LONDON: More than 800 asylum seekers arrived in Britain via small boats on Tuesday, the highest single-day figure since late 2022, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a July 4 national election.
Provisional data from Britain’s interior ministry showed 882 migrants arrived on Tuesday, taking the yearly total so far to above 12,300. The daily figure was last higher in November 2022, when 947 migrants arrived in a single day.
Trailing far behind the opposition Labour party in opinion polls, and with immigration a major concern for some voters, “stopping the boats” and curbing illegal migration has been one of Sunak’s flagship pledges.
The centerpiece of Sunak’s immigration policy is a plan to deport asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda and create a deterrent for migrants using small boats to cross from France.
But, because he calling the election earlier than many expected, that plan has yet to come into effect.
The opposition Labour Party, which is about 20 points ahead in opinion polls, has said it would scrap the Rwanda policy if it comes to power.
Instead, its proposed solution is to create a Border Security Command that would bring together staff from the police, the domestic intelligence agency and prosecutors to work with international agencies to stop people smuggling.
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UK migrant boat crossings hit 19-month high, adding to pressure on Sunak
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UK migrant boat crossings hit 19-month high, adding to pressure on Sunak
- Provisional data from Britain’s interior ministry showed 882 migrants arrived on Tuesday, taking the yearly total so far to above 12,300
China raises defense budget by 7 percent for 2026: official report
BEIJING: China said on Thursday its defense budget, the world’s second largest after the United States, will increase by seven percent in 2026, in line with expectations but slightly below last year’s.
Beijing plans to spend 1.9096 trillion yuan ($276.8 billion) on defense — around three times less than the US military budget.
The increase in military spending for the year was announced in a finance ministry budget report that was published on the sidelines of the annual “Two Sessions” political conclave.
It marks a degree of continuity as Beijing pursues a sweeping anti-graft purge of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that included the ousting of top general Zhang Youxia in January.
Analysts told AFP the budget would finance military salary increases, training, drills around Taiwan, cyberwarfare capabilities and advanced equipment purchases, among other things.
China has maintained a steady increase in military spending of around seven to eight percent each year since 2016.
The United States is the world’s biggest military spender, shelling out $997 billion in 2024 compared with China’s $314 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
China claims its defense policy is solely aimed at protecting its territory, which it says includes self-ruled Taiwan.
It has only one military base abroad, in Djibouti, in contrast to the several hundred held by the United States.
However, China’s military buildup is fueling an arms race in Asia and prompting some countries, particularly those with territorial disputes with China, to draw closer to Washington.
Beijing plans to spend 1.9096 trillion yuan ($276.8 billion) on defense — around three times less than the US military budget.
The increase in military spending for the year was announced in a finance ministry budget report that was published on the sidelines of the annual “Two Sessions” political conclave.
It marks a degree of continuity as Beijing pursues a sweeping anti-graft purge of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that included the ousting of top general Zhang Youxia in January.
Analysts told AFP the budget would finance military salary increases, training, drills around Taiwan, cyberwarfare capabilities and advanced equipment purchases, among other things.
China has maintained a steady increase in military spending of around seven to eight percent each year since 2016.
The United States is the world’s biggest military spender, shelling out $997 billion in 2024 compared with China’s $314 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
China claims its defense policy is solely aimed at protecting its territory, which it says includes self-ruled Taiwan.
It has only one military base abroad, in Djibouti, in contrast to the several hundred held by the United States.
However, China’s military buildup is fueling an arms race in Asia and prompting some countries, particularly those with territorial disputes with China, to draw closer to Washington.
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