In brief: Typhoon Mangkhut, trans fats and Air Transat delay

World in brief

More than three million people in southern China were evacuated in anticipation of Typhoon Mangkhut making landfall on Sunday. The storm previously swept through Macau as well as the Philippines, where it killed dozens of people.

Brett Kavanaugh, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, had his confirmation jeopardized by allegations of sexual assault. Christine Blasey Ford alleged that Kavanaugh and his friend sexually assaulted her at a house party when they were in high school in the early 80s.

Pyotr Verzilov, a Russian activist and member of the punk group Pussy Riot, is in critical condition after what his family allege was a poison attack. Verzilov and his bandmates made international headlines recently for storming the pitch at the World Cup final in protest of political imprisonment in their country.

A study by Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry found that 20 per cent of the country’s population is over the age of 70. According to an article by Naoko Muramatsu in Oxford Academic, Japan has the oldest population in the world, which is “a salient factor in crucial public policies, such as pensions, health, and long-term care.”

The Scottish government has passed a new set of regulations outlawing designer breeding of animals. The rules target the breeding of animals to have certain desirable physical traits, which can cause significant long-term health problems in some species.

Nation in Brief

A Canadian surgical team performed the country’s first facial transplant. The surgery was performed four months ago after six months of planning. The patient, Maurice Desjardins, lost his nose, lips, teeth and jaw after a hunting accident.

Canada’s ban on the use of trans fats in food products was put into effect on Monday. It targets the main source of industrially produced trans fats in all food sold in Canada; partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). It is now illegal to use this additive in any food made or imported into Canada, as well as in meals prepared in restaurants.

Niagara College in southern Ontario is offering a full-year cannabis production program. As Canada is getting close to making the recreational use of pot legal, the program is in popular demand. According to the CBC, over 300 people applied for 24 spots.

Canada’s housing market was ranked the third riskiest in the world according to a new study by Oxford Economics. Since Canadian housing markets are the most overvalued in the world, it’s also associated with a significant risk of future price declines.

Vancouver and British Columbia are pushing the city’s Chinatown to be named a UNESCO World Heritage site. It exemplifies the crucial contributions of Chinese-Canadians. The pledge for the designation comes after two recent apologies for historical wrongs against Chinese-Canadians.

Amid an Amber Alert, a six-year-old girl in Saskatchewan was found alive after 13 hours, two kilometres from where she went missing on Monday morning. The girl was in the back of an SUV while it was stolen on Sunday. The focus has now shifted to determining who is responsible for stealing the vehicle.

City in Brief

A 27 year-old man was shot early Sunday morning on St-Laurent Blvd., near Pins Ave. After being rushed in critical condition to the hospital, he is currently recovering. At the time of the shooting, the boulevard was crowded as it was closed to traffic for a street festival.

Air Transat delayed three Europe-bound flights for over 40 hours in Pierre Elliott Trudeau this weekend. The flights destined to England, Spain and Portugal were postponed due to mechanical issues, which have now been resolved.

Beaudry metro station will be closed for eight months from Oct. 1, 2018 to June 2, 2019, while it undergoes major reconstruction. According to the STM, a shuttle service will provide transportation to Papineau and Berri-UQAM stations.

Robert Laramée, a 55 year-old repeat sex offender, has been ordered by the Parole Board of Canada to spend another year in a halfway house. Since Laramée has a long record of sexually abusing women and girls, the decision was taken to control the risk he poses.

The number of pedestrian deaths in Montreal is increasingly significant compared to last year, according to the CBC. So far in 2018, 14 pedestrians have been killed, three more than in 2017. In the last ten days, five pedestrians have been hit by moving vehicles.

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