Latest news with #Science
Roya News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Roya News
UK woman arrested in 4 AM raid for emailing MP to 'stop Gaza genocide'
A 54-year-old woman in Brighton, UK, identified as Kerry (pseudonym), was subjected to a 4 am police raid on her home, arrested, and had her electronic devices seized, following a complaint reportedly made by the office of Labour MP and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle. The incident, which occurred on June 17, stems from Kerry's emails to various Labour politicians, including Kyle, expressing strong views on 'Israel's' war on the Gaza Strip, according to an investigation conducted by a Brighton-based writer 'Greg Hadfield'. Kerry recounted being woken by her dogs around 4 am to find four uniformed Sussex Police officers at her door. She was immediately arrested, her mobile phone and Chromebook confiscated, and then transported to Hollingbury Custody Centre, where she was held for over eight hours. She was questioned about "malicious communication" and later released on strict bail conditions, which prohibit her from contacting Peter Kyle, his Director of Operations Chris Henry, Sir Keir Starmer, David Lammy, Angela Rayner, or visiting Kyle's constituency office. The emails in question, sent by Kerry, a former broadcaster who avoids social media, conveyed "anger and concern about Israel's actions in Gaza, which she described as 'genocide.'" While her messages included strong statements, such as politicians potentially being tried in The Hague, the author of the original report, who reviewed the emails, said they were "polite, articulate, and impassioned," containing no "abusive, threatening, or unlawful content, nor anything antisemitic". The complaint to Sussex Police was reportedly lodged by Chris Henry, Peter Kyle's "Director of Operations," on June 16. Kyle, who became Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology after Labour's 2024 election victory, is also a vice-president of Labour Friends of 'Israel'. He has previously spoken about receiving serious threats and abuse, emphasizing the need to protect his staff. However, critics argue the 4 am raid for email communication appears disproportionate, especially given the nature of the alleged offense. This incident has ignited concerns about the balance between constituent free speech and the application of laws like the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and the Communications Act 2003, which criminalize "grossly offensive" messages. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance emphasizes that merely "rude or offensive" communication is not unlawful unless it is "grossly offensive," and that interference with freedom of expression must be "necessary and proportionate". Cases involving communications offenses directed towards MPs require special approval from a Chief Crown Prosecutor. The timing of the police intervention, a 4 am raid, also raises questions, as search warrants are generally executed between 6 am and 10 pm, with exceptions requiring "reasonable cause". No specific UK guidelines for police raids under communications acts specify the time of day. Neither Peter Kyle nor the Labour Party has issued a public statement regarding this specific incident.
Spectator
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
The Online Safety Act is plumbing new depths of stupidity
As anyone who has endured a pointless argument on the internet probably knows, there's a decidedly useful rule for such situations. It's called Godwin's Law. Coined in 1990 by American lawyer Mike Godwin, in its most well-known version it states that in any sufficiently lengthy online row, the first person to invoke the Nazis – whether as comparison, example, or evidence – instantly loses by virtue of their luridly stupid exaggeration. Now it seems we have a shiny new British equivalent. Let's call it Jimmy's Law. The principle is similar: anyone who drags infamous paedophile Jimmy Savile into a political argument has already lost. Why? Because they've reached up for the most grotesque, emotive analogy in the rhetorical pantry: an act of political flailing that signals not moral clarity, but a lack of real argument. Put it another way: if you're mentioning Savile, you sound daft, you sound objectionable, and, above all, you sound desperate. Plenty have broken Jimmy's Law before – not least Boris Johnson, who, as Prime Minister, pitiably tried to smear then–opposition leader Keir Starmer by invoking Savile. But this week saw a new and even more egregious case. Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, claimed that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was – brace yourself – on Team Jimmy Savile in opposing the contentious Online Safety Act. Kyle's exact words, on Sky News, were: 'Make no mistake about it, if people like Jimmy Savile were alive today, he would be perpetrating his crimes online – and Nigel Farage is saying that he is on their side.' Yes, it's cringeworthy. Yes, it's hyperbolic and foolish. And yes, it's a naked attempt to distract from the fact that Peter Kyle – a man so well suited to his role as Technology Minister that he appears to have no background in technology, no experience in the technology sector, no career with technology companies, no obvious technological training, and a degree in 'International Development' – has no argument. Because the Online Safety Act, birthed by Conservative MPs supposedly worried about hurty words on social media, is a total disaster: for online discourse, for the UK tech sector, and possibly for the future of free speech itself. Why? Let us count the ways. The OSA, already pejoratively rebranded by its millions of worldwide critics as the Online Surveillance Act, has begun to smother the internet under a morass of bureaucratic fear and ill-defined obligations, far beyond its limited and worthy aim of 'protecting kids from porn by asking them to prove their age.' Since the Act came into force (originally in 2023, but with greater effect in recent days), the absurdities have piled up fast. Entire Reddit communities – from harmless subreddits about cider to basic vape advice chatrooms – have gone half-dark, unable to easily implement the age verification systems. Niche forums for LGBT teens, survivors of abuse, and mental health support groups have shrunk away rather than risk falling foul of vague 'harmful content' clauses. A forum about 'fixed gear cycling in London' (yes, really) shut down because it feared it couldn't afford the compliance overhead. Bloggers now face the threat of the newly empowered Ofcom commissars jackbooting into their homes simply because they allow unmoderated comments. Indie developers are meanwhile withdrawing apps rather than navigate opaque new obligations. Tiny academic discussion boards are self-censoring, worried that robust historical debate might be misread as hate speech, or something 'harmful' – a truly terrifying concept, if you think about it for more than ten seconds (a cognitive task apparently beyond the average MP). Even porn filters, supposedly the law's core goal, have ensnared art, education, and health sites in overzealous net sweeps. All the while, actual abusers and scammers, who rarely host content on UK servers, will likely carry on largely undisturbed. The result? Not a safer internet, but a smaller, duller, more paranoid one. A place where freedom shrinks, innovation flees, and everything begins to sound eerily and deadeningly pre-approved, like Russian poetry under Stalin. It is already noticeable that the OSA is not being used to shut down Pornhub or xHamster for adolescents, but to silence discussion – or even basic news – about those topics most awkward for the world's worst government: Pakistani rape gangs, illegal immigration, protests about asylum hotels, and all that dreadful jazz that soundtracks Britain's decline. What's more, the OSA threatens to destroy Britain's AI industry – one of the few areas where we might actually be exploiting our post-Brexit freedoms. Just as the EU ties itself in knots with dim, restrictive AI regulations, we are busily ushering in something arguably worse. Looking through the Act's 200 densely bureaucratic pages for anti-tech landmines is like looking through Proust for long sentences. But already tech insiders have expressed alarm at particular gems. For example, next year the OSA will allow Ofcom to require companies to hand over any information about their algorithms as well as internal documents, data and software source code as part of its 'regulatory functions'. The result is a legal ambiguity so vast it could engulf an entire industry. Startups will die under the compliance burden. Larger tech and AI firms will shift labs and headquarters abroad. And Britain's AI industry, briefly a potential world leader, will find itself reduced to the digital equivalent of a wine bar shut down for not having a government-approved corkscrew made of chocolate. How has it come to this? How has Britain ended up with perhaps the worst piece of legislation since King Cnut brought in his Stop the Tides Act of 1023? I can hazard a guess, and it is evidenced by one of the progenitors of the Act: Nadine Dorries. Apparently, when she was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Dorries once walked into a meeting with Microsoft and bluntly asked when they were 'going to get rid of algorithms'. This is an Act devised by silly people, passed by silly people, enforced by silly people. And now it is being sold to us by silly and desperate people who know they've screwed up, but nonetheless think they can win a crucial argument about technology by invoking dead, disgraced disc jockeys. Britain, we are ill-served.
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Malaysia moving closer to adopting nuclear energy, says minister
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Malaysia is working to amend its Atomic Energy Act to allow for the ratification of key international treaties and conventions under the IAEA. KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is moving a step closer towards adopting nuclear energy as part of its long-term energy transition strategy, with the government having completed a pre-feasibility study on nuclear power. Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said the study's initial findings indicated that nuclear energy has strong potential to serve as a stable, clean and reliable power source for the country. 'In line with this, six technical task forces have been proposed to support nuclear energy readiness. 'Three of these are under the ministry, focusing on technology and industry development, the development of nuclear competencies and a legal and regulatory framework,' he said in Parliament on July 30. According to him, the remaining three teams fall under the purview of the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry. The country currently has 323 nuclear researchers under the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and 36 science officers under the Atomic Energy Department, with 61 of them holding qualifications in nuclear science and engineering, according to Mr Chang. 'This reflects the country's continued commitment to building local expertise to support the safe and responsible advancement of nuclear technology,' he said. He added that Malaysia was working to amend its Atomic Energy Act to allow for the ratification of key international treaties and conventions under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 'Once approved by Cabinet, we aim to table the amended Act in this Parliament session. 'This will demonstrate Malaysia's seriousness in exploring nuclear energy as one of our power generation options,' he said. Mr Chang also confirmed that Malaysia signed a strategic civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States on July 10, complementing its existing collaborations with China and Russia. 'The agreement will act as a catalyst for long-term cooperation in infrastructure development, joint research, technical training and local industry strengthening,' he added. He said Malaysia is also working closely with the IAEA through technical cooperation programmes, regional partnerships, the Asian Nuclear Cooperation Forum and coordinated research projects. Beyond power generation, nuclear technology was also being used in climate and environmental research, he said. 'This includes isotopic techniques for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, landslide management, ocean acidification and groundwater lifespan,' said Mr Chang. The IAEA recognises nuclear science as contributing to the 13th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on climate action, he added. In agriculture, Malaysia was also using nuclear-related techniques for plant mutation breeding to produce climate-resilient crops and to support disease control, he said. Responding to a question from Datuk Ahmad Amzad Hashim, Mr Chang acknowledged that Malaysia still needs to ratify several international treaties before advancing nuclear development. He said local lab-scale extraction projects have shown encouraging results on thorium research , though Malaysia has yet to begin research and development on thorium-based power generation. 'We are progressively upgrading our research capabilities and working with countries such as China, India, Russia and the United States that have advanced expertise in this area,' he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Malaysia to amend atomic law to explore nuclear energy
KUALA LUMPUR: The bill to amend Malaysia's atomic energy legislation may be tabled in the current parliamentary session, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang. Chang said the move to enact the law would reflect Malaysia's commitment to exploring nuclear energy as a future energy source. "The ministry is currently in the process of amending the Atomic Energy Bill. If we receive Cabinet approval, we hope to table it during this session," he said during Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today. On March 10, Chang said that the government will be amending the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 to further strengthen the legal infrastructure dealing with nuclear technology. At the time, the government was engaging with stakeholders to gather input before moving forward with the use of nuclear technology as an energy source, which is expected to be incorporated into the 13th Malaysia Plan. Chang, in Parliament today, said Malaysia has the laboratory expertise to extract thorium, but lacks the research and development capacity to utilise the element as a source of electricity — unlike countries such as China. "We are enhancing our research and development capabilities through collaboration with nations that have expertise, such as China, Russia, India and the United States," he said in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Haji Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim (PN–Kuala Terengganu). Chang said that a pre-feasibility study conducted by a committee under the ministry had been completed, with preliminary findings indicating that Malaysia has significant potential to adopt nuclear technology as an energy source.
The Star
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Malaysia moving closer to adopting nuclear energy, says Chang Lih Kang
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is moving a step closer towards adopting nuclear energy as part of its long-term energy transition strategy, with the government having completed a pre-feasibility study on nuclear power, says Chang Lih Kang. The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said the study's initial findings indicated that nuclear energy has strong potential to serve as a stable, clean and reliable power source for the country. 'In line with this, six technical task forces have been proposed to support nuclear energy readiness. 'Three of these are under the ministry, focusing on technology and industry development, the development of nuclear competencies and a legal and regulatory framework,' he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (July 30). According to him, the remaining three teams fall under the purview of the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry. According to Chang, the country currently has 323 nuclear researchers under the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and 36 science officers under the Atomic Energy Department, with 61 of them holding qualifications in nuclear science and engineering. 'This reflects the country's continued commitment to building local expertise to support the safe and responsible advancement of nuclear technology,' he said. He added that Malaysia was working to amend its Atomic Energy Act (RUUTA) to allow for the ratification of key international treaties and conventions under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 'Once approved by Cabinet, we aim to table the amended Act in this Parliament session. 'This will demonstrate Malaysia's seriousness in exploring nuclear energy as one of our power generation options,' he said. Chang also confirmed that Malaysia signed a strategic civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States on July 10, complementing its existing collaborations with China and Russia. 'The agreement will act as a catalyst for long-term cooperation in infrastructure development, joint research, technical training and local industry strengthening,' he added. He said Malaysia is also working closely with the IAEA through technical cooperation programmes, regional partnerships, the Asian Nuclear Cooperation Forum and coordinated research projects. Beyond power generation, he said nuclear technology was also being used in climate and environmental research. 'This includes isotopic techniques for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, landslide management, ocean acidification and groundwater lifespan,' said Chang. The IAEA recognises nuclear science as contributing to the 13th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on climate action, he added. In agriculture, he said Malaysia was also using nuclear-related techniques for plant mutation breeding to produce climate-resilient crops and to support disease control. Responding to a question from Datuk Ahmad Amzad Hashim (PN-Kuala Terengganu), Chang acknowledged that Malaysia still needs to ratify several international treaties before advancing nuclear development. On thorium research, he said local lab-scale extraction projects have shown encouraging results, though Malaysia has yet to begin R&D on thorium-based power generation. 'We are progressively upgrading our research capabilities and working with countries such as China, India, Russia and the United States that have advanced expertise in this area,' he said.
