Monday, March 16

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Scientists report powerful virtual reality treatment for speech anxiety
Health

Scientists report powerful virtual reality treatment for speech anxiety

A team of researchers has revealed powerful virtual reality (VR) treatment for speech anxiety, that is becoming increasingly more common over time globally.  Published in the journal Frontiers, the study reported work by Dr Chris Macdonald from University of Cambridge in the UK who created an online platform where users transform into skilled and confident public speakers. On the platform, tailored course material develops key skills and life-like virtual reality training environments build confidence. “In physical reality, a user might be practising a presentation alone in their bedroom but on the new virtual reality platform, they can experience the sensation of presenting to a wide range of increasingly challenging photorealistic audiences,” said Dr Macdonald. By developing a method ...
Alberta changes reservist leave rules to allow for Kananaskis G7 summit deployment
Politics

Alberta changes reservist leave rules to allow for Kananaskis G7 summit deployment

The Alberta government has implemented temporary measures to allow military reservists to deploy as part of June’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis Country. Canada will host leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as the European Union at the meeting scheduled from June 15 to 17.Alberta Jobs Minister Matt Jones says the government is providing a job-protected leave so reserve members can keep their civilian jobs while taking part in G7. The regulation takes effect March 31 and expires on August 31.He said the move was motivated by requests from reservists as well as Alberta military liaison and Cypress-Medicine Hat legislature member Justin Wright.“They brought to my attention that reservists would not be covered under reservist leave t...
Poilievre vows TFSA top-up to support Canadian investment if elected – National
Politics

Poilievre vows TFSA top-up to support Canadian investment if elected – National

By Dylan Robertson The Canadian Press Posted March 27, 2025 5:34 pm Updated March 27, 2025 5:51 pm 2 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to boost the amount that can be put into tax-free savings accounts, if the funds are used to support domestic growth. The government currently allows Canadians to contribute $7,000 each year into their TFSA, which can be used to invest in things like mutual funds.Poilievre says he would e...
Legault won’t say his choice in federal election after wanting Conservative minority in 2021
Politics

Legault won’t say his choice in federal election after wanting Conservative minority in 2021

Quebec Premier François Legault is not telling voters which party he wants to see win the federal election, opting instead to call on all leaders to cut temporary immigration and protect key sectors of the province’s economy. It’s a change of strategy. Ahead of the last election in 2021, Legault said the Liberals and the NDP were “dangerous” and strongly suggested he wanted the Conservatives to win a minority government.The premier told reporters Thursday that he hopes all three major parties respond to his demands on two main issues: Quebec’s identity and prosperity.He said he wants leaders to commit to reducing the number of temporary immigrants in the province to 200,000 from the current 400,000. Federal leaders, he added, must also promise to protect major Quebec industries, like aeros...
Canada’s ‘old relationship’ with U.S. ‘is over’ amid Trump tariffs: Carney – National
Politics

Canada’s ‘old relationship’ with U.S. ‘is over’ amid Trump tariffs: Carney – National

Canada must “fundamentally reimagine our economy” in the face of escalating tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday, declaring the “old relationship” between Canada and the U.S. is “over.” Carney promised to bring retaliatory measures, reduce internal trade barriers and pivot Canada’s economy away from reliance on the U.S., after Trump announced new auto tariffs that will begin next week.“Over the coming weeks, months and years, we must fundamentally reimagine our economy,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa after meeting with the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations.“The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over.”Carney wouldn’t say e...
Repetitive behaviours indicative of autism diagnosis rather than social skills
Health

Repetitive behaviours indicative of autism diagnosis rather than social skills

People with autism are typically diagnosed by clinical observation and assessment. To deconstruct the clinical decision process, which is often subjective and difficult to describe, researchers used a large language model (LLM) to synthesise the behaviours and observations that are most indicative of an autism diagnosis. Their results show that repetitive behaviours, special interests, and perception-based behaviours are most associated with an autism diagnosis. These findings have the potential to improve diagnostic guidelines for autism by decreasing the focus on social factors- which the established guidelines in the DSM-5 focus on but the model did not classify among the most relevant in diagnosing autism. "Our goal was not to suggest that we could replace clinicians with AI tools fo...
The best mother’s day beauty gifts to make her day
Life Style

The best mother’s day beauty gifts to make her day

Mother’s day, that annual festival of flowers, fond feelings and thinly disguised commercialism. Yes, we are all quite clear that this is a holiday designed to extract our hard-earned cash, but look, there's everything right about celebrating her and all that that she does for you and the family. Correct? Even if you disapprove of the day entirely, there are few better ways to get any Sunday off to a good start than an excellent present. Plus, a last minute dash for petrol station flowers or a corner shop card, is impossible to disguise as anything but “I forgot and panicked.”Bella Freud Ceramic Diffuser £155.00It’s not cheap, but it is a fabulous objet with may be refilled or repurposed for months and years to come. Inspired by the incense-heavy scents of the 70’s, expect this to fill the...
Amid calls to cancel, Premier Danielle Smith stands by plan to go to U.S. fundraiser
Politics

Amid calls to cancel, Premier Danielle Smith stands by plan to go to U.S. fundraiser

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is defending her plan to fly to Florida to appear at an event alongside a far-right U.S. influencer who calls Canada “a silly country,” saying it is her duty to do everything she can to reach out to Americans to prevent tariffs. Smith is to make a speaking appearance Thursday with conservative media personality Ben Shapiro at a fundraiser for PragerU amid continued calls from the Opposition NDP for her to abandon the trip.In a fiery exchange in the house, Smith accused Opposition New Democrats of being defensive because they have done “zilch” to push back on the tariffs.“The way you actually influence the decision on tariffs is you talk to American influencers,” said Smith, at times reading a list of elected U.S. officials and business leaders she has met wit...
Mimoh Chakraborty: Neeraj Pandey called us his ‘Khakee Avengers’
Entertainment, Movies

Mimoh Chakraborty: Neeraj Pandey called us his ‘Khakee Avengers’

When making a show, content is king, but without a stellar cast to elevate the content on paper to the screen, everything would fall apart. Showrunner Neeraj Pandey’s Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, starring Jeet, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, and Parambrata Chattopadhyay, is the second instalment after Khakee: The Bihar Chapter (2022). The series revolves around an honest IPS officer, Arjun Maitra, cracking down on powerful gangsters and corrupt politicians in his mission to bring law and order to a region gripped by crime and chaos. Mimoh Chakraborty—son of veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty—who plays a cop on Jeet’s team, was thrilled when he was roped in for the show. Neeraj Pandey “I’ve always been a big fan of Neeraj Pandey sir’s work. After watching The Bihar Chapter, I knew...
Trump’s auto tariffs weigh on Canada’s election campaign – National
Politics

Trump’s auto tariffs weigh on Canada’s election campaign – National

By Catherine Morrison The Canadian Press Posted March 27, 2025 7:44 am Updated March 27, 2025 8:20 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Liberal Leader Mark Carney is back in Ottawa Thursday to deal with the fallout of new auto tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Carney said he was suspending his campaign plans for the day and would return to Ottawa to hold a meeting of the Canada-U.S. cabinet committee.It’s unclear whe...