AdvertisementPARIS, FRANCE --Global warming will cause "catastrophic" biodiversity loss across the world if greenhouse gas emissions aren't curbed, with some ecosystems liable to collapse as soon as 2030, according to new research into where and when die-offs may occur.Earth has never in human history warmed so quickly or uniformly as currently, but a variety of factors affect temperatures in individual regions, with significant seasonal and geographic variation.Scientists predict that at the current level of manmade carbon emissions, Earth is on course to heat up to four degrees Celsius by...…AdvertisementPARIS, FRANCE --Global warming will cause "catastrophic" biodiversity loss across the world if greenhouse gas emissions aren't curbed, with some ecosystems liable to collapse as soon as 2030, according to new research into where and when die-offs may occur.Earth has never in human history warmed so quickly or uniformly as currently, but a variety of factors affect temperatures in individual regions, with significant seasonal and geographic variation.Scientists predict that at the current level of manmade carbon emissions, Earth is on course to heat up to four degrees Celsius by...WW…

WASHINGTON --U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of the coronavirus outbreak -- and how contagious the disease is -- to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.Chinese leaders "intentionally concealed the severity" of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that China was...…WASHINGTON --U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of the coronavirus outbreak -- and how contagious the disease is -- to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.Chinese leaders "intentionally concealed the severity" of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that China was...WW…

AdvertisementTORONTO --Ontario has unveiled its three-phase plan to reopen following weeks of shutdown due to the spread of COVID-19.While no specific dates have been offered up by provincial officials, the plan, dubbed “A Framework for Reopening our Province,” states the parameters of each “gradual stage.”“This framework provides a roadmap for people and businesses, so they know what to look for as the province moves forward,” a document released on Monday outlining the plan reads.“Together, Ontario will emerge from this crisis – with a clear path to economic recovery that keeps people...…AdvertisementTORONTO --Ontario has unveiled its three-phase plan to reopen following weeks of shutdown due to the spread of COVID-19.While no specific dates have been offered up by provincial officials, the plan, dubbed “A Framework for Reopening our Province,” states the parameters of each “gradual stage.”“This framework provides a roadmap for people and businesses, so they know what to look for as the province moves forward,” a document released on Monday outlining the plan reads.“Together, Ontario will emerge from this crisis – with a clear path to economic recovery that keeps people...WW…

AdvertisementTORONTO --A civil liberties group is raising concerns after the Ontario government took the "extraordinary step" to release a database to police with a list of everyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the province.On April 6, the province announced they would provide first responders with the names, date of birth and address of all patients who tested positive for the virus. "First responders put their lives on the line every day to protect Ontarians and they are at great risk of being directly exposed to COVID-19 as they fulfill their frontline duties,” the...…AdvertisementTORONTO --A civil liberties group is raising concerns after the Ontario government took the "extraordinary step" to release a database to police with a list of everyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the province.On April 6, the province announced they would provide first responders with the names, date of birth and address of all patients who tested positive for the virus. "First responders put their lives on the line every day to protect Ontarians and they are at great risk of being directly exposed to COVID-19 as they fulfill their frontline duties,” the...WW…

AdvertisementEDMONTON --A world junior men's hockey championship like no other opens Friday in Edmonton with zero spectators and teams walled off from the general public because of the COVID-19 pandemic.The world under-20 tournament at Rogers Place is modelled on the NHL's “bubble”, which allowed that league to complete the 2019-20 season in the same arena without any positive tests for the novel coronavirus over an eight-week span.Defending champion Canada opens the tournament Saturday against Germany.Shorter in duration with fewer personnel than when the NHL post-season “bubble” started,...…AdvertisementEDMONTON --A world junior men's hockey championship like no other opens Friday in Edmonton with zero spectators and teams walled off from the general public because of the COVID-19 pandemic.The world under-20 tournament at Rogers Place is modelled on the NHL's “bubble”, which allowed that league to complete the 2019-20 season in the same arena without any positive tests for the novel coronavirus over an eight-week span.Defending champion Canada opens the tournament Saturday against Germany.Shorter in duration with fewer personnel than when the NHL post-season “bubble” started,...WW…

AdvertisementCALGARY --Lethbridge's chief of police is calling for an investigation into the actions of responding officers after video of an arrest outside a Star Wars-themed restaurant on May 4 surfaced online.A 19-year-old employee at Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina dressed as a familiar Star Wars stormtrooper and danced outside the restaurant with blaster in hand to mark the occasion of May the Fourth, the day Star Wars fans celebrate the iconic film franchise as a play on the "May the force be with you" line.Lethbridge police arrived with guns drawn, shouting at the teenage girl to drop...…AdvertisementCALGARY --Lethbridge's chief of police is calling for an investigation into the actions of responding officers after video of an arrest outside a Star Wars-themed restaurant on May 4 surfaced online.A 19-year-old employee at Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina dressed as a familiar Star Wars stormtrooper and danced outside the restaurant with blaster in hand to mark the occasion of May the Fourth, the day Star Wars fans celebrate the iconic film franchise as a play on the "May the force be with you" line.Lethbridge police arrived with guns drawn, shouting at the teenage girl to drop...WW…

OTTAWA --A New Brunswick company is ramping up its production to supply enough COVID-19 test chemicals to meet the weekly demand in all provinces, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says expanded mass testing is going to be needed before public health measures are loosened.On Wednesday Trudeau announced that Biotechnology firm LuminUltra is one of the companies that has signed a contract with the federal government to provide essential medical supplies in the fight against the novel coronavirus. It will be providing 500,000 COVID-19 tests per week, for use across Canada.“We responded...…OTTAWA --A New Brunswick company is ramping up its production to supply enough COVID-19 test chemicals to meet the weekly demand in all provinces, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says expanded mass testing is going to be needed before public health measures are loosened.On Wednesday Trudeau announced that Biotechnology firm LuminUltra is one of the companies that has signed a contract with the federal government to provide essential medical supplies in the fight against the novel coronavirus. It will be providing 500,000 COVID-19 tests per week, for use across Canada.“We responded...WW…

AdvertisementOTTAWA --The Canadian economy lost almost two million jobs in April, a record high, as the closure of non-essential services to slow the spread of COVID-19 forced businesses to shutter temporarily.The loss of 1,993,800 comes on top of more than one million jobs lost in March, and millions more having their hours and incomes slashed.The unemployment rate soared to 13.0 per cent, Statistics Canada reported, as the full force of the pandemic hit compared with 7.8 per cent in March.It was the second highest unemployment rate on record as job losses spread beyond the service sector...…AdvertisementOTTAWA --The Canadian economy lost almost two million jobs in April, a record high, as the closure of non-essential services to slow the spread of COVID-19 forced businesses to shutter temporarily.The loss of 1,993,800 comes on top of more than one million jobs lost in March, and millions more having their hours and incomes slashed.The unemployment rate soared to 13.0 per cent, Statistics Canada reported, as the full force of the pandemic hit compared with 7.8 per cent in March.It was the second highest unemployment rate on record as job losses spread beyond the service sector...WW…

AdvertisementOTTAWA --Conservative leadership hopeful Peter MacKay is calling for use of the Magnitsky Act if specific individuals in China can be identified as having suppressed information related to COVID-19.A full inquiry, perhaps an international one, into how the novel coronavirus turned into a pandemic is required, MacKay told supporters."We need to invoke existing laws like the Magnitsky Act to hold individuals personally accountable for misdeeds if that evidence exists," he said.The act allows for sanctions against foreign nationals "responsible for gross violations of...…AdvertisementOTTAWA --Conservative leadership hopeful Peter MacKay is calling for use of the Magnitsky Act if specific individuals in China can be identified as having suppressed information related to COVID-19.A full inquiry, perhaps an international one, into how the novel coronavirus turned into a pandemic is required, MacKay told supporters."We need to invoke existing laws like the Magnitsky Act to hold individuals personally accountable for misdeeds if that evidence exists," he said.The act allows for sanctions against foreign nationals "responsible for gross violations of...WW…

AdvertisementTORONTO --Canadian mining firm Alamos Gold Inc. reports that a group of armed robbers intercepted gold dore bars on the runway at its Mulatos mine site in Mexico, then staged a dramatic escape in a separate light aircraft.In a statement in Spanish, Alamos's Mexican subsidiary Minas de Oro Nacional says five heavily armed people subdued security guards who were loading the bars for transport on a plane on Wednesday morning.At the same time, it says, a light plane, described as a "Cessna-206 type," landed, and within 10 minutes the aircraft, the armed group and the bars were...…AdvertisementTORONTO --Canadian mining firm Alamos Gold Inc. reports that a group of armed robbers intercepted gold dore bars on the runway at its Mulatos mine site in Mexico, then staged a dramatic escape in a separate light aircraft.In a statement in Spanish, Alamos's Mexican subsidiary Minas de Oro Nacional says five heavily armed people subdued security guards who were loading the bars for transport on a plane on Wednesday morning.At the same time, it says, a light plane, described as a "Cessna-206 type," landed, and within 10 minutes the aircraft, the armed group and the bars were...WW…