The Gateway Protection Programme was operated by the British government between 2004 and 2020, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and co-funded by the European Union, offering a legal route for a quota of UNHCR-identified refugees to settle in the United Kingdom. It was proposed by the British Home Secretary, David Blunkett, in October 2001, and its legal basis was established by the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. The programme launched in March 2004, initially with a quota of 500 and later 750 refugees per year, but the actual number of refugees resettled in most years was fewer than the quota permitted. Evaluations of the programme have praised it but noted problems in securing employment for refugees. In March 2020, the Gateway Protection Programme closed after resettling 9,939 refugees, including Congolese, Somali, Iraqi, Ethiopian, Sudanese and Burmese nationals. A new UK Resettlement Scheme started in February 2021.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Protection_Programme

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1868:

St Pancras railway station in London, now the terminus of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, opened to the public. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Pancras_railway_station

1906:

A deputation of Muslim leaders led by the Aga Khan III met Indian viceroy Lord Minto to secure greater political representation, eventually leading to the founding of the All-India Muslim League. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simla_Deputation

1964:

The Free Speech Movement was launched at the University of California, Berkeley, when a crowd of 3,000 students prevented police from transporting Jack Weinberg away after his arrest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement

1991:

Croatian War of Independence: Yugoslav People's Army forces invaded the area surrounding Dubrovnik, Croatia, beginning a seven-month siege of the city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Dubrovnik

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

witch doctor: A person who is believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magical powers; a shaman. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witch_doctor

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in their place.   --Daniel J. Boorstin https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Daniel_J._Boorstin