World

Chrystia Freeland uniquely well-placed to take on Canada’s response to Russian invasion of Ukraine
World

Chrystia Freeland uniquely well-placed to take on Canada’s response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

OTTAWA—Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is the woman the prime minister seems to turn to for everything. The former journalist has been on the front-line of Canada’s response to a wave of troubles since Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government first came to power. First, it was Donald Trump and the president’s abandonment of American global leadership. Freeland was tapped as Trudeau’s trade minister, then she graduated to foreign minister, as Canada grappled with Trump’s hostility to the free exchange of North American goods. Then the pandemic hit, and Freeland was elevated to finance minister, where she now oversees a massive deficit and the ongoing challenges of high inflation, funding the shift to a green economy, and persistent U.S. protectionism. Now, in her
Hanoi Marks South China Sea Battle Anniversary
World

Hanoi Marks South China Sea Battle Anniversary

In a bold move, the Vietnam government commemorated (14th March) the 34th anniversary of a battle against the Chinese navy in the (Gac Ma reef/Johnson South reef) of South China Sea (SCS).  The ceremony was officially attended by the Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh for the first time in history. Chinh was the first top Vietnamese leader to lead such a commemoration of the fallen soldiers in SCS. Johnson South is a reef in the Spratly islands in the SCS. Chinh visited the Memorial for the Johnson South Reef battle in the south-central of Khanh Hoa province (the administrative headquarters of Vietnam’s Spratly Islands) and paid tribute to the Vietnamese soldiers. The Vietnamese PM also recorded his views in the visitors’ book and affirmed that “64 soldiers of the Vietnam People’
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupts multiple times, 250 evacuate
World

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupts multiple times, 250 evacuate

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano spewed avalanches of hot clouds in eruptions overnight Thursday that forced about 250 residents to flee to temporary shelters and left ash blanketing nearby villages and towns. No casualties were reported. The volcano on the densely populated island of Java unleashed clouds of hot ash at least seven times just before and after midnight and fast-moving pyroclastic flows, a mixture of rock, lava and gas, traveled up to 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) down its slopes, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari in a statement. The rumbling sound could be heard several kilometers (miles) away. He said 253 people were evacuated to temporary shelters in Glagaharjo and Umbulharjo villages in Yogyakarta special provi
Today’s coronavirus news: Ford government sticks with hands-off approach as cases increase in sixth wave; vaccinated travellers to Canada don’t need a COVID-19 test any more
World

Today’s coronavirus news: Ford government sticks with hands-off approach as cases increase in sixth wave; vaccinated travellers to Canada don’t need a COVID-19 test any more

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 9:28 p.m. The British Columbia government said it is preparing to provide an update on Tuesday on potentially making a fourth COVID-19 dose available to vulnerable people in the province, reports The Canadian Press. Health Minister Adrian Dix said that discussions are underway about providing a second booster shot to clinically vulnerable people such as those in long-term care according to CP. B.C. reported two more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, bringing its toll to 2,998 people. There were 281 people in hospital, including 42 in intensive care. The Ministry of Health report says almost 91.1 per cent of eligible people 12 and olde...
ASEAN envoy for Myanmar crisis arrives on first mission
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ASEAN envoy for Myanmar crisis arrives on first mission

BANGKOK (AP) — Cambodia’s foreign minister arrived Monday in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw on his mission as a special regional envoy seeking to facilitate peacemaking in the fellow Southeast Asian nation, which was plunged into an extended violent political crisis after the army seized power last year. Prak Sokhonn is representing ASEAN — the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — which last April reached a five-point consensus on Myanmar. It called for the immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties. The ruling military council of Myanmar, which is one of ASEAN’s 10 members, has delayed implemen
Trump’s 8-hour gap: Minute-by-minute during Jan. 6 riot
World

Trump’s 8-hour gap: Minute-by-minute during Jan. 6 riot

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lot is known about the few hours that shook American democracy to the core. The defeated president’s incendiary speech, the march by an angry crowd to the U.S. Capitol, the breaking in, the beating of cops, the “hang Mike Pence” threats, the lawmakers running for their lives, the shooting death of rioter Ashli Babbitt. All of that chaos unfolded over about eight hours on one day: Jan. 6, 2021. But for all that is known about the day, piecing together the words and actions of Donald Trump over that time has proved no easy task, even though a president’s movements and communications are closely monitored. There’s a gap in the official White House phone notations given to the House committee investigating Jan. 6 — from about 11 a.m. to about 7 p.m., according to two peop
MPP Randy Hillier faces nine charges after Ottawa convoy protest
World

MPP Randy Hillier faces nine charges after Ottawa convoy protest

Controversial MPP Randy Hillier was released on $35,000 bail and barred from communicating with alleged organizers of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” after he was arrested Monday on charges related to the protest and his social media posts. Hillier was ordered not to have any contact with others charged after the Ottawa protest, including Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, Pat King, Steeve Charland and Tyson “Freedom George” Billings. He is also not allowed to post comments online about the convoy, or about mandates regarding COVID-19 vaccination or masks. The Independent MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston called into an Ottawa courtroom from a police station, where he surrendered Monday morning on nine charges, including counselling an indictable offence, counselling an uncommitted indictable of
Council of Europe expels Russia from human rights body
World

Council of Europe expels Russia from human rights body

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — The Council of Europe on Wednesday expelled Russia from the continent’s foremost human rights body in an unprecedented move over Moscow’s invasion and war in Ukraine. The 47-nation organization’s committee of ministers said in statement that “the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today.” In a highly symbolic move after the decision, Council of Europe staff went outside of its headquarters in Strasbourg and took down the Russian flag, neatly folding the tricolor before it was taken away. Despite the pomp, it was an unceremonious end to 26 years of membership in the group. But many said it was fully deserved. Tiny Kox, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said the expulsion “was necessary,
‘Dire’ humanitarian situation in besieged Ukraine cities
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‘Dire’ humanitarian situation in besieged Ukraine cities

'Dire' humanitarian situation in besieged Ukraine cities A five-storey residential building partially collapsed after shelling in Kyiv on Friday. KYIV: The humanitarian situation was deteriorating in besieged Ukrainian cities under relentless Russian bombardment on Sunday, as Kyiv called on Moscow's ally Beijing to "condemn Russian barbarism". In an apparent escalation of the conflict, Moscow on Saturday claimed it had used hypersonic missiles in Ukraine in what would be the first combat use of the next-generation weapons. Thousands of people have been evacuated from besieged cities but Russian shelling was blocking efforts to deliver humanitarian supplies, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. Aid agencies have warned they are struggling to reach hundreds of thousands of people t...
US official: Russia seeking military aid from China
World

US official: Russia seeking military aid from China

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official said Russia asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that heightened tensions about the ongoing war ahead of a Monday meeting in Rome between top aides for the U.S. and Chinese governments. In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. “We will not allow that to go forward,” he said. The prospect of China offering Russia financial help is one of several concerns for President Joe Biden. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that in recent days, Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment, t