IndiaSep 10, 2020
BMC files response on Kangana Ranaut plea against demolition, HC adjourns hearing till Sept 22
The Bombay High Court on Thursday adjourned the plea filed by Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut against the demolition of alleged "illegal alteration" at her property in Mumbai, till September 22. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today filed its response in the matter, following which Kangana's lawyer sought time to respond to the affidavit.The High Court had yesterday stayed the demolition drive being undertaken by the BMC at Kangana Ranaut's property. Ranaut, through her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui, had moved the High Court against the demolition of what the BMC termed as "illegal altera
CanadaSep 10, 2020
Ford accuses Ottawa of failing to enforce quarantine orders in Ontario
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the quarantine system is "broken" because federal health officers are not charging people ignoring self-isolation orders for COVID-19. Since the end of March, an emergency order under the federal Quarantine Act has required most people arriving from outside Canada to isolate themselves for 14 days, even if they don't have symptoms.Federal quarantine officers can lay charges with penalties of up to six months in jail and fines of $750,000, while police can issue tickets of up to $1,000. Federal health officials say nobody has been arrested for ignoring a quaranti
CanadaSep 10, 2020
Former finance minister Bill Morneau broke elections law ahead of last campaign
Canada's election watchdog says former finance minister Bill Morneau broke the law when he promoted Liberal candidates at events he attended while in charge of the finance portfolio.The commissioner of Canada elections says before the last federal election, Morneau pumped up two prospective candidates who were attending separate events he headlined as finance minister.One candidate, Anita Anand, has since gone on to become a cabinet minister herself.Ministers aren't allowed to use taxpayer funds for partisan gain, but there are also provisions in election law that bar anyone but individuals fr
BCSep 10, 2020
100 new COVID-19 cases and two new outbreaks reported in B.C.
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are announcing 100 new cases, and no new epi-linked cases, for a total of 6,691 cases in British Columbia. "There are 1,378 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 3,101 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 5,086 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, 37 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19
WorldSep 09, 2020
Trump said of virus, 'I wanted to always play it down'
A new book by journalist Bob Woodward says US President Donald Trump seemed to understand the severity of the pandemic, even as he was downplaying the COVID-19 threat to Americans. Trump had insisted earlier this year that the virus was no worse than the seasonal flu and that the U-S government had it totally under control. But Woodward says in a February phone call with Trump, the president stressed the deadly nature of the novel coronavirus. Trump is also quoted as saying, ``It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.'' Trump told Woodward on March 19 that he deliberately minimized
WorldSep 09, 2020
Explosive wildfires across California stoked by fierce winds
Wildfires are raging unchecked across parts of the western United States as winds sweep the region. More than 14,000 firefighters are on the lines California's fires from the Sierra Nevada to the San Francisco Bay region and south to San Diego County. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year. Fires also have forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho. A temperature plunge helped slow wildfires in the Rocky Mountains. The National Weather Service says critical fire weather conditions are continuing on Wednesday but winds will diminish by Thursday.
CanadaSep 09, 2020
WE Charity closing operations in Canada
WE Charity says it is closing its Canadian operations, as the organization is in dire financial straits. Co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger will also step down once the transition to a new board of governors is complete. WE has lost many of its corporate sponsors since the controversy over the Liberal government's plans to have the youth organization run a multi million dollar student-volunteer program. WE plans to lay off its Canadian staff in the coming months and sell all of its property in Canada. It will create an endowment fund that will pay for the completion of several projects in
BCSep 09, 2020
B.C.'s fall pandemic response plan includes more testing, tracing and flu shots
British Columbia's fall and winter pandemic battle plan involves ramping up COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and a campaign to administer almost two million flu shots. Health Ministry officials say they have prepared the province for COVID-19 scenarios ranging from low to exceptional outbreaks and they are confident the health system can meet the challenges. The officials say some of the preparations include being able to conduct up to 20,000 daily COVID-19 tests, hiring more than 600 additional contact tracers and purchasing more than 1.9 million doses of flu vaccine. The officials say the
CanadaSep 09, 2020
Payette has a long and successful role as a scientist and an astronaut: PM Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ducked a question this morning about how he can call Julie Payette an ``excellent'' governor general as she faces allegations of workplace harassment. Trudeau told reporters that Payette, ``has a long and successful role as a scientist and an astronaut.'' He repeated that the federal government has hired a third-party reviewer to follow up on the harassment claims. There are reports that some of the whistleblowers who came forward with the allegations are now reconsidering the external review into Rideau Hall after Trudeau's defense of Payette.