Plans to deny millions of people the right to access immigration data held on them by the Home Office are illegal and will be challenged in court, the government has been told. Organisations representing up to 3 million EU citizens living in the UK and digital rights activists have written to the home secretary, Amber Rudd, giving notice that they will take legal action if a clause in the data protection bill is enacted.

The threat is aimed at proposals in the bill to introduce an exemption for immigration information. It is claimed that the clause would prevent those facing deportation from obtaining and challenging the accuracy of personal data held on them by the government. The two groups – the3million, a grassroots organisation representing EU citizens living in the UK, and the Open Rights Group (ORG), which campaigns on privacy rights and free speech online – argue that the clause in the bill breaches the government’s obligations under the EU’s general data protection regulation (GDPR).

The bill will be debated in parliament on Monday. Rosa Curling, a human rights solicitor from law firm Leigh Day, which is acting on behalf of the3million and ORG, said: “The immigration exemption creates a discriminatory two‐tier system for data protection rights. The clause is incompatible with GDPR, as well as EU law generally and the European convention on human rights.(theguardian)…[+]

Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement has created serious problems for global efforts to tackle climate change, Ban Ki-moon has said.

The former UN secretary general said the US president’s move was politically damaging to international action to limit carbon emissions, and had created difficulties for delivering financial aid from richer to poorer countries to help the latter cope with a warming world. “United States is a big problem now. I think the United States’ decision to withdraw from this Paris agreement really creates a serious problem,” Ban said in an interview with the Guardian. “They [the Trump administration] have given serious damage to the political side. All the countries are very serious and concerned about this [the US declaring its withdrawal from the climate deal].”(theguardian)…[+]

An aid convoy has entered the besieged, rebel-held Syrian enclave in eastern Ghouta, two weeks into a renewed regime offensive that has killed more than 700 civilians. Despite being allowed to deliver food for about 27,000 of the 400,000 people trapped in the enclave, humanitarian officials said the Syrian military had refused to allow the loading of critically needed medical aid. A desperate shortage of supplies meant that the wounded have been dying from treatable injuries and illnesses, aid organisations said. The convoy of 46 trucks, sent by the International Committee for the Red Cross, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the United Nations, started to cross a final Syrian army checkpoint at al-Wafideen on Monday morning.“Feels like racing with time,” tweeted Pawel Krzysiek, the head of communications for the ICRC in Syria.(theguardian)…[+]