China's breadbasket province realizes highly mechanized farming
Fang Ning,Hou Ming,unreguser - Yesterday 

Photo taken on Oct. 3, 2022 shows a paddy field of Yanjiagang Farm Co., Ltd. of Beidahuang Group in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)




HARBIN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- As China's breadbasket province of Heilongjiang is poised for another bumper harvest, the province's mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvest has reached 98 percent, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.

Heilongjiang has remained China's top grain producer for 12 consecutive years. Its grain growing area has kept stable at over 218 million mu (14.5 million hectares) this year.

The provincial department said the province's comprehensive mechanization rate of farming is about 25 percentage points higher than the national average, ranking first in the country.

Before the autumn harvest, the provincial authority mobilized to overhaul more than 2 million tractors, harvesters, and other harvesting machines and provided training for 124,000 person times.

At present, except for some winter corn plots, the harvesting has been completed across the province, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs, adding that data on this year's grain outputs are not yet available.

With the advancement of agricultural science and technology, Heilongjiang's comprehensive grain production capacity has continuously improved, with its total grain output increasing from 74.16 billion kg in 2016 to 78.7 billion kg in 2021. ■

THIS WAS DONE ACROSS THE PRAIRIES IN NORTH AMERICA IN THE SUMMER OF 1936

Germany, Belgium pledge funds to tackle climate 'loss and damage'
By Kate Abnett and Virginia Furness - 

Flooded buildings are seen as waters begin to recede in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, in Buzi© Thomson Reuters

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) -Germany and Belgium on Monday joined a small number of wealthy countries to commit funding to help developing nations facing damage and losses caused by climate change, committing 170 million euros and 2.5 million euros respectively.

While relatively small in size, the funds were symbolically significant in being announced as over 100 leaders gather in Egypt for the U.N.'s COP27 climate summit - where the urgent need for funding to support developing countries facing climate change-fuelled disasters is set to dominate the talks.


COP27 climate summit in Egypt© Thomson Reuters

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany would provide 170 million euros for a "Global Shield" from the Group of Seven rich countries for the V20 group of 58 vulnerable nations, aimed at strengthening insurance and disaster protection finance.

"We will also support those countries hit hardest by climate change in a targeted way in dealing with loss and damage," Scholz told the COP27 summit in the Egyptian seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Belgium pledged to allocate 2.5 million euros to combat climate change "loss and damage" out of a new 25-million-euro package of climate-related support for the southern African country of Mozambique from 2023 to 2028.

The Belgian government said its funding would focus on preventing and limiting loss and damage, for example by mapping areas vulnerable to storm surges, and rolling out early warning systems.

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Loss-and-damage funding is less politically contentious than explicit offers of compensation for climate-linked losses after disasters have struck - which can be perceived as rich nations paying reparations for causing climate change.

"There is, I think, a moral imperative to call it what it is," Matthew Samuda, a minister in Jamaica's economic growth ministry, said of the link between loss and damage funding and historical responsibility.

"But beyond that, there is also the practical need of being able to access funds," Samuda said.

Previously only Scotland and Denmark had pledged funding for climate-linked loss and damage, as well as the Belgian region of Wallonia.

The United States and European Union have blocked poorer countries' past attempts to secure loss and damage funding, fearing acknowledging liability for their historic contribution to the greenhouse gas emissions heating the planet.

Daniel Ribeiro of Mozambican environmental advocacy group Justiça Ambiental said Belgium's pledge was "a single act floating in a sea of inaction by the global north".

"Mozambique is just one of many countries facing this reality. This time we were the chosen, hand-picked recipients, but what about the broader systemic solution?" he said.

Scholz did not specify what the German funding would cover.

Dozens of developing countries have called for a deal at COP27 on a funding facility where rich nations would provide loss and damage cash to vulnerable states.

Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world and among the most vulnerable to extreme weather events.

Cyclone Idai, which struck Mozambique in 2019, caused about $1.4 billion in total damage and $1.39 billion in losses, according to an International Labour Organization assessment.

($1 = 0.9977 euros)

(Reporting by Kate Abnett and Virginia Furness; editing by Janet Lawrence and Mark Heinrich)

Western University student hosts stem cell drive to ethnically diversify Canada's blood supply

Isha Bhargava - CBC

Lauren Sano calls a stem cell transplant the "gift of life" - one that her father Mark was in desperate need of after being diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in 2019. Unable to find a full-match, Mark lost his battle to cancer 18 months later.

So when Sano read a CBC News story from July about the Prajapati family in Brampton, Ont., who are in the same situation with their twin toddlers, she decided to host a stem cell drive at Western University - where she's a student, in hopes of helping them out.

Misha and Zoey Prajapati were seven months old when they were diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), making the toddlers highly susceptible to frequent and potentially life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. The only cure is through a stem cell transplant.

"I felt super sad for these twins," Sano said. "But I also felt that there is something that can be done in this situation. There's a need for people to join the registry and really make this known."

According to Canadian Blood Services (CBS), a patient's best hope for a match is with someone of the same ethnic or ancestral background as them. Currently, the registry is made up of 66 per cent Caucasian donors. Only seven per cent are south Asian - which is what the twins require.

There's a shortage of donors from ethnically diverse backgrounds, which adds to the 1,000 Canadians who are on the list waiting for a stem cell match, said Chris van Doorn of CBS.

"Canada's becoming more diverse and we need to match the registry to reflect that, so we've been doing lots of work with patients in diverse communities to get more people registered," he said.


Twin toddlers Zoey (left) and Misha Prajapati, and their parents Sanjay (left) and Nipa, hope their family's story encourages more people with diverse backgrounds to join the stem cell registry.

© Talia Ricci/CBC

University age is 'prime time' to donate

Sano started Western's stem cell club shortly after her dad's death. Upon speaking to many student groups at her university, Sano was not surprised to hear that they were unaware of how lifesaving a stem cell transplant can be, especially among ethnic minorities, she said.

"It was very hard for me to lose my father to leukemia but the best thing I got from it was sharing an experience that I had to go through so other people don't have to suffer as much."

Eligible donors must be between the ages of 17 and 35 and in good health. The process takes less than 10 minutes and requires the inside of one's cheek to be swabbed to collect their DNA for it to be send to CBS, van Doorn said.

For Sano, this made Western the best place to recruit young, ethnically diverse donors.

"It's a prime age where this message can be shared and if healthy people have the ability to donate blood or anything with very little side effects, then it's something that should at least be made aware of at places like the campus," she said.

Two ways to donate are: peripheral blood donation in which blood is drawn from one arm, stem cells are collected, and the remaining components are returned to the donor. The second is through a surgical bone marrow transplant, which a lot less common, van Doorn said.

"It's pretty much one of the only ways you can directly save someone's life and it's so easy, just a simple blood donation that can directly impact somebody," he said.

"If you do get selected, you're probably the only person in the world who matches that patient so it's really important."

The twins' parents, Sanjay and Nipa were immensely grateful when they heard of Sano's drive.

"It's very heartwarming that there are people out there who are willing to commit their time to help our girls," Sanjay said. "All it takes is one match and so we're optimistic and in this case that's all you really can be."

The drive takes place on Nov. 24 and 25 on Western's campus. More information can be found online.

Trudeau tells health ministers money is there, but he wants to see results


VANCOUVER — The federal government will invest more in health care, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it also needs to ensure that Canadians see the results of an improved system.



Trudeau made his comments in Montreal today ahead of two days of meetings in Vancouver by Canada's federal, territorial and provincial health ministers.

The prime minister says the government has committed to investing "significantly more" in health care, while pointing to a recent statement from the head of the Canadian Medical Association that there's no point in putting more money into a broken system.

He says the government wants to ensure people have access to a family doctor and to mental health services, and that they know emergency rooms are open when their children need them.

The meetings in Vancouver are the first time all of Canada's health ministers have gathered in person since 2018.

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The premiers met in July, when they asked the federal government to increase health transfers to 35 per cent, up from what they said was 22 per cent funding.

Trudeau says delivery of health care needs to be improved for Canadians.

"So yes, we will be there with more money, but we need to make sure that more investments in health care end up supporting the folks on the front lines, the nurses and doctors delivering that health care to Canadians, and ensure that Canadians feel the results in our health-care system."

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix has said the extra cash is needed as the province tackles nursing and doctor shortages, works to improve access to digital health care, and boosts mental health and substance-use services related to the toxic drug crisis.

The Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Nurses Association and HealthCareCAN, which represents various organizations and hospitals, also teamed up ahead of this week's meetings to push the health ministers to work on urgent solutions to staffing shortages, burnout and other ills plaguing the system.

The groups are jointly calling for measures including incentives to retain workers, such as increased mental health supports, as well as a Canada-wide strategy to gather data on the workforce to allow doctors to be licensed more easily wherever they're most needed. They have also called for improved access to primary care and virtual visits.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2022.

The Canadian Press

Feds hold groundbreaking ceremony for Moderna's mRNA vaccine factory in Montreal area

MONTREAL — The new mRNA vaccine factory being built near Montreal by Moderna will help ensure Canada's health security in the face of more pandemics that are expected in the coming decades, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.


Feds hold groundbreaking ceremony for Moderna's mRNA vaccine factory in Montreal area© Provided by The Canadian Press

Trudeau took part in a groundbreaking ceremony in Laval, Que., for the new facility by the Massachusetts-based biotechnology company. He donned a helmet and reflective vest as he toured the grounds, where preparation and foundation work is underway.

The factory is expected to be completed in 2024 at the earliest and produce 100 million doses of mRNA vaccines per year. It will manufacture vaccines against COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

The prime minister told reporters the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred conversations about "how to make sure Canada is once again able to respond not just to its own needs, but to help lead the world at a time of uncertainty and a time of potentially more pandemics in the coming decades."

He was accompanied by several provincial and federal politicians, including federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer. Trudeau told reporters that Moderna's new factory represents an investment in the health-care security of Canadians and also in a research ecosystem that will deliver good jobs for years to come.

Stephen Hoge, the president of Moderna, said Quebec was chosen for the facility in part because of its "strong regulatory environment" and its skilled workforce.

Moderna, Hoge added, has dozens of medications under study, including those to tackle cancer and rare metabolic diseases. "There's incredible potential in our technology in cancer," he said, adding that the company is awaiting results from early-stage clinical trials.

Champagne said Canada has committed to purchase a certain number of vaccines from the factory as part of a seven-year agreement, but he didn't provide a precise number. He said the federal government did not invest in the facility itself.

The factory, Champagne added, would employ hundreds of people during its construction and "more than 200 people" once it opens.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2022.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

Lab-grown blood used on people in world-first clinical trial

Lynn Chaya - .National Post

Blood grown in a laboratory has been transfused into humans in a world-first clinical trial that researchers say could revolutionize treatments for people with rare blood types.


The lab-grown blood is tagged with a radioactive substance, typically used in medical procedures, to monitor its longevity in the body

So far, two U.K. patients have received small amounts — equivalent to a couple of spoonfuls — of the lab-grown blood to examine how it performs in the body.

The trial aims to compare the lifespan of lab-grown cells to infusions of standard red blood cells from the same donor.

“We hope our lab grown red blood cells will last longer than those that come from blood donors,” said Professor Cedric Ghevaert, chief investigator at the University of Cambridge. “If our trial, the first such in the world, is successful, it will mean that patients who currently require regular long-term blood transfusions will need fewer transfusions in future, helping transform their care.”

The trial, with research teams in Bristol, Cambridge, London and at NHS Blood and Transplant, focuses on the red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.




Beginning with a donation of a pint of blood from an adult, m agnetic beads are used to extract flexible stem cells that are capable of becoming a red blood cell. These stem cells are placed in a nutrient solution for approximately 18-21 days, stimulating the cells to multiply and develop into more mature cells, and are then guided to become red blood cells.

One pool of around 500,000 stem cells results in 50 billion red blood cells. After filtering those 50 billion red blood cells, the pool is reduced to 15 billion cells and are at the right stage of development to transplant.

The lab-grown blood is tagged with a radioactive substance, typically used in medical procedures, to monitor its longevity in the body.

“We want to make as much blood as possible in the future, so the vision in my head is a room full of machines producing it continually from a normal blood donation,” University of Bristol Professor Ashley Toye told the BBC.

While the trial is still in its initial phases, the bulk of blood transfusions will remain reliant on donations.

“The need for normal blood donations to provide the vast majority of blood will remain. But the potential for this work to benefit hard to transfuse patients is very significant,” said Dr. Farrukh Shah, medical director of Transfusion for NHS Blood and Transplant, and a collaborators on the project.

The manufacturing of lab-grown blood cells will be most beneficial for patients suffering from blood conditions like sickle cell anemia. Typically, the body rejects any treatment if the blood is not a precise match, which can be difficult for those with a rare blood type. This level of tissue-matching goes beyond the well-known A, B, AB and O blood groups, the BBC reports.

Professor Toye said some groups were “really, really rare” and there “might only be 10 people in the country” able to donate.

“This world-leading research lays the groundwork for the manufacture of red blood cells that can safely be used to transfuse people with disorders like sickle cell,” said Dr. Shah. “The potential for this work to benefit hard-to-transfuse patients is very significant.”

For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to Healthing.ca – a member of the Postmedia Network.

Minister links chronic pain with toxic drug overdoses, commits $5M to pain network

VANCOUVER — The federal government is putting $5 million toward chronic pain resources in what Carolyn Bennett, minister of mental health and addictions, says is part of an effort to help stop people with untreated pain from seeking relief through toxic street drugs.

Minister links chronic pain with toxic drug overdoses, commits $5M to pain network© Provided by The Canadian Press

She says up to $4.5 million over five years will go toward expanding the Pain Canada Network, enhancing national collaboration, scaling up best practices and expanding resources for those living with chronic pain.

Another $520,000 will support a project to improve access to services for LGBTQ residents in B.C., as well as those in Chinese, Punjabi and Arabic-speaking communities living with chronic pain.

Bennett says the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges for those living with pain, including access to adequate health services and support.

Her announcement came as the BC Coroners Service said 171 people died in September from the toxic drug crisis, putting the province on track to surpass 2,000 overdose deaths for another year.

Bennett says that data shows many of those who have died in B.C. sought treatment for their pain in the previous year.

"We have all heard about people being cut off their meds and then going to the street for their drugs. We don't think people should live in pain," Bennett says.

"This will help increase pain management options and awareness about best practices from coast to coast to coast."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2022.

Outcry as Republican Nikki Haley says Raphael Warnock should be ‘deported’

“Were it not for a HBCU [historically Black college and university] giving her father his first job in the US, Haley wouldn’t be in a position to insult Georgia’s first Black senator.”

Martin Pengelly- THE GUARDIAN 

The former US ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley told Republicans at a rally for Herschel Walker the Democrat in the Georgia US Senate race, the Rev Raphael Warnock, should be “deported”.


Photograph: Dustin Chambers/Reuters© Provided by The Guardian

“I am the daughter of Indian immigrants,” Haley said in Hiram, Georgia, on Sunday. “They came here legally, they put in the time, they put in the price, they are offended by what’s happening on [the southern US] border.

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“Legal immigrants are more patriotic than the leftists these days. They knew they worked to come into America, and they love America. They want the laws followed in America, so the only person we need to make sure we deport is Warnock.”

Haley is widely seen as a potential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, a seemingly imminent declaration from Donald Trump notwithstanding. Her comment drew widespread criticism.

Related video: Nikki Haley Says Raphael Warnock Should Be Deported

Cornell William Brooks, a Harvard professor and pastor, wrote: “Were it not for civil rights laws Black folks died for, Nikki Haley’s family might not be in America.

“Were it not for a HBCU [historically Black college and university] giving her father his first job in the US, Haley wouldn’t be in a position to insult Georgia’s first Black senator. Warnock’s history makes her story possible.”

Heath Mayo, an anti-Trump conservative, said: “Nikki Haley calling to deport Raphael Warnock perfectly captures how those that should’ve been serious and talented leaders were really just weak toadies ready to say anything for applause. This entire generation of GOP ‘leaders’ failed their test and let the country down.”

Walker and Warnock are locked in a tight race that could decide control of the Senate, currently split 50-50 and controlled by the vote of the vice-president, Kamala Harris. On Monday, the polling website FiveThirtyEight.com put Warnock one point ahead.

Haley also said Walker was “a good person who has been put through the ringer and has had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at him”.

Walker, a former college and NFL football star, has been shown to have made numerous false claims about his business career and personal life. Two women have said he pressured them to have abortions, allegations he denies while campaigning on a stringently anti-abortion platform.

Warnock, a pastor at a church once home to the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, won his Senate seat in January 2021, defeating the Republican Kelly Loeffler in a run-off. That victory and Jon Ossoff’s win over David Perdue for the other Georgia seat gave Democrats their precarious control of the chamber.

Could Elon Musk’s Twitter layoffs violate Canadian law? Experts weigh in

Aya Al-Hakim - TODAY

As Twitter begins its global layoffs, Canadian law experts say the moves would violate Canadian and Ontario laws depending on the wording of employee contracts and whether Canadian employees are given sufficient notice or severance pay.


A Twitter headquarters sign is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022.© (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Twitter temporarily closed its offices and cut workers' access to internal systems on Friday after telling employees they would be informed by email later in the day about whether they were being laid off.

Twitter temporarily closes offices as Elon Musk begins layoffs, including Canadian staff

Musk is looking to cut around 3,700 Twitter staff, or about half the workforce, as he seeks to slash costs and impose a demanding new work ethic, according to internal plans reviewed by Reuters this week.

The Canadian Press also reported that Paul Burns, managing director of the company’s Canadian operations, and Michele Austin, Twitter’s director of public policy for the U.S. and Canada, announced their departures from the San Francisco-based tech giant on social media on Friday.

Amid the cuts, Twitter is facing questions over whether the layoffs could fall afoul of labour laws.

While an employer always has the right to terminate an employee if proper notice or severance is given. Notice and severance will vary depending on the employee’s role and experience. A mass layoff of a workforce is different. In general, layoffs are governed by the employment contract and layoff clauses will appear in contracts where layoffs are more likely, for example, the auto industry. Otherwise, says Muneeza Sheikh, a lawyer and senior partner at Levitt Sheikh, an employment and labour law firm in Toronto, "the right to layoff is not automatic."

READ MORE: Musk’s Twitter takeover: Some Canadian professionals thinking of quitting platform. Why?

"What a lot of employers don't know, and I'm hoping Twitter knows, is that ultimately, in order to render a lawful layoff, you have to have an employment contract or agreement that gives you as an employer the right to layoff," said Sheikh.

The founder of Toronto-based Smith Employment Law, Waheeda Ekhlas Smith, says she doesn't know if Twitter has given notice that they were about to do these mass layoffs "because of the fact that it seems like it came out of the blue." But the Canada Labour Code does have termination rules in place that employers of companies like Twitter need to be aware of.

"If these rules aren't followed...then that's running afoul of the Canadian law," said Smith.

Video: Elon Musk proposes monthly Twitter verified fee despite initial user backlash and promises massive layoffs coming imminently

"If it's a straight termination, then the only determination for the Canadian employees would be to quibble over is if (the severance pay) is enough or not?" said Sheikh.

READ MORE: Paid verification? Elon Musk floats idea in 1st week as Twitter owner

Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, a law firm, explains on its website that "in Ontario, severance pay is a minimum of one week’s pay after three months of employment, up to a maximum of 24 months’ pay for a full severance package. This amount is arrived at through Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (ESA) and our common law court system."

Smith says that "depending on how long these employees have been there, they could be entitled to more than the minimum standards, (possibly) several several months."

Twitter is already facing a proposed class action lawsuit claiming the layoffs are imminent and will violate U.S. and California laws if employees are not given advance notice or severance pay.

However, there has been no reports of a similar lawsuit from Canadian employees — yet.

There are legal options available though, according to Smith, and it all depends on how the layoffs are done.

"People affected should get some legal advice (first)," she said. "The kind of advice they might be getting often starts with a demand letter from an employment lawyer to Twitter Canada.

A demand letter can be sent to the employer requesting proper severance is provided based on the employee’s lawyer’s review of the facts.

If an acceptable response is not received from the employer, Smith says people have the option to file a statement of claim for a wrongful dismissal lawsuit.

Video: Business News: Tumultuous first week for Elon Musk at Twitter

— With files from Reuters and The Canadian Press

CUPE to end Ontario education worker protests after Ford promises legislation repeal

"(Workers) took on the Ford government and the government blinked" 

TORONTO — More than 50,000 Ontario education workers will be back at work Tuesday after a walkout that closed hundreds of schools, their union said, after Premier Doug Ford promised to repeal a controversial law that imposed contracts on them.


CUPE to end Ontario education worker protests after Ford promises legislation repeal© Provided by The Canadian Press

Canadian Union of Public Employees leaders claimed victory Monday in their fight against the law, which includes a pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause, and which they called an attack on the rights of all Canadians.

"(Workers) took on the Ford government and the government blinked," said CUPE national president Mark Hancock.

Hancock made the announcement on a stage filled with more than a dozen leaders of other public- and private-sector unions, including the four major teachers' unions, steel workers, postal workers, Unifor, and the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union.

Opposition to the law had been gathering steam over the past several days and the unions used the press conference to give Ford a glimpse of what he faced had he not promised Monday morning to repeal the law.

"When you come for one of us, you come for all of us," said JP Hornick, president of OPSEU. "The workers, united, will shut this province down whenever we need to."

Ford said Monday morning that he would repeal the law, but only if CUPE employees stopped their walkout, describing his offer as "a massive olive branch."

"As a gesture of good faith, our government is willing to rescind the legislation, willing to rescind (the notwithstanding clause), but only if CUPE agrees to show a similar gesture of good faith by stopping their strike," he said at a news conference at the legislature, as a large crowd of protesters chanted outside.

Related video: Ontario education workers launch strike in defiance of province's ban

Duration 2:56

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"I desperately hope that CUPE shows the same willingness to compromise as we are today. I hope they hear my plea to keep students in class, but that’s not something I can guarantee you."

Hundreds of thousands of students were out of the classroom for a second day Monday, as many schools were closed to in-person learning as a result of the walkout by workers that included education assistants, librarians and custodians.

Many school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, said they would reopen Tuesday for in-person learning in light of the latest developments.

Ford said after CUPE's press conference that he was glad kids could return to class.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the education-worker bill would be revoked "at the earliest opportunity." The legislature is on a previously scheduled break this week and a spokeswoman for Ford said legislation to repeal the bill would be introduced on Nov. 14.

The government had originally offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others, but the four-year deal imposed by the law gave 2.5 per cent annual raises to workers making less than $43,000 and 1.5 per cent raises for all others.

CUPE said that framing was not accurate because the raises actually depend on hourly wages and pay scales, so the majority of workers who earn less than $43,000 in a year wouldn't get 2.5 per cent.

CUPE had originally been seeking annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent as well as overtime at two times the regular pay rate, 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for educational assistants and ECEs, an increase in benefits and professional development for all workers.

Laura Walton, president of CUPE's Ontario School Board Council of Unions, said a union counter offer tabled last week cut its wage proposal in half and made "substantial" moves in other areas.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2022.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press