Government Defends Secrecy Over 'high-Risk' Immigration Blacklist
The British government is fighting to keep secret a blacklist of 44 countries with the worst immigration record whose nationals are targeted for tougher discriminatory action when applying to come to Britain.

The Home Office has launched a two-day appeal hearing starting today Thursday 27th September against a ruling by the information commissioner for a partial disclosure of the list. After a secret country-by-country assessment by the FCO, he said that publication would not damage relations in every case.

His ruling came in response to a freedom of information campaign, by immigration detention activist, John O, who argued that keeping the list secret meant that those who faced discriminatory action by immigration officials could never know whether it was lawful or not.
Read more:
Alan Travis, The Guardian, Wednesday 26 September 2012

New Appeal for Sukai Jack - Removal Saturday 29th
Sukai is seeking asylum in the UK after fleeing persecution in Gambia. As an employee of the Immigration Service, She was arrested after unknowingly delivering information about an attempted coup, which she was accused of being part of.
Facing removal to Gambia on Sat 29 September. She is in extreme danger. Take action NOW to stop this removal.
Sukai's Campaign Page here . . . .

No End In Sight For Belfast 'Peace Walls'
As Belfast braces for a mass loyalist rally on Saturday and the possibility of sectarian rioting, new research shows that more than two-thirds of residents living along the city's notorious peace walls separating Protestant and Catholic communities still want the barriers to stay up.

And more than half of the people living on sectarian frontlines have no faith in the police keeping the peace if the walls came down, according to a report released today by the University of Ulster.
Read more: Henry McDonald, guardian.co.uk, 26/09/12

Drones: the West's New Terror Campaign
The CIA's Predator drones are bringing to Pakistan the same horror that Hitler's doodlebugs inflicted on London. Until now, the most heated dispute has revolved around how many drone victims in the Pakistan border region are dangerous extremists, and how many children, women or men with no connection to any terrorist group.

Living Under Drones, a new report from Stanford and New York universities, was a difficult piece of fieldwork . But it has made an important contribution to the drone debate by identifying the innocent victims of the CIA's reign of terror: the entire civilian population of Waziristan (roughly 800,000 people).
Read more: Clive Stafford Smith, The Guardian, 25 /09/12

STHC Inspections: Vulcan House and Capital Building

Both Short Term Holding Centres (STHCs) are managed by security firm Reliance

Inspections took place in May and published Tuesday 25th September 2012

Vulcan House accommodates the UK Border Agency's (UKBA) reporting centre and enforcement teams for South Yorkshire. Foreign nationals subject to reporting restrictions attend regularly:

Previous inspection in 2009, inspectors made 42 recommendations.

At this inspection 19 had been achieved, six partially achieved, 15 not achieved and two were no longer relevant.

Capital Building is the UK Border Agency's (UKBA's) reporting centre in Liverpool where foreign nationals subject to reporting restrictions attend regularly. This was the first inspection, so there are no comparators. The inspectors made 16 recommendations

Both reports should be available here . . .

Migrants' Cash Keeps Flowing Home
Migrant workers abroad sent more money to their families in the developing world last year than in 2010, and they are expected to transfer even more cash home this year despite the economic uncertainty gripping the globe.

All told, the world's 215 million international migrants transferred about $372 billion to developing countries in 2011 compared with $332 billion in 2010, according to the World Bank. The bank projects remittances will reach $399 billion this year and $467 billion by 2014.

For some time now, remittances have played a key role in supporting families and stabilizing the economy of developing countries. Their quick recovery after a temporary dip in 2008 and 2009 has been buffering many countries from potentially devastating effects of the global slump.
Read More: Miriam Jordan, Wall Street Journal, 24/09/12

Mass Arrests on Arrival: Recent Charter Flight to Pakistan
The Link is in Urdu----But the translation of this is
60 Pakistani ,most of them were student arrested on Islamabad Airport soon after they arrived being deported from Great Britain. They arrived on Islamabad Airport through a special Plane after being deported from Great Britain while living there illegally. FIA (federal investigation agency) started investigation after their arrest"
http://www.dailypakistan.com.pk/islamabad/24-Sep-2012/25109

If anyone on list has more detailed information please Email back!

Yemen 50% of the Population In Need Of Food Assistance
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up operations in Yemen, where more than 10 million people – almost half the country's population – are estimated to need food assistance and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

High food and fuel prices, rising poverty, a breakdown of social services, diminishing resources, internal conflict and political instability. The country is particularly vulnerable to rises in food prices since it imports up to 90 per cent of its main staple foods, including wheat and sugar.

Child malnutrition rates in the country are among the highest in the world with close to half of its children under five years – two million children – stunted and one million acutely malnourished.
Read more: Reliefweb, 26/09/12

Dublin Removal: Not a Safe Option for Sarah Najjuma
UKBA attempting to remove Sarah to Ireland on Tuesday 2nd October under safe-third-country rules, but Sarah needs the support of friends and her community in the UK.

Sarah has not had chance for a legal challenge to be made to this attempt to remove her to Ireland, and she needs more time in order to do this.
NCADC are helping Sarah, full details here . . . .

Stronger Actions Needed To Prevent Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
The United Nations and its partners today stressed that stronger actions and commitment are needed from world leaders to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and to secure justice for survivors of gender-based crimes.

"In conflict zones, women are disproportionately affected by sexual and gender-based violence, forced displacement, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and rights violations," said the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Michelle Bachelet.

"Access to justice means more than punishing the perpetrators. It means redress and reparations that enable women to recover losses, alleviate poverty and become full and equal members of society," Ms. Bachelet told attendees at a high-level panel on sexual violence prevention held on the margins of the 67th session of the General Assembly in New York.
Read more: Reliefweb, 25/09/12

Online Petition: Don't Deport Recovering Transplant Patient
Rose Akhalu left her Nigerian home to pursue a university scholarship in the UK, but was diagnosed with end stage renal failure--which meant certain death unless she received a kidney transplant. The NHS granted Akhalu the life-saving kidney transplant. But now, the UK Border Agency is threatening to deport Akhalu, which would effectively guarantee her death.

Home Secretary Theresa May has the power to save Akhalu's life by allowing her to remain in the UK during kidney transplant recovery.

The UK's National Kidney Foundation called Akhalu's situation "cruel and unjust." It said that her deportation case severely undermines the life of a transplant patient, stands in the way of medical resources, and jeopardizes the trust and purpose of the entire kidney transplant system.

Tell Ms. May: Don't stand in the way of a kidney transplant patient's recovery by requiring unjust and deadly deportation!
You can sign the petition here . . . .

NUS welcomes London Met international student U-turn
National Union of Students (NUS) has welcomed UKBAÕs decision to allow London Metropolitan students to complete their course or continue to study up until the end of the academic year (2012/13), whichever is sooner. UKBA had previously announced it would serve notices to all international students at London Met on October 1st, giving notice of 60 days leave to remain in the UK. At the suggestion of the judge, UKBA had agreed to guarantee the position of international students Ð who have the proper immigration status and who are currently studying or due to starting study at London Met this term, as well as those seeking transfer to other institutions Ð until the end of their course or up until the end of the academic year (2012/13), whichever is sooner.
Read more: Tim Lezard, Trade Union News - 24th September 2012

Garden Court Chambers - Immigration Law Bulletin - Issue 293

ARC Country of Origin Information Volume 41
This document provides an update of Country Guidance case law and UKBA publications and developments in
refugee producing countries between 09/09/2012 and 23/09/2012.
Asylum Research Consultancy, 24/09/12