Thirty-one students tested positive for COVID-19 in a government school in Theni district on Friday. According to the District Education Department, the cases have been reported from Theni Government Secondary School, Andipatti. Besides 31 students, 10 parents also tested positive for COVID-19. The District Education Department has temporarily closed the school. The health department said students and parents from the school have been asked to isolate themselves. The health department is in process of contact tracing. The school has been sanitised by the district health officials. Tamil Nadu

A candidate vying to lead Alberta’s United Conservatives has brought on a high-profile former federal politician as campaign chair. Rebecca Schulz says Rona Ambrose, the former Conservative Opposition leader, knows what it takes to unite and lead a party. In a video posted to social media, Ambrose says she has a ton of respect and confidence in Schulz, who had been provincial children’s services minister before stepping down to seek the leadership. Ambrose calls Schulz, the legislature member for Calgary-Shaw, a principled conservative and a compassionate Albertan. Schulz says in the video

As the situation in Amarnath yatra became critical after a cloudburst struck the area near the holy shrine with at least 10 dead, the pilgrimage's suspended till the situation returns to normal, informed the officials on Friday. "Situation is under control, rains are still going on. Looking at the hazard level, the Amarnath Yatra has been halted temporarily due to the area being inundated. If the weather remains normal and makeshift arrangements are made, then the yatra can be resumed tomorrow," said ITBP spokesperson PRO Vivek Kumar Pandey. The Disaster Management Authority of Jammu and Kash

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday predicted heavy rains in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh during the next two days till July 10. From July 8 to July 10, heavy (64.5 to 114.5 mm) to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) is expected to lash Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Ropar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and several other cities of Punjab are likely to witness heavy showers between July 9 and July 10. Many cities in Haryana are also likely to witness a torrential downpour. Farmers are being advised to undertake mea

CALGARY - The City of Calgary wants three dogs that mauled a senior last month to be euthanized. The 86-year-old woman who was attacked by the dogs on June 5 later died in hospital of her injuries. The city says in a release Thursday that it has submitted an application under the Dangerous Dogs Act asking the Court of Queen's Bench to order the animals to be humanely destroyed. Community peace officers seized the dogs after the attack and they are being held pending the outcome of the application. The city says police and Calgary Community Standards continue to investigate the dog attack. Afte

Japanese Police have identified the suspect arrested for shooting former prime minister Shinzo Abe on Friday as Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old resident of Nara City, according to local media. Earlier today Abe, 67, was rushed to hospital after he collapsed at 11.30 am (local time) during a campaign speech in the western Japanese city of Nara ahead of Sunday's elections for Japan's upper house of Parliament. Local media reported that police has detained the assailant and retrieved a gun from the scene. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the "barbaric" attack on former PM Shinzo Ab

SUNDRE, Alta. - RCMP say a tornado has significantly damaged up to nine homes in west-central Alberta. Cpl. Gina Slaney says no one was seriously hurt. She says the tornado tore through the rural area around 3 p.m. Thursday. Pictures show damaged homes, wrecked outbuildings, uprooted trees and damaged power lines. Slaney says police from Sundre, Airdrie, Olds and Didsbury, and a fire crew from Cremona went door to door to check on people where the tornado hit. She says some roads were temporarily closed due to fallen trees and debris but have since reopened and crews were working to restore po

Fire has destroyed a church that was an important source of outreach and meals for struggling residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Flames broke out in the building housing the Vancouver Street Church (on East Hastings Street) about 9:30 last night. No one was seriously hurt but a neighbouring rooming house-style hotel for low income tenants had to be evacuated because of the heavy smoke, although crews managed to keep the fire from spreading into that hotel. A cause of the fire is under investigation.

BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau is joining the leaders of Canada's other provincial Green parties in calling for a ``windfall profits tax'' on oil and gas companies. Furstenau says the proceeds of the one-time tax would be shared among Canadians helping them handle affordability challenges while she says oil companies are making windfall profits. The request for the tax echoes a Green proposal made in an open letter to the prime minister last month. The call is being repeated because Canada's premiers and prime minister meet Monday in Victoria and the Green leaders want affordability an