Despite popular expectation that their government should be tough on immigrants and the consistence hard-line position of Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary earlier position to toughen the migrant system, immigration officers have been ordered to stop deporting foreign students who overstay their visas. A leaked memo obtained by the Daily Mail suggests they are not regarded as a high enough priority and the paper went further to say that secret edict makes a mockery of the United Kingdom Government claims to be running a "robust" immigration system.

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UNWTO’s Secretary-General, Francesco Frangialli, expressed his solidarity with the people of Mauritania in the face of the recent events leading to the cancellation of the Dakar Rally and its consequent effect on tourism. Eight stages of the race were scheduled to be held in Mauritania. The Secretary-General confirmed that UNWTO is currently advising the Government of Mauritania and will continue to support the Ministry of Tourism in its efforts to develop its nascent tourism sector which has seen a steady growth in recent years.

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Kenya’s biggest tourism competitors in Africa are reaping big from the political unrest that has hit the country. The competitors include Tanzania, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. Most of the tourists who have cancelled their visits to Kenya have booked into these countries that offer similar products. Concerns are now rife in the industry that it may be very hard to reverse the gains which the competitors are making if the situation in the country is not resolved soon.

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