Wednesday, December 24

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Ontario says federal clean electricity regulations would add $35B in costs
Politics

Ontario says federal clean electricity regulations would add $35B in costs

Ontario is urging the federal government to amend proposed electricity regulations after an analysis by the province’s system operator concluded the rules would mean $35 billion in additional costs by 2050. A new analysis by the Independent Electricity System Operator looking at upcoming regulations around restrictions on emissions from electricity generation found that Ontario would have to add twice as much new generation as it is already planning, which is “not feasible” in that time frame.But if the province were to somehow do so, building enough new electricity generation to make up for restrictions on natural gas would add $35 billion in costs by 2050, increasing residential bills by $132 to $168 per year starting in 2033, the IESO said.Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce has writt...
Paralysed patients able to walk short distances after having electrodes implanted in their brains | Science, Climate & Tech News
Business

Paralysed patients able to walk short distances after having electrodes implanted in their brains | Science, Climate & Tech News

Two paralysed patients have been able to walk short distances and even climb stairs once more after being implanted with electrodes in their brains.Both had catastrophic spinal injuries that meant they relied on a wheelchair before the operation. But in a world first, surgeons used a technique called deep brain stimulation to "re-awaken" dormant nerve fibres in the spinal cord and re-establish control of the leg muscles.Wolfgang Jaeger, 54, broke his back in a skiing accident in 2006 and had to shuffle downstairs on his backside.But since being implanted with electrodes two years ago, he has worked intensively with physiotherapists to recover movement of his limbs. Image: Wolfgang Jager climbs down the stairs in a time-lapse image. Pic: Neuro...
Canada Post strike has cost small businesses $765M: CFIB – National
Politics

Canada Post strike has cost small businesses $765M: CFIB – National

The ongoing Canada Post strike is having a significant impact on Canadian businesses during the busy holiday shopping season, costing firms at least $76.6 million per day, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. After 17 days of a nationwide Canada Post strike, small- and medium sized businesses have lost out on an estimated $765 million in earnings, CFIB said in a statement on Monday.If the strike continues, it will have cost the sector more than $1 billion by Wednesday, the group warned.More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike on Nov. 15, halting mail and parcel services across the country. Some post offices have also been shuttered amid the job action.There are calls from some, including CFIB, urging the federal government to step in to end the labour di...
Trailer out! Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf return with Mismatched season 3
Entertainment, Movies

Trailer out! Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf return with Mismatched season 3

Cold coffee, connections, and cliques — the gang is back together and taking a huge leap! Jumping ahead three years from where Season 2 left off, Netflix teased fans today with the trailer of the highly-anticipated YA series, `Mismatched` Season 3. From career dreams to complicated relationships, this season hits closer to home than ever before. Produced by RSVP Movies, the Netflix series will drop on December 13. Netflix`s `Mismatched` Season 3 offers unexpected twists and new friendships  Opening with the iconic cold coffee that first brought Rishi (Rohit Saraf) and Dimple (Prajakta Koli) together, the trailer dives straight into their next chapter. The duo has left the Aravali Institute behind for a new campus in Hyderabad as they enter the next phase of their relationship. Love meets...
Australian police seize record 2.3 tonnes of cocaine after Comancheros biker gang’s fishing boat breaks down | World News
Business

Australian police seize record 2.3 tonnes of cocaine after Comancheros biker gang’s fishing boat breaks down | World News

Police in Australia have seized a record 2.3 tonnes (2,300kg) of cocaine from a motorcycle gang's fishing boat that broke down off the coast of Queensland.The haul, worth around $760m Australian dollars (£388m), was being smuggled by the Comancheros biker gang, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commander Stephen Jay said. Detectives had been investigating the gang since last month after getting a tip-off that they were planning a multi-tonne smuggling operation. Image: Pic: Australian Federal Police Image: Pic: Australian Federal Police In the past week, the AFP said it worked with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and the Australian Border Force (ABF) to...
What is the ‘luxury car tax’ and is your vehicle affected?
Life Style

What is the ‘luxury car tax’ and is your vehicle affected?

Electric car owners will have to pay thousands in luxury vehicle taxes starting next year.The news comes after October’s Budget, where it was announced there will be an increase to first-year tax rates for petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles in order to push consumers towards electric vehicles (EVs).Since 2020, zero-emission motors have been free from the fee, however, Labour is carrying out Tory plans to reinstate them starting in April.Which cars will be subject to the ‘luxury car tax’?The plans state that EVs with a list price of more than £40,000 that are registered after April 1 will be subject to additional vehicle excise duty (VED), much like traditional vehicles. It is due for five years from the beginning of the second year of ownership and will cost £425 annually.For the start of ...
Stowaway who made it to Paris from New York taken off flight back to US over ‘disturbance’ | World News
Business

Stowaway who made it to Paris from New York taken off flight back to US over ‘disturbance’ | World News

A stowaway who somehow boarded a flight in New York and made it to Paris was removed from her flight back to the US this weekend.Last Tuesday, a woman was caught onboard a Delta Airlines flight without a ticket, after she bypassed two identity checks in New York plus a full security screening. She was removed from the plane when it landed in Paris and placed in a holding zone until her flight back on Saturday, when she "created a disturbance".Sky News' US partner network NBC News reports she was taken off the plane before departure and held in custody - and it's not clear when she will be flown back.According to CNN, which spoke to a witness across the aisle, she kept saying "I do not want to go back to the USA" and "only a judge can make me go back to the USA". The network added footage f...
Footballer Edoardo Bove ‘conscious and talking’ after collapsing on pitch | World News
Business

Footballer Edoardo Bove ‘conscious and talking’ after collapsing on pitch | World News

A footballer who collapsed on the pitch during a match on Sunday is awake and answering questions after spending the night in hospital, Italian media reports have said.Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove, 22, was taken to hospital after falling to the ground in their Serie A home game against Inter Milan at the Artemio Franchi Stadium. The Italian regained consciousness in the ambulance before being put into a medically induced coma. Image: Players on both sides surrounded the player after he collapsed. Pic: AP Image: An ambulance comes onto the pitch. Pic: AP Various reports in Italy have said Bove's night "went well" and the Fiorentina player was taken of...
Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter of convictions, reversing past pledges – National
Politics

Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter of convictions, reversing past pledges – National

President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family. The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. The move on Sunday night comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.It caps a long-running legal saga for the younger Biden, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in ...
Killer whale pod develops unique technique to hunt world’s largest fish | Science, Climate & Tech News
Business

Killer whale pod develops unique technique to hunt world’s largest fish | Science, Climate & Tech News

Pictures and videos have revealed new, specialised hunting techniques used by killer whales to attack the world's largest fish, according to scientists.On four occasions caught on video, a group of orcas preyed on whale sharks in the Gulf of California. The orcas would work together to hit the whale shark until it turned upside down. Image: A killer whale hits the ventral side of the whale shark. Pic: Kelsey Williamson Image: A killer whale hits the shark with the side of its head. Pic: Kelsey Williamson "In that position the sharks enter a state of tonic immobility and can no longer move voluntarily or escape by going deeper," said Erick Higuera Rivas,...