Pope Francis on Monday named the first woman to head a major Vatican office, appointing an Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church's religious orders. The appointment marks a major step in Francis’ aim to givewomen more leadership rolesin governing the church. While women have been named to No. 2 spots in some Vatican offices, never before has a woman been named prefect of a dicastery or congregation of the Holy See Curia, the central governing organ of the Catholic Church. The historic nature of Brambilla’s appointm

With temperatures set to rise, the City of Edmonton says it will deactivate its extreme weather response on Monday at 9 a-m. The city will stop running its expanded overnight shuttle service and overnight emergency shelter this week. The extreme weather response was activated on December 30th, due to the extreme cold.

Edmonton Police have laid charges after a woman was found dead on a bank of the North Saskatchewan River last week. In a news release, police say a 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second degree murder. The man and the victim were known to each other, the release says. The victim has been identified as 43-year-old Ashley Burke. Police say her death is considered an intimate partner homicide. They say they will continue to withhold the cause of death for investigative purposes.

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce he is stepping down as Liberal party leader as early as Monday. Trudeau has faced mounting calls for his resignation from MPs in his caucus as public opinion polls have continued to put the governing Liberals trailing far behind the Conservatives. The Globe report says three sources, who weren't authorized to speak about the matter publicly, did not know a specific timeline but they expected Trudeau would announce his plans before a national caucus meeting scheduled for Wednesday. The Canadian Press has

Mounties in Chilliwack, B.C., say a person was struck and killed by a train near an overpass in the city early this morning. They say officers responded to a report of a pedestrian struck near the Yale Road Overpass and McIntosh Drive around 3:19 a.m. Police say first responders at the scene found the body and have determined the victim was female. They say she has not yet been identified. The RCMP say the incident does not appear to be suspicious, but police are working to figure out who she was. They say the investigation is also being done in partnership with the BC Coroners Service.

B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad has criticized Premier David Eby's government for the state of health care in the province. Rustad highlighted a recent incident at a Victoria hospital where a mother waited 14 hours in the emergency room for her sick child, who had a high fever. He called the situation unacceptable and accused Eby's government of prioritizing its own interests over addressing the public's needs. Rustad claimed that B.C.'s health services have deteriorated to an alarming level and emphasized the need for urgent, major reforms to improve the system.

In India, children under 18 will soon need parental consent to create social media accounts. On Friday, PM Narendra Modi's government unveiled a draft of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which includes this provision. The draft also mandates that companies obtain government approval before transferring personal data outside India. However, it does not specify penalties for non-compliance with the rules. The government has invited public feedback on the proposed regulations. A final decision will be made after February 18, incorporating the views of citizens.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended a virtual meeting of the cabinet committee on Canada-US relations, as the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president approaches. Trump, set to be sworn in on January 20, has threatened to impose tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico. Meanwhile, Trudeau faces mounting challenges, including managing government operations effectively while mitigating potential trade disputes. Pressure on Trudeau to resign has intensified, both within and outside the Liberal caucus, especially after Chrystia Freeland stepped down from the cabinet last month.

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says he's seeking the party's nomination to run as a candidate in Edmonton. The Edmonton-Strathcona seat became vacant after former NDP leader and premier Rachel Notley resigned her seat effective Dec. 30. Before taking the helm of the Opposition NDP, Nenshi served as mayor of Calgary for more than a decade. He says he's still a proud Calgarian but already splits his time between his home city and the provincial capital and is looking forward to learning more about Edmonton. Nenshi has been criticized by Premier Danielle Smith and many of her U