TORONTO --Plenty of people trying to do their best to follow public health advice are finding it difficult and uncomfortable to wear masks when out in public.But how effective are masks when they aren’t worn correctly and could face shields be a more practical long-term solution as we gradually learn to live with this virus lurking around us?Ride public transit or visit any store, garden centre, or barber shop and you are bound to find plenty of people without masks and more who are wearing them incorrectly: pulled down so they don’t cover their nose or riding under their chin. Wearers are...…TORONTO --Plenty of people trying to do their best to follow public health advice are finding it difficult and uncomfortable to wear masks when out in public.But how effective are masks when they aren’t worn correctly and could face shields be a more practical long-term solution as we gradually learn to live with this virus lurking around us?Ride public transit or visit any store, garden centre, or barber shop and you are bound to find plenty of people without masks and more who are wearing them incorrectly: pulled down so they don’t cover their nose or riding under their chin. Wearers are...WW…

TORONTO --A new independent panel that would review claims of wrongful convictions is edging toward reality, as the Liberal government moves forward on one of its campaign promises.Signs of progress toward creating such a board came last week in Ottawa, where Justice Minister David Lametti met with a working group that includes David Milgaard, who spent 23 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit."I very much appreciate the insight and guidance provided by the working group during our meeting," Lametti said in a statement to The Canadian Press. "It is important for me to hear directly...…TORONTO --A new independent panel that would review claims of wrongful convictions is edging toward reality, as the Liberal government moves forward on one of its campaign promises.Signs of progress toward creating such a board came last week in Ottawa, where Justice Minister David Lametti met with a working group that includes David Milgaard, who spent 23 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit."I very much appreciate the insight and guidance provided by the working group during our meeting," Lametti said in a statement to The Canadian Press. "It is important for me to hear directly...WW…

WASHINGTON --Now is not the time to point fingers or assign blame for COVID-19, Canada's federal government said Wednesday after Donald Trump, his re-election hopes hijacked by a deadly global pandemic, turned his populist cannons on the World Health Organization.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to be drawn into the Trump administration's latest political offensive, insisting that his Liberal government would concentrate for the time being on helping Canadians avoid getting sick."That is our focus right now -- what can we do now, what do we need to do in the coming weeks, how do we...…WASHINGTON --Now is not the time to point fingers or assign blame for COVID-19, Canada's federal government said Wednesday after Donald Trump, his re-election hopes hijacked by a deadly global pandemic, turned his populist cannons on the World Health Organization.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to be drawn into the Trump administration's latest political offensive, insisting that his Liberal government would concentrate for the time being on helping Canadians avoid getting sick."That is our focus right now -- what can we do now, what do we need to do in the coming weeks, how do we...WW…

BANGKOK --Singapore reported 942 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a single-day high for the tiny city-state that pushed its total number of infections to 5,992, including 11 deaths.The number of cases in Singapore has more than doubled over the past week amid an explosion of infections among foreign workers staying in crowded dormitories. This group now makes up around 60% of Singapore's cases.Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Saturday that it will take time to break the chain of transmission in the dorms. He wrote on Facebook that the vast majority of cases among migrant workers were...…BANGKOK --Singapore reported 942 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a single-day high for the tiny city-state that pushed its total number of infections to 5,992, including 11 deaths.The number of cases in Singapore has more than doubled over the past week amid an explosion of infections among foreign workers staying in crowded dormitories. This group now makes up around 60% of Singapore's cases.Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Saturday that it will take time to break the chain of transmission in the dorms. He wrote on Facebook that the vast majority of cases among migrant workers were...WW…

LOS ANGELES --The unofficial holiday celebrating all things cannabis arrives Monday as the nation's emerging legal marijuana market braces for an economic blow from the coronavirus crisis, with many consumers reducing spending or going underground for deals.It was supposed to be a long weekend of festivals and music culminating on April 20, or 4/20, the code for marijuana's high holiday. Instead, it has been reduced to an online replica because of stay-at-home orders to curb the pandemic.Virtual parties and video chats are replacing vast outdoor smoking sessions to mark the rise of...…LOS ANGELES --The unofficial holiday celebrating all things cannabis arrives Monday as the nation's emerging legal marijuana market braces for an economic blow from the coronavirus crisis, with many consumers reducing spending or going underground for deals.It was supposed to be a long weekend of festivals and music culminating on April 20, or 4/20, the code for marijuana's high holiday. Instead, it has been reduced to an online replica because of stay-at-home orders to curb the pandemic.Virtual parties and video chats are replacing vast outdoor smoking sessions to mark the rise of...WW…

PARIS --Just one week after a third of French schoolchildren went back to school in an easing of the coronavirus lockdown, there has been a worrying flareup of about 70 COVID-19 cases linked to schools, the government said Monday.Some lower grades in schools were opened last week and a further 150,000 junior high students went back to the classroom Monday as further restrictions were loosened by the government. The move initially spelled relief: the end of homeschooling for hundreds of thousands of exhausted French parents, many of whom were also working from home.But French Education...…PARIS --Just one week after a third of French schoolchildren went back to school in an easing of the coronavirus lockdown, there has been a worrying flareup of about 70 COVID-19 cases linked to schools, the government said Monday.Some lower grades in schools were opened last week and a further 150,000 junior high students went back to the classroom Monday as further restrictions were loosened by the government. The move initially spelled relief: the end of homeschooling for hundreds of thousands of exhausted French parents, many of whom were also working from home.But French Education...WW…

OTTAWA --A moose is back on the loose after spending several hours in a south Ottawa swimming pool Friday morning.Homeowner Paul Koch was surprised to find the animal taking a dip in his backyard pool when he walked to his window."It's still a mystery to me how she got in the backyard," Koch said. "She'd have to jump a minimum of a five to five-and-a-half-foot fence to do it."The moose spent several hours swimming around in the pool at the home near Hunt Club Road and Uplands Drive, later moving to the shallow end to stand up.It wasn't clear whether the animal is trying to find a way out of...…OTTAWA --A moose is back on the loose after spending several hours in a south Ottawa swimming pool Friday morning.Homeowner Paul Koch was surprised to find the animal taking a dip in his backyard pool when he walked to his window."It's still a mystery to me how she got in the backyard," Koch said. "She'd have to jump a minimum of a five to five-and-a-half-foot fence to do it."The moose spent several hours swimming around in the pool at the home near Hunt Club Road and Uplands Drive, later moving to the shallow end to stand up.It wasn't clear whether the animal is trying to find a way out of...WW…

AdvertisementTORONTO --Arctic sea ice could be completely gone by 2035, according to a new study that compared present day conditions with those during the last interglacial period some 127,000 years ago.The findings, , are important for helping predict future climate change patterns, researchers said.“The advances made in climate modelling means that we can create a more accurate simulation of the Earth's past climate, which, in turn gives us greater confidence in model predictions for the future,” said joint lead author Maria Vittoria Guarino with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), in a...…AdvertisementTORONTO --Arctic sea ice could be completely gone by 2035, according to a new study that compared present day conditions with those during the last interglacial period some 127,000 years ago.The findings, , are important for helping predict future climate change patterns, researchers said.“The advances made in climate modelling means that we can create a more accurate simulation of the Earth's past climate, which, in turn gives us greater confidence in model predictions for the future,” said joint lead author Maria Vittoria Guarino with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), in a...WW…

OTTAWA --Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waded Tuesday into the foreign policies of Israel and China, expressing concerns over separate but controversial positions that he says undermine peace in both places.Trudeau denounced Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. And he said he has expressed Canada's disagreement over the proposed annexation directly to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, the country's "alternate" prime minister under a power-sharing agreement."I've been very direct with the Israeli leaders," Trudeau said."We deplore such actions,...…OTTAWA --Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waded Tuesday into the foreign policies of Israel and China, expressing concerns over separate but controversial positions that he says undermine peace in both places.Trudeau denounced Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. And he said he has expressed Canada's disagreement over the proposed annexation directly to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, the country's "alternate" prime minister under a power-sharing agreement."I've been very direct with the Israeli leaders," Trudeau said."We deplore such actions,...WW…

TORONTO --A British charity which has successfully trained dogs to detect malaria is now attempting to train their canine sniffers to detect COVID-19.Medical Detection Dogs, a charity in London, U.K. has partnered with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to initiate trials that will train dogs how to sniff out the coronavirusDr. Claire Guest, the behavioural psychologist behind the charity, told CTV News she is confident in these canines’ ability to help combat the spread of the virus.“We already train dogs in the past… absolutely no reason why a dog can’t detect the virus,”...…TORONTO --A British charity which has successfully trained dogs to detect malaria is now attempting to train their canine sniffers to detect COVID-19.Medical Detection Dogs, a charity in London, U.K. has partnered with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to initiate trials that will train dogs how to sniff out the coronavirusDr. Claire Guest, the behavioural psychologist behind the charity, told CTV News she is confident in these canines’ ability to help combat the spread of the virus.“We already train dogs in the past… absolutely no reason why a dog can’t detect the virus,”...WW…