Week 3 New/Digital Media

Year 13: Weekly New/Digital Media homework

Women are allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. 

Telegraph - 26/09/17

This article is about the increasing development of women in Saudi Arabia and the consent that they now have to drive. Also, this article contains the battles and protests that the women have faced in their community as a result of them having to live in the shadow of their male companions. The development of their rights and independence is explored. 

• Saudi Arabia is the only nation in the world where women were forbidden from getting behind the wheel of a car.
• There is no formal law banning women from driving but the government refuses to issue them permits. 
• The formation of a ministerial body has to give advice within 30 days and then implement the order by June 2018.
• In June 2011, about 40 women got behind the wheel and drove in several cities in a protest sparked when Manal Sharif, one of the founders of the movement, was arrested and detained for 24 hours after posting a video of herself driving.
• In October 2013, shortly after a prominent cleric claimed that medical studies showed driving damaged a woman's ovaries, 60 women took part in a protest, driving in spite of warnings from the authorities. In response, 150 clerics staged a demonstration outside the royal palace. 
• In 2013, then-King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the Shura Council, his highest advisory body, and two years later women were allowed to both vote in and run for office in municipal council elections, for the first time in the country’s history. 
• In May King Salman, ordered that government agencies publish lists of services that women can access, without a male guardian present, and ordered that employers provide women with transport.

In my opinion, I think that this is a better step towards independence and importance towards women. It allows women more freedom and more development so that it is similarly liberal like multiple countries across the world. I think that this would help women and their progression and help there to be a better environment as men will be able to see women as their equal and not their submissive. Also, it is a proven fact that women are better drivers than men and have less road accidents therefore it may lead Saudi Arabia to be safer. 

Las Vegas shooting.

BBC - 01/10/17

This article looks at the very recent shooting in Las Vegas. There are statistical factors that are included and the information of this being a  rolling investigation with unconfirmed deaths and injuries. There are victim videos and insights to some people's opinions on the situation. 

• A gunman, named as 64-year-old local resident Stephen Paddock, opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
• This was an open-air music festival attended by 22,000. 
• He was found dead after officers stormed the room where a number of guns were found.
• The shooting was a "lone wolf" attack.There was no information about Paddock's motives.
• Police were now confident they had located a woman, earlier named as Marilou Danley, who was thought to have been travelling with the gunman before the attack.
• Two off-duty police officers were among those killed.
• At least 14 of the injured were in a critical condition.
• 50 people have been killed and around 400 injured

In my opinion, I think that this is a very devastating incident as many lives of innocent people that were enjoying themselves were lost. I think that guns should be banned in America as these cause a lot of deaths yearly and are normally the reasons behind mass killings. As these are such deadly weapons there should be more of a strict policy on who could purchase them and more police should be present to deter people who would be willing to use them against someone.