Irish abortion referendum: Vote to be held in May

The Irish government has agreed to hold a referendum at the end of May on whether to reform the country's near-total ban on abortion.

The vote will decide whether to repeal a constitutional amendment that effectively bans terminations.

Currently abortion is only when a woman's life is at risk, but not in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said that he will campaign for reform.

The ballot will not be on specific terms of any new law, but on whether to retain or repeal article 40.3.3 of the constitution, known as the Eighth Amendment.

The amendment, which was approved by a 1983 referendum, "acknowledges the right to life of the unborn" - meaning the life of the woman and her unborn child are seen as equal.

Before the vote, the country's health minister will draft legislation proposing unrestricted abortion access be made available to women up to 12 weeks, and in exceptional circumstances after.

An exact date for the referendum will be decided after it is debated in the Irish parliament.

'Not black and white'

Campaigners have long called for the laws to be changed, and last year a special cross-party parliamentary committee and citizens assembly both recommended repealing the amendment.

"I know this will be a difficult decision for the Irish people to make," Mr Varadkar said.

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"I know it is a very personal and private issue and for most of us it is not a black-and-white issue, it is one that is grey - the balance between the rights of a pregnant woman and the foetus or unborn."

Mr Varadkar, the country's former health minister, acknowledged that thousands of women in the country travelled every year for terminations or took pills ordered online at home.

In recent weeks many people, mainly men, have spoken about the personal journeys they have been on. We should remember the saddest & loneliest journey is made by Irish women who travel to other countries in their 1000s to end their pregnancies. These journeys don’t have to happen

— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) January 29, 2018

He said the current law meant that abortions in Ireland were "unsafe, unregulated and illegal".

"These journeys do not have to happen, and that can change, and that's now in our hands," he said.

In 2016, 3,265 women and girls gave Republic of Ireland addresses when accessing abortion services at clinics in England and Wales, according to UK Department of Health statistics.

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) welcomed Monday's announcement.

"Every pregnancy is different, every decision is deeply personal. Women and girls in Ireland deserve their dignity. They deserve the right to privacy, family and home," said the group's director Orla O'Connor.

Abortion in the Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland currently has a near total ban on abortion.

Terminations are not permitted in cases of rape or incest, or when there is a foetal abnormality and thousands of women travel abroad for a termination every year.

The eighth amendment to the Republic's constitution, introduced in 1983, "acknowledges the right to life of the unborn".

However, there have been significant challenges and changes to the law in recent years.

A campaign to liberalise abortion gathered momentum in 2012, after Indian woman Savita Halappanavar died in a Galway hospital after she was refused an abortion during a miscarriage.

The following year, legislation was passed to legalise abortion when doctors deem that a woman's life is at risk due to medical complications, or at risk of taking her life.

Twenty years before Mrs Halappanavar's death, a 14-year-old rape victim was initially prevented from travelling to England to terminate her pregnancy.

It became known as the X Case, as the girl could not be named to protect her right to anonymity.

The 1992 ban on travel was later overturned by the Irish Supreme Court.

A referendum approved a further update to the constitution, stating that the eighth amendment did not restrict the freedom to travel to another state.

My Response + Bias:

Although the entirety of this article are just quotes and factual evidence it may make you feel more enticed to allow the Irish women their "rights or freedom" to abortion because of the specific cases mentioned in the article which lead to the dead of some woman because they were denied an abortion.

Audience:

The audience is most likely to the Irish people specifically the women as the decision in court will mean the difference in the lives of the Irish female population.

Drone saves two Australian swimmers in world first

Two teenage boys were rescued by a brand new lifesaving drone in Australia while lifeguards were still training to use the device.

The swimmers, aged 15-17, had got into difficulties off the coast of Lennox Head, New South Wales (NSW).

A member of the public spotted them struggling in heavy surf about 700m (2,300ft) offshore.

Lifesavers instantly sent the drone to drop an inflatable rescue pod, and the pair made their way safely to shore.

John Barilaro, the state's deputy premier, praised the rescue as historic. "Never before has a drone fitted with a flotation device been used to rescue swimmers like this," he said.

Lifeguard supervisor Jai Sheridan was piloting the device when the alarm was raised. He described the experience as "unreal".

"The Little Ripper UAV certainly proved itself today, it is an amazingly efficient piece of lifesaving equipment and a delight to fly," he told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Mr Sheridan said it took just a minute or two to launch the drone, fly it to the rescue site, and drop the pod.

Any other day, reaching the teenagers could easily have taken three times as long.

The drone's camera also recorded the whole rescue.

My Response + Bias:

As a drone pilot myself I certainly like this idea of using drones to not only spot swimmers in trouble but then also deploy flotation devices for those swimmers. I personally think it a revolutionary idea that is very efficient as a drone can get to stranded swimmers in the big waves a lot easier and faster than any lifesaver could.

Author Bias:

I think that this article is just one of those factual articles with there is no specific author writing or contribution that could express bias it is simply facts and quotes that show the information.

South Africa's ANC leader Ramaphosa urges unity as Zuma booed

Cyril Ramaphosa, the new leader of South Africa's ruling ANC, has said the party must address the "dysfunction" in its ranks and unite at all levels.

Mr Ramaphosa told a large rally in the south-eastern city East London that the party had become deeply divided through factionalism, patronage and corruption.

He was elected to replace President Jacob Zuma as party head last month.

But Mr Ramaphosa did not address calls to immediately replace the president, who was booed as he took his seat.

Mr Zuma's term in office is not scheduled to end until elections in 2019.

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However, the ANC has seen public support decline during his second term, amid a weakening economy and allegations of corruption.

Mr Ramaphosa was addressing a rally to mark 106 years of the ANC.

The BBC's Andrew Harding says the new ANC leader did not criticise Mr Zuma by name but the implication was clear when he condemned corrupt families and individuals.

The suspicion remains, our correspondent says, that Cyril Ramaphosa and his allies in the ANC may soon move against South Africa's embattled leader.

President Zuma has been embroiled in a series of corruption scandals - he denies any wrongdoing.

'Confronting corruption'

The leadership battle caused fierce political infighting, raising fears of a party split before the 2019 election.

In his speech Mr Ramaphosa vowed to "confront people who are trying to divide the ANC", calling for unity, renewal and a change of culture.

He urged "the creation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, prosperous and equitable society".

Much of the speech was targeted at corruption and the economy.

He said he wanted people in the ANC who sought "no advantage for themselves or their families", adding: "We are going to confront corruption in all its forms. Investigation of those responsibility will be given top priority."

He issued a plea for foreign investment and vowed to build "an economy which benefits the people of our country as a whole rather than just benefit a few privileged individuals and families".

Mr Ramaphosa vowed to pursue the "expropriation of land without compensation" as agreed at the party conference.

But he cautioned it would be done in a manner that "does not impede economic development and agricultural production".

The ANC has been under pressure to redress disparities which mean white farmers still own much of the best land in South Africa, more than two decades after the end of apartheid.

My Response + Bias:

Personally I do have a bias against President Jacob Zuma because of what the hole he has dug for South Africa to try and get out of. When I look at this article it looks like it is also bias against President Zuma, but there is no author voice in it. All that is stated are facts, and quotes of things that the new head of the ANC has come to now is true, and much of that the corruption that Jacob Zuma has brought, and therefore the slowly deteriorating economy. 

Author Bias:

So while as the author of the article did not seem to have a specific bias of his or her own, the article definitely holds a dark cloud of Zuma's head.

Audience:

I think that this article refers to basically all South Africans as what ever happens to Jacob Zuma will affect them either directly or indirectly. It may also be for those who have any ties to South Africa abroad specifically anything to do with it's politics or economy.

South Africa train crash: 200 injured near Johannesburg

Emergency services in South Africa say that at least 200 people have been injured in a train crash.

No fatalities have been reported so far in the incident in Germiston, a town around 12 miles (20 km) east of Johannesburg.

Many of the passengers were commuters on their way to work.

It is not clear what caused the collision, but local media is reporting that an incoming train hit a stationary train from behind

Paramedics say passengers sustained "minor to moderate" injuries and will receive further treatment in hospital.

It follows a fatal collision last week when a car hitting a train at a level crossing in Kroonstad, in Free State province, which is now known to have killed 19 people.

My Response:

I think the author did pretty well to not let any bias bleed out should there have been any. The article doesn't seem to attack any particular aspect of those involved in the incident be it the hospitals, or train drivers. It just gives a good factual report on the events that happened.

Audience:

Since this accident doesn't really have an impact on really any other country apart from South Africa, so I think the intended audience are only South African's and only those who may have had family members on the train, or had planned to use it.