AFP

The Canadair water bomber revolutionized the fight against wildfires after it debuted in the skies decades ago. Then demand waned and production stopped, but with major blazes intensifying globally, the water-scooping marvel is making a comeback. At a production site in Calgary, in western Canada, workers building a next-generation version of the aircraft are busy trying to …

Rising wildfires spur comeback for Canadian water bomber Read More »

Canada on Wednesday denied a request from a controversial theme park to export 30 beluga whales to China, saying the refusal was necessary to protect the mammals from exploitation.Marineland, a now-shuttered tourist attraction near Canada’s iconic Niagara Falls, has faced intense scrutiny for years.The Canadian Press news agency has reported that 20 whales — one …

Canada blocks theme park from sending whales to China Read More »

Roberta Hill, one of the thousands of Indigenous people who survived Canada’s notorious Mohawk Institute residential school, said she was first sexually abused by an Anglican minister after bidding her visiting mother goodbye.”I was so upset, so distraught, and I was crying,” Hill, now 74, told AFP.”I was taken into a room with the minister, …

Indigenous survivors recount past horrors at Canada residential school Read More »

Paul Thomas Anderson’s action thriller “One Battle After Another” stormed to the top of the North American box office on its debut weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a retired radical fighter who is dragged back in to action to help his daughter, the film’s veering from the ridiculous to the deadly serious …

‘One Battle After Another’ debuts top of N. America box office Read More »

The Cleveland Guardians punched an improbable ticket to the Major League Baseball playoffs on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers — sealed when C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch from Robert Garcia with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning.The walkoff win means the Guardians are assured of …

Guardians, Tigers book MLB playoff berths Read More »

Alex Matthews scored two tries as tournament hosts and favourites England ended their long wait to win a third Women’s Rugby World Cup title with a 33-13 victory over Canada at Twickenham on Saturday.Victory in front of a record and raucous crowd of 81,885 gave England their first world title since defeating Canada 21-9 in …

Matthews at the double as England beat Canada to win Women’s Rugby World Cup Read More »

The top two teams in the global rankings clash in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final on Saturday, with number-one England facing an in-form Canada at Twickenham.Below AFP Sport looks at three key aspects of what promises to be a thrilling encounter.Can England hold their nerve?England, the best-resourced team in women’s rugby union, go into …

Three talking points ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup final Read More »

The United Nations on Friday released a long-awaited update of its database of companies with activities in Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, listing 158 firms from 11 countries.UN rights chief Volker Turk has condemned as a war crime Israel’s policy of settlements on Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank.While several companies including Alstom and …

UN identifies 158 firms linked to Israeli settlements Read More »

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a global conference of centre-left leaders Friday that they must tackle uncontrolled migration and confront “lies” being told about their countries by hard-right politicians seeking to win over voters.The meeting in London included Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian premier Mark Carney and comes as right-wing populism rises …

UK’s Starmer urges liberals to fight ‘the lies’ told by far right Read More »

It’s not quite David taking on Goliath as Canada challenge England in Saturday’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final but the financial gulf between the two teams is vast.While the world number one hosts can wallow in the riches of a full professional set-up, the second-ranked Canadians resorted to crowdfunding to raise the extra one million …

Canada’s women tilt for World Cup thanks to ‘incredible’ crowdfunding Read More »