Expert: Global call to scale up needle and syringe programs
Urgent action is needed to scale up needle and syringe programs around the world to curb the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, an international group of experts warns.
In a new study published in The Lancet Global Health, the authors say the programs are effective but remain widely underfunded due to policy barriers rooted in stigma and discrimination.
Expert: U.S. vaccine guidance overhaul
Sweeping changes to childhood vaccine guidance in the United States mean that several vaccines, including those for COVID-19, influenza and RSV, are no longer universally recommended.
A McGill University expert is available to comment:
Experts: Canada-China trade
Next week, Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to China on a trade mission designed to expand markets for Canadian goods and reduce Canada’s reliance on trade with the United States.
These McGill experts are available to discuss Canada-China trade relations:
Experts: Iran
At least 25 people have been killed as protests have swept across Iran in recent days, according to news reports. The demonstrations, which started in the bazaar of Tehran, were sparked by concerns about soaring inflation, but have broadened into expressions of dissatisfaction with Iran’s theocratic regime.
McGill experts are available to comment:
Experts: U.S. captures Venezuela’s president
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured by U.S. special forces last week and are to appear in a U.S. court today on charges related to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has coined the term “Donroe Doctrine,” after the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine setting out U.S. dominance of the Western Hemisphere and has threatened the government of Colombia.
Experts: Methane pollution
The Canadian federal government has announced new measures to reduce methane pollution.
The greenhouse gas, which is primarily emitted through fossil fuel extraction and by landfills, has 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. McGill experts are available to comment on this topic:
Experts: The new U.S. National Security Strategy
These experts can comment on this subject:
Maria Popova, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Jean Monnet Chair, can speak about how the future of NATO will be affected, whether this shift may lead to an increase in conscription in European countries and the potential rise of far-right leaders in Europe.
Experts: Australia bans social media use for under-16s
Starting Dec. 10, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban the use of social media platforms by those who are under 16. The goal is to protect the young from cyber-bullying, grooming and exposure to harmful content. The onus will be on the social media companies to enforce the ban.
These McGill experts are available to comment:
Experts: 2025 Holiday Season
The McGill Media Relations Office offers the following resources for your holiday stories:
Health
Experts: Projected rise in Canadian food prices
A new study suggests that food prices in Canada may increase by four to six per cent in 2026. This is primarily likely to be due to increases in the prices of beef and chicken, although the cost of canned goods is also expected to rise.
These McGill experts can comment on the subject:
Expert: GLP-1 therapies for obesity
The World Health Organization has issued its first guideline on the use of GLP-1 therapies, such as Ozempic, to treat obesity, a chronic disease affecting more than 1 billion people worldwide and projected to double by 2030.
A McGill University expert is available to comment:
Experts: Dec. 6 and violence against women
On Dec. 6, we will mark the 36th anniversary of the killing of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal in 1989.
The government of Canada has designated Dec. 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
McGill experts are available to comment on a variety of related issues, including gender-based violence, women in engineering and gun control:
Experts: Violence on public transit
Incidents of violence in public transit systems are on the rise across Canada, according to a collaborative report from CBC and the Investigative Journalism Foundation. The report says that between 2016–2024, transit systems in eight of the country’s 10 largest cities have seen the number of assaults double. Rates have tripled in Winnipeg. The highest number of assaults took place in Toronto.
McGill experts are available to comment on this topic:
Experts: housing and the rental market in Quebec
The CMHC reported an increase in vacancy rates across Quebec this summer, and since then, there increasingly have been reports of landlords struggling to find tenants. However, questions regarding the availability of affordable housing remain. (Radio-Canada)
McGill experts are available to comment:
Experts: Canadian cancer statistics 2025
Canadian cancer statistics for 2025 show that while cancer deaths are declining ove
