Malaysian PM refuses to resign, delays vote by a month
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin refused to resign Wednesday after some lawmakers in his alliance pulled support for him, but said he will seek a vote of confidence in Parliament next month to prove
Turkey’s govt tells skeptics burned areas will be reforested
MARMARIS, Turkey (AP) — Environmental groups and opposition lawmakers in Turkey are worried that fire-damaged forests could lose their protected status, a claim the government strongly rejected as wildfires burned for an eighth day in the country's Med...
Daughter: German-Iranian woman sentenced to 10 years in Iran
BERLIN (AP) — The daughter of a German-Iranian rights activist said Wednesday that her mother has been given a prison sentence of 10 years and eight months in Iran.
Head of UN health agency seeks vaccine booster moratorium
GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization called Wednesday for a moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines as a way to help ensure that doses are available in countries where few people have received their
Ontario announces ventilation units for all classrooms without mechanical systems
TORONTO — All classrooms in Ontario schools without mechanical ventilation systems will have a standalone HEPA unit upon students' return this fall, the education minister announced a day after his back-to-school plan was unveiled. Stephen Lecce said s...
Ontario gives festivals, events $49 million to help pandemic recovery
TORONTO — Ontario is giving festivals and events across the province an additional $49 million to help the hard-hit sector through the pandemic. Culture Minister Lisa MacLeod says COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the tourism and culture industr...
Fixing long-term care in Canada could cost $13.7B, budget watchdog estimates
OTTAWA — Canada's national budget watchdog says expanding and upgrading the country’s long-term care system would come with a hefty price tag. A report published this morning by parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux estimates ending wait lists, incr...
Ontario to open temporary drive test centres to clear backlog caused by COVID-19
TORONTO — Ontario is opening temporary road test centres to help address a large testing backlog that built up due to pandemic lockdowns. The province said the centres would open in areas where demand is highest to help more new drivers
British navy group: Hijackers have left vessel off UAE coast
FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The hijackers who captured a vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman departed the targeted ship on Wednesday, the British navy reported, as recorded radio traffic appeared
Rights group urges Western firms to stop Belarus TV ads
BERLIN (AP) — A German-Swiss group that campaigns for human rights in Belarus called Wednesday for Western companies to stop buying airtime for advertising on the authoritarian country’s state broadcasters.