Author: Adrian Mcdonald

Clothes tumble out of skyscrapers, pile up in stairwells, and clog pavements and streets. A voice instructs viewers to “visualise 190,000 garments produced each minute”. The cityscape drowning in textiles is just one of the dystopian scenes generated in Netflix’s new documentary Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy, which critiques contemporary retailers for their buy more (waste more) business models. Most of us know that contemporary consumption patterns are unsustainable. In Scotland – where we authors live – it is estimated that 80% of our carbon emissions come from “things we make, buy, use and ultimately throw away”. And we are throwing away more…

Kiev 1 November 2024. The Ukranian army eliminated a troop concentration of newly arrived North Koreans on the battlefield. About 40 soldiers were killed in an exchange with only one survivor. A heavily bandages survivor spoke in North Korean recorded on social media. Despite anti-Ukranian western media the captured North Korean commented on the success of the Ukranians defeating the Russian army on the battlefield. The freshly arrived North Koreans planned to be embedded woth Russian troops faced the brunt of Ukranian artillery and mortar fire killing forty. The Ukranian president Zelensky commented that North Koreans will be killed should…

Berlin has handed over 10 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks, 8,500 rounds of 155 mm ammunition, 20 Vector reconnaissance drones with spare parts, 34 RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones, and other aid in its latest delivery of military aid to Ukraine, the German government said on May 22. The tranche also included four Wisent 1 demining tanks, 1.8 million rounds of small arms ammunition, a Dachs armored engineer vehicle, a Beaver bridge-laying tank with spare parts, as well as a Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicle with spare parts. Ukraine also received 16 Zetros tankers, 111 CR 308 rifles, 80…

Minister of Sport Carla Qualtrough said Tuesday she’ll be announcing a “formal, independent mechanism” early next week to review systemic abuse and human rights violations in Canadian sports. Qualtrough made the comment in Switzerland at a forum being held at the UN. Many athletes, coaches and MPs in Canada have been calling for a public inquiry into abuse in sports. “The process will be trauma-informed, human rights based and forward-looking,” she said in a speech at the Sporting Chance Forum in Geneva. Elite athletes in multiple sports have accused the federal government of failing to act in response to reports of abuse. They’re among those who…

The White House has issued a stark warning about the need for additional US aid to Ukraine, but Congress is still not close to a deal on a compromise spending package which would help fund the war effort. “We are out of money – and nearly out of time,” wrote Shalanda Young, the White House budget director, in a publicly released letter to Republican and Democratic leaders. She warned that a failure by Congress to approve more military aid to Ukraine before the end of the year would “kneecap” the nation in its fight against Russia and that there was…

The company seeking to develop the controversial copper mine is sticking to its plans, despite federal action that barred permitting for the project. The company trying to build a huge copper and gold mine in the salmon-rich Bristol Bay will keep fighting for the project, despite a decision by the federal government to keep the proposed development site off-limits to large-scale metals mining. John Shively, chief executive officer of the Pebble Limited Partnership, made that vow in a presentation at the Alaska Miners Association annual convention in Anchorage. He said the Pebble mine had the potential to transform the economy…

At least 11 police officers and a security chief have been killed in Mexico’s southern Guerrero state, say local media quoting police sources. They say a security patrol was ambushed by unidentified gunmen in the Coyuca de Benítez municipality, just west of the Pacific resort of Acapulco. Some of the victims of Monday’s attack were handcuffed before being shot dead, El Universal newspaper says. Guerrero has been plagued by violence related to drug-trafficking. Various groups in the area battle for control of the lucrative drug routes north along the Pacific corridor. The region is also a hotspot for the growing…

The US has conducted “precision” air strikes in Syria on facilities used by the Iranian revolutionary guard, the Pentagon has said. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said the strikes were in response to “continued attacks” on US bases in Iraq and Syria by Iran-backed fighters. At least eight pro-Iran fighters were killed, a UK-based war monitor said. It is the third time since 26 October that the US has carried out such air strikes. They come amid rising tensions in the region due to the Israel-Hamas war. Mr Austin confirmed the air strikes in a brief statement on Sunday, saying…

The Government of Canada is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity system to achieve a net-zero electricity grid by 2035. That is why we are investing in renewable energy initiatives that support Canada’s clean energy transition and lead to decarbonized, smart and integrated utilities that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, keep our air clean and support stronger, healthier communities for everyone to call home. Today, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced an investment of $2.5 million for the City of Lac-Mégantic…

OTTAWA – Immigration Minister Marc Miller says the immigration status and supports available for evacuees who escape from Gaza Strip will have to be determined based on individual circumstances once people make their way to Canada.The federal government has been working to secure the safe passage of more than 400 people with connections to Canada as part of ongoing negotiations between Israel and Egypt that are being mediated by Qatar. The slow trickle of people allowed through the highly controlled Rafah border crossing has so far included 75 people on Canada’s list of anticipated evacuees, and they are only allowed…