Taxi drivers protest against Uber
"Taxi and limousine drivers in Montreal are planning to block access to certain sites across the city Wednesday in protest against Uber." (Montreal Gazette)
Gravitational Waves
"The first direct detection of gravitational waves is now widely expected to be announced on 11 February by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox leader to meet
« Pope Francis and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet in Cuba next week in a historic step to heal the 1,000-year-old schism that divided Christianity between East and West, both churches announced Friday. The Feb.
Julian Assange (Feb. 4, 2016)
"A UN panel will conclude Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is being "arbitrarily detained" in the UK, the Swedish foreign ministry has said." (BBC News)
Guaranteed minimum income
Phillipe Couillard mandated François Blais, the minister of Employment and Social Solidarity, to set up guaranteed minimum income in Quebec. (Source: Le Journal de Québec)
2016 US Presidential Race
"On Monday, Iowa will kick off the 2016 race for the White House, a contest in which two fiery, fringe candidates from the left and right have hijacked the national imagination and undercut the political establishment." (Source:
Japan adopts negative interest rate
"In a surprise move, the Bank of Japan has introduced a negative interest rate. The benchmark rate of -0.1% means that commercial banks will be charged by the central bank for some deposits." (Source: BBC)
Zika Virus
"A new virus invading parts of Central and South America and now the Caribbean is causing concern among people living in and travelling to infected countries. Transmitted by the aggressive Aedes mosquito, the Zika virus has spread to at least 23 countries and will likely infect tens of millions of people in a few short years." (CTV News)
Canada discriminates against children on reserves
"The federal government discriminates against First Nation children on reserves by failing to provide the same level of child welfare services that exist elsewhere, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ruled." (Source: CBC)
TransCanada Corp.’s Energy East pipeline
"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the new federal government wants to oversee a full and fair national debate over controversial energy issues such as pipelines and will act as a “responsible mediator.”" (Source: The Globe and Mail)
McGill Tradition: Ice Building project on campus
Professor Pieter Sijpkes’ students in the “Philosophy of Structures” course are building a catenary dome made out of snow and ice on the McGill campus.
He has been doing ice construction experiments on the McGill Campus since he was a student in Architecture in 1972.
Loto-Québec taking bets on U.S. presidential race
"Loto-Québec is now taking bets on the U.S. presidential race." (Source: CBC)
Corus buys Shaw Media
"Toronto-based Corus Entertainment is buying Shaw Media from Shaw Communications in a $2.65-billion deal. The move shuffles ownership of 19 specialty TV channels including Global, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, HISTORY, Slice, National Geographic Channel and Showcase between two companies that are controlled by the Shaw family.
Canadian dollar's decline
The Canadian dollar has dropped below the 70-cent US level for the first time since May 2003 yesterday. It's still worth below 70-cent today. (Source: CBC and Google Finance)
Trans-generations (CIHR Café scientifique)
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF) presents a Café scientifique titled "Trans-generations: Trans History, Health, and Politics in Montreal and Beyond" Wednesday January 13th that will explore questions of trans politics, health, and history.
