Record-breaking gathering of "vampires" in England
A total of 1,369 people dressed as vampires gather in the grounds of Whitby Abbey in England's North Yorkshire.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers began a special legislative session Thursday with the intent of limiting the proliferation of firearms in public after the Supreme Court gutted the state’s century-old handgun licensing law. The state is overhauling its rules for carrying guns after the court decided that ordinary citizens had a right to arm themselves in public for self-defense, something New York had limited mostly to people working in law enforcement or security. New rules being rushed t
People at high risk of severe disease from COVID-19 infection should be offered a booster shot this fall, regardless of how many boosters they've previously received, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) said on Wednesday. That group includes everyone age 65 and older, NACI's updated guidance said. Everyone else — age 12 to 64 — "may be offered" the additional doses in the fall, NACI said. NACI said it will provide recommendations on the type of booster to be given when evidenc
Here's the latest for Friday July 1st: Ukraine says Russian missiles hit Odesa residential buildings; Poll shows abortion and women's rights becoming higher priority in US; Supreme Court ruling could affect Biden climate policies; 9 shot in Newark, NJ.
A wildlife rehabilitation centre in Brookfield, N.S., has partnered with an American company to sell tape that helps prevent birds from flying into windows and harming themselves. Brenda Boates, the wildlife operations manager at the Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, said she started looking into the tape when a number of young birds including hawks, falcons and eagles were injured after colliding with windows last fall. "It's very distressing to see that because it's hard for them to gro
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived Thursday in Hong Kong to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the British handover of a city that his rule has transformed from a global hub known for its political freedoms to one that is much more tightly controlled by the Communist Party. In a staged event carried live on Chinese TV, students and others lined the platform of a high-speed rail station and packed a red carpet to greet the leader making his first trip outside of mainland China in n
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will not consider amending its constitution to eliminate indentured servitude as a possible punishment for crime after Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration predicted that it could cost the state billions of dollars to pay minimum wage to prison inmates. Democratic Sen. Sydney Kamlager said Thursday that she ran out of time and supporters after the measure barring involuntary work without pay last week fell seven votes short of the two-thirds margin it needed in
OTTAWA — Thousands of celebrants who flocked to the national capital for Canada Day festivities heard an impassioned appeal for unity on Friday as the prime minister urged them to reclaim the Maple Leaf as a national symbol. The exhortation from Justin Trudeau and other dignitaries came on another potentially divisive day in Ottawa, as those intent on marking the first in-person Canada Day celebrations since the COVID-19 pandemic honoured the occasion alongside protesters opposed to public healt
A single winning ticket was drawn for Tuesday’s Lotto Max jackpot. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said the ticket was sold somewhere in Toronto. There were also five Maxmillion winners from Quebec, Ontario and the Prairies, with two tickets sharing one of the $1 million prizes.
Canada has promised to send new drone cameras and armoured vehicles to Ukraine on the last day of the NATO leaders summit, which also emphasized the need for members to increase defence spending.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge said Thursday that he will temporarily block a 15-week ban on abortions in his state, but his bench ruling won't take effect before the ban becomes law Friday — an issue that could cause confusion for patients as well as abortion providers. Meanwhile, a Kentucky judge temporarily blocked that state's near-total ban on abortions, allowing the procedures to resume after they were abruptly stopped when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week.
VANCOUVER — An evacuation alert has been issued for a small island along British Columbia's Fraser River due to possible flooding from swelling waters after rainfall and snowmelt. Metro Vancouver has issued the alert for Barnston Island, home to about 150 people. It says in a statement the evacuation alert is a precautionary measure, which means residents are not required to leave but should be prepared to do so at short notice. Metro Vancouver says a local state of emergency has been declared t
France Marcoux was expecting to see more steady growth this summer in the number of families in the Beauport, Que., area subscribing to her organic produce baskets. After all, business had been increasing all through the pandemic, as people with plenty of time for cooking sought quality food. The Quebec government had encouraged people to support local businesses in their time of need, so the owner of the Potager France Marcoux increased production and waited for people to sign up. She was soon
Calgary police have released security camera footage Thursday morning of a suspect they believe may be involved in setting two house fires in the northwest community of Varsity in May and June. On May 18, around 3 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 1100 block of Varsity Estates Drive N.W. Home-security video appears to show a man setting fire to a shed in the back of the house, police said at the time. Then on June 4, another fire was reported about a kilometre away in the 1200
Randy Bachman has performed many times on Canada Day, but the event he played this year is like no other. The former member of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive flew to Japan to reclaim a guitar that he's been hunting for decades. "I'm really happy. I'm getting my lost Gretsch guitar back," the 78-year-old rocker told CBC News in a meeting room inside the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. The guitar is a 1957 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins, in orange, which he bought from a Winnipeg music store when
Hundreds of people turned out for the final leg of a four-month march from Vancouver to Ottawa by a Canadian soldier charged with criticizing federal vaccine mandates while in uniform. James Topp's arrival in the capital has prompted both fears and promises of a new round of protests starting Canada Day.
WARNING: This story contains distressing details Some people in Saskatchewan are changing the way that they mark July 1, with the emphasis shifting from an uncritical celebration of Canada to an opportunity for reflection, truth and reconciliation. "Canada Day celebrates 155 years of genocide and colonial violence," said Ezra Forest (they/them). The Cree 24-year-old, from Treaty 6 territory, has helped organize a Cancel Canada Day gathering happening Friday in Saskatoon. "This is really importan
MONTREAL — A Quebec housing advocacy group says it's worried there will be a record number of households left without somewhere to live on the province’s July 1 moving day. “On the eve of July 1, in Quebec, we count 750 renter households that have not found housing,” said Véronique Laflamme, a spokeswoman for the Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain, in an interview. That estimate is based on requests for aid received by municipal housing offices in the province, Laflamme said, and c
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming. The court’s ruling could complicate the a
The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the Biden administration on the environment, but gave it a small victory on immigration in two decisions announced Thursday. AP reporter Mark Sherman explains. (June 30)
The chaos continues at some of Canada’s largest airports, with stories of hours-long waits and mountains of lost luggage.