The provincial government is proposing five areas for offshore wind farm development in Nova Scotia.

Government says in working with federal partners, five areas have been identified to be proposed for “designation after a regional assessment of offshore wind”:

• French Bank
• Middle Bank
• Sable Island Bank
• Sydney Bight
• Western/Emerald Bank

“Later this year, after areas are designated, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator will manage a competitive licensing process for developing wind farms,” read a government media release. “The process will include identifying specific parcels within wind energy areas for development.”

The province says the public can offer feedback on the proposed areas up until April 14.

Marine House in Dartmouth will soon be a home for more than 60 people. The former office building has been sold to the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Society for redevelopment into affordable housing.

Every writer I know hates writing their own bio. Someone else's bio? Sure! Bring it on.

The post ‘A wee glimpse of you’: the short paragraph nobody wants to write appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has delivered an extraordinary ultimatum to Columbia University, threatening to permanently end federal funding to the school unless it cedes control of an international studies department and implements sweeping changes to other campus policies.

In a letter sent Thursday night, federal officials said the university must immediately place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under “academic receivership for a minimum of five years.”

It must also ban masks on campus that are meant to conceal the wearer’s identity “or intimidate others,” adopt a new definition of antisemitism and abolish its current process for administering discipline to students.

The letter described those changes and others as “preconditions” in order to begin ”formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.”

“We expect your immediate compliance with these critical next steps,” officials from the Department of Education, General Services Administration and Department of Health and Human Services wrote in the letter.

The letter marked a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to impose extensive changes on academic institutions. It comes as federal immigration officials have also targeted specific student protesters, including Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested over the weekend for his role in Columbia University demonstrations against Israel.

In a notice to the student body Thursday, Columbia University officials said agents with the Department of Homeland Security searched two additional university residences with a warrant Thursday evening. No one was arrested or detained, according to the university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, who said she was “heartbroken” by the news.

“Columbia continues to make every effort to ensure that our campus, students, faculty, and staff are safe,” Armstrong said in a statement. “Columbia is committed to upholding the law, and we expect city, state, and federal agencies to do the same.”

The university did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the Trump administration’s demands.

Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press

RCMP are warning of two incidents of suspected drink tampering in Antigonish. Police have learned this month about two incidents involving people who believe a substance was put in their drink without their knowledge.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A British national has died in Kenya after being struck by a government vehicle that was part of the president’s motorcade.

Edgar Charles Frederick, 79, was killed on Thursday following the incident as President William Ruto ’s motorcade made its way to a public engagement in the capital, Nairobi.

The driver of the government vehicle was arrested and later released on cash bail, police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said on Friday.

A British High Commission spokesperson said it was “liaising with the authorities.”

The accident caused an outrage on social media as Kenyans questioned why the president’s motorcade drivers were driving at a high speed in a busy major road.

Videos shared on social media showed the victim lying on the tarmac with heavy bleeding on his head. The vehicle that hit him did not stop after the accident.

The presidential motorcade, often made up of dozens of vehicles, is driven in high speeds for security reasons, according to the police.

Muchiri told the BBC that Frederick had been visiting Kenya to see his sister and nephew who are residents of the country. He said a post-mortem would be held.

Evelyne Musambi, The Associated Press

Punctuality – its definition and importance really depend on who you speak to.

A recent study out of the UK shows a generational divide when it comes to tardiness and how it could be perceived by those around us.

In today’s The Big Story podcast, Host Melanie Ng speaks with peak performance coach and best-selling author, Hina Khan, @coachwithhina, about a number of scenarios and why there is a sweet spot when it comes to how you show up both professionally and socially.

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.

Nova Scotia is directing the province's main electricity producer to ramp up biomass use, starting immediately and continuing for the next two years.

When Amy Hendricks and her husband, Paul Davies, purchased a large piece of land on the outskirts of Antigonish two years ago, they envisioned what could be possible for their community.

The association that represents almost 2,000 Realtors in Nova Scotia is calling on the Houston government to rethink its plans to double the deed transfer tax for non-residents buying homes in the province.

Fuel prices in Nova Scotia are lower this morning after the provincial regulator made its weekly adjustment at midnight.

The Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board (NSUARB) dropped the price for self-serve regular gas by 1.8 cents to a new minimum price of 155.3.

A much larger drop in the price for diesel—fuel prices falling 5.9 cents to 179.1.

Twelve months ago, we were paying 1.79 for gasoline and 1.88 for diesel.

The federal government has announced more than 11 million dollars aimed at improving the energy efficiency of nearly 500 homes here in the Halifax area.

On Thursday, Ottawa announced 11.7 million dollars for repairs and renovations to improve the energy efficiency and longevity of 490 homes in Halifax.

That funding is part of the Canada Greener Affordable Housing Program and Affordable Housing Fund.

“Everyone deserves a place to call their own, and the Affordable Housing Fund is one way we’re helping make that a reality for Canadians. We will keep investing in housing projects like the ones announced today in Halifax, and working with partners across the country, to end the housing crisis.” said Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

The money will go toward renovations at multi-unit residential buildings across the municipality.

“The Government of Canada is committed to working with communities to meet the challenge of building more housing across Nova Scotia. Through the Affordable Housing Fund and the Canada Greener Affordable Housing Fund, our government is investing more than $11 million in the repair or retrofitting of 491 homes in the HRM, benefiting those who need it most.” said Lena Metledge Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West.

The government says the funding gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people living with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults.

Here is a list of the properties receiving money:

Table provided by CMHC

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Before answering an attendee’s question about President Donald Trump’s “destructive and disastrous trade war,” Rep. Chuck Edwards made a plea to the rowdy crowd at his Thursday town hall in Asheville, North Carolina.

“Let me answer and then if you don’t like it, you can boo or hiss or whatever you’d like to do,” Edwards said, visibly exhausted.

As he expanded on Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tactic, it took less than a minute for the crowd to break out in outrage. He continued to plow ahead in his response and eventually punctuated it by telling attendees he would “stop there and you can yell.” The crowd gladly took him up on the offer.

For about an hour and half inside, Edwards endured a constant barrage of jeers, expletives and searing questions on Trump administration policies. About 300 people crammed inside the auditorium for the town hall, while the boos from more than a thousand people outside the building rumbled throughout the event.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told GOP representatives last week to skip out on town halls, saying demonstrations outside of them were the work of “professional protesters.” Edwards addressed the Republican leader’s advice, saying he didn’t want to “shy away” from conversations with the people of western North Carolina — even if they disagreed.

But less than 30 minutes into the town hall, Edwards started to change his tune as a majority of attendees interrupted him with vitriolic disruptions. Asheville is a deep-blue dot amid a sea of red in North Carolina’s mountains. North Carolina went for Trump in the 2024 election.

“And you wonder why folks don’t want to do these town halls,” Edwards said over shouting.

Edwards kicked off his town hall discussing western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. Asheville is still rebuilding after the devastating storm, which killed more than 100 people in North Carolina and caused a record-shattering amount of damage — about $59.6 billion in damages and record needs, according to the state.

But as Edwards touted the work he said the Trump administration has been doing for the region’s recovery — which could include the president’s proposal to dissolve the Federal Emergency Management Agency — attendees shouted him down and demanded he address questions immediately. One person was escorted out of the venue after hurling expletives at the congressman.

“Listen to us now!” several people screamed from various parts of the room.

Edwards fielded scathing questions on a variety of topics, ranging from sweeping cuts to various government agencies at the hand of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to the future of healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Questions on slashing jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs and whether the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia received standing ovations from most in the crowd.

The representative mostly stayed in line in supporting the Trump administration’s policies, reiterating that part of his job was seeing what decisions his constituents disagreed with so the federal government could “go back and look” at what it could improve on.

Edwards kept good humor throughout the raucous town hall, telling attendees at the end that he enjoyed hearing the crowd’s “passion” and “patriotism.” In a press conference afterward, Edwards said Trump and Musk were “over the target” in what they set out to accomplish.

“I take away from what I heard today that we’re doing exactly what the American people sent us to Washington D.C. to do, ” Edwards said, as several protesters pounded on the doors nearby.

Makiya Seminera, The Associated Press

A disciplinary panel of the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives says a nurse committed unprofessional conduct for making “discriminatory and derogatory statements” about transgender people.

The panel’s decision released Thursday says Amy Hamm’s statements made across “various online platforms” between July 2018 and March 2021 were partly designed “to elicit fear, contempt and outrage against members of the transgender community.”

The decision says Hamm publicly identified herself as a nurse or nurse educator while making statements that were mostly “untruthful and unfair,” challenging the “existence of transgender women” and advocating for less “constitutional protection” for them.

The panel found Hamm’s statements were targeted toward “vulnerable and marginalized” people and her comments may deter transgender people from accessing the health care system.

The decision says the statements included an online article identifying Hamm as a nurse educator where she claimed that transgender activists wanted to “infiltrate or destroy” spaces designed for women only.

A hearing still has to be set to determine the penalty for Hamm, and the decision says Hamm can appeal the ruling in B.C. Supreme Court.

“By identifying herself as a nurse or nurse educator while posting discriminatory and/or derogatory opinions regarding a vulnerable and historically disadvantaged group on various online platforms, (Hamm) undermined the reputation and integrity of the nursing profession,” the decision says.

“The respondent is free to disseminate her views to the public without identifying herself as a nurse or nurse educator or her affiliation with the college.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press

The lifting of the bans on uranium and fracking was part of an unprecedented hard right turn by Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservative government, with a slew of omnibus bills and changes to regulations that overturned years of environmental progress and dismantled many pillars of democracy in the province.

The post Uranium exploration and mining in Nova Scotia – the radioactive issue that Houston’s government reactivated appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

The only daily TV news package to focus on Nova Scotians and their stories

An RCMP code of conduct hearing in Surrey, B.C., has been delayed indefinitely due to “unresolved issues” over evidence disclosure and an unspecified “situation” involving an officer who is alleged to have lied during his testimony.

RCMP Constables Ian Solven, Mersad Mesbah and Philip Dick are stationed in Port Coquitlam, B.C., and face possible dismissal for comments made in private group chats on their personal cellphones and on police data terminals.

Solven admitted under oath on Monday that he made “inappropriate” personal comments about a colleague’s weight in the chats, but said he had apologized to the officer and maintained a relationship with her.

A lawyer for the RCMP conduct authority told the board panel hearing the case this week that the woman — whose name has been banned from publication — alleges Solven “outright lied” about apologizing to her during his testimony.

The woman’s testimony was delayed to allow her to get independent legal advice, and the hearing’s schedule has now been further upended due to disclosure issues involving private Instagram messages between Solven and his colleague, among other evidence such as hearing transcripts.

The woman’s lawyer Nasha Nijhawan asked the conduct board Thursday “what might happen next” with the hearing schedule, and a member of the board panel replied, “no one has a sense.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press

President Donald Trump’s choice to be U.S. ambassador to Canada on Thursday said that America’s northern neighbor is a sovereign state, showing some daylight with Trump on the issue. The president has insisted that Canada would be better off as the United States’ newest member.

Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra was asked by at his Senate confirmation hearing by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., whether he agreed that Canada is a sovereign state and shouldn’t be “even jokingly referred to as the 51st state.”

“Canada is a sovereign state, yes,” Hoekstra replied. He was questioned shortly before Trump doubled down on his negative views of Canada during an Oval Office appearance with the head of NATO.

The Republican president continues to insist that Canada is among countries that take advantage of the United States. He also continues to erroneously cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada — a natural resource-rich nation that provides the U.S. with commodities like oil — as a subsidy.

“We don’t need their cars. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need their lumber,” Trump said. “As a state it would be one of the great states.”

Trump has rankled Canadians by insisting that their country become the 51st state. The two countries are also now embroiled in a trade war started by Trump after he slapped tariffs on aluminum, steel and other goods brought in from Canada. In response, Canada is hiking tariffs on a variety of American imports.

Hoekstra is a former congressman from Michigan who served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands in Trump’s first term.

In his opening statement, Hoekstra said that, as someone from Michigan, “I do have a special appreciation for Canada as a neighbor.” He said 36 states view Canada as their No. 1 trading partner and that he frequently interacted with Canada on trade and other issues when he was in Congress.

Darlene Superville, The Associated Press

OTTAWA — Health Minister Mark Holland says he will not run in the coming federal election.

The member of Parliament for Ajax said in a social media post Thursday that “it’s time to go home.”

Holland was first elected in 2004, served until 2011 and was re-elected in 2015.

Prime minister-designate Mark Carney and his new cabinet will be sworn in Friday.

The swearing-in ceremony is set for 11 a.m. at Rideau Hall.

It is widely expected that the new cabinet table will have fewer seats than the 37 under Justin Trudeau.

The company behind a green hydrogen proposal says new tugboats are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and modernize the fleet that supports shipping in the Strait of Canso.

On Monday, the public bills committee will allow citizens the chance to comment on proposed changes to a slew of legislation the Houston government intends to pass into law.

The post NDP urging Nova Scotians to speak up about Houston government’s ‘overreach’ appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

A Carleton University PhD student developed test strips that can detect when the end of maple syrup season is near, helping producers make the most of the trees during the short springtime.

Shahad Abdulmawjood noticed a paper from Justin Renaud, now her collaborator, on the specific amino acids that increase in maple sap when the tree is near its end of season. These acids are critical in understanding whether the sap, that is used to make syrup, will taste good.

Her research builds on Renaud’s findings and allows harvesters to use test strips, similar to COVID-19 tests, to detect if the amino acids are present.

This project isn’t just to help out producers who face more climate change complications as the planet warms, but also because Abdulmawjood adores the liquid gold.

“I didn’t grew up here, I came as an immigrant. So maple syrup was one of the first things that I tried because we don’t have it back home and I fell in love with it,” she told CityNews in an interview.

Growing up in Iraq, she said maple syrup was seen in movies and TV shows, so when she moved to Canada 12 years ago, she knew she had to try it.

“Then this project came and I was like, ‘Can I have it? I love maple syrup,'” Abdulmawjood said.

For centuries harvesters relied on natural indicators, like the presence of snakes and bird calls, of when the sap could have that “buddiness” flavour. Abdulmawjood said that if sap is “buddy” not only will it make the syrup taste sour but it also has the odour of rotten eggs (or sulphur).

“So imagine going through all of this process (of making syrup) for it to taste buddy, then that will be a waste of time, resources, and even in some cases, a lot of them complain about how hard it is to clean out after,” she said.

How the tests work

The test strip Abdulmawjood developed resembles the COVID-19 tests Canadians used for years during the pandemic. Producers need to add a few drops of the sap to the strip before adding a detecting agent to the test and waiting 20 minutes for it to soak.

Abdulmawjood is still testing different solutions for accuracy, but the harvesters then dip the stick into the solution she provides and need to wait two minutes for the reactions.

“If they see two lines then the sap is good and they can continue,” she said. “If they see only one line at the top and in the test zone it will disappear, then this means that the target is present and then so maybe they should stop.”

The research she’s doing is funded by the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association and the North American Maple Syrup Council.

The harvesters are excited, knowing that Abdulmawjood’s goal is to help them test their sap and create better products.

“They’re so happy,” she said. “Almost all of them when I talk to them they say it’s going to be so helpful since no one knows about their issues with the maple syrup buddiness.”

Her goal is for these tests to be mass produced and be the most accurate for producers so they can focus on providing the sweet syrup that we all know and love.

Canada retaliated with a new set of counter-tariffs Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 25 per cent levy on steel and aluminum coming into the U.S. Here's a breakdown of what is being targeted.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service’s acting chief counsel, William Paul, has been removed from his role at the agency and replaced by Andrew De Mello, an attorney in the chief counsel’s office who is deemed supportive of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to speak publicly.

The people said Paul was demoted from his position because he clashed with the DOGE’s alleged push to share tax information with multiple agencies. The news also comes as the IRS plans to institute massive cuts to its workforce.

The IRS is drafting plans to cut its workforce by as much as half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts as part of the President Donald Trump’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce. The administration is closing agencies, laying off nearly all probationary employees who have not yet gained civil service protection and offering buyouts to almost all federal employees through a “deferred resignation program” to quickly reduce the government workforce.

Already, roughly 7,000 probationary IRS employees with roughly one year or less of service were laid off from the organization in February.

Paul was named acting chief counsel to the IRS in January, replacing Marjorie A. Rollinson, and has served in various roles at the IRS since the late 1980’s.

Paul is not the first government official to be demoted after voicing concern about access to sensitive systems and taxpayer data.

Government officials across the Treasury Department, the Social Security Administration and other agencies have seen a wave of retirements, resignations and demotions for voicing concern about DOGE access to sensitive systems and taxpayer data.

After 30 years of service, Michelle King, the SSA’s acting commissioner, stepped down from her role in February after refusing to provide DOGE access Social Security recipient information, according to two people familiar with the official’s departure who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

“The series of IRS officials who have put the law above their personal job security join a line of public servants, stretching back to Treasury and IRS leaders during the Nixon era, who have resisted unlawful attempts by elected officials to weaponize taxpayer data and systems,” Chye-Ching Huang, executive director of the Tax Law Center at New York University School of Law, said in a statement.

Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Five children were killed after a dam collapsed in eastern Zimbabwe, and rescuers were searching for two others who were reported missing, the country’s disaster management agency said Thursday.

An influx of water following continuous rains in recent weeks breached the walls of the dam at a farm in Chipinge, a remote district in the east of the country, on Sunday. Authorities initially said a four-year-old girl doing laundry with her mother and a 30-year-old man died. The girl’s mother survived.

However, with some children unaccounted for in the area, a frantic search and rescue mission kicked off and resulted in the recovery of four more bodies of children this week.

The southern African nation’s disaster management agency, the Civil Protection Unit, said the search is continuing for two more children, ages eight and four, who are still missing.

The agency said gushes of water flooded downstream villages, catching the children who were fishing or doing laundry on a nearby river by surprise and also destroying agricultural equipment and killing livestock.

A team from the Civil Protection Unit, the police and community members were combing the area to locate the missing children.

Zimbabwe, fresh from the most severe drought in four decades, has seen incessant rains in many parts of the country in recent weeks.

By Farai Mutsaka, The Associated Press

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s Opposition leader is calling on the public to make their voices heard on a series of contentious government bills, including legislation to lift a ban on fracking and uranium mining.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender says citizens should attend a legislative committee hearing on Monday that is reviewing the bills, which also touch on subjects such as university governance.

Premier Tim Houston has faced strong pushback to several of his government’s recent proposals, including to limit the independence of the auditor general and increase barriers to accessing documents and records.

In response, Houston has said he would withdraw proposed changes to the auditor general’s power and would likely make amendments to the bill to change freedom of information rules.

But Chender says her party has yet to see the amendments in written form.

The legislature resumes sitting next week after a week off for the province’s March school break.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.

The Canadian Press

The alleged attack happened on Barrington Street last month.

A recent CBC News analysis found that Nova Scotia is rapidly losing some of its most affordable apartments.

There's a cost to this culture of hesitation.

The post Leaving X marks an obvious spot where we fight fascists appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Fire crews were called to the scene around 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

This article contains uncomfortable and graphic details involving a patient in distress. “This is a very sad tale indeed, for all concerned.”. So begins the first paragraph of a decision by Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Denise Boudreau, which found Tracey Meisner guilty of defaming and shaming Kimberley Terris.  Meisner is the mother of a […]

The post Woman who defamed nurse on Facebook ordered to pay more than $60,000 appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A genetic study of Asian elephants in northern Cambodia published Thursday reveals a larger and more robust population than previously thought, raising hopes the endangered species could slowly recover.

Researchers from the Fauna & Flora conservation group collected samples from elephant dung in Cambodia’s northern plains and extracted DNA. From the DNA they were able to identify individual elephants, estimate population size, and determine the sex of the animals and the overall genetic diversity of the population.

From their work they estimated that there are 51 elephants in the Prey Lang, Preah Roka, and Chhaeb Wildlife Sanctuaries, with greater genetic diversity — a “critical factor for long-term viability,” the researchers said — than in two other areas of the country in which they live.

“With sufficient suitable habitat remaining in the region, the population has the potential to grow if properly protected,” the report concludes.

Overall, some 400 to 600 Asian elephants are believed to remain living in the wild in Cambodia. Researchers said the study’s findings underscore the potential of the northern area studied to become a “national stronghold” for them, contributing to Cambodia’s biodiversity conservation goals.

“Habitat degradation, especially when it leads to fragmentation, continues to be a serious concern,” Pablo Sinovas, director of Fauna & Flora in Cambodia, told The Associated Press.

“This study provides a robust basis on which to base conservation efforts and landscape management.”

The study, supported by USAID funds and Britain’s People’s Postcode Lottery, was conducted in collaboration with the Cambodian Environment Ministry. The genetic testing was done at the Royal University of Phnom Penh with technical support from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

The research was carried out in the 2020-21 dry season, but Sinovas said since elephants reproduce slowly it is not thought that the population size would have changed significantly since then.

Researchers want to replicate the study elsewhere in Cambodia and in other countries, such as neighboring Vietnam where the Asian elephants live in fragmented populations.

“We were very pleasantly surprised by the results of the project,” said Alex Ball, conservation manager for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

“We now hope to expand this methodology across Cambodia and beyond, helping to build a clearer picture of Asian elephant numbers, which will inform how best we can work to help reverse the decline of these spectacular animals.”

____

Rising reported from Bangkok

Sopheng Cheang And David Rising, The Associated Press

U.S. President Donald Trump has taken the next step in its tariff battle with the world, placing a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum products from Canada and all other countries.

There was even a brief scare that the U.S. would double the tariff on Canada, before cooler heads prevailed.

But what impact will these tariffs have on the industry? Are the federal government counter measures enough, and what more do the feds need to do to support businesses and workers who will be hit hard by this move?

In today’s The Big Story podcast, host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Catherine Cobden, president and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association to get her thoughts.

Wyndolyn Brown witnessed domestic violence growing up and then found herself trapped in intimate-partner violence. After finding the strength to break free, she's helping others through her non-profit organization, Empowerment for Hope. She spoke to the CBC's Elizabeth Chiu.

Sam Gao said he had already been concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods. But he wasn’t expecting China would also slap 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian seafood.

The bones of a blue whale that washed up on a Nova Scotia beach in 2017 are about to be hung up on display at Dalhousie University. Chris Harvey-Clark, a university veterinarian, spoke to the CBC's Alex Guye about what it takes to preserve a whale skeleton.

Over 1,200 kilograms of fruit and vegetables deemed unsuitable for supermarkets was given away Saturday and Sunday at an introductory event in Port Hawkesbury through the Square Roots program.

TOKYO (AP) — Hundreds of fans at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, who lined up 10 deep and hoped to catch a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as he arrived on Thursday, saw nothing of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.

What they saw was a 40-meter-long (130 feet) temporary white wall to shield the players in case they came through the arrival area. The Chicago Cubs exited this way when they arrived late Wednesday night.

The Dodgers were seen on the tarmac disembarking from their charter from Phoenix, and Ohtani was one of the first off. But the players didn’t make it to the arrival area, apparently taking an escape route.

The next chance to see Ohtani and the Dodgers will be Friday when the teams open practice at the Tokyo Dome.

The two-game series to open the MLB season is Tuesday and Wednesday, early evening starts in Tokyo. Games will go live in the early morning the same day in North America. Japan is 13 hours ahead of the American east coast.

Fans waited for hours inside the terminal, hoping Ohtani would might show up. Many carried signs of welcome. One was a bright yellow board that read: “I love LA.” Others wore Dodgers caps and shirts and other garb.

Several times excited fans reached high with smart phones, thinking Ohtani had arrived. It was always a false alarm with mere passengers from other flights coming into view.

Patient and polite, fans eventually departed the reception area when it was clear that Japan’s most famous citizen would not appear.

Most fans were hopeful, but realistic.

“I just came hoping for any chance I might see him. But I knew, probably not.” said Satoshi Yoshii, a local accountant.

Misaki Ueta came with her husband Reishi and a friend, Ryusei Takahashi. The two men wore Ohtani’s No. 17 Dodgers jersey.

“We just came to be able to breathe the same air,” Misaki said. “The Ohtani air.”

Others came for the event — like a rock concert.

“I don’t care if I can’t see him because I’m not really a fan of Othani,” said Kotomi Miyakoda. Standing alongside was her friend, also Kotomi — Kotomi Nakatsu.

“I’m not a fan but I want to see him, the person,” Nakatsu said.

This is billed as the “Japan Series” by MLB. It could be billed as the marketing-Ohtani-in Japan series. Othani is probably the country’s most famous citizen and MLB’s most marketable asset.

This is the second straight season that MLB has opened its season in Asia. Last year it was South Korea with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres where the gambling scandal broke around Ohtani’s interpreter.

Cubs vs. Dodgers

The two teams come to Tokyo with five Japanese players. The Dodgers have Othani and pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. The Cubs come with DH Seiya Suzuki and pitcher Shota Imanaga.

Imanaga and Yamamoto are expected to oppose each other on Tuesday in the first game.

The American clubs will face the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers in two exhitition games on Saturday and Sunday.

Marketing the Dodgers in Japan

Chris Marinak, MLB’s chief operations officer, talked with The Associated Press in an interview about advatanges of having a player like Ohtani.

“It helps to have a generational talent like Ohtani — essentially the best player in the game — to be from a different market,” Marinak said. “It changes how you can communicate about the game in different markets.”

It’s not difficult. Japan has adopted the Dodgers as its national team. There has always been a strong connection, but now it’s rock soild since Ohtani won the World Series with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have set up an exhibition in central Tokyo called “Dodgers Experience at MLB Tokyo Series.” Fans can see the World Series trophy and a few World Series championship rings.

There’s also a chance to view the Dodgers’ rich history, dating to Brooklyn before the team moved to Los Angeles to start the 1958 season. There are also interactive experiences where fans can try to hit an Ohtani pitch.

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has also designed artwork around the series. His work will also be on display during the series.

Not a cheap ticket

Tickets on resale sites have been listed at as much a $20,000 for a single game. Many tickets for resale are more in the $2,000 to $8,000 range.

Reselling tickets for above the face value it technically illegal in Japan. The government approved the rule before the 2020 Olympics, which were delayed by the pandemic until 2021.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Stephen Wade, The Associated Press

Wildfire season begins this weekend as winter begins to loosen its grip and temperatures continue to rise across the region.

Halifax Regional Municipality says while burn restrictions are in effect year-round, during wildfire season, there are more restrictions in place that people should be aware of.

The city is offering some tips for people who will be looking to make an outdoor fire, including checking daily burn restrictions before starting a fire to make sure it’s safe and allowed, never leaving your fire unattended, and completely extinguishing your fire when you’re done with it by dousing it with water, stirring the ashes, and repeating until it’s cool to the touch.

The city is reminding residents they can register to receive a wildfire risk assessment for their property using a program called FireSmart, a national initiative designed to help communities and property owners reduce the risk of wildfires.

This Saturday is the official start of wildfire season, and it will run until mid-October.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Ministers, premier to meet with Lutnick in D.C.

Canadian officials are set to meet with the U.S. commerce secretary in Washington today — days after a dust-up with U.S. President Donald Trump that ended with Ontario pausing its surcharge on electricity exports to the United States.

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are meeting with Howard Lutnick, and Ford says his goal for the meeting is to get a coherent sense of the Trump administration’s plans for tariffs.

Trump expanded his global trade war on Wednesday by hitting every country, including Canada, with 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The day before, Trump threatened to double those duties on Canada but backed down after Ford agreed to halt a surcharge on electricity that Ontario sells to three U.S. states.

G7 foreign ministers start talks in Quebec

A major foreign-policy summit is underway in Quebec today, with the Liberals welcoming foreign ministers from the U.S., Europe and Japan.

The Group of Seven ministerial meeting is taking place in the Charlevoix region, just as Canada seeks support against damaging American tariffs.

The leaders are set to discuss the functioning of the G7 today, as well as geopolitical challenges ranging from Haiti to Sudan.

Ukraine is expected to loom large over the meetings, with Kyiv saying it would be willing to accept a ceasefire if Russia agrees to certain conditions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly had formal meetings last night with her counterparts representing the European Union, France and the U.K.

Poll suggests job security an issue

A new poll suggests that 40 per cent of Canadians are worried about losing their jobs as many businesses scale back hiring plans in response to the trade war with the United States.

The Leger poll, which sampled more than 1,500 Canadian adults from March 7 to March 10, suggests that more than half of workers in Ontario were concerned about job security, the highest in the country, while just under one in four in Atlantic Canada said they were worried.

Thirty-nine per cent of people in British Columbia and in Manitoba/Saskatchewan reported they’re worried about losing their jobs, compared to 35 per cent of people in Alberta and 26 per cent of people in Quebec.

Biking groups’ trail work grows amid popularity

The outdoors were a refuge for many during the pandemic as people hit their local trail networks to mountain bike, hike, run and walk, but advocates in British Columbia say the value of trails isn’t reflected in the level of support they receive.

Deanne Cote, executive director of the North Shore Mountain Bike Association, said no one could have anticipated the surge in people using the local trails.

“It’s just kind of mind blowing,” Cote said in an interview.

“It’s a fine balancing act of well, the forest can only handle so much outdoor recreation, but there is so much pressure … that we do need more capacity.”

Martin Littlejohn, executive director of Mountain Biking BC, said trail networks offer a “huge opportunity” to attract tourists, while boosting community well-being.

But the bump in people using trails underscored the extent to which local, volunteer-driven groups like Cote’s are stretched thin, he said, as they pick up slack to make sure trails are running smoothly and safely for everyone.

Trump family fortune began in Canadian brothel

In one of history’s little-known ironies, the Maple Leaf country pushing back against Donald Trump’s annexation bid is also host to a tiny, remote restaurant and brothel that helped launch the U.S. president’s family fortune more than 100 years ago.

To find it, look west. Way west.

On a quiet, remote trail in British Columbia near the Yukon boundary sits a replica wooden facade of the brothel and restaurant Trump’s grandfather built at the turn of the century.

Friedrich Trump called his business in Bennett, a town that sprang up because of the Klondike Gold Rush, the Arctic Restaurant & Hotel.

Parks Canada says the replica at the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site was constructed in 2017, and the kitchen inside is now exclusively used by government workers.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025

The Canadian Press

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Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne (left to right), Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc attend a news conference on tariffs, Wednesday March 12,2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

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Police in Cape Breton have a man in custody after a standoff that led to an emergency alert.

RCMP were called to a home on Humes Rear Road in Wagmatcook on Wednesday evening after reports of an armed man inside. Police issued an emergency alert, warning residents to seek immediate shelter, lock doors and windows, and stay inside. Several roads in the area were closed as officers worked to resolve the situation.

At around 8 p.m., RCMP announced the suspect had been arrested. Police remained on scene for several hours as the investigation continued.

Fewer Nova Scotians are waiting for a family doctor.

Nova Scotia Health says the number of people on the Need a Family Practice Registry has dropped to 95,875 as of March 3, down from 104,324 in mid-February.

The health authority says 8,449 names were removed from the list in February after a validation process confirmed they had a primary care provider.

The latest figures show 9.1 per cent of the province’s population remains on the registry.

The next update is expected in early April.

BEIRUT (AP) — After Syria’s longtime autocratic ruler was toppled late last year, the man who led rebel groups to victory immediately faced a new challenge: unifying the country after more than a decade of civil war.

The peril and promise of Syria under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa — the former leader of an Islamist insurgent group — were on dramatic display over the past week. After days of deadly sectarian violence, a diplomatic triumph united a powerful force in the country’s northeast with the new national army.

By Tuesday, it seemed as if Syria had made major steps toward quelling the tensions that erupted over the weekend. But analysts say the country still has a long way to go, and that the risks of sliding back into civil war, or partitioning the country along ethnic and sectarian lines, remain.

The “path to rebuilding trust” will require Syria’s new leaders to do more to “protect lives and foster a sense of unity among all communities,” said Ammar Kahf, executive director of Omran Center for Strategic Studies in Istanbul.

Building a stable, pluralistic society is also key to convincing Western countries to lift crushing economic sanctions that were placed on Syria during the brutal rule of former President Bashar Assad.

A week of political whiplash

Beginning last Thursday, clashes between government security forces and armed groups loyal to Assad spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks that killed hundreds of civilians, most of them Alawites, a minority sect to which Assad belongs.

Government reinforcements eventually restored order, and calm appeared to hold by late Monday. That same day, al-Sharaa had signed a landmark pact under which Kurdish-led forces in the country’s northeast would be merged with the new national army.

The deal marked a major step toward unifying the disparate factions that had carved up Syria into de facto mini-states during its civil war. The civil war began in 2011 after the Assad government’s brutal crackdown on massive anti-government protests.

Not a professional army

Most of the armed factions that fought to unseat Assad announced in January that they would join the national army. In practice, though, they have maintained their own leadership.

“This is not a professional army,” said Issam al-Reis, a military adviser with Etana, a Syrian research group. “In theory, there are plans to join the factions into an army and merge everybody together under the Ministry of Defense. But so far, in reality, on the ground, everybody is still under his own umbrella.”

On the other side, there are thousands of former soldiers from the disbanded Assad-era army who are now unemployed and “very easy targets” for local or international actors interested in upsetting Syria’s fragile stability, al-Reis said.

The sectarian violence over the weekend was difficult to contain, analysts say, because the government had to turn to a patchwork of undisciplined factions — including armed civilians — to combat pro-Assad militants who attacked security forces along the coast. Members of some of those factions launched bloody revenge attacks on Alawite civilians.

The violence only reinforced the “significant challenge to the Syrian (government’s) efforts to consolidate power,” said Kahf, of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies.

A landmark deal

Unexpectedly, the violence appears to have expedited the deal to bring the Kurdish-led armed group controlling most of northeastern Syria, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, under the umbrella of the national army.

The agreement came about when it did because al-Sharaa “needed to achieve a diplomatic victory” after the weekend violence damaged his image, said Ahmed Aba Zeid, a Syrian researcher. At the same time, the SDF calculated it could “achieve greater gains if it gave Sharaa this gift at this time,” he said.

Under the agreement, border crossings, airports and oil fields in the northeast will also be brought under the central government’s control by the end of the year. Many details still need to be ironed out — including who will manage prisons holding Islamic State fighters captured by SDF — but the agreement gives al-Sharaa a much-needed political boost.

He appears to have eliminated “the two most significant threats of division in the country within days,” Aba Zeid said.

International players pushing for unification

The agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government came about with the blessing of two important international players: the United States, which has supported the SDF as a key ally in the fight against the Islamic State militant group; and Turkey, which backs Syria’s new leaders.

“This would not have happened if the Turks weren’t willing to let it happen,” according to a senior U.S. defense official who said Washington encouraged SDF to reach an agreement with Syria’s leaders. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.

Although not written into the agreement, the official said Ankara had demanded assurances that the SDF would remove foreign fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that had waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey before recently announcing a ceasefire.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech Tuesday, “The full implementation of the agreement reached yesterday will serve the security and peace of Syria.”

Still, the new Syrian government faces an array of challenges.

Since the fall of Assad, Israel has seized pockets of territory in southern Syria, saying that it is moving to protect its borders.

With sanctions by the U.S. and its allies still in place, the country will struggle to make significant investments in its economy and rebuild areas destroyed during the civil war.

Alawites and other minorities that were already skeptical of the Islamist-led authorities in Damascus are more frightened — and hostile — than they were a week ago, despite promises by the country’s new leaders that those who attacked civilians will be held accountable.

Al-Reis said that reassuring them will require the government to take “very strong measures” against the perpetrators.

Abby Sewell, The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Vaccines could be a key means of suppressing bird flu and avoiding the slaughter of millions of chickens, which is blamed for egg prices averaging nearly $6 a dozen. But the move has been delayed in part because of concerns it could jeopardize chicken exports worth billions of dollars a year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced plans to spend $100 million to study bird flu vaccines to fight the disease in concert with meat chicken, egg and turkey groups. That’s part of a larger $1 billion effort to invest in more protections to keep the virus off farms that President Donald Trump believes will help lower egg prices.

Chicken meat producers remain the most resistant to vaccines because of concerns they could harm meat exports, which totaled nearly $4.7 billion last year. Egg and turkey producers sell most of their products in the U.S. and have been hit hardest by the virus.

Why is a vaccine needed?

Without a new policy including vaccines, the government will continue to slaughter every flock with a bird flu infection to limit the spread of the disease. Those deaths have totaled over 166 million birds in the U.S. since 2022.

Most birds killed are egg-laying chickens, and the death of so many hens is the main reason egg prices keep rising. The average price per dozen has hit $5.90, and in some part of the country, it is far higher.

Poultry veterinarian Simon Shane, who runs www.Egg-News.com, said the government is hesitant to use vaccines and change its policy of killing birds largely because of the meat chicken industry’s opposition.

“Basically this is a political issue, and this only came to a head because eggs are at $8 to $9 a dozen, and it’s embarrassing the government — embarrassing the present administration,” Shane said.

Why doesn’t the US use a bird flu vaccine?

Before using vaccinations, the government must decide how to devise an effective system and monitor for outbreaks within vaccinated flocks that might not show any symptoms, said John Clifford, the USDA’s former longtime chief veterinary officer, who now works with a poultry industry export group. Once that is figured out, the industry can negotiate with countries to minimize trade problems.

“What the industry wants is the ability to develop the strategic plan to share that with the trading partners and then find out what kind of impact that that will have on trade,” Clifford said.

There are fears that vaccinating could allow the virus to linger undetected in flocks and mutate in ways that could make it more of a threat to humans and allow sick birds to get into the food supply. Like with other diseases, properly cooking chicken to 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius) will kill bird flu, but the industry and chicken buyers don’t want it there at all.

For meat chicken, known as broilers, the virus isn’t as significant because those birds are slaughtered at 6 to 8 weeks old and thus have less chance of being infected compared with egg-laying hens, which live to 2 years or older. Also most broilers are raised in the Southeast, which hasn’t had as many outbreaks as the Midwest and West.

Another delay to vaccinating concerns distribution. Egg farmers want to administer it through chicken feed or water, saying it’s not practical to give shots to millions of birds in a single barn.

It can also be difficult to tell the difference between a vaccinated bird and one that has been sick with the virus. That would make other countries nervous about importing meat.

“People have talked about how expensive it would be to monitor vaccinated populations. And it would be. But where do we want to spend our money?” said Dr. Carol Cardona, a bird flu expert at the University of Minnesota. “We’re spending our money hand over fist right now in depopulation and to buy eggs for breakfast.”

What does the experience in other countries show?

China and Mexico have been vaccinating their poultry for years, but they take different approaches.

In Mexico chicken are vaccinated, but Clifford said the country doesn’t slaughter flocks when infections are found. That basically ensures the virus is present in poultry.

China still slaughters vaccinated flocks when infections are found, which has proven more effective at limiting the spread of the virus and reigning in outbreaks.

Clifford said the U.S. would need to continue culling flocks with outbreaks even after vaccinating, and it might make sense to give shots only to egg layers and turkeys, not broilers.

Will it help egg prices?

Don’t expect big relief anytime soon.

The USDA, which did not respond to a request for comment for this article sent last week, clearly isn’t moving to vaccinate immediately. And, regardless, it will take time to raise new hens.

“We’re going to have to wait to replace those with new hatched chicks, and it takes 20 weeks before they even start laying,” Shane said. “So I don’t know where they’re going to get the eggs from.”

Prices may ease somewhat later this year after peak demand, which happens around Easter, if massive egg farms in Iowa, Ohio, California and elsewhere can avoid more outbreaks.

The USDA has predicted that average egg prices will be 41% higher than the 2024 average of $3.17 per dozen. That would mean $4.47 per dozen, slightly below the current average.

Josh Funk, The Associated Press