of spying for the Chinese Government. The man, who held both Chinese and German citizenship, has worked with the right-wing politician since he was elected to European Parliament in 2019. Public prosecutors have reason to believe that this alleged spy was informing Beijing of the situation in Bruxelles, while also keeping an eye on Chinese dissidents in Germany. This is not the first scandal that strikes at AFD reputation, yet the party is second in the polls and doesn’t seem to be under pressure.
2. Far-Right Greek Party Is Banned From E.U. Parliament Elections. [link to NYT]
Last year, a new far-right party, Spartans, became part of the Greek Parliament. Recently, it was found out that this new entity was nothing more than a reincarnation of the Golden Dawn, a declared neo-Nazi party, its members will not be able to run for the European Parliament elections. This decision is driven by the fear of growth that far- and extreme-right movements, which saw the success of Golden Dawn as an inspiration, are going through.
3. A City Scarred by Terrorism Prepares an Olympic Opening Without Walls. [link to NYT]
Even if in the last couple years several terrorist attacks took place in Paris, leaving the city angry and heartbroken, the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in July will be held outside with a boat floating down the Seine River. Anne Hidago expressed full confidence in their safety plan, since high expenses have been made by the French police. “I said to myself, ‘We need to do something that is unifying,’” said Paris’s mayor in an interview, when she was asked the reason why she companied for the Olympic Games.
Bocconi news: Upcoming events.
As we approach the end of April and the beginning of May, Bocconi University finds itself in the final days of classes, with brief respites between the 25th of April and the 1st of May. These are the last moments of relaxation before the onset of intense studying for the May session.
This week, events at Bocconi slow down, with only one event scheduled for today at 6:30 PM: “Exploring Cutting-Edge Horizons with AI and Technology for Smart Cities.”
However, the most significant news comes from the recent hosting of the Presidential Summit of the U7+ Alliance by Bocconi. During this summit, a statement was drafted outlining concrete actions to promote inclusive education, which will be presented at the G7 summit in Italy in June.
