The rate of medical assistance in dying – also known as euthanasia – has grown in Canada for the fifth straight year, albeit at a slower pace.

The country released its fifth annual report since legalising assisted dying in 2016, which for the first time included data on the ethnicity of those seeking euthanasia.

Around 15,300 people underwent assisted dying last year, accounting for 4.7% of deaths in the country. Canada lawmakers are currently seeking to expand access to euthanasia to cover people with mental illnesses by 2027.

Canada is among a few countries that have introduced assisted dying laws in the past decade. Others include Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Austria.

The figures released on Wednesday by Health Canada show that the rate of assisted dying in Canada increased by nearly 16% in 2023. This number is a sharp drop from the average increase of 31% in previous years.

The report cautioned that it is too early to determine what caused the rate to slacken.

Nearly all of those who requested assisted dying – around 96% – had a foreseeable natural death. The remaining 4% were granted euthanasia due to having a long-term chronic illness and where a natural death was not imminent.

The average age of those seeking assisted dying was around 77 years old, with cancer being the most frequent underlying medical condition.

For the first time, the report delved into race and ethnic data of those who died by euthanasia.

Around 96% of recipients identified as white people, who account for about 70% of Canada’s population. It is unclear what caused this disparity.

The second most reported ethnic group was east Asians (1.8%), who account for about 5.7% of Canadians.

Assisted dying continued to have the highest usage rate in Quebec, which accounted for nearly 37% of all euthanasia deaths, despite the province holding just 22% of Canada’s population.

Quebec’s government launched a study earlier this year to examine why its euthanasia rate was so high.

(BBC News)

South Korea’s president yesterday shocked the country when, out of the blue, he declared martial law in the Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Yoon Suk Yeol’s drastic decision – announced in a late-night TV broadcast – mentioned “anti-state forces” and the threat from North Korea.

But it soon became clear that it not been spurred by external threats but by his own desperate political troubles.

Still, it prompted thousands of people to gather at parliament in protest, while opposition lawmakers rushed there to push through an emergency vote to remove the measure.

Lawmakers were also able to make their way around the barricades – even climbing fences to make it to the voting chamber.

Shortly after 01:00 on Wednesday, South Korea’s parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, voted down the measure.

President Yoon’s declaration of martial law was ruled invalid.

Defeated, Yoon emeged a few hours later to accept the parliament’s vote and lift the martial law order.

Now, he faces the prospect of possible impeachment and even expulsion from his own party.

Source: BBC

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared emergency martial law.

The move comes as Yoon’s People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party continue to disagree over next year’s budget bill

In a surprise late night television address he says the measure is necessary to protect the country from North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements

Analysis: Yoon is mired by several controversies and has been a lame duck president since the last general election

Both the ruling party and opposition have vowed to block the declaration, Yonhap news agency reports.

(BBC News)