The UK has sent the first failed asylum seeker to Rwanda – under a voluntary scheme.
The scheme is for those who have gone through the asylum process and had permission rejected, rather than for migrants who have illegally entered Britain by crossing the Channel on small boats.
The migrant was sent on a commercial flight and handed a fee from the British taxpayer to help relocate under the terms of a deal with Rwanda.
Politics latest: Potential SNP contender hints she will stand
According to The Sun, the man of African origin claimed asylum in the UK but was rejected at the end of last year. He then accepted the offer to go to Rwanda.
He left the UK on Monday.
This was not under done using the powers set out in the Safety of Rwanda Act, but rather a parallel scheme that allows someone to choose to make the trip if their attempts to claim asylum in the UK fails.
And upon arrival in Kigali, the person is able to claim around £3,000 in UK taxpayer money as help.
Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “The Tories are so desperate to get any flight off to Rwanda before the local elections that they have now just paid someone to go.
“British taxpayers aren’t just forking out £3,000 for a volunteer to board a plane, they are also paying Rwanda to provide him with free board and lodgings for the next five years. This extortionate pre-election gimmick is likely to be costing on average £2m per person.
“Former Tory Home Office ministers warned that the government’s plan was just to get token flights off before a General Election. Now we know what they mean.”
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Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: “Don’t be conned by this new government spin on the Rwanda deal.
“This African man, who did not even cross the Channel, was refused asylum and has voluntarily accepted £3,000 and free board.
“It won’t stop the boats.”
The government’s attempts to forcefully remove people to Rwanda were announced more than two years ago, but no one has been sent so far.
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Earlier this month, parliament passed the Safety of Rwanda Act, and the government hopes to get flights off the ground in nine to 11 weeks.
Line Of Duty actor Brian McCardie has died aged 59, his family has confirmed.
Best known for playing mafia boss John Thomas ‘Tommy’ Hunter in the police procedural, he had also recently joined the cast of Outlander prequel, Blood Of My Blood.
His sister confirmed his death on X, writing: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie, beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many.
“Brian passed away suddenly at home on Sunday 28th April. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon.
“We love him and will miss him greatly; please remember Brian in your thoughts.”
She said funeral arrangements would be announced in the days ahead.
No cause of death was given.
McCardie’s agent, United Agents, paid tribute on social media, writing: “We are shocked and so deeply saddened by the tragic news of Brian McCardie’s sudden death.
“He was an actor of such great talent who we were lucky to represent, and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Producer Paul Larkin posted on social media, saying he was “shocked and devastated” to learn of McCardie’s death, adding: “Brian was a brilliant friend and we had many discussions about mental health issues where he was a fantastic help to me. As well as that; he was a phenomenal actor. Sleep tight Brother.”
Writer Alec Bowman Clarke said he was “saddened” by the news, and wrote: “I spoke to him a few times about projects & always found him genuine, passionate, generous & funny. I wrote a part for him in a future project.”
With a career stretching over three decades, McCardie had appeared in numerous TV shows over the years – but it was his role in Line Of Duty for which he was best known.
One of the show’s original characters, despite Tommy Hunter meeting a violent end in series two, the character went on to been mentioned in both series three and and series five.
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A Scottish actor, McCardie appeared in an episode of Outlander, playing Sir Marcus MacRannoch, before being cast as the chief of Clan Grant in the forthcoming Outlander prequel.
The show, which centres around the lives of Outlander character Jamie Fraser’s parents, is currently filming in Scotland according to Starz network.
He starred opposite Sean Bean in the 2021 BBC prison drama Time and in Irvine Welsh’s TV series Crime in the same year.
He also appeared in Sky Atlantic’s Domina, set in Ancient Rome playing Roman statesman Cicero.
His film appearances included Rob Roy, Irvine Welsh’s Filth and the thriller Low Winter Sun alongside Mark Strong.
An Abu Dhabi-backed fund has conceded defeat in its bid to buy The Daily Telegraph after its ownership was effectively blocked by the government.
RedBird IMI announced it had placed The Telegraph and The Spectator titles up for sale, declaring that its ownership was “no longer feasible”.
The move was confirmed after ministers revealed plans last month to outlaw foreign state ownership of UK newspapers.
The gulf state-backed fund had reached a deal with previous Telegraph owners the Barclay family, in December last year, to take control of the group by paying off debts owed to their bank, Lloyds.
But the move sparked investigations by the Competition and Markets Authority and the media regulator and culminated in the government pulling the plug through an amendment to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill.
A statement read: “RedBird IMI has today confirmed that it intends to withdraw from its proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group and proceed with a sale.
“We continue to believe this approach would have benefited the Telegraph and Spectator’s readers, their journalists and the UK media landscape more widely.
“Regrettably, it is clear this approach is no longer feasible.”
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King Charles will return to official public duties later for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.
The monarch, who is the patron of Macmillan Cancer Support, will visit a cancer treatment centre to meet medical specialists and other patients, along with the Queen.
He decided to announce he had cancer at the beginning of February.
Since then, cancer charities have praised his openness and the impact it’s had on raising public awareness, along with the Princess of Wales also talking about her diagnosis.
The aim of today’s visit, where he will meet larger numbers of people for the first time, is to draw attention to the importance of early diagnosis and highlight innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, taking place at the hospital.
On Friday, the palace announced that the King was “greatly encouraged” to be given the green light by doctors to return to some public-facing duties.
Sources have stressed that despite the welcome news, the King still has cancer and will continue to be treated for the undisclosed form of the disease.
The Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty’s treatment programme will continue, but doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties.”
They added: “Forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimise any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”
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The King has continued to carry on with his constitutional work behind the scenes and held small meetings inside the palace, including with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
At Easter, he made a point of greeting crowds who had turned out to see him attend the church service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, which was seen as a hint that more public-facing engagements could soon follow.
Palace officials continue to plan for a busy summer and autumn of events but will work around the caveat that plans may need to change depending on the King’s health and doctors’ advice.
Read more from Sky News: Prince Harry returning to UK for visit William reveals Charlotte’s favourite ‘dad joke’
The summer months are always a busy period for the Royal Family with events like Trooping the Colour, Garter Day, and Royal Ascot.
There is also the prospect of overseas travel towards the end of the year, as Samoa is hosting the biennial meeting of Commonwealth leaders.
Humza Yousaf will no doubt be riddled with regret at the colossal miscalculation to bin the Greens last week.
His options to fight on, despite the severe headwinds, eventually evaporated and, short of striking a deal with Alex Salmond, he was boxed in.
Mr Yousaf inherited a lot of his problems. The Green pact was signed by Nicola Sturgeon and the ongoing police investigation is out of his control.
Politics live: Next Scottish FM tipped to be ‘crowned with no contest’
Many senior SNP figures feel governing as a minority government, free from the shackles of the Greens, is exactly what the party needs right now to win back its supporters who have fled.
There is no doubt the SNP is still the biggest political force in Scotland, but a series of controversial policies have grabbed the headlines and dominated all the public narrative.
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Mr Yousaf presided over a heavy loss to Labour in the Rutherglen by-election and was defeated in a court battle over the notorious gender recognition reforms.
The biggest focus now is who comes next and the process that follows.
Labour looks set to gain in the polls from any strife the SNP endures – but could a new leader unite the party in a way Mr Yousaf failed?
It got extremely messy when Ms Sturgeon departed last year. No one in the party wants to rip open old wounds.
John Swinney is seen as a party heavyweight and many current cabinet ministers will rally behind him.
But others fear he is yesterday’s man and will not deliver that change the SNP must have if it is to cling on to power.
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Swinney ‘considering’ SNP leadership bid
If one-time leadership candidate Kate Forbes throws her hat in the ring, will the Yousaf wing of the party listen to what she has to say? Will they recognise she got almost 50% of the vote in the contest last year?
She is seen by many as competent and controversial. Her leadership could be plagued by old rifts from colleagues who believe her premiership would be a lurch to the right.
The SNP and Scotland stand at a crossroads.
The turmoil is becoming a familiar rhythm in a parliament where views are increasingly entrenched and tribal.
A man has admitted killing an 87-year-old mobility scooter rider in west London.
Lee Byer stabbed Thomas O’Halloran to death in Greenford in a “motiveless attack”.
A post-mortem found the victim had suffered multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen in August 2022.
Mr O’Halloran, a grandfather who was originally from Co Clare in Ireland, was said to be a passionate musician and was described as “very popular” in Greenford, often busking for charity.
Byer, of no fixed address, denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility on Monday and having an offensive weapon.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson KC accepted the pleas after mental health reports found the 45-year-old was psychotic, hearing voices, suffering from paranoid delusions and paranoid schizophrenia.
He said the defendant’s mental state provided an explanation for what was a “motiveless attack”.
On the afternoon of 16 August 2022, a member of the public found the victim on his scooter who told them he had been stabbed, with his wounds clearly visible, the Old Bailey previously heard.
Mr O’Halloran had been coming from a passageway that runs between Runnymede Gardens and Welland Gardens, and the passer-by called the police soon after 4pm.
Despite being given first aid by members of the public and later police and medics, Mr O’Halloran was pronounced at the scene at 4.54pm.
He and the defendant were seen on CCTV heading towards the passageway where their paths crossed.
Apart from Byer, no-one else went in or out of the area when the victim was attacked, the footage showed.
When he left the passageway, a knife could be seen in Byer’s hand.
He was caught on camera putting a knife handle in a drain in Haymill Close on the way back to his mother’s house. Forensic analysis discovered the victim’s blood on the handle, but the blade was not never found.
In police interviews following his arrest at his mother’s home on 18 August, he denied being the suspect caught on CCTV, claiming he was in his mum’s garden or the park at the time.
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Clothes matching those seen on CCTV were found in a search of the property as well as a knife set with handles similar to the one found in the drain.
Months before the killing, footage on social media showed Mr O’Halloran busking as he raised money for Ukraine.
At the time of his death, Fine Gael senator Martin Conway said the victim had regularly visited Ireland and that his death had left his home community in Ennistymon in “deep shock and sadness”.
“Tommy, as he was known, left Ennistymon for London 71 years ago but travelled home almost every year until about 10 years ago,” he said.
Mr O’Halloran was survived by his family, including his sister, two brothers, nieces and nephews.
Old Bailey Judge Mark Lucraft adjourned sentencing until 10 May.
Common and easily guessed passwords like ‘admin’ or ‘12345’ are being banned in the UK as part of world-first laws to protect against cyber attacks.
As well as default passwords, if a user suggests a common password they will be prompted to change it on creation of a new account.
It comes as a home filled with smart devices could be exposed to more than 12,000 hacking attacks from across the world in a single week, with 2,684 attempts to guess weak passwords on five devices, according to an investigation by Which?
Password managing website NordPass found the most commonly used passwords in the UK last year were 123456 and, believe it or not, password.
The new measures come into force in the UK on Monday, making it the first country in the world to introduce the laws.
They are part of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regime – designed to improve the UK’s resilience from cyber attacks and ensure malign interference does not impact the wider UK and global economy.
Under the law, manufacturers of all internet-connected devices – from mobile phones, smart doorbells and even high-tech fridges – will be required to implement minimum security standards.
They will also have to publish contact details so bugs and issues can be reported and resolved and tell consumers the minimum time they can expect to receive important security updates.
UK’s 10 most commonly used passwords in 2023
123456
password
qwerty
liverpool
123456789
arsenal
12345678
12345
abc123
chelsea
“As everyday life becomes increasingly dependent on connected devices, the threats generated by the internet multiply and become even greater,” Science and Technology Minister Viscount Camrose said.
“From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind that their smart devices are protected from cyber criminals… We are committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and these new regulations mark a significant leap towards a more secure digital world.”
According to recent figures, 99% of UK adults own at least one smart device and UK households own an average of nine connected devices.
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A further 57% of households own a smart TV, 53% own a voice assistant and 49% own a smart watch or fitness wristband.
Copper Horse – a company that provides mobile phone software and security expertise to a range of customers – flagged products with webcams as “weak and insecure” and are “trivial to hack into and takeover”.
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The new measures intend to increase consumer confidence in the security of the products they use and buy.
It is part of the government’s £2.6bn National Cyber Strategy to protect and promote the UK online.
Highs of 20C are expected in parts of the UK this week, the Met Office has said, following a spell of cold, wet and windy weather.
Forecasters expect warmer weather to return mid-week, with southeast England set to enjoy the highest temperatures.
But there will still be scattered showers or longer spells of rain across the UK – and areas north of Newcastle, particularly the east coast of Scotland, will see the coldest temperatures this week.
Get the latest weather forecast where you are here
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Senior Met Office meteorologist Amy Bokota said: “Temperatures have been below average for the last couple of weeks, so certainly by the time we get to Wednesday, and probably into next weekend, temperatures will be warmer.
“It might not be the sort of glorious sort of heatwave that we’re hoping for… but there probably will be some more pleasant and warmer weather for some people as we head towards the end of the week.”
The warmer weather comes after heavy rain interrupted sports matches and flood warnings were issued across the UK over the weekend.
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0:54
Earlier this month: France and Spain experience heatwave
Emergency services were called to assist two people inside a car that was submerged in around 50cm of floodwater under a railway bridge in Thurmaston, Leicester, on Sunday morning.
Cricket matches across the country were postponed or cancelled over the weekend because of the rain and soggy grounds, including Vitality County Championship games in County Durham, Yorkshire and Leicester.
The Environment Agency issued several flood warnings for Sunday, meaning flooding was expected, including in St Ives in Cornwall, areas on the River Wreake in Leicestershire, Water Eaton Brook at Water Eaton and several towns on the Isle of Wight.
So far this month, the maximum temperature recorded has been 21.8C in Writtle, Essex, on 13 April with a low of -6.3C recorded in Shap, Cumbria, on 26 April and a UK-wide average of 8.4C.
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Grey skies and rain have made April feel unusually cold, the Met Office has said.
But it has actually been “on the warmer side of average”, said Ms Bokota.
It has been a “been a month of two halves”, she added: “Quite warm for the first half, and then quite cool up until now.”
It has definitely been “wetter than average for the UK as a whole”, however, meaning many areas of the UK have been “quite dull so far for the time of year”.
The production is slick, the pundits are sharp and the players are gods.
This is no traditional tournament though. This is professional gaming. Fans are watching the best players in the world playing their favourite game, in an arena, for a cash prize.
Around 15,000 fans from across the world are in Birmingham watching pros go head-to-head (virtually) throughout the week, with many thousands more watching the competition online.
The tournament, ESL One Birmingham, is being held at the Resorts World Arena near the city’s airport.
While many people will have heard of some of the games that are played at big esports events like this, such as Fifa, the game being played this week in Birmingham will be less widely known.
Dota 2 is described to me by one gaming analyst as being ‘kind of like chess’ but with flashing lights and novelty characters.
There are two teams of five players and, before play can begin, a considerable amount of time is spent by the professionals choosing their own characters and trying to stop the other team from choosing characters which might be overly advantageous during the game.
Then, frankly, the rules of the game are lost on me but I’m told it involves a king, queens and trying to destroy the enemy’s (the other team’s) base.
The fans tell me part of the appeal of Dota is how difficult the game is, but ultimately the enjoyment of being a spectator is the same as for sports enthusiasts.
“It’s about the professional aspect of it, similar with football. You can go and play football but it’s nice to see people playing it at a level you could never play at,” says fan Ryan Freeman.
I’m here to watch the competition’s semi-final between the UK team, Tundra, and a Saudi Arabian team, Falcons. There aren’t actually any UK players in Tundra and Falcons are an equally international bunch.
Much like in professional athletic sports, esports teams are buying and selling the best players in the world. The pros in Tundra and Falcons are some of the best paid in the industry.
One expert tells me at this level, players can make $10,000 (£8,000) a month, plus tournament winnings and sponsorship deals. The prize pot at this competition is $1m (£800,000) although that is shared between the teams, with the winning team taking $300,000 (£240,000).
“I think many people think of the esports team as just five guys who like playing the game at home,” says Alvaro Sanchez Velasco, Product Manager at ESL One Birmingham.
“But the [team] organisations have boot camps, they have schedules that include training regimens, psychological visits. They usually have a team manager and team psychologist, that’s very common these days, as well as a coach and assistant coach.”
Jonas Volek is a Czech professional gamer and although he’s not taking part in this tournament in Birmingham, he’s here to commentate and analyse the games. While I’m interviewing him I see a line of fans developing, they’re clearly waiting for him to finish speaking.
When he does, they all ask for selfies.
Mr Volek, 23, played chess as a child, then switched to video games and by 12 years old he was hooked on Dota 2, becoming a professional player by his late teens. Now he competes in tournaments across the world.
“It’s not really a job, it’s more of a lifestyle because it takes so much of my time,” says Mr Volek.
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“When I’m really training, it takes 12 hours a day, and I’m always travelling. There’s no time for anything else.”
I didn’t see any female players on stage in Birmingham, and the audience is dominated by men.
“I do hope one day I’ll see more women up there playing the game in the best teams,” says fan Charlotte Keane.
But there isn’t the charged, often volatile atmosphere that you might find at many sporting events, particularly men’s football.
There is some comic ‘smack talk’ between players from opposing teams, egged on by the hosts for the audience’s enjoyment. But after one player criticises the other player’s hair in mock-serious fashion, one of the hosts decides that’s enough play fighting.
Of course, for the fans, there isn’t the same territorial spirit that comes with supporting a particular football team for instance. Mostly this is about respect for the individual players, who can’t hear any of the cheers or chants from the crowd during the game as they wear noise cancelling headphones so they can focus on winning.
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After about an hour of play, Falcons are victorious, and the fans make their way out of the auditorium to buy hot dogs and fish and chips.
This event feels distinctly less boozy than any sporting competition I’ve ever been to. But, even for an enthusiast, Dota 2 does not seem like the kind of game it would be easy to follow after a few pints.
A second man has died after taking an “unusually strong batch” of heroin in North Devon, police have said.
The first man died as a result of taking the Class A drug on Friday and a second man, who had been admitted to hospital earlier, died on Saturday night.
Devon and Cornwall Police said his death is believed to be as a result of taking the same batch, which is thought to be a “form of heroin combined with another substance” which causes “more serious effects” than regular supplies.
A total of 10 people, including the man who died, have been treated in hospital. Two are still being treated.
Two men and two women arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of a controlled substance have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
What was “locally thought to be an unusual batch of heroin” circulating in Westward Ho!, Bideford and Barnstaple became known to officers and partner agencies at 5pm on Friday, police said.
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A major incident was declared, before being stood down on Saturday morning.
“We believe the substance found on Friday has been contained,” said Detective Superintendent Ben Davies.
He added: “While we believe there is no threat to the wider community, we continue to investigate the circumstances of the now two deaths as a result of taking this substance.
“We are continuing to carry out tests in order to ascertain what the substance is, but suspect it is a form of heroin combined with another substance which users will find causes more serious effects than heroin which they might usually use.”
Health workers are working with local drug users to “safeguard them as much as possible”, he said.
Users are urged to “exercise extreme caution”, he added.
“Advice remains that if you feel you are suffering an adverse reaction or are in the company of someone in need of urgent medical attention, call 999 for appropriate care and help.”