Around 90,000 Cases of Sex Abuse Filed In Boy Scouts

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The Boys Scouts of America filed claims for their bankruptcy case on 16 November. As the deadline for submitting the claims approached that day, the number of sexual abuse claims rose to 88,500. This will result in the creation of a compensation fund to pay survivors whose claims are upheld. The size of this fund will consist of a portion of the organization’s assets, as well as contributions from current and past insurers. A lawyer named Andrew Van Arsdale started a network under the name of Abused in Scouting, stating that it already had approximately 16,000 claimants. He says this number doubled after the Boy Scouts began a nationwide campaign to offer compensation to victims. “They spent millions trying to encourage people to come forward,” Van Arsdale stated. “Now, the question is whether they can make good on their commitment.” [CTV}[By Iris Ma]

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Peru Goes Through 3 Presidents in 1 Week

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Peru’s current constitutional crisis began on 9 November, when Congress impeached then-President Martín Vizcarra for “moral incapacity”. Vizcarra was a popular figure who introduced reforms to curb government corruption. Congress then appointed Speaker Manuel Merino as interim President on 10 November. Vizcarra’s removal sparked widespread protests in which 2 people were killed and dozens injured, resulting in Merino’s resignation under popular pressure on 15 November. The centrist, Purple Party co-founder Francisco Sagasti was then appointed as interim President on 16 November and is expected to serve until the next presidential election in 2021.[WP][By KEVIN WANG] 

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Huge 15-Country Trade Deal Signed in Asia-Pacific

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On 15 November at a virtual summit, 15 Asia-Pacific countries, including China, Japan, and South Korea, signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. This massive free trade agreement encompasses nearly a third of the global population, GDP, and trade. The RCEP’s Joint Leader Statement declared that the agreement “demonstrates our strong commitment to supporting economic recovery” from the Covid-19-caused recession. The deal is notable for excluding the United States, which tore up a similar agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017. India was party to the talks but pulled out in 2019 over concern for domestic producers. [NPR] [By KEVIN WANG] 

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30 days left to fight against Chinese Tactics

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On 18 November, parliament ruled 178 to 146 for the Liberals to come up with a plan to fight the Chinese government’s tactics against Canadians within 30 days. The Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois all voted to pass the motion while the majority of ruling Liberals voted against it. Although it isn’t binding, the motion acts as “a declaration of support or purpose.” Issues the Liberal government will have to consider include the detainment of Michael Kovrig and Spavor, state-sponsored corporate espionage, and China’s human rights record in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. So far, Canada is the only member of the five-eyes alliance to not ban 5G products from China; the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK have already done so. Canada has been on the fence for two years as Liberals consider how to best protect Canadian telecommunications. [Globe and Mail] [By Miranda Zhao] 

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Get Canada to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

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On November 19 at the Ornamental Gardens in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled plans to get Canadian carbon emissions to a net-zero by 2050. “Climate change remains one of the greatest challenges of our times,” he said. On the same day, new legislation was tabled by Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson which would require current and future federal governments to set binding climate targets to reach this goal in the next 30 years. This legislation fulfills one of the Liberal’s election promises which was cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The term “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050 means all carbon emissions produced 30 years from now would be counteracted by carbon scrubbing mechanisms such as trees or technology-based carbon capture systems. In such efforts, the Liberals have promised to plant two billion trees. The bill, if passed, will help Canada reach “net-zero” around the mid-century to limit global temperature increases to 1.5C. The 1.5C was a target set in the Paris Climate Accord, signed by the majority of countries, including Canada. [CBC][By Anirudh Goel]

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Compensation given to 2300 women due to misogyny in RCMP

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The Merlo-Davidson class-action lawsuit was first acted upon in court in 2012. It alleges that female members of the RCMP have been subjected to discrimination and sexual harassment. Since a settlement was reached, the claims of 2300 women have been approved, with a payout total of more than 120 million. A new report titled “Broken Dreams Broken Lives” written by Michel Bastarache and published 19 November has further revealed the level of toxicity, misogyny, racism, and homophobia in the RCMP. It was compiled with evidence from more than 644 interviews with current or former employees of the RCMP. “No financial compensation can repair the damage that the assessors witnessed. If no concrete measures are taken, the RCMP will be in the same place again in a few years”, Bastarache wrote in the report.[CBC][Miranda Zhao]