Haq,+Ameera


 * China Upset with US**

On Thursday, President Barack Obama warmly welcomed the Dalai Lama. This meeting, however, greatly hurt the feelings of China and it’s people because the Dalai Lama should be seen as a separatist and should not be connected to the US in a political manner. “ The behavior of the US side seriously interferes in China 's internal politics and seriously hurts the national feelings of the Chinese people," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu. This means that China will not be as gracious in trade with US or at least say they wont be.  BBC News- []

Al Jazeera- []

These two sources displayed the article quite similarly but there were a few differences such as how BBC talked more about how the relations between China were going to be different and the title connoted that China was upset with the visit between the Dalai Lama and President Obama. The Al Jazeera article’s title connoted that China was angered with the US going through with this meeting. Though, both articles used the quote by Ma Zhaoxu.

I think that whatever happens between the US and the Dalai Lama should be their business and China should not let this affect them because I don’t see them being hurt by this relationship. Although, it is not good at all for us if the ties between the US and China are weakening.


 * 12 Civilians Die in Afghanistan during Missile Strike**

12 civilians in Afghanistan were killed when an American missile missed their intended target by 300 meters, having it land in a village nearby. It had only been two days on Operation Moshtarek and already innocent lives were lost. The military says that their target was a Taliban compound from which fighters had shot and injured one Nato and one Afghan soldier. General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, apologized to Hamid Karzai about the deaths and also said, “It’s regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and will ensure we do all we can to avoid future incidents.”

Times Online- []

Al Jazeera- []

The major difference between the two articles was that the Times Online article talked about what happened in the plan that made the attack fail and didn’t really say a lot about the death of the civilians. The Al Jazeera article had many quotes and was thorough with news coverage without being too confusing. But both articles did quote General Stanley McChrystal’s apology to the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. I feel like nether article was biased and they both just explained what happened through quotes.

Reading this article made me sad that with all the advanced weapons out there, innocent people are still being killed by mistake. I appreciate that the force that was behind the mishap took responsibility of it and apologized. But this is the first time I heard any military leader apologizing for the deaths of civilians from a country other than their own and I know that incidents like this have happened before, so why didn’t anyone take responsibility then?


 * North Korea Detains U.S. Citizen**

Today North Korea has said that it detained an American man for trespassing into the country. The man’s name has not been released but this is the second time this month that an American citizen has been accused for trespassing. His name is Robert Park and he is a missionary. This most recent case of detaining has alerted South Korea and after North Korea fired a missile into the ocean near South Korea, South Korea has answered with a missile as well. This ordeal has attracted attention from the world and everything is being done to get the prison back to the United Stated safe.

Wall Street Journal- []

Al Jazeera- []

As I read this article on Wall Street Journal I found that I was getting lost in all the little details in the article that weren’t mentioned in the Al Jazeera Article. Also, The two articles had different titles, Al Jazeera’s title was, “N Korea detains second US man,” And The Wall Street Journal’s title was, “North Korea Detains American Near Chinese Border”. I think that in this case both of the articles had the same connotation and neither was negative. Al Jazeera had a picture to go along with the article and I found that helpful because it showed how big these missiles were and the scale at which this clash was happening.

I want to know exactly what the intensions of the two men trespassing were because I think I would be able to understand why the government took the action that it did. Also, I feel like North Korea was being a bit paranoid because they became infuriated over something so tiny as to trespassing although I do not know how big of a deal that is. I still think that the N. Korea should say what the men were planning to do because that would give some justifications to their reaction.


 * Vietnamese Dissidents Sentenced**

On January 20, Wednesday, four Vietnamese dissidents were accused of being affiliated with reactionary forces overseas. These men were Le Cong Dinh, Nguyen Tien Trung, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and Le Thang Long. They were democracy campaigners and posed a threat to Vietnam’s regime. However two of the men were educated in the United States and France and their friends have been rallying on their behalf. Dinh said that his ideas were influenced by the western world when he was testifying before the court. They were basically being prosecuted for advertising anti-government propaganda which was not liked by political officials. Each of the four men face five and a half years behind bars for these actions and according to the judge they were, “…a serious violation of national security.”

Sources-

BBC- []

The New York Times- []

I think BBC had a more basic explanation of the topic and the context clues as to what a dissident was, was clearer. I thought the NYT (New York Times) had really nice details that explained what each person did that aggravated the government. I also liked how NYT and BBC gave some history and background on the men being charged and they weren’t bias or leaning towards one side so that I could make the decision based on fact.

My opinion is that it is sad that people are being punished for speaking their minds and going against the government. I think we are really lucky to live in a country that lets us express our opinion with minimal negative reactions. I am not too sure what exactly the government found offensive or thought was evidence to hold against them so I think if I knew that I would have a better understanding of the situation.


 * Possibility of War in Sudan Returning**

In South Sudan civilians have been filling up hospital bed and almost every single one of them are there because of a bullet wound. Recent reports say that there the civil war might be starting up again because there is more violence happening in South Sudan than in Darfur. Although, Sudan has been in civil war for 53 years where as the war in Darfur erupted in 2003 and is quite young in comparison. The fighting in Darfur has lightened and the number of people dead in South Sudan is more than in Darfur for 2009 and once again Sudan is coming back into the world spotlight with these conflicts. Even though Sudan made a peace deal to end a 22 year long war in which 2 million people died, many doubt its stability. The two groups that are quarreling are the Jikany of Nasir and the Lou. Already, more than 2000 people have died and 250,000 have been displaced since the clashes began in January 2009.

Sources- BBC-[]

The Daily Star- []

Both sources explained why the South Sudan war might be starting up again but neither of them said why the war in Darfur was dieing. Also, they both mentioned the fact that many inhabitants of the country are losing faith in the country’s treaty. BBC seemed to focus more on the toll this war was taking on the civilians and The Daily star was going in depth about the peace treaty/deal that was signed in 2005. But they both grasped the issue very well.

While I read these two articles I became very sad because I knew that once this war started again then there would be an enormous amount of casualties and it will take a very long time for it to end. Also, I didn’t understand whether these two groups were fighting for a specific reason or if it was just because they were rivals. Either way it s extremely selfish to kill millions of people for something that only benefits you, it is wrong to kill millions of people anyway for any reason.


 * South African Grannies Get a Workout**

For the member’s of the Vakhegula Vakhegula soccer team from the Limpopo Province in South Africa say that soccer has, “given them their lives back”. This team consists of about 40 “Grannies” ranging from about 40 years old to about 80 and the oldest player on the Vakhegula team is 83. Every week they take out time from daily chores and meet twice for an hour of practice. They take extra precautions to keep themselves from getting injured on the field, “We are not allowed to get rough with each other on the field. We also don't play with people who are faster than us or fitter because they might make us overexert ourselves,” says one of the players. The Grannies are bidding to play a curtain-raiser for one of the first round matches in the World Cup and national soccer authorities are taking the idea into consideration.

Sources-

BBC-http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8389067.stm

ESPN-http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=soccer&id=4583883

Both sources went in great depth on this topic and had various facts about the granny league. They also had many quotes from the members of the team. But the ESPN article was a little all-over-the-place so it was hard to read it without any previous knowledge on the granny team. But after reading both articles, I felt well-versed on this topic because both sources were very thorough.

I love the idea of the Granny League because the older members of society have a place where they can exercise with people who have the same issues they have and they also get a work out which is really good for health and longevity.


 * Namibia Votes**

Saturday marks the last day of Namibia's presidential and parliamentary election. The voting went pretty well for the most part except for two election officials who were arrested for tampering with ballot boxes. The two parties that are running against each other are President Hifikepunye Pohamba of the Swapo party and Hidipo Hamutenya of the Rally for Democracy and Progress. President Pohamba is looking to seek a second term, his party has taken over Namibia's political scene since the country became independent from South African rule in 1990.

Sources: BBC-http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8384323.stm VOA-http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/27nov09-namibia-elections-75883952.html

As I read the articles from these two sources I only noticed one similarity which was that they were on the same topic. But the differences were overwhelming, because VOA really went in depth about what process voters had to go through in order to cast a ballot. They also has many quotes from the opposing sides that explained what each party would do for the country, however if your knowledge is limited on Namibian politics than the quotes probably won't make much sense. BBC was very clear and easy to understand and it had only a few details but was still informative.

I am so happy that people can vote for whoever they want and not have to face the consequence of it later like what happened in Sierra Leone. Also, I like think it's great that the people of Namibia are so interested in their politics. I hope that the elected party will do something constructive with their power instead of all the nasty thing Namibia Votes


 * Algeria for the Win**

For the first time in 24 years, Algeria secured a spot in the World Cup when they beat six time African Champion, Egypt. A defender on the Algerian team, Antar Yahya, sealed the deal when he hit a perfect volley from an acute angle into the goal, demolishing the hopes of the opposing team. Fans packed Sudan’s national Khartoum stadium to watch this spectacle, the feelings about the outcome were about even, though, there was still a lot of rivalry and 32 people were injured, similar scenarios took place in Algiers and Cairo. This will also be Africa’s first time hosting a World Cup, which is set to be played in South Africa. Algeria is the sixth African team to qualify, along with Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and the host country; South Africa.

BBC-http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/8367431.stm

Al Jazeera-http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2009/11/20091118155411731762.html

After I read both articles, I noticed one major difference which was that BBC’s article consisted of almost a play by play of the last twenty minutes or so of the game whereas the Al Jazeera news piece talked more about the events following the game and how security would have to be bumped up because of the intense rivalry between the two countries but it also mentioned some information on how the game went.

I don’t particularly side with either Algeria or Egypt but I think it is great how Algeria came back like that and beat the six time champion. But I do think it is sad that there is so much rivalry that people are getting injured because a certain team won. It is nice that a new country came into the international spotlight and hopefully when the finals are played that there won’t be as many harsh feelings all though there will be some.

Sheikh Mohamed Abdi Aware was known for jailing many pirates and members of the group “Al-Shabbab” but Thursday he was shot dead outside a mosque by “two masked men” an eyewitness said, in Bossaso, Somalia in the Puntland region. This attack followed the killing of Ibrahim Elmi Warsame, a member of the parliament, who was shot while sitting in a teashop in the capitol of Puntland, Garowe. “These gangs hate him for his justice. We suspect one of them may have something to do with his assassination,” said Mr. Aware’s cousin Abdulahi Jama. Somalia hasn’t ad an effective government in 18 years, so the pirates are taking full advantage of the lawlessness and driving 1.5 million people out of their homes or killing 19,000 civilians.
 * Somali Judge Shot**

Sources- Al Jazeera- http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/11/20091112125358501502.html BBC-[]

When I read this article on BBC, the description was so short that I didn’t get any background information as to what the history behind these pirates. But the Al Jazeera did provide some extra information like the name of the second man that was shot, Ibrahim Elmi Warsame, and statistics for the amount of people that were driven out of their homes or killed. But both sources did have he same quote from the eyewitness that saw Mr. Aware being shot, “Several shots to the head and chest by two masked men.”

It is really sad that people are being killed for trying to stand up to individuals who are parading through a village with their rifles and knocking down people like flies. The sad thing is that these pirates are so corrupt and will do anything to get what they want that they are even stronger than the government so they are ruling the entire country under fear where if you don’t listen you will die and if you do you might die anyway.

The Saudi Arabian government lifted a ban set about 9-11 years ago, to import livestock from Somalia. The ban was placed so that rift valley fever wouldn’t spread. This was very welcoming news to the Somali farmers because they depended on the oil-rich Middle East to trade with them. It was also a main part of their economy, which was suffering under the recent downturn. However, Saudi Arabia will pay extra attention to any meat that was imported from Somalia and have it checked thoroughly. The removal of the ban should also give Somalia’s economy a boost.
 * Saudi Lifts Livestock Ban**

Sources-

BBC-[] VOA-[]

After looking at the information on each of these websites I was left a bit confused because BBC said that the ban was placed 9 years ago when VOA news said that it was placed 11 years ago. Also, VOA gave more background information about how dependent on the trade of livestock Somalia actually is, Mohamed Hassan said "This decision will allow me to triple my animal sales to shipping companies”. BBC just said that “The export of sheep, goats and cattle is a mainstay of Somalia's economy and Saudi Arabia had been a major market.”

I think the coverage by BBC was very to the point and clear but it didn’t have very many details as to why this decision was so important to the Somalis’. VOA, however, was very thorough and had plenty of background which helped me understand what this meant to the people there. I think it is great that the ban was removed because now Somalia can begin to put together their tattered economy even in these rough times. I understand how much the people relied on livestock trade, and if rift valley fever isn’t as big of a threat anymore than it was a great decision.


 * Former Police Chief Charged for Corruption**

In South Africa, last week, the former “top cop” Jacob Sello Selebi was put on trial for corruption and taking upwards of $150,000 in bribes from people like the notorious drug dealer, Glenn Agliotti who also faced a murder charge but reached an immunity deal with the court when he agreed to testify against Selebi. Selebi’s attorney’s released a video in which Agliotti is saying “The whole prime objective is to take down Selebi, and it’s a politically motivated thing,”.But in April corruption charges against South African president Jacob Zuma were dropped which questioned whether the court was being politicized and this is what Selebi thinks is the reason why he is being prosecuted. Although, since Zuma’s case was left without a verdict, many South Africans want this case to be resolved, but with the extensive witness list and evidence to look over, it could take months.

Sources- CNN: [] BBC:[]

After looking at the coverage from these two sources, I found that BBC provided a more thorough report and also a lot more background on Agliotti and Selebi and what was going on with the trial. Also, BBC had a price tag as to what the amount of the bribe was. CNN, on the other hand was easier for me to understand because it was simple and to the point. But I didn’t find a date for when the trial started from both sources and I also didn’t find the reason for the bribes.

I think that charges should be pressed against Selebi because if he is taking a bribe from criminals than that isn’t fair to the people of South Africa because their safety is in question. He is abusing his power and putting other people at risk on account of his selfishness. I think that he should be prosecuted if he is guilty. I think that CNN could have used more details like what the bribes were and how Selebi and Agliotti were connected to eachother.