Canada

The western province of British Columbia was still under a state of emergency, as fast-moving wildfires threatened homes in the city of West Kelowna.

Most residents of Yellowknife, a city farther north, had evacuated because of another dangerous blaze.

New Zealand sent 92 firefighters from Fire and Emergency, the Department of Conservation and forestry companies to help fight wildfires in Canada this year.

This fourth group, named Delta, was the last deployment as Canada had not made any new requests for help.

In front of a febrile crowd at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Raso struck in the ninth minute with a low, right-footed shot and doubled down in the 39th from a goalmouth scramble as unused captain Sam Kerr cheered by the touchline.

Fowler made sure of the win with a deft touch in the 58th minute that pinged in off the right post, before stand-in skipper Steph Catley slotted a penalty in stoppage time as a relieved nation celebrated the co-hosts' advance.

Australia had needed three points from the match to advance after their shock 3-2 defeat by Nigeria.

Teresa Abelleira opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Hermoso and Redondo converted their respective braces for Spain.

Hermoso scored in the 13th and 70th minutes, and Redondo tallied in the 69th and 85th minutes.

Misa Rodriguez made two saves for Spain, who will battle Japan, also with two wins, on Monday for the top spot in Group C.

Eunice Sakala finished with eight saves for Zambia, who will clash with Costa Rica on Monday for third place.

Japan 2, Costa Rica 0

The province asked for the criminal code exemption after overdoses claimed more than two thousand lives in BC last year.

This time-limited three-year trial is the first of its kind in Canada.

Adults will be allowed to possess a combined total of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

The latest new cases were reported in France, Italy and Sweden.

It follows the confirmation of cases in the US, Spain and Portugal on Wednesday, as well as the investigation of 13 suspected cases in Canada.

Monkeypox is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa.

Cases of the disease outside of the region are often linked to travel to the area.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection which is usually mild and from which most people recover in a few weeks, according to the UK's National Health Service.

Truckers rallying against Canada's Covid vaccine rules had blocked the Ambassador Bridge on Monday night, forcing vehicles to take long detours.

The bridge over the Detroit River is a vital trade link between it and the US.

More than 40,000 people and $323m (£238m) worth of goods cross it daily.

According to police in Michigan and Windsor, protesters had forced authorities to close it shortly before 9 PM on Monday - just hours after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had accused the demonstrators of attempting to "blockade our economy".

Thousands of flights have been cancelled, and power cuts have been reported in some south-eastern states.

Virginia, Georgia, and North and South Carolina declared states of emergency.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) said the storm would hit much of the eastern third of the country over the next two days, with more than 1ft (30cm) of snow expected in some areas.

The huge storm system is approaching the eastern US from the Midwest.

Snow and ice could result in "dangerous travel, power outages, and tree damage", the NWS warned.

Canada won their first tie 22-21 a week ago but Saturday's drubbing in Valparaiso, Chile, kept the home team's dream alive to compete at the Rugby World Cup 2023.

"This is a hugely disappointing result - although we remain proud of the staff and players and the efforts they made over the past months, we all know the expectations for Canadian rugby are rightfully higher," Rugby Canada CEO Allen Vansen said in a written statement.

Chile will face the United States in a two-legged tie next year to decide which team will feature in France 2023.

Amanda Tidmarsh, 52, from Brynna, was walking her two rescue dogs along the beach in Ogmore-on-Sea when she noticed the bottle mixed up with seaweed.

She said she was "so excited" to find it, having previously joked with her family that she was "always on the hunt for treasure".

She is waiting to hear back from the crab fisherman who threw it overboard.

Canada is more than 3,000 miles (4,800km) from Wales, and the co-ordinates written on the letter show it was thrown in the sea nearby in November 2020.

Canada's federal government said it would send military aircraft to assist emergency services in British Columbia battling to control the fires.

Earlier this week, people had to flee the village of Lytton in the province.

Lytton, which recorded Canada's highest ever temperature of 49.6C on Tuesday, was later destroyed by fire.

The blaze in the village, which is home to some 250 people and located about 260km north-east of Vancouver, forced many residents to leave without their belongings on Wednesday evening.