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
Florida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened
Unprocessed milk from a farm in Florida has sickened at least 21 people, prompting state authorities to issue a public health alert, U.S. media reported Monday.
The 21 cases include six children under the age of 10, all diagnosed with infections caused by E. coli and Campylobacterbacteria linked to raw milk from the farm in the southeastern U.S. state. Local authorities have also warned about the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.
Seven people have been hospitalized, two of whom have suffered complications, according to multiple reports.
The Florida Department of Health has urged the public to avoid raw milk consumption and blamed the outbreak on the farm involved—without naming it directly—citing poor sanitary practices.
Florida law prohibits the sale of unprocessed milk for human consumption, although it can be sold if labeled for pets. Pasteurization, which involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria, is required under U.S. federal regulations for any dairy products sold across states.
Despite these regulations, sales of raw milk have been increasing in recent years, fueled by online promotion from wellness influencers and advocates of unprocessed foods.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that raw milk can contain potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, or Salmonella, which can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion to severe complications like kidney failure.
International
Massive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine
Hundreds of firefighters battled on Wednesday to contain a massive wildfire in southern France that has left one person dead and nine others injured.
The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in the Aude department, is the largest recorded in France during the current summer season. Authorities have deployed 1,800 firefighters in an effort to bring it under control.
An elderly woman died in her home in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, while two others were injured—one in serious condition due to burns—according to the local prefecture. Seven firefighters suffered smoke inhalation injuries, and one person remains missing. The wildfire has already scorched an estimated 12,000 hectares of land.
“The fire is spreading very quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. This is one of the driest areas of the department, and strong winds are fueling the flames,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. Rémi Recio, subprefect for the city of Narbonne, added, “The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control.”
The A9 motorway, which runs along the Mediterranean coast between France and Spain, has been closed in both directions between Narbonne and Perpignan, along with numerous secondary roads.
In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the smell of smoke lingers over the charred hectares. A helicopter was seen drawing water from the river below the village and dropping it several kilometers away, AFP reporters observed.
A campsite and at least one village were partially evacuated, with 25 houses and around 35 vehicles damaged, according to a preliminary assessment.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he will visit the affected area on Wednesday.
International
Japan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament
Japan observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a solemn reminder to the world of the horror it unleashed, amid heightened tensions between nuclear powers the United States and Russia.
At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT), the moment when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, the city paused to remember.
The bombing claimed an estimated 140,000 lives, not only from the devastating blast and fireball but also from the deadly radiation that followed. Three days later, another bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 74,000 more. Japan’s surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II.
On a sweltering morning, hundreds of students, survivors, and officials dressed in black laid flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, warned of “an accelerating trend toward military buildup worldwide,” citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that Japan has a mission “to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, yet the skeletal remains of one building still stand at its center as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by representatives from around 120 countries and regions, including delegates from Taiwan and Palestine for the first time.
Among the attendees was 96-year-old Yoshie Yokoyama, who arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by her grandson. She told reporters that her parents and grandparents were victims of the bombing.
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