Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
The United Nations chief urged the first world conference on water in over 45 years on Wednesday to address the "21st century emergency" that is wasting the world's most important resource and has left billions of people without clean water and basic sanitation.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the opening session that water is "humanity's lifeblood" and a human right, but the world is draining it "through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use and evaporating it through global heating."
In a challenge to all nations and the broader international community, he said the three-day conference must represent "a quantum leap" in recognition of the vital importance of water and the need for action to ensure its sustainable use.
Guterres called for "game-changing commitments" toward UN goals, including ensuring that all people have access to drinking water and sanitation by 2030.
The UN World Water Development Report, issued on the eve of the conference, says 26% of the world's population -- 2 billion people -- don't have access to safe drinking water and 46% -- 3.6 billion people -- lack access to basic sanitation. UN research also shows that almost half the world's people will suffer severe water stress by 2030.
The UN secretary-general called for major investments in water and sanitation systems and efforts to address climate change, stressing that "climate action and a sustainable water future are two sides of the same coin."
According to conference organizers, such commitments will be the key outcome of the conference. Already, more than 500 commitments have been registered from governments, UN agencies, business leaders and civil society, they say.
Just before the conference opened, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced a new commitment from the Biden administration, of $49 billion to be put toward "equitable, climate-resilient water and sanitation investments at home and around the world."
She said the new U.S. funding "will help create jobs, prevent conflicts, safeguard public health, reduce the risk of famine and hunger, and enable us to respond to climate change and natural disasters."
But the U.S. envoy stressed the need for global cooperation and urged the UN Security Council to take up the issue of water scarcity, which exacerbates conflicts and disrupts peace and security.
The UN Water Conference is co-hosted by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon. There are 171 countries, including over 100 ministers, on the speakers list.
Rahmon said Tajikistan has abundant drinking water, although 1,000 of its 14,000 glaciers have completely melted in the last few decades. Noting that the last UN water conference was held in 1977 in Argentina, he proposed holding the next one in Tajikistan in 2028 to monitor implementation of the commitments being made during the current meeting.
Willem-Alexander stressed that over the next three days "we went to get the water wheel spinning" and ensure that the alarming state of the world's water resources is given a high place on global agendas.
"Water security is one of the defining concerns of our time and it will determine our collective sustainable future," the Dutch king said.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.