September 8 is International Literacy Day, a day for promoting literacy as a way to empower people and help them improve their lives. According to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), there are 758 million adults and 114 million young people (aged 15 to 24) unable to put a simple sentence together due to illiteracy. That means …

UK government ratification of the Paris climate deal and a new plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions through 2030 may have to wait till 2017, climate minister Nick Hurd has told business leaders. The fifth carbon-reduction plan had been expected by the end of this year, and the June vote to exit the European Union has complicated environmental policy. The …

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on a trip to the asteroid Bennu. Bennu may contain the molecular precursors to the origin of life and the Earth’s oceans. The voyage will take seven years. It took off from Cape Canaveral just after 4 p.m. Tucson time.

In the battle for market share in the cable television industry, Halifax-based Eastlink’s latest weapon is a new, slicker app that lets customers watch live TV anywhere on their computers, tablets or mobile phones. “We know that consumers are watching more video than ever before and they are finding that discovering and subscribing to that content across numerous platforms has …

Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert has opened up about her relationship with long-term partner Rayya Elias. “I do not merely love Rayya; I am in love with Rayya.” Elizabeth Gilbert is best known for her hugely popular book Eat Pray Love, which was also made into a film starring Julia Roberts. Elizabeth split from her husband Jose Nunes, who …

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is being launched on a mission to study asteroid 101955 Bennu, features three high-resolution cameras that are based on CCD detectors. Called “OCAMS”, the camera suite on Osiris-REx consists of three cameras: PolyCam, MapCam, and SamCam. These cameras will “see” asteroid Bennu as the spacecraft first approaches it.

After four movies and countless customized-bullet castings, the blood feud between vampires and lycanthropes has blossomed into Underworld: Blood Wars. The movie once again sees Kate Beckinsale taking on the role of the vampire Selene, who finds herself in the middle of the ongoing war between vampires and lycans with members of both sides actively trying to kill her. Also …

The 50-year-old singer has reportedly been staying at home on doctor’s orders because she’s ‘at risk for serious complications.’ Janet Jackson has been staying under the radar since announcing her pregnancy in May. Turns out the expectant singer is in hiding not only to keep her private life out of the public eye, but also because she’s put on bed …

A laser altimeter from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has been launched on board of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft, en route to the Bennu asteroid. OLA, which was built for CSA by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associated Ltd and Optech, is the most sophisticated lidar (light detection and ranging) system ever launched to an asteroid, …

Scientists have discovered a colourful new species of freshwater crab, which is also the first of an entirely new genus – the taxonomic rank above species – hiding in plain sight in a Chinese pet market. Shimmering carapaces and rattling claws make colourful freshwater crabs attractive to pet keepers. To answer the demand, fishermen are busy collecting and trading with …

A B.C. mom toasted her child’s first day back at school by smoking a joint — and claimed she wasn’t the only parent, according to police. Saanich Police Sgt. John Price was conducting speed enforcement in the Spectrum-Marigold school zone when he spotted the car.