Readable, teachable news.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
OBITUARY
The body of former US president George Bush will “lie in state” in Washington, DC, and then return to Texas for burial.
George Bush was the 41st president of the United States. (He is not to be confused with his son, George W. Bush, who was also a US president, from 2001 to 2009.)
George Bush was president from 1989 to 1993.
The International Space Station is a spacecraft that orbits the Earth; it is part laboratory and part home for astronauts. And soon it will have a new resident.
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will make the journey to the ISS on December 3. The launch is set for 6:30 a.m. He will remain on the spacecraft for about six months.
It is his first mission as an astronaut. It is the 17th space flight for the Canadian Astronaut Corps, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
While he is on board the ISS, Saint-Jacques will conduct experiments and demonstrate technology.
Lots of medics and emergency workers are helping people in Indonesia after a large earthquake happened there on Friday.
It was a 7.5-magnitude earthquake. (That is how earthquakes are measured in terms of how bad they are. Seven point five is very big.)
The earthquake also caused a tsunami. That is a massive wave of water. When an earthquake happens on or near a large body of water, it can cause huge waves and flowing water that does a lot of damage. The earthquake in Indonesia was along the coast, near a city called Palu, which is on a bay.
Many people helped those who were affected by the disaster.
Women in Saudi Arabia are now allowed to drive. For nearly 30 years, there has been a law in Saudi Arabia that said women could not drive a vehicle. Many women and men protested the law. They said it was […]
The FIFA World Cup, the biggest event in men’s soccer–perhaps in sports, period–will be co-hosted jointly in 2026 by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Each of the three countries will host some of the games. One proposal is for Canada and Mexico to each host 10 games, and for the United States to host 60 games.
Canada hosted the women’s world cup in 2015, one of only four countries to host both events.
A lot happened at the G7 summit this year.
The G7 (the G stands for “group”) is made up of seven of the world’s wealthiest countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The leaders of these countries, plus representatives for the European Union, get together every year. That meeting is called a summit. Every summit is held at a different G7 country; this year, it was held in Quebec, Canada.
At the summit, the leaders talk about issues that affect them all. This year, Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said he wanted to discuss: strengthening the middle class, supporting women’s equality and ensuring that more girls can access education, dealing with global warming and promoting respect for diversity.
Some very good things happened at the G7 summit this year. For instance, the leaders agreed to give nearly $3 billion to help women and girls access education. That pledge received praise from many people, including activist Malala Yousafzai, who said, the money will “give more girls hope.”
It was one step, but it represented the possibility of lasting peace for North and South Korea.
Kim Jong-Un, the leader of North Korea, walked to the border between his country and South Korea … and stepped over it, into South Korea.
There, he shook hands with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.
It was a joining together not just of two leaders, but of two countries that have been at war for 65 years.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and, although fighting ended in 1953 (when an armistice* was declared), no peace treaty was signed by both countries. Officially the two countries remained at war.
Young people in more than 800 cities in the United States and around the world took to the streets last Saturday to protest.
It was called “The March for our Lives.” The students were protesting for “gun control” which in this case means they want stricter gun laws in the United States.
Canada’s gun laws are different than in the United States, in terms of when and how someone can buy a gun. Canada has “fairly strict gun laws,” according to a recent article in The Walrus magazine. Canada has “detailed licensing procedures, age restrictions, and background checks required before you can purchase a firearm.”
The students want politicians in the United States to make it harder for people to buy guns. They say that will make everyone safer.
The Olympics and Paralympics bring out the best in people, and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics are no exception.
As athletes set aside their countries’ differences and test themselves against the best of the best, a sense of mutual respect puts everyone on a level playing field. And that can make for some inspirational, funny and heart-warming moments.
People in Quebec are worried that Muslim women could be denied certain public services, after the government passed a “religious neutrality” bill.
The province’s Bill 62 was passed by the Quebec provincial government on Oct. 18. It says that people who work for the government in certain jobs must have their face uncovered. It also requires people who are using government services — for instance, riding a bus or using a library — must do so with their face uncovered.
It also bans public workers, like doctors and teachers, from covering their face while they are working.
