Author Archives: markdowe1

Egypt, Foreign Affairs, Government, Middle East, Politics, United States

Egypt’s revolution and the ballot box…

EGYPT MUST COMPLETE ITS REVOLUTION

The events in Egypt led the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to say that ‘Democratic change is a process, not an event.’ Mr Hague, addressing a Conservative Middle East Council, last week, following the removal of Mohammed Morsi as Egypt’s prime minister, is supported by history with his argument. The revolution that deposed the dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011 has taken many surprising turns.

Egypt’s election of a president was designed to bring democracy to a country that has been missing for more than 80 years. The democratic legitimacy granted to Mr Morsi, a popular vote of more than 50 per cent at the ballot box just 12 months ago, was a mandate in reshaping the country as an Islamic Republic.

The revolution in Egypt continues following the removal of Mohammed Morsi by the military. But with tensions rising and the Muslim Brotherhood discontent with the democratic process, the revolution that stemmed from the Arab Spring of 2011 is putting democracy in danger.

The revolution in Egypt continues following the removal of Mohammed Morsi by the military. But with tensions rising and the Muslim Brotherhood discontent with the democratic process, the revolution that stemmed from the Arab Spring of 2011 is putting democracy in danger.

But rather than heal the economy or build up secular, civil institutions – a necessary prerequisite given the mix of Secularists, Christians and Muslims in the country – Morsi used his fragile mandate to push through a fundamentalist constitution, while overseeing the country’s descent into anarchy, chaos and economic crisis. The result was that the military stepped in on the pretext of reclaiming the revolution from the country’s democratically elected leader. Whilst its intervention was celebrated by millions who took to the streets, and tens of thousands of people gathered in Tahrir Square, the army’s subsequent actions have been a mix of progressive action and of being troubling. The choice of a civilian judge as interim president suggests that the military’s intentions are good, but it has also started to arrest members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a reflection of the dictatorial authoritarianism of the old Mubarak regime.

President Barack Obama said the new government should ‘avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters’. That is surely right, for there should always be a space for Islamists in a country on the road to reform and democracy. Exclusion would only lead to sectarian violence.

Yet, some analysts have commented that part of the febrile situation in Egypt rests with President Obama, who has sent convoluted and mixed signals: first supporting the 2011 revolution and then remaining neutral. Mirthfully, or as ironic as the situation has become, the lack of US involvement convinced some in the Egyptian opposition that Mr Obama supported President Morsi. In May, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, expressed dissatisfaction with Egypt’s commitment to democracy, but, just a month later, the United States agreed to give the Egyptian army $1.3 billion in aid.

American law is clear on restricting assistance to any country whose elected head of government has been deposed by a military coup or decree – a legal provision in U.S. statute which has given Mr Obama an opportunity to show some leadership.

Washington has stated that it will withhold the $1.3 billion if the generals are judged to have staged a coup, and it is difficult to draw any other conclusion. But this threat should be used by Mr Obama as leverage to compel the military to commit to elections as soon as possible, preferably with a clear itinerary and timetable attached. That would be the best outcome and a necessary condition if Egypt is to complete its revolution.

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Britain, European Union, Google, Government, Technology

Google told its privacy rules are illegal…

Britain’s data protection watchdog has said that Google’s privacy rules are illegal and leave internet users in the dark about how their personal details will be used.

Google’s latest guidelines, published last year, are ‘baffling’ and must be overhauled, the Information Commissioner’s Office has ruled.

The online search giant will face ‘formal enforcement’ such as a fine of up to £500,000 or a court order if it does not change its privacy rules by September 20.

The company has already received similar warnings from data protection authorities in France and Spain.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said Google’s updated privacy policy raises serious questions about its compliance with the UK Data Protection Act. In particular, it believes that the updated policy does not provide sufficient information to enable UK users of Google’s services to understand how their data will be used across all of the company’s products. The ICO says that Google must now amend their privacy policy to make it more informative for individual service users.

This is not the first time Google has been castigated by the ICO. The company was told just last month to delete snooping data it illegally harvested from British families or face criminal action.

Last year Google sought to make its privacy policies across its various internet interfaces, including YouTube and G-Mail, simpler.

Separate documents on how it would use data collected from each of its websites were condensed into a single file. But the ICO said the details were watered down, and ordinary people would have no idea after reading the file how their personal details, such as email addresses or website viewing history, would be used by Google.

The Data Protection Act, which the ICO says is breached by Google’s current policy, seeks to safeguard the personal information of internet users.

The Act rules that personal information gathered must be stored securely, must not be kept for longer than is necessary, and must not be transferred to an organisation in another country.

Google’s privacy policy states: ‘We collect information to provide better services to all of our users – from figuring out basic stuff like which language you speak, to more complex things like which ads you’ll find most useful or the people who matter most to you online.’

Google says that its privacy policy respects European law and allows the company to create simpler, more effective services. It also says it is fully engaged with the authorities on this issue.

Previously, the company had been branded ‘immoral’ by MPs for avoiding the payment of British taxes and funnelling profits to an offshore tax haven in Bermuda.

Privacy campaigners have also expressed concerns. Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaign group, said that this is the latest confirmation that consumers are being kept in the dark about what data on us Google collects and how that data is used.

A statement issued by Big Brother Watch, said:

… The main issue is that sanctions must be strong enough to make Google take real action, rather than the previous meagre penalties that are seen as a cost of doing business.

… Regulators around the world must ensure that concrete steps are taken to uphold rights and stop Google routinely trampling on our privacy.

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Health, Medical, Research, Science

Liver grown in the laboratory raises real hope…

AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRANSPLANTS

Scientists have grown a tiny liver in experiments which has been hailed as ‘a huge step forward’ for desperately ill patients waiting for a transplant.

The technique that creates man-made tissue could be used to repair diseased and damaged organs – and one day end the agonising and sometimes hopeless wait for a donor.

These advances could also be used to test new medicines, ending the need for risky tests on humans, and to grow tissue for new kidneys, lungs and pancreases.

British scientists have welcomed the research in Japan as holding out ‘promise’ for an alternative to transplants.

More than 7,000 Britons are on the waiting list, including 154 children. Most need kidneys but nearly 500 need a liver and around 250 are waiting for healthy lungs.

Researchers used the three types of cell which generate the liver in a human embryo to grow a tiny piece of tissue in a dish.

It was grafted on to a mouse’s brain, where it linked up to the blood supply and could be monitored as it grew for at least two months. The tissue had many features of a human liver, including the ability to break down drugs.

It also extended the life of rodents with fatal liver disease. The findings were reported in the journal Nature.

Researcher Takanori Takebe said growing patches of liver holds ‘enormous therapeutic potential’.

Dr Dusko Ilic, a stem cell scientist from King’s College London, said: ‘The strategy is very promising and a huge step forward.’

Dr Mathew Smalley, of Cardiff University, said the technique may not be suitable for all transplant patients but still had ‘real promise’.

NHS Blood and Transplant, which is responsible for running the organ donor register, said the research was ‘very exciting’.

But it could take many years to offer ‘widespread, readily-available treatment’, the NHS body said. In the meantime, more organ donors are still needed to cut the number of patients who die waiting for a transplant.

It is hoped the first tests on people could start in a decade.

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