At Home: Canadians cheer Obama victory
The ballots may have been cast south of the border, but to the north Canadians were also celebrating the victory of new US president-elect Barack Obama.
From the Yaletown pub in Vancouver to the Halifax Metro Centre in Nova Scotia, crowds erupted in cheers as Obama’s triumph was announced.
Watching the election results from the Metro Centre, Lynn Jones shared her reaction with the CBC.
?All the different issues that Barack talked about for the United States of America, we’re really hoping that that translates into an agenda for Canada,? she said.
Others watching the historic moment expressed their desire that, one day, Canada might also have a politician who inspires such hope and enthusiasm in voters.
Daurene Lewis was one of them. In 1984, she made history when she was elected mayor of Annapolis Royal, becoming the first black woman elected to the position in Canada.
?It also is very reflective or very indicative of why we had such low turnout in Canada,? Lewis told reporters. ?There was nothing new, there was no change, no one was coming up with anything that was new and different.?
Whether in America, Canada, or anywhere else on the globe, there was no doubt that those watching the election witnessed a pivotal moment in history.
In Foreign News: Taiwan and China sign cross-strait deals
In spite of the interest garnered by the US election, it was also business as usual on November 4 as Taiwan and China signed on to four accords between their countries. Three of the agreements, which deal with direct links between the two, are the realization of ideas first put forward more than a decade ago.
As the China Post reports, the accords will expand the countries? dealings in flights, maritime shipping, and mail service. The fourth agreement concerns food safety, a topic That’s causing a lot of worry in Taiwan after melamine-tainted mild powder was imported from China. Food processors, distributors, and even bakers have been affected, losing billions of dollars in sales.
P.K. Chiang, Taiwan’s chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), said it was hoped the four agreements would bring ?the distance between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait ever closer not only substantially but also in form.?
It’s hoped that policies in other areas, such as Taiwan’s restrictions on Chinese tourists, will also be loosened.
