Britain has announced it will seek harsher sentences for migrants caught entering the country without permission amid a record-breaking surge in arrivals over the English Channel.
The legislation announced that it will make it a criminal offence to arrive in the UK without permission, with a maximum sentence for those entering the country unlawfully increasing from six months to four years.
Patel says the plans were fair but firm adding that the UK would welcome people through safe and legal routes whilst preventing abuse of the system, cracking down on illegal entry and the criminality associated with it.
The Home Office says it was very likely that those travelling to the UK via small boat will have come from a safe European Union country in which they could have claimed asylum.

Saudi Arabia has suspended flights to three countries, including the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, to protect against a coronavirus variant.
The UAE, and especially Dubai, is a key leisure destination for Saudis.
An interior ministry official says Flights to and from the UAE, alongside those to Ethiopia and Vietnam, will be suspended from Sunday.
It added that Saudi citizens and residents returning from these countries will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
Citizens would be banned from travelling directly or indirectly, without obtaining prior permission from authorities.

Kenya has denied any involvement in the arrest and extradition of Biafra separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Wilfred Gisuka Machage, told journalists in Abuja the allegation that his country was involved was fictional, imaginary and concocted.
He challenged those accusing Kenya to provide evidence. He was responding to speculation that Mr Kanu was arrested in the East African country.
The high commissioner says Kenya has no intention of interfering in Nigeria’s internal affairs.
The Nigerian government says Mr Kanu was arrested on Sunday but declined to disclose where and how he was picked up.

South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang Chol says that the country’s local refinery is now operational and will soon supply the 10 regional states and countries in the region with refined oil products.
The minister says the refined products will be enough for domestic consumption and for supply to the neighbouring countries.
He says the refinery is operational and they only have issues to do with evacuation.
He says South Sudan has the biggest oil reserves in the region and should be the hub and the biggest supplier of oil products.

The World Health Organization says that new and faster-spreading variants are fuelling the continent’s surging third wave, infections reaching an all-time peak compared to past waves.
The Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, says that the speed and scale of the third wave are like nothing they have seen before, pushing the threat to Africa up to a whole new level.
The latest data, the Delta variant has been detected in 97%of samples in Uganda and 79% in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The head of DR Congo coronavirus response Jean-Jacques Muyembe says that the rate at which the Delta variant is spreading is worrying.
He says that hospitals are already overwhelmed and the morgues are full to capacity.

The 17 governors of the Southern states will meet in Lagos to continue their search for the solution to the problems confronting the country.
The governors had earlier issued a 12-point resolution, which included the ban on open grazing in all the states and the call for restructuring, among others.
The present meeting in Lagos will examine the progress made regarding the Asaba Declaration, examine opposition to some of the demands and come up with a better strategy for actualising the demands.
The governors were demanding inclusive government at the federal level, state police, and a review of the revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national governments.
They also wanted the creation of some other institutions, which will legitimately advance commitment to the practice of federalism.

Groups from oil-bearing communities in Abia, Delta, Edo and Ondo states have demanded an upward review of the three per cent host communities’ fund approved in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which was passed last Thursday by the National Assembly.
Clause 240 of the draft bill had proposed five per cent of the annual profit of the oil companies for host communities.
The President-General of Urhobo Progress Union, Chief Moses Taiga, called for an objective, realistic and patriotic review of the fund to 10 per cent.
He, however, stated that despite any shortcomings that may be observed, the PIB as passed is a good and practical starting point towards changing the administrative, regulatory and fiscal framework of the nation’s oil and gas industry.

President Muhammadu Buhari has joined President Joe R. Biden the Government and people of the United States to commemorate its 245th Independence Day and the annual celebration of nationhood.
President Buhari noted with delight how the Biden administration is working earnestly to overcome some of the country’s greatest challenges that include racism and the Coronavirus epidemic.
President Buhari says he was confident that given the shared values of democracy, rule of law and inclusive prosperity, the strategic partnership and engagements between Nigeria and the United States would continue to grow for the mutual benefits of our two countries and our peoples.

The Anglican Bishop of Kaduna Diocese, Reverend Timothy Yahaya has expressed concern over the rising insecurity in the country, with a call on the Federal Government to urgently declare a state of emergency in the nation’s security sector.
The Bishop also urged the government to recruit more youths into the armed forces, in order to protect the citizens from constant attacks by bandits and terrorists.
The cleric stressed that the current number of personnel of the armed forces is not enough to deal with the emerging security challenges confronting different parts of the nation.
He also proposed a National Diploma Certificate as a minimum requirement for enlistment into the Nigerian Police force.

Hepsiburada.com was valued at $3.9 billion in its initial public offering on Nasdaq, the first such listing on the exchange by a Turkish firm.
Hanzade Dogan Boyner, the founder and chairwoman says the company sold shares at $12 apiece and is planning to use the proceeds to offer additional services such as booking flights and money transfers.
She says they are aiming to use the proceeds to expand our services not only in our home market of Turkey but also in nearby and high-potential markets.
The company says it sold shares worth $738 million, or 20% of the total shares, in the offering, and will receive a net of $470 million through its rights issue.