Monday, 25 September 2017

Malaria

Alarm as 'super malaria' spreads in South East Asia

Gallagher, James. “Alarm as 'Super Malaria' Spreads in South East Asia.” BBC News, BBC, 22 Sept. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/health-41351160.

Image copyrigImage captio

The rapid spread of "super malaria" in South East Asia is an alarming global threat, scientists are warning.

This dangerous form of the malaria parasite cannot be killed with the main anti-malaria drugs.

It emerged in Cambodia but has since spread through parts of Thailand, Laos and has arrived in southern Vietnam.

The team at the Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok said there was a real danger of malaria becoming untreatable.

Prof Arjen Dondorp, the head of the unit, told the BBC News website: "We think it is a serious threat.

"It is alarming that this strain is spreading so quickly through the whole region and we fear it can spread further [and eventually] jump to Africa."

Failing treatments

In a letter, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the researchers detail the "recent sinister development" that has seen resistance to the drug artemisinin emerge.

About 212 million people are infected with malaria each year. It is caused by a parasite that is spread by blood-sucking mosquitoes and is a major killer of children.

The first choice treatment for malaria is artemisinin in combination with piperaquine.

But as artemisinin has become less effective, the parasite has now evolved to resist piperaquine too.

There have now been "alarming rates of failure", the letter says.

Prof Dondorp said the treatment was failing around a third of the time in Vietnam while in some regions of Cambodia the failure rate was closer to 60%.

Resistance to the drugs would be catastrophic in Africa, where 92% of all malaria cases happen.

'Against the clock'

There is a push to eliminate malaria in the Greater Mekong sub-region before it is too late.

Prof Dondorp added: "It's a race against the clock - we have to eliminate it before malaria becomes untreatable again and we see a lot of deaths.

"If I'm honest, I'm quite worried."

Michael Chew, from the Wellcome Trust medical research charity, said: "The spread of this malaria 'superbug' strain, resistant to the most effective drug we have, is alarming and has major implications for public health globally.

"Around 700,000 people a year die from drug-resistant infections, including malaria.

"If nothing is done, this could increase to millions of people every year by 2050."

response: My response to this article, many people in the South east Asia are suffering form malaria illness, and millions die every year because of it. This news report says that that they are pushing to eliminate malaria form areas that are of great causes,an where many lives have been effected by this disease.

Audience: This is geared towards the Western world, such as Africa and the South east Asia. Also to the younger to older aged people. The Audience for this article is also scientist that are trying to fight against malaria.

Bias: The bias in this article is; i think gearing towards scientist, because some might say that they are doing everything they can to to fight malaria, and others might say that scientist aren't working as hard, and also some scientist say that the drug doesn't really work, where as others might say it does.

Monday, 18 September 2017

North Korea nuclear program.

North Korea says sanctions will accelerate nuclear programme.

In a strongly worded statement, the foreign ministry called a new round of restrictions imposed by the United Nations "the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility".

Meanwhile, the US and South Korea carried out joint military exercises over the Korean peninsula.

North Korea will be a key issue at the UN General Assembly this week.

The country fired its latest missile over Japan on Friday, in what was described as its farthest-reaching test.

The launch, which followed a fresh round of UN sanctions, was unanimously condemned by the UN Security Council as "highly provocative".

What has North Korea said?

The foreign ministry statement, carried by the country's official news agency KCNA, said: "The increased moves of the US and its vassal forces to impose sanctions and pressure on the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] will only increase our pace towards the ultimate completion of the state nuclear force."

It also said that the goal of the new UN sanctions, approved on 11 September, was to "physically exterminate" the country's people, system and government.

The sanctions are an attempt to starve North Korea of fuel and income for its weapons programmes, and restrict oil imports and ban textile exports.

The fresh measures followed the sixth and most powerful nuclear test conducted by Pyongyang earlier this month.

But some critics have raised questions over the effectiveness of the restrictions, as North Korea is still able to trade internationally.

The country's commerce with China was partially responsible for an estimated economic growth of 3.9% last year, Bloomberg news agency reports.

How is the world responding?

The issue of North Korea's weapons programme is expected to dominate US President Donald Trump's address at the UN General Assembly and his meetings with the leaders of South Korea and Japan.

Mr Trump previously warned that "all options" were on the table and that North Korea would face "fire and fury" if it continued to threaten the US.

In a phone call on Monday, Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula, with the Chinese leader saying that both countries shared extensive common interests, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reports.

Washington has repeatedly urged Beijing to do more direct actions to rein in Pyongyang, while China - North Korea's main ally - says the US should refrain should refrain from issuing more threats.

Russia has also criticised what it describes as "aggressive rhetoric" from the US.

China and Russia only agreed to the new UN sanctions after they were softened by the US. Both countries have repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

North Korea crisis: What will Russia do?

What about US-South Korea military drills?

The US military carried out an aerial military drill on Monday with South Korea near the border between the Koreas, the defence ministry in Seoul said.

The drill was to "demonstrate the deterrence capability of the US-South Korea alliance against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats", it added.

Defense Minister Song Young-moo told a parliamentary hearing that the exercises were being conducted "two to three times a month these days", Reuters news agency reports.

Separately, China and Russia began a joint naval exercise east of the Korean peninsula but it is unclear if it is linked to current tensions in the region.

Response: Judging by the all the nuclear missiles that the country has been "Testing" i wouldn't doubt if the country goes to war with its neighboring countries as well as the United states. I feel by doing nuclear testing North Korea is asking for war.
Audience: This article is geared toward North Korean's as well as the surrounding countries. Such as South Korea, China, Russia, and the US, as well as the UN. The Audience should know and understand what North Korea is trying to do, and how thy are doing.
Bias: i didn't really catch an bias in this article, but facts.

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

Hurricane Irma

“Hurricane Irma: Florida to Re-Open Storm-Ravaged Keys.” BBC News, BBC, 12 Sept. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41237115.
Hurricane Irma: Florida to re-open storm-ravaged Key

The Florida Keys was one of the US areas hit hardest by Irma

Parts of the Florida Keys, the low-lying islands which bore the brunt of Hurricane Irma when the category-four storm struck on Sunday, are to re-open.
Entry is being restricted to residents and business owners as work continues to clear roads and check the state of bridges linking the islands. Some 60% of homes in the state are still without power.
Irma, which has since rapidly weakened, is being linked to 10 deaths in the United States.
Six people died in Florida, three in Georgia and one in South Carolina.
The storm also left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, where at least 37 people were killed.
Media captionThe BBC's correspondents chart Irma's path of destruction
French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived to see the storm damage for himself, while the UK's Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, is heading to the British Virgin.
Both France and Britain have been criticised for not doing enough to help their nationals in overseas territories affected by the hurricane.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander spent Monday night on the Dutch side of St Martin, an island shared between France and the Netherlands.
Damage mapped
Florida assesses cost of Hurricane Irma
"Even from the plane I saw something I have never seen before," the Dutch royal told the NOS public newscaster. "I have seen proper war as well as natural disasters before, but I've never seen anything like this". "Everywhere you look there's devastation, you see the collapse," he added.
'It's horrible'
Florida Governor Rick Scott used the same word - "devastation" - after flying over the Keys on Monday.
"I just hope everybody survived," he said. "It's horrible what we saw. Especially for the Keys, it's going to be a long road.
"We saw a lot of boats washed ashore and we saw any, basically, any trailer park there overturned."
Thousands of people are believed to have ignored calls to evacuate last week, and clung on in the dangerously exposed islands during the storm.
However, Governor Scott added: "I didn't see the damage I thought I would see." Storm surges had turned out to be "not as bad as we thought", he said.
Teams are still working to clear Highway 1, the road connecting most of the inhabited islands, and bridge inspections are continuing.
People with authorisation are being allowed into the towns of Key Largo, Tavernier and Islamorada from 07:00 (11:00 GMT), the authorities in Monroe Country said.
They were warned that services on the islands were limited: most areas were still without power and water, mobile phone signals were patchy and most petrol stations were still closed.
The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln has arrived off Florida and other navy ships are due in the area on Tuesday to help distribute food to the Keys and evacuate residents.
Media captionAerial footage shows the damage to homes in Orlando, Florida
Other parts of the state escaped the storm lightly compared to the Caribbean islands.
"The storm surge flooding in Miami is a mere fraction of what would have happened if the core of the storm had been further east," Rick Knabb, former director of the National Hurricane Center, said in a tweet.
Miami's Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, was relieved the damage was no worse.
"We were spared the brunt of this storm," he said. "We came out much better than other parts of the state and we have to thank God for that."
Returning to her home in Miami's Little Haiti neighbourhood, evacuee Melida Hernandez, 67, found her home split down the middle by a tree.
"I wanted to cry, but this is what it is, this is life," she told Reuters news agency.
President Donald Trump has released emergency federal aid for Florida, describing the hurricane as a "big monster".
The storm was downgraded as it moved north towards Atlanta, Georgia, with maximum sustained winds of 35mph (56km/h) recorded, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a statement.
Pope condemns climate sceptics
Which areas were hit before Florida?
Irma has been the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade, and caused widespread destruction on several Caribbean islands:
Cuba: At least 10 people were killed by the storm on the island, officials say. Three quarters of the population are without power
St Martin and St Barthelemy: Six out of 10 homes on St Martin, an island shared between France and the Netherlands, are now uninhabitable, French officials say. Nine people had died and seven were missing in the French territories, while four are known to have died in Dutch Sint-Maarten
Turks and Caicos Islands: Widespread damage, although extent unclear
Barbuda: The small island is said to be "barely habitable", with 95% of the buildings damaged. One death has been confirmed
Anguilla: Extensive damage with one person confirmed dead
Puerto Rico: More than 6,000 residents of the US territory are in shelters and many more without power. At least three people have died
British Virgin Islands: Widespread damage reported, and five dead
US Virgin Islands: Damage to infrastructure was said to be widespread, with four deaths confirmed
Another hurricane, Jose, has been weakening over the western Atlantic, with swells due to affect parts of Hispaniola (the island split into Haiti and the Dominican Republic), the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, later this week.

Response: My response to this article, and my reaction is heartbreaking, some say they really enjoy hurricanes, but the damage done is tremendous, and just devastating. Hurricane Irma has ripped through Florida and going up the East coast. It has destroyed many homes and left a lot of people stranded, as they move to safety further north.

Audience: is my peers reading this article.

Bias: this article doesn’t really have bias per say, it is more of an informational story about a major hurricane.

Tuesday, 5 September 2017

“Nearly 90,000 Rohingya Flee Myanmar Violence in 10 Days.” Edited by Al Jazeera, Myanmar News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 4 Sept. 2017, www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/90000-rohingya-flee-myanmar-violence-10-days-170904062405183.html.

Nearly 90,000 Rohingya flee Myanmar violence in 10 days...

UN says 87,000 members of persecuted Muslim community have crossed into Bangladesh since violence erupted on August 25

Rohingya are often said to be the world's most persecuted minority [MP Hossain/Reuters]

Nearly 90,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh in the last 10 days, uprooted by reported rapes, murders and acts of arson by the Myanmar army. Vivian Tan, regional spokesperson for UNHCR, told Al Jazeera on Monday that women, children and the elderly made up the bulk of the 87,000 who had crossed into Bangladesh since violence erupted on August 25.
"We're seeing many pregnant women, new-born babies and the elderly make their way to relief camps on the Bangladeshi side of the border," she said.
"Sadly we're also hearing from many of them that they haven't eaten in days."
Viewed by the UN and the US as one of the world's most persecuted minorities, thousands of Rohingya flee their homes every year in a desperate attempt to reach Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries.
The latest mass exodus comes after suspected Rohingya fighters attacked police posts and an army base in the western region of Rakhine.
The Myanmar government has blamed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for the violence, but fleeing Rohingya civilians accused the Myanmar army of carrying out a campaign of arson and killings - aimed at forcing them out of the country.
Tan told Al Jazeera that the latest figure of 87,000 Rohingya did not include refugeeswho had fled in previous decades or those who had set up temporary shelter in "no-man's land", an area between the Bangladesh and Myanmar border.
"Since the 1970s, only 34,000 Rohingya have been registered with the UN in Bangladesh," Tan said, with "estimates of unregistered refugees in the hundreds of thousands."
As a non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Bangladesh has refused to register the Rohingya as refugees since the early 1990s, nor allowed them to lodge asylum claims.
Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist and blogger based in Europe, said many of the refugees were struggling to accept they could ever return to their ancestral homeland.
Using a network of activists on the ground to document the conflict, San Lwin told Al Jazeera that some refugees walked seven or eight days from Buthidaung to make it to Bangladesh, while those from Maungdaw had to walk for five days.
Up to 30,000 Rohingya refugees live in Kutupalong and Nayapara, two government-run camps near Cox's Bazar, with tens of thousands more living in makeshift camps.
"All of them are very weak, dehydrated and hungry and the Bangladesh government is not helping their situation at all.
"Unless the Bangladesh government opens the border, they're receiving these refugees unofficially and it's unlikely they'll ever be able to return to their homeland officially.
Videos uploaded on social media showed dozens of men, women and children hiding in Myanmar's jungle after security forces reportedly destroyed their village. In a separate video, a Rohingya woman said she and her family had not eaten in days.
"We're also hearing reports of several villages facing shortages of food," Lwin said. "If things continue as they are people could start starving to death."
According to the latest estimate by UN aid workers in Bangladesh, nearly 150,000 Rohingya have sought refuge in the country since October.
Rakhine is home to most of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya, who live largely in abject poverty and face widespread discrimination by the Buddhist majority. The Muslim Rohingya are widely reviled as illegal migrants from Bangladesh, despite having lived in the area for generations.
They have been rendered stateless by the government and the UN believes the army's crackdown may amount to ethnic cleansing - a charge the government of Aung San Suu Kyi vehemently denies.

Response:
my first reaction of this article is sadness, and frustration, because of what has happened to this people group. Also how so many people have had to leave and flea there homes and the only place the have probably ever known, because of violence and possible up rooted war.

Audience: My audience is the people reading this.

Bias: The author uses bias by using social media, and saying things about security forces burning down the village homes, and also how some villagers were facing shortage of food. The UN aid is said to have helped the country and the country has seeked refuge in the UN.

Purpose: the purpose behind this article is to show what the "Outside" world is facing today, a lot of people don't understand how people in other, more poorer countries, don't have a lot and some people don't really care about the "outside world".

Saturday, 2 September 2017

Greetings, My name is Delaney Berry, I go to Rift Valley Academy, in Kijabe Kenya. I am 16 years old, I like to play sports, listen to music, and hang out with friends. I have an older brother that is in college, and my parents work in Madagascar. Life here at RVA is busy, and full of good days and hard days, but that is life.