International
In Canada’s Arctic, Inuit traditions help combat youth depression
AFP | by Anne-Sophie THILL
Filleting a fish, lighting a fire or building an igloo: In Canada’s Arctic, Inuit youth are being encouraged to connect with their culture in an attempt to prevent severe depression and save lives.
A dozen teenagers and young adults gather around instructor Alex Flaherty. They don’t want to miss any of the traditional hunter’s precise gestures as he carves a fish or lights a fire.
“Our culture has changed so much in the last 50 years when people used to live in igloos… the change is happening so fast, (and) we are losing our culture,” he tells AFP.
Flaherty blames the societal shifts for a series of social ills such as violent crime, substance abuse and a high rate of suicide.
Hoping to help remedy these problems, he’s taken hundreds of teenagers hiking, camping and hunting in the vast tundra in the past three years.
In addition to keeping alive Inuit culture, his government-funded Polar Outfitting program also aims to bolster young people’s mental health and teach them to adapt to a changing climate — in a region that is warming much faster than elsewhere.
Flaherty says he takes mostly youth aged 12 to 20 years old, “because that’s when their lifestyle starts changing (and) when they need help.”
In the summer, they hike across the rocky, windswept lands near the bay city of Iqaluit that is home to some 7,000 residents — and is accessible only by plane most months.
They also learn to make fishing nets to catch Arctic char and to navigate and survive in the pristine but unforgiving environment.
In the dead of winter, when sunlight is reduced to just a few hours per day, they will go out on the ice to fish, and build igloos.
‘Not just about fishing’
At 22, Annie Kootoo is the oldest in the current class. She gushes with joy after spending 10 days in the wilderness.
“I did a lot of activities that I don’t usually do, and it’s been very helpful for my mental health,” she says.
Chris Laisa, a 14-year-old echoes the sentiment. “I feel great,” he says after a lesson.
“It was fun because I learned how to fillet a fish, how to prepare it.”
Flaherty, standing nearby, adds that it’s “not just about fishing. It’s about clearing your mind, being outdoors and sharing with others.”
In the Nunavut territory of northern Canada, where the average age is 28, young people are deeply affected by the isolation and intergenerational traumas caused by past colonial policies.
Like many Indigenous peoples in Canada, the Inuit are haunted by memories of being forced into residential schools where they were stripped of their language and culture, and abused by teachers and headmasters.
Here the suicide rate is much higher than the rest of the country — 76.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 compared to 10.1, according to Statistics Canada.
Camilla Sehti, the Nunavut government’s head of mental health and addictions services, goes through a long list of what’s contributed to the crisis: “It’s just so many factors.”
Healing, she says, “starts with reconnecting people to their culture.”
“I think colonization had a huge impact on this territory and the ability for people to feel connected to self,” she explains, describing new mental health initiatives that emphasize “family, culture and community.”
After losing her best friend two years ago, Minnie Akeeagok started posting warnings on social media about depression and suicide.
“Everybody in Nunavut knows someone who has committed suicide or faced mental health issues. I personally know more than five,” the 18-year-old told AFP.
“We need more resources, more accessibility within the mental health field in Nunavut,” she says, noting that in the far off communities of this Arctic territory the situation is even more dire.
International
Netanyahu: “Today it’s Tel Aviv, tomorrow could be New York”
Since Friday, Israel has struck key nuclear and military facilities in Iran, killing top commanders and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran has launched barrages of missiles.
Seeking to explain the strikes to U.S. citizens, Israel’s key ally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave lengthy interviews to American media, describing the offensive as “a battle of civilization against barbarism.” In his conversation with ABC News, he defended the attacks to “disarm” Iran and likened Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to “a modern-day Hitler.”
When asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s reported veto of an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei over concerns it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu replied: “It won’t escalate the conflict — it will end the conflict.”
He did not confirm whether Khamenei is an Israeli target. “Israel does what it must,” Netanyahu simply stated.
He accused Khamenei of harboring “insane, antisemitic fanaticism.”
“He’s like a modern Hitler. He won’t stop, but we’ll make sure he doesn’t have the means to act on his threats,” Netanyahu added.
“Iran wants an ‘eternal war,’ and they’re pushing us to the brink of nuclear conflict,” he warned.
“What Israel is doing is actually preventing it — ending this aggression. We can only do that by confronting the forces of evil,” the Prime Minister continued.
“Today it’s Tel Aviv, tomorrow it could be New York,” Netanyahu told ABC’s Jon Karl.
To the Israeli leader, pushing back against Iran’s nuclear ambitions is “preventing the most horrific war imaginable and… bringing peace to the Middle East.”
“That will only be possible if Iran is defeated,” he concluded.
International
Panama supports Morocco’s autonomy plan as sole solution for Western Sahara dispute
Panama, a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has declared Morocco’s autonomy initiative as “the most serious, credible, and realistic basis” and “the only solution for the future” to resolve the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
This position was expressed in a joint statement signed on Monday, June 16, in Rabat, following a meeting between Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama, Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, during his official visit to Morocco.
At a press conference following the meeting, the Panamanian foreign minister emphasized that the autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco in 2007 “should be the only solution for the future,” reiterating Panama’s clear support for the plan as a means to reach a lasting resolution to the dispute.
Panama’s support comes after the country severed all ties with the so-called “SADR” (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) in November 2024.
In the same joint statement, Morocco and Panama reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Both nations also reiterated their shared desire to further strengthen bilateral relations, highlighting the excellent ties of friendship and solidarity between the two countries. They agreed on the need to continue consultations and assess their cooperation in order to enhance and deepen it.
The two nations affirmed that their cooperation is based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, democracy and good governance, solidarity, transparency, mutual respect, human rights, and international humanitarian law, as well as the rejection of unilateral sanctions.
Internacionales
Tropical storm Erick expected to become hurricane as it nears southern Mexico
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Tropical Storm Erick is currently located 460 kilometers (about 285 miles) off the coast of Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (around 46 mph).
According to the latest forecast, Erick is expected to strengthen into a hurricane later tonight or early Wednesday. Heavy rains are forecast for the southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents in coastal areas to stay alert and follow updates from Civil Protection authorities.
“There is a chance that it could become a Category 2 hurricane and make landfall tomorrow, Wednesday. We ask everyone along the coasts of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and southern Guerrero to stay informed,” she posted on social media platform X.
Due to its geographic location, Mexico faces annual threats from tropical cyclones on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, typically between May and November.
In October 2023, Hurricane Otis rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm before striking the port city of Acapulco, leaving widespread devastation, over 50 dead, and around 30 missing.
More recently, in September 2024, the Pacific coast was hit twice by Hurricane John, which reached Category 3 and caused at least 15 fatalities, mostly in Acapulco.
Netanyahu: “Today it’s Tel Aviv, tomorrow could be New York”
Panama supports Morocco’s autonomy plan as sole solution for Western Sahara dispute
Tropical storm Erick expected to become hurricane as it nears southern Mexico
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