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WORLD NEWS Friday 20 May 2022
Britain, Rwanda defend asylum-seekers plan at UN agencies

By JAMEY KEATEN to Ukrainians. Patel sought
Associated Press to distinguish between le-
GENEVA (AP) — Britain and gal routes to entry, which
Rwanda on Thursday faced Britain welcomes, and the
down two United Nations approaches by some mi-
agencies that have sharply grants who try to enter ille-
criticized their controver- gally.
sial plan in which Britain The ministers met with the
expects to send some asy- U.N. High Commissioner for
lum-seekers from the U.K. to Refugees Filippo Grandi,
the African country. who last month – the same
In an interview with The day when Britain’s parlia-
Associated Press before ment passed a bill on asy-
meeting top officials from lum and nationality regret-
the U.N. human rights and ted approval of the U.K.
refugee agencies, Rwan- government’s proposal for
dan Foreign Minister Vin- a new approach to asylum
cent Biruta acknowledged that “undermines estab-
it was “fine that they be lished international refugee
concerned,” adding that protection law and prac-
the discussion was aimed tices.”
“to bring them on board” When the program the
to work with the two coun- Migration and Economic
tries. Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, left, and Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel, right, speaks Development Partnership
The U.N. refugee agency during an interview with the Associated Press at the European headquarters of the United Nations was announced in mid-
chief, in remarks on Twitter, in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, May 19, 2022. Associated Press April, Grandi’s assistant
sounded unconvinced. high commissioner for refu-
Under the plan unveiled Refugee Convention. tions and other countries, they arrived in Britain, or gees, Gillian Triggs, insisted
last month, British officials British Home Secretary you know, are not coming how many people overall that people fleeing war,
said they will send to mi- Priti Patel said Britain had up with alternatives and might be sent to Rwanda conflict and persecution
grants arriving in the U.K. seen over 20,000 people the status quo is simply not under the plan, saying “we deserved empathy, add-
illegally often as stow- enter illegally over the last acceptable anymore,” she don’t share our operational ing: “They should not be
aways or in small boats year, and insisted that her said. The meetings come details.” traded like commodities

crossing the English Chan- Conservative government a day after Patel’s office, She decried “a lot of de- and transferred abroad for
nel to Rwanda. There the along with Rwanda was hosting Biruta in London, liberate misinformation” processing.”
migrants’ asylum claims will “finding new innovative so- announced that a “first about the people who After Thursday’s meeting,
be processed, and if suc- lutions to global problems” tranche of illegal migrants would be sent to Rwanda. Grandi tweeted that he
cessful, the migrants will amid a crisis of illegal im- with no right to be in the UK She also touted her coun- had reiterated his concerns
stay there. migration. She insisted the have now been notified” try’s “outstanding record about the deal, adding:
U.N. officials and other plan was about saving lives of the British government’s of resettling people and “Shifting asylum responsibil-
critics particularly in the of people taken by smug- intention to relocate them hosting migrants and refu- ities is not the solution.” He
two countries raised hu- glers on often-treacherous to Rwanda. gees” – noting 15,000 peo- said his agency, UNHCR,
man rights concerns and journeys to try to reach Brit- Patel declined to specify ple were brought from Af- “will continue proposing
warned such a move goes ain. how many people would ghanistan to Britain and the concrete solutions that re-
against the international “I’m afraid other organiza- be in that first group, how issuance of 100,000 visas spect international law.” q

Finland brewery launches NATO beer with ‘taste of security’

By JARI TANNER HELSINKI (AP) — A small launched a NATO-themed told The Associated Press meters from Finland’s bor-
Associated Press brewery in Finland has beer to mark the Nordic on Thursday that the craft der with Russia.
country’s bid to join the brewery’s ad hoc decision Savonlinna is known for St.
Western military alliance. last weekend to start pro- Olaf’s Castle, a medieval
Olaf Brewing’s OTAN lager ducing the beer was mo- structure from 1475 that
features a blue label with a tivated by “worries over serves as a venue for an
cartoon version of a beer- the war in Ukraine” and its annual international op-
drinking medieval knight in consequences for Finland. era festival.
metal armor emblazoned He described the new la- “Our small hometown
with NATO’s compass sym- ger as having “a taste of Savonlinna has always
bol. security, with a hint of free- lied in the borderlands
The beer’s name is a play dom.” between East and West.
on the Finnish expres- Finland and Sweden on Many battles have been
sion “Otan olutta,” which Wednesday submitted an fought in the town area
means “I’ll have a beer,” application to join NATO and at St. Olafs Castle”
and the French abbre- at the alliance’s head- the brewery said in a Twit-
viation for NATO, which quarters in Brussels. ter post.
is “OTAN.” The North At- Olaf Brewing said its new Finland shares a 1,340-ki-
Beer cans with writing OTAN inspired by the North Atlantic lantic Treaty Organization beer also honors the east- lometer (830-mile) border
Treaty Organization (NATO) logo by Olaf Brewing Company
are displayed in Savonlinna, eastern Finland, Tuesday, May has two official languages, ern Finnish town of Savon- with Russia, the longest
17, 2022. English and French. linna, the brewery’s base of any European Union
Associated Press CEO Petteri Vanttinen located a few dozen kilo- member.q