Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the steps being taken in response to the gas leak incident in Vishakhapatnam. The Prime Minister discussed at length the measures being taken for the safety of the affected people as well as for securing the site affected by the disaster, read a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs issued on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and G Kishan Reddy, besides other senior officers. On rec

A member of the military serving as one of US President Donald Trump's valets has tested positive for the coronavirus. The White House says Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have since tested negative for the virus and remain in good health. It's the first known instance where a person who has come in close proximity to the president has tested positive since several people present at his private Florida club were diagnosed with COVID-19 in early March. Trump says neither he nor Vice President Mike Pence spent much time around the valet.

BC is reporting 33 new cases of COVID-19 and two new deaths. That raises the total number of cases to 2,288 with 126 deaths, while more than 1,500 people have fully recovered. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says everyone is looking forward to a new phase after the May long weekend when some COVID-19 restrictions are eased. But she says just because it's allowed, doesn't mean everyone should expand their social bubbles or reopen businesses depending on their own unique circumstances.

Greyhound Canada is temporarily slamming the brakes on all of its busing routes and services as ridership plummets amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The transportation company says starting May 13 it will halt all routes until passenger demand recovers. Greyhound Canada says it made the decision after its ridership dropped by 95 per cent. The bus operator says it has already cut costs across its business and "made significant outreach efforts" to provincial and federal governments seeking financial support. It says 400 employees will be affected by the decision. Greyhound Canada has pulled back on

The B.C. government is announcing what it describes as an ``ambitious plan'' to rescheduled thousands of cancelled surgeries and increase capacity in the health-care system. The government estimates it will take 17 to 24 months to clear a backlog of 30,000 patients whose surgeries have been cancelled or weren't scheduled because COVID-19 health restrictions. It says those patients joined or remained on an existing backlog, bringing the total waiting list to 93,000. The first year of the plan will cost $250 million, and includes hiring additional staff, expanding hours, opening new and unused

Overdose deaths in British Columbia jumped in March compared with February, and marked the first time the monthly death toll exceeded 100 in the past year. The BC Coroners Service says 113 people died in March of suspected illicit drug toxicity, which is a three per cent dip from March of last year but represents a 61 per cent increase from February. It says the last time there were more than 100 deaths in a month was in March 2019. The service says 76 per cent of those who have died from illicit overdose deaths this year were men, and the Northern Health authority has the highest rate of ove

Governor General Julie Payette says the lessons being learned from the COVID-19 pandemic will be useful for potential upcoming crises. Payette points out that natural disasters, like volcanic eruptions or asteroids, could cause major disruptions to life in Canada. She suggests science could help foresee those catastrophes and the country would have time to plan and react. Payette, a former astronaut, says one of the things she learned from her past job is to spend a lot of time planning when things are quiet so everyone is ready to work together when ``all hell breaks loose.''

Dr. Theresa Tam says it's a bad idea to go to a cottage or a second home if you risk straining local health resources. Rules and advice on how to apply that will vary from province to province and situation to situation, though. In Ontario, for instance, Premier Doug Ford has called on people who own cottages not to leave city homes for them over the upcoming Victoria Day weekend, after previously saying he thought it might be OK. Tam says part of the concern is about spreading the virus that causes COVID-19, and part is about simply having too many people heading to places that don't have the

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government, provinces and territories will spend $4 billion to increase the wages of essential workers in the COVID-19 pandemic.He says the details are still to be finalized with some provinces.But Trudeau says all the country's first ministers agree that front-line workers who are risking their health and make minimum wage deserve a raise.It will be up to each province to decide which workers count as ``essential'' and will get a top-up.Trudeau says Canadians are relying on these workers now, more than ever, and all provinces and territories work