Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 07 Jan, 2025 05:24 PM
Researchers have discovered sea sponges' ability to sneeze like people after a study off the B-C coast.
University of Alberta professor Sally Leys says a study into the behaviour of a sea sponge nicknamed Belinda over four years found the animal doing slow-motion sneeze-like contractions lasting about a day.
Leys says the motion was used to clear out debris accumulated while it was filter feeding.
Leys says hundreds of hours of video was collected during the study off Vancouver Island's coast between 2012 and 2015.
A group of teachers says British Columbia's Human Rights Tribunal has agreed to expedite a complaint of antisemitism against their union as more allegations surface. The group claims the union has "ostracized" the teachers either because they're Jewish or they hold "currently unpopular views" about Jews, Israel or the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.
The Liberal government in Ottawa is signalling it's not currently planning to intervene to end the Canada Post strike, even though the two sides appear to be far apart and the strike is hitting at the busiest time of year for the postal service. Some 55,000 workers hit the picket lines across Canada on Friday, after contract negotiations with their employer blew past the 72-hour strike deadline set by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The Correctional Service Canada says an inmate was brought to an outside hospital after being assaulted at a maximum-security prison in Agassiz. It says in a news release that the attack happened last Friday.
Ottawa has concluded negotiations for a trade deal with Indonesia and is proposing nuclear-energy collaboration with Southeast Asian leaders.
The moves are a show of faith for multilateralism as the re-election of Donald Trump in the United States is raising fears of further strain in global co-operation on trade and the environment.
The CRTC is looking at how to redefine Canadian content, launching a new consultation with plans to hold a public hearing in the spring. That includes asking questions about whether artificial intelligence-created video can be considered Cancon.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada is calling for more federal funding after storms in B-C last month caused more than 110-million dollars in damage.
Intense rainfall and wind brought on by an atmospheric river resulted in overflowing rivers, sewer backups, and flooding roads, parking garages and basements in Coquitlam, Burnaby, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Metro Vancouver and Surrey.
