the scent of the morning

The United States reported its first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday, involving a Louisiana resident, as California declared a state of emergency to address the escalating outbreak.

. There are real concerns that the U.S. government may not have enough money to keep the lights on beyond Saturday morning.A shutdown could impact everything, from social security cheques to airport security to border crossings. And Democrats are warning Republicans that their party will bear the brunt of any damages.

////Political and financial uncertainty pushed Canada's dollar below $0.70 cents U.S. for the first time since March 2020. Anne Gaviola explains what's driving the Canadian dollar's nose dive, and the reaction to it.

. Russia has arrested an Uzbek citizen in connection with death of a top Russian general. Lt.-Gen. Igor Kirillov was killed by a bomb hidden in an e-scooter in Moscow.

. A dramatic takedown in Abbotsford, B.C., was captured on video on Monday night as police boxed in and arrested a wanted man.Police said that around 9 p.m. on Monday officers spotted a stolen pickup truck travelling on Highway 1 that was connected to a break and enter in Burnaby on Saturday.

. An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run "machinery of death" under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured and murdered since 2013.

. Bashar al-Assad appears to have issued his first statement since fleeing to Russia. In the letter, Assad asserts he did not intend to leave Syria and claims he was airlifted out by Russian forces.

. A state of local emergency has been declared in an area of Lions Bay, B.C. due to a landslide that came down on Saturday.The mudslide north of Lions Bay took place during a major windstorm on B.C.’s south coast. It temporarily closed Highway 99, also known as the Sea to Sky Highway, and knocked a home off its foundations.