Mail Theft, Apple Inc. Lawsuit, Congo's Ebola Outbreak

Ahmad Moujtahed

________________________________________________________________

LOCAL

Montreal police are urging people to equip their mailboxes with locks after three people were arrested for raiding mailboxes to steal peoples' identities in Montreal and Laval. Police say the suspects targeted residences where mailboxes were accessible from outside the building. 

According to CBC News, the suspects would allegedly steal mail and open a bank account with a victim's personal information. They would subsequently go back to the victim's residence, retrieve the card they ordered and deposit fake cheques in the new bank accounts. In some cases, the suspects would redirect the victims’ mail to other addresses. 

For people who cannot afford installing locks or mail slots, police are asking that they retrieve their mail as quickly as possible.

NATIONAL

Quebec Superior Court has allowed a lawsuit against Apple and its Canadian division on the grounds that batteries in the iPhone and other products are not durable for a reasonable length of time.

The law firm leading the suit is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for those affected. A Montreal Gazette report revealed that the lawsuit affects those who have bought any Apple products with a rechargeable battery since December 29th, 2014. It also will affect those who purchased Applecare or AppleCare+ since December 20th, 2015.

The class action was allowed on the basis that Apple has failed to provide products that must be durable for a reasonable length of time. However, it is not clear what is considered a reasonable length of time; since Apple and the Canadian government consider batteries to be consumables and generally not covered under the Consumer Protection Act.

INTERNATIONAL

The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo a "public health emergency of international concern".

Now that the year-old Ebola epidemic has reached Goma, a heavily populated city near the border with Rwanda, the WHO is looking to increase funding to fight the disease spread. 

The viral disease has killed more than 1600 people over the past year. The current outbreak is largely confined to Congo apart from three deaths in Uganda last month. Health officials and responders hope declaring the global health emergency will bring more international attention and aid.