WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Friday marked the start of the annual Florida Python Challenge, where hunters head into the Everglades to track down invasive Burmese pythons in hopes of grabbing a share of US$30,000 in prizes. The annual 10-day hunt, which started more than a decade ago, promotes public awareness of issues … Read more
PHOENIX, Ariz. – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate will hold a rally in Arizona on Friday as part of their tour of electoral battlegrounds, visiting a state where Harris passed over a prominent Democrat in favor of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut … Read more
Primary and acute care providers, highly trained professionals who are adept at using up-to-date technology to help look after patients, still rely heavily on a distinctly 20th-century device: the fax machine. “It’s 2024. We’re digitally connected in pretty much all other aspects of our lives. Why not for something as important as our health and … Read more
U.S. death rates fell last year for all age groups compared with 2022, federal health officials said Thursday. Here’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed: — COVID-19 fell to the 10th leading cause of death. Early in the pandemic, the coronavirus was the nation’s third leading cause of death. It dropped … Read more
OTTAWA – Canada and Australia, expressing alarm at China’s claims over the disputed waters of the South China Sea, on Thursday said they would increase their military and defence industry cooperation. Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said security in the Indo-Pacific region was being challenged “in a number of significant and difficult ways” … Read more
A 400-acre ranch in B.C.’s Okanagan has hit the market for $2.5 million and one of the property’s selling features is a hobbit-hole-inspired house that has been named one of Canada’s most wish-listed Airbnbs. The property is in Bridesville and listing agent Ray Porter describes it as a rare opportunity to retreat into nature and … Read more
OTTAWA – The federal minister for women won’t comment after a House of Commons committee that was supposed to discuss violence against women last week instead dissolved into political chaos. Witnesses Megan Walker and Cait Alexander, who walked out of the meeting, wrote to federal party leaders this week to decry MPs’ behaviour … Read more
OTTAWA – A proposed law to prohibit keeping elephants and great apes in captivity in Canada could cost up to $8 million to administer over the first five years, the parliamentary budget officer said in a new analysis Thursday. The estimated costs are largely associated with building and administering a new data system … Read more
CARACAS – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said he had signed a decree to block access to social media platform X for 10 days, after earlier saying social media was used to incite violence following the country’s presidential election. Maduro has frequently railed against X owner Elon Musk since the July 28 … Read more
WASHINGTON – Leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar jointly demanded Israel and Hamas return to stalled talks on the war in Gaza next week, saying Thursday that “only the details” of carrying out a ceasefire and hostage release remain to be negotiated. “There is no further time to waste, nor excuses from … Read more
