Greek police remove people from border with Macedonia

Greek police have started removing people from the country's border with Macedonia after a snap decision to tighten border controls by the Balkan state left thousands stranded. 

Authorities said the mostly Afghan migrants and refugees were being put on buses bound for 

Athens, in the south of the country, where they will be temporarily housed in relocation camps. 

Police and empty buses had entered the Idomeni area before dawn. In one area seen from the 

Macedonian side Of the border, about 600 people had been surrounded by Greek police, a witness 

told Reuters. 

About 4,000 people were stranded on the frontier on Tuesday as the crossing of Syrians and Iraqis 

— who are allowed to pass — slowed considerably, Greek police said. 

On Monday Greece made frantic appeals to Macedonia to open its frontier. By midday up to 

10,000 men, women and children had been trapped in Greecew, with most marooned in the north. 

Another 4,000 people, newly arrived from islands off Turkey's Aegean coast, were stuck in 

Athens's port Of Piraeus. 

On Tuesday morning a further I ,250 people arrived in Athens from three Greek islands. Some of 

them had bus tickets to Idomeni, but it was unclear if they would be permitted to travel north from 

Athens. 

Macedonian police officers stand in front of a gate over as migrants wait behind at the Greek- 

Macedonian border. Photograph: Marko DjuricafReuters 

The backlog came after Macedonia refused entry to Afghan refugees 131 claiming it was reacting to 

a similar move by Serbia. 

Amid rising tension and fears of the collapse of the passport-free Schengen zone, Greece 

lambasted the policies being pursued by countries to its north. 

Speaking on state-run ERT television, the Greek migration minister, Yiannis Mouzalas, said: 

"Once again the European Union voted for something, it reached an agreement, but a number of 

countries lacking the culture of the European Union, including Austria, unfortunately violated this 

deal barely 10 hours after it had been reached." 

Neighbouring countries along the Balkan corridor had in turn become enmeshed in "an outburst of 

scaremongering' . 

A boy holds his baby brother at the port ofPiraeus on Tuesday. 

Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images 

"The Visegråd countries have not only not accepted even one refugee; they have not sent even a 

blanket for a refugee," he added, referring to the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. 

"Or a policeman to reinforce LEU border agencyl Frontex." 

Skopje said on Monday it had tightened restrictions after Austria imposed a cap on transit and 

asylum applications, triggering a domino effect down the migrant trail. 

As ofT1cials scrambled to find accommodation for the newcomers, Athens's leftist-led government 

was engaged in desperate diplomatic efforts to ease the border controls. 

Greece's foreign ministry said a formal protest had been filed with Austria over its decision to call 

a meeting of Balkan states on the migrant crisis without including Greece. The move was a 

"unilateral and non-friendly act" towards Greece on a matter in which Athens had a direct interest, 

the ministry said. 

Vienna has invited Balkan states to a meeting on the migration crisis on Wednesday, following the 

country's move to limit asylum applicants last week. 

Response:

Identifies problem/question: This article talks more about the Syrian refugee crisis and how that has affected Greece and the other European countries. They are mainly looking at the issue of how the Syrian Refugee Crisis has created tensions between the different countries, especially between the countries that are accepting refugees and helping them out and the ones that aren't. There is a sense of resentment toward countries like the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia and the author even says that these countries have not taken in a single refugee or sent any supplies to help the countries that are involved in helping out with the Syrian refugees.

Identifies student's own perspective: I think that the countries that are helping out with the Syrian Refugee crisis are doing the right thing, but I do understand the other countries who may not have enough food, space, or money to accept a bunch of refugees and care for them adequately, however, I do believe that each country can and should do their part to help out by sending money or supplies even if they can't actually set up refugee camps. I also realize that Greece is doing much more for these refugees than many people may think. The country of Greece is setting up what will be the world's largest refugee camp and accepting the Syrians into their country as a safe haven.

Identifies other positions: As I mentioned before, I do understand that some of these countries that aren't accepting refugees have legitimate reasons for not helping out. It appears that many of the countries that are not accepting refugees are some of the poorer or less well-off countries and I can see how that would be a completely reasonable excuse for not helping out in this area. This view is different from my own, but I believe that the people in charge of these countries know what intake and aid they can and can't provide so I think that there is a reason for their denial of refugees into their countries.

Identifies assumptions: The author seems to assume that we have the same opinion about the Syrian refugee crisis and the countries that are not working on and helping this process. The assumed opinion seems to be spiteful and attacking of the other countries.

Identifies Evidence: The author seems to use the evidence of other countries having "bad motives" and excluding Greece from conferences about the Syrian refugee crisis as a fact rather than just his opinion of how bad things actually are. The author also emphasizes and may even over emphasize his opinion by using the extreme numbers to show how horrible the situation is.

Identifies Context: The context of this article is most likely written from the perspective of a person that is actually in Greece (or another European country) and is surrounded by the opinions and bias and even firsthand experience around them. I think this article is meant for pretty much any audience but specifically addresses European countries and their response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Conclusions: I think that this article did give a pretty objective opinion and data about the Syrian refugee crisis in relation to the different European countries' responses. I think this article was informative about more than just the numbers and troubles of the Syrian refugee crisis like so many articles do these days. Overall, I think the author gave a very clear article to help us understand this issue in more depth.

Citation:  Smith, Helena. "Greek Police Remove People from Border with Macedonia."

The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/23/greece-implores-macedonia-to-reopen-border-to-refugees>.

More rescued two days after Taiwan quake; Toll could exceed 100

Rescue personnel work at the site where a 17 -storey apartment building collapsed after 

an earthquake hit Tainan, southern Taiwan February 7, 2016. 

Reutersfl'yrone Siu 

TAINAN, Taiwan Rescuers pulled out alive an eight-year-old girl and her aunt from the 

rubble of a Taiwan apartment block on Monday, more than 60 hours after it was toppled 

by a quake, as the mayor Of the southern city Of Tainan warned the death toll could 

exceed 100. 

The official death toll from the quake rose to 38, with more than 100 people missing. 

The girl, named as Lin Su-Chin, was conscious and had been taken to hospital, Taiwan 

television stations said. Her aunt, Chen Mei-jih, was rescued shortly after. 

The quake struck at about 4 a.m. on Saturday (2000 GMT Friday) at the beginning of the 

Lunar New Year holiday, with almost all the dead found in Tainan's toppled Wei-guan 

Golden Dragon Building. 

Rescue efforts are focused on the wreckage Of the 17-storey building, where more than 

100 people are listed as missing and are suspected to be buried deep under the rubble. 

Earlier, Wang Ting-yu, a legislator who represents the area, told reporters that a woman, 

identified as Tsao Wei-ling, was found alive, lying under her dead husband. Their two- 

year-old son, who was also killed, was found nearby. 

Another survivor, a man named Li Tsung-tian, was pulled out later, with Taiwan 

television stations showing live images of the rescues. Several hours later, Li's          girlfriend was found dead in the rubble. 



Tsao and Li were both being treated in hospital. 

Tainan Mayor William Lai said during a visit to a funeral home that rescue efforts had 

entered what he called the "third stage". 

"There are more fatalities than those pulled out (alive), and the number of fatalities will 

probably exceed 100," Lai told reporters. 

Rescuers continued to scramble over the twisted wreckage of the building as numbed 

family members stood around, waiting for news Of missing relatives. 

Taiwan's government said in a statement 36 Of the 38 dead were from the Wei-guan 

building, which was built in 1994. 

President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, who won election last month, said there needed to be a 

"general sorting out" of old buildings to make sure they were able to cope with disasters 

like earthquakes. 

"There needs to be a continued strengthening Of their ability to deal with disasters," she 

said. 

Outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou, speaking to reporters at a Tainan hospital, said the 

government needed to be a better job in ensuring building quality 

"In the near future, regarding building management, we will have some further 

improvements. We will definitely do this work well," Ma said. 

Reuters witnesses at the scene of the collapse saw large rectangular, commercial cans of 

cooking-oil packed inside wall cavities exposed by the damage, apparently having been 

used as building material. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping also conveyed condolences to the victims, state news 

agency Xinhua reported late on Sunday, and repeated Beijing's offer to provide help. 

China views self-ruled Taiwan as a wayward province, to be bought under its control by 

force if necessary.

Citation: Wu, J.R. "More Rescued Two Days after Taiwan Quake; Toll Could Exceed 100." Rueters. Thomson   Rueters, 8 Feb. 2016. Web. 8 Feb. 2016. <http://www.reuters.com/article/quake-taiwan-woman-idUSKCN0VH04Z>.

Response: This article talks about the recent earthquake in Taiwan and how devastating it was.

The death toll continues to rise and they are anticipating the final toll to be
more than 100, mostly from one building. The building seems to have been built in
a careless and unsafe manor which caused so much devastation. The article does
not seem to have much of a bias and the author seems to present the facts and
numbers well. I think that having this earthquake in Taiwan will cause the
government to make a change to their buildings and make sure they are much more
prepared if something as catastrophic as this ever happens again. 

WHO to decide whether Zika should be declared global emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) is meeting in Geneva to discuss whether the Zika 

virus outbreak should be declared a global health emergency. 

Monday's meeting comes after warnings by the UN health agency that the mosquito- 

borne virus, which is linked to birth defects that have affected thousands across Latin 

America, was "spreading explosivelylll." WHO is expecting up to four million cases in the 

region this year. 

Senior WHO officials, joined by representatives Of affected countries and experts from 

around the globe, will meet behind closed doors to determine if Zika should be 

considered a "public health emergency of international concern." 

Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesman, said that the meeting "will look really into what we 

know and will also see what level Of health emergency this represents. " 

A decision is not to be made public until Tuesday at the earliest 

WHO is under pressure to act quickly in the fight against Zika,after admitting it was slow 

to respond to the recent Ebola outbreak that ravaged parts Of West Africa and killed more 

than 11,000 people. 

Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted infection related to dengue, yellow fever and West 

Nile virus. Symptoms are mild and include fever, rashes and joint pain. 

The disease is "strongly suspected to be linked to microcephaly, a birth defect 

characterized by incomplete brain development and an unusually small head. 

Brazil is the hardest-hit country and sounded the alarm in October, when a rash of 

microcephaly cases emerged in the northeast. Since then, there have been 270 confirmed 

cases of microcephaly and 3,448 suspected cases. 

Worries over Zika have spread beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, 

where dozens of cases have been identified among people returning from vacation or 

business abroad. 

There is no vaccine or specific medicine currently available and treatment is normally 

focused on relieving the symptoms. Research is being done to develop a rapid test which 

could look for antibodies after a patient has recovered from the virus, making it possible 

to test for immunity. 

Only one in five people infected becomes ill, while treatment in hospital is uncommon 

and deaths are rare. 

Citation: "WHO to Decide Whether Zika Should Be Declared Global Emergency."WHO to Decide Whether to Call Zika Emergency. Al Jazeera America, 01 Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. <http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/2/1/who-to-decide-whether-zika-should-be-declared-global-emergency.html>.

Response: This article talked about the recent outbreak of Zika in Latin America that has

caused so much panic. The World Health Organization is currently working on
deciding whether this should be considered a global emergency or not. The
reason for the panic and meetings with WHO is because it has started affecting
other countries and is expected to have many cases this year in Latin America
alone. This article does not seem to have any bias but clearly states the
severity of the problem. I think the author did a good job of presenting the
information clearly and I am very interested to find out what the World Health
Organization decides about the Zika virus.