Clashes as French authorities pull down homes in Calais 'Jungle' Camp

Clashes as French authorities pull down homes in Calais 'Jungle' Camp

Police fire teargas at migrants who threw stones, and shelters set on fire, after authorities dismantle dozens of makeshift shacks in refugee camp.


Clashes have broken out in Calais121 between migrants and riot police after authorities began to dismantle parts of the

sprawling refugee camp known as the Jungle.

A British refugee aid group said it believed the homes of up to 200 people Of the approximately 3,500 living in the

camp had been demolished so far, and that a number of other makeshift shelters were burning.

Some homes appeared to have been set alight by the heat of teargas canisters fired at crowds by riot police, said a

spokeswoman for the British volunteer group Help Refugees, while some residents seem to have set others on fire in

protest.

"Police are still periodically firing teargas to keep back the crowds," she said. "We can see six homes on fire now."

Video footage(41 from a volunteer inside the camp showed residents running away from clouds of teargas. Reuters said

police fired teargas at about 150 migrants and activists who threw stones, and at least three shelters were on fire.

The work began calmly in the early morning, with orange-vested work crews painstakingly dismantling several dozen

makeshift wood-and-tarpaulin shacks by hand before two diggers loaded the debris into large trucks. Police in riot

gear shielded the work, and initially there were no reports of unrest beyond a report of one British activist being

arrested.

Volunteer groups said the work began with officials telling residents they had an hour to leave before their home was

demolished.

The prefecture of Calais, which late last week won a court battle allowing demolition to begin, wants to clear large

parts of the southern part of the site, on dune land just west of the town's busy docks. It adjoins the road leading to

the ferry terminal, a draw for migrants seeking to smuggle themselves on to trucks bound for the UK.

Volunteer groups have warned that moving people from the camp will do little but disperse many elsewhere around

Calais. A UK-based group, the Refugee Rights Data Project, said that of 460 Jungle residents asked what they would do

if the camp was dismantled, said they would remain in Calais or move to a more basic refugee encampment in

nearby Dunkirk.

The study suggested authorities' plans to evict people "is unlikely to provide a viable solution to the current

humanitarian crisis on our doorstep", said Marta Welander, founder of the Refugee Rights Data Project.

Of those who lost their homes on Monday, some had moved into space elsewhere in the camp, Help Refugees said,

while others had been seen carrying sleeping bags into Calais.

"We don't really know yet what people will do, but it seems likely some will just be dispersed to other areas around

Calais," a spokeswoman said.

Clare Moseley, of Care4Calais (51, another British volunteer group, said prefecture officials arrived at the camp at 7am

and gave residents an hour's notice to leave or face arrest. "The police presence is massive," she said. "They have the

whole area cordoned off." French media reported that about 40 vans of riot police were in position near the site.

Workmen start to dismantle a section of the camp. Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Help Refugees said some of its volunteers had been blocked on Monday morning from entering the camp, home to

refugees and migrants from countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan and Egypt.

A spokeswoman said the demolition began in a section of the camp with a mostly Iranian population: "People were

being told they had to leave," she said, "otherwise they would be arrested. A lot of people seemed quite confused."

A spokesman for the Calais prefecture denied there was a vast new clearing operation underway. He said French

officials from asylum agencies and Other state agencies would continue to go from tent to tent to talk to talk to

migrants about their options, as they had done last week.

He said: "There is a reinforced police presence today to allow those officials to enter and talk to people. But this is a

gradual process which will take place over several days and weeks. There will be no bulldozers."

Fabienne Buccio, the head of the Calais prefecture, said three-quarters of the homes in the southern part of the camp

were now empty after officials encouraged residents to leave over recent days.

Police were needed, she said, in case what she described as "extremists" tried to stop migrants accepting offers of new

accommodation or buses to centres elsewhere in France

French authorities said earlier this month they intended to bulldoze half of the main camp, warning between 800 and

1 ,000 migrants and refugees to leave a seven-hectare southern section of the site. Buccio previously told Le Monde she

intended to reduce the size of the camp by about half.

An anti-riot policeman throws a tear gas grenade during the dismantling Of the camp Photograph: Philippe


Care4Calais is among the groups that have opposed the dismantlement plans in the French courts. A legal appeal

against last Thursday's ruling had been lodged last week, Moseley said, and was expected to be heard soon.

A Help Refugees spokeswoman said Monday's work did appear to be the start of wider clearance. "That's what it's

looking like. They did say it's going to be slow and respectful, giving people options, and I suppose they have in a way.

But at the same time they're not giving people access to information. One person was seen being given their options as

their shelter was being dismantled, so the respect they talked about last week isn't really happening."

While some residents have moved into shipping container shelters and a small number have left on state-provided

coaches to centres elsewhere in France, many more than the official estimate of 800 to 1,000 people remained inside

the main camp. A census carried out by two charities recorded 3,455 people living there, with one group telling the

Guardian this week that this included 445 children, of whom 305 were unaccompanied. 

Response: The migrant situation is a huge humanitarian issue; however, the French authorities seem to believe that dismantling the camps where these migrants are working is going to solve the problem. This article is clearly biased towards the migrants and against French authorities. The authors used statistics and numbers to help pull at our heart strings and shock us at the number of migrants who are now being thrown out of their makeshift homes. The authors are telling of how many people have been recorded living in these camps and they make sure to mention that out of the 445 children counted, 305 of those children are unaccompanied. Inserting statements such as these influence how the reader assess the situation. Besides the clear bias the information they use is valid and reinforces their point throughout the whole article. Because the author's bias there is most likely some information left out of this article that could clear up the French authorities true intentions. Personally, I think that expelling migrants from the only "home" they know is far from any kind of solution. There are now hundreds of migrants heading into Calais to live on the streets and others heading to other nearby camps. Dispersing this camp just leads to the other camps growing larger, it has no real effect. 

Citation:  Chrisafis, Angelique; Peter Walker. “Clashes as French authorities pull down homes in Calais ‘Jungle’ Camp.” 29 Feb. 2016. Guardian News and Media Limited. 1 March 2016. < http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/29/french-authorities-begin-clearance-of-part-of-calais-jungle-camp>

Syrian government agrees to 'cessation of hostilities' plan

Syrian government agrees to 'cessation of hostilities' plan

A preliminary hurdle to the start of a US and Russian-brokered ceasefire in Syria has been cleared after the Assad

government said it would accept a "cessation of hostilities" on the condition that attacks on Islamic Statelll, al-Nusra

and Other UN -identified terrorist groups can continue.

The regime Of Bashar al Assad said it would work with Russia(21 to define which groups and areas would be included in

the cessation of hostilities plan, which is due to begin on Saturday.


The Syrian government said opposition groups could not be allowed to use the ceasefire to strengthen their military

positions and this would be regarded as a breach of the agreement.

Russia and America's joint statement on a ceasefire on Monday131 would not have been issued unless the two countries

had relatively clear indications that its terms would be accepted by the key players, including the Syrian government,

the opposition forces sponsored by Saudi Arabia, and Syrian Kurds.

Assad's recent military advances around Aleppo — Syria's second city - are largely due to the ferocity of Russian air

force strikes against opposition positions.

There is scepticism that the ceasefire will hold due to the difficulties in marking out what territory is covered, and the

way in which some opposition groups are interwoven with al Nusra.

The Syrian government stressed the importance Of sealing the borders, halting foreign support to armed groups, and preventing these organisations from strengthening their capabilities or changing their positions", in order to avoid wrecking the agreement.

Assad believes Turkey has acted as a supply line for foreign fighters supporting both the "moderate" opposition and Isis.

Turkey has welcomed the ceasefire plan, but is under pressure from the UN to allow in tens Of thousands more

refugees massed on the Syrian border. They are fleeing from the fighting in the Aleppo area.

The Syrian high negotiating committee - the main umbrella organisation for Syrian opposition groups backed by the

west and Saudi Arabia — said late on Monday that it accepted the terms of the ceasefire. However, it added that the

plan was dependent on ending all sieges, allowing in humanitarian aid, releasing all detainees and ending

bombardments by ground or air.

Response: The underlying question in this article is can Syria really uphold a ceasefire agreement. However, in the article it states: “Russia and America’s joint statement on a ceasefire on Monday would not have been issued unless the two countries had relatively clear indications that its terms would be accepted by the key players, including the Syrian government, the opposition forces sponsored by Saudi Arabia, and Syrian Kurds.” This is a hopeful statement; however, it is far from concrete. The author is not outrageously confident America and Russia are able to predict the actions of the key players in this conflict. This can be seen in his statement that America and Russia wouldn’t have released a statement unless they were “relatively” sure. So just in this statement alone we can see that the world is hopefully anticipation a possible ceasefire in Syria but we can see that it is hope we are riding on, not concrete facts or evidence showing that Syria can uphold a ceasefire agreement. Not only this but the author of this article also writes, “There is skepticism that the ceasefire will hold due to the difficulties in marking out what territory is covered, and the way in which some opposition groups are interwoven with al-Nusra.” This clearly shows the author’s own feelings towards Syria’s ability to maintain peace as well as voices the feelings of many other people around the world. I personally am very hesitant that Syria will be able to maintain a ceasefire, not only because the government itself is incredibly unstable, but because fighting against UN declared terrorist groups will continue. As stated in the quote above, there are “key players” that are affiliated with terrorist groups and large members of terrorist groups thus automatically linking themselves with those groups because of their well-known affiliation making it difficult to predict their actions when it comes to any violence towards these particular groups. While many share my view there are also many who disagree with me. There are some who do think that this ceasefire is a probable solution to end the violence in Syria, American and Russian government officials would be included that spectrum. In another article talking about the same situation the author, Luke Coffey, states that it is insanely improbable that the violence in Syria will end or even drastically diminish as expected. He also points out the fact that there are certain terrorist groups that are not yet recognized as terrorist groups by the UN, thus creating loopholes for both Russia and Turkey to continue fighting.

Within this article the author assume you know certain amounts of information about the conflict that he doesn’t expound on such as the previous relations between Turkey, Russian, Syria, and the US. Not only does the author assume certain things, he also writes with a particular context and bias. The author, Patrick Wintour, is the diplomatic editor for the guardian and all his recent works focus on the Syrian refugee crisis in some way. This author will write to please the general audience that the Guardian News receives and since he has a relatively respectable position in his work place he will most likely share the same positions as his audience.  The Guardian Newspaper is also reputed to be liberal and left-wing in its political stance, automatically affecting the authors writing on all political situations including this article.

Overall this article addressed the reality of Syria committing to and carrying out a ceasefire agreement. The author used sufficient evidence to prove his point; however; left out some information that was used to support evidence in other similar articles. This brings me to the conclusion that while the author made valid statements and used sufficient evidence to back up those statements, his information was clearly biased to put the US and Syria in a hopeful and positive light when in reality, the hopefulness of the situation is less than praise worthy. So the answer to the underlying question of whether or not Syria will uphold its ceasefire agreement is no, it is highly improbably that any significant amount of violence within Syria will end as a result of this ceasefire agreement.  

 
Citation to main article:

Wintour, Patrick. “Syrian government agrees to ‘cessation of hostilities’ plan.” 23 Feb. 2016. Guardian News and Media Limited. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/23/syrian-government-assad-agrees-to-cessation-of-hostilities>

Citation to supporting article: 

Coffey, Luke.  “A ceasefire in Syria is pure fantasy.” 23 Feb. 2016. Al Jazeera Media Network. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/02/ceasefire-syria-pure-fantasy-russia-isis-160223051548072.html>

'Suicide bomber' on Somalia plane was meant to board Turkish flight

'Suicide bomber' on Somalia plane was meant to board Turkish flight

A suspected suicide bomber who blew a hole in the füselage Of a Daallo Airlines plane last week and forced it to make an

emergency landing in Mogadishu was meant to be on a Turkish Airlines flight, Daallo's chief executive said on Monday.

The bomber was sucked out of the plane through the one-yard-wide hole when the blast ripped open the pressurised cabin in flight,

officials said. The pilot landed the plane in the Somali capital, from where it had taken off.

No group has so far taken responsibility for the attack but US officials suspect Islamist militant group al Shabaab, which has links

to al-Qaida, was responsible for the blast.

Daallo Airlines chief executive, Mohamed Yassin, said most of the passengers who were on the bombed flight were scheduled to

fly with Turkish Airlines, but were flown to Djibouti by one of his planes after the Turkish carrier cancelled its flight, citing bad

weather.

"That particular passenger boarded the aircraft on a Turkish Airlines boarding pass and was on the list for the Turkish Airlines

manifest," Yassin told Reuters by telephone from Dubai.

Yassin said Daallo picked up the 70 stranded Turkish Airlines passengers to fly them to Djibouti, including the suicide bomber. In

total, the flight had 74 passengers.

Footage filmed by a passenger shows the hole in the Somali passenger plane's fuselage after an onboard explosion.

Turkish Airlines spokesman Yahya Ustun confirmed the carrier had cancelled a flight to Mogadishu last week due to bad weather and said the company will not make any further comment.

Somalia, mired in conflict since civil war broke out in 1991, has few air links outside east Africa. In 2012, Turkish Airlines became the first major international commercial airline to fly out of Somalia in more than two decades.

Mogadishu’s heavily guarded airport has several safety perimeter fences and checkpoints. It houses a large UN compound along with several other Western embassies.

Somali officials said an investigation had been launched and arrests made, including airport workers.

US officials said investigators believe the bomb was hidden in a laptop computer, and that the bomber had some type of connection to airline or airport personnel.

CCTV footage appears to show two airport workers inside the terminal handing the suicide bomber a laptop, according to the government spokesman.

“Some of the people that we have arrested are cooperating,” spokesman Abdisalam Aato told Reuters. He said security at the airport has been stepped up and that the government was seeking new technologies to improve screenings.

Al Shabaab, which wants to topple the government and impose a harsh version of Islamic law, has targeted the airport in the past. It has also attacked the Turkish embassy in Mogadishu.

Yassin said Daallo has been reassured by Somali officials that security was being improved, and will keep flying to Somalia. “We have been there for 25 years,” he said. “Our efforts to keep Somalia linked to the rest of the world will continue.”

Response:  This article is about a man who brought an alleged laptop device that contained explosives onto the plane. This alleged suicide bomber could have killed 74 passengers and done major damage to the plane. This article is obviously biased against Somalia. I thought it was extremely interesting that the airline is going to continue to fly to Somalia to maintain "ties" with them, despite the increasing terrorist threat. It seems almost naive to put all the passengers at risk in order to maintain a tradition. The Turkish airline seems to want to avoid offending Somalia by taking any extreme actions which is understandable, as those actions could potentially increase tensions and violence between Somalia and Turkey. As I said before this article is biased towards Turkey, defending their action and commending their approach to the situation. It also seems to undermine the potential seriousness of this particular event, making the whole situation seem to be totally under control and minor.

citation: " 'Suicide bomber' on Somalia plane was meant to board Turkish flight" 9 Feb. 2016. Guardian News and Media Limited. 9 Feb. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/09/suicide-bomber-on-somalia-plane-was-meant-to-board-turkish-flight>

Poverty, ethnic tensions and China top agenda for Myanmar's new politicians

Poverty, ethnic tensions and China top agenda

for Myanmar's new politicians

The first session of Myanmar's newly-elected parliament featured representatives of the

Old military regime in green and the National League for Democracy in orange.

Photograph: U Aung/Xinhua Press/Corbis

Expectations were running sky high as Myanmar's first democratically-elected

parliament in more than 50 years, dominated by the former opposition National League

for Democracy (NLD), convened for the first time on Mondaylll tasked with choosing the

country's next president.

After decades Of stultifying military rule, all the talk was Of a new era and a fresh start.

"They (the peoplel hope that every problem will be solved automatically after the NLD

becomes the government," said Shwe Mann, the outgoing speaker of parliament

But the challenges ahead - political, practical, structural and strategic — are daunting.

Myanmar 2 remains riven by ethnic conflict involving, among others, the Shan, Karen,

Kachin and Lisu peoples. Taken all together, minorities comprise about 40% of the 52-

million population and most feel disadvantaged to some degree.

The outgoing president, Thein Sein, signed a national ceasefire agreement last October

with eight leading armed groups. But fighting continues in many states, where local

people seek greater autonomy and expanded rights over resources. Significant problems

also persist concerning political prisoners131 and minority activists held without trial.

Ending abuse of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, and the broader issue of how to curb

Buddhist chauvinism, are Other urgent issues. Most Rohingya were barred from voting

and, for the first time since independence, they have no MP in parliament, the Burma

Campaign UK pressure group said(41.

Ruling National League for Democracy chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi arriving at the first

session of the new parliament. Photograph: The Asahi Shirnbun via Getty Imag

The NLD, led by national icon and Nobel peace prizewinner Aung San Suu Kyi, is not best

placed to address this problem. It admitted before the election15 that Muslim candidates

were struck off its lists after pressure from nationalists.

Even with the national parliament in place, the unusually long transition to civilian rule

is far from complete. An NLD-led government has yet to be installed. Most of the new

MPs, from whom the new administration must be drawn, lack political experience. State

and regional assemblies have yet to start work.

The new president will not take over until April. Whoever that is, it will not be Aung San

Suu Kyi161. Her future role remains shrouded in uncertainty. Despite an 80% popular

mandate measured in parliamentary votes, she is barred from the highest office due to an

arbitrary constitutional prohibition engineered by the former junta.

Aung San Suu Kyi has said she will nevertheless be in charge 71 acting "above the

president", but it is unclear how this will work. She has so far given no indication who

will take over from Thein Sein, while the NLD has no clear number two.

Constitutional gerrymandering by the Tatmadaw — the military — means it also retains de

facto control of key security ministries, including borders and defence. In a national

crisis, as defined by the generals, the military has a legal right to take control of the

government, including management of the economy.

The longer these uncertainties continue, the more drawn-out the transition, and the

more handicapped the NID government is in implementing new policies, the greater will

be the impatience of voters for Aung San Suu Kyi to fulfil her mandate to bring real

change.

A man working at a brick factory on the outskirts Of Naypyidaw in Myanmar. Photograph:

Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images

As if this were not all difficult enough, Myanmar faces acute problems Of poverty and

child malnourishment, ramshackle education and healthcare systems, and a chronic lack

of modern infrastructure. The legacy of social division and inter-communal distrust is

formidable181 and will take years to overcome.

The NLD must also struggle with complicated strategic challenges. For years, China was

the Tatmadaw's closest friend and ally. In return for turning a blind eye to political

illegitimacy and human rights abuses, Beijing gained access to cheap natural resources

and lucrative contracts, such as the now halted Myitsone dam project19

The US and EU, in contrast, championed the pro-democracy cause, maintaining

sanctions on the junta. Even so, her overriding need to keep the army onside may lead

Aung San Suu Kyi towards an accommodation with Chinat101

, even if it means alienating

the west.

While Aung San Suu Kyi has adopted positions that are generally receptive to China's

interests, to the dismay of some supporters, the Chinese government has stirred up low-

level trouble in some border areas in order to gain leverage and make the army appear

indispensable, according to analyst Min Zin.

"Several political and military officials in Myanmar and intelligence officers in Yunnan

Isaidl they expect Beijing and the NLD to strike some kind of arrangement after the NLD

forms a new government in a few months," Min Zin wrote(lll

"China would press ethnic rebel groups to cooperate with the NLD on a national ceasefire

accord, handing Aung San Suu Kyi a victory that has eluded the current government. In

exchange, the NID would yield to important Chinese interests in Myanmar, such as

major infrastructure and investment projects."

Myanmar's so far limited democratic renaissance already has the full support of the west.

But in order to maintain the fragile internal political balance, both Aung San Suu Kyi and

the Tatmadaw require the support Of China, the regional superpower.

If either Of Myanmar's two major power groupings — the NID or the military — feels it is

losing ground to the other, it is to Beijing, not Washington or Brussels, that they will

turn. Given China's disdain for democracy and open societies, this level of influence is

not an encouraging prospect for Myanmar.

Response: Myanmar's response to their task ahead shows great wisdom and promise. While they are taking huge steps towards democracy they recognize that the transition will be difficult to say the very least. However, because of this huge change their government will go through years of transition and has the potential to be incredible unstable for a long period of time. Despite the hardships ahead there is much promise for Myanmar. This article is definitely biased towards Myanmar in that the author points out everything good that Myanmar is doing but fails to report any unwise or rash actions taken by the government. 

Citation: Tisdall, Simon. "Poverty, ethnic tensions and China top agenda for Myanmar's new politicians." 1 Feb. 2016. Guardian News and Media Limitied. 1 Jan. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/01/poverty-ethnic-tensions-china-myanmar-new-politics>