Get a load of this: Humans and great apes share similar giggles

NEW YORK (AP) — Humans and great apes have been giggling in similar ways since branching off the evolutionary tree, a new study suggests.

How do we know this? Researchers tickled 13 captive apes — including gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos — and recorded the results. The new research reexamined those decades-old recordings and compared them with the newly captured giggles of four young children while they were being tickled and playing at home.

It turns out that the chuckles of humans and great apes follow similar rhythms, with regular timing between their laughs, a uniting thread that likely reflects their ties to a common ancestor, researchers said.

“In a way, we are very similar to other great apes because we’ve been laughing in a similar way for 15 million years,” said study author Chiara De Gregorio, a primatologist at the University of Warwick in England.

These economists are worried Canada has a data quality problem

OTTAWA - Most economists, including at the Bank of Canada, were a bit surprised when Statistics Canada reported late last month that the economy contracted slightly over the first three months of the year.

The consensus estimate among economists and monetary policymakers was for real GDP growth of roughly 1.5 per cent annualized in the first quarter.

When the figures actually showed a 0.1 per cent decline, forecasters were left scratching their heads.

Incremental data released by StatCan leading up to the quarterly GDP result largely suggested Canada's economy was in line for modest growth to start the year.

Truancy report calls for students to engage in policies, programs

A new report calls on school leaders to treat truancy as “feedback” for fixing systemic gaps instead of an individual student issue.

The Winnipeg School Division has released a document that includes seven recommendations based on an absenteeism summit.

The list suggests schools need to do a better job of ensuring every child has at least one trusted teacher, coach or another adult in the building, but multiple items require cross-sector collaboration.

“Absenteeism cannot be understood as an isolated issue within schools,” a summary of the inaugural student absenteeism summit said. “Instead, it reflects broader systemic realities including factors related to social determinants of health, transportation barriers, intergenerational trauma, and gaps in culturally safe education systems.”

One Extraordinary Photo: England’s Harry Kane reacts to a missed scoring chance

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Petr David Josek is an award-winning AP staff photojournalist based in Prague, the Czech Republic. This is Josek’s fourth World Cup, and he has also shot five Summer Olympics and three Winter Olympics.

Why this photo?

It was late in a 0-0 game between England and Ghana and any scoring chance could have decided the match. The reaction of England's Harry Kane illustrates how intense the moment was and how much players valued any chance to score. Kane also is one of the main stars of the 2026 World Cup, so any goal he scores evokes conversations about other icons — Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo.

How I made this photo

What to know about the decision to make Bible stories required reading in Texas public schools

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Bible stories have become required reading for more than 5 million public school students in Texas.

The vote to approve the plan Friday by the Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education reflects a broader conservative effort to introduce more religion into U.S. schools. Last year, Texas became the largest state to require every classroom to display the Ten Commandments.

The mandated reading list has drawn fierce opposition. Critics argue that it violates the constitutional separation of church and state, lacks diversity, and favors Christianity over other religions. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

Here's what to know about the reading list and the broader fight over religion in public schools:

Winnipeg police offer eagle feather as option for sworn statements

The Winnipeg Police Service said Wednesday citizens and police officers have the option of swearing a legal oath by using an eagle feather.

Before the change, the options were to swear an oath on the Bible or make an affirmation.

Eagle feathers are regarded as sacred items by Indigenous Peoples, and when a person holds them, they’re expected to speak honestly, truthfully and with integrity. The feathers will be available at all division offices.

Sheila North, the external Indigenous relations adviser for the police service, said not everyone is comfortable with swearing on the Bible.

AI is helping gas stations collude to raise California fuel prices, lawsuit says

AI-powered software has allowed gas station operators across California to illegally collude and drive up prices at the pump, according to a federal lawsuit.

The proposed class action lawsuit, filed Monday, accuses gas station giants including Marathon and Circle K of violating California’s antitrust law through Kalibrate, a fuel-pricing software system used across the world. The plaintiffs describe Kalibrate as the “central nervous system for a conspiracy to extinguish retail price competition among gas stations.”

According to the lawsuit, Kalibrate helps “coordinate high prices” and even discourages its users from pricing their gas lower than competitors, saying that doing so would trigger a “downward spiral.”

“Kalibrate promises that if gas stations surrender their pricing decisions and competitively sensitive cost and volume data to Kalibrate Fuel Pricing, the software will enable them to avoid competing with other area stations and to charge higher prices to consumers,” the lawsuit said.

Conservative MPs launch fundraiser for LGBTQ+ refugees

OTTAWA - Two Conservative MPs say leading a fundraising cruise for LGBTQ+ refugees is a tangible way for the party to advance the rights of gender and sexual minorities.

"We're all God's creatures and we're all loved, and we all deserve to be loved and we all deserve to feel safe and secure," Scott Aitchison told The Canadian Press.

"I believe that it's important for all of us to — not to preach that, but to demonstrate that."

Aitchison is MP for Parry Sound—Muskoka, a riding popular with Torontonians who own cottages.

Grade 7 students learn about environment in Seine River cleanup

On a rainy Wednesday morning, Grade 7 students from École Lacerte traded their classroom desks for rubber boots as they headed out along the Seine River to help plant native shrubs, test water quality, and clean up the riverbank.

JJ Swidersky, one of about 40 students taking part in the work, says protecting the environment is important to him and his classmates.

“Planting the trees, planting the shrubs,” Swidersky said when asked about his favourite part of the effort. “Just trying to keep the river clean, trying to keep it as clean as we possibly can.”

The planting Swidersky is referring to is part of the Niakwa Trail Rain Garden, which is located next to the St. Anne’s Superstore.

Province providing funds for Indigenous-led response team helping with drug crisis

An Indigenous-led response team known for mobilizing quickly in missing persons and human trafficking cases is being deployed to help tackle Winnipeg’s escalating overdose crisis.

The province is funding Red Response Team to patrol overdose hot spots across the city, relying on workers with lived experience to connect vulnerable people with supports and intervene before emergencies turn fatal.

The funding is part of a $6.8-million package announced Tuesday aimed at addressing a crisis that is claiming dozens of lives each month and placing immense strain on front-line services.

“We’re trying to assist in taking care of (these overdose calls) with a community-based response rather than over-utilizing the health-care system and emergency response system,” a member of the group, who is not being identified, said Wednesday.

Websites suggest conspiracies fed accused Montreal gunman’s ‘buffet extremism’

Online activity suggests accused Montreal shooter Seth Hatfield watched videos about weapons, the outdoors and a tangle of conspiracy theories and grievances.

However, experts warn against drawing conclusions about the gunman. They also urge people to stop sharing online images of Monday's shooting outside a Montreal hotel.

Police said two officers were shot — Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, was killed along with a bystander, Michel Mizrahi, 68, and the shooter died in the crossfire.

The coroner identified the dead suspect as 25-year-old Seth Hatfield from Lethbridge, Alta.

FACT FOCUS: Norway brought its own food to the World Cup. But not because it distrusts US products

As Norway excels in its first World Cup appearance since 1998, false claims about what the team is eating are also grabbing attention online.

The allegations focus on the quality of American food — more specifically, that the Norwegians distrust it so much that they brought food from home to avoid eating it. Norway's team is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the duration of the 2026 tournament, which is being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

It's true that the team shipped certain products from Norway for the World Cup, but the reason has nothing to do with concerns about quality.

Here's a closer look at the facts.

A giraffe named Gracie escaped in Texas. No one can seem to find her

Gracie the giraffe has been missing from her Texas home for nearly two weeks, despite helicopter searches, a few sightings, and a $5,000 reward.

Nova Scotia launches three-year plan to expand its $2.2-billion seafood industry

HALIFAX - The Nova Scotia government has announced a three-year strategy aimed at growing the province’s $2.2-billion seafood industry as it tries to cope with with rising costs, labour shortages and global trade challenges.

Provincial Fisheries Minister Kent Smith said Wednesday that $1.5 million will be set aside this year to establish an innovation hub for applied research.

As well, the strategy calls for expanding the aquaculture sector, providing support for product diversification and offering up to $4 million over three years to diversify markets, among other initiatives.

The strategy was developed with input from industry representatives, said Smith, who made the announcement at Sea Star Seafoods Ltd. in Clark’s Harbour, N.S., a lobster fishing community near the province's southwestern tip.

Ontario town to remove Frank Stronach’s name from rec centre after conviction

The mayor of a town north of Toronto says Frank Stronach's name will be removed from a recreation centre after the Canadian billionaire was found guilty of sexual assault last week.

Tom Mrakas, the mayor of Aurora, Ont, says the town will begin the process of finding a new naming rights partner for the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex.

The east-end community centre, which includes ice rinks, pools and a gym, is now listed as the Aurora Recreation Complex on the municipality's website.

In a Facebook post, Mrakas condemned sexual violence and said the decision to drop the businessman's name came after discussions with Magna, the auto parts giant Stronach founded in the 1950s.

Red River Co-op to open grocery store, pharmacy at Portage Place redevelopment

A Red River Co-op full service grocery store and pharmacy — “one of the missing pieces in the puzzle of downtown” — will be an anchor in the massive redevelopment of the former Portage Place mall.

True North Real Estate Development announced Wednesday the downtown location will include a 22,500-square-foot food store and a 6,500-sq.-ft. pharmacy.

“Red River Co-op was founded nearly 90 years ago on the belief that people working together can create stronger communities. Our investment in the Portage Place redevelopment reflects that same belief today,” Red River Co-op CEO Craig Gilpin said in a news release.

“This project is about more than building a food store and pharmacy, it is about bringing essential services back to the heart of our city, investing locally and helping create a downtown Winnipeg that future generations will be proud to call their own.”

South African civil groups warn of dire impact as US phases out HIV program funding

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Civil society organizations in South Africa said Wednesday that adolescent girls and women are among the first vulnerable groups to feel the pinch of U.S. foreign aid cuts as the Trump administration phases out its more than $400 million support annually for the country’s HIV programs.

The U.S. State Department has said that it would “begin a phased drawdown” of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, a program that has supported South Africa’s battle against HIV and AIDS for the last 20 years and is widely credited with saving more than 20 million lives over that period.

The phasing out of most programs is expected to be completed by the end of September, with critical personnel support continuing through March next year, according to the U.S. State Department.

South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV, with approximately 8 million people, or about 12.7 % of its 63 million population.

Hamilton data centre pause survives first council vote, exemption rejected

A proposed citywide moratorium on data centres in Hamilton survived its first test before city council on Wednesday, as local legislators rejected a bid to exempt smaller facilities.

Council voted 15-1 to advance the proposed moratorium, with a final vote expected at next month's council meeting.

The moratorium is framed as a chance for the city to develop guardrails around data centres powering the artificial intelligence boom.

The moratorium's sponsor, Coun. Nrinder Nann, said the plan would help ensure future data centre decisions prioritize public health, transparency and community-defined benefits over rapid industrial expansion.