By Mikhail Flores SUBIC, Philippines (Reuters) – The armed forces of the Philippines, the United States and four other countries began joint naval exercises off the coast of the Philippines’ northern Luzon island facing Taiwan in a display of naval strength amid rising tensions with China. Called “Sama Sama,” which means togetherness, this year’s drills, which involve almost a thousand sailors and personnel from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the United States and the Philippines, are […]
Tag: Canada
Canadian detained by China says he experienced psychological torture
OTTAWA (Reuters) -A Canadian man detained by China for more than 1,000 days said he was put into solitary confinement for months and interrogated for up to nine hours every day, treatment he said amounted to psychological torture. Michael Kovrig, speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp in an interview released on Monday, also said he had missed the birth of his daughter and only met her for the first time when she was two-and-a half […]
Wildfire engulfs parts of main town in Canada’s Jasper National Park
By Jacob STONE with Anne-Marie PROVOST in Montreal MONTREAL, July 25, 2024 (AFP) – An “out of control” wildfire has devoured up to half of the main town in western Canada’s popular Jasper National Park, authorities said Thursday, with 400 foreign firefighters called in to help battle the blaze. While the fire has so far caused no casualties, as many as 25,000 residents and tourists were evacuated from the area before the conflagration suddenly grew […]
Canada’s Jasper National Park evacuated over wildfire
MONTREAL, July 24, 2024 (AFP) – Authorities in the western Canadian province of Alberta have ordered evacuations of the popular Jasper National Park and nearby towns due to approaching forest fires. An alert was sent to tourists late Monday evening in the park — famous for its mountain peaks, glaciers and waterfalls — as well as residents living nearby, ordering them to leave by 3:00 am local time (0900 GMT). Authorities continued to issue evacuation […]
9,000 evacuated in northeast Canada due to wildfires
MONTREAL, July 14, 2024 (AFP) – Around 9,000 people have been evacuated in northeastern Canada because of raging wildfires, officials said Saturday. Residents of the towns of Labrador City and Wabush in Newfoundland and Labrador province were ordered to leave their homes, said provincial fire duty officer Jeff Motty. “We are seeing extreme fire behaviour out there. The fire is moving about 50 meters per minute,” Motty said. Images shared on social media showed lines […]
Actor Donald Sutherland dead at age 88
LOS ANGELES, June 21, 2024 (AFP) – Donald Sutherland, the enigmatic actor whose lengthy career encompassed films including “The Dirty Dozen” and “The Hunger Games,” has died, his son said Thursday. He was 88. “With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” actor Kiefer Sutherland wrote on X. The elder Sutherland had a distinctive look — and piercing eyes — that brought a depth and mystery to the […]
Canadian Navy ship join US, Russian subs in Cuba
HAVANA, June 15, 2024 (AFP) – A Canadian Navy patrol ship docked Friday in Cuba, which is also hosting two nuclear-powered submarines — one American and one Russian. The HMCS Margaret Brooke docked in Havana on its way back from “a successful deployment in the Caribbean basin,” the Royal Canadian Navy said on Facebook. It “will conduct a port visit to Havana from June 14 to 17, 2024, in recognition of the long-standing bilateral relationship […]
Jewish school in Toronto hit by gunfire, no injuries
MONTREAL, May 26, 2024 (AFP) – A Jewish girls’ school in Toronto was hit by gunfire early Saturday, without causing any injuries but prompting Canadian authorities to step up security at other schools and synagogues, police said. The suspects, who arrived at Bais Chaya Mushka in a dark colored vehicle, opened fire just before 5:00 am and caused “some damage to the front of the school” before leaving the scene, police inspector Paul Krawczyk said […]
Canadian oil city lifts wildfire evacuation orders
MONTREAL, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – Residents forced to flee wildfires threatening a Canadian oil-producing hub were allowed to return home Saturday after evacuation orders were lifted. “We are so pleased to be able to welcome people home and have them return home safely,” Fort McMurray Mayor Sandy Bowman said, thanking the more than 6,000 residents who had been ordered to leave for their “patience, resolve and strength.” Much-needed rains have reduced the intensity of […]
Canadian oil city on edge as wildfire doubles in size
FORT MCMURRAY, Canada, May 15, 2024 (AFP) – A wildfire in Canada’s major oil-producing region doubled in size as it drew closer to the city of Fort McMurray on Wednesday, but officials were hopeful shifting winds could soon push it away. The blaze scorched almost 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres) of forest overnight as it came within 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) of the city, which was partly evacuated the day before. Alberta Wildfire spokeswoman Christie Tucker […]
Canadian oil sands city evacuated as wildfire draws near
FORT MCMURRAY, Canada, May 15, 2024 (AFP) – Thousands of residents of Fort McMurray, a city in Canada’s major oil-producing region, fled as an out-of-control wildfire drew near and thick smoke filled the skies. Shifting winds gusting to 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) fanned the flames, scorching 9,600 hectares of surrounding forests as it advanced to within 13 kilometers of the city in the western province of Alberta that had been gutted […]
Wildfires in western Canada force thousands from their homes
By: Thomas I. Likness – NET/25 Eagle News Service (Eagle News) — Out-of-control wildfires have prompted Canadian officials to evacuate thousands of people in northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta. Poor air quality and reduced visibility have forced the three-thousand residents of Fort Nelson, B-C and a nearby Indigenous community to flee their homes. A fast-growing blaze has chewed its way through 42-hundred hectares of forest. A tree that fell on a power line is […]





