Flooding in South Africa's Durban area has taken at least 259 lives and is a "catastrophe of enormous proportions," President Cyril Ramaphosa said Wednesday.
"This disaster is part of climate change. It is telling us that climate change is serious, it is here," said Ramaphosa, visiting flooded areas of Durban and the surrounding eThekwini metropolitan area.
"We no longer can postpone what we need to do, and the measures we need to take to deal with climate change," he said.
The death toll is expected to continue rising as search and rescue operations continue in KwaZulu-Natal province, officials said. The province is about to be declared a disaster area by the national government, said Ramaphosa.
"KwaZulu-Natal is going to be declared a provincial area of disaster, so that we are able to do things quickly. The bridges have collapsed, the roads have collapsed, people have died and people are injured," said Ramaphosa.
He said one family had lost 10 members in the devastating floods.
Residents have had to flee their homes as they were swept away, buildings collapsed and road infrastructure severely damaged. Durban port was flooded and shipping containers were swept away into a jumbled heap.
Authorities were also seeking to restore electricity to large parts of the province after heavy flooding at various power stations.
Rescue efforts by the South African National Defense Force were delayed as the military's air wing was also affected by the floods, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya said. The military was able to deploy personnel and helicopters around the province on Wednesday, he said.
The South Africa Weather Services has warned of continued winds and rains and the risk of continued flooding in Kwazulu-Natal and other provinces over the upcoming Easter weekend. South Africa's Eastern Cape, Free State and North West provinces could be affected, it said.
An 81-year-old Quebec man has been sentenced to prison after admitting to killing his wife with Alzheimer's disease.
Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.
The Canadian government has unveiled its plans for a sweeping GST/HST pause on select items during the holiday period. The day after the announcement, questions remain on how the whole thing will work.
The Canadian government is warning travellers following the deaths of at least six people in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists in Laos after drinking tainted alcohol.
Two men have been convicted by a Minnesota jury of charges related to human smuggling for participating in a scheme that led to the deaths of an Indian family who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard.
The Canada Revenue Agency has released updated federal income tax brackets for 2025, reflecting adjustments for inflation. Here’s the breakdown.
Thirty new measles cases were reported this week in Canada, bringing the total number in Canada to 130 in 2024.
An assertive group of cross-country travellers pinned and duct-taped an unruly passenger mid-flight, after he allegedly tried to open a plane door at 30,000 feet.
Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general on Thursday, said Friday he will not be returning to U.S. Congress next year.
Two men have been convicted by a Minnesota jury of charges related to human smuggling for participating in a scheme that led to the deaths of an Indian family who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard.
An 81-year-old Quebec man has been sentenced to prison after admitting to killing his wife with Alzheimer's disease.
Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.
A Saskatchewan principal sentenced to six months behind bars for sexual assault has another chance to prove he’s the victim of a middle-school prank that escalated out of control.
The Canada Revenue Agency has released updated federal income tax brackets for 2025, reflecting adjustments for inflation. Here’s the breakdown.
A bail hearing has heard that a woman accused in the drowning death of a five-year-old girl in an Alberta lake didn't know the child and was supposed to be under house arrest.
A New York judge on Friday granted Donald Trump permission to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case, in which he was found guilty earlier this year, in light of his victory in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
Queen Camilla will miss her third public engagement in two weeks as she recovers from a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said Friday.
A second Australian teenager who fell critically ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos has died in a hospital in Bangkok, her family said Friday, bringing the death toll in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists to six.
More aid workers, health care staffers, delivery personnel and other humanitarians have been killed in 2024 than in any other single year, the United Nations reported Friday.
Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general on Thursday, said Friday he will not be returning to U.S. Congress next year.
The Canadian government is warning travellers following the deaths of at least six people in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists in Laos after drinking tainted alcohol.
A senior official says the Canadian government is not aware of any evidence linking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to alleged criminal activity perpetrated by Indian agents on Canadian soil.
The Halifax International Security Forum started Friday with Canada's defence minister defending Canada's military spending as Donald Trump's election in the United States increases pressure on NATO members to do more.
Canada's consul general in New York doubled-down Thursday on his past claim that he exerted no influence on the decision of Global Affairs Canada to buy a $9 million condo in Manhattan.
As the country heads into the worst time of year for respiratory infections, the Canadian respiratory virus surveillance report tracks how prevalent certain viruses are each week and how the trends are changing week to week.
Drinking just 25 to 90 ml (0.7 to 3.0 ounces) of methanol can be fatal without proper medical treatment, but can be successfully treated if caught early.
A popular series of Murphy beds that had been sold online is under a recall in Canada and the U.S. after several reported instances of the furniture detaching from walls.
The promise of starting life anew on Mars may appear alluring as the climate crisis intensifies and space and rocket technology advances. But the reality would be dreadful, according to experts.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says oyster samples from New Brunswick's east coast have tested positive for two diseases, one of which has been found for the first time in Canada.
A group of high school students from Alliston, Ont., have garnered international attention after being invited to showcase their work on a global stage.
CTV film critic Richard Crouse says 'Wicked' is a bold, brassy re-imagination of the beloved hit musical that brews up its own cinematic vibe.
Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album.
The Italian Renaissance diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli has become synonymous with subtle scheming. And now, an extremely rare first edition of his most famous work, the political manual 'The Prince,' is going up for auction, with an expected sale price of up to £300,000 (US$375,000).
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has launched a defamation lawsuit against Canada Bread Co. Ltd. and its parent company Grupo Bimbo.
Starting Friday, avid moviegoers won't go thirsty or run out of salty, buttery treats while enjoying the latest films at all Cineplex theatres.
The federal government's 'meaty' move to pause federal sales tax on a long list of items and send cheques to millions of Canadians this spring could factor into an improving outlook for growth in 2025, economists say.
Peter Frank has paddled from Michigan's Upper Peninsula in June to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland this month in his 1982 Sawyer Loon decked canoe, but he’s still got a long way to go.
The world's tallest woman and the world’s shortest woman have met for afternoon tea in London to celebrate Guinness World Records Day.
A coffee shop in Middleborough, Massachusetts, went viral overnight for offering free coffee to customers who entered the shop while dancing.
A civil jury in Ireland on Friday found that mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying.
Whoopi Goldberg's latest venture, the All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN), has been a long time in the making.
Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that pauses the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record.
Northvolt AB has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States, but said the move will not jeopardize the manufacturer's planned electric vehicle battery plant in Quebec — though hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars invested in the parent company could be lost.
Canadian drivers are regularly in a hurry to get to their destination and a majority are willing to take unnecessary risks on the road, according to the results of a new survey.
A man from B.C.’s Lower Mainland who was scammed while selling his Porsche Cayenne online is sharing his cautionary tale – while calling for increased protections from the government.
Humans weren’t the only ones who struggled through the bomb cyclone that formed off the B.C. coast this week, bringing intense winds and choppy seas.
After driving near the water that winter day, Brian Lavery thought he saw a dog splashing in the waves – then realized it was way too cold for that.
Toronto radio and podcast host Jax Irwin has recently gone viral for videos of her cute -- and at times confusing -- phone conversations.
Two young women from New Brunswick have won one of the most prestigious and sought-after academic honours in the world.
Stretching 3,000 kilometres from the tip of New Zealand to its southernmost point, with just a bicycle for transport and a tent to call home, bikepacking event Tour Aotearoa is not for the faint of heart.
When he first moved to his urban neighbourhood, Barry Devonald was surprised to be welcomed by a whole flock of new neighbours.
When George Arcioni began renovating his kitchen last summer, he didn’t expect to find a stack of letters hidden in the wall behind his oven.
A Nova Scotia couple fulfilled their wildest dreams Thursday night when they got engaged at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto.
Some Calgary residents caught what appeared to be a meteor streaking across the sky early on Wednesday morning.
Another windstorm is headed to B.C.’s South Coast Friday, though Environment Canada says it will be weaker than the bomb cyclone event earlier this week.
Mounties in Burnaby say the occupants of a Tesla that drove past the scene of an arson earlier this week may have crucial information, and are urging them to come forward.
A young man has been arrested after multiple women reported receiving “disturbing” sexual notes – or in some cases underwear – in the same Burnaby, B.C., neighbourhood over recent months, the RCMP announced Thursday.
An additional 160,000 students in Ontario will get access to free meals, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at a Brampton, Ont. school Friday.
Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.
The 120th Santa Claus Parade is back in Toronto on Sunday and will bring along some road closures.
Calgary is under a snowfall warning with total amounts of 15 to 25 centimetres expected.
Calgary police are investigating after a body was found in the southwest community of Pine Creek.
Premier Danielle Smith and her minister of transportation spoke at a passenger rail forum in Calgary on Friday, adding more speculation about what could be in store for travel options for Albertans in the years ahead.
Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.
An Orléans man who uses a service guide dog wants to see changes to rules surrounding dog attacks, after his guide dog was attacked by another dog last month.
The Ottawa Food Bank is calling the record-breaking visits to its food programs "a declaration of emergency," with children and youth and newcomers accounting for more than a quarter of visits last year.
Quebec provincial police are searching for a third suspect in connection with Kevin Mirshahi, the cryptocurrency influencer who was kidnapped and killed last summer.
Longueuil police (SPAL) are seeking potential victims as part of an ongoing criminal harassment investigation involving a 49-year-old man, Zimbalist Bowman.
An 81-year-old Quebec man has been sentenced to prison after admitting to killing his wife with Alzheimer's disease.
A bail hearing has heard that a woman accused in the drowning death of a five-year-old girl in an Alberta lake didn't know the child and was supposed to be under house arrest.
An Alberta man has been charged after he allegedly drove his vehicle into a home and fired a gun in a town east of Edmonton.
A man has been arrested and charged in connection to the death of an Edmonton man who was found on a road in Lamont County last December.
A teen who pleaded guilty in the death of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year will be sentenced Friday.
A fall storm moving from Cape Cod into the Maritimes will bring the region rainy and windy weather this weekend.
A vulnerable man who was missing in Cape Breton has been found safe.
Two men have been convicted by a Minnesota jury of charges related to human smuggling for participating in a scheme that led to the deaths of an Indian family who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard.
Human remains have been discovered near a home in the RM of Rockwood, Man.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses is calling on the federal government to step in and get Canada Post employees back to work.
Much of southwest Saskatchewan is under a snowfall warning on Friday, with total amounts of 10 to 20 centimetres expected.
A Regina chiropractor accused of sexually assaulting seven different women took the stand Thursday as arguments began in his defense.
Evraz North America says an investigation is underway after a contractor was fatally injured while on the job in Regina on Nov. 19.
Charges were laid after a crash between an LRT train and a Dodge vehicle shut down a busy Kitchener street for more than eight hours on Thursday.
FunGuyz, which calls itself the biggest magic mushroom dispensary in Canada, says it's shutting down all 30 of its Ontario locations.
Waterloo Regional Police have released a video as they try to identify a suspect in a Cambridge robbery.
A Saskatchewan principal sentenced to six months behind bars for sexual assault has another chance to prove he’s the victim of a middle-school prank that escalated out of control.
A Saskatoon man is concerned about an Alberta non-profit coming into the city to open a new shelter and run the Lighthouse.
Saskatoon is bracing for another round of winter weather following a snowfall that blanketed the city earlier this week.
An 81-year-old was killed in a dog attack this week in Bonfield, Ont. Police believe three dogs were involved.
A 30-year-old woman is in hospital in Sudbury after she was stabbed multiple times early Friday morning in Chelmsford.
After years of delays, the province has pulled the plug on an addiction treatment centre in North Bay. A news release from Canadore College on Thursday confirmed the centre won’t be moving forward.
London fire crews and police are on scene of a house fire in east London. Crews were called to the 1800 block of Culver Drive, east of Third Street and south of Oxford Street, around 11:30 a.m.
Crews were called to the school around 10 a.m. to reports of smoke. According to the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) the fire has been put out.
Significant delays are being reported in the area and tow trucks are on scene to help. No injuries have been reported.
Emergency crews were called to Highway 400 in Georgian Bay Township Friday morning after a fatal tanker truck rollover.
Crews installed fencing along a busy stretch of road in the south end of Barrie to protect wildlife in preparation of a major construction project on the way.
Provincial police are hoping to identify two suspects accused of breaking into and stealing from a local legion.
Projects by four manufacturing companies are expected to create 29 new jobs in the Windsor area.
Windsor residents and visitors can get into the holiday spirit at Willistead Manor.
An Ontario law firm is seeking information about the movements and activities of a Catholic priest who was convicted of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy before he died.
The power has been restored and single-lane traffic reopened on Saanich’s Quadra Street by the wreckage from a massive fire on a condo construction site.
Another windstorm is headed to B.C.’s South Coast Friday, though Environment Canada says it will be weaker than the bomb cyclone event earlier this week.
Vancouver Island’s major crime unit is investigating the case of a Victoria teenager whose death was initially ruled an accidental overdose, but has since been reclassified by coroners as a homicide.
Police are appealing for information on a targeted shooting that resulted in the hospitalization of a man in Kamloops.
British Columbia's independent police watchdog has cleared officers of wrongdoing in a crash where three people were killed south of Kamloops in July of last year.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
The Hurricanes launched a three-game road trip south of the border Wednesday dropping a 4-0 game to the league-best Everett Silvertips.
A new citywide campaign is hoping to encourage residents to shop, eat and explore local this holiday season.
Agriculture is an industry mainly dominated by men, but around 80 middle school and high school students – all of whom are female – are hoping to change that.
Sault-based charity Save Our Young Adults, or SOYA, will soon move to a new home -- for good reason.
The City of Elliot Lake said Thursday it has received a $3-million donation from Edward and Suzanne Rogers for the Centennial Arena restoration.
Students in Sault College’s business accounting program have a new learning pathway that will ultimately give them a head start to a career.
A Newfoundland energy company's embrace of data centres is raising doubts about eastern Canadian hopes of harnessing the region's howling winds to supply Germany with power from green hydrogen.
An international group led by a Canadian is in Rome this week to push the Catholic Church to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on abuse by clergy.
A company hoping to build a multi-billion-dollar wind-to-hydrogen project in western Newfoundland is eyeing other options as Canada's plans to supply Europe with green energy have not yet materialized.
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