Tag: Canada

Early forest fires prompt evacuations in Canada

MONTREAL, May 12, 2024 (AFP) – Thousands of people fled their homes Sunday in western Canada as hundreds of wildfires beginning earlier than usual portend a difficult fire season. The small town of Fort Nelson in the province of British Columbia was among the areas threatened by flames. “Fires are really all around us from the west to the northeast,” Mayor Rob Fraser told AFP as he urged hundreds of people who have stayed put […]

Blazes break out in western Canada as wildfire season begins

MONTREAL, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – First responders were battling several wildfires in western Canada Monday, in an area facing extreme drought which last year saw its worst-ever fire season. Many of the blazes broke out just in recent days, though dozens are still burning from 2023, amid government fears of another “catastrophic” summer ahead. In British Columbia, firefighters are focusing on the central Cariboo region, where a human-caused burn quickly spread over the weekend […]

Despite illness, Celine Dion still keen to get back onstage

MONTREAL, March 16, 2024 (AFP) – Pop megastar Celine Dion, who is suffering from a rare neurological disorder, said in an Instagram post she looks forward to her return to the stage. Dion, 55, first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, which causes stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs, with noise or emotional distress known to trigger spasms. “Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been […]

US and Canada experience record heatwave followed by rapid cold snap

WASHINGTON, Feb 28, 2024 (AFP) Cities across the United States and Canada reached record February temperatures this week, with multiple municipalities experiencing summer-like heat despite three remaining weeks of winter. The midwestern city of Saint Louis, in Missouri, saw the mercury hit 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday, the highest temperature ever recorded in that month, after the heat peaked at 80F on Monday. An El Nino weather pattern is at play, in […]

Six dead in commuter plane crash in Canada’s far north

OTTAWA, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – Six people died when a small commuter plane carrying workers to a mine in Canada’s far north crashed Tuesday shortly after taking off, a source said. One person survived, according to this aviation source with knowledge of the crash probe, who asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The survivor’s condition was not released. The military and federal police responded to […]

Toronto deli targeted in suspected anti-Semitic arson attack

MONTREAL, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – A Jewish-owned delicatessen in Toronto was set alight Wednesday in what police are investigating as a hate crime. Early on Wednesday, firefighters were alerted to a blaze inside International Delicatessen Foods, located in the north of Canada’s largest city. No one was injured, according to Toronto media reports. Graffiti reading “Free Palestine” had been painted on the doors of the establishment. Toronto Police Staff Superintendent Pauline Gray said the […]

Forest fires: a record year

By Laurence COUSTAL PARIS, Dec 27, 2023 (AFP) – As the deadliest year this century for forest fires comes to a close, attention is turning to how to prevent such infernos happening again. In 2023 forest fires destroyed nearly 400 million hectares (988 million acres) of land around the world, killed more than 250 people and emitted 6.5 billion tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Pauline Vilain-Carlotti, a researcher in geography and wildfires, told […]

Ottawa youth accused in terror plot against Jewish people

OTTAWA, Dec 16, 2023 (AFP) – Canadian federal police on Saturday charged an Ottawa youth with directing terrorist activities against Jewish people, and giving instructions on explosives. The accused, because of their young age, cannot be identified under Canadian law. No details were released. In a statement, police said they were monitoring a “concerning trend of violent extremism and terrorist use of the Internet.” Global News reported that an explosives team was sent to the […]

Car blast near Niagara Falls shuts down US-Canada crossing, kills 2

By Usman Khan NIAGARA FALLS, Canada, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – A car erupted into a fireball at a US-Canada checkpoint near Niagara Falls on Wednesday, killing the two occupants, triggering border closures and sparking a massive security alert on the eve of a major holiday. The regional FBI field office concluded the blast, which occurred around 400 miles (640 kilometers) northwest of New York City, was not linked to terrorism. Witnesses described seeing a […]

Canadian claims he was used by Ottawa for intelligence gathering in China

OTTAWA, Nov 20, 2023 (AFP) – A Sino-Canadian row reared its head on Monday after one of two Canadians jailed by China for nearly three years claimed he was unwittingly used for intelligence gathering and is seeking compensation from Ottawa. Beijing’s 2018 to 2021 detentions of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig had plunged bilateral relations into a deep freeze. Spavor reportedly now blames Kovrig, with whom he had provided information on North Korea, unaware […]

Canada slams China over second ‘unsafe’ aircraft intercept in two weeks

OTTAWA, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair on Friday slammed Chinese fighter jets’ second “significantly unsafe” intercept in two weeks of Canadian aircraft patrolling the Pacific. Blair said at a news conference that a Chinese fighter jet on October 29 twice flew close to a Canadian Cyclone helicopter near the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and on the second flyby fired flares “directly in front” of the helicopter. There […]

Canada withdraws 41 diplomats from India

MONTREAL, Oct 19, 2023 (AFP) – Canada said Thursday it had withdrawn 41 diplomats from India — fallout from a bitter row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. New Delhi planned to revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 of Canada’s diplomats and their families by Friday, forcing Ottawa to pull out the others, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said. “We have facilitated their safe departure from India,” Joly added. “This […]