British rail workers will go on strike on July 27 over an ongoing pay dispute, a month after the country's most disruptive railway strike in three decades paralyzed train networks across the U.K. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said Wednesday its members will walk out for 24 hours, threatening travel chaos during the busy summer holidays. Union leaders said they have rejected a new pay rise offer from Network Rail to resolve the dispute over jobs, pay and working conditions. The union staged three strikes last month that saw 40,000 workers walk off their jobs, crip

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced a comprehensive enquiry into the irregularities in the post-matric scholarship scheme. "My government is committed for ensuring that oil and truth comes out in this scheme so that embezzlers are punished as per the law," said the Chief Minister. According to Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Mann assured the people of Punjab that this enquiry will be a bear thread analysis to ascertain every lapse and embezzlement of the public money under the post-matric scholarship scheme. He said that these discrepancies are an intolerable crime again

The federal government will spend more than $1 million to fight opioid poisoning in Edmonton. Carolyn Bennett, minister of mental health and addictions and Edmonton MP and Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault have announced funding for an outreach program to provide overdose response training and trauma support at a community level. The program, based at the city's Royal Alexandra Hospital, will also direct at-risk people to resources on treatment and recovery. In a release, the government says the program will support those disproportionately affected by substance use. ``This tragic loss of li

The Alberta government says it is changing how it tests people for COVID-19. Starting next week, Albertans who need a PCR test to inform their medical treatment must have a referral from a health-care professional. Clinicians are to determine the best testing option for their patients. Self-referrals will still be available to people with symptoms who live or work in isolated Indigenous communities and workers in certain high-risk settings, such as health care, continuing care and correctional facilities. Health Minister Jason Copping says in a statement that the changes would allow the provi

A VPD investigation has led to charges against a man. The man allegedly confined and sexually assaulted a stranger in her East Van home. Incident happened on Saturday night. Howard Lethbridge, 32, was arrested by VPD after the officers responded to a 9-1-1 call from a woman asking for help.

The head of the Council of the Federation gathering in Victoria says the federal government needs to stop splitting hairs and work with provinces and territories on health care. BC Premier John Horgan wants to sit down with the feds to work out how to restore Canada's ``crumbling'' system. Horgan says the provinces can sit down and solve the problems for Canadians, not for provinces and the federal government, but for the people. The premiers have called on the federal government to boost its share of health-care funding to 35 per cent from what they have said amounts to 22 per cent currently

A moment of silence was held in Kelowna at 10:45 this morning, marking the time that a crane collapsed one year ago, injuring one worker and killing four others, as well as a man working in a nearby building. The construction crane was being dismantled beside a nearly completed condo in Kelowna's downtown core when the swing arm buckled and fell, carrying the four workers to their deaths and crushing part of the building where the fifth victim was working. RCMP say its ``complex'' and ``technical'' investigation into possible criminality is continuing and WorkSafe BC is also probing the regul

Canada's premiers have repeated their demand that the federal government sit down with them and resolve health-care funding issues. BC Premier John Horgan, chair of the Council of the Federation, commented today at the start of the second day of talks between Canada's 13 premiers. He responded to federal concerns that the provinces could reduce their own health spending if Ottawa tops up its payments. The premiers want the federal government to boost its share of health funding to 35 per cent from the current 22 per cent. They want the prime minister to make good on what Horgan says is an eigh

Singapore reported 5,979 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 1,540,788. Of the new cases, 5,743 were local transmissions and 236 were imported cases. Among the local cases, 508 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 5,235 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health. A total of 679 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 15 cases in intensive care units. Five deaths were reported due to COVID-19 infection, pushing the death toll to 1,437, the ministry said.