News

Indonesia's youth clean up trash from waterways, but more permanent solutions are still elusive

BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) — At a lake in the West Javan city of Bogor, children and teenagers paddle toward piles of floating trash, pick it up and store it in their kayaks, before passing it to friends sorting it onshore. The group of around 20 youngsters started off as a team of one, a decade ago, when Giri Marhara decided to start cleaning up the la...

2023-12-08T05:46:04Z

High-profile attacks on Derek Chauvin and Larry Nassar put spotlight on violence in federal prisons

Derek Chauvin was stabbed nearly two dozen times in the law library at a federal prison in Arizona. Larry Nassar was knifed repeatedly in his cell at a federal penitentiary in Florida. The assaults of two notorious, high-profile federal prisoners by fellow inmates in recent months have renewed concerns about whether the chronically understaffed, cr...

2023-12-08T05:20:56Z

OPP charge Thunder Bay police officer with assault, breach of trust, obstruction of justice

Ontario Provincial Police have charged a Thunder Bay police officer with two counts of assault, breach of trust and obstruction of justice following a roughly two-year investigation.

2023-12-06T21:36:29Z

A ‘Degrassi’ docuseries is in the works, giving behind-the-scenes look

Characters in the fictional series struggled with very real issues like racism, teen pregnancy and suicide, making the franchise a touchstone for many Canadian teens.

2023-12-06T22:06:32Z

It's not just COVID anymore, or a triple-demic. Welcome to the 'new norm' of seasonal illnesses

As health-care teams remain dangerously overstretched, they’re also grappling with the pressure of what some physicians are calling a “new norm” for seasonal illnesses — a range of viral and bacterial infections all back in circulation, with COVID-19 still chief among them.

2023-12-08T09:03:11Z

Journalists' rights group counts 94 media workers killed this year, most of them in Gaza

BRUSSELS (AP) — A leading organization representing journalists worldwide expressed deep concern Friday at the number of media professionals killed around the globe doing their jobs in 2023, with Israel’s war with Hamas claiming more journalists than any conflict in over 30 years. In its annual count of media worker deaths, the International Federa...

2023-12-08T00:35:41Z

Abandon Ukraine and all of Eastern Europe is under threat, exiled Belarusian opposition leader warns US

The exiled leader of Belarus’ democratic opposition is warning the US that abandoning Ukraine in its fight against Russia threatens the security of the region.

2023-12-08T01:27:44Z

Pantone's 2024 colour of the year is Peach Fuzz, a 'warm and cozy' hue to feed the soul

In a countdown so highly anticipated in the design world that it's akin to New Year's Eve, the 2024 Pantone colour of the year was revealed this morning. And it is: Peach Fuzz.

2023-12-07T14:17:29Z

Palestinians crowd into ever-shrinking areas in Gaza as Israel's war against Hamas enters 3rd month

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Desperate Palestinians fleeing Israel's expanding ground offensive crowded into an ever-shrinking area of the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third month Friday. The United Nations warned that its aid operation is “in tatters” because no place in the besieged enclave is safe. Israel’s ferocious military assau...

2023-12-08T08:51:09Z

After day of rest at climate summit, COP28 negotiators turn back to fossil fuels

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Nations climate conference on Friday began its final week with negotiators expected to zoom in on the future of fossil fuels on a dangerously warming planet. Reopening COP28 after a rest day, President Sultan al-Jaber described what he saw as an “unprecedented level of momentum” for the summit. The clim...

2023-12-08T05:00:54Z

Hunter Biden indicted on nine tax charges, adding to gun charges in special counsel probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden was indicted on nine tax charges in California on Thursday as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden's son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election. The new charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — are in addition to federal firearms charges in Del...

2023-12-08T01:35:42Z

Myanmar's army is facing battlefield challenges and grants amnesty to troops jailed for being AWOL

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has been freeing soldiers and police who had been jailed for desertion and absence without leave, seeking to get them to return to active duty, a police officer and an army officer said Thursday. The releases follow an an amnesty plan announced earlier this week to get them back into service in order to ...

2023-12-07T16:50:09Z

Indigenous children facing food security ‘crisis’ in Canada’s North

High inflation has sent food prices soaring across the country, but nowhere more than in Canada's northernmost communities.

2023-12-07T11:32:24Z

On the Brink: Retiree living in converted laundry room feels ‘overlooked’ amid housing crisis

In this instalment of 'On the Brink,' we speak with a Halifax-area retiree living in a converted laundry room who is unable to find something better due to the housing crisis.

2023-12-07T10:32:20Z

Alberta given 'Fossil of the Day' award by activists at global climate summit

Environmental activists put a spotlight on Alberta's climate record on Wednesday at the COP28 climate summit by giving the province the so-called "Fossil of the Day" award.

2023-12-06T16:16:08Z

Canada, allies issue cyber threat alert after hacking plot linked to Russia’s FSB exposed

The U.K. and U.S. said a hacking group aligned with the Russian FSB has been targeting politicians and other groups and individuals with the goal of undermining democracy.

2023-12-08T00:28:49Z

‘Levels of hell’: Father of Swedish EU diplomat calls for his release by Iran

The father of a 33-year-old Swedish citizen and EU diplomat held in captivity in Iran for the past 18 months has revealed the “levels of hell” his son has experienced, as his family and employers step up their fight for his release. Johan Floderus, who on Friday will have been incarcerated for 600 days in Tehran’s Evin prison with no routine consular visits or phone calls, has been on hunger strike at least five times, his father said. In an...

2023-12-08T05:14:12Z

Azerbaijan and Armenia agree to prisoner swap and to work towards peace deal

The neighboring nations have been engaged in a decades long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in the Caucasus Mountains.

2023-12-08T07:58:02Z

Taiwan official: Chinese leaders met to hash out interference plans targeting island’s presidential election

Beijing has ramped up its push to interfere in next month’s Taiwan presidential election, with a top Chinese leader urging officials to be more effective and discrete in their work at a recent high-level meeting, according to a senior Taiwanese national security official.

2023-12-08T08:13:04Z

Hunter Biden hit with 9 tax-related charges in new indictment

Hunter Biden has been indicted on nine tax-related charges, including three felony counts, according to court documents filed in a federal court in Los Angeles.

2023-12-08T00:46:40Z

Federal government unveils what it calls a 'strict' oil and gas cap to curb emissions

The Liberal government announced its regulatory framework for capping emissions in the oil and gas sector Thursday — a national cap-and-trade system that it says will set emissions limits without restricting production.

2023-12-07T15:27:10Z

Researchers used Hurricane Larry to prove ocean microplastics can be swept inland as air pollution

As Hurricane Larry lashed Newfoundland in 2021, university students from Halifax headed to a rural area in its track to find out whether the ocean might whip microplastics up into the atmosphere then transport them by air to otherwise pristine communities.

2023-12-07T09:02:28Z

Israel, on Reuters finding its forces killed Lebanon journalist, says area a combat zone

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The Israeli military, responding on Friday to a Reuters investigation that determined its forces killed a Reuters journalist in southern Lebanon on Oct. 13, said the incident took place in an active combat zone and was under review. Without directly addressing the death of visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, a military statement said Lebanese Hezbollah fighters had at the time

2023-12-08T08:22:56Z

Blair names Canada military college review board amid misconduct crisis

Defence Minister Bill Blair on Wednesday named the board that will lead the review into Canada's military colleges amid the ongoing sexual misconduct crisis.

2023-12-06T18:16:21Z

Parliamentary committee studying housing affordability descends into crosstalk chaos

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland questioned the point of a parliamentary committee's hearing on the rising cost of housing Thursday after the meeting descended into loud crosstalk and shouting.

2023-12-07T19:27:35Z

UNLV gunman had list of targets at the university and 150 rounds of ammunition, police say

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The 67-year-old gunman who killed three faculty members and wounded a fourth in a roughly 10-minute rampage at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, had a list of targets at the school and more than 150 rounds of ammunition, police said Thursday. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified the suspect, who was killed in a shootou...

2023-12-07T05:34:24Z

Michigan school shooting victims to speak as teen faces possible life sentence

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A teenager who killed four other students at a Michigan school will listen to their families and survivors of the mass shooting before a judge decides whether the attack will carry a life prison sentence. Crime victims in Michigan have a right to speak in court, and the final hearing Friday in suburban Detroit is likely to be ...

2023-12-08T05:05:54Z

Foreign service needs fewer managers, more staff to better respond to global crises: report

Global Affairs Canada needs to reduce its complement of senior managers and reallocate resources to recruiting and training staff so the department can better respond to crisis situations, says a new Senate report.

2023-12-06T20:46:05Z

Census Bureau wants to change how it asks about disabilities. Some advocates don't like it

The U.S. Census Bureau wants to change how it asks people about disabilities, and some advocates are complaining that they were not consulted enough on what amounts to a major overhaul in how disabilities would be defined by the federal government. Disability advocates say the change would artificially reduce their numbers by almost half. At stake ...

2023-12-08T05:15:56Z

‘Mystery’ dog illness now in Canada. But should owners worry?

In the past few months, cases of the respiratory illness have been reported in dogs in several U.S. states, however reports are now surfacing of the illness in Canada.

2023-12-08T00:28:49Z

Man accused of firing shotgun outside synagogue in upstate New York is taken into custody, police say

A man accused of firing a shotgun twice outside a synagogue in New York’s capital on Thursday afternoon was taken into custody, and police are investigating whether it was a hate crime, Albany’s police chief said.

2023-12-08T01:27:43Z

‘Profound malaise’ lingers in Canada’s diplomatic service, Senate committee finds

A senate committee urged government not to cut foreign affairs budget amid belt tightening, said many issues have persisted for nearly 40 years.

2023-12-07T02:21:50Z

Travel agent says Air Transat is dropping base fares to as low as $2 to avoid commissions

A Greater Toronto Area travel agent says he believes Air Transat is dropping base fares on its flights to as low as $2 to avoid paying commissions to travel agents and argues that the low base fares are misleading to consumers.

2023-12-07T09:01:47Z

Canada’s oil and gas emissions cap is here. How does it work?

Canada’s emissions cap, which will follow a cap-and-trade model, aims to limit emissions from the oil and gas sector at 35 to 38 per cent below 2019 levels.

2023-12-07T16:32:56Z

Cyber spy agency warns foreign adversaries will 'weaponize' AI to influence next federal election

Canada's cyber espionage agency is warning that bad actors are planning to use artificial intelligence tools to sway the next federal election — and it won't be able to identify every deceptive deepfake video deployed.

2023-12-06T17:25:52Z

‘Enough is enough’: Ottawa hikes student visa financial onus, threatens limits

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said ahead of September 2024, the federal government would consider "significantly limiting visas" for international students.

2023-12-07T20:18:04Z

Canadian firms paying ‘significantly’ more in ransomware attacks: data

Canadian companies are paying more than $1 million on average to ransomware attacks, a report finds. That's a 150 per cent increase in two years.

2023-12-07T21:23:12Z

What the Rideau Canal’s ice woes tell us for Canada’s winter sport future

As crews work to ensure the reopening of the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, experts say it is a symbol of how climate change will affect winter sports across Canada.

2023-12-07T12:32:29Z

Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it to produce a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare and fleeting spectacle, late Monday into early Tuesday, should be visible to millions of people along a narrow path stretching from central Asia’s Tajikistan an...

2023-12-08T08:06:06Z

Canada unveils new funding to accelerate entry for international medical graduates

The federal government is spearheading efforts to dramatically shorten the duration for international medical graduates to integrate into Canada's health-care system.

2023-12-07T18:53:00Z

UNLV gunman was unemployed professor who had 150 rounds of ammunition and a target list, police say

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A 67-year-old college professor who was denied jobs at various Nevada colleges and universities stuffed loaded handgun magazines into his waistband before walking into a University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus building and killing three faculty members, police said. After police killed him in a shootout, Anthony Polito was found to ...

2023-12-08T05:50:57Z

Canada, G7 banning direct import of Russian diamonds

The announcement comes after G7 leaders announced a commitment to reduce Russia's revenue from the export of non-industrial diamonds mined, processed or produced in the country.

2023-12-06T22:36:33Z

Details emerge about UNLV gunman who killed 3 faculty members as investigators search for his motive. Here’s what we know

Polito had unsuccessfully applied to several higher education jobs in Nevada and appeared to be struggling financially, police said.