Month: May 2020

Le monde scientifique se pose toujours des questions sur les moyens de dépister plus rapidement et d’améliorer les traitements de l’autisme. Une vaste étude menée par 177 scientifiques internationaux confirme l’importance de certaines modifications génétiques dans la survenue de l’autisme qui pourrait permettre des avancées dans les années à venir.

Avec entre 30 000 et 80 000 enfants diagnostiqués chaque année en France, l’

autisme est aujourd’hui de plus en plus fréquent, touchant environ un enfant sur 110. La manifestation la plus frappante de cette pathologie est la difficulté, plus ou moins importante, rencontrée par ces enfants à être sociables et à communiquer avec leurs proches.D’après de nouvelles recherches publiées dans la revue Nature du 9 juin 2010, des mutations affectant certains gènes pourraient influencer la survenue de l’autisme. Pour arriver à cette conclusion, 177 scientifiques, issus de 60 institutions et de 11 pays différents ont analysé le génome entier de 1 000 personnes présentant des troubles liés à l’autisme, et de 1 300 personnes témoins.
Les résultats mettent en évidence des insertions et des suppressions de très courtes séquences d’information génétique chez les personnes autistes. Ces mutations sont appelées “variations du nombre de copies“, et leur découverte permis d’identifier de nouveaux gènes impliqués dans l’autisme.
Ces gènes seraient impliqués dans la communication entre les neurones (au niveau des synapses), dans la prolifération cellulaire, ou dans la transmission de signaux au sein même d’une cellule.
Les chercheurs ont également remarqué de telles mutations sur d’autres gènes (alors que c’est rare chez les personnes non autistes), mutations qui pourraient perturber les gènes déjà associés à l’autisme.

Ce travail majeur vient conforter le récent consensus scientifique, selon lequel l’autisme est provoqué en partie par des “variations rares“ ou des modifications de certains gènes. Parallèlement, cela confirme que ces gènes jouent un rôle dans le fonctionnement des synapses cérébrales, rôle qui avait été identifié par l’équipe de Thomas Bourgeron (Institut Pasteur, université Denis Diderot) et celle de Marion Leboyer (Inserm, AP/HP, FondaMental) en 2008.
Ces découvertes offrent de nouvelles pistes de recherche ainsi que des cibles potentielles pour le développement de traitements innovants. Cependant pour l’instant ces mutations ne sont retrouvées que chez une petite partie des patients autistes. Néanmoins de nouveaux essais -le consortium va analyser le génome de 1500 nouvelles familles- vont permettre de compléter ces résultats, et permettront peut-être de préciser le rôle de chaque gène ou sa mutation, ce qui pourrait à terme permettre de diagnostiquer beaucoup plus rapidement la maladie et donc mieux la traiter. Frédéric Tronel et Jean-Philippe Rivière
Source : Consortium sur l’autisme : découverte de nouveaux gènes“, communiqué de presse conjoint (CNRS, FondaMental, Inserm, UPMC, Institut Pasteur, AP/HP), 9 juin 2010. L’étude publiée ce jour dans la revue Nature est intitulée “Functional impact of global rare copy number variation in autism spectrum disorders“ (doi:10.1038),

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Photo prise à l’Ecole ABA (du nom d’une méthode américaine de soin basée sur une thérapie comportementale appliquée, accessible en France depuis seulement 2 ans) pour enfants autistes qui vient d’être inaugurée à Suresnes, 3 juin 2010 © FACELLY/SIPAClick Here: cheap all stars rugby jersey

La Commission européenne a donné son feu vert à l’utilisation du médicament REYATAZ ® boosté, en association avec d’autres traitements antiviraux, chez les enfants âgés de 6 à 18 ans et de plus de 15 kg infectés par le VIH.

On estime à 2 millions le nombre d’enfants âgés de moins de 15 ans atteints par le VIH, et entre 1000 et 1500 le nombre de nouveaux cas recensés chaque jour.

REYATAZ ® (Bristol-Myers Squibb) est un

antiviral de la classe des inhibiteurs de protéase nécessitant une seule prise quotidienne. Il s’agit du premier médicament de cette classe à avoir été commercialisé en 2004 dans l’Union européenne chez les patients infectés par le VIH et déjà traités avec d’autres médicaments. L’autorisation a été étendue aux patients n’ayant jamais reçu de traitement en 2008 dans l’ensemble des pays de l’UE. La même année, l’agence du médicament américaine (FDA, Food and Drug administration) a autorisé son utilisation chez les petits Américains d’au moins 6 ans et une étude clinique a confirmé sa bonne

tolérance, son efficacité et sa sécurité d’emploi chez ces jeunes patients.
Cette étude a porté sur 182 enfants atteints d’une infection par le VIH, âgés de 3 mois à 21 ans, n’ayant soit jamais reçu de traitement, soit prétraités. Les données issues des 41 patients qui ont reçu REYATAZ ® soutiennent la nouvelle indication pédiatrique, indique le laboratoire BMS dans un communiqué. Et de préciser : “le profil de sécurité d’emploi de REYATAZ ® chez les enfants a été globalement comparable à celui observé chez l’adulte“.
Une avancée considérable dans la prise en charge de l’infection par le VIH touchant les plus petits. Amélie PelletierSource : “REYATAZ® (atazanavir) autorisé pour une utilisation pédiatrique par la Commission Européenne“, communiqué de presse de Bristol-Myers Squibb, 8 juillet 2010Click Here: Fjallraven Kanken Art Spring Landscape Backpacks

Comme chaque année à l’approche de l’hiver, l’Établissement français du sang constate une baisse du nombre de dons de sang et lance un appel à la solidarité des Français à l’approche de Noël. Une solidarité indispensable pour couvrir les besoins des patients.

L’Établissement Français du sang explique dans un communiqué diffusé le 15 novembre : “A l’approche des fêtes de Noël et de fin d’année, il existe un cadeau rare et précieux : le don de sang […] l’EFS a besoin que vous réalisiez ce geste solidaire et généreux, pour donner aux malades les produits sanguins dont ils ont besoin“. L’EFS rajoute qu’en France et chaque jour, la situation de milliers d’individus nécessite 10 000 dons de sang pour les soigner, une quantité qui ne peut être atteinte sans la solidarité massive des Français. Un message qui s’accompagne d’inquiétude de la part de l’EFS qui explique au quotidien “Le Parisien“ qu’en ce moment onze jours de stock de sang sont comptabilisés, une situation plus que critique qui serait due en partie aux grèves d’octobre qui ont freiné la population à se rendre dans les établissements français du sang ou dans les centres de collecte. Le président de l’EFS précise : “Nous disposons actuellement de 72 000 poches de sang en stock alors qu’il nous en faudrait 100 000. Nous en consommons quotidiennement près de 8 000 et il nous faudrait au moins 10 000 poches supplémentaires chaque semaine pour être confortables“ et cela alors que janvier approche et est habituellement une période de haute utilisation des dons du sang. Pour sensibiliser les Français, une campagne a été mise en place afin d’expliquer que chaque don de sang peut sauver une vie. L’EFS dispose de plus de 130 sites fixes partout en France en plus des centres de collecte itinérants qui traversent régulièrement le pays. Un don de sang ne nécessite qu’une heure dans votre emploi du temps et n’est pas douloureux.
Amélie Pelletier
SourcesRelaxnewsCommuniqué de l’EFS, novembre 2010
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Un salon entièrement consacré à notre bien-être, rien de mieux pour se remettre doucement de cet hiver bien froid ! Du 3 au 7 février, se tiendra à la Porte de Versailles (Paris), le 28 ème Salon Bien-Être, Médecine Douce et Thalasso. Cinq jours consacrés à la détente et la relaxation. On plonge sans hésitation !Homéopathie, diététique, aromathérapie, mais aussi thalassothérapie seront au rendez-vous de ce salon du bien-être. Trois cents professionnels vous donnent rendez-vous pour vous faire découvrir les vertus et les bénéfices des médecines douces et vous apprendre notamment, à prévenir de façon naturelle, certaines maladies.Des dizaines de conférences (menées par des médecins, des spécialistes ou encore des praticiens) seront proposées aux visiteurs pour répondre à toutes leurs questions sur les médecines douces. Contrôle du poids, sommeil, retardement du vieillissement, traitements anti-douleur ou encore auto-hypnose seront des thèmes abordés lors de ces conférences.Dans l’espace massage de bien-être, les visiteurs s’adonneront aux joies des pratiques corporelles comme le qi gong thérapeutique pour les seniors, la gymnastique holistique, la médecine énergétique…Grande nouveauté cette année, le Salon initiera les visiteurs à des ateliers de “découverte de soi par la voie du cheval“. L’occasion pour chacun de découvrir comment révéler ses émotions personnelles et développer son estime par la pratique équine et le contact avec les chevaux.Et si le bien-être peut passer par la relation aux animaux, il passe aussi par l’eau. Résultat, de nombreux professionnels de la thalasso, de la balnéothérapie et du thermalisme seront également présents. Avec le Salon Bien-être, médecine douce et thalasso, un monde de détente et de relaxation s’offre à vous. Ne le ratez pas !
Informations pratiques :
Salon Bien-être, Médecine douce & ThalassoDu 3 au 7 février 2011De 10h30 à 19hParis – Porte de Versailles75015 ParisTarifs : 8 euros – 5 euros pour les étudiants et les chômeurs – gratuit pour les moins de 12 ans.Site :

www.salon-bienetre.comJuliette RobinSource : Relaxnews

La liste des jeunes acteurs qui pourraient tenir le rôle du fils de John McClane (Bruce Willis) dans « Die Hard 5 » a été dévoilée.

Alors que le titre (A Good Day to Die Hard) et la date de sortie américaine (le 14 février 2013) de Die Hard 5 ont été dévoilés le mois dernier, la Twentieth Century Fox, productrice de la célèbre franchise d’action est à la recherche de celui qui incarnera Jack, le fis de John McClane (Bruce Willis). Les comédiens Liam Hemsworth (Prédictions, Hunger Games), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, La Dernière maison sur la gauche), James Badge Dale (24 heures chrono), et D.J. Cotrona (Cher John) ont passé des essais pour incarner Jack McClane, le fils de John, retenu prisonnier en Russie. Le nom de l’acteur qui prendra la relève de son vaillant père devrait être dévoilé très prochainement.

Laëtitia Forhan avec Darkhorizons

MONTREAL — The dining room at Pazzo’s Pizza and Taverna in Stratford, Ont., is closed due to the pandemic and its entire staff has been let go, but as far as small businesses go, this might actually be one of the lucky ones.

Unlike many others, it has no rent to pay, and the mortgage has been temporarily deferred. That gives business partners Larry McCabe and Jeff Leney some breathing room to ride out the COVID-19 crisis.

But McCabe is acutely aware many Stratford businesses are facing much more immediate financial problems ― problems made worse in this tourist town by the closing of the entire season of the famed Stratford Festival.

And he knows when his dine-in pizza restaurant reopens it will not be what it once was.

“What our business looks like is going to be very different, the number of employees will be very different, the use of interior space will be very different,” he told HuffPost Canada.

Watch: Trudeau unveils rent relief for small businesses. Story continues below.

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McCabe says he’s been told to expect that when the restaurant reopens, social distancing rules will require the dining room to have no more than 50 per cent of its previous capacity. And he says he is preparing for the possibility of repeat lockdowns in the future.

“We’re looking at how we can stagger reservations so that that can happen,” he said. 

He’s confident people will want to sit on the patio in the summer weather ― but not sure if they’ll be comfortable in an indoor dining room. He and Leney are even looking into the possibility of serving customers in the parks that line nearby Lake Victoria. 

And keeping the staff safe from infection will be a priority. “It’s not just, how do we sell things? It’s, how do we do things safely?” McCabe said.

“We’re redesigning everything.”

It’s not only restaurants that are redesigning everything ― practically any business that involves people congregating in some way will have to rethink its practices as the world reopens to new social distancing rules.

Airlines, for instance, are looking at the possibility of removing middle seats, and having seats face in different directions. And as if flying post-9/11 wasn’t uncomfortable enough, it’s likely to get even more so: Canada has announced it will now require air travellers to wear face masks in flight, among other measures.

But the prospect of a new normal with far fewer passengers has the industry unnerved ― to the point that the CEO of discount European carrier Ryanair lashed out at social distancing rules as “idiotic.”

While most entrepreneurs haven’t reacted quite as harshly, at least in public, many don’t see good prospects under these conditions. 

Major problems ahead

In a joint survey with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Statistics Canada reported that nearly four in 10 Canadian businesses ― 39.7 per cent ― say they can survive no more than 90 days being partly or fully open with social distancing measures in place.

A full 17.5 per cent of businesses said they can tolerate no time at all under these conditions.

The survey was somewhat vague about what “social distancing” specifically means for any given business, leaving it to respondents’ imaginations. But that degree of negativity suggests business owners see major problems ahead.

As it waits for the lockdown to end, Pazzo’s is surviving by taking delivery orders ― something the dine-in pizzeria has never done before.

While it may seem those food delivery apps that have exploded in popularity in recent years would be a good solution, McCabe discovered they’re of little help to his business.

“When they’re taking 30 per cent, there’s no margin. You just end up going broke faster.”

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Simply operating puts Pazzo’s in the minority: According to data from Restaurants Canada, 53 per cent of the country’s restaurants are simply not running in the lockdown. 

How many will reopen when it’s lifted is an open question ― as is whether their customers will return. 

There is no way to know, but McCabe estimates Pazzo’s will be earning 30 cents for every dollar it used to earn, once the lockdown ends.

“There’s enough work for three or four of us, but in the summer we would have 70 staff. We won’t get back up to that probably for the next couple years.”

They’re working on “shock-proofing” the business against future closures, but ultimately, “we can’t just keep opening and closing,” he says. “That’s not tenable.”

Going where the demand is

Their lender has granted them a mortgage deferral, and they plan to “pass along the savings” to a tenant on their property, a clothing store owner who recently had a baby.

McCabe is looking into the federal wage subsidy the government has launched, but says it’s hard to ask the government for money for wages when you don’t even know how many people you will need for your business. And in any case, these are temporary measures, not solutions.

“There will be a point where you don’t have support, and you will have to function in some way,” he said.

In the meantime, McCabe and Leney are even considering the possibility of changing the business Pazzo’s does ― in essence, going where the demand is.

“We may be doing a different thing because we own our own property ― whether we get into groceries, whether we get into other areas of sales.”

Alternately, “we have two kitchens. Under some circumstances one could be a community kitchen. We could help, and people here would love to help.”

McCabe worries mom-and-pop businesses simply won’t be able to keep up with the complexity of the changes coming, and may choose to stay shuttered. But he’s more worried about those that took on large amounts of debt before the crisis, when the economy was hot.

“It’s a lot of debt without any equity. They don’t own their buildings. They can postpone rent for three months, but after that, eventually you still have to come up with a model that will work for the next few years ― if everyone’s going to be honest with themselves.”

But as the initial shock of the economic crisis wears off, McCabe is seeing attitudes change, and he has reason to hope.

“There are a lot of positive things that will come out of this as well,” he said. “People will be forced to really look at the people in their community, their strengths and how they can work together.

“We started out being very negative about this, everyone was shocked, and now we’ve come out of shock to ask, ‘What does this mean, and what can we do?’”

OTTAWA — Elizabeth May says “oil is dead” and the COVID-19 pandemic has given Canadian leaders an opportunity to “stop and think” about ways to adjust the economy to a new reality.

The Green Party parliamentary leader told reporters Wednesday, ahead of the House of Commons’ in-person meeting of the special committee on the COVID-19 pandemic, that the crisis has pummelled oil prices and there’s no coming back. 

“Just as much as Blockbuster Video thought it had a solid business proposition — til Netflix came along — that’s the kind of disruption we’re seeing in the energy sector,” May said. “And betting on Blockbuster Video right now would not be a good way to spend our money.”

The country’s energy sector contributed to more than 10 per cent to the nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2018, according to Natural Resources Canada. Since then, the industry has been plunged into a crisis with dropping demand and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that forced prices to hit historic lows. 

Watch: What does $0 oil mean for Canada, and the oil provinces? Story continues below video.

 

May said it’s “enormously important” to diversify Alberta’s economy, of which more than 27 per cent was attributable to mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction in 2018, to help workers train and transition to jobs in the renewable energy sector. 

Speaking about oil, May said, “the idea that we have a product that the world wants — that idea is delusional.” 

Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet shared much of the same sentiments, describing the fate of the oilsands as “condemned.” 

The Bloc leader suggested the $12.6 billion the federal government earmarked for the Trans Mountain pipeline would be better spent helping Alberta make a “necessary transition” to renewable and green energy.

RBC Economic issued a forecast in March projecting Alberta’s economic decline will be the “most severe” the province has ever experienced in a single year, and “the largest in Canada,” due to the continued contraction of the oil industry, coalesced with the COVID-19 pandemic.

These economic conditions mean workers will need a “helping hand” to get through these “huge challenges,” New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said in an Ottawa press conference.

Singh told reporters the future is “clearly one of renewable energy, green energy.” Oilsands production is no longer sustainable for the long run, he said. 

“There are no longer any long-term jobs available in that sector and Canadians across the country deserve much better than what we’ve seen in the past,” Singh said in French.

Thriving energy sector helped Canada in 2008, says Tory MP

Earlier this year, Teck Resources pulled its application for its $20.6-billion Frontier Oilsands Mine Project citing “no constructive path forward for the project.” Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer blamed “political unrest” at the time for killing 7,000 jobs that would have been linked to the project if it were approved.

Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs, the Conservative party’s natural resources critic, told HuffPost Canada that cheap global prices “for the foreseeable future” and increased government debts around the world will mean fewer subsidies for renewable energy.

These conditions, she explained, will foster increased international demand for oil and gas again.

“Consumption is currently down in the midst of the global pandemic, but when the world recovers, demand will resume and then increase going into the future,” Stubbs said Wednesday, referencing growing major economies, such as India and China, as potential buyers.

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“A thriving energy sector helped Canada weather the financial crisis of 2008-09, and it will be no less important to helping us recover from the hard times ahead,” she said.

New measures expected in ‘coming days or week’

The issue was also raised in the House by Conservative MP Dane Lloyd. Now that Irving Oil Ltd. refineries on the east coast are turning to Alberta to secure crude supplies, the Sturgeon River–Parkland MP asked if the government would support an east-west pipeline. 

According to the Financial Post, the route recently approved by the federal government includes Alberta crude travelling south from British Columbia via tankers, through the Panama Canal and up the east coast to New Brunswick.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said it’s “good news” east coast refineries are taking Alberta crude. Referencing the purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline nearly two years ago, Freeland said the government believes in pipelines, “that’s why we bought one.”

Last month, the government pledged $1.7 billion to help clean up orphan and inactive oil and gas wells in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, adding the initiative will maintain approximately 5,200 jobs.

More measures are expected to be announced for the oil and energy sectors.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters during a press conference Monday outside his Ottawa that the federal government will be looking at “sectoral supports.” He said energy sector-related announcements will be made “in the coming days or week.” 

With files from Ryan Maloney

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Federal politicians gave CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie a rough ride Thursday during his testimony before a House of Commons standing committee on finance.

Ambrosie spoke via video during a panel on arts, culture, sports and charitable organizations. His appearance came after news broke last week the CFL had requested up to $150 million in financial assistance from the federal government due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his testimony, Ambrosie said the league’s future is “very much in jeopardy,” adding CFL teams collectively lost about $20 million last year. He admitted for the first time the most likely scenario for the CFL is a cancelled 2020 season.

Watch: How the COVID-19 crisis is rocking the sports world

 

“Ours is a big brand but not a wealthy business,” Ambrosie said. “Unlike large US-based leagues, our biggest source of revenue is not TV — it’s ticket sales.

“Governments coping with COVID 19 — for reasons of public health that we totally support — have made it impossible for us to do what we do. Our best-case scenario for this year is a drastically truncated season. And our most likely scenario is no season at all.”

Following Ambrosie’s presentation, MPs Kevin Waugh (Conservative, Saskatoon), Peter Julian (NDP, New Westminster-Burnaby) and Peter Fragiskatos (Liberal, London North Centre) all took turns taking the CFL commissioner to task. At times, Ambrosie appeared on the defensive.

“Some of your comments have a lot of holes in them,” said Waugh, a former sports journalist who asked if the CFL was looking for a bailout or loan.

“What we’re looking for is a partnership with government,” Ambrosie said. “Our fundamental position is that we are looking for financial support that we want to pay back to Canadians.

“If it’s in the form of a loan, perhaps we pay some of that loan back through programs . . . we’re really looking for a business relationship that would be good for Canadians in the long run.”

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• CFL Wants $150 Million From Feds To Stay In Business

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Waugh also pointed out the CFL’s three community-based franchises — Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers — all turned seven-figure profits in 2018. He added the league’s six remaining franchises are privately owned by people or corporations with deep pockets.

“The fact is that in the face of essentially a zero revenue model, all of our teams, including our community teams, are going to suffer significant losses that are going to be hard to recover from,” Ambrosie said. “The real issue is this crisis is essentially going to quadruple or more the financial losses that our teams will take in a season that could potentially be lost altogether.”

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Julian wondered why Ambrosie’s presentation didn’t include any presence by the CFL Players’ Association.

“Those are the world-class athletes, as you’ve said, that actually are the heart and soul of the CFL,” Julian said. “What would they be saying if they were before the committee?

“And how much of the financial support you’re requesting would be going directly to the players of the CFL?”

The CFL and its players have resumed meeting about potential contingency plans for the ’20 season after talks broke off for roughly two weeks. Ambrosie said Thursday the two sides are scheduled to gather Friday.

“As for how much will go to players, we have to work that out,” Ambrosie said. “We know, for example, our players and alumni could be a potential solution in the healing of Canada.

“Our approach was that we simply wanted government to know we need help. The details of how it all comes together are yet to be decided and that has to be with our players and that has to be done with government as partners.”

Julian remained undeterred.

“Thank-you for your answer,” he said. “But the reality is, as we know, it’s the CFL players that are the heart of CFL football and I think it’s important we hear from them as quickly as possible.”

Julian also questioned Ambrosie about some of the corporations and individuals involved in CFL ownership. He added at a time when many Canadians are struggling, why isn’t the league’s wealthier ownership, “stepping up to provide support for the CFL?”

“All of those groups and people you mentioned have been stepping up,” Ambrosie said. “The question really for us is how many losses can these owners take when they’ve been losing approximately in total $20 million a year?

“And there is now, of course, a dramatically accelerated level of losses that will come with a truncated season or a lost season altogether.”

‘If banks won’t support the CFL, why should the federal government?’

Fragiskatos asked Ambrosie why the CFL had approached government and not banks for financial assistance.

“I think the answer lies in the fact that as a league last year we lost approximately $20 million,” Ambrosie said. “First of all some of our teams are community teams that, by virtue of their structure, can’t take on traditional commercial credit.”

Fragiskatos countered, “If banks won’t support the CFL, why should the federal government support the CFL?”

“It’s not a question of whether banks would support us,” Ambrosie said. “The issue is you’re now taking a $20-million loss and you’re almost certainly making that loss bigger in future years.

“Our challenge is . . . we’re going to see our losses grow as a result of not being able to play games. And if you add traditional consumer debt to our financial statements, all you’re going to do is bloat our losses, not make our losses reduced.”

The CFL has already cancelled the start of training camps — which were scheduled to open this month — and pushed back the opening of its regular season to early July, at the earliest. Ambrosie acknowledged more cancellations of games could be looming.

“We are currently operating on the money (of) our fans, and to a lesser extent our broadcasters and sponsors, pay us in advance for games,” Ambrosie said. “The day is fast approaching when we will have to cancel several games and perhaps the season.

“And then our fans and partners will have every right to demand their money back. At that moment, our financial crisis will become very real and very big.

“A ban on large gatherings means no revenue, no business, for us. We want to ensure it also does not mean no CFL, for the future.”

Ambrosie made it clear these are desperate times for the CFL.

“I don’t mind telling you, this is humbling but the fact is we need your support,” he said. “So we can be there for all the community groups that depend on us.

“Whenever it comes, we want our next Grey Cup — Canada’s 108th — to be the place where we can all celebrate that we did get through this. And that Canada is back.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2020.

MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police say they’ve arrested two people in connection with a spate of cellphone tower fires in recent days.

Police say the pair, who are in their 20s, will be questioned following the arrests early Thursday in Ste-Adele, which is located northwest of Montreal.

Two more fires were set early Thursday in St-Jerome and Blainville, adding to other cases north of Montreal earlier this week. In total, six fires have been reported at Quebec cellphone towers in recent days.

A spokesman said the force’s major crimes unit took over the case and will investigate possible links between the blazes, including if they can be traced back to people holding conspiracy theories about 5G technology.

READ MORE

• Quebec Cell Towers Damaged As COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Grow
• Here’s How To Know When Canada Is Ready To Lift COVID-19 Restrictions
• These Provinces Are Slowly Lifting COVID-19 Lockdown Measures

False narratives around 5G — the fifth-generation technology standard for cellphone companies — and COVID-19 have been shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media, leading to attacks on towers across Europe.

The majority, if not all, of the Quebec towers targeted by suspected arson don’t have 5G capabilities.

On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned against intentionally damaging cellphone towers in Canada, saying it “does nothing but threaten emergency services and impact the daily lives of Canadians across the country. 

On Tuesday, federal Industry Minister Navdeep Bains said Tuesday that he was “troubled by the reports of vandalism of Canadian cell towers.” 

With files from HuffPost Canada

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2020

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ROSEMOUNT, MN — A Rosemount teacher who reportedly tweeted about killing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has voluntarily resigned, officials announced Tuesday. The educator is no longer employed by Intermediate School District 917.

“So whose gonna take one for the team and kill Kavanaugh?” the post read, according to the Star Tribune. The Twitter account involved is now deleted. The teacher was listed as an employee of the Alliance Education Center, the newspaper reported.

“The actions of the employee did not occur at school, and there were no school devices, equipment, or other school staff involved in the actions,” superintendent Mark Zuzek said in a statement Tuesday.

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“At no time were students or staff in danger. The employee was placed on paid administrative leave and an investigation conducted.”

Due to the Minnesota Data Practices Act, the district said it’s limited in providing additional information.

The United State Senate voted 50-48 to confirm Kavanaugh Saturday. The vote ended a months-long confirmation process that culminated in a national debate about sexual assault.

Despite accusations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, the GOP-controlled Senate had the votes to confirm the judge, filling the seat left behind by Anthony Kennedy.

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