Los Angeles, United States | AFP | The latest episode in Disney’s mammothly popular “Star Wars” series has passed the $1 billion mark in worldwide revenues in just three weeks, a Disney spokesperson said Sunday. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is expected to take in an estimated $65.6 million for …
Read More »Where’s Santa? US-Canadian military command tracking St Nick
Washington, United States | AFP | It’s the question every good little girl and boy asks on Christmas Eve: When is Santa coming? As it has done every year since 1955, a Canadian and American defense agency is tracking the jolly old man’s path around the globe in his reindeer-powered …
Read More »Venezuela says Brazilian, Canadian diplomats not welcome
Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuela on Saturday said two diplomats from Canada and Brazil were no longer welcome, in an escalating showdown over their criticism of President Maduro’s socialist government. The head of the powerful pro-government Constituent Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez, said the body decided on the move against Brazil’s …
Read More »Arctic, major fishing nations agree no fishing in Arctic, for now
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Arctic and major fishing nations, including China, announced Friday that they have agreed to a moratorium on commercial fishing in Arctic waters before a fishery in the icy region is even feasible. The far north is warming at nearly twice the global average rate, causing …
Read More »Canadian mice adapt to warming by mutating, moving north: study
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Mice in Canada are mutating and migrating farther north in response to climate change, according to McGill University research released Monday. The study, published in the journal Evolutionary Ecology, found that “milder winters have led to physical alterations in two species of mice in southern Quebec …
Read More »Trudeau urges international community to fight Libyan slavery
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday urged the international community to “do more” following reports of the “abhorrent and despicable” enslavement of vulnerable African refugees arriving in Libya. “Canada will not stay silent in the face of such inhumane atrocities,” Trudeau said in a statement …
Read More »Health Canada considers restricting painkiller tramadol
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Health Canada said Wednesday it is considering regulating the popular pain killer tramadol as an opioid, after seeing a spike in prescriptions over the past several years. Tramadol has been marketed as a non-opioid in Canada for more than a decade, despite concerns raised by the …
Read More »Canada announces rapid response force for peacekeeping, Hercules plane for Entebbe
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Canada will boost its support for UN peacekeeping missions by mobilizing a rapid response force of 200 soldiers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday. As an initial step, Canada will send a Hercules aircraft to the UN regional support center in Entebbe, Uganda, which backs …
Read More »Quebec says no public services for those with face veils
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Canada’s Quebec province Wednesday prohibited government workers and anyone receiving government services from covering their face, in a move critics say unfairly targets Muslim women who wear a niqab veil. The legislation applies to bureaucrats, police officers, teachers, and bus drivers, as well as …
Read More »Bomb kills four Pakistani troops searching for kidnappers
Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | A bomb Sunday killed four Pakistani soldiers as they searched for militants linked to the kidnapping of a US-Canadian family who were freed last week. The incident happened near the Kharlachi checkpoint in Kurram district in the restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. The family were being …
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