Michel Forst, UN special rapporteur, joins growing chorus of voices criticising jail terms handed to five defendants
The lengthy multi-year sentences handed to Just Stop Oil activists are “not acceptable in a democracy”, a UN special rapporteur has said, as the government faced growing pressure to reverse the previous administration’s “hardline anti-protest” approach.
Michel Forst, the UN special rapporteur for environmental defenders, joined a growing chorus of voices condemning the sentences handed down to the five defendants for planning non-violent protests on the M25.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
07/19/2024 - 12:15
07/19/2024 - 10:49
Tourist hotspots including Ullapool and Fort William badly hit as biting insects enjoy damp, humid conditions
Scotland’s wet summer is providing perfect conditions for surges of midges, with experts saying worse is yet to come.
This week the Scottish Midge Forecast predicted high numbers of the biting insects, reaching peaks of four and five on a scale of one to five.
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07/19/2024 - 09:00
Thousands have joined American Climate Corps, a new federal program that links young people with jobs in green energy and conservation
Did you ever imagine spending a year restoring paths along the Appalachian Trail? Developing community gardens on a Caribbean island? Or helping neighbors electrify their homes?
This summer, thousands of people in the US joined the American Climate Corps (ACC), a new federal program that connects young people with jobs in conservation, climate adaptation and green energy.
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07/19/2024 - 06:24
Chris Packham calls for meeting with attorney general as prominent figures condemn long jail terms for M25 activists
Chris Packham has called for a meeting with the attorney general for England and Wales as he joined a chorus of prominent voices condemning long jail terms for Just Stop Oil protesters.
Speaking after five activists were sentenced to up to five years for planning protests on the M25, the broadcaster and naturalist said: “Be clear, be very, very clear, this is not just about climate activism.
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07/19/2024 - 05:37
Exclusive: Create Streets calls for legislation to make it easier to remove kiosks that attract litter and graffiti
The new Labour government should remove “ugly” modern phone kiosks that are blighting high streets and attracting litter and graffiti, a leading thinktank has said.
A report by Create Streets, founded by the government adviser Nicholas Boys Smith, says there is little need for phone boxes any more and that they do not feature much on the streets of Paris or New York.
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07/19/2024 - 05:00
‘Nominating Biden is a recipe for electing Trump,’ says founder of Climate Defiance, while other groups stay quiet
Some climate campaigners are heaping further pressure on Joe Biden to drop out of the US presidential election, with activists staging a protest outside the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters on Friday to demand the US president stand aside.
Several dozen protesters are planning to blockade the DNC in Washington on Friday morning to call for a freeze on Biden’s nomination, in favor of another candidate who could prevent Donald Trump becoming president and tearing up Biden’s climate policies.
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07/19/2024 - 05:00
As heatwaves hit the US, farm workers struggle to wear PPE. The country now faces its biggest human outbreak
Extreme heat may be a crucial factor behind the biggest bird flu outbreak in humans in the US as officials continue to track the virus’ spread.
A heatwave in Colorado likely caused personal protective equipment not to work correctly for workers culling poultry infected with H5N1, a highly pathogenic bird flu. Four people have tested positive for H5N1 and a fifth is also expected to have their case confirmed as bird flu, officials said this week.
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07/19/2024 - 02:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world
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07/19/2024 - 01:00
From a Grand Designs-style property nestled underground to a remote timber-framed home on a hillside
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07/19/2024 - 00:00
Friends of the Earth says older people and young children are most at risk in heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods
Inadequate climate protections mean at least 6 million lives are at risk from extreme heat in England, an analysis has found.
A report by the campaign group Friends of the Earth found older people and young children were the most high-risk groups for heatwaves, with 1.7 million under-5s and 4.3 million people over 65 living in the most heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods in England.
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