Live updates tracking the coronavirus pandemic from Yahoo News reporters in the United States and around the world.
CALGARY — Alberta is ending isolation requirements for people who test positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts as cases climb in the province. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, announced a two-phased approach Wednesday to eliminate the few remaining public health orders in the province. Starting Thursday, close contacts will no longer be notified of exposure by contact tracers nor will they be legally required to isolate — although it still recommended. The pro
Saskatchewan's far north had the highest rates of COVID-19 cases in Canada last week, and it's only gotten higher in the days since. Data from Health Canada indicates that the province's far north had a rate of 220 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the week leading up to July 21. During the same period, the national rate was just 8 per 100,000 people. The relatively large rate is because of outbreaks and the region's limited population. Saskatchewan's far north includes the far northwest, far
An eagle at the Atlantic Veterinary College is on the road to recovery after being found emaciated on a roadside in Scotchfort, P.E.I., a few weeks ago. "We always think, 'Oh, maybe it was hit by a car,' and so we did an exam and we didn't find anything other than emaciation,"said Fiep de Bie, a wildlife technician at the AVC. "He was pretty weak, still had some fight in him, but fairly lethargic and very thin. The eagle weighed just over two kilos. That's very light for an eagle." The eagle loo
Some child-care advocates in Prince Edward Island say they're excited about the promise of a government-funded affordable child-care program. The province is partnering with the federal government to provide $10-a-day child care by the end of 2024. The plan was announced Tuesday in Charlottetown by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "It's a long time coming," said Tracy Doyle, owner of Magic Moments Early Learning Centre in Tignish. "Our parents are very excited." Trudeau said on Tuesday that there
Grey Bruce is no longer a provincially designated COVID-19 hot spot, according to the Grey Bruce Health Unit (GBHU). “We thank everyone for their continued support as we collectively work together to bring numbers down,” said Dr. Ian Arra, medical officer of health for GBHU in a news release. “If the weekly pattern of new cases continues to decrease or remain stable thru the coming long weekend, we will be in a good position to move to full Step 3. Until then, we are asking the public in Grey Br
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia is asking a judge to toss out a Department of Justice lawsuit challenging the state's sweeping new election law. In a motion to dismiss filed Wednesday in federal court in Atlanta, lawyers for the state called the lawsuit “a politicized intrusion” into the state's constitutional authority to regulate its elections. The state's election laws “are reasonable, non-discriminatory, and well within the mainstream of election laws across the country,” they wrote. U.S. Attorney Ge
The Sundridge-Strong Union Public Library has joined the growing list of Almaguin communities that have introduced a Story Walk Project in their respective municipalities this summer. The Story Walk Project is the brainchild of American Anne Ferguson of Vermont. In 2007, she came up with the idea of taking pages from children's books, laminating them and attaching them to stakes. The stakes and pages are then pushed in the ground at a site, such as a public park, and spread several feet apart to
A community endeavour that started with six gardens in 2013 and currently supports over 35 gardens in the city and area has expanded this year to include projects with AMHS and at the Highway 15 Walking the Path of Peace Together site, maintained by the Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest and community members. The Community Investment Fund between the United Way and City of Kingston has allowed for the Loving Spoonful to expand its' successful community garden project to include support for the
B.C. Parks has closed several climbing areas on the popular rock wall known as the Chief following a significant rockfall early Tuesday morning. The areas along the Grand Wall and Western Dihedrals are closed until further notice, according to the provincial agency. Squamish RCMP said there were no injuries. Paul Adam, the manager at the Centre for Natural Hazards Research at SFU said that this is one of the biggest rockfalls on The Chief in the last 60 years. Adam says he suspects it is due to
The community of Watson Lake represents about 3.5 per cent of Yukon's total population, but as of Tuesday it had more than a third of the territory's active COVID-19 cases — and local leaders hope it's a wake-up call for more people to get vaccinated. "You know, people see that it's continuing to infect people and people are starting to, again, realize that it's not going to go away," said Mayor Chris Irvin. "We can't force people to get the vaccine. And hopefully people will take some time to e
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice won’t help defend U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama against a civil lawsuit that claims he helped to incite the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol. In a court filing Tuesday, the Justice Department urged a judge to deny the congressman's request for immunity as a federal employee over his remarks at a pro-Donald Trump rally that occurred before the rioting at the U.S. Capitol. Brooks had argued that he was acting within the scope of his office when
Mexican villagers sympathizing with a new indigenous self-defense group torched government offices, businesses and houses in a remote mountainous region in southern Chiapas state this week, protesting rampant insecurity in the area. The violence in the indigenous Tzotzil community of Pantelhó late on Monday and early on Tuesday came less than two weeks after a group of hooded men, calling themselves El Machete, took up arms in nearby Chenalhó to confront drug-trafficking gangs. It was unclear how many members El Machete has.
SEOUL (Reuters) -Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Thursday forecast strong demand for memory chips in the second half and a recovery in the mobile market to 2019 levels, in a sign the global economy is getting back on track from the coronavirus pandemic. The world's top maker of memory chips and smartphones posted a 54% jump in operating profit for the second quarter, its strongest result in more than two years, supported by high chip prices and better than expected demand. "For the second half, market conditions are expected to be favourable for the component business," Samsung said in a statement.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Arthur” will soon come to an end. PBS Kids plans to end the long-running children’s series after 25 seasons, said an original developer of the show during a podcast released Wednesday. The final season will air in 2022. Kathy Waugh, who was a guest on the Finding DW podcast, said the animated series is no longer in production. She said the show's wrap party was two years ago. “I think (PBS) made a mistake, and I think ‘Arthur’ should come back and I know I’m not alone in thin
A new report from the First Nations Health Authority and the provincial health officer takes a deep dive into the systemic racism Indigenous women and girls continue to face when accessing government services, in particular, health care. What's unique about the report, however, is that it also highlights the resiliency and knowledge they possess — and always have. Report author Dr. Danièle Behn Smith, deputy provincial health officer for Indigenous health, said it was important the report came f
Mark Ronson talks new music docuseries ‘Watch the Sound’; talks new music and working with Lizzo
OTTAWA — Afghan interpreters and Canadian veterans say the Immigration Department is failing Afghans who worked with Canada in the war-torn country, despite an announcement last week to fast-track their resettlement. Rahim, who worked as an interpreter with Canadian soldiers via NATO in 2016-17 and whose full name is not being disclosed for safety reasons, says Taliban fighters burned his father's home to the ground on Monday in punishment for his service to coalition forces. He is staying with
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The city of Berkeley will start serving vegan food at public events, jails, senior centers and other city buildings after the city council approved a resolution that calls for the progressive city to cut by half its spending on animal-based products by 2024. The first-of-its-kind measure approved Tuesday and co-authored by Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín requires the city to offer plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds at publ
HOUSTON (AP) — ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, the long-bearded bassist for the million-selling Texas blues rock trio known for such hits as “Legs” and “Gimme All Your Lovin'," has died at age 72. In a Facebook post Wednesday, guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard said Hill died in his sleep. They didn’t give a cause of death, but a July 21 post on the band's website said Hill was “on a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue.” At that time, the band said that its longtime guitar tech,
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a plan to keep a statue of the late Sen. J. William Fulbright on its flagship campus, despite calls to remove it because of his opposition to integration. The board approved a resolution that calls for keeping the statue at its current location on the Fayetteville campus, but with “contextualization" about Fulbright's legacy. The resolution cites a new Arkansas law that prohibits removing or relocating mo
