Category Archives: Society

Middle East, Society, Terrorism, United States

US President: We’ll end terror and bring peace to world

TERRORISM

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U.S. President Donald Trump called on Arab leaders to do their share to fight “Islamist extremism”

President Donald Trump has urged Muslim countries to take the lead in stamping out terrorism instead of relying on America to crush their common enemies.

Mr Trump has used his first foreign visit to rally the Muslim world to join America and mark the ‘beginning of the end’ for extremists.

Speaking at the Arab-Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the birthplace of Islam – he urged Muslim rulers to ‘drive out’ Islamist terrorists.

He said the unprecedented summit of more than 50 leaders could lead to world peace. ‘With God’s help, this summit will mark the beginning of the end for those who practise terror and spread its vile creed,’ said President Trump.

‘At the same time, we pray this special gathering may someday be remembered as the beginning of peace in the Middle East and maybe even all over the world.’

The President urged Christians, Jews and Muslims to join in peace – including ‘peace between Israelis and Palestinians’.

His comments, made after signing an £84billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, contrasted with ones he made about Muslims while he was a presidential candidate, when he said: ‘I think Islam hates us. There’s a tremendous hatred there.’

He also caused global anger when he came to power with his threat to ban many Muslims from entering the United States. But in Riyadh, he said evil could only be overcome if the ‘forces of good are united and strong’.

He vowed to meet ‘history’s great test’ by conquering extremism with nations that have suffered most.

President Trump said: ‘Terrorism has spread across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land. America is prepared to stand with you in pursuit of shared interests and common security.

‘But nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them.’ The speech is seen as a reset of his approach after previous comments caused concern among Muslims.

Calling it a ‘new chapter’, he said he was not there to ‘lecture’ them or impose the American way of life.

He did, however, urge the Islamic world to do its duty, adding: ‘Muslim nations must be willing to take on the burden if we are going to defeat terrorism, to meet history’s great test and conquer extremism. Muslim-majority countries must take the lead.’

Instead of being a clash between the West and Islam, he said, it was ‘a battle between good and evil’, adding: ‘Drive them out of your places of worship, your communities, your Holy Land and the Earth.’ He warned terrorists: ‘If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and your soul will be fully condemned.’

He said the region had been ‘held at bay by bloodshed and terror’.

The President also blamed Iran for supporting and aiding ‘unspeakable crimes’ in Syria, and said Iran had unsettled the Middle East and was the key road block to peace.

He did not repeat the phrase ‘radical Islamic terrorism’, which he has used before and offends Muslims.

The US and six Gulf states are also expected to co-ordinate efforts to stop funding for extremists.

During a nine-day tour, Mr Trump will have visited Israel to meet prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. He will also see Pope Francis, meet NATO leaders in Brussels and attend the G7 in Sicily.

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Britain, Government, Society, Technology

DVLA confirms development of electronic driving licence

DIGITAL DRIVING LICENCE

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                                                 Digital driving licences will soon become a feature on smart phones.

Mobile phones and driving make an awkward combination – it is illegal to use a phone while driving – but, the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) is planning to bring the two closer together with the introduction of digital driving licences.

It’s thought digital licences would be stored in phones’ virtual ‘wallets’, just as credit and debit cards can already be saved. When asked to present their driving licence by a police officer or official, a quick finger or thumbprint would release the licence to the phone’s display.

Oliver Morley, the DVLA’s CEO, said the organisation was making “good progress” with the prototype digital licence back in December 2016, while in March 2017 he confirmed the idea was “included in the government digital strategy.” When asked on social media whether there was a timeframe for the introduction of digital licences, Mr Morley said there was, but he wouldn’t be drawn on precisely when this would be.

Security will be a key priority for the digital licence, but given the development and success Apple and Android Pay have enjoyed, it’s thought some of the DVLA’s work has already been done for it. A service analyst and mobile device expert for Auto Express, said: “Security has taken a significant step forward to support digital payments on phones, so the framework is in place for other secure applications, such as a digital driving licence.”

Even with established and rigorous security paradigms in place, however, there will still be people who don’t like the idea of storing their driving licence on their phone, as well as those who don’t even own a smartphone capable of doing so. For those individuals, reassurance will be found in the fact that when it arrives, the digital driving licence will act as an “add-on.”

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Britain, Government, Politics, Society

The Conservative Party manifesto leaves us little wiser

GENERAL ELECTION 2017

During this election, Theresa May has conducted such an anodyne campaign that there was an earlier suspicion that she may have felt she could get away with not presenting a manifesto. After all, did she really need too? Riding high in all opinion polls, and with the Labour Party in no proper or fit state to present a genuine challenge, she has been able to glide through on soundbites and rhetoric. Why risk inviting trouble?

In the last few days, that manifesto was delivered. There is little in its pages that really rocks the boat. There is little about Brexit, other than a few broad details we are already aware of. Considering that this snap election was called purely because Mrs May wanted Brexit negotiations to be done her way, the lack of clarity is disappointing if unsurprising.

Whilst not entirely risk-free from voter desertion, the elderly will have good reason to feel hard done by. The triple lock on pensions will no longer be guaranteed, and worryingly for those in England and Wales, a greater proportion of the cost of social care is being passed on to individuals. Many will fear the loss of their home and other capital assets in paying for it.

Aside from that, Mrs May has pledged a ‘mainstream government that would deliver for mainstream Britain’, a slogan which appears accurate for a set of proposals which aren’t too far off centre. It is here where she is likely to succeed in securing victory on June 8, by deliberately moving into the area Labour had to occupy to get Tony Blair into Downing Street (just as Labour under Jeremy Corbyn vacate the middle ground to set up camp on the far left).

The stance taken by the prime minister represents astute politics, and much the same can be said of her handling of the Scottish Government’s request for a second independence referendum. Again, Mrs May plays the ‘now is not the time card’ which kicks another ballot anytime soon into the long grass. No doubt she will try to avoid the matter until after the next Holyrood elections – in the hope that, by that time, the SNP will not be in a position to call a referendum. It’s hard and timely politics at work.

If Mrs May’s advisers can keep her out of trouble, the manifesto should be enough to secure the majority she seeks. By aiming for the middle ground, she has started a process of countering the Tories ‘nasty party’ image. Yet, this manifesto tells us very little about what life will be like under Mrs May, because our future will be determined by Brexit. Until we know what that is, we cannot really judge on whether the Conservative Party has changed for the good.

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