NewsReutersQueen Elizabeth to celebrate 92nd birthday at concert party
Britain's Queen Elizabeth will attend a special concert on Saturday as the world's oldest and longest-reigning living monarch celebrates her 92nd birthday. Singers Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue, Sting and Shaggy will be among those who will entertain Elizabeth and other British royals at the concert, known as "The Queen's Birthday Party" at London's Albert Hall. The concert comes at the end of a week in which leaders and dignitaries from 53 countries came to London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and it will feature performers from the network of mostly former British colonies.
- NewsCBC
Police not expecting challenges as 420 pot rally occurs on Winnipeg whiteout party day
When thousands of Jets fans pour into downtown Winnipeg to watch Game 5 of the NHL playoffs Friday evening, some of the city's marijuana smokers will be marking 420 just a few blocks away — but police say they don't anticipate major challenges. Starting at 10 a.m. Friday, city workers will shut down southbound Donald Street between Portage and St. Mary avenues for the Winnipeg Whiteout Street Party on Friday afternoon. With warm, sunny weather and the second round of playoffs in sight, organizers are preparing for as many as 15,000 people to turn up to cheer on the Jets at the event, which will feature food and drink for sale.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Prince Charles reportedly to lead Commonwealth
British media say Commonwealth leaders have agreed that Prince Charles should succeed his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as head of the 53-nation group. The BBC, Sky News and others say Commonwealth heads of government, holding a private retreat Friday at Windsor Castle, have agreed that Charles should be the next leader of the group. The queen is head of state in some Commonwealth countries, while others are republics.
- NewsCBC
These students won a trophy for failing — and they're proud
Four students at Memorial University say they've been working away enthusiastically at other projects after winning an award for a failed business idea. The Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship in St. John's named the first-ever winners of its Fail Tale Cup last summer. The idea is to encourage students to expect lots of flops on the journey to create a solid venture.
- NewsCBC
100 years in Windsor haven't always been easy for Chinese Canadians here
The Chinese community is marking its 100-year anniversary of being in Windsor in 2018. Back in 1996, Hong Court in East Riverside was given its name after a member of the Hong Family presented a petition to the City of Windsor. At the time, James Hong, 60, wanted a street to be named after a family reflecting Windsor's multicultural nature.
- NewsCBC
Butcher testifies girlfriend attacked him in his sleep and he killed her by accident
Nicholas Butcher testified Friday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that his girlfriend Kristin Johnston attacked him with a knife in his sleep and he killed her by accident before trying to take his own life with a power saw. According to Butcher, 36, he found his girlfriend with another man hours before she died and the couple argued. But he said he and Johnston, 32, had gone to bed cuddling at her Purcells Cove-area home early March 26, 2016. Butcher said he flipped his attacker over, seized the knife and stabbed the person.
- NewsCBC
Outreach clinic does 'incredible' work to curb HIV outbreak in Kamsack, Sask., says doctor
Faced with an outbreak of HIV, and grappling with other chronic health issues and addictions, a Kamsack, Sask., outreach centre has stepped up and is using innovative ways to stem the spread of infectious diseases, according to one doctor. "Two years ago, we declared an outbreak in that area and this centre has provided incredible services to those people who are affected," said Dr. Ibrahim Khan, Health Canada's regional medical health officer responsible for Saskatchewan First Nations, of the New Beginnings Outreach centre. The First Nations of Cote, Key and Keeseekoose, near Kamsack, were classified as facing an outbreak and were part of a health region that had an 800 per cent spike in HIV cases in 2016.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Plane passenger dilemma: Protect child or try to save victim
As Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 plunged, passenger Hollie Mackey was torn between trying to save a woman whose upper body was being sucked out of a broken window and protecting the child beside her from a similar fate. When the flight's engine blew on Tuesday and a window shattered, 149 passengers and crew members strapped on oxygen masks and waited as pilot Tammie Jo Shults steered them toward Philadelphia for an emergency landing. Mackey said she was in seat 14C and Riordan, a bank executive from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was in seat 14A, a window seat.
NewsReutersChina trade body urges tighter corporate compliance after ZTE woes: document
By Shu Zhang and Cate Cadell BEIJING (Reuters) - A state-backed Chinese trade body said compliance is now a core risk for Chinese firms and that the government must speed up the implementation of guidelines on corporate oversight following a U.S. ban on sales to ZTE Corp. U.S. authorities this week forbade American companies from sales to ZTE for seven years, saying the Chinese telecom company had broken a settlement agreement with repeated false statements - a move that threatens to cut off ZTE's supply chain. The ZTE case represents a "milestone" and government leaders should urge the company to boost compliance oversight to ease "disastrous" consequences, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said in a policy proposal seen by Reuters.
- NewsCBC
Thousands expected at Surrey's annual Vaisakhi parade
If you missed last weekend's Vaisakhi parade, don't worry — the Surrey parade takes place on Saturday, and it's one of the city's biggest events of the year. The parade will begin at approximately 9 a.m. PT at the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, located at 12885 85th Ave., and will conclude there at approximately 6 p.m. This year, two brothers from Surrey are hoping businesses and families who serve up free food at the parade find alternatives to Styrofoam to cut down on the waste headed to the landfill.
- NewsCBC
Here's why the tremor that shook Windsor-Essex was a 'good earthquake'
Chances are you ran out into the street to ask friends and neighbours if they felt it too. While that reaction is understandable, CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe says the safest thing to do when the windows start rattling is to follow three simple instructions: drop, cover and hold on. Environment Canada initially said the earthquake had a magnitude of 3.9, but upgraded the measurement to 4.1 Friday.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Funeral for Victoria officer who spent 30 years mostly unresponsive after crash
A Victoria police officer who lay in an unresponsive state for 30 years after an on-duty collision is finally at peace, a funeral service heard Thursday. "After 30 years, Ian is finally at peace," said Gates, a military chaplain and the padre for the Victoria Police Department. Hundreds of people lined a procession route of uniformed officers ahead of the service, and outside of the church, some members of the public wiped away tears.
- Rumble
Man goes sledding with 7 happy huskies
It's fun going sledding with one Siberian Husky, but it's way more fun going sledding with 7 Siberian Huskies! So awesome!
- NewsCBC
From seafood to smokables: Newfoundland fish plant to be converted to cannabis
The disused building is in the final stages of a sale to local businessman Daniel Porter, who is planning to turn it into a cannabis growing facility for medicinal and recreational pot. Shelly Blackmore, mayor of Trinity Bay North, is excited about the possibilities.
- NewsCBC
Vancouver 4/20 event sends massive clouds of smoke into rainy skies
Massive crowds of cannabis enthusiasts and vendors filled Vancouver's Sunset Beach, releasing a huge cloud of smoke as the clock struck 4:20 p.m. It's the third year the event has been held at the seaside park without the approval of the Vancouver Park Board, and although the rain began to fall just before the countdown, spirits remained high. Last year, an estimated 35,000 people attended the event, and organizers figured this year's attendance was in the same range as 2017, though even more vendors brought their wares to the beach.
- NewsCBC
Anxious students' demand for help leads to lesson on single-session therapy
When Meredith Henry began working at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John in 2006, she could counsel a student within a day or two. Now, students are waiting up to six weeks to see Henry, one of two counselling therapists on campus. "I've noticed a huge difference in students wanting to seek help, and be willing to come to counselling as part of their path to wellness," Henry said.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
8,000 Disneyland tickets stolen from youth farming group
Thieves made off with 8,000 Disneyland tickets worth about $800,000 when they stole a box trailer from a youth agricultural education organization that was going to distribute them to participants at a conference in Southern California, officials said. The trailer owned by Future Farmers of America was stolen Wednesday from the group's office in the city of Galt, south of Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol said. Security footage shows a dark pickup truck backing up to the trailer and driving it away, said Matt Patton, executive director of the California chapter of Future Farmers of America.
- NewsCBC
Ottawa-Gatineau traffic updates for April 20
It's 420, so expect a big crowd to descend on Parliament Hill this afternoon for the last pre-legal marijuana demonstration. At a press conference earlier this week, organizers said they expected to have between 15,000 and 20,000 people on the lawn for speakers and other events, beginning at 2 p.m. and extending to 5 p.m. There will be traffic tie-ups because of the twist-ups, but police will be out to keep things moving.
- NewsCBC
'Ridiculous': Yellowknifers react to the Supreme Court ruling on importing alcohol
Some people in Yellowknife are ridiculing Thursday's Supreme Court of Canada decision to uphold the right of provinces and territories to restrict the amount of alcohol residents can import from other jurisdictions. A six-pack of Molson Canadian beer in Yellowknife is $15.10. David Brady has lived in Yellowknife for a few years and says he wouldn't want to help bootleggers see more profit, but that he would like to see consumers have more choice.
- NewsHuffPost Canada
High-Waisted Trousers You’ll Want To Wear All Spring Long
High-waisted trousers are about to be your new best friend this season.
- Rumble
Epic father & daughter wedding dance performance
What begins as a lovely father/daughter wedding dance turns into an epic choreographed performance that has everyone in attendance going crazy. So cool!
NewsReutersSwiss law enforcers get tough on cross-border crime
By John Miller BERN (Reuters) - Switzerland's top law enforcer took on 237 new criminal investigations last year, 25 percent more than in 2016, as one of the world's most secretive financial centers steps up efforts to tackle international crime. Attorney General Michael Lauber, at a press conference on Friday, said his office was also working on 307 requests for mutual assistance from abroad, after getting nearly 200 new requests in 2017, many for help on complex, cross-border cases involving bribery, money laundering and potential extremism. While he said his 234-person staff is "nearing its limits" with the present caseload, Lauber encouraged other countries to reach out to Switzerland for assistance as he seeks to undo Switzerland's reputation as a place to hide illicit money in the country's famed banks - and return it to its rightful owners.
- NewsCBC
Youngest member of Winnipeg Bear Clan's youth patrol raising money, supplies for homeless
The youngest member of the Winnipeg Bear Clan's youth patrol has started a campaign to raise money and supplies to make care packages for the homeless. The idea struck eight-year-old Malaya Cueto after she went out on patrol with her dad on a bitterly cold day in January in West Broadway. "We saw this homeless man named John, he lived in a cardboard box," said Malaya.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
FBI offers $1M for info on US reporter missing in Syria
Federal authorities for the first time are offering a reward for information leading to an American journalist who has been missing in Syria for more than five years. Tice is a former Marine who has reported for The Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, CBS and other outlets. The FBI did not say why it was offering the reward money now, only that it was unrelated to any specific event or new piece of information.
- NewsCBC
Charlottetown eyes 100K cruise ship visitors in 2018
Port Charlottetown is hoping to break the 100,000-cruise-ship-passengers mark this season after falling short last year. The port was expecting to pass 100,000 last year, but cancellations left the final total around 90,000, which was still a 30 per cent increase over 2016. Some of the cancellations were from weather, and others due to speed restrictions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence put in place to protect right whales.
