Freed Australian hostage Jocelyn Elliott vows to continue work in Burkina Faso, focus turns to saving husband Ken

Burkina Faso former hostage Jocelyn Elliott looks into the camera with a straight face.

An Australian woman who was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Burkina Faso has returned to the nation's capital after being freed, and says she hopes to be reunited with her husband so they can continue their medical work in the African nation.

Key points:

Jocelyn and Ken Elliott were kidnapped in Burkina Faso more than three weeks ago

Ms Elliott has been freed and has now returned to Burkina Faso's capital

Work continues to free her husband, who has worked as a doctor in the nation since 1972

Ms Elliott hopes they can continue their medical work in the country

Jocelyn Elliott and her husband doctor Ken Elliott, who are originally from Perth, were abducted in Burkina Faso close to the Niger border more than three weeks ago.

Ms Elliott was freed over the weekend following mediation by neighboring Niger, which is now trying to secure her husband's release.

She arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, on Monday aboard a Niger presidential plane accompanied by Niger's Foreign Minister, Aichatou Kane Boualama.

Ms Elliott was taken to the presidential palace, where she was greeted by head of state Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

"I am very moved to be here with my Burkina family. I want to thank the people of Burkina for their support in my absence," she said in French.

"I want to be with my husband shortly so that we can go to Djibo and continue there."

The Elliotts have run the sole medical clinic in the dusty town of Djibo, close to the border with Mali, since 1972.

She also expressed her gratitude to "the governments of Niger, Burkina Faso and Australia" and clarified she is aged 76 and her husband is 81.

Their ages had previously been given by officials as 84 and 82 respectively.

On Sunday Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufour confirmed his nation had mediated with the captors, but did not give details on either the circumstances or the location of her release.

"I think those who abducted them should know the contribution this couple have made to the poorest people in our regions. I hope they will be back together soon and that Jocelyn's husband will soon go free," Mr Issoufour said.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier thanked Niger and Burkina Faso for their efforts, while the Elliott family released a statement saying they were "deeply grateful" for Jocelyn's release.

"We are trusting that the moral and guiding principles of those who have released our mother will also be applied to our elderly father who has served the community of Djibo and the Sahel for more than half his lifetime," the statement said.

Focus shifts to saving Dr Elliott

Malian militant group Ansar Dine said the couple had been taken by jihadists from the "Emirate of the Sahara" - said by experts to be a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Mr Barry said the focus was now on securing Dr Elliott's release.

"For now we know that her husband is alive and well. Now further negotiations will begin for his release and we will do everything to secure it," Mr Barry said.

He confirmed "no ransom was paid or conditions imposed" by the kidnappers for the release of Mrs Elliott.

The Burkina Government said the pair were kidnapped in Baraboule, near the country's borders with both Niger and Mali.

The kidnapping prompted an outpouring of support, with the people of Djibo turning to Facebook to plead for the couple's release and hundreds of students with placards reading "Free Elliott" taking to the streets of the town with their teachers.

Their abduction coincided with a jihadist assault on an upmarket hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left at least 29 people dead, including at least 13 foreigners.

Until recently Burkina Faso had largely escaped the tide of Islamist violence spreading in the restive Sahel region, but the January attack on the Splendid Hotel which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff, has heightened fears that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in west Africa.

"Freed Australian Hostage Jocelyn Elliott Vows to Continue Work in Burkina Faso, Focus Turns to Saving Husband Ken." ABC News. N.p., 8 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

This article discusses the recent release of an Australian hostage from Burkina Faso. There is little bias in this article except that it shows a favorable light on the Elliotts and what they are doing in Burkina Faso. I found it interesting that the author did not mention anything about Jocelyn's time as a hostage but only that she had been returned. The article also doesn't mention whether or not the Elliotts are Christians. I hope and pray that the people from Niger will be able to get her husband released soon. I find it interesting that they choose to stay in Burkina Faso and not go back to Australia after such an event. This was an interesting article. 

Fiji hit by Record Breaking Cyclone

Downed power lines and flooding are hampering relief efforts in Fiji after one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the Pacific island nation, flattening remote villages and killing at least 18 people.

On Monday, officials were scrambling to restore services and assess damage caused on Saturday by tropical cylone Winston in remote parts of the Pacific Island chain.

Harsh winds and torrential rains tore up hundreds of homes and cut power, water and communications links across the nation of about 900,000 people, although Suva, the capital, escaped the brunt after the storm changed direction at the last minute. 

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama declared a 30-day state of emergency, with schools ordered to shut and a nationwide curfew extended until Monday morning.

"When we are able we will provide timelines for the return of water and power," he said, adding that electricity supply to some areas had been deliberately cut to avert further damage.

The archipelago of about 300 islands — about 100 are inhabited — hit late on Saturday by the tropical cyclone, which packed winds of 143 miles per hour that gusted up to 202 miles per hour.

Getting emergency supplies to the group's far-flung islands and remote communities was the government's top priority said Ewan Perrin, Fiji's permanent secretary for communications. 

"The logistics of getting supplies and equipment to remote communities is difficult," he said. "Some have lost their jetties and it's uncertain if airstrips are able to be landed on."

Perrin said authorities on Monday were sending a vessel to Koro Island filled with medical supplies, food and water. He said crews on the boat would build temporary shelters for those people on the island whose homes had been destroyed.

Perrin said the electricity network across Fiji remained patchy, and in some cases power had been deliberately cut to prevent further damage. He said clean water was also a challenge, and people were being asked to boil their water, treat it with chemicals or drink bottled water.

Phone communications had been rapidly restored in many areas but in other areas the damage was severe and would take longer to fix, he said.

He said Fijians were taking the disaster in stride.

"The people here are fairly resilient and they're accustomed to these things happening," he said. "Most are going about their business or helping clean up. There's been a very well-coordinated disaster response and we're deploying quickly."

Perrin said most of the people who died in the cyclone were hit by flying debris or were in buildings which collapsed. A handful of people had also been hospitalized with severe injuries, he said.

Humanitarian agencies warned Fiji may be facing a potential health crisis, mainly due to the lack of electricity. Low-lying river areas where hundreds of people live in tin sheds are also particularly vulnerable, aid workers said.

"We need electricity to ensure pumps are working and for sterilization," Raijeli Nicole, an official of aid agency Oxfam, told Reuters by telephone that flights have been scheduled on Sunday to assess damage in remote areas.

George Dregaso of Fiji's National Disaster Management Office said that two people on Ovalau Island died when the house they were sheltering in collapsed on them, and that another man was killed on Koro Island, although it wasn't clear how he died.

About 80 percent of the nation's population was without regular power, although about one-third of them were able to get some electricity from generators, said Dregaso. Landlines throughout Fiji were down, but most mobile networks were working.

Dregaso said 483 people evacuated their homes and were staying in 32 emergency shelters. He said he expected the number of evacuees to rise.

"Some villages have reported that all homes have been destroyed," Jone Tuiipelehaki of the United Nations Development Program tweeted late on Saturday.

People flocked to 758 evacuation centers on Saturday, while tourists hunkered down in hotel ballrooms and conference rooms in coastal areas.

"The images that we're starting to see roll in are terrifying," Alice Clements, a UNICEF official based in Suva said by telephone, describing visuals of a car on a building roof and a small plane nose down in debris.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who offered to send a P-3 Orion aircraft to help in the relief effort, said about 1,200 Australians were registered as being in Fiji, although there could be many more.

Australians are frequent travelers to the archipelago, which gets around 340,000 tourists each year. Airlines Virgin and Jetstar on Saturday suspended flights to Fiji, and the national carrier suspended all flights.

From <http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/2/21/fiji-hit-by-record-breaking-storm.html>

"Fiji Hit by Record-breaking Cyclone." Aljazeera America. N.p., 21 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

This article discusses a recent cyclone that hit Fiji. The author if this article has a slight bias towards Fiji as it shows ways in which Fiji has reacted well to this crisis. I think what has happened in Fiji is really sad. A lot of houses were destroyed. It says in the article that "all homes have been destroyed" in some villages. This is causing many people to seek emergency shelters. This makes Fiji a health risk as it mentions in the article. Given the current state of Fiji after this cyclone a health epidemic would be another disaster that would be hard to quell. This author assumes that the readers would have a general knowledge of the geography of Fiji. This is why the author does not go into detail of the places of the different islands pf Fiji and where they are located in relation to where the storm hit.  This article has many statements by people in Fiji to support their article if the impact of the cyclone. Almost all of the evidence the article provides are statements. Most are statements made by government officials or people working in major organizations, so the statements are more credible. This author makes a statement saying that this is "one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere." This shows some context of other storms that have happened in the same general area. The article also briefly mentions the fact the Fijians are used to these situations. This implies a pattern with these kinds of storms. It will be interesting to see how the government in Fiji handles the blowout of this disaster, and whether or not they will be able to reach isolated areas before more damage is done. This article has a very optimistic opinion, but if one searches this disaster up on google, it is evident that more harm has come to the people of Fiji as a result of this disaster. This will affect Fiji in the years to come economically and socially.

North Korea's Rocket Launch

North Korea moved up the window of its planned long-range rocket launch to as early as Sunday in defiance of outside governments who suspect a banned test of ballistic missile technology, South Korea's Defense Ministry said Saturday.

North Korea, which says it will attempt to place a satellite in orbit, informed the International Maritime Organization it moved up the launch window from Feb. 8-25 to Feb. 7-14, Japan's Kyodo News Service reported. No reason was given for the change.

"I can confirm that we have detected a missile launch from North Korea," said a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly. "Based upon its trajectory as we are tracking it, it does not pose a threat to the U.S. or our allies

While the North claims such efforts are a benign attempt to develop the capability for putting satellites into space, outside governments say it is a cover for testing ballistic missiles. That move would constitute yet another major violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyang from carrying out any nuclear or ballistic missile tests.

Notifications to the International Maritime Organization are intended to alert seagoing traffic that might be in the area. North Korea did not inform international organizations of any other changes in its plan, and the rocket's expected flight path remains the same, said South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun.

Recent commercial satellite imagery analyzed by U.S. researchers showed tanker trucks at the launch pad at North Korea's Sohae facility, which likely indicates the filling of fuel and oxidizer tanks in preparation for the launch, the Associated Press reported. It is not yet clear if a rocket is on the launch pad yet, according to the North Korea-focused 38 North website.

An official from the Korea Meteorological Administration, South Korea's weather agency, said rain or snow is expected in the North Korean region where the launch pad is located Monday, Thursday and next Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules, the AP reported.

The revised plan comes weeks after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test. International governments worry nuclear tests and long-range missile launches signal the North is getting closer to creating a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on an intercontinental missile capable of reaching targets as far away as the U.S. West Coast.

North Korea tested nuclear explosive devices in 2006, 2009 and 2013, and claimed it successfully delivered a satellite into orbit in December 2012, the last time it launched a long-range rocket.

South Korean analysts speculate the secretive North Korean leadership, which is sensitive to symbolic gestures, might be trying to pull off the launch ahead of Feb. 16, the birthday of late dictator Kim Jong Il, the father of current leader Kim Jong Un.

The South Korean defense ministry said Seoul and the U.S. are deploying key military assets, including the South's Aegis-equipped destroyers and radar spy planes, to track the North Korean rocket after its launch. The U.S. stations more than 28,000 troops in the South as a buttress against North Korean aggression.

The Seoul government said it will stay on full alert for the possible launch, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

Pyongyang's announcement prompted Japan's Foreign Ministry to set up an emergency response desk to monitor and prepare for the launch. Japan deployed Patriot missile batteries in Tokyo and on the southern island of Okinawa to shoot down any debris from the rocket that might threaten to fall on its territory.

On Friday, President Obama spoke by phone with President Xi Jinping of China, North Korea's only major ally, and the two sides agreed a launch would represent a "provocative and destabilizing action," the White House said.

The two leaders said they would coordinate their responses to Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and would not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapon state.

"The leaders emphasized the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through an impactful U.N. Security Council Resolution," the White House said.

China, however, is unlikely to join any likely call by the U.S. and South Korea to tighten sanctions against North Korea. Beijing worries a strong economic move against North Korea might provoke a regime collapse and send refugees streaming across the border, analysts say. China is responsible for about 70% of the North's trade volume, according to South Korean estimates.

Stanglin, Doug. "South Korea: North Korea Moves up Rocket Launch Window to next Week." 

USA Today. N.p., 6 Feb. 2016. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.

From <http://www.easybib.com/cite/view>

This article discusses a recent threat of a rocket launch by North Korea. This article has a clear bias. The author does not present the information in any way that could rationalize the actions of North Korea. The author only portrays the worries of outside countries. This article is biased against North Korea. I think that North Korea has made many recent attempts at rockets and missile tests. This is putting many countries on edge. Because North Korea's leader is so young, he doesn’t appear to be thinking rationally. Even North Korea's main ally is against their most recent move. I think this push by the North Korean government will result in a fall  out. It will be interesting to see who that fall out will be between. 

North Korea's Threat

North Korea’s planned launch of a long-range rocket has set the world on edge, particularly since the regime announced it would be attaching a satellite to its device that would give it spy eyes in the sky.

The launch will put what North Korea has named Kwangmyongson, or Bright Star, into the orbit, an Earth observation satellite, the Associated Press reported. It’s due to go forth between February 8 and February 27, the International Maritime Organization said, citing a letter from Pyongyang.

The United States, South Korea and Japan all expressed anger with the planned launch, with South Korean presidential security adviser Cho Tae Yong warning the regime it would pay a “severe price” for the move, AP reported. Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, said to his country’s parliamentary members the missile launch is a serious threat and potential provocation.

America issued a statement denouncing the launch as well.

“This act would violate numerous Security Council resolutions by utilizing proscribed ballistic missile technology,” U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said to the press, AP reported. “It also comes on the heels, as you know, of the January 6th nuclear test, which is itself an egregious violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

"North Korea’s Planned Launch Angers World." 

WND. N.p., 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.

From <http://www.easybib.com/cite/view>

This article discusses a missile threat made by the North Koreans. This article does not express a lot of information about the threat but that information might not be available. This article is biased as it only expresses the views of countries that are strongly opposed to this threat of launch. I think North Korea is trying to establish itself as a viable threat to other nations and this is how they chose to do that. The timing of this threat is a main part of this plan. This threat comes directly after a nuclear test. This test establishes the credibility of this threat. It will be interesting to see hoe the UN responds to this threat.