World

GRAND LAKE, Colorado (AP) — With a backdrop of mountain vistas and a rink of natural ice, the annual ice hockey tournament at Grand Lake offers a picturesque snapshot of Colorado’s beauty. What’s not apparent is the problem brewing under players’ skates. This year’s tournament was held a month later than normal, with thin ice forcing organizers to postpone the event originally scheduled for the third weekend of January. “We had slushy conditions and less than six inches of ice. There just was no way it could safely be held,” said Steve Kudron, mayor of Grand Lake. That is a reality that many communities that live near lakes, which freeze and provide myriad activities during winter months, are increasingly confronting. According to a major UN report on climate released on Monday, as the

Asean economic ministers optimistic on upgrading pacts The Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) group wants to upgrade existing free trade agreements (FTAs) and accelerate the enforcement of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact among all members, aiming to revive the regional economy amid the Covid-19 crisis. According to Trade Negotiations Department director-general Auramon Supthaweethum, the economic ministers are expected to discuss restoring the Asean economy amid the pandemic and Asean strategies for economic relations with non-Asean countries at the 28th AEM Retreat, which is scheduled to take place today and tomorrow via video conference. "Cambodia, as chair of the Asean meeting, wants all Asean members to work together to start negotiations to upgrade the...

Actor's movies disappear from streaming services after he appears at Tibet benefit concert Actor Keanu Reeves gestures during the Canadian premiere of The Matrix: Resurrections in his former hometown of Toronto, on Dec 16. (Reuters Photo) Chinese streaming platforms including Tencent Video and iQiyi have taken down films and video content starring actor Keanu Reeves after he participated in a Tibet-related concert. Checks by Reuters showed that the Canadian star’s acclaimed works, the Matrix and John Wick franchises, as well as Speed, were among the films that have been removed. Reuters could not determine when the films were taken down. The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the content removal on Thursday, said at least 19 of his movies were pulled from Tencent Video. While con

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 4:08 p.m. There were between 18,000 and 32,000 new COVID-19 infections per day last week across Quebec, according to an estimate released Friday by a Montreal-based research centre, The Canadian Press reports. The results of the study by Cirano should make Quebecers take the sixth wave of the pandemic seriously, Roxane Borgès Da Silva, a professor at Université de Montréal’s school of public health who worked on the research, said in an interview, according to CP. The Quebec government, she added, should strengthen its messaging on COVID-19 and reconsider its plan to lift mask mandates in mid-April. “It’s a very significant rise, n

Australian, Canadian judges to stay on Hong Kong top court Judges from common law jurisdictions are invited to sit as non-permanent members at Hong Kong's top court. HONG KONG: Australian and Canadian judges confirmed Thursday they will stay on Hong Kong's top court after two senior British judges resigned to avoid endorsing China's crackdown on political freedoms in the financial hub. Judges from common law jurisdictions are invited to sit as non-permanent members at Hong Kong's top court, which is separate from mainland China's opaque, party-controlled legal system. UK Supreme Court President Robert Reed and fellow judge Patrick Hodge resigned from the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal on Wednesday, saying the government had "departed from values of political freedom and freedom of exp...

Exiled Cambodia opposition leader hit with 10-year jail term Relatives of jailed opposition members protest in front of Phnom Penh Municipal Court in Phnom Penh on Thursday, as the court sentenced opposition figures including exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy over an alleged plot to topple strongman ruler Hun Sen. (AFP photo) A Cambodian court on Thursday sentenced exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy to 10 years in prison over an alleged plot to topple strongman ruler Hun Sen. Rainsy has lived in France since 2015 to avoid jail on a number of convictions he says are politically motivated, including a 25-year sentence passed in March last year. As well as Rainsy, the court jailed six other senior opposition figures for 10 years, and 13 more activists for five years. One other activist...

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Tuesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 7:00 p.m.: The number of people in hospital due to COVID-19 has dropped slightly in British Columbia. The Health Ministry says in a statement Tuesday that there were 273 people in hospital and 46 in intensive care. On Monday, 288 people were in hospital, while 48 were intensive care. The ministry says one death related to COVID-19 was reported in the Northern Health region, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,990. There was one new health-care facility outbreak for a total of seven in the province. The ministry says 91 per cent of residents aged 12 and over have received their second shot of a vaccine, while 57.5 per ce...

Poll: Bank of Thailand to keep steady policy hand as growth trumps inflation A Ukrainian serviceman stands on top of a Russian tank captured after fighting with Russian troops outside Kyiv on Sunday. Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggers a spike in global energy. (Reuters photo) The central bank will not raise interest rates from a record low for more than a year in a bid to support an economy still struggling to recover from the pandemic despite a jump in inflation, a Reuters poll found. While inflation in the tourism-dependent economy hit a 13-year high in February, driven mainly by higher energy prices, policymakers expect price pressures to be temporary. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine has triggered a spike in global energy and food prices that will make it harder for the Bank of ...

Ministry sees 15% rise in fruit exports A trader arranges durians into batches at Simummuang market in Pathum Thani. Nutthawat Wicheanbut The Commerce Ministry is upbeat about fruit export prospects, predicting outbound shipments to grow by 15% this year while pledging to speed up tackling existing export obstacles and promoting sales via advance contracts. Speaking after a joint meeting with responsible officials, fruit traders, farmers, wholesalers and retailers, as well as logistics providers, online platforms and financial institutions, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksana­wisit said the ministry has set a target to fetch 287.50 billion baht worth of fruit exports including fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits. Of the total, 180 billion baht is expected to stem from China, up 65% from

Dhak, Bangladesh: On March 25, 1971, Pakistan Army launched ‘Operation Searchlight,’ wherein a planned military operation was carried out by the Pakistani Army and its military deliberately harmed hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi citizens. Rights group says the horrors of 1971 are considered one of the worst mass atrocities in history. The damage they inflicted can be described in the following numbers. As many as three million people were believed to have been killed, up to 200,000 women were violated and over 10 million people were forced to cross the border to India to seek shelter. Moreover, highlighting the great importance and an absolute necessity to honour the victims of genocide and their descendants, speakers at an international conference in Hague have demanded