Financial and real estate professionals are trying to clear the air on halal mortgages, which have been in the spotlight since the Trudeau government vowed in the spring budget to begin consultations to possibly expand the alternative financial option. Since that announcement, there has been a lot of confusion and speculation over what that will mean for consumers, and experts talked to CityNews to try and explain. Why is there a need for halal mortgages? Some religions have restrictions on interest, including Islam and Judaism. Devout Muslims are not supposed to pay or charge interest (riba ..read more

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion proposal Wednesday for an enclosed stadium next door to their current home at Soldier Field as part of a major project that would transform the city’s lakefront, and they are asking for public funding to help make it happen. The plan calls for $3.2 billion for the new stadium plus an additional $1.5 billion in infrastructure. The team and the city said the project would add green and open space while improving access to the city’s Museum Campus and could also include a publicly owned hotel. “This is not an easy project, but Chicago ..read more

CHICAGO (AP) — The “rat hole” is gone. A Chicago sidewalk landmark some residents affectionately called the “rat hole” was removed Wednesday after city officials determined the section bearing the imprint of an animal was damaged and needed to be replaced, officials said. The imprint has been a quirk of a residential block in Chicago’s North side neighborhood of Roscoe Village for years, but it found fresh fame in January after a Chicago comedian shared a photo on the social media platform X. The attention, however, quickly grew old for neighbors who complained about visitors at all hours, som ..read more

A new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn. The initial fossil discoveries of the 2.7-metre-long salmon in Oregon in the 1970s were incomplete and led researchers to suggest the fish had fang-like teeth. The now-extinct fish was dubbed the “saber-tooth salmon,” but the study published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One today renames it the “spike-toothed salmon” and says both males and females possessed the “multifunctional” feature. Study co-auth ..read more

HALIFAX — After last summer’s heat waves, deadly floods and record-breaking wildfires, some scientists are urging Canadian health professionals to help their patients better prepare for climate change-related extreme weather and natural disasters. Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, told a national public health conference in Halifax Wednesday there are inexpensive and effective ways of reducing harm caused by climate-related disasters — some of which are as simple as cleaning out gutters, backwater valves, storm drains or installing b ..read more

LOME, Togo (AP) — Authorities in Togo have repressed the media and prevented civilians from gathering to protest peacefully, Amnesty International said in a report published Wednesday, ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled to take place at the end of this month. Amnesty International said in its annual report on human rights around the world that two newspapers in Togo were forced to close for several months last year, while a number of journalists were arrested or hit with hefty fines after reporting on corruption. Two journalists in Togo were sentenced to three years in prison after rep ..read more

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (21,873.72, down 138 points): Toronto-Dominion Bank. (TSX:TD). Finance. Down 14 cents, or 0.17 per cent, to $80.37 on 10.6 million shares.  Bank of Nova Scotia. (TSX:BNS). Finance. Down 48 cents, or 0.74 per cent, to $64.12 on 9.6 million shares. Royal Bank of Canada. (TSX:RY). Finance. Down $3.10, or 2.27 per cent, to $133.31 on 8.7 million shares.  Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Up 45 cents, or 0.93 per cent, to $48.86 on 7.0 million shares.  National Bank of Ca ..read more

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