Reading Time: 4 minutes Chinese anger at sale of Panama Canal ports to a U.S. investor highlights the growing rivalry between the two nations and leaves many questions as to how the relationship will develop under Donald Trump's administration
ANALYSIS: Chinese anger at sale of Panama Canal ports to US investor highlights tensions between the two superpowers
COMMENT: Fertile land for growing vegetables is at risk — but a scientific discovery could turn the tide
Reading Time: 4 minutes Research work at Quebec's Laval University's Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, carried out in partnership with 14 vegetable farms, offers hope for ensuring the sustainability of their soils.
COMMENT: How even just 15 minutes in nature can boost your wellbeing
Reading Time: 3 minutes Spending time outside, particularly in nature, is important because it can help regulate stress, boost mental health, and improve immune function.
COMMENT: How honeybees can help us monitor pollution across Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes The honey produced by the tireless work of the honeybee is nothing short of an untapped goldmine of environmental data that could help us better understand the spread of environmental pollutants.
COMMENT: Why winter makes you more vulnerable to colds – a public health nurse explains the science behind the season
Reading Time: 3 minutes Being cold isn't why you get a cold. But it is true that cold weather makes it easier to catch respiratory viruses such as the cold and flu. Research also shows that lower temperatures are associated with higher COVID-19 rates.
COMMENT: The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is a failure, and new immigration limits make a bad situation worse
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) was seemingly set up to fail. Multiple successive governments have long passed the buck to the next and still none are willing to fix it.
COMMENT: Bovaer is added to cow feed to reduce methane emissions. Does it get into milk and meat? Is it harmful for humans?
Reading Time: 4 minutes There has been an enormous amount of misinformation about the safety of 3-NOP, with some labelling milk from herds fed the additive as "Frankenmilk." Others have been concerned it could make its way to humans via beef. The bottom line is that 3-NOP is safe. Let's unpack some of the major misunderstandings.
Bird flu detected in pigs – here’s why virologists are concerned
Reading Time: 4 minutes H5N1 influenza has now been detected in pigs. This was something virologists had been worrying about ever since this highly pathogenic strain of bird flu started its rapid global spread in 2020. But why were we worrying specifically about pigs? And does this case – detected on a farm in Oregon on October 29 – change anything?
Opinion: BRICS summit shows determination for a new world order – but internal rifts will buy the West some time
Reading Time: 4 minutes There's an internal battle in BRICS over its future direction. This, in turn, creates space and time for the West to exercise more positive and constructive influence in the ongoing process of reshaping the international order.
How farmers can use solar power without damaging the rest of their operation
Agrivoltaics can mitigate a main criticism of solar power - that it wastes farmland
Reading Time: 3 minutes One approach to decarbonizing the agricultural sector is agrivoltaics. It involves integrating solar panels; or photovoltaics (PVs); into fields of crops, greenhouses and livestock areas, which can help farmers reduce their carbon footprint while continuing to produce food.
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
