Also known as “slapped cheek disease” for the red rash it can cause on children’s faces, fifth disease is a common viral infection that affects the skin, airway and joints. Despite its rough nickname, experts say symptoms are usually mild and not a cause for concern. Based on information from the Canadian Paediatric … Read more
Sam Butcher, the artist who created the Precious Moments figurines depicting angelic teardrop-eyed children, has died. He was 85. The company said in a Facebook post that he died early Monday surrounded by family. It said his life’s mission was “to share God’s gift of love with the world.” No details about his … Read more
Chemical toxins are everywhere — in our water, food, air and soil. Exposure to those toxins during pregnancy can create serious health issues in elementary school children that can affect their lives for years to come, a new study found. Children born to European mothers exposed to four families of chemicals that disrupt … Read more
LONDON – Tobacco companies still actively target young people via social media, sports and music festivals and new, flavoured products, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, accusing companies of trying to hook a new generation on nicotine. Amid ever-stricter regulation targeting cigarettes, big tobacco companies and new entrants have begun offering … Read more
UNITED NATIONS/SARAJEVO – The United Nations General Assembly declared July 11 an international day of remembrance of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in a resolution on Thursday that was strongly opposed by Serbia and Bosnian Serbs. The massacre of about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in 1995, after the U.N. safe zone of … Read more
Kosovo’s parliament approved a draft law Thursday on renting prison cells to Denmark to help it cope with its overpopulated prison system. The parliament voted 86-7, with no abstentions, in favor of the agreement which offers for a 10-year rent to Denmark 300 cells at the prison in Gjilan, 50 kilometres (30 miles) … Read more
OTTAWA – Canada’s special envoy for combatting antisemitism says she’s “very interested” in exploring the idea of removing religion as a possible defence against hate speech charges. Deborah Lyons, whose title also includes preserving Holocaust remembrance, appeared this morning before a parliamentary committee that is studying antisemitism on university campuses. Jewish leaders, … Read more
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Justice Department filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment on Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America — squelching competition and driving up prices for fans. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, was being brought … Read more
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has updated its prohibited fishing area off the coast of New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula due to the presence of an endangered North Atlantic right whale. DFO says it instituted a 15-day temporary fishing area closure in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 23 C on May 17 after a right … Read more
You only saw it for an instant before it got you. Narrow, translucent wings, patches of loud yellow and obsidian black; sharp, alien features and an even sharper stinger. Good heavens, the size of it! At first glance, it may seem this could only mean one thing — that five years on from their first … Read more
