Category: Europe

How Mobile Technology Is Improving Global Disaster Relief

Rachel Gascoigne / / Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, UK

online3

When a war or natural disaster causes disaster around the world and tons of people are displaced or forced to become homeless, communications and power infrastructures are quite often too badly damaged or non-existent.

Dispensing food, finding shelter and administering medical aid is made even harder for aid agencies and non-governmental organisations  without proper communications, and people are frantic to let their loved ones know they’re safe and to find out what’s going on.

In order to help solve the communication problem, telecoms companies have been helpfully engaging in larger-scale communications projects in disaster areas around the world.

Mobile Phones

For example, Vodafone Foundation, have created “instant network mini”, an 11kg backpack containing a 2G mobile network that can offer a coverage radius of up to 1km, a six-hour battery and a small solar panel. The instant network mini kit was deployed in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal, with the hope it would help restore communications following the earthquake there earlier this year. Larger versions of its instant network kits have been used in South Sudan and the Philippines.

online2

Crisis Apps

A number of organisations, such as Google and Medecins du Monde, are currently working on mobile phone apps that have the power to act as single information points, connecting doctors in developed countries with health workers in the field, or with other aid agencies, so each can know what the other is providing.

Flowminder, a Swedish company, use data from mobile operators to track the movements of populations – or their mobile phones – in disaster situations, which can help governments and aid agencies understand people’s behaviour and give them a better idea of where to dispense and channel resources.

Unfortunately technology alone cannot prevent the suffering following natural and man-made disasters, however its better use can at least improve the response of governments and aid agencies.

 

Photos by: BBC, Center for Neighborhood Technology.

Can The UK Ban Donald Trump Under Hate Speech Laws?

Joshua David Craddock Stoneham / / Europe, North America, UK

132739021_abdd1918c9_z

Since the Paris Attacks, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric has been prevalent among many political and journalistic figures. An example from the press is the anti-Islam Sun newspaper headline claiming that “1 in 5 British Muslims support Jihadists”. Politically, The right-wing French party National Front is set to make political gains in local elections in the country. But no other political figure has been more of a talking point than Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who,this week, called for the “complete shutdown of Muslim immigration into America”.

This statement has been condemned by politicians and the public across the board with even senior Republican figures condemning Trump for this statement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnn-N9_EDDo

One SNP MP, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (who is Scotland’s first female muslim MP) has called on Home Secretary Teresa May to ban Trump from Britain under laws prohibiting hate preaching.

Citing examples where extremist hate preachers have been banned from the UK in the past, the MP implored the Home Secretary to consider doing the same thing for Mr Trump.

But could the presidential candidate be banned under hate speech laws?

The law:

Whether Trump could be banned or not would come under the Public Order Act 1986 which defines hate speech as:

“A person who uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, is guilty of an offence if—

(a) he intends thereby to stir up racial hatred, or
(b) having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred is likely to be stirred up thereby.

An amendement to the act, the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 added:

A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred.”

However another section of the law does state that freedom of expression is protected.

So technically the UK could decide to ban Donald Trump from the UK if they believed that he was in breach of the Racial and Religious Act 2006.

Whether he is is contentious, although of course his comments are undoubtedly Islamaphobic. However the treatment of hate preachers from Islam and other religions could make a case for a serious case to keep Trump on his side of the Atlantic.

Photots by Thomas Hawk Video from Wotchit News, Greg Hengler

How Likely Is Britain To Bomb Syria?

Joshua David Craddock Stoneham / / Europe, Middle-East, UK

8534228557_44d92f8091_z

On the day of the Syrian air strike vote, the question on everyones lips is how likely is it that we are going to be bombing Syria tomorrow?

In the past, Cameron said that he would not hold another vote to take military action in Syria until he was “sure” that the vote would successfully pass through parliament.

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 18.01.50
ISIS’ Presence in Syria

This is mostly due to his humiliating defeat in 2013 when he was defeated in the commons when putting through a bill which would allow Britain to bomb Syria, targeting pro-Assad forces.

Cameron now thinks that he will have enough support for action in Syria. This was made more likely by Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to give his MPs a free vote on the issue, meaning that many Labour MPs may support air strikes in Syria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2F6oSwFx28

Parties that have come out against air strikes and will likely vote against are the SNP, Plaid Cmryu, The Green Party and UKIP.

Labour’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn has advised his MPs to vote against air strikes, but many may defy this advice and vote in favour of the strikes.

Also some Conservative rebels have come out against the decision. The Conservative party line is to vote in favour of air strikes. The Liberal Democrats have also indicated they would vote in favour of air strikes.

So how seats are needed to swing it either way?

  • 640 MPs will be voting
  • The government need half, plus one, of them to secure a majority
  • At least 50 of the 231 Labour MPs are thought to vote in favour
  • This would ensure a government victory

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 17.56.13

So really, it comes down to those Labour MPs. Being the second largest party in parliament, if they along with the SNP, Green Party, UKIP and rebel Tory MPs vote against the strikes, the authorisation won’t go through. Whether Corbyn can convince enough of his MPs to take his stance on the issue will be the defining factor.

Photos by:Iain A Wanless, Guardian and BBC News.

All About The Volkwagen Scandal

Natasha Taylor / / Europe, North America, UK

11876301203_975bc8a653_k

Volkswagen recently hit global headlines as it was uncovered that they had been cheating in emission tests by making its cars appear far less polluting than they are.

The Guardian reported that the US Environmental Protection Agency discovered that 482,000 VW diesel cars on American roads were emitting up to 40 times more toxic fumes than permitted – and VW has since admitted the cheat affects 11m cars worldwide.

Volkswagen’s “defeat device” wasn’t a physical device, but instead a programme in the engine software that effectively sensed when the car was being tested and as a result activated equipment that reduced emissions. However, this was not the case in regular driving as the software turned off and increased emissions far above legal limits – up to 40 times of what is legal in the US.

It has also meant that far more harmful NOx emissions, including nitrogen dioxide, have been pumped into the air than was thought – on one analysis, between 250,000 to 1m extra tonnes every year. The hidden damage from these VW vehicles could equate to all of the UK’s NOx emissions from all power stations, vehicles, industry and agriculture, says the Guardian.

It is not yet known exactly which systems Volkswagen modified, but experts are said to be focusing on parts of the exhaust system that are designed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, a pollutant that can cause emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases.

The Environmental Protection Agency said in September that it would order Volkswagen to recall seven of its American car models with affected engines, which amount to total of about 500,000 vehicles.

Volkswagen will be getting in touch with anyone who has a car that has been affected as they now face $18bn (£12bn) in penalties under the US Clean Air Act, which allows fines of up to $37,500 per car.

In addition, the European Parliament has now also voted to set up a committee to investigate the scandal in more depth.

Is Jeremy Corbyn Anti-Military?

Joshua David Craddock Stoneham / / Europe

1516047029_98c5ceae2d_z

Since the election of the new leader of the opposition, Corbyn has been subject to headlines that could make army generals think they might be out of a job. But is Corbyn as much of a pacifist as the media say?

The biggest anti-war aspects of Corbyn’s policies come from his stance on NATO and the nuclear submarine programme, Trident. In an article for the Morning Star, he compared NATO to the eastern expansion seen with the Soviet/Communist Warsaw Pact, led by Russia, but in reverse stating that Russia’s intervention in Ukraine was “not provoked”. This implies the leader sees the alliance as outdated and unhelpful. He also wrote about it on his website, implying that British military spending and sovereignty is impeded by this alliance. Although this doesn’t make him anti-military, and exit from NATO could lead to far less British military intervention is he were to become leader.

Corbyn has been quoted as saying NATO is "outdated"
Corbyn has been quoted as saying NATO is “outdated”

 

Corbyn is strongly anti-Trident and opposes the renewal of the Trident nuclear programme. Although this doesn’t make him anti-military, critics have argued that a sans-nuclear UK would weaken it as a military force globally. This could indicate a shift in military power, allowing the UK to take less of a leading role in conflicts. Under a Corbyn government, a US-UK type military coalition may lessen as Britain would become less of a major military player without its nuclear deterrent.

Looking away for a moment from policy, Corbyn won the Gandhi International Peace award for for his “consistent efforts over a 30 year Parliamentary career to uphold the Gandhian values of social justice and non‐violence.”.

More recently, Corbyn has been strongly opposed to the proposal to start British air strikes in Syria. Opting to promote diplomacy and peaceful internvetion, this is a clear case study of what military action could look like under corbyn. Although he does not plan to make his peaceful attitude a Labour policy, made clear by giving his MPs a free vote on the issue, a Corbyn Britain would certainly look like a more peaceful one.

Finally, Corbyn himself had this to say about his stance on military intervention:

“I have always campaigned against neo-colonial wars that are fought for resources on the pretence of fighting for human rights. We need an understanding of our past and our role in the making of the conflicts today, whether it be the Sykes-Picot Agreement or our interventions in the Middle East post 9/11.

I argue for a different type of foreign policy based on political and not military solutions; on genuine internationalism that recognises that all human life is precious, no matter what nationality; and solidarity with the oppressed across the globe from the subjugated Palestinians to the displaced Chagos Islanders.”

Photos by: U.S Army Europe Images,Loz Pylock