Illicit drug deaths are down slightly in British Columbia from the same period last year, but the coroners service says females are dying at a much higher rate. The service says in a statement that 26 per cent of the 1,749 toxicity deaths so far this year were women or girls, and the rate of death among females is up 60 per cent from four years ago. There were 187 overdose deaths in B.C. in August and 183 in September. The service says the nine-month total is an eight per cent decrease from the same period last year, although it still represents about six people a day dying from unregulated dr

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has no intention of stepping down as the leader of the Liberal party by next week. A letter signed by two dozen Liberal MPs asking Trudeau to step down was presented to the prime minister Wednesday at a tense caucus meeting in Ottawa. The letter asked for him to let the caucus know by Oct. 28 what he decides to do. Trudeau told MPs he would reflect on what was said, but when asked today if he would stay on as prime minister after that date he answered a definitive "yes." Trudeau's leadership is being challenged as the party continues to sit well back of th

The federal government says Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan haven’t formally responded to an offer of funding to tackle homelessness. But Alberta’s minister in charge of the file says the province isn't saying no and his officials have been actively meeting with Ottawa on the file.Ottawa committed $250 million over two yearsin its budget to provide more shelter spaces, transitional homes, harm reduction spaces and services.Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser said in a Tuesday statement that the three provinces have yet to officially get on board.Fraser said he reached out with a Sept. 1

An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 16 people on Thursday, Palestinian medical officials said. Another 32 people were wounded in the strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out several strikes on schools-turned-shelters in recent months, saying it precisely targets Hamas militants hiding out among civilians. The strikes often kill women and children. The warbegan when Hamas-le

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce a major drop in the number of new permanent residents Canada will accept in 2025. As first reported by The National Post, the government's immigration levels are expected to drop to 395,000 in 2025, a huge decrease from the 500,000 that had previously been set as the target. The information was provided by a government official with knowledge of the plan. Trudeau and his immigration minister will also announce reduced targets for number of temporary residents for the first time. The government's goal is to reduce the number of temporary res

In a major breakthrough in the ongoing war against drugs, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested former MLA Satkar Kaur Ghabi and her nephew near the sunny enclave of Kharar when they were 100 The village was in the business of smuggling heroin. Later, police teams recovered another 28 grams of heroin from the former MLA's house, taking the total amount of heroin recovered to 128 grams. During the search of the house, Rs 1.56 lakh in cash, some gold jewelery and registration plates of several cars bearing Haryana and Delhi numbers were also recovered. A

Armed assailants launched a deadly “terror” attack on Turkey’s state-run aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday, government officials said. At least four people were killed and 14 injured – with three in critical condition – in the “terrorist attack” on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters in the outskirts of Ankara, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Two attackers – a man and a woman – were killed, he added. “I condemn this heinous attack. Our fight will continue with determination and determination until the last terrorist is neutralize

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first bilateral meeting on Wednesday, October 23, after a gap of five years. The meeting coincided with the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit in Russia. According to Chinese state media, President Xi Jinping told PM Modi that there is a need to strengthen communication and cooperation between the two countries. “The two sides should strengthen communication and cooperation, properly handle divergences and differences, and realize each other’s development dreams,” President Xi Jinping said. The me

The Bank of Canada cut its key policy interest rate by 50 basis points on Wednesday to bring it to 3.75 per cent. Here's what people are saying about the decision: "High inflation and interest rates have been a heavy burden for Canadians. With inflation now back to target and interest rates continuing to come down, families, businesses and communities should feel some relief." Tiff Macklem, Bank of Canada governor. "Activity in Canada’s housing market has been sluggish in many regions due to higher borrowing costs, but today’s more aggressive cut to lending rates could cause the tide to tu