In brief: Remembrance, cybersecurity, potholes

City in brief

Montreal pays more to build and repair its roads than any other Canadian city, according to a new study by Municipal Benchmarking Network Canada. Despite the city’s investment of about $28,000 per kilometre of road in 2017—more than twice the national average—only 30 per cent of Montreal’s roads were rated as being in “good” or “very good” condition, according to the Montreal Gazette.

The provincial government may extend the yellow metro line further into Longueuil, reported CTV. As many as six stations could be added to the line, although it could take more than a decade before the project is approved.

A wreath honouring LGBTQ+ members of the military was laid at a memorial in Montreal on Remembrance Day. The wreath is the first of its kind in Canada, and comes a year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized for the past mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community by the military, according to CTV.

A shooting at a Kirkland home left a five-year-old boy and a 69-year-old man in the hospital on Friday, according to Global News. The suspect surrendered just after 8:00 p.m., roughly one hour after police were called to the home. Both victims are reportedly in stable condition.

Nation in brief

Ninety per cent of Canadians are opposed to future arms deals with Saudi Arabia, according to a poll by the Angus Reid Institute released last Tuesday. Also, less than half of respondents said Canada should cancel its current $15 billion deal with the kingdom.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized for Canada’s rejection of a ship carrying Jewish refugees in 1939. Historians estimate that of the roughly 900 refugees aboard the St. Louis, more than 250 died in Nazi concentration camps after returning to Europe, according to Global News.

Cybersecurity experts are sounding the alarm on a series of partnerships between several Canadian institutions and the Chinese telecom company, Huawei, according to The Star. The company is contracted to help several Canadian universities develop 5G networks. However, The Australian reported Huawei may have leaked information to the Chinese government that was used to infiltrate a foreign network.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Ministry is contesting what it claims are changes made by its American counterpart to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). An anonymous source told the Financial Post the United States was trying to broaden a clause in the agreement that provides access to British Columbia’s wine market to include Ontario and Quebec.

Federal Conservative MP Tony Clement has resigned from several committee positions after admitting to multiple incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour, according to Global News. Clement said these incidents included sending photos and a video of a sexual nature to a woman on social media. The MP has not resigned from his party, despite calls by Conservative leader Andrew Scheer to do so.

World in brief

On Sunday, world leaders marked the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War. As part of a joint ceremony, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a commemorative book from inside a replica of the train carriage in which the 1918 Armistice was signed, according to the BBC. About 70 leaders were in Paris over the weekend to commemorate the anniversary.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced to resign from office last week. The move came after more than a year of sour relations between Sessions and President Donald Trump, who frequently criticized his attorney general for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, according to Global News. Trump loyalist Matthew Whitaker will serve as interim attorney general until a replacement is found.

Just over a month after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, another Saudi journalist and blogger was reportedly tortured to death while in prison in Saudi Arabia, according to the Daily Mail. Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Jasser was in custody for allegedly running the Twitter account “Kashkool,” which was critical of the Saudi government.

Suicide among Japan’s youth reached its highest peak in 30 years in 2017-18, with 250 reported cases, according to a government report released on Nov. 5. An official quoted in Japan Today said they could not pinpoint the cause of the increase, although the newspaper reported that many of the students were known to have family problems or “concerns about their future.” The country’s overall suicide rate continues to decline, according to the report.

Graphic by @spooky_soda.

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