VANCOUVER, B.C. – Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation saw a national outpouring of grief and anger over indigenous residential schools, and the genocide of Canada’s aboriginal peoples. Now that the day’s drums are stilled, the joined voices of lament
The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus “a Public Health Emergency of International Concern” today. The WHO cited a suspected, though not yet scientifically proven, link between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly, the way the disease is spreading to vulnerable people, and the lack of vaccines and tests were also given as
REUTERS/Pichi Chuang Taiwan set to complete the transition to democracy. By Jonathan Manthorpe, International Affairs Column Taiwan has surged over the hump of its 35-year voyage from a military-ruled, one-party state to one of the most successful and vibrant democracies in Asia. The
Aid workers were finally allowed into besiged Syrian town Madaya this week. As predicted, they found desperate, starving citizens. Read the Reuters report: Heartbreak in starving Syrian town about emaciated and starving residents, with hundreds in need of specialised medical help. On the weekend we ran international affairs
To Protect Monarch Butterfly, A Plan to Save the Sacred Firs. By Janet Marinelli Report Mexican scientists are striving to plant oyamel fir trees at higher altitudes in an effort to save the species, as well as its fluttering iconic winter visitor —
The meaning of Christmas is elusive. For some it’s a season of consumer extravaganzas and a boon for business. For others it’s profoundly religious. In places it’s fallen prey to partisan and tribal chicanery. It can be a time of happiness, angst or peace. Even the date of Jesus’s birth is elusive: December 25 is celebrated, but theological
Since German fantasy/horror author E.T.A. Hoffmann penned his 1816 novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, the bizarre and charming tale has inspired and entertained, even as Hoffmann’s name is overshadowed by others more famous. The ballet The Nutcracker, by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is a seasonal staple, and
Set aside quality time over the holiday to enjoy Brian Brennan’s Brief Encounters with a star-studded cast of 64 entertainers. (Modestly-priced subscription required, see below*. If you’re a subscriber and lack your pass code, please email editor@canadianjournalist.ca) From poignant to charming to hilarious, the columns include Brennan’s interviews with satiric
The world’s money people have the jitters ahead of a historic U.S. Federal Reserve decision on American interest rates, expected Wednesday. If rates go up, it would be the first time in more than nine years. Analysts are busy predicting either disaster or a boon. The decision
Paris Agreement: landmark accord, turn from fossil fuels, By Alister Doyle and Barbara Lewis The global climate summit in Paris agreed a landmark accord on Saturday, setting the course for a historic transformation of the world’s fossil fuel-driven economy within decades in a
“The Paris Agreement is adopted,” said French foreign minister Laurent Fabius late Saturday at the Paris climate summit. Weary delegates cheered and applauded the global agreement on tackling climate change, reached by 195 countries after years of preparation and two weeks of grinding negotiations. “The
