Headlines

An Iranian missile likely brought down a Ukrainian plane. Here’s how it could have happened.

Ottawa, Jan.9.– An Iranian missile appears to have brought down a Ukrainian passenger plane over Iran this week killing 176 people – including 63 Canadians – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.

“We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile,” Trudeau said during a news conference in Ottawa.

“This may well have been unintentional.”

The country's new climate law shows that governments don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy.

 Paris, Jan.8.– After millions of people worldwide took to the streets last September to demand politicians take action against climate change, climate scientists were disappointed by the outcome of December's U.N. climate summit. Developed countries made no commitments to cut emissions in the near-term or to finance developing countries' emissions goals. Although the European Commission (aside from Poland) separately pledged a "Green Deal" to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, experts say it isn't enough.

"Everyone needs to get to net zero by 2050, but we won't stay on track if we don't see significant reductions by 2030," says Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist in the Climate and Energy Program at the Union for Concerned Scientists, an independent advocacy nonprofit that represents a network of 25,000 scientists, economists and other experts around the world.

According to Kenya Defence Forces, an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip. The attempted breach was successfully repulsed. Four terrorists bodies have so far been found.

 Nairobi, Jan.5.– Militant group Al-Shabab attacked a military base in Kenya used by U.S. and Kenyan troops, authorities have said.

The Somalia-based Islamist group, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the dawn attack on on Camp Simba in Lamu county early on Sunday.

• Narendra Modi increased its parliamentary majority in the May election and his new citizenship law has sparked protests across India.

• The law grants persecuted people of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Jain and Parsi religions eligibility for citizenship — while omitting Muslims.  

New Delhi, Jan.2.– The omens for an electoral victory were unfavourable, given Narendra Modi’s openly discriminatory policies against Muslim and Christian minorities and his dire social and economic record.

Yet India’s Hindu nationalist prime minister was returned with an increased majority in May. In the parliamentary election, in which 900 million people (around a tenth of the global population) could vote, Modi and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) won 303 of the 543 seats, meaning his government has no need of the other parties in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition (see India’s election results).