Prime Minister makes good on pledge as first planeload of refugees lands at Pearson Airport.
Newly landed refugees thank Canadians as they arrive at Toronto Pearson Airport at around 4 pm on 10 December. (Image courtesy of The National Post)
On Thursday 10 December, the first Canadian Forces transport plane carrying 163 Syrian refugees from Beirut, Lebanon arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement on Wednesday. This marks the first step towards the new government’s goal of welcoming 10,000 refugees by the end of the year, with a second flight scheduled to land in Montreal on Saturday. The refugees entered Canada via a newly reopened terminal at the airport, specifically redesigned with cubicles and playgrounds for children to facilitate the immigration processing. They will be transferred to a resettlement assistance center in one of 36 cities to begin their life in Canada.
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The Supreme Court of the United States hears challenge on the constitutionality in considering a student’s ethnicity for college admissions.
A protester holds up a sign in support of affirmative action in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Image courtesy of PBS).
After sending the very same case back to a lower court in 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States holds a second hearing to determine whether the University of Texas at Austin’s admissions policy, which grants preferences to racial minorities, violates the American Constitution’s guarantee of equal treatment. Due to a conflict of interest, only eight justices participated in the hearing, setting up the decision to be a very close vote with conservative justices leaning towards abolishing the practice and liberal justices expressing their support for the university. The ruling due in late June may establish a definitive answer as to whether considerations of race in university applications, in general, are unconstitutional.
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New French law requires supermarkets to given unsold food to local charities.
French supermarkets like Carrefour will now have to donate unsold food to people in need. (Image courtesy of Christophe Ena).
With unanimous support from the French National Assembly, a newly passed bill mandates grocery stores larger than 4,300 square feet to sign contracts with local charities and food banks for arrangements to provide unsold food. The goal is to prevent the mass destruction of daily leftovers and slightly faulty but otherwise acceptable quality goods. Companies that violate the legislation face a €75,000 fine and potential jail time.
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Possibility of hidden painting under the Mona Lisa.
French researcher Pascal Cotte believes that there may be a portrait hidden under the Mona Lisa.
The Mona Lisa’s hidden painting (Image courtesy of the Huffington Post)
After using reflective light technology on the painting, Cotte was able to recreate the earlier portrait using digital imaging technology, showing a woman looking out the side of the frame. Many believe the Mona Lisa to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Leonardo da Vinci, but Cotte now believes that the hidden woman is Gherardini and the Mona Lisa is in fact an unknown mystery woman. The Louvre declined to comment on the matter.
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200 Countries Pledge to Reduce Global Warming to 1.5ºC in the Next 5 Years
World leaders applaud as the historic agreement is passed (Image courtesy of the Toronto Star)
On 12 December at the COP21 Climate Conference in Paris, 200 countries united to pass a historic climate change agreement. Under the agreement, all countries – regardless of size – vowed to limit the warming of the Earth in the next 5 years, and make improvements thereafter in increments of 5 years. Countries also agreed to improve carbon neutrality, the balance between the carbon humans emit and how much nature can absorb. Canada’s Environment Minster Catherine McKenna said she would take immediate action to reduce Canadian emissions, and said, “Every Canadian must play their part.”
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