Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed "strong concerns" to Canada over its handling of the Punjabi independence movement, on the same day the Sikh community in Metro Vancouver held a vote on the matter.A statement released by India's Ministry of External Affairs says Modi told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of this weekend's G20 summit in New Delhi that progress in the two countries' relationship requires "mutual respect and trust."It says Modi described the Sikh movement as "promoting secessionism and inciting violence" against Indian diplomats, calling on

Montreal public health says it's investigating a series of overdoses in downtown Montreal Sunday that sent six people to hospital.The health agency says what happened is concerning but that it's not uncommon for a large number of people to overdose in one day because of the contamination of street drugs with synthetic opiates, such as fentanyl.Montreal's ambulance service says it received a call Sunday afternoon for six people experiencing overdoses and that four were transported to hospital.Urgences-santé spokesman Sébastien Coulombe says a second call was received from the same area slight

The head of one of Libya's rival governments says that 2,000 people are feared dead in flooding that swept through the eastern parts of the north African nation.In a phone interview with al-Masar television station Monday, Prime Minister Ossama Hamad said that 2,000 were feared dead in the eastern city of Derna, and thousands of others are believed missing.He said the floods have swept away entire neighborhoods in Derna, which has been declared a disaster zone.

Survivors with shovels worked alongside bulldozers to dig through remote Moroccan villages flattened by a monstrous earthquake, as hope dwindled of finding people alive under wood-and-dirt homes that pancaked into rubble.Rescuers overseas waited for Morocco to let them help.Around 2,500 were killed when the quake struck late Friday.A French aid group that specializes in locating people trapped under debris said it is withdrawing an offer to send a nine-person search-and-rescue team after waiting without success for a green light from Morocco to deploy.Because homes in quake-hit areas were ofte

The Canadian Armed Forces sent a plane yesterday evening to pick up Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is stranded in India after the plane he arrived on was grounded because of technical issues.A press secretary for the prime minister's office says Trudeau is expected to leave New Delhi Tuesday morning, local time.Mohammad Hussain says they’ll keep the public updated as the situation remains fluid.The lockdown in New Delhi lifted at midnight following the G20 leaders’ summit, but Trudeau and his Canadian delegation remain after his plane broke down.The prime minister’s office says a com

Holyrood neighbourhood will soon be home to Edmonton's newest supportive housing development.This will help house “at least” 63 vulnerable individuals in a new 12-unit building. MP Randy Boissonnault made the announcement on Friday, along with Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi The development at 94 Avenue and 83 Street is part of the federal government's rapid housing initiative. Member of Parliament Edmonton Centre Boissonnault said the $4 billion initiative will see 15,000 units built in Canada. "These are affordable homes for people who need them the most and who need them urgently," he told

Alberta got out of the starting gates in the global critical minerals race Thursday with the opening of the province's first lithium extraction pilot project.With this opening, the state has joined the global lithium race. with this project new job opportunities are expected to be created. Lithium, a light metal, is in demand around the globe right now because it is a key component in electric vehicle batteries. Currently, the world's biggest lithium producers are Australia, Chile and China. However, it has long been known that Alberta is home to one of the world's largest lithium deposits, l

British Columbia is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 numbers, with cases, test positivity, hospitalizations and deaths all up in recent weeks.The BC Centre for Disease Control says in a monthly report that 447 people tested positive in tests funded by the province's medical services plan in the week ending Sept. 2, more than triple the 133 cases in the week ending Aug. 12.Positivity doubled to about 18 per cent in the same period.The increase in COVID-19 numbers comes after the detection of Canada's first known case of the BA. 2.86 variant last month in B.C., but the centre says that remains t

Thousands of Ottawa parents are still scrambling to find a way to get their kids to school after their buses were suddenly cancelled because of a driver shortage.About 7,500 students are affected after the bus service for both the Ottawa public and catholic school boards cancelled 300 routes just before schools opened this week.The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority says the city's rural west end is among the hardest hit areas after a bus company that was to operate 36 routes pulled out.OSTA says they are looking to resolve service disruptions in two weeks after making changes to routes a