Attack targeting acting Afghan defense minister left 8 dead

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A bombing attack that targeted Afghanistan’s acting defense minister killed at least eight people and wounded 20, authorities said Wednesday. The deputy minister was not hurt in the attack claimed by Taliban insurgents. The blast went off late Tuesday in a heavily guarded upscale neighborhood of the capital of Kabul. It was followed by a gun battle that also left four militants dead, authorities said. The casualty toll could rise, Interior Ministry spokesperson Mirwais

COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: Over 62 per cent of First Nations and Inuit fully vaccinated

Over 62 per cent of people aged 12 and up in First Nations and Inuit communities and the territories are now fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to the latest data from Indigenous Services Canada. As of the end of July, over 85 per cent of that eligible population had received at least one dose of vaccine. The percentages represent 701,228 vaccine doses administered to individuals aged 12 and older in 687 First Nations and Inuit communities, including 281,188 second doses. Number of COVID-1

ByteDance rival Kuaishou to shut down video app Zynn

BEIJING (Reuters) -ByteDance rival Kuaishou Technology said on Wednesday it would stop services of its short video app Zynn, operated in the United States, on Aug. 20. The company's other products for markets outside China will not be affected, Kuaishou said in a statement. "Our strategy for the international markets remains unchanged," it said，without providing a reason for Zynn's shutdown.

COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Wednesday, Aug. 4

Prince Edward Island has three new COVID-19 cases involving travel, the Chief Public Health Office said in a news release late Wednesday. DJs in Prince Edward Island say business is starting to pick up now that the province is allowing dancing at weddings. A P.E.I. woman is hoping to highlight some of the Island's attractions, and give publicity to local businesses and tourism operators affected by COVID-19 restrictions. Some potential exposure sites related to travellers were reported on the we

Forest bathing walks offered in Victoria Park this summer

It's a guided tour through the urban Acadian forest of Victoria Park in Charlottetown where the goal is to focus on the natural space around you. It's known as a forest bathing walk. The City of Charlottetown is offering the half-hour tour over lunch two days a week — Tuesdays and Thursdays. The guided walk is not so much to answer questions about the forest but how to make the most of getting in tune with the environment around you. "The thing with forest bathing walks is it's more of a meditat

Detroit voters reject Proposal P and changes to city charter

DETROIT (AP) — Voters in Detroit on Tuesday rejected a ballot proposal that called for the creation of some new city departments, restructuring the police and fire departments, and linking water rates and public transportation fares to income. Proposal P called for changes to the city charter and received 22,696 votes for passage, while 46,707 people voted against it during the city's primary, according to unofficial results with all precincts reporting. The proposal had been opposed by some who

Mom still awaits answers in daughter's death at hospital as records released to media

WARNING: This story contains distressing details. A "disappointing waste of paper." That's how Patty Borthwick described 52 pages of hospital records about the night her daughter tried to take her own life in the psychiatric unit of the Saint John Regional Hospital. "That stuff they gave you, that's all garbage. Like, that's embarrassing that they'd even consider that a release," said Borthwick, who's been trying for months to get access to her daughter's records. And she's even more upset that

Brazil retailers hunt for M&A deals to compete for e-commerce dominance

In March last year, Oziel da Silva Santos needed a new TV but with stores closed due to COVID-19 restrictions in Brazil's northern city of Belem, the 50-year old was clueless about how to get one. On the other end of the line was Railton Sampaio, a manager at the city's largest Via Varejo. Sampaio helped him buy the TV online, sending the link for payment through the commonly used messaging app WhatsApp.

Thousands worth of tools, catalytic converters stolen from school maintenance vehicles

A New Brunswick school district says it faces thousands of dollars worth of repairs and tool replacement costs after its maintenance vehicles were broken into last week. Twelve Anglophone East School District vehicles were broken into Wednesday and Thursday while parked near a Moncton school. Stephanie Patterson, the district's director of communications, said three catalytic converters were cut off, eight others partially cut and a large variety of tools inside the vehicles were stolen. "It's d

Two rockets from Lebanon hit Israel, drawing Israeli retaliation

Two rockets launched from Lebanon on Wednesday struck Israel, which responded with artillery fire amid heightened regional tensions over an alleged Iranian attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf last week. Israel's Magen David Adom national ambulance service said there were no casualties on the Israeli side of the hilly frontier, where the rockets ignited a brush fire. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket strike, launched from an area of south Lebanon under the sway of Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas.

• UPDATE 2-Two rockets strike Israel from Lebanon, Israeli military says

  Reuters
• 
  Israel launches airstrikes on Lebanon in response to rockets

  The Independent

Pandemic, mixed messages complicate Canadian students' plans to travel to U.S. for school

Grant Bergeron is preparing to drive his daughter to Chicago for school this fall, but unlike two of his other children who are already studying in the United States, this year's trip to campus may be more complicated due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. It doesn't help that border officials in the U.S. are sending mixed messages, parents say. Bergeron's daughter, Kellene, is starting her first year in the nursing program at Loyola University Chicago, and like other families with children stud

Wabano Centre health clinic failing clients, former staff say

The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, recently accused of workplace harassment and misuse of funds, now faces allegations of mismanagement and a lack of resources that have created a "revolving door" of medical staff and, subsequently, patient care that suffers, according to former staff. The City of Ottawa — one of the main funders of the non-profit — is currently investigating complaints of harassment, bullying and improper use of funds within Wabano. Now former workers at the centre have c

Toronto, Vancouver Island protests shine spotlight on media access

TORONTO — Police and politicians' efforts to limit public access to recent events in Toronto and Vancouver Island have cast a spotlight on the role of journalists and spurred concerns over freedom of the press. The decision by authorities in Toronto to fence off public parks last month as municipal staff and police cleared homeless encampments sparked backlash from media outlets and advocates, who have petitioned the city to allow reporters on site during the operations. The push for media acces

'They're in a battlefield': Torontonians fear the worst for loved ones in Afghanistan

Firooz Mohammad is still going to work every day at his restaurant, Subhan Halal Pizza on the Danforth, but he admits his mind back in Afghanistan. "We are mentally so stressed; we're in a deep depression, feeling so bad about our family members left behind." Mohammad was an interpreter with the Canadian Armed Forces, a job that put him and his family in danger of reprisals from the Taliban, which Canadian soldiers fought for more than a decade. Taliban forces are now gaining momentum and puttin

203rd Royal St. John's Regatta a no-go for Wednesday, due to high winds

The 203rd running of the Royal St. John's Regatta has been postponed by at least a day due to unfavourable lake conditions, organizers said Wednesday morning. According to the race's organizing committee, winds could reach as high as 51 km/h lakeside Wednesday, and that the safety of racers was key to the decision to delay. Organizers will revisit the decision Thursday morning, when wind conditions are expected to be lighter and safer for boat races. More to come Read more from CBC Newfoundland

Lebanese demand justice on port blast anniversary

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon's leading Christian cleric said there could be no immunity from prosecution over the catastrophic Beirut port blast and that officials were evading investigation, as many Lebanese marked the first anniversary by demanding justice. As Lebanon suffers a crippling economic collapse, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai also criticised the ruling class for failing to deal with the crisis - criticism echoed by Western powers at a Paris donors' conference. One year since the blast, caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate kept at the port for years, no senior official has been held to account, infuriating many Lebanese.