Tag: grade 6

Environment News

TKN Exclusive: How Thailand’s Floods Have Affected Me

by

Nat Atherton is a Canadian living and working in Thailand. He gave TKN a first-hand account of the day-to-day havoc this year’s floods have caused.

The flooding here has been horrible. It hasn’t yet come into the centre of the capital (Bangkok), where I live, but has affected many of the people I work with.

Many of the poorer Thais live in the surrounding areas, which are flooded chest deep (1.5 metres) in some places.

I know a great many people who have lost their houses.

Many others haven’t been able to go home to check on their homes since rivers of dirty water separate their work from their houses.

Many well-known tourist districts have also been affected, including the world’s largest outdoor market, Chatuchak.

Continue Reading →
News Politics

Quebec Gets A New Political Party

by

A brand new political party, the Coalition pour l’avenir du Quebec (Coalition for the Future of Quebec), was launched last Monday.

A coalition is a group of people, often from different backgrounds, with the same goals.

This makes six registered political parties in the Province of Quebec, where the Liberals are in power and the Bloc Quebecois is in second place.

The leader of the the new party is Francois Legault.

He is known to Quebecers as a separatist, someone who would like to see Quebec separate from Canada to become its own country.

But last week Legault spoke as though separation was not as important to him as it once was.

Continue Reading →
Breaking News News

Occupy Toronto Staying Put – For Now

by

On Monday, the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters at Zuccotti Park in New York were evicted.

“Evicted” means made to leave. Anyone who didn’t leave the park was forcibly removed by the police.

The people in the park had been there for months. It was a peaceful protest against what they see as the gross differences in wealth between the “one per cent” of very wealthy people and everyone else (the “ninety-nine per cent”).

Zuccotti Park is owned by a company called Brookfield Properties. Brookfield had allowed the protesters to camp there since September.

Now that the protesters are gone, Brookfield is cleaning up the park. Brookfield said in a letter to New York’s mayor the park had become “unhealthy and unsafe.”

Continue Reading →
News Science Technology

Phobos-Grunt Mission To Mars Misfires

by

In the 1970s, a space project called the Phobos-Grunt project was proposed by Russian space experts.

At the time, it represented a dream for the Russian space program. To build a vehicle that could go all the way to Mars, to collect information from one of its moons, Phobos. It would be Russia’s first deep-space mission, developed entirely in the post-Soviet era.

The project had lots of problems over the years. They include mismanagement, political issues and serious technical problems, according to Russian journalist Anatoly Zak.

However, the Russian space agency persisted, and eventually the Phobos-Grunt became a reality.

The Phobos-Grunt launched on Nov. 9.

Unfortunately, the unmanned vehicle would not make it to Mars.

Continue Reading →
News Politics

What’s Happening In Europe?

by

A number of countries in Europe are having problems with their finances and their leaders.

This year, four prime ministers in Europe have quit their jobs or been forced out of office.

That’s because their countries have spent more money than they make and now they can’t pay their debts.

Some of the countries are making deals with other countries in Europe and the International Monetary Fund for a “bailout.”

A bailout is a loan to a country to keep it from going bankrupt.

The richer countries agree to put in more money to save the poorer countries.

Continue Reading →
Breaking News Politics

Italy’s PM To Step Down

by

Italy’s prime minister is stepping down.

On Tuesday, Silvio Berlusconi announced that he will resign.

His announcement came after a key vote in parliament indicated that he does not have the support of the majority of parliament.

Italy is in the midst of an “economic crisis” – the country has borrowed more money than it can pay. It has too much “debt.”

Other countries, like Ireland, Portugal and most recently Greece have had similar crises.

However, Italy’s problem is much bigger and arguably more of a problem for the whole European Union (EU). The European Union is a partnership of 27 countries in Europe.

Italy is more than $2.6 trillion in debt.

Continue Reading →
News

Flood Wreaks Havoc In Thailand

by

For months, Thailand has been experiencing a devastating flood.

The waters are wreaking havoc in 25 provinces, flooding farmlands, homes and businesses.

The water gathers in the country’s central plains and makes its way south to the sea, going through Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, on its route.

More than 500 people have died in the floods.

It is estimated that more than three million people have been affected.

At least a fifth of Bangkok is now under water. Bangkok has many canals and rivers that cut through it.

The polluted water is a health hazard; it is up to chest-high in some areas of the city.

Continue Reading →
Breaking News Politics

Financial Crisis In Greece Affecting EU

by

Greece is having a crisis over its money and its leaders. Greece’s crisis is affecting other countries in Europe.

Over time, Greece has borrowed a lot of money–more than it can pay back.

The European Union (EU) is a partnership of 27 countries including Greece.

The EU countries have been working together to come up with a plan to help Greece repay the money it owes.

If Greece can’t figure out a solution for its problems, it may go bankrupt or be forced out of the European Union.

Continue Reading →
Arts Entertainment

Throw Spears, Sing, Dance At Polynesian Culture Centre

by

You may have seen pictures of Hawaii on postcards, with its beautiful beaches, lush gardens and fascinating volcanoes.

But the Hawaiian islands are also rich in history and culture.

On the north shore of Hawaii’s island of Oahu you’ll find the Polynesian Culture Centre. There, each group of Hawaiian islands is represented in the form of a mini-village from that particular island chain.

Continue Reading →
Entertainment Lighter

Toronto’s Mayor Gets A Surprise Visit

by

Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford, was caught off-guard by a comedy team called This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

One of the fictional characters on CBC’s This Hour is Marg Delahunty.

She plays a “warrior princess journalist” who often confronts politicians in a funny way.

She “ambushes” them and talks to them about the issues of the day. It’s meant to be funny but often insightful, too.

Last week she tried to ambush Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in the driveway of his home.

There are two sides to the story of what happened next.

According to Marg Delahunty (comedian Mary Walsh in real life), their camera crew ambushed the mayor at 8:30 a.m., in daylight, and in her typical loud-mouthed way she started offering the mayor some advice.

She was trying to tell him that “we bombastic buffoons should stick together.”

Continue Reading →
1 … 69 70 71 72 73 … 90