Canada's deputy chief medical officer says the country's COVID-19 vaccination rates have doubled in five weeks, reaching nearly 20 million doses administered to date, while daily cases continue to decline. But Dr. Howard Njoo says Canadians should take care to maintain the country's progress this Victoria Day long weekend. Njoo is urging people choose lower-risk outdoor activities and follow the public health advice of their respective jurisdictions. Daily COVID-19 cases have dropped by 25 per cent over the past seven days. Njoo says, while hospitalizations, deaths and critical-care admission

Transport Canada is extending the ban on incoming flights from India and Pakistan for another month. The flight ban that began April 22 was set to expire on Saturday. A notice posted on the Nav Canada website says the extension is ordered by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. It says the ministry believes barring flights from those two countries for another month is necessary to protect the public. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says it will be extended until June 21st. The ban has cut down the number of international flights arriving in Canada with at least one passenger who later tests po

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit the United States next week beginning May 24 to meet with US officials and discuss COVID-related cooperation between the two countries.Jaishankar will be visiting the United States from May 24-May 28, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday.The Foreign Minister is expected to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York and later he will hold discussions with his counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC, the ministry said.He will also be meeting Cabinet members and Senior Officials of the Administ

One person is dead after a shooting at a strip mall in Nanaimo, B.C. Nanaimo RCMP say they responded to reports of shots fired at about 3 p.m. at the Rock City Plaza parking lot. One man, who suffered apparent gunshot wounds, was found dead in a vehicle at the mall. Mounties say they arrested several people at the Best Western Hotel on Metral Drive shortly afterwards and seized a vehicle. Const. Gary O'Brien says police can't confirm whether they are looking for other suspects. Police are asking anyone with dashcam video from the area between 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Thursday to contact Nan

Premier John Horgan is urging people to follow all COVID-19 public health orders over the long weekend so the province can have the summer than everyone wants to see. Horgan says COVID-19 case counts are coming down and the burden on hospitals is easing somewhat, but all current restrictions including the ban on travel remain in place until midnight Monday. He says the province will be announcing a new road map for reopening on Tuesday and people can expect the circuit breaker imposed to slow rising cases to be over. However, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says it's not going to b

Israeli media say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet has approved a unilateral cease-fire to halt an 11 day military operation in the Gaza Strip. The decision came after heavy U.S. pressure to halt the offensive. It was not immediately clear when the truce was to take effect. The public broadcaster Kan said the fighting was to halt immediately. Other TV channels said it would go into effect at 2 a.m. An official from the Palestinian militant Hamas group says Israel's declaration of a cease-fire represents a defeat for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ``a victory to the

A project to deliver packages by cargo electric bicycle is about to launch in Vancouver as the city works to reduce pollution and traffic congestion. A joint statement from the Transportation and Environment ministries says the province is providing $200,000 to partner with Vancouver to create the e-bike micro hub. The statement says packages will be brought to the hub by truck and transferred to the e-bikes equipped with large rear cargo boxes for final delivery. The project will begin in June and run until the end of next August, with a midpoint evaluation of greenhouse gas reductions, prod

An early morning drinking and driving roadblock in North Vancouver captured known gang associates in possession of cash, drugs and a knife.At approximately 3:00 a.m. on May 18, 2021, North Vancouver RCMP officers were conducting an impaired driving enforcement road check near Capilano Rd. and Marine Dr. A newer model Range Rover approached, and the driver stopped and rolled down the window to speak to one of the officers."Generally, this initial brief discussion our officers have with the person behind the wheel allows them to detect possible impaired drivers," said Sgt. Peter DeVries of the N

Health Canada says as of May 13th, 740 fully vaccinated people have contracted COVID-19. It also says 13-thousand, 461 who had received their first dose were infected. The department says the statistics come from nine provinces that submitted data. It takes about 14 days after the first dose, and seven-days after the second dose for the immunity it confers to take effect. Health Canada says 443 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, two weeks or more after they got their first dose, and 95 people in that group died. Health Canada says 32 were hospitalized at least a week after getting their