UK imposes new immigration curbs Libya parliament moves to luxury hotel after militia attack

Wednesday, 21/05/2014

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LONDON: Amidst rising anti immigration rhetoric, a new le gislation imposing tighter restrictions and making the UK ‘the least attractive destination for illegal immigrants’ has come into force after receiving the royal assent on Wednesday.

The new act includes controversial provisions such as requiring private landlords to check the immigration status of potential tenants, preventing those with no right to live in the UK from accessing private rented housing.

Another provision with implications for visitors from India introduces a requirement from temporary migrants to make a financial contribution to the National Health Service for using its ‘accident and emergency’ and other services during their stay here. The act includes powers to prevent repeat bail applications when a removal from the country is imminent, revoke driving licences held by immigration offenders and allow the Home Secretary to deprive a naturalised individual of their British citizenship if their actions have been seriously prejudicial to the interests of the United Kingdom. TRIPOLI: Li bya ’sparliament moved to a luxury hotel on Tuesday until a powerful militia from the western city of Misrata can take up positions to protect it sold building, which was attacked by gunmen on Sunday, a parliamentary spokesman said.

Gunmen shelled the General National Congress on Sunday in an attack claimed by forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar, who said it was part of a campaign to purge the North African country of Islamists.

Haftar’s troops on Friday attacked Islamist militants in Benghazi in the worst clashes in the eastern city for months, killing more than 70 people. Western powers fear Haftar’s campaign will split the Libyan army, further destabilising the country, after several units defected to him in recent days. Calm has returned to Tripoli since Sunday but diplomats say the involvement of a militia from Misrata might create new tensions.

The Islamist Muslim Brothers have strong roots in Misrata and are rivals of a militia from Zintan in the western mountains, which controls par t of Tripoli and which some officials have blamed for the attack on the parliament.

The struggle takes place against a background of growing chaos in Libya, where the government is unable to control dozens of militias who helped oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but now defy state authority.

Parliamentary spokesman Omar Hmeidan said speaker Nuri Abu Sahmain had asked the force from Misrata to secure parliament’s premises. “The Congress decided to hold the session in the Radisson Blu hotel until the Central Shield force from Misrata secures the headquarters of the Congress,” he said.