News 9/18/12: Madrid Protests

Madrid, Spain Protests Over Economy

In Madrid, Spain a protest has broken out over its government announcing several economic changes, including cutbacks and tax hikes. The Prime Minister's (Mariano Rajoy) Parliament is under great pressure after these changes, meant to lower their $64.47 billion dollar debt, by "cuts in inflation-linked pensions, taxes on stock transactions, "green taxes" on emissions or eliminating tax breaks." As well as cut backs in social benefits. (Ahram Online). 1,500 police officers were present in Madrid to deal with the protesters, and at least twenty people were arrested and a dozen people injured (BBC).

Sources:
Ahram Online (Egypt):

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/53812/World/International/Spain-prepares-more-austerity,-protesters-clash-wi.aspx

Al Jazeera (Qatar):

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/09/2012925171843534520.html

BBC News (British):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19712203

Irish Times:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0925/breaking46.html

New York Times (American):

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/world/europe/protests-continue-in-spain.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0moc.semityn.www

News 9/24/12: Island Disputes

 China and Japan and Taiwan Dispute Over Islands
There is a growing dispute over a set of islands that are located between China, Taiwan, and Japan. All three countries are putting a claim to the islands after the Japanese government offered to buy the islands. Their offer was sparked by Shintaro Ishihara who offered to buy the islands for 26 million dollars. The area of the islands is a mere 3 miles total area, but its abundant in natural resources and has a large fishing business involved in it. China and Japan are in the process of negotiating the ownership of these islands. Today Taiwanese boats entered the area which is being safe guarded by Japanese ships, putting their own claim to the islands as well. The Japanese ships fired warning shots at the ships to try and alter their course but to no avail.
Sources:
BBC News: Article shows what importance the islands are to the nations, and why there is any reason to argue over them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19709355

Los Angeles Times: This article gave a good amount of evidence about the historical claims that each of the three nations have other this highly disputed area.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-japan-islands-20120925,0,216163.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fnationworld%2Fworld+%28L.A.+Times+-+World+News%29&utm_content=Netvibes

Lastly these two articles from Al Jazeera show the increasing tensions going on over this area of the world. The two articles, published less than two hours apart show the Taiwanese involvement into the already tense situation.
The first simply talks about when the Taiwanese boats entered the disputed Sea area:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/09/201292505326112219.html

And the second article shows Japan's response to this action:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/09/20129255327498152.html



Area under dispute is the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Picture from BBC News online.

News 9/20: Gas Protests and Bombings

Nation Wide Indian Protest in India

New economic reforms in India resulted in a mass one-day nationwide protest. The main opposition to the new reforms is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The protest was begun after the government raised diesel prices by 14 %.  Schools, trains, bus routes, and large business have all come to a halt because of the protesters. The total cost for the protest is undetermined but some estimates go as high as 2.3 billion.
 

Sources:

Both links give a good explanation of the economic and political turmoil resulting from the protest. 

 From the Irish Times:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0920/breaking51.html

 

 From the Hurriyet Daily in Turkey:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/nationwide-strike-against-economic-reform-hits-india.aspx?pageID=238&nid=30606&NewsCatID=347

 

Bombing in Syria

A heavily civilian occupied gas station is bombed by government warplanes. The planes are believed to have used barrel bombs (bombs filled with TNT) killing at least 30 people, and as many as 110 have been reported as dead or wounded so far. The station is in Ayn Issa, in a town near a border post with Turkey (northern Raqqa Province). The station had been previously taken over by rebel groups 2 days ago. This bombing attempt on rebel forces has the largest casualty toll from military air craft yet.
 

From the New York Times:

This article goes in depth into the bombing and gives general information on the condition of Syria

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/world/middleeast/syria.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

 

From China Daily:

Gives a very brief overview providing total of the number killed or wounded from its sources

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-09/20/content_15772058.htm

News 9/18/12: Strike Settlements

Today in the news were two strikes that both are set to come to an end later this week. The first strike is that of the Lonmin Miners in South Africa. As part of the third largest platinum mine in the world, the miners went on a five-six week strike which cost the lives of 45 people in total, 34 killed in a single instance when police fired into protester crowds in self defense. The settlement involved an 11%-22% raise for the workers depending on their position in the company, and the miners are considering this a very large victory. On the other side of the world, teachers have reached an agreement with the school district and have agreed to suspend their strike. The teachers gained a 3% immediate pay raise, and 10 extra days of school for the students. The teachers say that the strike was less about pay and more to do with increasing conditions for students. School is scheduled to start again tomorrow (9/19/12)

Sources for the settlement for Lonmin miners in South Africa:

 From Egypt:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/53242/World/International/SAfrica-Lonmin-miners-end--week-strike,-accept--pa.aspx

From South Africa:
http://mg.co.za/article/2012-09-18-lonmin-strikers-accept-22-pay-increase/

From the Global Post:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/south-africa/120918/lonmin-mine-strike-workers-pay-increase

From China:
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-09/19/content_15767584.htm

From Germany:
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16249374,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-africa-8291-rdf

From the Middle East:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/2012918154913113773.html

Sources for the teacher strike in Chicago

From BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19644496

From CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/18/us/illinois-chicago-teachers-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

News 9/17/12

War Crimes in Syria:

The first news story today is an update on the war in Syria. Both sides have commited war crimes that are being investigated by the United Nations. From Al Jazeera, ""We have good evidence in terms of summary executions, forced disappearance, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence from both sides," said Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN investigative panel." The was has claimed over two hundred thousand lives in eighteen months and about one point two million have been uprooted. (Irish Times). More about this story here:
From Al Jazeera with an overview of the war crimes and a continuing story of what is happening in Syria:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201291784743116694.html

From the Irish Times which puts a focus on militants in Syria:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0917/breaking20.html

Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street:

A year after the beginning of the protests, over 100 protesters  have been arrested on the its anniversary. Events were planned in over thirty cities around the world. The group is protesting the distribution of wealth between the 1 percent which own about half of the wealth in America and the "99 percent".

An overview of the anniversary given by Ahram online (Egyptian):
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/53173/World/International/More-than--Occupy-Wall-Street-arrests-in-NYC.aspx

Another view of the anniversary from Al Jazeera showing a vast decline in the interest of the movement on Twitter since the movements beginning:
http://www.aljazeera.com/focus/2012/09/2012917121754495444.html

Pictures from the protests given by China Daily:
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-09/18/content_15764862_5.htm

17 Dead Found in Mexico:

Police found 17 mutilated bodies in Jalisco, Mexico. Violence has been abundant in Mexico due to gangs and drug cartels, however no link has been found yet to the murders. However, since 2006 at least 47,500 people have been killed in Mexico drug violence.
Sources for this information:
From the Hurriyet Daily in Turkey:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mexican-police-find-17-mutilated-bodies.aspx?pageID=238&nid=30322&NewsCatID=358

From the Global Post:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/120917/mexico-drug-war-bodies-jalisco

Nuclear Phase Out: News from 9/14

Nuclear Phase Out

September 14, 2012

The Japanese government unveiled their plan to phase out nuclear power by 2040. Before the Fukushima disaster, nuclear power accounted for a third of Japan’s power and plans were in place to increase nuclear power to account of more than half of Japan’s power. Now Japan is planning to reduce its nuclear power dependency to as close to zero as possible by 2040. This is a similar reaction to that of Germany, who, after the Fukushima disaster, announced that they will move away from nuclear power by late 2022. By 2040 the majority of the reactors will have reached the end of their forty-year life span.


Sources:

BBC NEWS ASIA: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19595773

NEW YORK TIMES: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/asia/japan-will-try-to-halt-nuclear-power-by-the-end-of-the-2030s.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201209130018

Attack on U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya

On September 11th the U.S. Consulate in Libya was attacked by heavily armed militia men who teamed up with already present protesters. The protesters were protesting an American made video that depicted Islam's founder, the Prophet Muhammad, in a negative light. As many as fifty militants joined them and began to open fire among the U.S. Consulate. Four Americans died, the most noted one being Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. The attack was thought to have been planned, however much is still being investigated. As for President Obama, he vows to bring to justice those who were behind the attack, but also includes that it will not "break bonds" between the US and the new Libyan government.

Sources:
BBC News
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19582198

CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/12/world/africa/libya-consulate-attack-scene/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/chaos-at-the-consulate-as-militants-attack/2012/09/12/f92ad9d2-fcfe-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_story.html?hpid=z1

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/world/middleeast/us-envoy-to-libya-is-reported-killed.html?hp

News Update

Here are a view things to keep updated with in the world that happened over these past few days:

Somali elected a new president hoping to make the country more stable:

BBC News:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19556383

Al Jazeera:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201291083927688186.html

LA Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/09/somalias-presidential-newcomer-faces-a-mammoth-job.html


Iraq's vice-president was sentenced to death, accompanying attacks which killed at least 59 in Iraq. He is being charged with ""terrorism" charges relating to alleged links to assassinations of government officials". Currently he resides in Turkey and refutes these charges, and Turkey says they will not hand him over.

News story from Al Jazeera:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/12/20111219175722518551.html

On Turkey's statements on the manner from BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19554873


Lastly, just announced today Kosovo now has full internationally recognized sovereignty. Declaring its independence four years ago from Serbia, ninety countries internationally recognize its independence and it is now not under supervision from the International Steering Group. However, some countries still don't recognize it as independent such as Russia and Serbia.

Story here:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kosovo-granted-full-sovereignty.aspx?pageID=238&nID=29870&NewsCatID=354

Map showing where Kosovo is geographically

News 9/6/12: Refugee Boat Sinks on Turkey's Coast, Kills 61

A refugee boat trying to sail from the Turkish coast to ultimately Great Britain crashed killing sixty-one of the people on board. The boat contained 102 illegal refugees and crashed against a set of rocks along the Turkish Coast, just 50 meters from shore. Some were able to swim away, while others were trapped underneath. 29-31 children were among the casualties (depending on the source) and 3 of the killed were babies. Many of the people on board were Iraqi, Palestinian and Syrian, presumably trying to escape the harsh Syrian Civil War. This story shows the ripple effect the war is having, effecting countries outside of Syria itself.

Sources:
The local from from Turkey itself. Has the most information on the story:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/61-refugees-drown-to-death-as-boat-sinks.aspx?pageID=238&nID=29589&NewsCatID=341

Another very detailed article comes from Al Jazeera in Qatar:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/20129692748907760.html

From the Irish Times:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0906/breaking46.html

From Ahram Online (Egyptian):

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/52147/World/International/-dead-after-boat-of-illegal-immigrants-sinks-off-T.aspx

From the Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Rufugee-boat-sinks-in-Turkey-58-dead/articleshow/16282662.cms

From Mail and Guardian (South Africa):

http://mg.co.za/article/2012-09-06-death-toll-in-turkey-refugee-boat-sinking-rises

From the United States:
Los Angeles Times

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/09/boat-sinks-turkey-syrians-iraqis-dead.html

CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/06/world/meast/turkey-boat-sinks/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

News 9/5/12: Genome functions mapped

A large breakthrough in the study of DNA happened today, as new discoveries in the human genome (genetic makeup of an organism) were found. The last large report on the human genome came in 2003 and the human genome was completely mapped. However they thought that a large part of the DNA was not interactive, approximately two percent. In this new finding they found switches that can turn on or off genes, and about 80 percent of our genes have biochemical functions. This a large biological breakthrough with implications in helping cure many diseases, such as Crohn's disease. Note the research came from many different countries with 400 scientists, 32 laboratories, and at least 1,500 experiments.

Articles on this breakthrough and sources of my information found here:

From the UK:
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/sep/05/genes-genome-junk-dna-encode

BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19202141


Specifically from Ireland:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0906/1224323653110.html

From the Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-dna-encode-20120906,0,7798745.story

News 9/4/12: Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention started today in Charlotte North Carolina. Michelle Obama spoke today for her husband, as did notable speaker Julian Castro (Mayor of San Antonio). Obama hopes to win a re-election this year on November 6th. 60,000-70,000 people attended the event and as many people are expected to attend every day of the event.
*Important to note with political articles is that bias often arises and all information given should be checked.

Al Jazeera offers an in depth look at the convention and the speakers of the day. Article here:

 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/09/201294194532238180.html

More in depth on the speakers from BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19479717

Article from Mail and Guardian from South Africa:

http://mg.co.za/article/2012-09-04-spotlight-shifts-to-obama-as-democrats-make-their-case

Short article on Michelle Obama's speech from Sydney Morning Herald:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/mom-in-chief-says-obama-is-a-man-to-trust-20120905-25duw.html



As for the election in general here is a website to compare candidates side by side. Please let me know if there are any errors at this website, as all facts have not been checked.

http://www.isidewith.com/romney-vs-obama-on-the-issues

South African Miners Update

The miners in the South African mines have been freed from their murder charges. An article on that here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19466825