World

Bear with me, because there is some backstory to get through before we can talk about the book I am actually here to review. Back in 1984, Stephen King and Peter Straub collaborated on the fantasy novel The Talisman. Like all the best King stories, it follows a young boy: in this case Jack Sawyer, 12, whose mother, Lily, is dying. Jack learns that a magical object called the Talisman might save her – if he can find it in a parallel world known as the Territories. Straub and King followed this up in 2001 with Black House, in which an adult Jack investigates a series of child murders that turn out to have disturbing links to the Territories. The books are very different: one a coming-of-age cross-country quest, in which Jack flips back and forth between two versions of the US; the other a fantastical and horror-inflected murder mystery. Both are brilliant and enduring classics which will always have a place on my bookshelves – I reread both of them, all 1,800-odd pages, to prepare for Other Worlds Than These and was as swept away and delighted as the first time round.

If you’re looking for a gorgeous place for a bike ride, you don’t have to look far, as an Alberta spot was just named the most beautiful cycling route in the world. The ranking comes from Explore, an adventure travel company and was created using eye-tracking technology to measure how visually striking 52 cycling routes appeared to people, and the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park made the top of the list.

Skip to Main ContentAccessibility HelpMenuCBC GemCBC ListenSearchQuick LinksNewsSportsRadioMusicListen LiveTVWatchsportsTop StoriesOlympicsHockeyCurlingVideoSchedulesShowsFeaturesAll SportsVideoShort track world champion Will Dandjinou reveals plan to compete in long track this season | CBC.ca LoadedShort track world champion Will Dandjinou reveals plan to compete in long track this seasonOctober 7|Duration 1:18October 7SportsDuration 1:18The 25-year-old explains why cross-training in long track speed skating might be the key to unlocking his potential in short track at the 2030 Winter Olympic Games.

Nuclear clock: The thorium crystal and laser beam used in the experiment at TU Wien. (Courtesy: TU Wien) Two independent teams have realized the first clocks based on transitions within atomic nuclei. The new nuclear clocks represent the culmination of more than 20 years of research and could become vital tools in precision tests of fundamental physics.

Canada made it on a prestigious list of the world’s best countries, but its ranking might surprise you. Almost 800,000 people have weighed in, and Canada was named one of the 20 best countries in the world in Condé Nast Traveller‘s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.

Masters of subtlety and destructive power take center stage in this World of Warcraft: Forever class deep dive. Discover how Rogues and Warlocks are evolving through updates that build on the defining tools, tactics, and playstyles of each class. For Rogues, the update builds on their mastery of Stealth, control, Poisons, and precise weapon attacks. Poisons gain more charges and can be used alongside temporary weapon enchantments, while updates across Assassination, Combat, and Subtlety create stronger options for daggers, other weapon types, Finishing Moves, Bleeds, and combat tricks.

The World of Warcraft development team began our journey into World of Warcraft: Forever with ambitions that grew and evolved over time. Our aim has always been to uphold the original WoW era aesthetic, while giving players more choice in how they experience Azeroth. Over the course of development, we have been aligning on the right range of fidelity and what feels like it belongs in the WoW: Forever world and what does not. The team has learned much in the process, and that will continue to strengthen more with future content.

On 19 September 2026, the ReSea Women Influencers, Gizela Lucilia and Onésia Mazelete, joined the ReSea team and community focal points in a clean-up campaign across Vilankulo, Mozambique bringing together community groups, local institutions, civil society organisations and students in a shared commitment to a cleaner environment. World clean-up day in Vilankulo, Mozambique by ReSea women influencers.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a fresh wave of scrutiny following allegations that world football’s governing body permitted an ineligible player to feature for DR Congo during their successful World Cup qualification campaign. The revelation has sparked outrage from rival nations who were eliminated by the Leopards, leading to potential legal challenges that could overshadow the tournament's legacy.

Global superpowers have explicitly and implicitly threatened the use of nuclear weapons, say ambassadors. South African High Commissioner to Canada Rieaz Shaik says states that possess nuclear weapons are acting with 'impunity.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Scientists calculated the total gross ecosystem product that the world’s oyster reefs could deliver to planetary health and human wellbeing, given adequate interventions for habitat restoration and protection. They estimated that the combined potential ecosystem services of oyster reefs, including food production, carbon sequestration, water filtration, and coastline protection, could be worth up to $12 trillion per year. For this potential to be realized, 90% of sites suitable for oyster reefs would require restoration, while 80% would need protection through conservation efforts. A new study shows that the world’s oyster reefs are a precious resource that’s vastly underestimated and underutilized. The authors set out to calculate the reefs’ potential gross ecosystem product (GEP), the ecological counterpart of the gross economic product, and arrived at trillions of dollars of ecosystem goods and services delivered each year to different aspects of planetary health, including human wellbeing. But for their full potential to be realized, oyster reefs around the world will need to be restored and protected.

World of WarcraftHere you'll find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Midnight, Mists of Pandaria Classic, Season of Discovery, Burning Crusade Classic, WoW Classic Era, and Hardcore. Some of the hotfixes below take effect the moment they were implemented, while others may require scheduled realm restarts to go into effect. Please keep in mind that some issues cannot be addressed without a client-side patch update. This list will be updated as additional hotfixes are applied. Developers’ notes: A recent bug fix resulted in Blightfall dealing significantly more damage than we expected. Alongside this tuning change, we’re also making sure the damage is represented accurately when an Augmentation Evoker is present in the group.