A preserved portion of the Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany. (CIA.gov)

German cabinet approves draft law banning GM crops

Berlin | Reuters — The German cabinet has approved a draft law banning cultivation of crops with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), government sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Germany had announced in September 2015 that it will ban cultivation of crops with GMOs under new European Union rules allowing member states to opt out of their […] Read more



(Europa.eu)

EU, Canada to hold trade summit Sunday

Brussels | Reuters –– The European Union and Canada will hold a summit to sign their free trade deal on Sunday, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday, after Belgium had cleared the agreement with its regional governments. “Mission accomplished! Just agreed with PM @JustinTrudeau to hold EU Canada Summit this Sunday,” Tusk said […] Read more


The citadel of Namur, the seat of the Walloon parliament. (Wallonia.be)

Belgium’s Walloon parliament backs EU-Canada trade deal

Brussels | Reuters — The parliament of Belgium’s French-speaking region of Wallonia voted in favour of a planned EU-Canada trade agreement on Friday, ending its opposition that threatened to destroy the entire deal. Lawmakers of Wallonia, which led Belgian opposition to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), 58 voted for and five against, after […] Read more

Wet soil makes for slow process, rain, snow lodge standing crops

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending October 24

Continued wet weather has resulted in very little harvest progress since the beginning of October. Eighty-two per cent of the 2016 crop has been combined, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. The five-year (2011-2015) average for this time of year is 99 per cent combined. Many producers were out testing the crop, however only […] Read more


Le Botanique, a Brussels-area greenhouse facility repurposed as a cultural centre and live music venue. (CIA.gov)

Belgium breaks deadlock over EU-Canada trade pact

Brussels | Reuters — Belgium agreed a deal with its regional parliaments on Thursday to approve a landmark EU-Canada free trade agreement, breaking a deadlock that has blocked the pact for weeks. Prime Minister Charles Michel said the heads of the regions had drawn up an addendum to the agreement that answered their concerns over […] Read more

The main tower of Brussels’ Gothic-style Stadhuis, or city hall. (CIA.gov)

Belgians struggle to agree on text to save CETA

Brussels | Reuters –– Belgian politicians failed to break their deadlock over a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement on Wednesday, but agreed to resume talks on Thursday in a sign they may be nearing a consensus that would keep the deal alive. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), seven years in the making, is backed […] Read more


(CN.ca)

CN feels Prairie harvest delays in Q3 revenues

Weather-related stalls in this fall’s Prairie grain harvest have chipped away at Canadian National Railway’s (CN) third-quarter financials, as the railway booked lower profits and revenues on “shifting traffic demands.” Montreal-based CN on Tuesday reported overall net income of $972 million on $3.014 billion in revenue for the quarter ending Sept. 30, down from $1.007 […] Read more