Star Metro - News from Calgary, Canada, USA and around the world

Almost half of all bird species are in decline globally and one in eight are threatened with extinction, according to a major new report warning that human actions are driving more species to the brink and nature is "in trouble".

Typhoon Noru tore roofs from homes and caused power outages across central Vietnam Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of people taking refuge, after the storm claimed at least 10 lives in the Philippines.

British wildlife groups and campaigners have hit out at government's plans to ditch legislation covering pesticide use, as part of a drive to remove EU laws after Brexit.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Wednesday said President Alexander Lukashenko would commit "political suicide" if he involved Belarus's military in the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday he does not see it as "a dry spell" or "end of the world" if he fails to win a race this season.

Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly relived one of his career-defining moments on top of the Lord's balcony -- but this time in India on a replica, and with his shirt on.

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman, who was named prime minister late on Tuesday, has shaken up the ultraconservative oil titan with economic, social and religious reforms since his meteoric rise to power.

The protests that have erupted in Iran are shadowing the national football team's bid for a breakthrough to the World Cup, with rumours of a split in the squad, social media posts that mysteriously disappear and former legends weighing in to support the demonstrations.

The EU said Wednesday that leaks from two Russia-Germany undersea gas pipelines appeared to be "a deliberate act", as fossil fuel-rich Norway boosted security at its installations.

The asteroid is flying through space in the grainy black and white video, when suddenly a massive cloud of debris sprays out in front of it, meaning only one thing: impact.

World number two Casper Ruud said on Wednesday that a bit of Roger Federer had rubbed off on him after being part of the tennis legend's send-off last week.

Ukraine called on EU and NATO countries Wednesday to hit Russia with more sanctions and send more weapons to the frontline after Kremlin proxies held "sham" annexation votes in four occupied Ukrainian regions.

Iran's police warned Wednesday they will confront "with all their might" women-led protests that erupted nearly two weeks ago over the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, despite growing calls for restraint.

Hurricane Ian strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it headed towards the US state of Florida on Wednesday, with forecasters warning of life-threatening storm surges and "devastating" winds after it reportedly killed two and left millions without power in Cuba.

A like-minded sister, a brother-in-law tipped for government and a campaigning mother -- politics is a family affair for Italian far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, even if her partner does not share all her views.

Turkey's booming wartime trade with Moscow took a giant step back on Wednesday with confirmation that the last three banks still processing Russian payments were pulling out under pressure from Washington.

Hurricane Ian is expected to directly hit the US state of Florida on Wednesday, with forecasters warning of life-threatening storm surges and "devastating" winds after it reportedly killed two and left millions without power in Cuba.

Russia fired a salvo of missiles at Ukraine's second city Kharkiv overnight, officials said on Wednesday, hitting a railway yard and knocking out power to more than 18,000 households.

Italian designer Riccardo Tisci will step down this week as creative director, Burberry said Wednesday, announcing his unexpected and sudden departure.

Washington will operate "undaunted and unafraid" throughout Asia, including the Taiwan Strait, US Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday as she addressed American troops in Japan.

Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini was visiting Tehran with her family when she encountered the notorious morality police and died after a "violent blow to the head", her cousin living in Iraq said.

A search team retrieved the body of top US ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson from the Himalayas on Wednesday, two days after she disappeared on the slopes of Nepal's Manaslu peak.

Switzerland's glaciers lost six percent of their total volume this year due to a dry winter and repeated summer heatwaves, shattering previous ice melt records, a report revealed Wednesday.

In Ukraine's port city of Odessa, residents have recently found themselves hiding not from the thunder of rocket attacks but from the whir of buzzing Iranian drones in the sky.

In Pedra do Sal, the birthplace of samba in Rio de Janeiro, supporters chant "Ole, Ola, Lula" as they sway rhythmically, brandishing flags, T-shirts and caps bearing the likeness of Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

China will replicate its Covid-secure Olympic bubble when it hosts its first major international sports event since the Beijing Winter Games -- with organisers calling it a "roller-coaster ride".

Empty corridors and only eight babies in their cribs. The maternity ward in the city of Gabrovo tells you everything you need to know about the drastic drop in the birth rate in Bulgaria.

Pakistan's foreign minister wants the world to engage the Taliban, warning of dangerous consequences if Afghanistan's rulers are again isolated.

Typhoon Noru tore roofs from homes and caused power outages across central Vietnam Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of people taking refuge after the storm claimed at least 10 lives in the Philippines.

Near the lush fields of his village in Sudan's southern Blue Nile state, Youssef Ismail has crafted a traditional horn-like instrument used for generations to usher in the harvest season.

China's yuan hit a record low against the surging US dollar in offshore trading Wednesday, despite recent efforts by the country's central bank to shore up the currency.

Hackings, network sabotage and other cyber warfare campaigns are being intensely deployed by both sides as Russia's invasion of Ukraine grinds on, though the covert operations have not proved decisive on the battlefield -- at least so far.