The Transportation Safety Board says rain on the windshield may have played a part in a fiery helicopter crash in northwestern BC last August that killed the pilot. It happened August 17th near a worksite northwest of Stewart as heavy rain swept over the area where the Aberdeen Helicopters pilot was moving a dismantled drilling rig from one site to another. The TSB says as the rain arrived, the pilot flew out of the work area and tests indicate the helicopter had no mechanical issues and was under full power when GPS co-ordinates show it hit the upper edge of a nearby mountain seconds later a

Oprah Winfrey's explosive interview with Prince Harry and Meghan reached an estimated 17.1 million viewers in the United States on Sunday. That's according to preliminary numbers from the Nielsen company. Winfrey guided the two as they discussed racism and dysfunction inside the royal family in a two-hour special on CBS. Nielsen said it had the largest audience for any prime-time entertainment special so far this television season. In the interview, Meghan said she considered suicide, while Harry said he and his family were "trapped" in an oppressive institution.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the pace of vaccination in Canada is "accelerating significantly." Trudeau told an Ottawa news conference the government is working tirelessly every day to acquire and distribute more doses.Trudeau says half-a-million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were delivered last week and are being distributed to provinces. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there's still no firm date for when Johnson & Johnson will send its COVID-19 vaccine to Canada. Health Canada approved the vaccine for use last week but the company has reported production delays could t

Police say an itsy-bitsy intruder inside a vehicle in Newton caused a bit of a scramble and led a woman to cry out for help. Surrey RCMP say they received calls from the public after they saw a woman in distress Saturday afternoon. They say the woman opened the door of her white Toyota RAV-4 while it was moving to try and shoo the spider out. Police say they tracked down the man and woman in the vehicle. They confirmed there was no criminal activity, and they hadn't intended to cause alarm.

British Columbians eligible to make a COVID-19 vaccination appointment are being urged to keep trying if they failed to get through Monday on phone lines overwhelmed by calls.The Health Ministry confirms just under 15,000 appointments were booked on the first day residents over the age of 90 or Indigenous elders over 65 could make appointments.Only Fraser Health offered an online option for booking appointments and 8,722 were made there, while the Interior and Vancouver Island health authorities each recorded just under 2,500 bookings and residents in the north made just over 1,000.The minist

Amid the ongoing farmers protest against the three farm laws, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the deployment of 93 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the national capital till March 15 for law and order duties."The MHA has extended the deployment of 93 companies of CAPFs including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Delhi till March 15," informed the ministry on Tuesday."Rest 20 companies of CRPF, BSF and CISF will be de-induc

India on Tuesday called the UK Westminster discussion on press freedom and farmers' stir as "one-sided and based on false assertions".The High Commission of India asserted that the question of lack of press freedom in India does not arise as the foreign media, including the British media, here have witnessed the events under discussion first-hand."The High Commission of India would normally refrain from commenting on an internal discussion involving a small group of Parliamentarians in a limited quorum. However, when aspersions are cast on India by anyone, there's a need to set record straight

BC's top doctor says officials are working with faith leaders on a gradual return to in-person religious services, which have mostly been prohibited since November under COVID-19 restrictions. Doctor Bonnie Henry says she knows there are many important dates coming up in different faiths and the province will look at easing the rules to meet their specific needs while ensuring certain safety measures remain in place. She also advised post-secondary institutions to prepare for a full return to on-campus education this fall, with Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang saying the province will cr

Call centres open today across British Columbia to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments for some of the province's most elderly residents.B.C. says the vaccine call centres will open at 7 a.m. at the Fraser, Island, Interior, Northern and Vancouver Coastal health authorities to make appointments for people 90 years and older and Indigenous people who are 65 and older or identify as elders.Health authorities announced dozens of sites Sunday where B.C.'s most elderly residents will go to receive their vaccine.Island Health's pandemic planner Victoria Schmid says people 90 years old and older and I