World News & Stories

As someone who survived a mental illness, I'm glad conversations around mental illness are beginning—especially for women in the world’s toughest places.

The plight of Rohingya refugees has been at the forefront of international news here in Canada, but you may still have questions about the Myanmar and Rohingya crisis. Here are some fast facts to help you better understand what is happening in Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh.
 

A second earthquake in Mexico has caused extensive damage and more than 200 casualties, including children. Hundreds are trapped inside partially collapsed buildings. 

Hurricane Irma has passed over islands in Latin America and the Caribbean, but Hurricane Maria is now braced to hit the Dominican Republic.

In February, UN agencies declared a famine in parts of South Sudan. They estimated that 100,000 people faced immediate threat of starvation. They also raised a serious alarm that other regions in Africa are at risk of famine.

In a rare moment of winter cheer, these displaced Syrian children had some fun in the snow, north of the city of Aleppo. 

For years, our hearts have been broken by the conflict in Syria. This holiday season, the images of children hurt and even targeted by the violence, especially in Aleppo, seem almost too much to bear.

People around the world have been expressing solidarity for those suffering in Syria by lighting a candle in their honour. 

For years, our hearts have been broken by the conflict in Syria. As we near the holiday season, the images of children who have been hurt and even targeted by the violence, especially in Aleppo, seem almost too much to bear. 

The ceasefire in eastern Aleppo has shattered, stalling the evacuation plan to get people out of the city on buses. As eastern Aleppo lies in ruins, the reports of violence against the children of Aleppo signal a terrifying new chapter in the Syrian Crisis. 

On October 4th my colleagues and I anxiously watched the news as Hurricane Matthew tore through Haiti. All of us were hoping and praying that the damage would be minimal, but the storm was deadly.

Kaye has a smile that puts you at ease right away. The 14-year-old student made friends easily when she transferred to a new school several years ago. Smart, driven, and kind, she was an instant favourite with teachers and her peers.

In 2013, the Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 1,100 people. Many workers had received an ultimatum that day after complaining about dangerous cracks in the structure: go to work now or lose your pay. In the days that followed, Canadians watched in horror as information was released linking some of their favourite clothing brands with garments being sewn in that very building.

One hundred dollars a month: that’s the price Amira is paying for the small one-room shack her family is living in off of a main street in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. It’s an exorbitant price for Syrian refugees. And one Amira isn’t sure she can continue to afford.

In Canada, where most families have enough to eat, it's easy to become complacent about the idea of hunger. In the developing world, it's a different story.

Since 2011, conflict has devastated Syria. Now the Syrian refugee crisis is recognized internationally, as the largest refugee crisis of our time. The Syrian civil war has set Syria’s national standard of living back by decades – destroying health care systems, schools and water and sanitation facilities.

 

Ongoing civil conflict in Central African Republic has resulted in a humanitarian crisis impacting health care, education, nutrition and access to clean water.

Food shortages, lack of medicine and violence have led an increasing number of Venezuelans to flee the country and seek safety in neighbouring countries.

South Sudan has been gripped by civil war for the past six years, affecting millions of people in so many ways. Learn what ignited the war and what you can do to help.

Learn more about the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which sparked one of the most severe humanitarian crisis the country has faced to date.