(UN News)* — A proposed new anti-terrorism law in Switzerland could set a dangerous precedent for the suppression of political dissent worldwide, a group of five independent UN human rights experts warned on Friday [11 September 2020].
Unsplash/Claudio Schwarz | The Swiss parliament building in the capital, Bern.
The draft legislation, currently before the Swiss Parliament, expands the definition of terrorism and no longer requires the prospect of any crime at all, they said, in a plea for a last-minute reversal by legislators.
Scams and exploitation from UK employment agencies have increased by two thirds during lockdown, yet the government is failing to take action.
Steve Parsons/PA Archive/PA Images
9 September 2020 (openDemocracy)* — Employment agencies operate at the heart of almost every key worker profession, employing around one million workers in the UK. It has long been an industry rife with exploitation, including recruitment scams, non-payment and even modern slavery.
But according to SAFERjobs, a charity that assists flexible economy workers, the spike in unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is being capitalised on by criminals.
7 September 2020 (FAO)* — The problem? Burning crop residues. Although it causes a variety of health issues and significantly raises levels of pollution, it is a common practice in India and many other countries around the world. The solution? Turn the crop residues into something useful, such as bioenergy.
11 September 2020 (UN News)* — Fresh fires at a Greek island centre for thousands of refugees and migrants, have destroyed all remaining accommodation for those affected by the initial blaze on 11 September 2020 evening.
In an alert on Friday, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said that people of all ages have been left homeless in Lesbos after further fires on Wednesday and Thursday.
10 September 2020 (UN Environment)* — Some of the worst wildfires in California in living memory; exceptional and prolonged heat in Siberia; walls of seawater as Hurricane Laura lashes Louisiana; unprecedented rates of glacier melt and sea-ice loss… these are some of the blinking lights of the climate crisis.
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Photo: Reuters
Beyond headline-grabbing climate events, however, lie other indicators that our climate is changing more rapidly.
11 September 2020 (WMO)* — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched the high-level multi-agency United in Science report on 9 September with yet another appeal for urgent climate action to “ensure a liveable planet for this and future generations.”