China’s successful launch of the core module of its first space station will strengthen international space cooperation, said experts from various countries.
China on Thursday sent into space the core module of its space station Tiangong, meaning Heavenly Palace, kicking off a series of key launch missions that aim to complete the construction of the station by the end of next year.
Michel Tognini, deputy head of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC), who is also a former astronaut of France, said it was a key step for China to launch the core module and the Chinese space station will also open a new foothold for the country’s exploration in space.
“I congratulate China. I congratulate the Chinese space system. This is a very important launch. China will have a permanent in-orbit space station. This will not only allow China to send astronauts into space frequently, but also allow the long stay of astronauts for space operations such as extra-vehicular maintenance, extra-vehicular research, robotic projects and practicing long flights. This is very good. It’s good preparation for building a space station on the moon in the future, or even landing on the moon,” said Tognini.
“It will have multiple modules, it’ll have cargo spacecraft, it’ll have scientific…, it’ll have everything that the international space station has. The fact that it was launched as flawlessly as it was and is operating perfectly, I think bodes well for every other launch that will follow,” said Cowing.
Experts believe the project will bring extensive benefits to all mankind as China has always carried out international exchanges and cooperation with an open attitude.
“Every country hopes to take a step forward in the field of outer space. Therefore, international cooperation in this field should not be only among the great powers. So I think it is totally correct for China’s space station project to be open to all countries,” said Aleksandr Pavlovich Aleksandrov, Russian aerospace expert and former Soviet cosmonaut.
Roberto Battiston, former president of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), noted with such a high-level space station plan, China demonstrates its vital role in the peaceful and rational use of space.
China’s space station is a large-scale project that allows Chinese astronauts to stay in space for a long time. Like the former Soviet Union, the United States, and later the International Space Station with the participation of Europe, Canada and Japan, it has an extremely high level of technology that allows a country to plan its next steps, which is to realize the long stay of humans in space, and to go to the Moon and even to other planets like Mars,” noted Battiston.
“Space is a common asset of mankind. China is playing a vital role in this regard. China and Italy will continue to conduct high-energy cosmic ray detection on the Chinese space station, which will set a good example of conducting global scientific research. This kind of scientific research can only be achieved through the cooperation of scientists from all countries,” he added.
For developing countries, Nyameko Royi, senior engineer at the African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC), lauds China’s contribution to promoting the exploration of space in those nations.
“Previously, it was only Europe and America, and maybe Russia to a certain extent, that had a footprint on the International Space Station, and then also they had just rooms in there. Now with China now going this route, developing nations also might have their own room,” said Royi.
TORONTO – Unifor says workers at a Walmart warehouse in Mississauga, Ont., have voted to join the union.
The union says it’s Walmart’s first warehouse to unionize in Canada.
Unifor national president Lana Payne says the employees stood up for their rights and the union is excited to get to work on their first collective agreement.
Unifor’s campaign at Walmart’s facility began in December 2023.
The vote was held from Sept. 10 to 12.
Unifor represents 315,000 workers across the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
MONTREAL – A 20-year-old man arrested over an alleged Islamic State terror plot to kill Jews in New York City will return to court in December in Montreal.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national living in Ontario, was arrested last week in Ormstown, Que., allegedly on his way across the border into New York state.
Khan has been charged in the United States with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a terrorist organization, and officials are seeking to have him extradited to stand trial.
He was not present for a hearing today in Quebec Superior Court, where lawyers said they are waiting for extradition documents and for authorization from Canadian officials before proceeding in the case, which will return before a judge on Dec. 6.
U.S. authorities allege that Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, intended to use “automatic and semi-automatic weapons” in a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn around Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Authorities allege he began planning his attack in November 2023.
Earlier this week, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Khan arrived in Canada in June 2023 on a student visa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
