Trump will ease refrigerant rule in a bid to address surging grocery costs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is set to loosen a federal rule that requires grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment, in what officials say is a push to lower grocery costs.

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, said the Biden-era rule imposes costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants U.S. businesses and families can use.

The new rule will “allow businesses to choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them, saving them billions of dollars. This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices,” Zeldin said in a statement released before a White House event Thursday where President Donald Trump is scheduled to announce the changes. Executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly and other grocery chains are expected to join him.

With voter concerns over the cost of living spiking before pivotal elections in November, the Republican administration is trying to address affordability issues. It is not clear how much or how quickly the loosening of the refrigerant rule might ease grocery prices.

Cocktail of pills, caffeine and fire retardant put B.C. chinook salmon at risk: study

British Columbia researchers found more than 200 contaminants in water and chinook salmon tissue samples collected from five sites in the Lower Fraser River estuary including everything from cocaine and antidepressants to caffeine and flame retardants.

They say some of the "cocktail" that the juvenile fish are swimming in presents a possible risk to the young fish themselves and is concerning for the endangered whales that eat them.

Researchers, primarily from the federal Fisheries Department and Simon Fraser University, completed a study slated for publication in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, which is believed to be the largest screening of its kind in the Lower Fraser River.

Senior author Tanya Brown said of the contaminants found, 16 were deemed "priority contaminants," meaning the amounts were high enough that they "had potential for adverse effects" on aquatic life.

Two humpback whales set records swimming between Australia and Brazil

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have spotted two humpback whales that made separate, record-breaking crossings between Australia and Brazil.

The whales were identified by their distinctive tail markings at the two locations about 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) apart. They traveled in opposite directions and journeyed farther than any humpback known so far.

“It’s a very rare event, but it is a really wonderful demonstration of just how wide-ranging these animals are,” said Phillip Clapham, former head of a NOAA whale research program who was not involved with the new findings.

Humpback whales are known for roaming long distances across major oceans in predictable patterns, typically following migration routes learned from their mothers. They feed on krill and small fish in the warmer months and breed in tropical waters over winter.

Quebec reimbursing farmers for fuel tax, says measure will help competitiveness

DRUMMONDVILLE - Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette has responded to pressure from the agriculture sector, promising to reimburse millions of dollars to farmers for fuel taxes linked to the province's carbon market.

Starting in July, more than 15,000 farmers will begin to be reimbursed for the fuel taxes. The government has pledged to transfer a total of $87 million to farmers for the taxes they will pay in 2026 and 2027, with the money coming out of Quebec's climate change fund. 

With Friday's announcement, Fréchette is fulfilling a commitment she had made and addressing the many complaints that had been raised for several years by the province's professional agricultural trade union, Union des producteurs agricoles, or UPA. 

On the sidelines of a biofood industry event in Drummondville, Que., Fréchette told reporters that despite the reimbursements, she didn't think farmers no longer had incentives to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Brazilian court to rule on whether Belo Sun’s Amazon gold mine stays suspended

SAO PAULO (AP) — A highly contested mining project in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest operated by Canadian company Belo Sun is expected to reach a key development Wednesday, when a Brazilian court will rule on whether to uphold a decision that could advance the project.

The court in Brasilia will determine whether the federal government or the northern state of Para, where the mine is planned, has authority to grant environmental licenses for the project.

Belo Sun has sought since 2012 to establish the Volta Grande gold mine on the banks of the Xingu River in Para state. The site lies about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Belo Monte, the world’s third-largest hydroelectric dam, whose operations have reduced the river’s flow and severely affected local communities.

Here’s what to know about the case and what comes next:

Reaction to the Alberta-Ottawa agreement on carbon pricing, pipeline plans

CALGARY - Shovels could hit the ground on a new West Coast oilsands pipeline as early as September 2027, the federal and Alberta governments said Friday, after they announced a plan to gradually increase the province's effective industrial carbon price to at least $130 a tonne by 2040. 

That means an agreement on the Pathways carbon capture project is the last outstanding item to nail down from the energy accord both governments signed in November. 

Here's some reaction to the latest federal-provincial agreement: 

— 

Companies join a deep-sea mining rush after Trump executive order, as regulators fast-track permits

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the year since President Donald Trump signed an executive order promising to create a deep-sea mining industry from scratch, businesses have raised millions of dollars from investors, stock prices have soared and federal regulators have raced to fast-track a permitting process.

At least nine companies are in talks with the government for access to seabed minerals, according to an Associated Press review. Sections of the seafloor from American Samoa to Alaska could be auctioned for offshore mining this summer and through the fall.

All the action suggests the U.S. may soon give the green light for companies to commercially mine the seabed — something that’s never been done in international waters.

But a close look at some of the companies involved reveals uncertain track records and histories spattered with legal disputes, while major questions about how the minerals would be processed and refined remain unanswered. Watchers of the nascent industry are skeptical the promised riches will ever materialize.

More than 17,000 under evacuation orders as Southern California wildfire threatens homes

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — More than 17,000 people were under evacuation orders in Southern California on Tuesday as a wildfire threatened suburban homes.

The wind-driven Sandy Fire was reported Monday in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.

By Tuesday morning, it had consumed more than two square miles (five square kilometers) of dry brush and destroyed at least one home, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

The flames were initially pushed by gusts that topped 30 mph (48 kph), but firefighters were aided by calmer winds overnight, said department spokesperson Andrew Dowd.

Senate confirms Trump’s pick to lead federal land agency as drilling and mining expand

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to oversee the management of a quarter-billion acres of public lands on Monday, as the administration pushes ahead with more mining and drilling while reversing conservation plans.

Former congressman Steve Pearce will lead the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management following Monday's 46-43 confirmation vote. Pearce’s background as a Republican Party leader in New Mexico known for supporting public land leasing and industry made him a contentious pick. Democrats and environmental groups were strongly opposed.

He attempted to assuage any fears during his February confirmation hearing by noting that he grew up on a family farm where conserving the land and water was a necessity.

“The security and economic health of the country, especially the western states, rests squarely with the BLM,” he testified. “We can and must balance the different uses of public land. Local economies and future generations depend on us doing our job right.”

Bodies of 2 Italian divers are recovered from deep in a Maldives underwater cave

MALE, Maldives (AP) — Divers on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two of the four remaining Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives last week, a spokesperson for the Indian Ocean nation said, while describing “very challenging” conditions like poor visibility and strong currents.

The bodies were located on Monday as searches resumed after a suspension following the death of a local military diver during a perilous retrieval attempt. The bodies were at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet), twice as deep as the legal depth for recreational diving in the island nation.

Five Italian divers went missing on Thursday. The body of the Italian diving instructor was recovered earlier outside the cave. The two remaining bodies are expected to be recovered on Wednesday.

The Maldives government has said Finnish divers doing the recovery work spotted the bodies in the cave's innermost area. Government spokesperson Ahmed Shaam said the four bodies were found “pretty much together."

A de-extinction company has hatched live chicks from an artificial eggshell

A biotech company that aims to resurrect lost creatures said Tuesday it has hatched live chicks in an artificial environment — a development that was met with mixed reviews from scientists and critics of its de-extinction mission.

Heat wave empties roads and markets in north India as some farmers turn to nighttime work

NEW DELHI (AP) — Roads and markets have emptied during afternoons and some farmers have switched to nighttime work to avoid scorching temperatures as a heat wave grips large parts of India.

The India Meteorological Department forecast maximum temperatures Thursday of around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in the capital, New Delhi, where authorities have opened temporary “cooling zones” to help people cope.

The weather department warned conditions will likely persist across several northern regions in the coming days, with temperatures staying well above seasonal averages. Authorities urged people to stay indoors during the hottest hours and take precautions against heat-related illnesses.

India declares a heat wave whenever temperatures are above 40 C (104 F) in the plains and 30 C (86 F) or more in its hilly regions.

Calgary officer cleared after police dog mistakenly takes down nine-year-old girl

CALGARY - A nine-year-old girl who was attacked by a Calgary police dog while officers were chasing a suspected car thief was a case of a "confluence of errors," Alberta's police watchdog said in a report released Wednesday.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said while the outcome was "serious and extremely unfortunate," there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence was committed when the girl was attacked in February 2025.

In its formal report, ASIRT said a suspect in a stolen vehicle investigation was being chased on foot and refused to stop for police. A police service dog was then deployed to chase the suspect down.

The dog's handler, who had been part of the Calgary police canine unit for 10 years, lost sight of the animal and could no longer issue commands.

Ottawa proposes $164M in whale protection funding for waters off B.C. coast

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - Ottawa says it has proposed spending about $164 million to protect whales and their habitat off British Columbia, including working with BC Ferries to reduce underwater vessel noise by half.

The federal government says in its spring 2026 update that if passed, the proposed spending will be made over the next five years, and it is in recognition of a possible rise in marine traffic on Canada's West Coast as the country looks to diversify trade in light of tensions with the United States.

The initiatives that would be covered by the proposed funding including efforts with BC Ferries to more quickly adopt technologies that would reduce underwater noise by up to 50 per cent for vessels sailing in the Salish Sea.

The federal government says funding would also go toward implementing and enforcing whale protection measures including vessel speed restrictions and fisheries management.

Czech national dies after falling into glacier crevasse in Jasper National Park

JASPER, ALTA. - A man from the Czech Republic has died after falling into a crevasse in a glacier in Alberta's Jasper National Park.

RCMP say police were called May 12 to the Columbia Icefield.

Police say the victim was identified as a 38-year-old man who was a citizen of the Czech Republic but lived in Revelstoke, B.C.

They say he had been snowboarding with two friends.