Author: Darren Leonard

Wildlife officials successfully rescued a humpback whale after it was discovered entangled in a web of crabbing gear and at risk of dying, the National Park Service said. A pair of residents first spotted the whale on Oct. 10 off the coast of Gustavus, Alaska. Surrounded by Glacier Bay National Park, Gustavus is bordered by the so-called “Icy Strait,” a popular ocean feeding ground for humpback whales in the spring, summer and fall. But this particular whale wasn’t feeding. It was seen “trailing two buoys, making unusual sounds and having trouble moving freely,” according to an account of the rescue…

Research Highlights: American Indian and Alaska Native adults had significantly higher death rates from premature heart attacks compared to white, Black and Asian/Pacific Islander adults in the U.S., according to an analysis of more than 370,000 heart attack deaths from 1999-2020. In addition, despite an overall decrease in heart attack death rates among American Indian and Alaska Native adults during the last two decades, heart attack-related deaths in American Indian and Alaska Native adult men younger than 55 years old and women younger than 65 years old did not decrease. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 6,…

Shanu Pande says she had been looking forward to the trip for years — a flight that would bring her father to Canada from India after he finally obtained permanent residency status. But the September trip took a sharp turn when Harish Pant, 83, developed severe medical symptoms: chest pain, back pain, vomiting, loss of bowel control and the inability to stand up. “He was deteriorating in front of my eyes,” said Pande, who was accompanying her father. Flight AC051 had left Delhi shortly after midnight local time. When Pant’s symptoms started seven hours later, it was over Europe. Pande…

Mending frayed diplomatic relations between India and Canada will be a long process after each side adopted maximalist positions, despite New Delhi’s surprise move to ease some visa curbs on Canadians, officials and experts say. India recently decided to partially restore visa services, weeks after suspending them in anger at Ottawa’s claim that Indian agents may have been involved in the murder of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader from Punjab state. Mutual recriminations since that accusation, which India strongly denies, have strained ties between the two countries – close for almost a century and with extensive links through the Sikh…

India’s high commissioner to Ottawa said, “We shall take up the threat against Air India flights originating from and terminating in Canada, with authorities.” India will raise the threat to Air India flights to and from Canada from the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and seek enhanced security for the airline with Canadian authorities. The threat was made by SFJ’s counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in a video released on Saturday. In the video, he warns Sikhs, in Punjabi, “Don’t fly Air India after November 19, your lives may be in danger.” That sentence is repeated twice. In a statement…

Canada has repeatedly hyped up “dangerous” interceptions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently, but experts said on Sunday that the PLA’s lawful actions took place on China’s doorstep, and that Canada’s blind confidence could lead to troubles of its own. In a recent event, two sorties by a vessel-borne helicopter from the Canadian Navy’s frigate HMCS Ottawa with unknown intentions approached China’s territorial airspace above the Xisha Islands, and despite the PLA naval and aviation forces’ lawful identification, verification and repeated verbal warnings, the Canadian helicopter not only refused to respond, but also took provocative maneuvers including flying…

If every caregiver in this country took a week off, Canadians would experience the collapse of our care systems before noon of the first day. That’s because caregivers deliver roughly three hours of care for every hour provided through our health-care, disability and social support systems. Canada is a nation of caregivers: a daughter helping her mother stay healthy and active in a long-term care home; a brother supporting his sibling with developmental disabilities; a young adult supporting a grandparent with dementia; a neighbour supporting a friend with chronic health issues. One in four Canadians is a caregiver – and…

OTTAWA – The president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada defended the public broadcaster and its independence Thursday from a fresh barrage of pointed Conservative questions about its coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In her opening remarks, Catherine Tait told MPs on the heritage committee that the CBC is accountable to all Canadians and not to politicians, and that its journalists work independently of corporate management. She also made a point of noting that the Crown corporation’s mandate is set out in the Broadcasting Act, which stipulates that CBC has journalistic and creative independence. “That independence is essential to our existence,” Tait…

The Alberta government intends to lower electricity and auto insurance costs, as well as use the Sovereignty Act against the federal government if it tries to enforce emissions caps or a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani said in Monday’s throne speech. The speech, which outlines the province’s priorities, marks the start of Alberta’s 31st legislature. It comes five months after Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party won a majority government. The speech focuses on affordability issues as well as grievances against the federal government. Ottawa is called one of the “powerful forces” in Canada forcing…

Canada is banning the use of the Chinese instant messaging application WeChat on any government-issued mobile devices, citing the need to keep “government information and networks secure.” Treasury Board President Anita Anand announced the immediate “risk-based” ban Monday, which is also being applied to the Russian Kaspersky suite of anti-virus and IT security applications. These applications are being removed from all government-issued mobile devices, and users will be blocked from downloading these apps going forward. “The Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that WeChat and Kaspersky suite of applications present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” Anand…