Is the voting system in the UK fair?
The United Kingdom is set to make an historic change to its electoral system.
The government has announced a plan to lower the voting age from 18 to 16. It says the move will modernise and strengthen British democracy.
But critics say this is more than just democratic reform.
So, what's really behind the decision? Is this about democratic renewal or short-term political gain? And has lowering the voting age worked elsewhere?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Afzal Khan – Labour Member of Parliament in the UK
Yannis Koutsomitis – European affairs analyst
Alex Deane – Political analyst and conservative commentator
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- Al Jazeera
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Qatar Tribune
a day ago
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Russia could be turning to a new crypto called A7A5
Agencies Russia could be turning to a new cryptocurrency called A7A5 to allow money to flow in and out of the country and avoid Western sanctions, experts have told AFP. Multiple rounds of international sanctions have been imposed on Moscow since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine seeking to ramp up economic pressure to halt the war. But the launch of A7A5 in February this year opened up an alternative payment method for Russian businesses and individuals to sidestep sanctions when trading with foreign partners, the UK-based non-profit Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) said in a report. A7A5 is a stablecoin—a form of cryptocurrency backed by traditional assets—in this case pegged to the ruble, making it harder for Western authorities to monitor than dollar-based alternatives. It was launched by a pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch and a Russian state-owned bank as 'the first ever ruble-pegged stablecoin,' George Voloshin from anti-money laundering group ACAMS told AFP. While it is not widely used yet, experts say its creation marks a significant step in Russia's efforts to reduce its dependence on major crypto companies—many of which cooperate with Western governments. Since Russia was kicked out of the international banking system SWIFT and hit with asset freezes and investment bans, Moscow has already turned to crypto to sidestep financial restrictions imposed by the United States and its allies. Stablecoins are especially attractive because they are less volatile than other cryptocurrencies. People have also used cryptocurrency to donate directly to both the Ukrainian army and Russian militias, according to several analytics firms such as Elliptic. But Russia has faced a problem: USDT, the most popular stablecoin, is tied to the US dollar and controlled by a company called Tether, which cooperates with US and European authorities. Earlier this year, Tether blocked $28 million in USDT held in wallets on Garantex, Russia's largest crypto exchange, which was shut down following a global crackdown on illegal transactions. 'That was a real wake-up call' for Russia, said Elise Thomas, senior investigator at CIR. 'It made them think that they need their own stablecoin, they need something that they control,' she added. Just before Garantex was shut down, tens of millions of dollars were moved from USDT into A7A5, according to data from crypto tracking firm Global Ledger. A7A5 is backed by deposits in Promsvyazbank, a Russian bank under sanctions for its ties to the government and the military. The coin is traded on Grinex, a crypto exchange based in Kyrgyzstan—a country seen as friendlier to Russian interests and less vulnerable to Western pressure.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
UK to airdrop aid in Gaza, evacuate children needing medical care
The United Kingdom says it is working with Jordan on 'forward plans' to airdrop aid into besieged Gaza and evacuate children needing medical care as Israel's forced starvation and bombardment of Palestinians fuel global outrage. Two infants on Saturday became the latest Palestinian children to die from malnutrition. The total number of starvation deaths in the territory has risen to more than 120, including more than 80 children. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the proposal on Saturday in an emergency call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In a readout of the call, the UK government said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace,' according to Britain's Press Association. 'The prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' the readout said. Starmer's Labour government has been roundly accused at home of doing too little too late to alleviate the intense suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK have been protesting weekly against Israel's genocidal war since October 2023, making it clear they feel their voices aren't being heard. Public anger has been further stoked as police in the UK arrested more than 100 people at peaceful protests across the country last weekend that called for a ban on the campaign group Palestine Action to be reversed. Demonstrations took place on Saturday in Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Truro and London as part of a campaign coordinated by Defend Our Juries. Starmer is also facing mounting pressure to recognise a Palestinian state as France has said it will do at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. More than 200 British parliamentarians urged the prime minister to take this course of action this week. There has been further controversy over accusations the UK government has continued with arms sales to Israel despite stating it had scaled back weapons sales. A report in May found that UK firms have continued to export military items to Israel despite a government suspension in September amid allegations that the UK Parliament has been deliberately 'misled'. The report by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International and Workers for a Free Palestine revealed that the UK sent '8,630 separate munitions since the suspensions took effect, all in the category 'Bombs, Grenades, Torpedoes, Mines, Missiles And Similar Munitions Of War And Parts Thereof-Other'. 'Waiting for the green light to get into Gaza' In the meantime, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), said proposed airdrops of aid would be an expensive, inefficient 'distraction' that could kill starving Palestinians. Israel said on Friday that it will allow airdrops of food and supplies from foreign countries into Gaza in the coming days in response to critical food shortages caused by its punishing months-long blockade. But in a social media post, Lazzarini said the airdrops would 'not reverse the deepening starvation' and called instead for Israel to 'lift the siege, open the gates [and] guarantee safe movements [and] dignified access to people in need.' Airdrops, he said, are 'expensive, inefficient [and] can even kill starving civilians'. 'A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will,' he said, calling on Israel to allow the UN and its partners to operate at scale in Gaza 'without bureaucratic or political hurdles'. He said UNRWA has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt 'waiting for the green light to get into Gaza'. 'Driving aid through is much easier, more effective, faster, cheaper and safer' than airdrops, he said, adding that it is also more dignified for the people of Gaza. More than 100 aid and human rights groups this week called on governments to take urgent action as a hunger crisis engulfs Gaza, including by demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid. In a statement signed and released on Wednesday by 109 organisations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Doctors Without Borders (also known as MSF), the groups warned that deepening starvation of the population was spreading across the besieged enclave.
