Month: May 2016

Hundreds rescued from drug rehab center in western Mexico.

Summary

Hundreds of people were rescued from the drug rehabilitation shelter by the police in Western Mexico. According to the attorney, people were forced to live in an overcrowding and fed in a subhuman and inappropriate way, moreover women and children who showed signs of abuse were found. The police detained eleven people under the guilty of  maltreatments and abuses. Authorities said they were trying to make rehabilitations to treat patient with dignity.

 

 

Opinion

In Mexico, it is legal to possess a small amount of drug as an individual in the first place, and the Mexican government legislated this law under an intention that it’s better to spend the limited budget on measures of drug cartels. But one of reasons of an expansion of them is poverty, and the situation of it is worsening because the government doesn’t take enough actions to this situation. It is necessary to go ahead with an improvement of drug rehabilitation shelters of course, but I believe the government should take actions to improve the poverty fundamentally.

Violent protest erupt during Chile president’s speech

Sammary

Violent protest have broken out in Chile during the state of the nation address by President Michelle Bachelet.
A security guard died from fume inhalation when masked protesters burned a pharmacy and a super market
Chileans are angry because of an economic downturn and a corruption scandal involving Ms.Bachelet’s family.
Ms.Bachelet,who was elected in 2013 promising to reduce inequality,said the country was on a path reform “from which there is no turning back”
However,she also said other reforms would be delayed because of the economic slowdown in the country.
Correspondence say there are often protest on the day of the presidential address.

My opinion

When I read read this article, I can’t image the situation that people are killed because people would not be killed by a protest in Japan .
In Japan,people don’t protest during adress by the Prime Minister or a politician. And people don’t protest violency.

Ecuador’s death toll reaches 646 people

Summary

The death toll from Ecuador’s devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week has risen to 646 people.Tremors are expected to continue for several weeks. With close to 7000 buildings destroyed, more than 26,000 people were living in shelters. President Rafael Correa’s leftist government, facing mammoth rebuilding at a time of greatly reduced oil revenues for the OPEC country, has said it would temporarily increase some taxes, offer assets for sale and possibly issue bonds abroad to fund reconstruction.

Opinion

In my opinion, I think , as Mr. Correa’s said, it is necessary to temporarily increase some taxes to rebuild destroyed buildings because it is difficult to live without house. Comparing to Kumamoto’s earth quake in Japan, Ecuador’s  death toll is 11 times as large as Kumamoto’s. I was surprized at this difference. Maybe, there is a difference of constructing technique and getting rid of this difference is important. If it’s possibe, I want Japan to pass on knowledge about construction.  And Before reading this text, I dont know that Ecuador is a member of the OPEC country.  So I think what  can I do first for this disaster  is to know more about the Ecuador.

 

30 killed in Peru election day accidents

Summary

At least 30 people were killed April 11 Sunday in traffic accidents across Peru, which was holding local elections nationwide. There are the three scenes of the accidents mainly. Firstly, it is the city of Bolognesi. 18 people were killed and 11 people were injured. Secondly, the scene of accident is central Huanuco. Five people were killed. Finally, seven policeman were killed in the northern city of Trujillo. There are two factor happening these accident. One is that voting is mandatory in Peru. Another is lax traffic enforcement. 

My opinion 

When I saw this article firstly, I didn’t image this situation. Firstly, I was surprised that voting is mandatory. In Japan, voting is not mandatory but right. So, Japan has the problem that people don’t vote. I think Japan should try to make vote mandatory for low voting rate. By the way, a classmate said that these accident were plots of candidate. However, I don’t think so. It is reason why 30 people death don’t influence election mostly. So, I think these accidents are caused by Peruvian society. Especially, lax traffic enforcement is the serious problem. This problem increase road accident when no election, too. Peru should improve traffic condition and this is the best way decreasing road accident.

Brazil corruption: $125m of dirty money ‘repatriated’ in 2015

Summary

This is an article about corruption occurring in Brazil.
According to the Ministery of Justice in brazil, last year in 2015, $125m of money was siphoned off to foreign bank accounts by corruption. This was mainly caused by officials, politicians and businessmans. The authorities said the part of the money has been used to pay bribes and electoral campaigns.

Much of the money had been diverted by the state oil company named Petrobras. It is belived that scheme had cost petrobras $2bn.

Those people who was related to corruption have been arrested or are under investigation on suspicion overcharging contracts. As part of those inquiry is known as Operation car wash.
From the amount repatriated money in 2015, $95m was linked to the car was investigation.

 

Opinion

This article is not a problem only happening in Brazil. It is also a problem exists just now in Japan. Problems related with money is very complicated. Are there measures to solve these problems? I think executives such as officials and politicians must be more aware of their positions. They are elected by the citizens in the nation with strong trusts. So some acts such as corruptions, will destroy their trusts. Not to do such things, for example, executives should render their account of payments and incomings in detail air in public. They should demonstrate that they are clean handed in money. If every executives  do this, these problems will happen lesser than now.

Venezuela crisis Maduro’s state of emergency ‘constitutional’

Summary

Venezuela is at an economic crisis and the current situation, for example the shortage of electric power, is bad.

The president of the country, Mr Maduro decleared a state of emergency for 60 days.He said the reason was that the business elite of boycotting and the U.S. are conspiring to overthrow his government.

The decree gives him extra powers including the right to impose tougher security measures.

This is not allowed in constitutional.

In spite of the opposition-controlled parliament rejected it, the supreme court upheld this decree.

Furthermore the opposition handed the petition to hold a referendum for removing Mr.Maduro from power.1.85m people signed it but vice-president has ruled out the possibility of referendum.

Opinion

I wii express my opinion. First of all democracy in Venezuela is wavering. Constitutional is basically unshakable because it is an important norm for rule and authority. The government must not change its contents easily. When our prime minister Shinzou Abe tried to change the constitutional, many people rejected and it was a social problem. I think the president does not understand democracy. And what is worth in Venezuela he supreme court is manipulated by him. One of the function of a supreme court is to stop a violent of the government.

The petition followed a right procedure so I wish a referendum would be held accurately.

Democracy in Venezuela will get better.

 

Cluel treatment in rehabilitation shelter of Mexico

Summary

This is the article in Jalisco, western Mexico. According to authorities, the patients in the rehabilitation shelter treating alcohol and drug abuse were rescued from there. They had been living at an overcrowded shelter and they showed signs of abuse, for example the scar of beaten and burned with cigarettes. And more, most of the patients are minors. Authoroties said it is a subhuman and inappropriate treatment and are accusing the persons concerned the shelter. They said they are now in the process of ensuring all drug rehabilitation shelters in Jalisco treat their patients with dignity.

My opinion

Before anything else, I was surprised at the cruel treatment. Even if humans absorbed in drug, they must be human being. So they have the right to receive suitable treatment, I sure. Certainly, I also feel too many people are absorbed in drug, especially minors. In Japan I have never heard such a problem. So I suppose the economic condition is bad and the income gap is big in Mexico. I think these cause this affair indirectly. Of course, regulation against the facilities are important and effective, but for drastic solution, the government has to make an effort to improve the social condition, I am convinced.

Private police target Rio’s dark-skinned and homeless

Summary

In Rio de Janeiro, a team of privately funded are patrolling the street in tourist areas and hauling homeless people off to police stations.    The Officers are currently serving military police officers working on their days off and ex-army officers, wearing identifiable high-visibility vests, colour-coded by area. Although hey has been accused of unfairly targeting young black youths and the homeless, others disagree. The government said it regards the project, the first of its kind in the city, as “fantastic” and “absolutely positive”.

Opinion

Targeting only dark-skinned people is terrible, of course. But it is the case; they protects the citizens’ life.  We should take into account it when we think of police.  In japan, police officers often hide and ambush in order to catch and punish speeders.  Some people, including me, say “They are  cowardice.”  I also think, however, it is “Necessary Evil” because of their acts rightly contribute to our peace.  We might have to search the way to coexist with them.

30 killed in Peru election day accidents

Summary

This article was about traffic accidents in Peru. On a day of the local election in Peru, more than 30 people were killed in traffic accidents. In Peru, a traffic accident occurs frequently because of lax traffic enforcement but also because of the country’s challenging mountain terrain, with its many sharp curves and steep precipices. It is duty in Peru to vote, and a fine may be inflicted when person do not vote. According to official statistics, more than 2,500 people were killed in road accidents in 2013.

 

Opinion 

I think this accident is a thing by two factors which are the election system of the duty and the traffic condition that an accident is easy to always happen. Apart from election system, Peru has to make an effort to reduce a traffic accident. In the aspect of the hardware, it is necessary to carry out public work projects of repairing the road or putting newly a tunnel through the mountain because of running easily. Also, in the aspect of software, an assembly and the government should think about the present traffic rules again and change it into the thing which is correct in the traffic condition of the country from a loose rule. And, they should make a law and a government ordinance newly. The police should strictly control the traffic in accordance with the new laws than now.

Brazil uses dammed lake surface for floating solar panels

Summary

This article suggests that if successful, Brazil’s officials hope to expand the floating panel system via public tenders. Now Brazil has been enduring a severe drought. And water levels at many Brazilian dams have dropped to dangerously low levels. Therefore the pilot project, to be completed by 2017, is a large platform with 50,000 square meters of solar panels, about the size of five footboll fields.

Opinion

My opinion is that we have only a superficial knowledge of electric problems. Japan generates electricity from nuclear. But people say that nuclear power plant is very dengerous, and should get rid of it. That is because the Great East Japan Earthquake’ image is strong. But other power generation have also problems. For example, solar power generation is a big problem that a lot of solar panels are wasted and the forest is polluted by illegal dumping. A wind turbine is used by wind power generation as well. To put it another way, we can’t understand present Japan’s circumstances. We tend to be caught up by media and so on, to tell the truth, I didn’t know as well. I think that we should get enough information about electric problems. And we will consider it carefully and ought to figure out an answer.