Environmental News For The Week Ending 09 May 2019
This is a collection of interesting news articles about the environment and related topics published last week. This is usually a Tuesday evening regular post at
GEI (but can be posted at other times).
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Note: Because of the high volume of news regarding the coronavirus outbreak, that news has been published separately:
Major coronavirus metrics continue to head lower in the US, and now also globally. New cases in the US during the week ending May 8th were down 18.6% from new cases during the week ending May 1st, and are now down 83.3% from the January peak; this week also saw fewer new cases than any week since September. This week s US deaths attributed to Covid were 6.8% lower than the prior week s, and down 80.5% from the January high; US Covid deaths are now at the lowest rate since since the second week of July.
Ex-Dominican Republic deputy minister found guilty in sexual assault of Ontario woman
An Ontario woman who nearly lost her chance at justice after being sexually assaulted by an official in the Dominican Republic government more than four years ago says she s relieved he was found guilty this week.
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Joanna Kocsis, 37, says she s relieved I don t have to be in constant fight mode anymore
Posted: May 08, 2021 6:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 8
Joanna Kocsis, 37, says she s relieved her legal fight of more than four years is finally over, and the man who sexually assaulted her has been taken to prison in handcuffs. (John Lesavage/CBC)
Credit Kelly House / Bridge Michigan
Microplastic pollution has been building up in the Great Lakes for at least four decades, but our understanding of its impact on fish and other aquatic creatures is only just catching up.
Now new research from the University of Toronto shows the harm to wildlife is due to a wide range of factors that is not generally considered in toxicology testing – the plastics’ size, shape and chemical makeup.
In particular, it shows larval fathead minnows exposed to microplastics collected from Lake Ontario developed almost six times more deformities compared to when they were exposed ‘pristine’ pre-consumer microplastics. This suggests microplastics in the lake soak up contaminants in the water and that it is these chemicals that are causing deformities.
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TORONTO Ontario is expected to announce a 28-day province-wide “shutdown” Thursday to stop the spread of COVID-19 as an alarming spike in cases threatens the critical care system, The Canadian Press has learned.
A source with knowledge of the restrictions discussed at a cabinet meeting Wednesday night said the final details of the new measures will be worked out Thursday morning.
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Try refreshing your browser, or Ontario premier Doug Ford to lock down the entire province as COVID-19 spikes Back to video
The new steps would still allow both essential and non-essential retailers to remain open, albeit with occupancy limits, and schools will remain open after the Easter weekend. and not be closed ahead of a spring break slated for April 12, said the CBC, citing unnamed sources.
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Ontario is expected to announce a 28-day provincewide “shutdown” Thursday to stop the spread of COVID-19 as an alarming spike in cases threatens the critical care system, The Canadian Press has learned.
A source with knowledge of the restrictions discussed at a cabinet meeting Wednesday night said the final details of the new measures will be worked out Thursday morning.
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The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement, said schools will remain open after the Easter weekend.