360º News: International & National briefs
NATIONAL NEWS
After a whirlwind of surprising
election results in many cities,
Toronto's new talked-about mayor
Rob Ford has already come under
fire from a Liberal cabinet minister.
Glen Murray, the minister of
research and innovation, tweeted
before voting day, "If u vote Ford
u r voting for bigotry." He also
accused Prime Minister Stephen
Harper and Ontario opposition
leader Time Hudak of the same
thing on Twitter. Hudak has
demanded Murray apologize.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has not
confirmed whether Murray will
have to do so.
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A study for the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association revealed that B.C. had twice as many jail and police-related deaths as Ontario, despite Ontario having a much higher population. B.C. also had the highest number of deaths per capita. The study spanned over 15 years, from 1992 to 2007.
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Those looking to hit up Toronto's posh Bloor Street shopping strip will find it with a fresh face. The strip underwent a $25- million upgrade this past summer that is slated to be complete by late October. The makeover includes wider pedestrian sidewalks paved in granite, with greenery and flowerbeds to spruce it up.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
On October 26, Indonesia was hit with a double whammy: a volcanic eruption and a tsunami, just hours apart. The eruption of Mount Merapi on the island of Java killed at least 18 people, and spewed burning ash and smoke into the air. The three-metre tsunami killed at least 113 villagers on the Mentawai Islands. Indonesia is one of the most seismically active areas on Earth.
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The Berlin-based group Transparency International has released their annual list of the most corrupt countries in the world. Somalia was listed as the top corrupt country, and Afghanistan — the primary recipient of Canadian taxpayers' foreign aid money — came in second. The top three least-corrupt countries were listed as Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore. Canada placed sixth.
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New Zealand is not only uncorrupted, but it will remain the filming location for the two upcoming The Hobbit movies, which will be prequels to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema almost pulled out of the location after a dispute arose over pay and conditions for actors. All three Rings movies were filmed at the location, and the country experienced a huge boost in tourism after their release.
— compiled by Jessica Ireland and Erika Faust
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A study for the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association revealed that B.C. had twice as many jail and police-related deaths as Ontario, despite Ontario having a much higher population. B.C. also had the highest number of deaths per capita. The study spanned over 15 years, from 1992 to 2007.
------
Those looking to hit up Toronto's posh Bloor Street shopping strip will find it with a fresh face. The strip underwent a $25- million upgrade this past summer that is slated to be complete by late October. The makeover includes wider pedestrian sidewalks paved in granite, with greenery and flowerbeds to spruce it up.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
On October 26, Indonesia was hit with a double whammy: a volcanic eruption and a tsunami, just hours apart. The eruption of Mount Merapi on the island of Java killed at least 18 people, and spewed burning ash and smoke into the air. The three-metre tsunami killed at least 113 villagers on the Mentawai Islands. Indonesia is one of the most seismically active areas on Earth.
------
The Berlin-based group Transparency International has released their annual list of the most corrupt countries in the world. Somalia was listed as the top corrupt country, and Afghanistan — the primary recipient of Canadian taxpayers' foreign aid money — came in second. The top three least-corrupt countries were listed as Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore. Canada placed sixth.
------
New Zealand is not only uncorrupted, but it will remain the filming location for the two upcoming The Hobbit movies, which will be prequels to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema almost pulled out of the location after a dispute arose over pay and conditions for actors. All three Rings movies were filmed at the location, and the country experienced a huge boost in tourism after their release.
— compiled by Jessica Ireland and Erika Faust
