Attacked For Wearing Niqab, Smart Cities Challenge Winners, Instagram Poll Determines Fate Of Malaysian Teen

 

Hosted by Ahmad Moujtahed

Stories by Ahmad Moujtahed

 

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LOCAL

Fatima Ahmad, a 22-year-old student and resident of Montreal said a man tried to rip off her niqab as she was entering Charlevoix Metro Station. She also revealed that he hit her in the chest before running across the street to take a bus.

Ahmad points out this isn’t an isolated incident — and such incidents are becoming more common especially with the tabling of Quebec’s secularism bill.

Justice Femme, a Montreal-based group that offers legal support to women, says it has received more reports of hate-fuelled incidents since the bill’s March 28 tabling.

The reports included 12 cases of cyberbullying, which resulted in some women removing their photos from social media. There were two reports of women being refused early childhood education jobs on the basis of their hijabs. In several other cases, women said they were harassed or intimidated at work.

 

NATIONAL

Infrastructure Canada announced the winners of its Smart Cities Challenge, a competition which empowers communities across the country to address local issues their residents face through new partnerships, using a smart cities approach, or in other words, through the use of data and connected technology. The winners will receive prizes worth a total of $75 million, which will be used to implement their visions.

The Town of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia took the $5 million prize for its proposal to reduce energy poverty among its citizens by making energy services universally available, affordable, and secure.

Nunavut Communities received $10 million for a life promotion approach to suicide prevention. The City of Guelph and Wellington County also received $10 million for their proposal to create a Circular Food Economy. And the $50 million prize went to the City of Montréal for its proposal to improve mobility and access to food.

The four winners will implement their smart cities approaches over the next five years. Updates on their implementation will be posted on Infrastructure Canada's website.

 

INTERNATIONAL

A 16 year-old girl has reportedly killed herself in Malaysia, after posting a poll on her Instagram account asking followers if she should die or not, and 69% of responders voting that she should.

Local officials have questioned whether the people who voted in the poll could be culpable in her death. Abetting the suicide of a minor is a crime in Malaysia, and those found guilty can face the death penalty or up to 20 years in prison.

Instagram extended its sympathies to the teenager's family, and said the company had a responsibility to make its users feel safe and supported.