a winter break global news recap

Written by Jade Hauber, 13/01/2025.

Winter break is usually the most relaxing time of year, but this one was jam-packed with news in all areas of interest. From celebrity engagements to political developments, here’s a very quick summary of some especially interesting the good, bad and ugly things that happened during or around the winter break that you may have missed or want a refresher on. I hope it’s both informative and entertaining. Welcome back, York!

It’s safe to say that what affects Canada most on this list - and yes, even more than the “51st State” comments made by the United States’s President Donald Trump - is the recent resignation of our Prime Minister and the head of the Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau. The Liberal Party has apparently been dealing with infighting for a while, with several members calling for a new leader for the coming election, especially with the recent resignation of Christia Freeland, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Because of this, Trudeau resigned earlier this week, admitting that he did not think he was fit to run next election if they were still dealing with internal disagreements. When both of his positions have been filled, he is to step down.

On a darker note, Los Angeles, California has been experiencing troubling weather conditions and fires along its coasts. There are five major ones being spread: Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Kenneth, with the Sunset, Woodley and Olivia fires fortunately under control. The cause of said fires has not yet been identified, with many blaming arsonists or electrical mishaps, but we do know that many homes have been destroyed and people have had to evacuate. To anyone with family or friends on the West Coast, we wish them peace and safety.

To lighten the mood, let’s discuss this year’s Golden Globes. To list them all would take a while and more words than I have time to write, but we can certainly recap the highlights. Nikki Glaser hosted this year, and is said to be hosting the next ceremony as well. Musical comedy film Emilia Perez won the most awards of any, and - which will be sure to please any theatre-loving readers -  the award for best cinematic and box office achievement went to Wicked starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Congratulations to all the winners and I for one am already looking forward to the rest of awards season.

Last but not least, I was asked to report on the several recent celebrity engagements that have been revealed to the public. Popular former Disney star Selena Gomez announced her engagement to Benny Blanco on December 11th. Actors Tom Holland and Zendaya, stars of the current Spider-Man franchise for Marvel, also sparked later confirmed rumours when she wore an engagement ring to the aforementioned Golden Globes. Congratulations to these couples as well.

Thanks for reading, York, and I hope you have a fantastic return to semester now that you’re all caught up on the latest news!