COVID in India: Supply shortage hampers vaccine rollout

DW News shows that the figures we get from India are absolutely shocking: almost 390,000 new cases of infection and more than 3 and half thousand deaths within the last 24 hours. International help is getting underway with the first emergency aid supplies arriving from the US. But in the end, it's all about getting millions of shots in arms ASAP.

India struggles to cope with flood of COVID-19 cases and deaths

It seems that the escalating Coronavirus Covid-19 situation in India shows no signs of slowing. The deadly second virus wave overwhelming Indian hospitals, morgues, and crematoriums. Another record number - India had more than 386,000 new cases in the past 24 hours.

India: Ambulance volunteers risk their lives in India's COVID crisis

Sky News shows the India situation: Ambulance volunteers risk their lives to save others as India's COVID crisis worsens.

They travel house to house in an effort to find those who may have died alone.

India’s vaccine programme grinds to halt in some states in deadly Covid second wave

Channel 4 News shows that India has seen yet another record number of deaths from Covid-19 and it is set to rise for days to come.  

Officially, more than 18 million people are infected, but the true numbers are likely to be much higher.

With oxygen supplies still not reaching the people who need it most, the vaccination drive appears to have crumbled, with state after state saying that the plans to vaccinate the whole adult population cannot go ahead.

Rich Indians are spending thousands of dollars to escape India

WION shows that 40 countries are stepping in to end India's oxygen crisis. Supplies are pouring in from around the world. But, some wealthy Indians "have given up." They are hiring expensive private jets and fleeing the country.

Google CEO on India's Covid crisis: The worst is yet to come

CNN shows Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, tells CNN's Poppy Harlow what the company is doing to support India. He says, getting "the right information on the ground has been a big focus for us."

India: Dying too fast to be counted - Covid funeral pyres burn day and night

Channel 4 News shows that the Coronavirus Covid-19 crisis engulfing India is deepening as the country records more than 370,000 new infections and over 3,500 deaths in the last 24 hours, but the true figure could be many times that.

India records 379,000+ new daily COVID-19 cases

India has certainly set another world record for new COVID-19 infections with more than 379,000 cases in a single day. Melissa Duggan on when the country’s alarming surge could peak.

India running out of health-care resources as COVID-19 surge continues

CBC News: The National in Canada shows that As India continues to set records for single-day new COVID-19 infections, the resources to treat patients are shrinking. It's so bad, people are taking to social media to get hospital beds and even oxygen.

India's COVID-19 crisis: Growing fears that international aid may be too late to avert disaster

Global News shows that International aid has finally arrived in India, as the health-care system grapples with a worsening COVID-19 crisis. 

The world’s second-most populated nation is embroiled in a health crisis, with hospitals and morgues overwhelmed. On Thursday, India’s total COVID-19 cases surpassed 18 million. Over the past week, the country has continuously set new global records for daily infections and deaths.

Health Canada approves first COVID-19 self-test

CBC News in Canada shows Lucira Health Inc.'s test can show a positive result in 11 minutes, and a negative result within 30 minutes. The company's executive VP Kelly Brezoczky says she hopes to have the test available to Canadians by June.

Canada: ‘Vaccine passports’ could be necessary for international travel, Trudeau says

CBC News: The National in Canada shows that Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to travel to Europe this summer with proof of vaccination. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians should expect similar requirements for international travel, but the focus is still on getting through the pandemic.

India hits 200K deaths from COVID-19

CBC News in Canada shows that India has recorded more than 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, but infection and death numbers are widely believed to be under-reported. The country faces a huge shortage of hospital beds and medical oxygen.

Canada will Provide 10 Million Dollars To India For Fight Against COVID-19.

Canada: Staff at COVID-19 testing site failed to recognize woman's heart attack symptoms

CBC News in Canada shows that certain changes have been made at B.C.'s Fraser Health Authority after screeners at a COVID-19 testing site failed to pick up on the heart attack symptoms of a Chilliwack woman who thought she may have contracted the coronavirus Covid-19.

Canada: COVID outbreak at Canada Post facility, Ontario sick leave

Take a look at Canada's top headlines: an entire shift at a Canada Post facility in Mississauga has shut down after a COVID-19 outbreak, and more back and forth between the province and Ottawa over a paid sick leave program.

Canada: Ont. amends temporary emergency order allowing hospitals to move patients to LTC without consent

CTV News in Canada shows that Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott announced a temporary emergency order allowing hospitals to send patients to long-term care homes without their consent to free up capacity.

Canada: Trudeau says COVID-19 vaccine certificates "to be expected" as part of pandemic

Global News shows that while there is no definitive answer on whether Canada will mandate COVID-19 vaccination certificates, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday they are "naturally to be expected" as part of the pandemic.

"As was the case pre-pandemic, certificates of vaccination are a part of international travel to certain regions and are naturally to be expected when it comes to this pandemic and the coronavirus," Trudeau stated. "How we actually roll that out in alignment with partners and allies around the world is something that we’re working on right now to coordinate."

Canada sees 1st death from blood clot linked to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine

Global News in Canada shows that a 54-year-old Montreal woman has died due to developing a blood clot in her brain after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, making it the first the death related to a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada. But with only 4 cases of rare complications from the 400,000 AstraZeneca shots administered in Quebec, the risk remains very low for getting a blood clot. As Mike Armstrong reports, Quebec's health officials are not budging on the current vaccine strategy despite new developments, insisting the vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh the rare risk.

Canada tax season 2021: Filing returns further complicated by COVID-19 finances

Global News shows that despite COVID-19 wreaking havoc on people's finances throughout the pandemic, many Canadians found relief from the various financial aid programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). But as the personal income tax deadline approaches, Canadians are also facing more complicated rules in filing their tax returns. Being late may not only garner penalties, it can now also withhold those important pandemic benefits. As Anne Gaviola explains, how and when you file your taxes are more important than ever.

Canada pledges $10M in aid to India as COVID-19 crisis deepens

Global News shows India continues to battle a surge of COVID-19 infections that's overwhelming its hospitals and dwindling much-needed medical supplies like oxygen. The country is now fast approaching over 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus. Amid several countries already promising to send help, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now pledging $10 million in aid from Canada to India through the Red Cross. And as Redmond Shannon reports, the new promises have not stopped a number of Indian-Canadians from worrying for their loved ones enduring the deepening crisis there.

Countries send aid to ease India's oxygen emergency

BBC News shows that International efforts are under way to help India as the country suffers critical oxygen shortages amid a devastating surge in Covid cases.

The UK has begun sending ventilators and oxygen concentrator devices. EU members are also due to send aid.

The US is lifting a ban on sending raw materials abroad, enabling India to make more of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Coronavirus: All flights from India on pause

9 News Australia shows that the Morrison Government has hit pause on all flights from India as they battle a second wave of COVID-19. Scott Morrison is pledging aid but there are concerns for the 9000 Australians who will be left stranded.

India's COVID-19 patients camp out to get life-saving oxygen

Sky News shows that Coronavirus COVID-19 patients in parts of India are camping out to try and get oxygen, which is in extremely short supply as the country's coronavirus crisis deepens.

Sky's Alex Crawford reports from Haryana state, north of Delhi, where doctors and volunteers are treating people under tarpaulins in makeshift hospitals. Many have been there for days, unable to find a medical centre that will take them in and provide the oxygen they so desperately need.

India records 320,000 new Covid cases as foreign help arrives

ITV News shows that India recorded more than 320,000 new cases of coronavirus infection on Tuesday as the country’s sinking health system started receiving much-needed support from foreign nations.

Tuesday’s 323,144 new infections raised India’s total past 17.6 million, behind only the USA.

It ended a five-day streak of recording the largest single-day increases in any country throughout the pandemic, but the decline likely reflects lower weekend testing rather than reduced spread of the dangerous virus.

India surpasses 200,000 Covid deaths in world's worst second wave

BBC shows special coverage of the India situation.

India is certainly continuing to battle a massive 2nd wave of the dangerous virus. India’s second wave has struck with devastating force, with more than 2 million cases recorded in a week and 200,000 deaths overall.

Hospitals in numerous cities are being pushed to the brink, oxygen supplies are dangerously low and makeshift funeral pyres burn day and night.

World reacts to COVID-19 crisis in India

Co-founder of the South Asian Health Network, Sabina Vohra-Miller, talks about India’s COVID-19 crisis.

The Government of India confirmed India's first case of Coronavirus disease 2019 on 30 January 2020 in the state of Kerala, when a university student from Wuhan travelled back to the state. As the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases closed 500, Modi on 19 March, asked all citizens to observe 'Janata Curfew' (people's curfew) on Sunday, 22 March.

India's battle continues with the dangerous 2nd wave of the virus.

Covid in India: Why is the government playing down the crisis?

BBC News is saying that as India continues to struggle under the weight of its 2nd virus wave, the government is playing down what's happening on the ground and forcing social media platforms to remove virus critical posts.

One newspaper editor told BBC Newsnight the government has continually played down or hidden the death toll and infection rate.

India Covid crisis: families desperate for space to cremate their dead

Channel 4 News shows the crisis in India. Medical supplies are beginning to trickle into India to help tackle the overwhelming surge in numbers of people suffering and dying from the virus.

However, medical staff there are saying it's a mere drop in the ocean. Ongoing gatherings for religious festivals and local elections are raising fears the virus will be spread yet further as the official number of dead approaches 200,000 - a figure regarded as a considerable under-estimate.

And a warning, this report from Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Rugman contains distressing images.

President Joe Biden says he's sending India's prime minister Modi all the help he needs

CNBC Television shows that USA President Joe Biden takes questions about the CDC's new mask restrictions for fully vaccinated Americans and how the U.S. is working to assist India with rising coronavirus cases.

India's Covid crisis keeps getting worse

CNBC Television shows that the USA White House pledged to deploy a strike team to help India fight the Covid-19 surge. The U.K. is also sending India supplies to help overwhelmed hospitals. Seema Mody joins 'The News with Shepard Smith' to report the situation in India.

India’s Covid crisis intensifies, but could more have been done to prevent it?

BBC News shows that as India’s coronavirus crisis continues to surge, patients are dying without oxygen as hospitals buckle under the pressure as the crisis continues to intensify.

International efforts are under way to help India as the country suffers critical oxygen shortages amid a devastating surge in Covid cases.

The UK has begun sending ventilators and oxygen concentrator devices. EU members are also due to send aid.

UK: Thousands of anti lockdown protesters clash with London police

CGTN shows an anti-lockdown demonstration involving around 10,000 people on Saturday turned violent as police and protesters clashed in London's Hyde Park. Eight police officers were injured, and five protesters were arrested. "As an ICU doctor, this actually makes me want to cry," wrote a Twitter user.

Indian PM Modi thanks US President Joe Biden for offer of help over phone

WION shows that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to US President Joe Biden on the evolving COVID-19 situation in the country. PM Modi conveyed the support and discussed India's requirement and US efforts to meet them amid the ongoing pandemic.

Watch how US, UK, France & Germany are helping India battle Covid crisis

Hindustan Times shows that as the Covid-19 crisis continues to wreak havoc in India, several countries have offered to help the surge in cases. USA President Joe Biden has committed to helping India and the USA has agreed to send raw materials for making vaccines. Biden’s chief medical adviser also said the USA will consider offering India unused doses of AstraZeneca vaccine. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Sunday that vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to India. France & Germany have also committed to help India tide over the second wave of coronavirus.

How Brazil’s coronavirus response went from bad to absolute disaster

DW News shows that the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis in Brazil is going from bad to worse. Critics point to government mismanagement for the 2nd highest COVID death toll in the world. Doctors Without Borders calls it a humanitarian catastrophe. It says authorities’ refusal to adopt evidence-based public health measures has sent far too many to an early grave.

Last week Brazil accounted for over a quarter of global COVID-19 deaths. Unlike other countries, the virus is killing many children. Some doctors blame an extreme immune response to the virus multi-system inflammatory syndrome.

Japan announces COVID emergency in Tokyo

WION shows that Japan declared "short and powerful" states of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures as the country struggles to contain a resurgent coronavirus pandemic three months before the Olympics.

The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, and also known as Tokyo 2020, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

Covid-19 Coronavirus Cases Overview:

Japan: Total cases: 569K

Japan: Recovered: 501K

Japan: Deaths: 9,939

Worldwide:

Total cases: 147M

Recovered: 84.5M

Deaths: 3.1M

Indian Air Force flies in 4 oxygen tanks from Singapore

WION shows that Singapore on Saturday became the first country from which India procured essentials four oxygen tanks. India has been witnessing a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, leading to shortage of oxygen supply across various states.

Global Response to Covid-19 Crisis in India

NBC News shows that the U.S. is pledging to give "immediate medical aid" to India, including drug treatments, testing kits, ventilators, PPE and oxygen supplies. So far, only 1.5% of India’s population is fully inoculated, and for the fourth day in a row, India broke another world record in daily new Covid-19 infections with nearly 350,000 on Sunday.

U.S. ‘determined’ to help India, Biden says

Reuters shows that the U.S. will immediately send raw materials for COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond to a massive surge in coronavirus infections, President Joe Biden said.

What's behind India's huge spike in COVID-19 cases

CBC News shows that in India, overburdened hospitals have closed admissions, having run out of beds and oxygen supplies following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases.

Indian hospitals send SOS as Covid toll surges

BBC News shows that Indian hospitals say their patients are dying because of a shortage of oxygen as Covid case numbers and deaths set new records for a third day running.

India has recorded nearly a million infections in three days, with 346,786 new cases overnight into Saturday.

The government says it is deploying trains and the air force to transport supplies to certain hard-hit areas.

India's health-care system on brink of collapse as countries race to help

Global News shows that India's health-care system is on the brink of collapse as the country suffers the world's worst surge of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Inside hospitals, oxygen is running out and the government is pleading for help.

India overwhelmed by world’s worst Covid crisis

BBC News shows the India Covid-19 situation. International help is being pledged for India as it battles a ferocious second wave of coronavirus, described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a storm that has shaken the nation.

Almost 350,000 new infections were recorded in India in the latest 24 hour period - a record number for the 4th day in a row. 

As the epidemic continues to grow hospitals are under intolerable pressure - with shortages of beds and critical supplies including oxygen.

The COVID-19 pandemic in India is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case of COVID-19 in India, which originated from China, was reported on 30 January 2020. India currently has the largest number of confirmed cases in Asia, and, as of April 2021, has the second-highest number of confirmed cases in the world (after the United States) with more than 17 million certainly reported cases of COVID-19 infection and 192,311 deaths as of April 25, 2021.

Canada: Doctor criticizes NACI's advice: 'We're talking about four blood clots in the entire country'

CTV News shows that Dr. Hassan Masri criticized the latest messaging from NACI officials, saying it doesn't match with the reality in much of Canada.

Experts are investigating the possible side effects of vaccines.

Canada's COVID-19 surge "darkness before the dawn" WHO advisor says

Global News shows that as Canada endures the third wave of COVID-19, a virus that has already claimed tens of thousands of lives within our borders, a World Health Organization adviser has a message for Canadians: "Dawn is Coming."

Dr. Peter Singer’s comments come on the heels of soaring COVID-19 case counts in Canada, which peaked at over 9,000 daily infections in mid-April. Ontario in particular has faced a crushing third wave, with record-breaking daily cases and intensive care units stretched to their limits.

Canada: Challenges ahead if COVID-19 restrictions lifted by summer

Global News in Canada shows that new federal modelling shows stricter public health measures have helped slow the surge in COVID-19 cases in Canada. 

And now that more people are getting inoculated against the virus, Canada’s top doctor says it may be safe to lift restrictions over the summer. 

The National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) is now recommending that people age 30 and up be offered the AstraZeneca vaccine, which could help speed up the vaccine rollout. 

Abigail Bimman reports on where Canada’s rollout needs to be for restrictions to ease and why combating vaccine hesitancy will be crucial.

National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has important statements and publications at:

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci.html

NACI certainly makes recommendations for the use of vaccines currently or newly approved for use in humans in Canada, including the identification of groups at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases for whom vaccination should be targeted. NACI knowledge syntheses, analyses and recommendations on vaccine use in Canada are published in literature reviews, statements and updates.

New statements are those which have been published within the past 5 years. Previous statements are those which are were published over 5 years ago and have been archived.

NACI recommendations are also published in vaccine-specific chapters of the Canadian Immunization Guide.

Canadian Market: 1st-time home buyers being priced out

Global News shows that young people in Canada, who are hoping to buy their first home, are being shut out of the country’s hot housing market as prices for real estate soar.

In addition to a lack of supply, experts say they are not competing on a level playing field. Instead, young couples and families are competing with baby boomers who are downsizing and buying homes that would normally be reserved for the first-time buyer.

Anne Gaviola has more on the calls for politicians to step in and cool the market.

The continuum of affordable housing in Canada includes market (affordable rental housing, affordable home ownership), non-market (affordable rental housing, affordable home ownership), government-subsidized housing (emergency shelters, transitional housing and social housing).

A continuum is a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct.

Canada: Ontario's strategy for vaccinating people in COVID-19 hotspots

Take a look at how Global News shows Ontario's new vaccine strategy of using pop-up clinics in COVID-19 hot spots, as the province looks to recruit help from Atlantic Canada, which comes with its own complications. Mike Drolet looks at how the strategy is working after Ontario reported 4,000 new cases for a 12th day this month.

Canada: Third wave the 'apex' of pandemic, says doctor

CBC News shows that Dr. David Naylor, co-chair of the Federal Immunity Task Force, says 'we are at the apex of the COVID-19 pandemic' and the actions of individual Canadians are critical at this point.

The 'apex' is the uppermost point:

- the uppermost point : vertex the apex of a mountain

- the narrowed or pointed end : tip the apex of the tongue

- the highest or culminating point the apex of a career

- the highest point of the curve on the graph

Canada: Doctor explains B1617 variant, as Ottawa reviews travel from India

CBC News in Canada shows Dr. Cora Constantinescu of the Vaccine Hesitancy Clinic at the Alberta Children's Hospital explains the B1617 coronavirus variant first identified in India and now detected in B.C. and Quebec.

Vaccine hesitancy, also known as anti-vaccination or anti-vax, is a reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated or to have one's children vaccinated against contagious diseases. People who conform to this view are commonly known as "anti-vaxxers".

Bank of Canada governor says there are 'better times ahead'

CBC News shows that Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem says that Canada’s economy is doing better than expected despite the pandemic in an interview with CBC senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong.

The economy of Canada is really a highly developed mixed economy. It is the 9th largest GDP by nominal and 15th largest GDP by PPP in the world. As with other developed nations, the country's economy is dominated by the service industry which employs about three quarters of Canadians. Canada has the 3rd highest total estimated value of natural resources, valued at US$33.2 trillion in 2019. It has the world's 3rd largest proven petroleum reserves and is the 4th largest exporter of petroleum. It is also the 4th largest exporter of natural gas. Canada is considered an "energy superpower" due to its abundant natural resources and a small population of 37 million inhabitants relative to its land area.

Out of all the countries, China has the most natural resources estimated at $23 trillion. 90% of the country's resources consist of coal and rare earth metals.

Oil Reserves by Country:

# Country - Oil Reserves (barrels) in 2016 - World Share

01 Venezuela - 299,953,000,000 - 18.2%

02 Saudi Arabia - 266,578,000,000 - 16.2%

03 Canada - 170,863,000,000 - 10.4%

04 Iran - 157,530,000,000 - 9.5%

05 Iraq - 143,069,000,000 - 8.7%

06 Kuwait - 101,500,000,000 - 6.1%

07 United Arab Emirates - 97,800,000,000 - 5.9%

08 Russia - 80,000,000,000 - 4.8%

09 Libya - 48,363,000,000 - 2.9%

10 Nigeria - 37,070,000,000 - 2.2%

11 United States - 35,230,000,000 - 2.1%

12 Kazakhstan - 30,000,000,000 - 1.8%

13 Qatar - 25,244,000,000 - 1.5%

14 China - 25,132,122,000 - 1.5%

15 Brazil - 16,184,100,000 - 1.0%

16 Algeria - 12,200,000,000 - 0.7%

17 Mexico - 9,711,000,000 - 0.59%

18 Angola - 8,423,000,000 - 0.51%

19 Ecuador - 8,273,000,000 - 0.50%

20 Azerbaijan - 7,000,000,000 - 0.42%

Canada pledges to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2030

CBC News shows that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged on April 22, 2021 at an international climate summit that Canada would aggressively curb greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45 per cent over the next decade. Minister of Environment Jonathan Wilkinson and Green Party Leader Annamie Paul join Power & Politics to discuss what it would take for Canada to hit its new target.

Canada pledges to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2030.

Canada will 'blow past' its previous target of a 30 per cent reduction from 2005 levels by 2030, PM says.

Canada has certainly long maintained it would slash emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. That would mean lowering GHG emissions from 732 megatonnes to 513 megatonnes. A megatonne is a million tonnes.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are produced when hydrocarbons, such as natural gas and oil, are burned. GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide and ozone, all of which contribute to climate change.

Canada's vaccine rollout going 'as planned'

After various delays in the past, it seems that Canada's vaccine rollout going 'as planned' right now. As many Canadians struggle to make an appointment to get their Covid-19 vaccine, federal officials say despite a few snags the roll out is going as planned.

Some may have wondered about how long the Covid-19 vaccine lasts. So far, Pfizer's ongoing trial indicates the company's two-dose vaccine remains highly effective for at least six months, and likely longer. People who got Moderna's vaccine also still had notable levels of virus-fighting antibodies six months after the second required shot.

More than 11,485,302 doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across Canada.

Canada's ban on flights from India: 2 major problems says infectious disease expert

CTV News shows that infectious disease expert Colin Furness says there are 2 major problems with the government's latest travel restrictions.

The new virus variant, called B.1.617, was initially detected in India with 2 mutations - the E484Q and L452R. Viruses mutate all the time, as part of evolutionary biology. Some mutations weaken the virus while others may make it stronger, enabling it to proliferate faster or cause more infections. It is not known if these mutations first mutated in India or other countries.

Canada banned direct flights from India - Transportation minister explains why

CTV News shows that Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra discusses the latest restrictions announced by the government on travel from India and Pakistan.

Canada faces mounting pressure for greater COVID-19 border restrictions

Global News shows that Canada is banning passenger flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days amid concerns over rising COVID-19 cases and a new virus mutation.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said Thursday that in the last two weeks, more than 100 international flights landing in Canada have carried at least one positive COVID-19 case on board. At least 32 of those flights were from India.

The move by the government comes as it faces mounting calls to bring in tougher restrictions at the border to limit COVID-19 variants. Abigail Bimman reports.

Canada imposes 30-day ban on flights from India, Pakistan

CBC News: The National in Canada shows that the federal government has implemented a 30-day ban on direct flights into Canada from India and Pakistan to deal with concerns about rising case counts in India and mutations of the coronavirus.

Canada considering new travel measures as India COVID-19 infection rates surge

CTV News shows that as India grapples with soaring COVID-19 infection rates, the Canadian government is considering additional measures to prevent further spread of the virus from international travel.

Scientists Have Found Out That a 9th Planet Exists, but Something Strange Is Happening

TheSimplySpace on Youtube shows that the technical advances of recent years have not stopped at the field of astronomy. Gigantic discoveries such as the first photo of a black hole show that there are still numerous unexplored objects and phenomena in our universe. According to extrapolations by astrophysicists, there are probably as many as 100 billion galaxies in space and an equally large number of planets in the Milky Way alone, whose existence we have not yet learned of.

Some science out there is pseudoscience. The word pseudoscience is derived from the Greek root pseudo meaning false and the English word science, from the Latin word scientia, meaning "knowledge". Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method.

Some people may believe that a 9th planet exists in our solar system. Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity - the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, dwarf planets such as Pluto, dozens of moons and millions of asteroids, comets and meteoroids.

Planet 9 (Nine) is a hypothetical planet in the outer region of the Solar System. Its gravitational effects could explain the unusual clustering of orbits for a group of extreme so-called trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs), bodies beyond Neptune that orbit the Sun at distances averaging more than 250 times that of the Earth. These ETNOs tend to make their closest approaches to the Sun in one sector, and their orbits are similarly tilted. These alignments suggest that an undiscovered planet may be shepherding the orbits of the most distant known Solar System objects. Nonetheless, some astronomers indeed question the idea that the hypothetical planet exists and instead assert that the clustering of the ETNOs orbits is due to observing biases, resulting from the difficulty of discovering and tracking these objects during much of the year.

Based on earlier considerations, this hypothetical super-Earth-sized planet would have had a predicted mass of 5 to 10 times that of the Earth, and an elongated orbit 400 to 800 times as far from the Sun as the Earth. Konstantin Batygin and Michael E. Brown suggested that Planet Nine could be the core of a giant planet that was ejected from its original orbit by Jupiter during the genesis of the Solar System. Others proposed that the planet was captured from another star, was once a rogue planet, or that it formed on a distant orbit and was pulled into an eccentric orbit by a passing star.

The section of the universe, which humans can see, resembles a tiny puzzle piece, which is put together by researchers for centuries piece by piece. Not even the solar system known to us has been completely explored, as can be seen from the discovery of the possible dwarf planet Farout only two years ago or the discussion about a gas in the atmosphere of Venus that could indicate life. For several years, researchers have also speculated about the possibility of another planet in our solar system. Since Pluto's planetary status was revoked, eight have been counted among them. Newest research results from California let astronomy enthusiasts now again strongly listen: There is actually a mathematical proof for the ninth planet in our solar system!

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto to that of "dwarf planet." This means that from now on only the rocky worlds of the inner Solar System and the gas giants of the outer system will be designated as planets.

5 Theories About What Lies Outside The Observable Universe

TheSimplySpace on Youtube shows that about 13.75 billion years ago, our universe as we know it was created.

Keep in mind, the Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model of the observable universe from the earliest known periods through its subsequent large-scale evolution. The model describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature.

Shortly after the universe was created, the primordial light began to shoot through the cosmos and spread throughout the entire early universe. At this time the universe itself also expanded. However, the inflation of the universe slowed down after the first initial eruption, but since then the rate of expansion has been steadily increasing due to the influence of increasing dark energy. In essence, the cosmos has been growing at an ever-increasing rate since its creation.

Physicists and mathematicians certainly have been studying the nature of the universe for hundreds of years, trying to solve the mysteries it contains. But there are some scientists who go one step further into the unknown by thinking about what lies beyond the boundaries of our universe. Is it possible that there is something else beyond the existence of our universe? Other universes, worlds whose existence we can only guess at? That could well be the case. These are the 5 theories in the video about what this "something" could be and what clues there are for the various theories.

10 Space Photos That Will Give You Nightmares

Factnomenal on Youtube shows that outer space images can be scary. Space discoveries by the Hubble space telescope are made often. NASA focuses on finding new things within the Universe and sometimes they run into pretty creepy things. Enjoy this space video showing off creepy space images as part of the space discoveries 2020 series!

10 Planet Discoveries That Scare Astronomers - Space Discoveries 2020

Factnomenal on Youtube shows the strangest planets ever discovered by NASA! These latest and recent space discoveries 2020 reveal some of the strangest planets ever discovered. There are some planets like earth and some so different. The universe contains so many planets that it is impossible to count them all. These amazing space discoveries are for sure something you have never seen before.

The order of the planets in the solar system, starting nearest the sun and working outward is the following: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and then the possible Planet Nine.

Planet Nine is certainly a hypothetical planet in the outer region of the Solar System. Its gravitational effects could explain the unusual clustering of orbits for a group of extreme so-called trans-Neptunian objects, bodies beyond Neptune that orbit the Sun at distances averaging more than 250 times that of the Earth.

10 Recent Space Discoveries That Scientists Can't Explain

TheSimplySpace on Youtube shows that the universe has endless expanses. It is full of surprises and ever new events. This month, the news of new sightings, mysterious apparitions and fascinating events have once again come thick and fast. See the most recent and amazing discoveries of the scientists.

Something Strange is Surrounding Our Solar System - 10 Insane Space Discoveries

Factnomenal shows that something strange is surrounding our solar system. Here are 10 space discoveries that may shock! Astronomers from all over the world have gathered these discoveries from using space telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the Kepler Space Telescope. With the new Mars Perseverance rover roaming the Martian surface, we will soon have a lot more amazing discoveries!

20 Most Incredible Recent Space Discoveries To Blow Your Mind

Unexplained Mysteries on Youtube shows 20 most incredible recent space discoveries to blow your mind. Take a look at these 20 most incredible recent space discoveries to blow your mind.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, known by the acronym NASA, was established in 1958. NASA is responsible for the United States’ civilian space programme as well as aeronautical discoveries and space research. High-profile examples of NASA’s work include the Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space centre and the Space Shuttle programme. NASA is committed to the ongoing investigation of planets and other features of our Universe, and regularly reports on new discoveries.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is certainly an independent agency of the USA federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.

NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation, encouraging peaceful applications in space science.

25 Scary But True Space Facts

Factnomenal on Youtube shows 25 SCARY space facts that may keep you up at night. Some of these interesting facts are amazing yet terrifying at the same time. As the days go one, we learn more about our universe, one outer space discovery at a time!

Deep Space Discoveries Indicate Spectacular Objects Exist Far Beyond our Solar System

DTTV - Science Answers on Youtube shows that with the giant powerful telescopes​ now being made available to astronomers​, we are at the verge of discovering previously unfathomable details about exoplanets​. The Kepler mission showed us that exoplanets​ were not rare, and there are millions or trillions out there, waiting for our discovery. The first-ever exoplanet discovered was born at least a 100 times farther away from its Sun than where it is now.

15 Most Mysterious Space Discoveries

Top Fives on Youtube shows that Outer Space is a mysterious place! They are taking a look at some of the most mysterious discoveries in outer space out there.

Black Hole or Cosmic Light Switch?

ThunderboltsProject on Youtube shows that a new scientific paper describes an unprecedented and so-called "mind boggling" event around a so-called black hole - an event so rapid, energetic and completely unexpected to astronomers, it challenges the very bedrock of black hole theory. 

A team of scientists studying an active galactic nucleus observed the brightness of a so-called black hole corona drop by a factor of 10,000 in less than one year.  A co-author of a new paper on the discovery stated, "We expect that luminosity changes this big should vary on timescales of many thousands to millions of years. But in this object, we saw it change by 10,000 over a year, and it even changed by a factor of 100 in eight hours, which is just totally unheard of and really mind-boggling."

Scientists Are Finally Unveiling Secret Space Mysteries

TheSimplySpace on Youtube shows the infinite expanses of space hold many mysteries that fire the imagination of man. They range from inexplicable events to accounts of people who have been in space. Join them in the world of secret space mysteries in the video.

Extracts First Oxygen from Mars: NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover

iGadgetPro on Youtube shows that Oxygen on Mars was generated by Perseverance Rover’s MOXIE instrument (first results).

On April 21, 2021, NASA confirmed Perseverance Rover’s MOXIE generated Oxygen on Mars for the first time. Test took place April 20, the 60th Martian day of Perseverance Rover. First MOXIE experiment allowed Perseverance to generate about 6 grams of Oxygen. It is enough for human to breathe for about 10 minutes while accomplishing normal tasks.

Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) accomplished the task to generate Oxygen O2 from Mars’s carbon dioxide CO2 atmosphere. After an hour of operation the total oxygen produced was about 5.4 grams, enough to keep an astronaut healthy for about 10 minutes of normal activity. Mars’ atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide. MOXIE works by separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which are made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. A waste product, carbon monoxide, is emitted into the Martian atmosphere. MOXIE’s shield is made of gold.

The New Crisis in Cosmology

PBS Space Time has good news and bad news. Bad news first: 2 years ago they reported on the Crisis in Cosmology. Since then, it’s only gotten worse. And actually, the good news is also that the crisis in cosmology has actually gotten worse, which means they may be onto something!

Mars Geology Gets Even "Weirder"

ThunderboltsProject shows that in recent months, according to a number of scientific reports, the dusty winds and sand dune formations on the planet Mars have grown even more mysteries. In this episode, we explore why Electric Universe geology may hold the key to resolving both the mysterious processes in Mars' past, and those happening today.

Mars is the 4th planet from the Sun and the 2nd-smallest planet in the Solar System, being larger than only Mercury. In English, Mars carries the name of the Roman god of war and is often referred to as the "Red Planet". The latter refers to the effect of the iron oxide prevalent on Mars's surface, which gives it a reddish appearance distinctive among the astronomical bodies visible to the naked eye. Mars is certainly a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, with surface features reminiscent of the impact craters of the Moon and the valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy beats out ULA Vulcan for NASA Moon rover launch

ENGINEERING TODAY on Youtube shows that SpaceX Falcon Heavy beats out ULA Vulcan for NASA Moon rover launch - Blue Origin human space flight.

It seems that SpaceX is winning the launch of NASA’s VIPER rover.

SpaceX will now launch NASA’s Moon rover to the lunar soil in 2023. This way SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket has effectively beaten out United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle from their way to get that launch contract. According to the contract, SpaceX will now send a NASA rover and commercial lander to the Moon. Astrobotic, a company which won NASA’s lander contract in CLPS program, had earlier announced that they contracted with ULA to launch their first small so-called "Peregrine" lander and numerous NASA payloads to the Moon in 2021. Astrobotic then had selected ULA’s Vulcan Centaur as their launch vehicle for the "Peregrine" lander.

April 12 - sixty years since Yuri Gagarin went into space

BBC News shows that for the Soviet Union, Yuri Gagarin’s single orbit of the Earth was a huge achievement. There will be celebrations across Russia to mark the anniversary.

On April 12, 1961, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space. During the flight, the 27-year-old test pilot and industrial technician also became the first man to orbit the planet, a feat accomplished by his space capsule in 89 minutes.

Billionaire is Paying Elon Musk to Send Him to Space

VICE News shows that Jared Isaacman is the billionaire founder of Shift4 Payments, and recently got SpaceX to sell him a personal mission to outer space. This first all-civilian mission is scheduled for late 2021, and will see Isaacman and 3 other crew members launch on a Crew Dragon for a tour of the outer space areas.

NASA calls SpaceX 'best value' for next manned lunar mission

CNBC Television shows how CNBC's Morgan Brennan reports on the new partnership between NASA and SpaceX as the corporate space race heats up.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is certainly an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of so-called planet Mars. SpaceX manufactures the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, several rocket engines, Dragon cargo and crew spacecraft and Starlink satellites.

It seems that recently NASA chose only SpaceX for its return to the moon even though the agency's stated plans called for 2 commercial partners.

SpaceX had been competing against Blue Origin and Dynetics for a pair of contracts for NASA's Artemis (moon flight) program. But, NASA on Friday announced SpaceX would get an exclusive $2.9 billion contract.

Pentagon confirms leaked UFO video is real

It seems that the Pentagon has confirmed that recently-leaked UFO video is real.

The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the USA Department of Defense. As a symbol of the USA military, the phrase The Pentagon is also often used as a metonym or synecdoche for the Department of Defense and its leadership.

Scientists find “strong evidence” for new mystery sub-atomic force of nature

BBC News shows that an international team of scientists, working on a project in the United States, say they have discovered strong evidence for the existence of a new force of nature. 

They say some sub-atomic particles - called muons - don't behave in a way predicted by current theories of physics. 

The British funders of the research say that scientists are "on the precipice of a new era of physics." 

Huw Edwards presents BBC News at Ten reporting by science correspondent Pallab Ghosh.

The muon (from the Greek letter mu (μ) used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 1/2, but with a much greater mass. It is classified as a lepton.

This Might Be a Brand-New Kind of Star

SciShow Space on Youtube shows that astronomers have theorized about an invisible star made up of theoretic particles in the past, but did we recently detect the gravitational waves of two of them colliding? Plus, extraterrestrial rocks from a decades-old mission keep yielding new discoveries!

Launch Of NASA's SpaceX To International Space Station

NBC News shows live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-1 launch as 4 astronauts head to the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon will take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is America’s civil space program and the global leader in space exploration. The agency has a diverse workforce of just under 18,000 civil servants, and works with many more USA contractors, academia, and international and commercial partners to explore, discover, and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity. With an annual budget of $23.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2021, which is less than 0.5% of the overall U.S. federal budget, NASA supports more than 312,000 jobs across the United States, generating more than $64.3 billion in total economic output (Fiscal Year 2019).

Australia’s first Homemade spacecraft

7NEWS Australia shows that as Australia steps up into the international space race, a Sydney start-up is building the nation's largest homemade spacecraft.

The Biggest Space News Stories of 2020

NOVA PBS Official shows that the coronavirus pandemic may have been the biggest science news story of 2020, but it wasn't the only story. Discover three of the greatest space developments of the year and what 2021 may bring.

Space junk: Even small fragments have the potential to cause significant damage

DW News shows that planet Earth is slowly being wrapped in a cloud of debris. Experts estimate that nearly 130 million pieces of scrap metal are currently orbiting our planet. Most are only a few millimeters in size, but there are also tanks, rocket stages and old satellites. Because of their high speed, even small fragments have the potential to cause dangerous significant damage.

Canada Federal Budget 2021 - CBC News special

CBC News shows how Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland delivers the Liberal government's first budget in 2 years.

In Canada, federal budgets are presented annually by the Government of Canada to identify planned government spending, expected government revenue, and forecast economic conditions for the upcoming year.

Federal budgets are usually released in February or March, before the start of the fiscal year. All of the provinces also present budgets. Since provincial finances are dependent on money from the federal government, these budgets are usually released after the federal one.

The budget is announced in the House of Commons by the Minister of Finance.

The volunteers behind Vaccine Hunters Canada

CBC News: The National in Canada shows that as eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines widens, the volunteers behind the Vaccine Hunters social media accounts are helping people track down shots across the country.

Rogers massive phone service outage frustrates Canadians, company blames software update

Global News in Canada shows that a massive service outage by Rogers on Monday left wireless customers across Canada unable to make calls, send text messages or access the internet.

The company said a recent software update was to blame for the wave of wireless outages affecting Canadians on Monday.

Federal Budget 2021: Canada’s debt set to cross $1 trillion as Liberals extend COVID-19 aid

Global News shows that the first federal budget in more than 2 years extends Ottawa’s COVID-19 so-called "lifeline" for workers and struggling businesses another few months as it aims to pull Canada through the pandemic once and for all.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland‘s first crack at a budget plan is also widely viewed as a pre-election platform with more than $100 billion in new spending over the next 3 years targeting a wide variety of voters, from seniors and their caregivers, to parents and business owners.

Canada pledges nearly $50B in spending in new budget

Global News shows that Chrystia Freeland delivered her first budget as finance minister on Monday and it included some big-ticket items. Spending in the budget document is nearly $50 billion and the federal deficit is expected to be about $354 billion. That will push the national debt past the $1 trillion mark for the first time. Global News’ David Akin has an overview of the government’s ambitious spending plan.

Governments can create debt by issuing government bonds and bills. Some countries may be able to borrow directly from a supranational organization (e.g. the World Bank) or international financial institutions.

Keep in mind, the Debt-to-GDP ratio compares a country's total debt to its total economic output. This ration is used to measure the country's ability to pay its debt. If the ratio is high, it indicates the country isn't producing enough to pay back its debts. A low ratio means the country is producing enough to pay back its debts.

It seems that there are countries in the world that are not in debt. Singapore and several other (very small) nations are debt-free.

Mars Helicopter Ingenuity's first Flight video (lift off and landing) - Science Loop

Science Loop on Youtube shows that Mars Ingenuity helicopter has made flight history!

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight

Monday, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The Ingenuity team at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed the flight succeeded after receiving data from the helicopter via NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover at 6:46 a.m. EDT (3:46 a.m. PDT).

***Due to lack of time and information the quality and information of the video is not good enough.

There is also first image from Ingenuity's onboard camera during fly in Mars's atmosphere. NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took this shot while hovering over the Martian surface on April 19, 2021.

NASA is calling the flight a "Wright Brothers moment" on the Red Planet Mars!

Mars Ingenuity helicopter is also Autonomous. It takes some time to communicate from Earth to Mars. Because of this time delay, we can not use joystick. That is why scientists made it Autonomous. Cool! Isn't it?

NASA's experimental helicopter Ingenuity certainly rose into the thin air above the dusty red surface of Mars planet on Monday, achieving the first powered flight by an aircraft on another planet.

The triumph was hailed as a "Wright brothers moment." The small mini 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) helicopter certainly succeeded.

The first flight was short (just 39 seconds) - but it accomplished a major milestone.

The $85 million USA helicopter demo was considered high risk yet high reward.

To accomplish the fascinating Mars flight, the helicopter's twin, counter-rotating rotor blades needed to spin at 2,500 revolutions per minute - 5 times faster than on Earth.

The helicopter has an excellent solar panel for recharging the batteries, crucial for its survival during the -90 C Martian nights.

Testing face masks: Lab tests reveal the safest and most effective

CBC News in Canada shows how effective are face masks. Months into the coronavirus pandemic there are still no standards or regulations for consumer masks. So, they asked the University of Toronto to test more than 20 different masks. They reveal which are the most effective at keeping you safe from COVID-19, and which masks you should avoid.

Keep in mind, the N95 or Professional-Grade Medical Mask N95 respirators and other professional-grade medical masks are carefully sized to form a tight seal between the air outside and the face. They are designed to protect healthcare workers from droplets in the air. Respirators are certainly highly effective when professionally fitted.

Fabric masks are really recommended to prevent onward transmission in the general population in public areas, particularly where distancing is not possible, and in areas of community transmission. This could include the school grounds in some situations. Masks may help to protect others, because wearers may be infected before symptoms of certain illness appear. The policy on wearing a mask or so-called face covering should be in line with national or local guidelines. Where used, masks should be worn, cared for and disposed of indeed properly.

Good fabric masks should be made of 3 layers of fabric:

Inner layer of absorbent material, such as cotton.

Middle layer of non-woven non-absorbent material, such as polypropylene.

Outer layer of non-absorbent material, such as polyester or polyester blend.

Types of Face Coverings:

Bandana

Homemade cloth mask

T-shirt mask

Store-bought cloth mask

Cloth masks with filter

Neck gaiters and balaclavas

Disposable surgical mask

Cone-style masks

N95, KN95 and other respirators

gas mask (a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases)

Canada: Provinces mobilize emergency help for Ontario amid COVID-19 surge

Global News in Canada shows how the federal government is coordinating with other provinces to mobilize emergency help to Ontario as cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 are surging in the third wave of the pandemic.

Canada: Little appetite for redistributing COVID-19 vaccines, resources across Canada

CBC News: The National in Canada shows that the Canadian Medical Association is calling for unprecedented measures to help the areas worst affected by COVID-19, including redistributing vaccines and resources among provinces. But with many provinces already struggling, it might not be as easy.

Canada: Demand for AstraZeneca vaccine not increasing with rising COVID-19 cases

CBC News: The National shows that despite increasing COVID-19 cases across Canada many are still hesitant to take the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine while doctors and officials try to reinforce that it is safe and effective.

Budget 2021: What to expect from Canada’s post-pandemic recovery plan

Global News shows that in an interview with The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson, personal finance expert Preet Banerjee looks ahead to Canada’s first federal budget in more than two years - one that some sources are describing as transformational.

Ontario gets federal pandemic aid as Canada preps for budget

Global News shows that the Canadian government is sending emergency aid to Ontario, with the help of provinces and territories across Canada, as it struggles with thousands of new COVID-19 cases each day. 

The news comes as Ottawa prepares to present its first federal budget in two years. 

Mike Le Couteur explains what kind of help Ontario can expect, whether it impacts the upcoming budget, and where else federal spending could be going to in the pandemic.

Canada: Ontario reports more than 4,400 new COVID-19 cases, 19 deaths

Global News in Canada shows that Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams and deputy chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe reported 4,447 new COVID-19 cases in the province on Monday. 

Monday’s case count is higher than Sunday’s which saw 4,250 new infections. On Saturday, 4,350 new cases were recorded. It is also the sixth day in a row cases are above 4,000.

According to Monday’s report, 1,299 cases were recorded in Toronto, 926 in Peel Region, 577 in York Region, 233 in Ottawa, 227 in Hamilton, 205 in Durham Region and 203 in Niagara.

Canada: Ontario gives cops authority to stop people, vehicles, ask purpose of travel

CTV News in Canada shows that Ont. Premier Doug Ford and his top cabinet members took questions after announcing new restrictions and limiting interprovincial travel.

Canadian doctors call for “extraordinary measures” from feds to fight COVID-19 crisis

Global News shows that the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is calling on the federal government to take a stronger lead in the country's fight against COVID-19.

In a statement Friday, the national body of physicians and medical experts said Canada was at a "critical juncture" in the coronavirus pandemic and a collaboration between the provinces was needed.

David Akin looks into what doctors and premiers are asking for and the resistance from Ottawa.

Definition of "juncture":

noun

a particular point in events or time.

"it is difficult to say at this juncture whether this upturn can be sustained"

Similar: point; point in time; time; moment; moment in time; stage; period; phase

a place where things join.

"the plane crashed at the juncture of two mountains"

Similar: confluence; convergence; meeting; meeting point; conflux; junction

Canada: How the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting immigration to Canada

Global News shows that the Canadian government has pointed to immigration as essential to the country to recover economically from the coronavirus pandemic, but some experts say that’s a misleading argument with high numbers of jobless people in the country.

But the federal government has recently announced a new program to expedite 90,000 immigration applications for essential workers as part of its goal to bring in 1.2 million immigrants in the next 3 years.

Experts say there will be a surge of immigration to Canada as the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, but as Mike Drolet reports, the application processing might take months or years to clear.

Immigration to Canada is the process by which people migrate to Canada for the purpose of residing there - and where a majority go on to become Canadian citizens. As of 2019, Canada has the eighth largest immigrant populations in the world, while foreign-born people make up about one-fifth (21% in 2019) of Canada’s population. This is certainly one of the highest ratios for industrialized Western countries.

Mexico suffering world’s highest Covid death rate as cases surge

BBC News shows that Mexico is currently suffering the world’s highest death rate from coronavirus, with hospitals at breaking point. 

More than 320,000 people are thought to have died in Mexico with coronavirus. The authorities have updated their figures which are some 60 per cent higher than they had previously stated. 

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Will Grant in Mexico City.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Mexico in February 2020. However, the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) reported two cases of COVID-19 in mid-January 2020 in the states of Nayarit and Tabasco, one case per state. The Secretariat of Health, though the "Programa Centinela" (Spanish for "Sentinel Program"), estimated in mid-July 2020 that there were more than 2,875,734 cases in Mexico because they were considering the total number of cases confirmed as just a statistical sample.

Coronavirus pandemic: France crosses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths

Al Jazeera English shows that more than 100,000 people have died so far of COVID-19 in France.

For some of the millions who were infected but recovered, the battle against the virus was hard and at times traumatic.

Al Jazeera's Natacha Butler spoke to some people in Paris who accused the government of not doing enough to stop the outbreak from getting worse.

The COVID-19 pandemic in France is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached France on 24 January 2020, when the first COVID-19 case in both Europe and France was identified in Bordeaux. The first five confirmed cases were all individuals who had recently arrived from China.

On 31 March 2021, Macron announced a third national lockdown to commence on 3 April 2021, which mandated for all of April 2021; the closure of non-essential shops, the suspension of school attendance, a ban on all domestic travel and a nationwide curfew from 7pm-6am.

Brazil's Covid-19 catastrophe may threaten world as new variant spreads

Channel 4 News shows that the President of Brazil played down the threat of Covid 19, and refused to be strict about preventing its spread.

Now Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is being blamed for his country's deadliest episode of the pandemic yet - with a highly transmissible variant, and warnings from doctors reporting more young people being admitted to hospitals with the virus than ever before. 

Deaths from Covid have soared in Brazil. Daily deaths hit a new peak in the last few days.

New coronavirus wave hits most of USA

DW News shows that the United States of America has had the most confirmed virus cases and deaths in the world. No other country in the world has been hit harder by the coronavirus. Despite its unprecedented vaccination program, infection numbers are still rising. Many people are tired of the lockdowns. With warming weather, many states have lifted restrictions. Facing the threat of a 4th wave - President Joe Biden's administration is doubling down on vaccination, as the key to ending the pandemic. However, local outbreaks threaten to undo the important strategy.

Covid spreading faster in India than anywhere else

BBC News shows that India reported a record daily increase of over 150,000 coronavirus cases - and more than 800 new deaths - on Sunday. This video is from Apr 11, 2021.

Since the pandemic began, India has confirmed more than 12 million cases and over 167,000 deaths.

It has the third-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world after the United States and Brazil.

(Updated) April 17, 2021 - India reported a record daily increase of 234,692 COVID-19 infections over the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Saturday.

It was the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days.

Total cases reached nearly 14.5 million, second only to the United States which has reported more than 32 million infections.

16 April 2021 - Strong earthquake strikes China city

On Friday 16 April 2021, the China Earthquake Networks Center reported that a strong magnitude earthquake occurred near Luanzhou City, Tangshan City, Hebei Province at 4:06 pm local time with a focal depth of 9 km.

Strong tremors were felt at the epicenter of the quake and were also felt as far away as Tianjin and Beijing, according to the official Weibo account of the China Earthquake Networks Center. Weak shaking might have been felt in Linxi located 23 km from the epicenter, Guye 23 km away, Zhaogezhuang 26 km away, Changli and Tangshan.

The strong shaking tremor was recorded in the afternoon on Friday 16 April 2021 at 4:06 pm local time, at a very shallow depth of 9 km below the surface.

The event was filed by the China Earthquake Networks Center (CEIC), the first seismological agency to report it.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.

Additional significant news about the earthquake may become available later in the future.

Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake Hits Croatia December 29, 2020 Compilation

A powerful earthquake. See the compilation of the magnitude 6.4 earthquake with a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) hit the Sisak-Moslavina County, Petrinja, Croatia  at 12:20 p.m. local time (6:20 a.m. ET) on December 29, 2020. The maximum felt intensity was estimated at VIII (Heavily damaging) to IX (Destructive) on the European macroseismic scale. Before this event, there were three foreshocks, the strongest of which with a magnitude of Mw5.2 on the day before. The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the strongest of which with a magnitude of 4.8.

Seven people were confirmed dead, and at least 26 others were injured, with six having serious injuries. Initial reports show many buildings destroyed in Petrinja. The mayor of Petrinja Darinko Dumbović said that half of the town has been destroyed.

Petrinja is a town in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banovina. It is administratively located in Sisak-Moslavina County.

On December 29, 2020, the town was certainly hit by a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 Mw, causing significant damage to the town.

Top 10 Biggest Earthquake Cracks (don't live here)

This is pretty exciting. Don't live in any of these places! These are the top 10 biggest earthquake cracks to have ever formed!

There has never been any recorded case of an earthquake causing cracks to open up and swallow cities. Certainly, earthquakes can cause cracks to form in the Earth, such as happened during the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

4 Unbelievable Natural Disasters Caught on Tape

These fascinating Natural Disasters Caught on Tape are pretty interesting.

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other geologic processes. A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the affected population's resilience and on the certain infrastructure available.

Scary Earthquake Footage Compilation From Around The World

This is fascinating - Scary Earthquake Footage.

Most earthquakes are naturally occurring earthquakes.

There are three types of faults:

A. Strike-slip

B. Normal

C. Reverse

Tectonic earthquakes occur anywhere in the earth where there is sufficient stored elastic strain energy to drive fracture propagation along a fault plane. The sides of a fault move past each other smoothly and aseismically only if there are no irregularities or asperities along the fault surface that increase the frictional resistance. Most fault surfaces do have such asperities, which leads to a form of stick-slip behavior.

The so-called stick-slip phenomenon, also known as the slip-stick phenomenon or simply stick-slip, is the spontaneous jerking motion that can occur while 2 objects are sliding over each other.

Earthquake Caught On Camera: Best HD Earthquake Compilation on Youtube

You will sure like this amazing Best HD Earthquake Compilation on Youtube.

In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event (whether natural or caused by humans)that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its hypocenter or focus. The epicenter is certainly the important point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.

Another Large Earthquake Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Take a look at World News Report Today with reports of another Large Earthquake Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant!

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (福島第一原子力発電所, Fukushima Daiichi Genshiryoku Hatsudensho) is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a 3.5-square-kilometre (860-acre) site in the certain towns of Ōkuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The plant suffered major damage from the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. The chain of events caused radiation leaks and permanently damaged several reactors, making them impossible to restart -  it seems. By political decision, the remaining reactors were not restarted.