In the news today: King of Jordan to visit Canada, Chiefs win Super Bowl over 49ers

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Jordan’s King Abdullah II to visit Canada on Wednesday

The King of Jordan will visit Canada later this week and meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a news release Sunday saying King Abdullah II will be in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The release says the two will discuss peace and security in the Middle East, including how to expand the delivery of humanitarian relief for civilians in Gaza affected by the latest Israel-Hamas war.

Patrick Mahomes rallies the Chiefs to second straight Super Bowl title

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

Mahomes threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds left in overtime and the Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on Sunday in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history, becoming the first repeat champs in 19 years and ninth overall.

With pop star Taylor Swift watching boyfriend Kelce from a suite, the Chiefs captured their third Super Bowl title in five years and firmly established themselves as a dynasty.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Police continue probe of five suspicious deaths

Manitoba RCMP continue to investigate the deaths of five people, including three children, who they say died in separate but connected events.

The investigation began Sunday when police were called to an area just outside of the town of Carmen, southwest of Winnipeg, and found a woman lying dead in a ditch.

About 2.5 hours later and 70 kilometres to the north, officers were called to a report of a burning vehicle and learned a witness pulled three children from it.

The kids were pronounced dead and police took a 29-year-old man into custody at the scene, though they did not specify his relationship to those who died or say what charges he may face.

Study suggests severe menopause symptoms a warning

A University of Calgary study suggests that severe symptoms of menopause can act as early warning signs for dementia.

Doctor Zahinoor Ismail from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, says the result comes from an ongoing cross-sectional study about Canadian brains and aging.

Ismail says about 800 women who were post-menopausal were asked about symptoms they had during menopause, ranging from hot flashes to mood changes and anxiety.

He says the data suggests the worse the symptoms, the higher the risk for conditions like dementia.

Imperfect produce takes off amid tight budgets

With prices soaring and budgets stretched, consumers are turning to so-called imperfect food to save on produce.

Anna Stegink launched Eat Impact in 2022 to reduce food waste and provide doorstep delivery of cheap fruits and vegetables, which fall short of the retail sector’s strict aesthetic standards but are more than just edible.

Drawing on 15 local farms and distributors, the business serves up tentacled carrots and slightly bruised apples to thousands of households in Southern Ontario for 20-dollars a box, and hopes to double its business this year.

Further west, online grocer Spud says it saved nearly 84-thousand pounds of imperfect produce from the landfill last year by selling everything from scarred bananas to warped potatoes across British Columbia and Alberta.

A&W Canada adds South Asian-style sandwich to menu

An A-and-W franchisee who noticed customers replacing burger patties with hash browns has inspired a new menu item.

A-and-W Canada says it will soon launch the spicy piri piri potato buddy from coast to coast.

The sandwich consists of a crispy hash brown garnished with red onion, lettuce, tomato and a spicy sauce and placed between two toasted buns.

It will retail for $3.99 and be available for a limited time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press