Oakley

Aid work in chad stops after death of french worker. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7378304.stm http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/11/2009111315253767306.html

Summary After the death/or imprisonment of a french Aid worker. Aid work has been suspended in chad because many of the organizations deem it unsafe. the organizations say that they are recovering the workers and will not return until the area is safe again. Similarities There were very few similarities between the two articles except for the fact that Aid was being withdrawn because of a violent act against a french aid worker. they both use Quotes. Differences. There were many differences between the two articles. For Example the focus of the BBC article was the death of the french aid worker and the aljazeera article focused on the withdraw of Aid. Also Aljazeera talks about attacks on other aid workers where as BBC only talks about the one. My Opinion I think that Aid should be delivered to Chad although it is hard for this to happen when the violence in the area is so intense.

Vote rigging claimed in mozambique [] http://www.afrol.com/articles/14951
 * 2

Summary The vote in mozambique is under speculation because observers watching the election saw fraud. the wildly supported opposition party along with their candidate has called far a re vote after the incumbent won by a landslide 75 percent. the frelimo party has been in power since mozambique's independence in 1975. many of the third party observers were expelled from voting districts. observers were rejected from the final stage and thus were unable to certify the vote.

Similarities Both articles agreed at many points such as how the election observers were thrown out. Both articles come from the same perspective about the vote rigging and how the calls of it are true. Both articles use a similar order in which they discuss the ideas. Both sources seem to see eye to eye on a lot of things this would hint that either their individual motives are low or the same.

Differences The Afrol article was much longer than the aljazeera one and went into more depth about the topic. Also the Afrol article was written before the aljazeera article so alot of information comes in the form of speculation about future events where as the aljazeera article is written later and use more direct facts and statistics while discussing the issue. aditionally the Afrol article strayed and talked alot about the voting observers and their role as oposed to the overall vote. this even went as far to discuss the various observing groups and compare. the aljazeera was more concise and to the point. most of the articles differences were in writing style and not content it is fair to say that aljazeera is armed with more skilled writers and thus can produce a more to the point article.

My opinion I think that good democracy is vital to human survival and that without constiuents ability to participate in disscusion it becomes impossible to insure that a government represents a peoples needs. i think that intervention in the form of withdrawl of support or trade embargos should be taken to insure the well being of that democracy.

Somali pirates hijack oil tanker en route to US
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http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/11/20091130102539550387.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/30/world/AP-Piracy.html?_r=1

Summary The Maran Centaurus a oil tanker carrying 20 million worth of crude oil to the U.S.A. was hijacked a ways off the coast of Somalia by pirates. This marks an increase in pirating activities near Somalia. There were 28 crew members aboard when hijacked. It is very challenging to defend oil tankers because the crew are unable to carry weapons let alone smoke a cigarette for fear of setting of the tanker. Although there are many hijackings this is the second ever on an oil tanker.

Differences The new york times reported largely on the oil amount and how it was impossible to defend the tanker because of the impacts firing on it would have. the aljazeera article talks more in general about the increase in hijackings and is much shorter. it also doesn't decuss the "U.S.A." oil.

My opinion I think that the only way to solve this is to have nato forces take action and drive the pirates out of somalia which is a country in crisis already.

Al Quaida takes four Europeans hostage
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Both articles report on recent details relating to the kidnapping of four Europeans by a sub group of al-Qaida (AQIM: Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb). Web and audio tape sources are cited, and spokesperson from the kidnapping group is quoted as claiming responsibility for the action. Kidnapper demands for the release of the hostages have not yet been made, and the articles speculate on what demands may emerge in future statements from AQIM. Details regarding the hostages nationalities, ages, and occupations are variously noted in each articles.======

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The AP article notes twice that sources and information have not been verified, the AJ article presents information as true. The AP article closes with a somewhat editiorialized statement about the purpose/mission of the group AQIM : “AQIM…is suspected of…spread(ing) violence in the rest of northwestern Africa”; the AJ article does not. The AP article includes source information from both a web site and audiotape, the AJ only cites the audiotape. The AJ article notes that AQIM has claimed responsibility for killing Edwin Dyer, a British citizen, in January 2009, the AP article does not mention this.======

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I think that this is yet another terrible example of what happens when terrorist groups feel threatened by one another. What happens is a cycle that draws in foreign as well as local innocents. The cycle of retribution is what causes things like this article to come to pass. I think that is key for human survival that we can break this cycle. As Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”======

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/01/201013143537927365.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020100489.html
 * 1) Asia 1

Summary A large amount of arms shipped from north Korea were intercepted by Thai air authorities in Bankok. The plane was carrying 35 tons of heavy weaponry such as rockets, rocket launchers, fuses and rocket Propelled Grenade launchers(RPGS). The five people on the plane were detained for questioning by authorities. The plane was in route for Tehran in Iran. This would be a violation of U.N. conventions for North Korea. The arms were shipped under the guise of a mechanical industry.

Differences

The washington post article makes it out as a mystery to where the weapons came from. Aljazeera sounds as though the conflict has already been resolved this could be because of time or that U.S. news relies on drama over truth. The washington post says the arms shipped were light battlefield arms as opposed to aljazeera who say that they were heavy rockets and RPGs.

Similarities Both articles say that 35 tonnes of arms were shipped Both articles use the same airport and destination for the weapons Both say there were five people on board the plane Both articles quote the same "Authorities"

My opinion

I think that it is likely that the arms were lighter arms than aljazeera said although it is unlikely that Iran needs those weapons so it is possible that the weapons were headed elsewhere. small armaments could be headed to any number of locations from north korea. the only link between north Korea and Iran is their common hate of the U.S.

Asia 2 http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/02/2010227412014926.html http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/china-warns-milk-powder-imports-after-scare-3327992

Summary Melamine traces have been found in milk in china. This is after the crisis in 2008 about melamine in milk. melamine registers false traces of protein on registers on tests. it has also been known to cause sickness in children. it still is profitable and thus stays on the market.

Differences Aljazeera talked about how china is working on this issue. however the other site talks about how this is issue keeps coming up and is a serious threat that will be ongoing. it also says how the chinese are trusting their own milk less than imported milk. the tvnz article also says that this continuation of importing milk will result in economic collapse for china. aljazeera talks about the ethical responsibilities that corporations should have and the anger that people have had as opposed to the economic consequences.

Similarities Both discuss the same topic. Both have pictures of the effected Both state that 300000 children were sickened by it Both say that things are changing.

My opinion I think that corperations need to be more honest or we will all die. Howerver i do not think that will ever happen so we are preatty much screwed. this is though a great example of where companies have learned not to mess with people that much.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/03/201031145917544526.html http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-03/12/content_9577113.htm
 * 3

Summary China recently reacted badly to a series of speeches given by the Dalai lama. China accused him of supporting and in some instances instigating fights for Tibet sovereignty. in response to these harsh accusations he pleaded that he wanted not to rebel against china, but instead seeked autonomy for tibet. He was told to stop many of the separatist activities taking place in tibet and china over this contentious issue. There have also been many riots in favour of this ideal that have lead to harsh crackdowns across the region.

Differences The aljazeera site has multiple pictures where as the other site has none. this suggests that the Aljazeera article took more time to put it together. the aljazeera article also talks more about the backstory of the issue. this may just be a writing decision. The china daily uses more direct quotes than Aljazeera which hints at higher level of factual accuracy, but really may mean nothing. Aljazeera uses small quoted phrases to get the meaning across in less words. The China daily also talks about the religion and whats going on with that in the region. this appears to be a way of linking it to the dalai lama.

Similarities Both articles seem to think that the Dalai lama is not at fault Both articles use statistics to prove a point Both articles talk about china's role in this issue Both articles talk about the religious implications this has

My Opinion I think that china needs to listen to their constituents especially someone as powerful as the Dalai lama if they wish to maintain power in the coming era. if it becomes clear that no one's voice is heard then there will be a mass uprising. that society can not go on in such a barbaric fashion and still hope to maintain control. i think that the Dalai lama should ask everyone to stand up and fight against the oppressive dictators instead of letting them have their way. China will keep pushing its limits and it is only a matter of time before they go too far.

http://english.aljazeera.net/business/2010/03/201031145231575747.html http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAGRUgXlETXsls3iCTxTu3juln-w
 * 4

Summary Google is threatening to shut down its operations in china. they say that the program will be shut down if censorship and cyber attacks. China has been censoring the google search results and google has said that have had enough and will pullout unless changes are made. also China has multiple times hacked the source code of google as well as tried to acess the gmail accounts of human rights activists in china. china has said whether or not google is in their country will make little difference. even although both groups are claiming that there would be no impact over 384 million chinese currently use google services.

Differences The aljazeera article uses more pictures and appears to have spent more time investigating the broader issue whereas in the AFP aritcle mostly just the court case and specific quotes were used. AFP used more direct quotes from leaders as well as more statistics proving that they knew more about what they were talking about. The AFP article is the only one that talks about cyber attacks.

Similarities Both articles talk about the same issue and take a similar stance Both articles are about the same length Both articles use quotes Both articles talk about the court case

My opinion I think that freedom of speech is necessary for human rights and human rights are mandatory for survival so this issue is a very big deal. i think that google should not have to censor itself and should be a good source of open information.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/03/15/Thailand-govt-stands-firm-against-protest/UPI-62551268661069/ http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/03/201031571218216987.html
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Summary The thailand government is refusing to budge on protests given by opposition groups. Tens of thousands of people the majority of from the opposition party known as the red shirts held a protest around a military base. The red shirt opposition party is calling for fresh elections on the grounds that the previous were rigged. The opposition party set a deadline for the prime minister to step down and for fresh ellections to be held. despite protests this deadline has not been met and riots continue. the prime minister has said that he will not step down simply because of one party's disapproval and stands by with his loyal supporters, the yellow shirts.

Differences The aljazeera article talks about other attacks relating to these riots the UPI source does not The UPI source talks about the yellow shirts and other groups Aljazeera only talks about the red shirts UPI talks more about the proccess of the elections UPI source is longer.

Similarities Both sources were posted on the exact same day within an hour of each other(ODD!?!) Both sources talk about the issue in a way that makes the red shirts seem on the side of truth Both sources use quotes of the prime minister Both sources say protests were peaceful

My opinion I think that elections should be overseen by officials and the officials should be able to call for a fresh election if they feel that one is neccesary. these officials need to be third party international officials idealy working through the U.N. or other influential global organization. that would prevent these protests from becoming violent and allow for more freedom when it comes to voting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/16/thailand-human-blood-protest http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/03/2010316115955404901.html
 * 6

Summary In response to the current prime minister's continued refusal to back down the red shirt political opposition(discussed in my previous wiki) have collected large ammounts of blood and and dumped it on the stairs of the government building. The government still has not responed to any of the people's protests. The red shirts have been criticized because many health groups believe that this is a waste of a valuable resource as well as a potential health risk because of the high rates of HIV and AIDS in the area. This is the first time a tactic of this nature has been employed. the idea behind the strategy is that the prime minister is ruling in the peoples' blood.

Similarities Both Sources use quotes from both sides of the issue Both sources say that this is unhygienic Both sources discuss past issues with the government and the red shirts Both sources have pictures of people dumping the blood

Differences Aljazeera says that 1000 liters of blood were spilled Guardian says that 300 liters of blood were spilled Guardian talks about who the red shirts do support Aljazeera talks about the yellow shirts Guardian talks about the needles

My opinion I am woefully uninformed about this issue and i wish i knew more however i think that someone should respond before this issue escalates. It is very important for peoples voices to be heard, but i don't know if who is right in this issue. i think that an international force should step in in a peaceful way. as I said before i think that the U.N. would be a suitable organization.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/03/201031734553810444.html http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g6CRj1KdvGNAX01lBkkfwbjlLxmwD9EGN88G0
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Summary A massive cyclone hit fiji causing widespread damage on tuesday. The cyclone reportedly killed 17,000 people and caused widespread panic. the winds clocked up to 130 mph with gusts of 175 mph. The Fijian government declared a national state of emegency in response to this issue. the storm destroyed seven out of the 14 villigages on the main island.