WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Rwanda bill passes, Modi's 'Islamophobia', and Grindr accused of sharing data

 
today's politics story

Rwanda bill finally passes

What happened 
After eight hours of tortuous debate Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill cleared Parliament early this morning as MPs and peers sat through the night to pass the flagship legislation, paving the way for the first deportation flights to begin by July. The bill was passed after the House of Lords decided not to table any further amendments.

Who said what
Crossbench peer Lord Anderson said he had withdrawn his amendment to the Rwanda bill, which had been the last one standing, because "the time has come to accept the primacy of the elected house and withdraw from the fray". Planes will now depart for Kigali "come what may", said Sunak, and there will be a "regular rhythm of multiple flights every month" over the summer and beyond.

The commentary 
The bill's passage is a "major coup for Mr Sunak", said The Telegraph, and "in theory a step closer to his objective of stopping the boats". Yet support for the PM's bill is remarkably low, with almost everyone agreeing the government’s Rwanda plan is a "bad idea", said Simon Jenkins in The Guardian. Still, no matter how bad it is, "a bunch of unelected peers" should never have been able to "decide its fate", Jenkins added.

What next? 
With the bill's passage the first group of migrants will be sent letters within days notifying them of the government’s intent to deport them to Rwanda. The plan will cost £1.8 million for each of the first 300 deportees, the National Audit Office has confirmed.

 
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today’s international story

Modi calls Indian Muslims 'infiltrators'

What happened
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of Islamophobia after referring to India's Muslim community as “infiltrators” on the general election campaign trail.

Who said what
At a rally in Banswara, Rajasthan, Modi claimed the opposition Congress Party would prioritise Muslims if elected, and asked: "Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators?" Congress Party President Mallikarjun Kharge said the remarks were "definitely hate speech" and would stoke division.

The commentary 
India's "mammoth election" is "deepening divides", said CNN. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have been accused of using divisive rhetoric to "turbocharge their increasingly popular brand of Hindu nationalism". What's worse, said Al Jazeera, Modi's comments "could instigate hate-fuelled violence against Muslims", which has already "skyrocketed" during his decade-long reign.

What next?
Turnout has been low so far in the long-running election, which some observers have attributed to the country's soaring temperatures. The Congress party has cast the election as "the last chance saloon", suggesting Modi will destroy democracy if he wins.

 
 
Today’s technology story

Grindr 'shared user HIV status with ad firms'

What happened
Grindr, the world's largest LGBTQ+ dating app, has been accused of illegally sharing UK users' personal data – in some cases including their HIV status – with third party companies, in a lawsuit filed at the High Court in London.

Who said what
Chaya Hanoomanjee, the lawyer leading the suit, said many of the 670 users who had signed up to the claim had "experienced significant distress" and suggested Grindr "owes it to the LGBTQ+ community" to compensate those affected.

The commentary
This is not the first time Grindr has been in the spotlight over its data handling practices. The company was fined £4.8 million by Norway in 2021 for "data privacy behaviour that breached Europe's strict privacy laws", said Bloomberg. An appeal over the fine is ongoing.

What next?
Grindr has said it intends to respond "vigorously" to the claims of wrongdoing, which it described as "a mischaracterisation of practices from more than four years ago".

 
 

It's not all bad

The UK stock market closed at a record high yesterday amid easing Middle East tensions and optimism that the Bank of England will make an interest rate cut. The FTSE 100 closed at 8,023 points. Its previous closing high was 8,014 points. Susannah Streeter, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the FTSE 100 had "a spring in its step" at the start of the week, largely due to the easing of geopolitical tensions.

 
 
under the radar

Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality

Despite its recent economic woes Nigeria still boasts Africa's highest GDP – but one of the continent's worst outcomes for pregnant women. In 2020 about 82,000 Nigerian women died from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, "a marked increase" on previous decades, said The Guardian.

It's one of the highest rates in the world. Nearly 20% of all global maternal deaths happen in Nigeria, said the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, second only to India.

A Nigerian woman had a one in 22 lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth or complications after unsafe abortions. In most developed countries the risk was one in 4,900. Most of Nigeria's maternal deaths are preventable, according to a study published in 2022 in the BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth journal.   

The situation in the inflation battered but most populous African nation is worsening. One factor is the low number of doctors: one per 4,000 to 5,000 patients, rather than the one for every 600 people as recommended by the WHO.

Nigeria's healthcare budget this year is only 5%, while the UN suggests at least 14%. "The dire state of healthcare prompts many medical professionals to emigrate, exacerbating the problems," said The Guardian.

Another issue is access. "Most Nigerians live in areas without well-equipped medical centres," and "have to pay upfront for treatment" – which a growing number cannot afford.

"The problem of maternal mortality is a reflection of how our society works," a senior maternity consultant of Lagos University Hospital told The Guardian Nigeria. Reducing the rate is "solely within the power" of the country's leaders. "It takes political will to say that our women will not die."

 
 
on this day

23 April 1348

King Edward III established the Order of the Garter. More than 650 years later it remains the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. As is traditional, any new knights set to join the Order will be announced today, St George's Day. Historically the Order was bestowed upon members of the aristocracy whereas nowadays members are selected to join in recognition of their public service.

 
 
Today’s newspapers

The prime minister has said that preparations for flights of migrants to Rwanda are now underway, the Daily Mail reports. However, "Tory critics" have told Sunak his Rwanda plan "won't work", the i paper says. Meanwhile, "Facial mapping" found that a man wanted for questioning in relation to the 1999 murder of broadcaster Jill Dando bears a "striking resemblance" to a former assassin for Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic, says The Mirror.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Ceremonial duties

Penny Mordaunt's sword-wielding abilities impressed the nation during King Charles's coronation and they could once again be put on display – at the opening of an Aldi in North Wales. During business questions in Parliament last week Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie, who represents Ynys Môn, invited the Leader of the House of Commons to attend the long-awaited opening of the supermarket in Amlwch, Anglesey. Mordaunt responded: "I hope that if I'm able to attend I will be able to help cut the ribbon – perhaps with a sword."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Julia O'Driscoll, Rebecca Messina, Harriet Marsden and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: James Manning – WPA Pool / Getty Images; Ajay Aggarwal / Hindustan Times via Getty Images; Thomas Trutschel / Photothek via Getty Images.