Montreal's Self-Driving Bus, #VoteForEveryChild, Europe's Inferno

Ahmad Moujtahed

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LOCAL

New self-driving buses are roaming the streets of Montreal for the first time. Transporting people from the Olympic Stadium to the Maisonneuve Market at no cost, the self-driving buses are part of a city pilot project aimed at testing autonomous vehicles on city streets.

The project builds on last year's experiment with the same bus, which drove people around the grounds of the Olympic Stadium.

The tiny red bus is equipped with sensors and a navigational system, and runs at a maximum speed of 15 km/h. The doors open by themselves at every planned stop, and bells sound automatically whenever the bus drives through an intersection, warning others of its presence.

Each bus has space enough for 12 passengers. The project will run until August 4th.

NATIONAL

Driven by issues such as poverty, bullying and violence, Canada ranks 25th out of 41 wealthy countries in overall child well-being. UNICEF Canada says that with no voting rights, children do not get the same opportunity to shape policies that could make Canada a safer and happier place to grow up.

This is why the global UN agency is launching its first election advocacy campaign called #VoteForEveryChild. By encouraging voters to tell their candidates about issues affecting Canadian children, the campaign will ensure that young voices are heard.

To track opinions of young people, UNICEF Canada created U-Report, a polling platform for Canadians aged 13 to 24.

Young people in Canada can tell voters about the issues affecting their lives by signing up at U-Report Canada’s Facebook page. Voters can advocate for children and youth rights by joining the #VoteForEveryChild movement.

INTERNATIONAL

At least 8 people have died in western Europe as the region is enduring a searing heatwave which should cool down by next week, according to meteorologists.  

The high temperature, reaching 47C in some places, fuelled huge blazes and pollution peaks.

Earlier this week, the World Meteorological Organization said 2019 was on track to be among the world’s hottest years. The organization also said the European heatwave was "absolutely consistent" with extremes linked to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

A protest was held in Paris last week, during which hundreds of people, many of them students, blocked traffic as they called for more attention to climate change.