Albert Wagner 
Auckland has become the first major city to ring in 2024, with thousands cheering a fireworks display sprouting from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, and a downtown light show. This year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are overshadowed by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which have cast a pall over festivities … Read more
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany – Canada’s Abigail Strate finished 2023 on a strong note on Saturday by landing her second World Cup ski jumping podium, capturing the bronze medal in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. “I’m a little bit in shock. It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet but this is definitely a great way to end 2023 and … Read more
MONTREAL – Increasing demand for food assistance this year, coupled with a regular spike in users during the holiday season, has strained Canadian food banks this month, the directors of multiple Canadian food bank associations say. “Christmas is always a busy time for our food banks but particularly when you add Christmas … … Read more
Yellowknife – A joint venture between arctic mining companies says it is offering assistance to workers who were aboard a plane that crashed in the Northwest Territories earlier this week. A statement Saturday from the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road joint venture says the passengers on the Air Tindi charter flight were heading … Read more
GOTHENBURG, Sweden – Switzerland defeated Norway 6-2 on Saturday to secure a quarterfinal berth at the world junior hockey championship. Simon Meier opened the scoring for Switzerland but Norway took the lead late in the first period after Martin Johnsen and Patrik Dalen scored less than a minute apart. Switzerland scored four … Read more
LOS ANGELES – Paula Abdul has accused former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the reality competition show, according to a new lawsuit. The lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles also accuses Lythgoe of sexually assaulting Abdul after she left … Read more
Most British Columbians think bringing an NBA team back to Vancouver would be a “good idea,” though far fewer say they’d be likely to attend games. These are some of the findings of a recent poll of B.C. residents conducted by Research Co. on the prospect of bringing NBA basketball back to the … Read more
In the hottest year on record, the fingerprints of a changing climate in a warming world were all over dozens of extreme weather events. There wouldn’t be weather without heat; heat is energy, and weather is an expression of that energy, of an atmosphere trying to balance itself. But too much heat in … Read more
DETROIT (AP) – The Detroit Pistons ended their NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games with a 129-127 victory over the short-handed Toronto Raptors on Saturday night, as Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 12 assists. The Pistons, who hadn’t won since Oct. 28, matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28, split over … Read more
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will launch three additional military spy satellites, build more nuclear weapons and introduce modern unmanned combat equipment in 2024, as he called for “overwhelming” war readiness to cope with U.S.-led confrontational moves, state media reported Sunday. Kim’s comments, made during … Read more
