Trudeau's Resignation What It Means for Canada - Insights by Fry News

By: Fry News on January 08, 2025 / comment : 0 HOT NEWS, News, World News

Justin Trudeau's resignation: What's next in Canadian politics?

January 8, 2025

Justin Trudeau has decided to step down as Canada's prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party.

Which begs the question: what happens next?

Trudeau says the governor general has accepted his request to suspend parliament, meaning all proceedings, including debates and votes, will be suspended, but parliament will not be dissolved.

The extension will be in effect until March 24. During that time, the Liberal Party will choose its new leader... a process that usually takes about four months.

On Monday, the Liberal Party president said a "nationwide democratic process" would be used to select a new leader. However, he did not provide further details.

Federal leaders in Canada are elected during party conventions, in which party members vote to choose a leader. But even after parliament resumes on March 24, the newly elected Liberal leader may not be able to hold on to power for long.

The Conservative Party has a double-digit lead in opinion polls and has been trying for months to force a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons.

Canada's election is scheduled for October.

The Conservative Party is expected to make another attempt in March.

If a government loses a no-confidence motion or vote in the House, it is expected to resign or dissolve parliament, triggering a federal election.

Chrystia Freeland, Anita Anand and Mark Carney

Let's take a look at some of the names expected to join the Liberal leadership race.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland

One of the strongest contenders to replace Justin Trudeau is former Deputy Prime Minister and Toronto MP Chrystia Freeland.

Although she has long been seen as a trusted senior official in Canadian political circles, differences with the Prime Minister's Office led to her recent and abrupt resignation in December.

Her criticism of the Canadian prime minister in her publicly shared resignation letter is believed to have increased the pressure on Trudeau and made his resignation inevitable.

Chrystia Freeland was born in the western province of Alberta. Her mother is from Ukraine and Chrystia, 56, was a journalist before entering politics.

She became part of the House of Commons in 2013 and two years later, when Trudeau came to power, Chrystia joined his cabinet with a trade brief.

Chrystia, 56, was a journalist before entering politics.

As foreign minister, she helped Canada renegotiate free trade agreements with the United States and Mexico.

She was later named deputy prime minister and finance minister, the first woman to hold the position.

She oversaw Canada’s finances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When she resigned last month, she criticized Trudeau for not taking a tougher stance against Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.

A 2019 Globe and Mail profile said: “Some see Freeland as the last hope for the liberal world, while others see her as a visionary far removed from reality.”

She has consistently supported Ukraine, which has been praised by some, but the Harvard-educated MP has also faced criticism ... even Trump recently called her “toxic.”

Former banker Mark Carney

Carney, a Harvard graduate, has never held a government position but has extensive economic experience. He has served as the head of the central banks of Canada and the United Kingd

Trudeau acknowledged that he had wanted to add Mark Carney to his team for a long time, most recently as finance minister.

“Carney would be a great addition, especially at a time when Canada needs good people in politics,” he said during a NATO conference in July 2024.

Carney, 59, who has been working as an advisor to Trudeau in recent months, is considered a strong candidate to become the country’s prime minister.

Carney, a Harvard graduate, has never held a government position but has extensive economic experience. He has served as the head of the central banks of Canada and the United Kingdom.

He also has expertise on environmental issues. As the UN's special envoy for climate action, he recently called the goal of net zero "the greatest business opportunity of our time."

Carney supports some liberal policies, such as a federal carbon tax, which is designed to protect the environment but is seen by conservatives as a financial burden on the public.

He has criticized Conservative Party leader Pierre Pollivier, saying that he has no plans for the country's future, only slogans.

"But I am a person who is part of the business, makes business decisions and I still do," Carney said.

Anita Anand, Minister for Transport

Anand, an Oxford graduate, specializes in financial law and corporate governance.

Anita Anand is considered one of the Liberal Party’s most committed leaders.

The 57-year-old lawyer entered politics in 2019, having been elected to the riding of Oakville, near Toronto.

Anand, an Oxford graduate, specializes in financial law and corporate governance.

She was immediately appointed Minister of Public Services and Procurement, where she oversaw the procurement of vaccines and protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, she became Minister of Defence, overseeing issues such as providing aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia and addressing sexual harassment in the Canadian military.

She was later given the position of overseeing the Treasury Board, which some saw as her demotion. Critics said it came on the day she expressed her desire to lead the party and was punished for it.

He was made Minister of Transport and Internal Trade during a cabinet reshuffle in December.

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Many things go in his favor. Champagne hails from Quebec, a key province in Canada’s federal election.

Former businessman and international trade expert François-Philippe Champagne is also a Liberal minister and is considered a strong candidate for the party leadership.

But his rise has been slower than Anand’s.

Champagne, 54, entered parliament in 2015 and went on to become minister of international trade, foreign affairs and most recently, innovation, science and industry.

Many things go in his favor. Champagne hails from Quebec, a key province in Canada’s federal election.

He is also known by some as “Canada’s Energizer Bunny” because of his innovation work, which seeks to sell Canadian products around the world.

Political analysts consider him a good candidate because of his entrepreneurial skills.

Melanie Jolie, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Jolie participated in many of the government's key foreign policy issues, such as the crisis triggered by the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader by Indian agents in Canada.

Like Trudeau, Jolie represents the Montreal region.

Jolie, 45, is a familiar face to foreign leaders and has been representing Canada on the world stage since 2021.

As foreign minister, she has visited Ukraine several times to show Canada’s support. During the Israel-Hamas war, she traveled to Jordan to help evacuate Canadian citizens from there.

Jolie has been involved in several key foreign policy issues for the government, including the crisis triggered by the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada by alleged Indian agents.

An Oxford-educated lawyer, Jolie is a prominent politician and previously ran for mayor of Montreal.

Trudeau personally urged her to apply for federal office in politics.

Jolie said, “He would call me often and say, ‘Melissa, you should run.’” We want you to run.’

Senior advisers say Julie works well in a room full of six or seven hundred people, and close friends say she wants to run for the Liberal Party leadership.

Dominique LeBlanc, Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs

LeBlanc, 57, is a close and trusted ally of Trudeau. Their friendship goes back a long way, and LeBlanc also looked after Trudeau and his siblings as children.

LeBlanc, 57, is a close and trusted ally of Trudeau.

Their friendship goes back a long way, and LeBlanc also looked after Trudeau and his siblings as children.

He has served in key positions during difficult times, such as taking over as finance minister within hours of Freeland’s resignation.

LeBlanc also traveled to Mar-a-Lago with Trudeau in November to meet with Trump.

LeBlanc has been a member of parliament since 2000 and represents a riding in New Brunswick.

Like Trudeau, LeBlanc comes from a political family. His father served as a minister in Pierre Trudeau’s government and later became Governor General of Canada.

LeBlanc ran for the party leadership in 2008 but lost. He was not in the running when Trudeau later became party leader.

He has recovered from cancer and is considered a politician with a friendly and good political conversational style.

Christy Clark, former provincial premier

According to Radio Canada, Christy Clark is learning French because proficiency in the French language is required for federal politicians in Canada.

The former premier of British Columbia has expressed interest in the leadership of the Liberal Party.

In a statement in October, she said that if Trudeau resigns, she would like to be part of the discussion on the future of the Liberal Party and the country.

The 59-year-old was the premier of British Columbia from 2011 to 2017, where she balanced the environment and the energy industry.

She has said in several interviews in recent years that Trudeau has become a burden on the federal Liberals.

According to Radio Canada, Christy Clark is learning French because proficiency in the French language is required for federal politicians in Canada.

Related topics

#Canada #Politics

The Impact of High Immigration Rates on Governance A Deep Dive by Fry News

By: Fry News on January 08, 2025 / comment : 0 HOT NEWS, News, World News

Beds in toilets and inflation: How immigration in a country considered an 'immigrant's paradise' led to the resignation of the Prime Minister

Immigration has been a divisive issue in Western countries, but it has been largely ignored by Canada, but not anymore.

For some, the housing shortage and rising rents, along with protests and pressure from various pressure groups, forced Justin Trudeau to resign, but could the arrival of Donald Trump be even more divisive?

At first glance, the price of a room in Brampton, Ontario, might seem reasonable. It’s true that space is tight, but unlike the capital Toronto, where the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat is C$2,261, this is certainly a reasonable offer.

However, if you look closely, a small bathroom has been converted into additional sleeping quarters. The mattress has to be connected to the sink, and the toilet is also nearby.

The room ad, posted on Facebook Marketplace, has drawn hundreds of comments. “Disappointing,” wrote one user on the social media platform Read It. Another wrote: “You 20-year-olds, you’re looking at your future.”

However, such ads do exist. A picture of a room for rent in Brampton shows a bed placed next to the stairs in what appears to be a laundry area. In Scarborough, Ontario, a double bed can be seen lying in a corner of the kitchen.

While Canada has plenty of space, it has a shortage of homes, and according to property consultancy Urbanization, rents across the country have risen 20 per cent in the past three years.

A government watchdog report published in December found that 2.4 million Canadian families are forced to live in homes that are either too small, in dire need of repair or have high rents.

The housing problems come at a time when Canadians are worried about inflation and immigration is becoming a hot topic in the country.

For the first time, a majority of Canadians, who have long welcomed newcomers to the country, are now asking how their cities will cope with their arrival.

Politics in Western countries has long revolved around debates on divisive issues such as immigration, but Canada has until recently largely ignored the issue, perhaps due to its geography. However, attitudes are now changing.

According to a survey by data and research firm Environix, in 2022, 27% of Canadians believed that there were too many foreign immigrants coming to the country. In 2024, that number rose to 58%.

Protests have also begun in this regard, opposing immigration in other parts of the country, including Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary.

“It was an issue that no one was willing to talk about, but now the ice has melted quickly,” says software engineer Peter Kreitzer, who is also the founder of the protest group Cost of Living Canada, which was formed in 2024.

Stories like the Brampton bathroom rental scandal have fueled the debate. “People can say it’s all hearsay,” says Peter, “but you see it over and over again. You see it over and over again.”

“People have concerns about how the immigration system is being managed, and we think this is the first time people are really thinking about the management of the system,” says Keith Newman, executive director of Environix.

Justin Trudeau, once considered the “golden boy” of Canadian politics, was forced to resign in an election year at a time when there is discontent over immigration statistics.

Before his resignation, his approval rating had fallen to 22 percent, down from 65 percent in his first year in office.

Although immigration is not the main reason for the decline in these figures and his resignation, according to him he had to fight “internal battles”, but he is accused of reacting too late to the growing anxiety about inflation and housing, both of which are partly due to immigration.

Professor Jonathan Rose, head of the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, says that “immigration may not have been the immediate reason for his resignation, but it certainly influenced the decision.”

“Under the Trudeau administration, the Canadian government planned to increase the population in the country after the global pandemic. They believed that the increase in the number of foreign students, temporary workers, skilled people would drive the country’s economy.”

The country’s population, which was 35 million 10 years ago, has now reached 40 million. Immigration is the main reason for this increase. According to Statistics Canada, 90% of the population growth in 2024 was due to immigration.

The overall figure has also increased in the number of refugees. In 2013, the number of people applying for asylum in Canada was 10,365, but by 2023, this number had increased to 143,770.

Voter dissatisfaction with the government’s immigration policies was “more a symptom than a cause” of Trudeau’s resignation, according to Professor Rose.

“It shows his failure to understand the public opinion.”

It is not yet clear who will replace him from his own Liberal Party, but opinion polls in the run-up to the upcoming election show the Conservatives, whose leader Pierre Poillore believes that the number of new immigrants to the country should be lower than the number of homes built here.

Since Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election in November, Poillore has been “talking a lot about immigration. To the point where it is now etched in the minds of voters,” according to Professor Rose.

Trump’s second term in office will certainly add fuel to the fire on this issue in Canada, whoever the new prime minister is.

Trump's victory was partly due to his promise to deport undocumented immigrants, and since his victory he has said he will use the military to enforce that promise by declaring a national emergency.

He also announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if Canada does not tighten border security.

Drone cameras and border security

Canada and the United States share the world's longest unmanned border. The nearly 9,000-kilometer border is mostly forested.

Unlike the southern border of the United States, this border has not been fenced. This has long been seen as a sign of closeness between Canada and the United States.

When Trump first became president in 2017, Canada saw a sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers, forcing thousands to make the journey on foot.

According to Canadian government figures, the number of asylum applications rose from 24,000 in 2016 to 56,000 in 2018. Almost all of the people entered through New York state into the Canadian province of Quebec.

In 2023, Canada and the United States agreed to a border agreement that limited the movement of refugees between the two countries.

Under the agreement, anyone who reports to authorities within 14 days of crossing the border will be able to apply for asylum in the country they first entered. The agreement was also intended to emphasize that both countries are considered safe for refugees.

This time, Canada’s national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), says it has taken steps to prevent more people from entering Canada before Trump’s inauguration.

New technology is being deployed, including drones, night-vision goggles and hidden surveillance cameras in the woods.

“The worst-case scenario is that people are coming in from all over the border,” RCMP spokesman Charles Poirier warned in November. “For example, if the first 100 people are coming in, it will be difficult because our officers will have to travel a long distance to make arrests.”

The government has now allocated an additional $1.3 billion to the border security plan.

‘We want our future back’

Not everyone is blaming the recent surge in immigration for the housing crisis. “It took us 30 years to get to where we are,” says Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, “because politicians failed to build affordable housing.”

The country has a long history of welcoming newcomers. “50 per cent of Canada’s population is first- or second-generation immigrants,” says Newman. “That means they either came here from another country or one or both of their parents came from another country. In Toronto and Vancouver, the figure is more than 80 per cent.”

“That makes Canada very different from a country where the majority of the population is indigenous,” he says.

He has been overseeing a survey that examines attitudes toward newcomers.

"If you ask Canadians what is the most important and different thing about Canada or what makes this country unique? Their first answer will be that there are people from different cultures here or that the population here is diverse," he says.

But he says the shift in public opinion and increased concerns about immigration has been “dramatic.”

“Not only are there more concerns now, there’s also a better debate,” he says. “More questions are being asked about how the system is working? And why isn’t it working?”

During a protest in Toronto, people held up placards reading “We want our future back” and “End mass immigration.”

“We need to ban immigration, we need to suspend immigration so that people’s wages can be higher than rent,” says Kratzer, whose group has participated in such protests.

Accusations about the newcomers are also being spread on social media. Last winter, Natasha White, who describes herself as a resident of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, claimed on TikTok that some newcomers were digging holes on the beach to relieve themselves.

The post was viewed by millions of people and sparked anti-foreigner sentiment, with many saying the newcomers should “go back home.”

Tent cities and shelters for the homeless

We also interviewed people who work with asylum seekers in Canada. They say that concerns about increased border security are making asylum seekers feel more fearful.

Abdullah Daoud, executive director of a refugee centre in Montreal, believes that the asylum seekers he works with understand that the focus of immigration figures will be on them after November.

“They are definitely more nervous,” he says. “I think when they come here, they think we’re welcome?” Am I in the right place or not?’

People who want to live in Canada as refugees do not have access to government immigration services until a decision is made on whether they really need asylum. This process, which once took just two weeks, can now take up to three years.

Tent cities and food banks have been set up in Toronto to welcome the newcomers. The city's homeless shelters are often short of space. Last winter, homeless people died of exposure while sleeping on the streets.

“People are finding that even though they are working two or three jobs, they still don’t have enough money to pay the rent or feed their children,” says Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who is herself an immigrant and moved to Canada from Hong Kong at the age of 13.

“I can understand how difficult it is to live a miserable life where you can’t afford anything and then the fear that you will be deported at any moment, but it would be unfair to blame the immigration system for this.”

Trudeau: ‘We failed to maintain balance’

Amid growing frustrations, Trudeau announced a major change in October. He decided to reduce immigration targets by 20% over three years, saying, “After the Corona pandemic, we failed to maintain a balance between meeting the needs of workers and population growth.”

He added that he wants to give all local governments time to make arrangements in this regard so that more people can stay, but after his resignation, the question is: is it enough? And is there a risk that the Trump presidency and the growing anti-immigrant sentiment on this side of the border will also spread to Canada?

Abdullah has a different view on this. “Unfortunately, I think Trump’s victory has had an impact on Canadian politics. I think a lot of politicians are using it as a way to spread fear.”

However, other experts believe that this will not have much of an impact.

Olivia Cho says, “Canadians are much better than that.” We remember that successive waves of refugees helped build Toronto and Canada.

Politicians debating population growth ahead of the next election will be aware of the fact that half of Canada’s population are themselves first- and second-generation immigrants.

“If the Conservatives win the next election, we can expect a reduction in immigration,” says Professor Jonathan Rose, but he adds that the Conservative leader “will have to take a cautious approach.”

“Since the large immigrant populations in Toronto and Vancouver will be crucial to any electoral victory, no candidate will want to be seen as anti-immigration and may talk more about changes to economic and housing policies,” says Professor Rose.

And there are also a large number of Canadians, including business leaders and academics, who believe the country should continue a strong growth policy to counter Canada’s declining birthrate.

“I have high hopes for the Canadian people,” added Lisa Laland of the Century Initiative. She advocates policies that would see Canada’s population grow to 100 million by 2100.

“I think we’re more concerned about affordability and costs than about immigration,” she says. “We think it’s very important to our culture.”

Related Topics

#Canada #Donald_Trump #United_States

One sister built a mosque the other the oldest university shared by frynews

By: Fry News on January 04, 2025 / comment : 0 Historical, History, HOT NEWS, Interesting & Strange, News, Pakistan, Story, World News

One sister built a mosque, the other the oldest university

Do you know where the oldest university in the world is? Your answer could be Oxford or Cambridge, or if you are interested in history, you might say Taxila or Nalanda.

Taxila and Nalanda were indeed ancient universities, but they could not withstand the onslaught of time and today only ruins remain.

So which is the oldest university in the world that is still functioning today?

Fez, a historical city

Today we take you on a journey to a historical city. The name of this city is Fez, which is the oldest and second largest city in Morocco. The greatest advantage of Fez is its university.

The city of Fez or Fez Medina was founded in the ninth century and is still inhabited today. This city had the opportunity to flourish rapidly in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. This was the period when the Al-Murniyyun Empire was established in Morocco. Fez is still in good condition among all the historical cities of the Arab countries.

Today, a new way of life can be seen in the lives of people here. But the style of the city, its style, also reminds you of the past. The streets of the city of Fez are intertwined like mazes and take you from one corner to another. There are fountains in the city center and small markets are held on a daily basis.

Its architecture is unique and reminiscent of the Middle Ages.

Many of the old buildings in this city have gradually turned into ruins. However, the Moroccan government is spending a lot of money on the maintenance of the city's historical sites. It is also said that this city is the oldest car-free area in the world. Old-style unicycles, carts and carts are still used for transportation here.

If you want to see the beauty of Fez, you should travel there on foot. Verses from the Quran will be engraved on every important building. You can see beautiful designs of ceramic tiles on half of the walls there.

The beauty of the city of Fez and its historical importance automatically attract you.

The biggest center of tourist interest in this city is a building and this building is the oldest university in the world that is still functioning.

Jamia Al-Qarawiyyin

In the center of Fez, Jamia Al-Qarawiyyin is located, which is the oldest university in the world that is still in operation. According to UNESCO and the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the oldest university in the world where education and learning are still ongoing.

According to many records, it is the first university in the world where the practice of awarding certificates or degrees became common. Before this, there were educational institutions like Taxila and Nalanda in India, but over time, these institutions were destroyed and teaching and learning ceased.

While teaching and learning has been going on continuously in Jamia al-Qarawiyyin for more than 1200 years. It is the oldest center of education and learning in the Arab countries.

The building of this university can be called a new expression of the beauty of architecture. Along with this, the story of its establishment is also not devoid of interest. It is said that in the middle of the ninth century, when the work of establishing Fez as the capital of the Idriss Sultanate was in progress, a noblewoman named Fatima from the city of Qarawiyyin settled here with her father and sister Maryam. The city of Qarawiyyin is located in Tunisia today.

People from all over the world come here to study. 

Fatima got married in Fez Medina, and when Fatima's father died, the two sisters decided that the society in which they had been sheltered owed them a debt and they had to pay this debt. So Fatima planned to establish the Jamia al-Qarawiyyin. A large building was built here not only for the education of the people but also for their residence.

While her sister Maryam spent her share of wealth on building a mosque called Andalusin. This mosque was so large that about 20,000 people could pray there at the same time.

Fatima established a university

The decoration of the mosque is of high quality. Maryam spent all her wealth on building the mosque, while Fatima built the university with her inheritance so that people could study here. It is said that Fatima fasted most of the time until the university was completed. Jamia al-Qarawiyyin was built in 18 years.

People come to see the beauty of the mosque from the inside and outside. The mosque and the university have doors on all four sides. The ceiling is hand-painted. In which natural colors are used. From the inside, it is not possible to guess how big the building is, but from the outside, its grandeur is clearly visible.

The ceiling of Jamia Al-Qarawiyyin is made of green tiles. It seems that greenery is spread far and wide. There are tiles of different colors on the floor, which makes it seem as if colors have been scattered on the floor.

This Moroccan city of Fez is located on the shores of the Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

After Fatima, many empires came to Morocco and all of them changed these buildings according to their own needs. For example, in the twelfth century, the Al-Mawlid dynasty ruled here. They expanded the courtyard of the mosque and painted pictures of their era on the walls.

After this, the Almohad dynasty was established, which ruled for a long time and extended its empire to southern Spain. The changes made during their reign reflect the Spanish style of architecture.

Al-Qarawiyyin University began as a seminary, but today people from all over the world come here to study. Today it is internationally recognized. In addition to religious studies, language and literature, grammar, music, law, mysticism, medical science, and geography were taught here.

Great intellectuals have been associated with this university, including Ibn Rushd, Ibn Khaldun, Muhammad al-Idrisi, Maimonides, Muhammad Taqi al-Din al-Hilali, Imam al-Banani, Ahmadullah al-Ghamari, Abdul Karim al-Khattabi, Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi or Leo Africanus, etc.

There was no provision for women's education

In 1359, the Al-Mariniyyun family worked to consolidate the university's library. During this period, medieval books were found and brought here from all over the world. There are about four thousand documents and manuscripts here that are not found anywhere else in the world.

In fact, this is the region of the Arab countries where modern civilization began. Here is a treasure trove for understanding the ancient times. The libraries of Arab countries contain the best documents for understanding Muslims and Islam, but unfortunately, due to the ignorance of some people, these precious treasures are being lost. For example, the library in Mosul, Iraq, has been completely destroyed.

Now both men and women study here

However, those who understand the value of these documents are digitizing them so that they can be preserved for future generations.

A part of this university was reopened to the public in 2016. At the same time, the Arab Bank of Kuwait has provided a large amount of assistance to the Moroccan Ministry of Culture to save this old center of Islamic civilization.

Interestingly, this university was founded by a woman but due to social reasons she was not allowed to study there.

However, this restriction is no longer in place and today men and women of different religions are coming to study at this university.

The fire that burned for five days led to the creation of the world's first fire brigade exclusively on frynews

By: Fry News on January 03, 2025 / comment : 0 Historical, History, Interesting & Strange, News, Story, World News

"5-Day Inferno That Sparked the Birth of the World's First Fire Brigade''

Article description

Author, Morag Kneiberg

Position, BBC, Scotland

January, 04, 2025

In the 19th century, Edinburgh's city centre was full of buildings, many of which were made of wood.

Most businesses and homes relied on fire for cooking, heating and all sorts of work, but when the fire got out of control, it spread rapidly through the narrow streets of what we now call the old town.

Few people had buckets to put out fires, and those who could afford it paid insurance companies to sound the alarm and put out the fire.

The Edinburgh Police Commissioner, who was responsible for maintaining order in the city, alleged that the firefighters were not properly equipped, were not well-organized, were not properly trained and educated, and lacked the necessary information and awareness.

Commercial insurance companies competed with each other for business and sometimes even fought over the supply of water.

Their work was primarily preventive: the more they could save from fire, the lower the insurance claim from the insured.

David Ferris spent 55 years as a firefighter and volunteer

“It was a job they did in a hurry, threw water on the smoke and hoped for the best,” says Dave Ferris, ambassador for the Scottish Fire Heritage Museum.

“As far as insurance goes, there were sometimes fights among firefighters fighting over water supplies.”

He also says that “nobody was going into the fire and trying to put it out, they were just throwing buckets of water out of the windows, but most people were unable to put it out and as a result, most of the property was destroyed.”

A major fire incident

Hand-operated water pump

David Ferris spent 55 years as a firefighter and volunteer and is now an ambassador for Edinburgh Museums.

He says a major fire in the old part of the city in 1824 forced authorities to look for better ways to put out fires in the city.

A major fire in Edinburgh that autumn burned for five days, destroying buildings packed with people, killing 13 people and leaving hundreds homeless.

Edinburgh Fire Brigade was the first fire brigade in the world to be funded by the city government and the service was free to the public.

The city’s first ‘fire chief’ was 23-year-old building inspector James Braidwood, now known as the ‘father of the modern fire service’.

Braidwood organised a much more integrated and efficient service, with better training, physical fitness and communication systems.

He helped design and manufacture everything from special helmets with neck protection to Scotland’s first fire engine, which was pulled by firefighters.

The fire engines were manned by twelve men, who pulled the ‘handle’ 24 times a minute. Any member of the public who helped was paid and given free beer.

The first firefighters recruited worked without machinery. These employees included slate makers, carpenters and bricklayers. They were between 17 and 25 years old. These workers knew about building construction.

“They were easily attracted to the work and easy to train,” wrote Braidwood.

Those who maintained the ‘fire truck’ well were praised, while those who were negligent were fined.

Fire brigades across the country emulated the Edinburgh Fire Brigade

World-renowned

Referring to Braidwood, Friese says that he created a fire department that became world-famous.

“People came to Edinburgh from all over the British Isles and abroad to see how the system worked.”

Bradwood wrote a book about the process of developing the system in 1830, at the insistence of the people, which became a guide for firefighters.

He recorded in this book all the details of how he did it all.

Tania Drone, of Edinburgh’s Mercat Tours, says that James Braidwood introduced many new methods in terms of fire-fighting methods and the use of equipment.

“Until then, people did not go into buildings to put out fires; they tried to put them out from the outside,” she says.

James Braidwood trained people to enter a building that was in flames.

According to him, ‘He developed new equipment and also ensured that he was an authority in the profession in Edinburgh, which was recognised so that when a fire broke out, the fire was put out under his guidance.’

‘Today we are all very grateful for the fire services we have and the work they do, but I think it is easy to forget where it all came from and very few people realise that this system came to them from Edinburgh city centre.’

Related topics

#History #United_Kingdom

How Technology is Shaping Mental Health | Insights by frynews

By: Fry News on January 03, 2025 / comment : 0 Health, HOT NEWS, Interesting & Strange, News, Story, World News

Suicide drama, mobile phone note: How was the engineering student who killed his mother identified?

Bhageshree Rawat

BBC Marathi

January, 03, 2025

On December 26, Aruna was at her home when her son suddenly strangled her to death. After killing his mother, Utkarsh locked the bedroom from outside and waited for his father.

When 50-year-old Laladhar returned home in the evening, he went straight to the bathroom before going to the bedroom. Utkarsh followed him and attacked him with a knife.

The injured Laladhar said to his son, “What happened to you? Let’s talk to your mother.” He was unaware that his wife, 42-year-old Aruna, had already been killed by his son.

Utkarsh confessed to his crime and told Laladhar that he had killed his mother. Just as Laladhar was trying to come to terms with the fact that his son stabbed him again. This time, Laladhar could not control himself and within a short time, he too was dead.

But why did 24-year-old engineering student Utkarsh kill his parents? The incident, details of which came to light six days later, took place in the Kapil Nagar police station limits of Nagpur, India.

BBC Marathi spoke to Nagpur Deputy Police Commissioner Niketan Kadam about the incident, who said that Laladhar worked in a power plant while his wife taught at a school.

Switched off mobile phone

According to the police, Utkarsh's sister was not at home that day. Utkarsh switched off his dead father's mobile phone and left the house, putting it in his pocket.

He went to his sister, who was in college, and told her that his parents had to go to Bangalore and that they both had to go to an uncle's house in the meantime. But Utkarsh's sister was not convinced and started calling her father. But the phone was switched off.

Laladhar worked in a power plant while his wife taught in a school.

Utkarish called his father's phone to convince his sister and sent him a WhatsApp message from his father saying that he was going to Bangalore and would return on January 5.

Thus, his sister was convinced and they both went to their uncle's house.

How did he come to know about the murder?

Laladhar's two brothers lived near his house. When the neighbors of the deceased Laladhar started smelling a strange smell from the house, they also became alert.

Thus, through the neighbors and Laladhar's brothers, the information reached Utkarish, and on December 31, he suddenly reached his uncle's house and started crying. He said that he had been having bad dreams about his parents.

Before the matter reached the police, Utkarsh went to the house and put his father's mobile phone on a table and pretended that his parents had committed suicide.

Suicide note written on the mobile phone

Utkarsh himself had written a note on his father's phone saying, 'My children, I am sorry that we have taken this step. Don't tell the police, just perform our last rites.'

But Utkarsh himself had also told everyone that his parents had gone to Bangalore. In such a situation, the police's first suspicion fell on him and he was taken into custody. When questioned at the Kapilnagar police station, he gave vague answers.

However, according to the police, Utkarsh later confessed to the crime during the investigation process.

Why did the son kill his parents?

But why did Utkarsh do this? According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, the reason was that Utkarsh, who had been studying engineering for six years, was failing repeatedly.

Utkarsh's parents had decided to employ him in some other job, but the son was not listening to their parents. On December 25th, there was a lot of bitter talk about this matter.

According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, the engineer, who had been studying engineering for six years, was repeatedly failing.

According to him, ‘Utkarsh’s parents wanted him to do farming but the argument escalated. Things escalated to the point that Utkarsh bought a knife and when his sister went to college, he first killed his mother and then killed his father with a knife.’

According to the police, Utkarsh’s sister said that her parents had never beaten their son and fulfilled his every wish. However, Utkarsh claimed in the police investigation that his father beat him on December 25 when the fight had escalated.

But why do children take such extreme steps?

Dr. Manish Thackeray is a psychologist at Nagpur Medical College who says, ‘When someone does not get something according to their wishes and they become impatient, then they are emotionally affected.’

He has also examined such minor accused who were involved in murder cases. He says, “This happens in a state of anger or in children who are facing some psychological illness.”

“Such children do not follow the norms of society.”

Dr. Parveen is also a psychologist, according to whom some children, whose frontal lobe of the brain is not developed properly, act without thinking.

“They do not know what they are going to do because it is the frontal lobe that can stop our actions.”

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