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LISBON, April 6 (Reuters) - Portugal's government approved on Thursday the abolition of the scandal-hit immigration agency SEF, whose border force officers, uncertain about their future, have mooted industrial action during the usually busy Easter period. It was not immediately clear whether the strike will go ahead from Friday. Parliament approved SEF's abolition in November of the same year, but the process has been slow. There will be a transition period of six months, and SEF officers will help to train their replacements, the government said. Additional reporting by Patricia Rua, editing by Andrei Khalip and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Council of Europe urges UK lawmakers to stop new migration law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A RNLI boat, with migrants onboard, is met by Border Force Officers and Police at the harbour in Dungeness, Britain, September 13, 2021. Sunak has said he believes Britain could introduce the new legislation while remaining compliant with the ECHR and international obligations. "It is a tough piece of legislation, the likes of which we've never seen," he told reporters on Monday. "It's important that it's effective, which it will be, but it's also important that we abide by our international obligations. Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ All travelers to the UK — including from the EU and U.S. — will need pre-authorization by 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

British and Irish nationals and people with U.K. settled status will be exempt from the scheme. The European Union is set to launch its own digital travel authorization scheme, called ETIAS, for visa-exempt nationals in 2024. However, it will mark a significant change for many frequent travelers from Europe and elsewhere who do not currently need pre-approval. Nationals currently able to use e-passport gates on arrival into the U.K. will continue to be able to do so with an ETA. Anyone arriving at the U.K. border by air or rail without an ETA will be turned away, including if they arrive via Ireland but are not Irish or British citizens.

REUTERS/Cole Burston/File PhotoFeb 24 (Reuters) - Airports are taking steps to avoid gridlock during the upcoming holiday travel seasons, with some limiting flights during peak hours to avoid the long lines and luggage piles that marred last summer. While smoother holiday travel is expected for Europe and North America, airlines and airports which learned tough lessons on holiday travel in 2022, are taking a more prudent approach as global traffic rebounds roughly to pre-pandemic levels. Despite extensive planning and hiring this year, some airlines and airports are still wrestling with industry staff shortages, including baggage handlers. Germany's Lufthansa AG (LHAG.DE) said it has cut summer flights by an unspecified amount due to shortages of personnel like ground handlers at airports in Frankfurt and Munich. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency were not immediately available to comment on staffing.

☆ Hotels in St Petersburg told to offer noodle stations as part of Russia's plan to lure more Chinese tourists
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is trying to lure more Chinese visitors to support its struggling tourism industry. They want to attract more tourists from China by encouraging hotels to provide traditional cuisine and offer things like noodle stations at breakfast. The first post-pandemic Chinese tour group is expected to arrive in St Petersburg from Guangzhou on February 25, per TASS. Chinese tourists were big pre-pandemic business for St Petersburg. In 2019, there were 957,000 Chinese visitors to the city, accounting for 9.2% of the total, according to data from its tourism development committee, cited by TASS.

☆ Belarus says Poland closing border crossing point is 'catastrophic' decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 10 (Reuters) - Belarus on Friday slammed a decision by Poland to close a border checkpoint between the two countries as "catastrophic", saying it could lead to a "collapse" on both sides of the border. "The actions of the Polish authorities could lead to a collapse on both sides of the border," Belarus' border committee said in a statement shared on social media. After the closure comes into force, only two of six major land crossing points along the two countries' 400-km (249 mile) border will be open, Belarus' border force said in a statement. "With the closure of another Polish checkpoint, the situation will become catastrophic," Belarus' border force added, pointing to already existing long lines at border crossings. Minsk also said it believed the decision was purposefully designed to "further aggravate the situation at the border and limit citizens' travel."

☆ Drone footage shows Ukrainian forces trapping fighters from Russia's Wagner Group in a lethal crossfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Drone footage shows the Ukrainian troops annihilating a unit of Wagner fighters in Soledar. The video shows soldiers — who the State Border Service of Ukraine identified as Wagner Group fighters — being monitored by a drone. The soldiers then come under fire from Ukrainian fighters using large-caliber machine guns, resulting in a number of injuries, according to the border force. In a Telegram post, the State Border Service of Ukraine described the events. "Although the enemy has concentrated its greatest forces in this direction, our troops – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defense and security forces – are defending the state."

☆ UK trade union says 100,000 public sector workers to strike on Feb. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Ambulance workers keep a fire going to keep warm outside their Waterloo station, amid a strike due to a dispute with the government over pay, in London, Britain January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Britain's Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said on Wednesday 100,000 of its members across 124 government departments would take strike action on Feb. 1 in a dispute over pay, pensions and job security. Britain is experiencing a wave of strikes across sectors ranging from healthcare to railways, as pay rises fail to keep pace with double-digit inflation. Thousands of ambulance workers held a second day of strikes on Wednesday, while many schools in Scotland were closed by a teacher walk out. The PCS union has been carrying out a rolling programme of strikes across different government departments and other public sector bodies over the last month, which has included driving test examiners, border force staff and road traffic officers.

☆ Russia's former deputy PM said he was injured by a shell blast in occupied Ukraine after his location was leaked
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Bethany Dawson | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Russian space chief said he was wounded by an exploding artillery shell in a Donetsk hotel. The former head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos said that he was wounded on his shoulder and needed surgery. FILE PHOTO: Russia's Roscosmos former space agency Director General Dmitry Rogozin looks on at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan July 20, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoWriting on Telegram, Rogozin suggested that his location had been "leaked," resulting in what he says was a "targeted attack." Rogozin now appears to lead a volunteer unit that supports Russia's proxy forces in eastern Ukraine, the BBC reported.

☆ Air travellers warned of delays as UK passport control staff strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union take part in a border force workers strike action near Heathrow Airport, in London, Britain December 23, 2022. The Public and Commercial Services Union said more than 1,000 Border Force staff, who are employed by the government, were expecting to strike. The union said its Border Force members had been offered a 2% pay rise, far below inflation that stood at 10.7% in November. "Immigration halls are free flowing ...with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good service," a spokesperson said. Gatwick, Britain's second busiest, said passengers should expect longer wait times at passport control between Friday and the end of the year.

☆ UK wages next year will be at their lowest level since 2006, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The report confirms that wages have stagnated in Britain even as inflation hits double digits, sparking the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. That’s led to widespread strikes across the UK economy, encompassing railways, schools, nurses, hospitals and the postal service. “Despite a contracting economy, the UK remains an attractive destination for workers,” PwC economist Jake Finney said in a statement. “The rise in inactivity poses serious challenges to the UK economy. PwC’s Kupelian added that UK inflation likely peaked in October and “will gradually begin to return to target over the next two years.”

Under a deal struck in April, Britain aims to send tens of thousands of migrants who arrive on its shores illegally more than 4,000 miles (6,4000 km) to Rwanda. Britain says the Rwanda deportation strategy will help deter migrants from making the perilous trip across the Channel, and will smash the business model of people-smuggling networks. Supporters of the Rwanda deal say that sending migrants to the country will reduce overcrowding in processing centers and give genuine refugees a home. Under the agreement with Rwanda, anyone judged to have entered Britain illegally is eligible for deportation, with the exception of unaccompanied minors. Deportees granted protection by Rwanda's government would be eligible to live there but would not be permitted to return to Britain.

☆ Britain is 'resolute' on nurses' pay, senior minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The British government is "resolute" it will not budge on nurses' pay, senior minister Oliver Dowden said on Sunday, ahead of a planned second nationwide walkout by the profession over an average pay offer of 4% while inflation runs at more than 10%. Its leader Pat Cullen said on Friday that unless ministers "start playing ball by taking part in meaningful negotiations" over pay, nurses would continue to take action. "Governments have had every chance to act but they have chosen to turn their backs on us," she said. Dowden said nurses' pay was recommended by an independent pay review body, which had determined that nurses would receive a minimum rise of 1,400 pounds, equating to about 4% on average. Britain is facing a wave of industrial action this winter, including rail and postal services as well as healthcare.

☆ British Airways, Virgin Atlantic limit ticket sales to Heathrow due to strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will limit ticket sales for flights to London's Heathrow Airport during planned strikes by border agents over Christmas and New Year's Eve to reduce disruption, the airlines said on Friday. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson also said it was working closely with government to "minimise the impact of Border Force strikes on our customers' journeys." The strikes, from Dec. 23-26 and 28-31, come at one of the busiest periods for airlines, and the flights affected were already busy. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have also given customers the option of extra flexibility to shift their travel to a non-strike day, and flight schedules - as well as restrictions on tickets - are being kept under review. "We intend to operate our schedule as planned, with additional flexibility to allow customers to change their flight dates if they wish to avoid arriving on strike days," the Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said.

☆ Amazon workers will go on formal strike for the first time in the UK
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Though Amazon workers in the U.K. have previously stopped working in August and on Black Friday in November in protest over the summer pay increase, these were spontaneous, unsanctioned withdrawals of labor. Amanda Gearing, senior organizer at GMB, said the Coventry workers "should be applauded for their grit and determination." It's not too late to avoid strike action; get round the table with GMB to improve the pay and conditions of workers." "This represents a 29 per cent increase in the minimum hourly wage paid to Amazon employees since 2018. In recent weeks, upcoming strike actions have been announced by nurses, rail workers, postal workers, ambulance workers, airport staff, Border Force agents, highway workers, Eurostar staff, civil servants, bus drivers, firefighters, charity workers, meteorologists and offshore workers.

☆ One dead as fresh clashes erupt between Afghan, Pakistani border forces
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Gul Yousafzai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Abdul Khaliq AchakzaiQUETTA, Pakistan, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Clashes erupted once again between the border forces of Afghanistan and Pakistan near the key Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing on Thursday, resulting in one death and over a dozen injuries, Pakistani officials said. Thursday's fighting started when Pakistani forces repairing a portion of the border fence damaged during Sunday's clashes came under attack from the Afghan side of the frontier, a provincial official Balochistan, Zahid Saleem, told Reuters. Both sides blamed each other for instigating Sunday's clashes. Afghanistan's ministry of defence, run by the Taliban administration, said in a post on Twitter that Pakistani forces had opened fire first, and called for a resolution of the issue through negotiations. The police spokesman of the Afghan province of Kandahar did not reply to a Reuters request for comment on the casualties.

Meanwhile, sea temperatures were around 11-12 degrees Celsius (52-54 degrees Fahrenheit) near Kent overnight, according to CNN Weather. The English Channel, a waterway just over 20 miles (32 km) at its narrowest between Britain and France, is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. “It is just over a year since 32 lives were lost in a similar incident,” Solomon said in a statement sent to CNN. Last November, 27 people drowned in bitterly cold waters off the coast of France after an inflatable boat carrying migrants bound for Britain capsized, in one of the deadliest incidents in the English Channel in recent years. Braverman has previously referred to illegal crossings of the English Channel as “an invasion.”“Crossing the Channel in unseaworthy vessels is a lethally dangerous endeavor,” Braverman told parliament Wednesday.

☆ Britain's new 'winter of discontent' deepens as widespread strikes mount over festive period
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In recent weeks, upcoming strike actions have been announced by nurses, rail workers, postal workers, ambulance workers, airport staff, Border Force agents, highway workers, Eurostar staff, civil servants, bus drivers, firefighters, charity workers, meteorologists and offshore workers. For the public sector, real earnings were 5 percentage points lower, and Hollingsworth suggested that the growing gap had become "unsustainable." "I think there's clearly a lot of pressure here for some catch-up on the public sector side of things, and it's clear that there is that labor bargaining power there." "However, the gap between private and public sector pay narrowed slightly, with private sector pay up 6.9%, while public sector pay is up by 2.7%." However, with negotiations remaining fraught and unions showing no signs of backing down, he said some catch-up on public sector pay growth will likely be required to prevent further disruption.

☆ Heathrow sees minimal impact from planned Border Force strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Border Force workers due to strike from Dec. 23Heathrow working to protect full flight scheduleLONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Heathrow Airport said on Monday that it expected the vast majority of travellers will be unaffected by this month's planned strikes by Border Force workers. British Border Force workers plan to strike for several days from Dec. 23 at airports including Heathrow, Britain's busiest, and Gatwick due to a dispute over pay. Border Force has contingency measures to ensure other arriving passengers are cleared safely and as quickly as possible, Heathrow said. Interior minister Suella Braverman warned last Thursday that Border Force strikes may cause travel delays, adding that people should think carefully about their plans to fly abroad. It said over 55 million people had travelled through Heathrow so far this year -- nearly 70% of 2019 levels.

☆ Six Pakistanis, one Afghan soldier killed in cross-border clash
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Gul Yousafzai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

QUETTA, Pakistan, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Six Pakistani civilians and one Afghan soldier were killed on Sunday in cross border shelling and gunfire, according to officials on both sides of the frontier. Six civilians were killed and another 17 wounded on the Pakistani side by the Afghan fire, leading Pakistani troops to retaliate, the Pakistan military said in a statement. Afghan security sources said the clash started after Pakistani forces demanded Afghan forces stop building a new checkpost on their side of the border. Kandahar police spokesman Hafiz Saber said one Afghan soldier was killed and 10 other people, including three civilians, were injured. The busy Afghan border crossing at Chaman, used for trade and transit, was closed for some hours before reopening, officials on both sides said.

☆ Brits told to rethink Christmas plans with strikes set to hit flights and train travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A train makes its way through the snow in Penistone, South Yorkshire, in March 2022. Passengers face Christmas travel disruption as workers strike over pay and working conditions. LONDON — Passengers traveling into or around the U.K. over the holiday period face significant disruption due to strikes, with the government urging people to reconsider their plans. Airport staff working for the U.K. Border Force are due to walk out from Dec. 23 to 26, and again from Dec. 28 to New Year's Eve. It will impact services at the U.K.'s busiest airport, London Heathrow, as well as London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow.

☆ UK airports face Christmas disruption as border staff to strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Border Force workers at several major British airports including the country's busiest, Heathrow, will go on strike for eight days this month in a dispute over pay, threatening disruption to Christmas travel. The PCS trade union said staff employed by Britain's interior ministry in passport booths would take action at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports and a handful of regional ones, plus the Port of Newhaven. The union's General Secretary Mark Serwotka said around 2,000-3,000 staff would be involved in the walkouts on ever day but one between Dec 23-31. A Heathrow spokesperson said the airport was working with airlines and Border Force on plans to mitigate disruption. Gatwick said it expected flights to operate as normal and it would also make extra airport staff available to help passengers on strike days.

☆ Border Force workers at British airports to strike over Christmas - union
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Border Force workers at several major British airports including the country's busiest, London's Heathrow, will go on strike for several days over the Christmas period in a dispute over pay, the PCS trade union said on Wednesday. The union said staff employed by the Britain's interior ministry, the Home Office, in passport booths would take action at Heathrow and Gatwick airports as well as Birmingham Airport, Cardiff Airport, Glasgow Airport, Manchester Airport and the Port of Newhaven. A Heathrow spokesperson said the airport was working with airlines and Border Force on plans to mitigate disruption. "The Home Office advises that immigration and customs checks may take longer during peak times on strike days, and Heathrow will support Border Force to minimise these impacts with the aim of processing passengers through the border as efficiently as possible," the spokesperson said. Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Kate Holton, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia seeks to reassure citizens on COVID after cruise ship outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia's Home Affairs Minister on Saturday sought to reassure the public that COVID-19 protocols were adequate after a cruise ship with hundreds of infected passengers docked in Sydney. The incident has sparked comparisons with a notorious 2020 outbreak onboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship. That outbreak, also in New South Wales, led to 914 infections and 28 deaths, an inquiry found. Carnival Australia, part of global leisure company Carnival Corporation & plc, said COVID-positive passengers were isolating onboard and being cared for by medical staff, according to New South Wales Health. The agency said it was working with cruise ship staff to monitor the health of passengers and crew members.

☆ UK counter-terrorism police lead investigation into Dover bomb incident
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Members of the military and UK Border Force extinguish a fire from a petrol bomb, targeting the Border Force centre in Dover, Britain, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File PhotoLONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Britain's counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into an incident in which petrol bombs were thrown at an immigration centre in the southern English port of Dover, police said on Tuesday. The attack came as British policy towards migrants and asylum seekers remains a heated political issue. Sunak's interior minister Suella Braverman is facing heavy criticism for describing the arrival of asylum seekers as an invasion. Reporting by William Schomberg and Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate Holton and Michael HoldenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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