The government's new approach to determining tiers bundles together low- and high-rate local authorities.

Some ethnic Tigrayans complain of harassment and discrimination - an allegation the government denies.

In the United States, the threat to religious liberty has been under siege for some time.

The European Court of Human Rights on Monday ordered 33 European governments to answer to a climate lawsuit lodged by six Portuguese youth campaigners, AP reported. The applicants, aged between eight and 21, argued that government inaction to halt global warming jeopardised their futures and wellbeing. The countries, including Germany, France or the UK, have until the end of February to respond - unless a settlement is reached before then.

The US embassy in Budapest on Monday "strongly condemned" an opinion piece published by a Hungarian ministerial commissioner for culture "equating current debates in Europe with the horrific murder of millions of people during the Holocaust". Szilard Demeter later retracted the article, published in pro-government Origo, which had dubbed Hungary and Poland "the new Jews" in their rule-of-law disputes and Europe "George Soros' gas chamber", referring to the US-Hungarian billionaire.

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday declined to rule out a new vote for Scottish independence next year and hinted she might go to court for permission to hold one if London tried to block it, Reuters writes. Scots narrowly rejected independence in 2014, but Brexit and the British government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis have increased support for secession, with most polls showing a majority now favour independence.

New research reveals that emissions are not growing as fast as the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's assessments have indicated -- and that the IPCC is not using the most up-to-date climate scenarios in its planning and policy recommendations.

A Small Plaza Enclosed with Galleries
Yongjia Road is located in a historical downtown district in , with many old residential blocks scattered in its neighborhood. This road is of pleasant scale and luxurious greenery, crowded with small retails. One can sense a strong living atmosphere here. The Pocket Plaza in lane 309 sits in the middle of Yongjia Road. Taking the opportunity of old quarter renovation, Xuhui District Government decided to dismantle two rows of shabby residences with fire hazards and transform the site into a public urban space. Based on observation, we believe that an open plaza with appropriate scale would be most necessary and suitable for this neighborhood.

Scientists investigating the effect of air pollution on lung health, in an animal model, have concluded that even low levels of exposure can have a detrimental effect on the lungs. They say the results have implications for government agencies responsible for urban planning.

An urgent rethink of infection control policies to keep COVID-19 infection at bay in schools is needed if primary schools are to be kept open this winter, and the knock-on effects on their families avoided, argue children's infectious disease specialists in a new article.