Powell,+Meili

Current Event #1: October 30th, 2009
__Summary:__ Olabode George who is a top Nigerian politician was recently sentenced two years in prison for abuse in the office. He is a former national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party and chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority from 2001-2003. George is a close ally of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was accused of offering contracts beyond their approved limits and abusing public funds worth $500 million dollars when he ran the Nigerian ports authority. Five other board members were also found guilty of charges. All six of the men said that they would appeal their convictions, during the trial they all argued innocent. George was found guilty on 35 counts and of 68 separate offenses. The charges included conspiracy, disobedience of lawful orders and “contract splitting.” It’s very surprising to people that George has been convicted at all.

=
Reuters Africa: "Nigeria jails former ports boss over graft." Reuters Africa (2009): n. pag. Web. 27 Oct 2009. <[]>.======

=
Both of the articles gives information about Olabode George. They both say he was a chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party and was a chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority. The two articles also mentioned that he was a close ally of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. They both said how five other board members who worked with him in the Nigerian Ports Authority were also found guilty.======

=
In the BBC article it says that George was sentenced to two and a half years and in the Rueters Africa article it says that he has been sentenced to two years in prison. The BBC article has a picture of Olusegun Obasanjo and the other article does not include any pictures. The Rueters Africa article includes a quote and the BBC article does not. In the BBC article it talks about how George and his colleagues entered the court conviction laughing and joking but the other article does not mention that. The titles of the two articles refer to George differently. The title of the BBC article was “Nigeria jails top political aide” and the title of the Rueters Africa article was “Nigeria jails former ports boss over graft.”======

=
I think that it’s really surprising that Bode George was convicted of so many different things because he was a top member of Nigeria’s ruling party and his ally was the former President Olusegun Obasanjo who was one of Nigeria’s most powerful figures. This is a really big deal, in one of the articles it says that it’s the highest profile conviction of a public official since President Umaru Yar'Adua took office two years ago. I wonder if all the convictions are true and what the ruling of the judge will be. I also wonder how the outcome of this will affect people.======

=
One of the most deadliest sicknesses for children is malaria. There are tens of millions of Africans who are plagued by malaria yearly and more than one million children in Africa who die from it. Malaria is caused by a parasite and spreads through a bite from an infected mosquito. There is a promising new malaria vaccine that is being tested right now which is designed to attack the parasite before it can infect the liver. It is said that this new vaccine will be able to prevent the disease in about 50 percent of the children. The major clinical trail of the Phase III testing is involving thousands of children under the age of 18 months in seven African countries. The vaccine is meant specifically for people in Africa. The goal is to immunize children against malaria when they are still young in their high-risk years. If the new vaccine known as RTS-S is determined as safe then it would be the first vaccine against the human parasite. More than $500 million dollars have been spent on this. The development of the vaccine has been going on for more than 20 years through many combined efforts including GlaxoSmithKline, the Malaria Vaccine Initiative and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. If it is successful then it could be in the market in possibly the next 3 years. This vaccine would be very useful to so many people. ======

=
The Seattle Times: "New vaccine offers hope in Africa's malaria battle ." Seattle Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 4 Nov 2009. <[|__http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2010190058_apafafricamalariavaccine.html__]>. ======

=
VOA News: "Promising Malaria Vaccine Being Tested Across Africa." Voices of America (2009): n. pag. Web. 4 Nov 2009. <[|__http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-03-voa36.cfm__]>. ======

=
I thought that both of the articles gave good main points. They both gave facts about how many people died a year and said that the people who are mostly affected and at high risk are children. The two articles also both had quotes from doctors and researchers. There were also details in both about how long they have been working on this vaccine and when it could be in the market. The Seattle Times article talked more about malaria in Africa than the VOA news article. In the Seattle Times article there was facts about what malaria is and how you get it. There was also information about the funds for the new vaccine and the price in the Seattle Times article. In the VOA news article it mentions the name of the vaccine whereas the other article does not. Overall I think that the Seattle Times article was better since it gave more details on the topic. ======

 __Opinion:__
 I think it’s great that this new vaccine is in the final stages of being tested and that soon it could be out in the market. I’ve heard of Malaria before and that it was a bad disease that was going around. I had no idea though that it was this bad though and that so many people have died in Africa and other countries from it and still are. Some said that 50 percent isn’t that great but I agree when they said it was a step forward since that’s half a million kids you are saving which is a large improvement. I think it’s really good that there is so much funding for it and the families in Africa may not have to pay because money shouldn’t have to be a big problem for people to get it. I hope they find a positive result soon so that people in Africa can use it as soon as possible.

=
In South Africa there is the world’s highest rate of violent crime with about 50 killings everyday. Right now the police force has a shoot-to-kill policy. There are opposition groups that say this policy has caused the loss of many innocent people because of the police. Just recently there was an incident where a three old boy, Atlegang Phalane, was shot in a car by officers who were looking for a murder suspect. The police officer thought that the boy was carrying a gun but nothing was found in the car afterwards. Fikile Mbalula, the deputy police officer who stood by his forces pointed out that it was inevitable that innocent people would get caught during a crossfire. President Jacob Zuma said that the criminals take out guns and kill and many police have died because of it. The ruling African National Congress says that they are going to change the law to make it clearer when the police will be able to use deadly force.======

=
Telegraph: "South Africa minister tells police to 'shoot the bastards'." Telegraph (2009): n. pag. Web. 12 Nov 2009. < [] >.=====

=
The BBC and Telegraph News article both included many quotes about the cases including some of the same ones such as "Yes. Shoot the bastards. Hard-nut to crack, incorrigible bastards." The articles had the same main point about the concern of innocent people getting killed by police. They both gave details about the killing of the innocent three year old boy that occurred. In both articles it mentioned the high rate of crime in South Africa. It also talked about the changes in the law about the police using deadly force in the two articles.======

=
The BBC News article was longer and had more information about the difficult decisions of police officers. The titles of the two were different, the BBC article’s headline mentioned the policy shoot-to-kill and the Telegraph article’s headline was about the minister saying “shoot the bastards.” The two articles had some different quotes from different people. In the BBC article there was a picture of Fikile Mbalula and in the other article there were no pictures included.======

=
I think that it’s horrible and really sad that this three year old boy was killed by the police officers and that many other innocent people are becoming victims too. I don’t think it’s completely the police officers fault though because of course it wasn’t deliberate and they have to make difficult decisions. They are dealing with criminals who will shoot back but they should still be really careful and aware of the safety of people around them. I don’t see why the police officer thought and reported the boy carrying a fire arm though because why would a three year old have that? I wonder how the African National Congress will change the policy to make it more clear. ======

=
The Somali pirates released a Spanish fishing boat that was hijacked six weeks ago in the Indian ocean. The Alakrana fishing trawler was taken approximately 740km northwest of the Seychelles island of Mahe. The pirates freed this boat after being a promised a ransom of $3.5 million dollars. The government has not confirmed of this money having been paid. The Alakrana had a crew of 36 people that included 16 spaniards, 8 Indonesians and people from Ghana, Madagascar, Seychelles, Senegal and the Ivory Coast. They have all been reported now as “safe and sound” by Jose Luis Rodriguez, Spain’s prime minister. Earlier, the pirates said that they would not free the boat unless the Spanish navy freed the two Somali pirates that they captured a few days after the boat was hijacked. The Spanish navy captured these two Somali pirates for a trial in Madrid. This is very good news for the whole country but there is currently still 10 ships and 200 hostages being held by pirates operating in waters off Somalia.======

=
BBC News: "Somali pirates free Spanish boat." //BBC News //  (2009): n. pag. Web. 19 Nov 2009. <[]>.\ ======  Al Jazeera: "Somali pirates free Spanish ship." //Al Jazeera // (2009): n. pag. Web. 19 Nov 2009. <[]>

=
The BBC article and the Al Jazeera article both included main points about the Somali pirates releasing the Alakrana. They had the same facts about the crew members on the boat, where the boat was seized, and they both talked about the $3.5 million dollar ransom. Both of the articles included information about the Madrid trial and how the Spanish navy captured two Somali Pirates. The articles both had quotes from Spain’s prime minister such as him saying that the sailors were “safe and sound.” The headlines of the two were the same, “Somali pirates free Spanish ship.”======

=
The BBC news article included more visuals and it even had a couple videos including a video of Zapatero saying that all crew members were safe. The Al Jazeera news article only had one picture. The BBC article also had a map of where the Alakrana was seized by the pirates. The BBC article was longer and had more information. It talked about the scores that were still held and how there were still ships being held by pirates and the Al Jazeera article did not talk mention this. The Al Jazeera article did say in the end how the Somali sea gangs have stepped up their attacks though. The articles had some additional facts that were different, for example the BBC article said that the pirates threatened to start killing hostages unless their compatriots were returned.======

=
I think that it is really good news for the country and all of the people on the Alakrana that the boat has been released by the Somali pirates, finally after six months. It’s good to hear that none of the hostages were not injured in the process. The Spanish prime minister said the “government did what it had to do” when talking about the ransom so I wonder if they are actually going to give the pirates the money or not. Even though they finally got this ship back, there are currently still ships out there being held by pirates so what are countries trying to do about it?======

=
It was announced recently that the Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua is suffering from a heart condition. He has acute pericarditis which is inflammation of the lining around the heart. This condition had until now been cloaked in an official veil of secrecy. He went to Saudi Arabia to receive medical treatment and has been reported as doing remarkably well by doctors. There were rumors spread throughout Nigeria and Saudi Arabia about the President being severely ill and even being in a coma or had died. These rumors were denied by officials. President Umaru Yar’Adua has had chronic kidney condition for at least 10 years and because of it has not been able to do certain official duties. All of these health problems create a conflict for Nigeria’s constitution because if he were to step down or die, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan would take his place. This Vice President is from the southern Niger Delta region but there is supposed to be equal power amongst the country’s regions according the the ruling People’s Democratic Party so the president has to be a northerner.======

=
The BBC article and Yahoo article both had the main information about the President’s current heart condition and that he is being reported as doing very well. They also both mentioned the rumors that were being spread about him and the fact that this was his third time going to the hospital. There was a picture of President Umaru Yar’Adua included in both of the articles. The articles also both had similar headlines.======

=
The BBC article had more information and included details that other article didn’t have. For example it talked about how this health issue could cause a problem for Nigeria’s constitution and that the President had had chronic kidney condition before this. The BBC article did not mention that the rumors were about him being in a coma or even dead but just said that they were about him being seriously ill. They both had quotes but from different people, the Yahoo article included quotes from doctors and the BBC article included quotes from different reporters.======

=
I hope that the treatment works, it’s really good that he is doing very well in the hospital though! I think that they should make a plan in case something happens such as him stepping down or dying since this would cause a problem with the power distribution over the country. I think that this is an interesting rule that is in constitution but I guess it makes sense. I wonder what kind of duties the President couldn’t do because of his health condition. I also wonder why his health condition has been kept secret until now.======

=
Rwanda is the first country to officially be declared free from landmines by the Ministry of Defence. There were many landmines spread throughout the country during and after the Liberation War. Land was already scarce in Rwanda and the existence of these land mines caused a big problem for the people being able to live on their land. There were 9,000 mines that have been destroyed throughout the past three years by one hundred and eighty Rwandan soldiers. A team of Mine Detection dogs also did a final check of the land surveyed. They had to meet the standards of the Ottawa Landmine Treaty which included that Rwanda also had to destroy its landmine stockpiles. Overall there was 1.3 million square meters of land that were tested and cleared. This is a great benefit to the Rwandan people because now they will be able to farm their land. The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban convention was started 10 years ago and since then 38 countries have stopped production but there are still more than 160 million mines held by countries not party to this convention. 165 states have ratified the convention but 13 states have the right or are still producing mines.=====

=
The BBC article and AllAfrica article both had the same main points including how this made history, how the landmines got there and how much land had been cleared. They both talked about the Ottawa Convention, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban convention. They both had similar headlines but in the BBC article the title also included the fact that Rwanda was the first.=====

=
The AllAfrica article talked a lot about the Ministry of Defense and the BBC article did not mention them but only said that the announcement was made at the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World in Colombia. The AllAfrica article seemed to include more quotes. The BBC article had more information and had details that the other article did not. For example the BBC article talked about how this will benefit the people of Rwanda and gave a personal story about a farmer who had to go through having mines on his farm. The BBC article also gave more facts about destroying the mines and how there are still many countries who currently have mines. The BBC article had three images and the other article had none.=====

=
I think it’s really good that there has been a significant step in this progress of clearing landmines from countries. I didn’t know that there were so many countries dealing with this problem. I would hate to have to live in fear of the area I live in. It’s so sad that there were people who died on this farm and the farmer’s livestock got taken away. I think that the countries who have not signed to this convention should because they shouldn’t be still producing mines or need the right to be able to. Hopefully many countries will also be declared free from land mines soon.=====

=
In South Africa there are 5.7 million people that are infected with HIV. That is more than any other country. It infects one in 10 South Africans. A new plan was announced on World AIDS Day for earlier and expanded treatment for pregnant women and babies that are HIV-positive. President Jacob Zuma promised an increase of anti-retroviral medicines to HIV patients. Zuma also told South African’s to get tested for HIV. Babies that are under one will receive ARV’s. This should improve the survival rates for the youngest citizens of Africa. Patients with HIV and tuberculosis will qualify for an earlier treatment. Pregnant women who are HIV-positive will also get treatment and drugs earlier. This price of the treatment was expected to be free but Zuma did not confirm that. The goal of Zuma’s government was to get 80 percent of those who need AIDS drugs on them by 2011. This change could save hundreds of thousands of lives in this country.=====

=
The New York Times: "South Africa to Treat All HIV-Positive Babies." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 10 Dec 2009. <[]>.=====

=
Telegraph: "South Africa to provide treatment for all HIV-positive babies." Telegraph (2009): n. pag. Web. 10 Dec 2009. <[]>.=====

=
The Telegraph article and New York Times article both gave information on the changes with the earlier treatment for people. They both talked about President Zuma, the unlikely AIDS hero and his speech. The articles talked about the changes that were announced and also Zuma’s experience with HIV before, how in 2006 he was in court for rape of a HIV positive women and was acquitted. The quote “I have taken HIV tests before, and I know my status. I will do another test soon. I urge you to start planning for your owns tests” was included in the two articles. They both had similar headlines.=====

=
The New York Times article was longer and included more quotes from President Zuma. The New York Times included information that the Telegraph article did not mention such as the goal of Zuma’s government and the fact that United States was giving South Africa millions of dollars. In the Telegraph it mentioned the provision of anti-retroviral medicines but in the New York Times it just said it was an earlier treatment.=====

=
I think that this new change announced by President Zuma is really significant in the progress of fighting AIDS since it will save so many lives in this country that is the most affected by this virus. I was not aware that there were so many people, I can’t believe that one out of 10 people in South Africa are infected! I hope that the earlier treatment stays free because people should not be denied treatment because of money. It’s good that the United States is donating millions of dollars to South Africa for fighting AIDS. I wonder how long it will take to give treatment to all of these people who need it throughout the country.=====

=
In China, there is a huge conflict with the growing gender imbalance in the population. By the year 2020 it has been reported by China’s Academy of Social Sciences that there could be more than 24 million men who are unable to find a wife. For every 100 girls born in China, 119 boys are born. That statistic could even be more in some rural areas with 130 boys are born for each 100 girls. This big difference is caused by the policies made by the Chinese government like the one-child policy that allows couples only one child. The tradition of a family’s preference of boys over girls is also a big influence. Forced prostitution, illegal marriages and problems with abductions and trafficking of women and infants have become outcomes of this increasing imbalance in China.=====

=
The BBC news article and the Al Jazeera news article were both very similar and contained a lot of the same information. The two articles both included that there would be millions of men that could be without wives in future years, the latest figures of how many boys there are in China compared to girls and information about what problems the growing imbalance have caused. The articles were both about the same length and had similar headlines. They also both had quotes from the researcher, Wang Guangzhou.=====

=
I noticed that the Al Jazeera article gave more background information about why this gender imbalance has increased so much over time. It talked about population control with the one child policy and how couples favor boys over girls. The BBC article had a picture of a baby in it. The Al Jazeera article had two pictures of a marriage scene and babies with their parents.=====

=
I think that these similarities and differences show that the two articles must have found their information from many of the same sources since they both had a lot of similar facts and quotes. It also shows that both of these articles overall gave good coverage of this topic.=====

=
I think that it’s shocking that there is such a difference between the number of girls and the number of boys because of the policies and traditions in China. I wonder what the men think about this and what they will do. I also wonder what the Chinese government is going to do because this outcome should definitely try and be decreased. The government should also be more aware of the abductions and trafficking that is going on in the country.=====

=
Many countries in Asia have been urged to take action to try and stop the extinction of wild tigers. The World Wildlife Fund reported that the Indochinese tiger population has hit an all time low. The tiger population has lost more than nine tenths of their habitat because of humans. The president of the World Bank says that there could be no room left for tigers and other wildlife in Asia if no conservation effort is made by the government. There was a population of 100,000 wild tigers a century ago but today the population has declined to only 3,200 worldwide. There was a meeting with 13 tiger range countries that discussed the efforts needed to bring the world’s remaining tigers back from the brink of extinction. The World Bank has told these countries to close down privately run tiger farms, mostly found in China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. The trade of tiger parts is a big contributing factor to the threat of the extinction of tigers. Stronger law enforcement about the trade of tiger products and parts are being made in China. The tiger range countries are making a commitment to work together with the goal of doubling the population of wild tigers by 2020.===== __Sources:__ Al Jazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/01/20101298179913338.html World Wildlife Fund: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?187762/Tiger-Range-Countries-and-partners-make-new-conservation-commitments-in-Thailand

=
The Al Jazeera news article and the World Wildlife Fund news article both have the same main points about efforts being made to stop the extinction of wild tigers. They both have information about the national meeting in Thailand with representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. The facts about the huge decrease of the population and the commitment being made was in both. The articles also both included pictures of tigers.=====

=
The Al Jazeera article was longer and had more information on why the tiger population has decreased so rapidly. The Al Jazeera article was more about the main problem with the extinction. The World Wildlife Fund news article mainly focused more on the meeting that happened in Thailand and the new commitments that were discussed at the conference. It talked about the changes that were planning to be made. These differences are important because you can learn more about the different aspects about the conflict from the articles.=====

=
I can’t believe that the population of wild tigers has dropped so drastically in only a century! People should just stop completely with the trade of tigers because of the huge impact it’s made on them. Strict law enforcements about the trade of tiger products and parts should be made in all tiger range countries. Tigers are beautiful creatures and should be given enough land for their habitat to live in along with all of the other wildlife creatures in Asia. I think it’s really good that all of these countries have come together to make effort to greatly increase the population of wild tigers worldwide.=====

=
There have been four people arrested in China for selling milk that had been tainted with melamine. One of the people was Zhang Wenxue who is the manager of the Lekang dairy company in the Shaanxi province. Two people that were arrested were vice general managers and the fourth man was a milk powder dealer who worked with Lekang. All of them were suspected of overseeing an operation in which untainted milk powder was mixed with melamine-infused powder. Melamine is an industrial chemical that can be added to diluted milk products to make it appear to have a higher protein content. This can allow dairy companies to make a greater profit. If this melamine is ingested it can cause several health problems such as kidney stones and even kidney failure. Two years ago, there were six children that lost their lives to a scandal over milk tainted with melamine. This also sickened up to 300,000 other people. In 2008 the scandal implicated 22 companies. Now, China is sending out inspectors to 16 provinces to insist that local authorities should investigate the food safety since the conflict with tainted milk has re-appeared in recent months.======

=
The Al Jazeera news article and the Tce Today news article both had the same main idea about the melamine-tainted milk affecting the lives of thousands of people. The articles both had information about what melamine does to the milk and what it can do to a person. Both of the articles mentioned the names of the people arrested, contaminated milk scandals that have happened in the past and companies that were involved.======

=
The Al Jazeera news article did not talk about much what the authorities are currently doing about the situation compared to the Tce Today article. Tce Today also had some details that Al Jazeera didn’t include such as that milk products contaminated with melamine are found all over the world and more about what Zhang Wenxue specifically did to the milk. I think that these differences show they both had the same and different sources of information. It also shows you can learn a lot about the subject from both. Overall, I thought they both gave reliable, interesting information about this issue and are good sources.======

__My Opinion:__
I didn’t know that this was such a huge conflict that has been affecting so many people in China and other countries like Europe and the United States. It’s very good that these companies have been found and the authorities are arresting the people who are in connection with selling tainted milk. I’ve never heard of what melamine can do before but that’s horrible that these companies would sicken and risk the lives of thousands of innocent people. People should be more cautious and aware of where their milk is coming from. I hope that the authorities do thoroughly investigate the food safety in all of the provinces so then there won’t be any more big conflicts with tainted milk in the future.

=
The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has announced that he is prepared to take legal action to stop Japan from whale hunting in the waters off of Antarctica. He would rather use diplomatic means to convince them to stop but is willing to take them to court. There are Australian authorities that have a lot of video and photo evidence of the Japanese whale hunting. The goal that Australia has is to work with the Japanese to reduce their current catch to zero through negotiation. Japan hunts hundreds of whales in the Antarctic for it’s whaling research program every year. In the southern ocean, there are 1,000 whales killed every winter. The studies are an exception to the International Whaling Commission’s 1986 ban on commercial whaling but it has been said that the actual reason was to sell the meat not used. The Japanese government supports whaling because of a deep cultural significance that it is for the people. The Japanese foreign minister, Katsuya Okada, wants to keep the whaling mission legal and help Prime Minister Rudd understand the Japanese position in this. Maritime law experts believe that there is a very strong case against Japan for abusing the right of whaling for scientific research.======

__Sources:__
Al Jazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/02/201021955619950421.html The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/19/australia-japan-whaling-lawsuit-theat

=
The Guardian news article and the Al Jazeera news article both had all of the main points about the subject of Australia trying to completely end the whaling that Japan is currently doing. They both talk about what the Australian prime minister wants to do about the whaling, what Japan thinks about their position in this situation and the the evidence that Australia has for the case. The two articles had similar quotes from the prime ministers, Kevin Rudd and Katsuya Okada.======

=
The Al Jazeera news article was longer and had more information compared to the other article. There was more details about the background of the Japanese whale hunting in it. In the Guardian article it says that 1,000 whales are killed every winter and in the Al Jazeera article it says that hundreds of whales are killed every year. The Guardian article has a picture of the Australian prime minster whereas the other has two pictures of whales. Another difference is the headlines, the Al Jazeera headline was “Australia warns Japan over whaling” and the Guardian headline was “Australia threatens legal action over Japanese whaling.” I think that these discrepancies show that the articles could have different views on the subject and that you can learn more from the Al Jazeera article.======

=
I don’t see why it is necessary at all for Japan to slaughter so many whales for their scientific studies. What are the studies even for? I mean why would you need to kill 1,000 whales? That’s horrible and I agree that the real reason is probably just so they can sell the meet that is not used for the study. It’s really good that Australia is trying to stop this and have a strong case with video and photo evidence. I wonder what will happen in the future and if the Australian prime minister will end up having to take legal action. I wonder how this will affect the relation between the Asia-Pacific allies.======