B.C.'s civil servants are being warned that a protest could affect government offices tomorrow. The head of the B.C. civil service has sent an email to employees saying demonstrators have vowed to ``shut down'' as many ministries as possible, just days after hundreds blocked the entrance to the B.C. legislature. Don Wright says a flexible plan has been developed in order to maintain as much service to the public as possible. But he asks government employees to ensure their safety is the first priority.

Japanese authorities might soon allow people quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship near Tokyo, where 12 Canadians have contracted the novel coronavirus, to disembark and finish out their isolation on land. The 3,500 passengers on the ship have been under quarantine since last week, and so far 218 have tested positive for the disease, which the World Health Organization has dubbed COVID-19. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois Philippe Champagne says it's the biggest concentration of confirmed cases outside of mainland China. Champagne says emergency response teams and consular offi

Bombardier is selling its remaining stake in the A-220 jet for nearly 600 million dollars in a deal that involves Airbus and the Quebec government.The Montreal based company is transferring its shares to Airbus and the province as it tries to emerge from more than 9 billion dollars in debt.Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon calls the agreement a ``win-win'' for all partners.This morning Bombardier also reported a 2019 loss of 1.61 billion dollars.Rumours persist that it will sell one of its two main divisions later this year.

China is reporting 254 new deaths and a spike in virus cases of more than 15,000, after its hardest hit province applied a new system that broadens the scope of diagnoses for the outbreak, which has spread to more than 20 countries.Japan is also reporting its first death.The hardest hit Chinese province has replaced its top officials in an apparent response to public criticism of local authorities' handling of the epidemic.The total deaths in mainland China now are more than 1,300, with confirmed cases exceeding 59,000.That number now includes patients who have been diagnosed with a doctors'

A cruise ship turned away by other Asian and Pacific governments due to virus fears anchored Thursday off Cambodia, which is checking the health of its 2,200 passengers and crew. The Westerdam was unwelcome elsewhere even though operator Holland America Line said no cases of the COVID-19 viral illness have been confirmed among the 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members on board.The ship is anchored a kilometre (.6 miles) from the main Sihanoukville port and a team of health officials will conduct health checks and determine the disembarkation process, Preah Sihanoukville Gov. Kouch Chamrouen t

B.C. Premier John Horgan says anti-pipeline demonstrators who prevented people from entering the legislature for his government's throne speech on Tuesday need to respect the rights of others. ``Peaceful demonstration is fundamental to our success as a democracy,'' he told a news conference today. ``But to have a group of people say to others you are illegitimate, you are not allowed in here, you are somehow a sellout to the values of Canadians is just plain wrong, and I want to underline that.'' Horgan said he cancelled a news conference on Tuesday because he wanted to take 24 hours to refle

Several hundred demonstrators marched through downtown Vancouver and blocked traffic on the Granville Street bridge today after they gathered outside BC Supreme Court to announce a challenge of an injunction. The injunction allowed police to clear away blockades at Metro Vancouver ports yesterday. Lawyers say they will dispute the injunction obtained by the Port of Vancouver, arguing they were not told about the court hearing and didn't have an opportunity to dispute the port's claims in the application. Natalie Knight told those gathered outside the court that the injunction violates protest

At least 14 persons were feared dead when a bus collided with a truck here on the Agra-Lucknow expressway on Wednesday night. "A double-decker private bus rammed into a stationary truck on Agra-Lucknow expressway at around 10 pm in the night. The bus driver did not take notice of the truck and hit it from behind. There were 40-45 passengers in the bus. There are many casualties and several people got injured. Around 10-14 casualties may be there," Sachindra Patel, SSP, Firozabad said.The injured have been sent to the Saifai Mini PGI for treatment.

RCMP have notified British Columbia's independent police watchdog about the death of a woman in a burning vehicle a day after she was arrested and released. Police say the woman was taken into custody at her home in North Vancouver on Tuesday after she allegedly threatened someone she knew. Mounties say in a release that the woman was to appear in court on a future date but the following day officers in Squamish, B.C., responded to a report about a vehicle engulfed in flames. The woman who'd been arrested the day earlier was found dead at the scene. The Independent Investigations Office will