bad news

The earth heals, an expensive scandal investigation, and other stories we give a thumbs up or down to from this week

A manipulated study, an anti-ISIS coalition, and other good or bad stories that caught our eye this week

In the headlines: Quebec passes right-to-die legislation, and hope for peace in Afghanistan looks faint

Political football, spending scandals and a wedding ring — cheap!

Is Washington really considering a border-crossing fee for Canadians entering the U.S. by land? Or is this a late April Fool’s joke? The Department of Homeland Security slipped the item into its budget as a means of paying for more security on our ever-thickening border with the U.S.—to the dismay of New York politicians, who note that it mocks the spirit of NAFTA.

Peace talks with the Taliban are not exactly rolling along, and the past seven days have offered little new hope. A Pakistani intelligence official says at least half the Afghan Taliban members recently freed from his country’s prisons have rejoined the insurgency.

More than 15,000 workers will be out of a job after Twinkie maker Hostess received permission from a U.S. bankruptcy judge to begin the liquidation process.

Hostess, the U.S. maker of nutrition-void foods including Twinkies, Ho Hos and Wonder Bread, has asked a federal court for bankruptcy protection and permission to shutter its operations.

Tamiflu, a drug that has been stockpiled by governments around the world in the event of an influenza pandemic, may do nothing to prevent the flu, says the British Medical Journal.

In more bad news for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, the Pentagon has put out a request for proposal looking to expand its secure networks to support iPhone and Android devices at the Department of National Defence.

The adage about not shooting the messenger has taken on a whole new meaning in Pakistan, as Taliban insurgents threaten attacks against media outlets that have shown unfavourable coverage after their attempt to kill 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai.

Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old who spoke up against the Taliban, remains in hospital after a she was shot by Taliban militants while riding a bus with classmates.