Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Olivia Newton-John, the singer and "Grease" star who died on Monday in the United States, will receive a state memorial service in Australia, Victorian state Premier Dan Andrews announced Thursday.
In a Twitter post, Andrews said he had spoken with Newton-John's family and they had accepted the offer of a state ceremony. "It will be more of a concert than a funeral -- fitting for a Victorian who lived such a rich and generous life," Andrews said. Details are yet to be finalized.
Newton-John's niece Tottie Goldsmith previously told CNN affiliate the Nine Network that she felt the Australian people wanted Newton-John to have a state funeral. "I think Australia needs it," Goldsmith said through tears. "She's so loved."
Born in the U.K., Newton-John moved to Australia at the age of 5 and soon became one of the country's most-loved celebrities.
Several Australian landmarks, including the Sydney Opera House, Optus Stadium in Perth and Flinders Street railway station in Melbourne, were lit in pink this week in memory of the performer who died at her ranch in Southern California at age 73.
Andrews said lighting buildings in pink was a gesture "to remember Olivia Newton John, and her enormous contribution to cancer awareness, research and treatment."
Newton-John survived two bouts of breast cancer, one in the early 1990s, the other in 2017. In September 2018 she revealed that she was once again fighting cancer, this time at the base of her spine.
Despite her struggles, Newton-John maintained a positive outlook.
"I believe that when you go through something difficult, even something as dramatic as cancer, that something positive will come of it," she wrote on the website for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre, which opened in Melbourne in 2012.
"With more and more people affected by cancer every day, I believe we are in a world desperate for healing, and I'm committed to doing whatever I can to help."
Following her death, the organization said in a statement that Newton-John's "generous support and gift provided hope and changed the lives of thousands of cancer patients."
Newton-John's death prompted an outpouring of grief from fans who followed her career from "Grease" to her Las Vegas concert residency, while those who had worked with her throughout the years shared memories and condolences on social media.
Newton-John's memorial service will be the second state farewell offered for an Australian singer this month. The Victorian government is organizing a state funeral for Judith Durham, lead singer of The Seekers, who died August 5 at age 79.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.