human rights violations

Young people to take 32 European countries to court over climate policies

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/14/young-people-to-take-32-european-countries-to-court-over–climate-policies

Canadian wildfire 2023
Canadian wildfire 2023

Claimants to argue lack of adequate action is breach of human rights, in largest climate legal action to date

Six young people are preparing to appear at the European court of human rights to try to compel 32 nations to rapidly escalate their emissions reductions in the world’s largest climate legal action to date.

Aged from 11 to 24, the six Portuguese claimants, say they were driven to act by their experiences in the wildfires that ripped through the Leiria region in 2017, killing 66 people and destroying 20,000 hectares of forest.

After another summer in which wildfires raged across Portugal, Greece, Spain, Croatia and Italy, the young people will argue in the grand chamber of the Strasbourg court in 13 days’ time that the 32 European nations’ policies to tackle global heating are inadequate and in breach of their human rights obligations.

Crowdfunded by people around the world, who have donated more than £100,000, they are seeking a binding ruling from the judges to force the countries to rapidly escalate their emissions reductions in what would be a historic milestone in climate litigation.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/14/young-people-to-take-32-european-countries-to-court-over-climate-policies

Continue ReadingYoung people to take 32 European countries to court over climate policies

8 million people especially private renters and the young are not properly registered to vote, warns Electoral Commission

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Image of a polling station sign. secretlondon123, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence.
Image of a polling station sign. secretlondon123, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence.

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/09/8-million-people-especially-private-renters-and-the-young-are-not-properly-registered-to-vote-warns-electoral-commission/

Up to 8 million people across the United Kingdom are either incorrectly registered to vote or missing completely, according to research published today by the Electoral Commission, with young people, private renters and those who have recently moved house most affected.

The sheer number of people denied a right to vote thanks to an ‘outdated registration system’, would be equivalent in number to more than 100 UK Parliament constituencies.

The Commission is calling for urgent reforms to electoral registration rules, including the passing of legislation ‘to create clear legal gateways for government departments and public bodies to share data on potentially eligible voters with electoral administrators’. The Commission says that this would enable electoral registration officers to register voters directly, or to send them invitations to register.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/09/8-million-people-especially-private-renters-and-the-young-are-not-properly-registered-to-vote-warns-electoral-commission/

Continue Reading8 million people especially private renters and the young are not properly registered to vote, warns Electoral Commission

Peace campaigners protest against DSEI arms fair in London

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/peace-campaigners-protest-against-dsei-arms-fair-in-london

Campaigners block the road in East London outside the DSEI arms fair Photo: @CAATuk / Twitter
Campaigners block the road in East London outside the DSEI arms fair Photo: @CAATuk / Twitter

HUNDREDS of peace campaigners gathered outside of London’s ExCel centre today to tell arms dealers and the world’s worst human rights abusing nations that they are not welcome.

It came as UK Defence and Security Exports published the list of countries invited to Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI).

Eight of the nations are on the British government’s own list of countries of concern, such as Saudi Arabia.

Protests, co-ordinated by the Stop The Arms Fair (Staf), have been targeting the event since it began preparations last week, leading to at least 12 arrests.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/peace-campaigners-protest-against-dsei-arms-fair-in-london

Continue ReadingPeace campaigners protest against DSEI arms fair in London

Home Office defies high court by placing 100 asylum-seeker children in hotels

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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/01/home-office-defies-high-court-by-placing-100-asylum-seeker-children-in-hotels

Unlawful practice still used in Kent was condemned after more than 200 went missing from accommodation

The UK Home Office has placed more than 100 lone asylum-seeker children in hotels in recent weeks, despite the practice having been found unlawful by the high court.

The government’s continued use of hotels has been condemned by human rights and refugee organisations since more than 200 children have gone missing, including dozens who vanished from one hotel in Brighton.

One of the reasons why children continue to be placed in hotels, some for a number of weeks, is that Kent county council says it cannot cope with the number of children arriving. The council’s geographical location means it has responsibility to take into care lone children who arrive at the Kent coast in small boats. It has warned that they are struggling to meet their legal obligations to UK as well as asylum-seeker children.

Both the Home Office and Kent county council have been found by the high court to have acted unlawfully by failing to look after these children properly.

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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/01/home-office-defies-high-court-by-placing-100-asylum-seeker-children-in-hotels

Continue ReadingHome Office defies high court by placing 100 asylum-seeker children in hotels