by Skylar Bennett | 14 Nov 2022 | Personal Reflections, Politics, United States, Youth Voices
I find a political home in neither the Democratic nor the Republican Party. Instead, saving U.S. democracy is my call to action. The author keeping tabs on the latest political news. I was in high school and too young to vote in 2016. Still, for me and many other...
by Tira Shubart | 8 Nov 2022 | Educators' Catalog, Russia, Space, Technology, Ukraine
Despite conflicts on Earth, satellites orbit in peace. But use of Elon Musk’s Starlink to aid Ukraine has Russia looking to the sky with hostile eyes. A rocket booster carrying three Gonets-M satellites and the first Skif-D satellite of the Sfera programme lifts...
While all kinds of international conflicts occur on the ground, up in space things have been pretty peaceful. We depend on peace in the skies because such things as social media, multiplayer video games, Google classrooms and Zoom sessions rely on satellites bouncing signals across the earth. Correspondent Tira Shubart tells us why tensions on the ground in Ukraine could disturb the tacit and explicit agreements over satellites in the sky.
Exercise: Let’s imagine that each student has been hired to draw up an international agreement to govern and protect satellites that need to cross the skies over international borders. What are the five most important considerations that would have to be included in this treaty? Some things to consider are: The citizens in every country want fast and reliable Internet; people want their privacy protected; and countries are concerned about the possible military use of satellites.
by Helen Womack | 4 Nov 2022 | Asia, History, Personal Reflections, Russia
A reporter recalls riding in the first Soviet tank convoy pulling out of Afghanistan in 1988 and considers the barriers women overcame to report on war. The author (left) together with colleagues from Italy and Germany riding an armoured personnel carrier out of...
by Randall Mikkelsen | 2 Nov 2022 | Decoders, Environment, Europe, Writing's on the Wall
Big business is eager to show its environmental and social credentials. But how can you tell if a firm is genuine — or merely greenwashing? British cyclist Neah Evans sports a Shell plc logo on her jersey at a race near Paris, France, 16 October 2022. (AP...
by Katharine Lake Berz | 31 Oct 2022 | World
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Canadian diplomats fled Kyiv, leaving Ukrainian staff behind and raising questions about their role in war. The U.S. embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, 12 February 2022. The United States, like Canada and some other nations, ordered the...
by Jessica Moody | 27 Oct 2022 | Africa, Politics
Soldiers have seized power in Burkina Faso and Mali, setting back democracy as jihadists threaten security in West Africa. Young men carrying a Russian flag chant slogans against France in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 30 September 2022. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) Waking...
by Norma Hilton | 26 Oct 2022 | Art, Asia, Culture, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
Social media influencers from Europe and North America are flocking to South Korea’s capital, Seoul, to tap into the K-pop craze and boost earnings. Banners featuring Jimin, a member of South Korean K-pop band BTS, are displayed in Busan, South Korea, 12 October...
by Alister Doyle | 17 Oct 2022 | Climate decoders, Decoders, Environment, Middle East, Politics, World, Writing's on the Wall
For years, governments have engaged in marathon annual talks to try to end global warming. But they often fall frustratingly short. Egypt will host COP27 in November at the Red Sea coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Rising sea levels caused by climate change are...
by Daniel Warner | 13 Oct 2022 | Politics, Russia, Ukraine, World
Russia’s president has raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. That’s a frightful notion. But it might not violate international law. Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles in Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow,...
by Leah Eichler | 11 Oct 2022 | Americas, Personal Reflections
Canada lives in the shadow of its superpower neighbor. But it’s the U.S.’s biggest trading partner and admits many immigrants. Canada matters. Canadian dollars are called “loonies.” (AP Photo/JONATHAN HAYWARD, Canadian Press) Polite, quick to...