Expert: What’s happening in Saudi Arabia?

“Hezbollah's leader said on Friday that Saudi Arabia had declared war on Lebanon and his Iran-backed group, accusing Riyadh of detaining Saad al-Hariri and forcing him to resign as Lebanon's prime minister to destabilize the country.” (The Globe and Mail)

Expert: Global atmospheric CO2 levels hit record high

“The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased at record speed last year to hit a level not seen for more than three million years, the UN has warned.” (The Guardian)

Eyad Atallah, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University

Experts: Bombardier to partner with Airbus on CSeries program

Bombardier Inc. announced it has sold a majority stake in its CSeries passenger jet business to European aerospace giant Airbus for no cost. (CBC)

Experts: Municipal elections

Here are McGill researchers available and interested to comment on the municipal elections in Montreal:

Professor Shearmur is an urbanist who studies innovative municipalities, urban and regional development, and real estate.

richard.shearmur [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)

Experts: NAFTA

“Contentious new U.S. demands are set to hit NAFTA negotiating tables on Wednesday, threatening to push modernization talks toward collapse as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau again tries to remind U.S. President Donald Trump of the trade pact's merits.” (BNN)

Nobel Prize in Physics goes to gravitational wave scientists

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 was divided, one half awarded to Rainer Weiss, the other half jointly to Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves". (Nobel Prize)

Experts: New U.S. Travel Ban Order

“President Trump on Sunday issued a new order indefinitely banning almost all travel to the United States from seven countries, including most of the nations covered by his original travel ban, citing threats to national security posed by letting their citizens into the country.” (The New York Times

Expert: German Election + Immigrant/Refugee Question

The German election is on Sunday, September 24. One of the “hot” issues in the election is the number of immigrants/refugees that Germany has taken in.

Thomas Soehl, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology, McGill University

Expert: Climate Change and How to Produce Food in a Smart Way

The effects of climate change on food security and nutrition are one of the major challenges facing humanity in the coming decades. Reflection is needed in order to adapt the agri-food system to this new climate and social reality. McGill professors are participating fromSeptember 24-27 in the International Symposium on Food Security and Nutrition in the Age of Climate Change in Quebec City.

Experts: Orange Butterflies in Quebec

Orange butterflies have been spotted by many in the South of Quebec this weekend. Contrary to popular beliefs, they are not monarchs, but Painted Ladies.

Stéphanie Boucher, Curator, Lyman Entomological Museum

Expert: Montreal pitch as Amazon’s 2nd headquarters

“Wanted: A place with a million people, a diverse population, good schools and malleable lawmakers. Room to accommodate up to 50,000 workers. Canadian provinces also welcome to apply.” (New York Times)

Experts: Hurricane Irma

“As a Category 5 with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, Irma now ranks among the most powerful hurricanes (as measured by wind speed) ever recorded. Irma has sustained these 185 mph winds for more than 24 hours, a record length of time. And it’s one of the most powerful cyclones to ever make landfall.” (Vox)

Experts: Dreamers and DACA in the US

“As 15 states and Washington DC filed suit against Donald Trump over the rescinding of protection for young people brought to the US illegally as children, House speaker Paul Ryan said such ‘Dreamers’ should ‘rest easy’ as Congress tackled immigration reform.” (The Guardian)

Expert: Violence in Myanmar

“The United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, has appealed to Myanmar to end the violence that has led more than 120,000 Rohingya people to flee in the last two weeks, which he warned was ‘creating a situation that can destabilise the region’.” (The Guardian)

Expert: Airbnb and the Quebec government

“Airbnb and the Government of Quebec have finalized the first-ever tax agreement in Canada that will allow Airbnb to collect and remit the tax on accommodation on behalf of hosts using its residential sharing platform.