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Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem accused the U.S. and its allies of supporting terrorism in his country.

In a report by Al Jazeera, the minister made the announcement to the UN general assembly on Monday. He also said that Syria has been facing “organized terrorism” for over a year referring to allies of the opposition to the ruling regime.

Moualem said that peace action is required not only by Syria itself but by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya and others to stop arming and financing rebels. He also said that calls for Bashar al-Assad to step down are a blatant interference in Syrian domestic affairs.

The U.S. and France have championed for a regime change in Syria while Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are believed to be arming rebels in the conflict.

An estimated 30 000 people are believed to have died since the conflict began in March 2011.

Flickr Photo by: Utenriksdept

The Northlander Train is getting ready to make its final trip between Toronto and Cochrane this week.

According to CBC News, Northern Ontarians are unhappy with the province`s decision to sell the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

The provinces plan of action has given Northern Ontarians the impression that they are being ignored and unrecognized.

The President of the Federation of the Northern Ontario Municipalities stated that politicians in the North are not getting the representation they deserve.

A decision which Northern Ontarians had very little consent in is an example of why they want to seperate from the rest of the province.

New green fees for when purchasing electronics will come into effect on Monday.

According to CBC News, the fee of 40 dollars or more will apply to the purchases of televisions, cellphones, laptop computers and printers in Quebec stores. The fee varies on the price of the product.

The fee will be used to finance a new recycling system in Quebec.

Stereo systems and gaming consoles will be affected by the charge in July 2013.

The Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society are arguing that the child welfare funding shortfall for children on reserves is discriminatory.

According to OpenFile, at issue is equal funding for families who live on reserves as children in the rest of Canada.

While the provinces are responsible for child welfare services, the federal government is responsible for the services on reserves.

Since 2007, the federal government has spent more than $1.5 million fighting the ongoing Human Rights Tribunal. According to the executive director of the First Nations Caring Society Cindy Blackstock, that money could make a huge difference on reserves.

Aboriginal Affairs increased funding over the past sixteen years to around $600 million to help keep children with their families. However, the investment has not fixed the situation.

According to UNICEF, more than 27 000 Aboriginal children live in foster homes in Canada. That is three times more than in 1949 at the peak of the residential school system. Factors include neglect due to poverty, poor housing and substance mis-use.

February 25th will be the first day of fourteen days of hearings on whether the child welfare funding formula is discriminatory.