360º News: International & National briefs
NATIONAL NEWS
Elizabeth Buhler, believed to be Canada's oldest person at just shy of 112 years old, has passed away. She experienced severe poverty in Russia, survived the Great Depression on a farm in Manitoba and dealt with the trauma of losing one of her seven children at birth, the Globe and Mail reported. She had a positive attitude and believed in helping others above all else. She enjoyed walkathons until she was 90 and her guilty pleasure was lard.
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Situations are critical at London hospitals where extensive wait times in the ER may cause surgeries to be canceled. Medical officials at both the University and Victoria hospitals are requesting that individuals with minor injuries visit their family doctor or walk-in clinic to free up room. Current wait times could be anywhere from 20 to 30 hours. The reason behind them is likely due to an increase in influenza activity in the community.
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Police in Nova Scotia are investigating after someone posted an online ad offering someone else's baby for sale, reported QMI Agency. The posting appeared briefly on classifieds website Kijiji, according to Cape Breton Regional Police. The ad listed a two-month-old Sydney, N.S., baby boy for sale and provided the contact information of his parents, police said. Police visited the home and found the mother and her sevenmonth- old child were not in distress. The mother wasn't aware of the posting. Police are trying to track down who posted the ad but currently suspect it was just a bad joke. The post has since been removed from Kijiji.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Last year's natural disasters racked up $109 billion in economic damages, reported the London Free Press. This figure is three times higher than 2009's economic damages. Chile and China are facing the highest bills, with February's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile costing $30 billion and landslides and floods in the summer costing China $18 billion. There were 373 natural disasters recorded last year. Of that number, 22 were in China, 16 were in India and 14 were in the Philippines.
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January 25 was a "Day of Wrath" in Egypt, as protestors took to the streets to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Protests took place in cities across the country. Demonstrators, inspired by the fall of the leader of Tunisia earlier this month, said they were angry at Egypt's poverty and repression, reported The Toronto Star. Three protesters and one policeman were killed. Attempts to continue the protest the next day were quickly shut down by police.
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A judge jailed a Romanian man for 21 years and his father for six years for trafficking girls and women into the UK to force them to become sex slaves, a spokesperson for Manchester Crown Court said. Marius Nejloveanu, 23, and his father Bogdan, 51, deceived at least five women, then aged between 15 and 23 years old, into coming to England and making them work as prostitutes in Manchester, Birmingham and on the continent, reported CNN.
— compiled by Erika Faust and Jessica Ireland
Elizabeth Buhler, believed to be Canada's oldest person at just shy of 112 years old, has passed away. She experienced severe poverty in Russia, survived the Great Depression on a farm in Manitoba and dealt with the trauma of losing one of her seven children at birth, the Globe and Mail reported. She had a positive attitude and believed in helping others above all else. She enjoyed walkathons until she was 90 and her guilty pleasure was lard.
-----
Situations are critical at London hospitals where extensive wait times in the ER may cause surgeries to be canceled. Medical officials at both the University and Victoria hospitals are requesting that individuals with minor injuries visit their family doctor or walk-in clinic to free up room. Current wait times could be anywhere from 20 to 30 hours. The reason behind them is likely due to an increase in influenza activity in the community.
-----
Police in Nova Scotia are investigating after someone posted an online ad offering someone else's baby for sale, reported QMI Agency. The posting appeared briefly on classifieds website Kijiji, according to Cape Breton Regional Police. The ad listed a two-month-old Sydney, N.S., baby boy for sale and provided the contact information of his parents, police said. Police visited the home and found the mother and her sevenmonth- old child were not in distress. The mother wasn't aware of the posting. Police are trying to track down who posted the ad but currently suspect it was just a bad joke. The post has since been removed from Kijiji.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Last year's natural disasters racked up $109 billion in economic damages, reported the London Free Press. This figure is three times higher than 2009's economic damages. Chile and China are facing the highest bills, with February's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile costing $30 billion and landslides and floods in the summer costing China $18 billion. There were 373 natural disasters recorded last year. Of that number, 22 were in China, 16 were in India and 14 were in the Philippines.
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January 25 was a "Day of Wrath" in Egypt, as protestors took to the streets to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Protests took place in cities across the country. Demonstrators, inspired by the fall of the leader of Tunisia earlier this month, said they were angry at Egypt's poverty and repression, reported The Toronto Star. Three protesters and one policeman were killed. Attempts to continue the protest the next day were quickly shut down by police.
-----
A judge jailed a Romanian man for 21 years and his father for six years for trafficking girls and women into the UK to force them to become sex slaves, a spokesperson for Manchester Crown Court said. Marius Nejloveanu, 23, and his father Bogdan, 51, deceived at least five women, then aged between 15 and 23 years old, into coming to England and making them work as prostitutes in Manchester, Birmingham and on the continent, reported CNN.
— compiled by Erika Faust and Jessica Ireland
