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China says up to US to create ‘necessary conditions’ for anti-drugs cooperation

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday insisted it is up to the U.S. to “create necessary conditions” for anti-drugs cooperation, following complaints from Washington that Beijing has ignored its calls for a crackdown on precursor chemicals for the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl. China takes an “active part in international anti-narcotic cooperation and firmly opposes smears and unilateral sanctions on other countries under the pretext of the fight against drugs,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing. “We urge the U.S. to correct wrongdoings with concrete actions and create necessary conditions for the two countries’ anti-narcotic cooperation,” Wang said. U.S. diplomats and anti-drug officials have repeatedly complained that China has ignored calls for closer cooperation on combating the production and sale of fentanyl precursor chemicals. Wang gave no details on the source of Chinese discontent or what conditions it was looking for. However, Washin...

Israeli forces kill 2 wanted Palestinians in shootout in the occupied West Bank

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces killed two wanted Palestinians in a flashpoint city in the occupied West Bank Friday, days after Israel concluded a major two-day offensive meant to crack down on militants.The persistent violence raised questions about the effectiveness of the raid earlier this week, which saw Israel launch rare airstrikes on militant targets, deploy hundreds of troops and cause widespread damage to roads, homes and businesses. As a result of the raid, 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed.The raid bore the hallmarks of the second Palestinian uprising, a period of violence in the early 2000s that killed thousands.The Israeli domestic security agency Shin Bet said Friday the two men, who it said were behind a shooting attack this week on a police vehicle, were killed in a gun battle with Israeli forces in the heart of the city of Nablus, the West Bank’s commercial capital.The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men were killed by Israeli f...

15 killed in attack on Myanmar village; military says pro-democracy fighters hit civilians

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-controlled government is accusing pro-democracy fighters of killing 15 civilians in a nighttime mortar attack in a restive central area of the country, charges denied by the guerrilla group.A report Thursday in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper said so-called People’s Defense Forces attacked the village of Ngwe Twin in the southern part of the Sagaing region at 4 a.m. Wednesday with handmade mortars, killing 15 people and injuring seven others, including three monks. Loosely organized armed PDF groups have sprung up around the country since the military seized power from democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. The groups support the pro-democracy National Unity Government, a shadow civilian administration opposed to military rule, though they operate autonomously from it. The NUG did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment on the attack. Since the military’s seizure of power, widespread peaceful ...

In the news today: Heat relief for parts of Canada, latest StatCan job numbers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Cold front to bring some relief after heat wave…A cold front passing through Ontario and Quebec is expected to offer relief today after a multi-day heat wave.Parts of Ontario, from Uxbridge to Renfrew, and Quebec, from Upper Gatineau to Chibougamau, were under severe thunderstorm watches Thursday, with the weather agency warning of scattered thunderstorms and the possibility of strong winds.Areas further east will have to wait for relief as parts of Atlantic Canada from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia remain under heat warnings set to continue today and last into the weekend in some areas.The heat could last longer in British Columbia, where heat warnings remain for inland sections from the north to central coast and in the Fraser Canyon area east of Vancouver, where daytime highs between 30 and 35 C are expected through Sunday.Cooling is a human right in ex...

Thousands take part in first running of the bulls in Spain’s San Fermin festival

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Thousands of thrill seekers took part Friday in the first running of the bulls at the San Fermín festival in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona.Several runners took knocks and hard falls in the 8 a.m. event but no one was gored by the beasts, a frequent feature of the spectacle.The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists. Nearly 1.7 million people visited Pamplona for the celebrations in 2022, and forecasts are higher for this year with all COVID-19 constraints ended.In the run, six bulls guided by six tame oxen charged along a route through Pamplona’s streets for around two minutes and 30 seconds before reaching the bull ring.The festival was made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises.” This year marks the 100th anniversary of Hemingway’s first visit to the festival.Friday’s run was the first of eight scheduled. The rest of day usually includes massive sessions of drinking, eating and attending cultural events.Four runners...

‘Don’t fall off the horse’: Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen leading Stampede parade

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

CALGARY — Col. Jeremy Hansen is preparing to become the first Canadian to travel to the moon as part of the Artemis II mission, but in the meantime he’s tasked with cowboying up to become the second astronaut to be marshal of the Calgary Stampede parade.The 10-day Artemis II mission could launch as early as November of next year and involves slingshotting into deep space for a figure-8 manoeuvre around the far side of the moon. It would mark the first time any human has ventured so far from Earth. But on Friday morning, Hansen’s task is to ride on horseback for more than two hours through Calgary’s downtown before hundreds of thousands of cheering fans. He’s excited, but expects going into outer space might be a bit more challenging.“Going to the moon has to be. If the parade marshal ends up being more daunting, that would be a bad surprise I think,” he said with a laugh. “I’m super excited to be here. I feel kind of like Christmas-mor...

Cold front to bring relief in Central Canada but heat wave continues on coasts

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

TORONTO — A cold front passing through Ontario and Quebec is expected to offer relief today after a multi-day heat wave.Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder says the cold front is expected to cause a return to near normal temperatures in the coming days.Parts of Ontario, from Uxbridge to Renfrew, and Quebec, from Upper Gatineau to Chibougamau, were under severe thunderstorm watches Thursday, with the weather agency warning of scattered thunderstorms and the possibility of strong winds.Areas further east will have to wait for relief as parts of Atlantic Canada from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia remain under heat warnings set to continue today and last into the weekend in some areas.The heat could last longer in British Columbia, where heat warnings remain for inland sections from the north to central coast and in the Fraser Canyon area east of Vancouver, where daytime highs between 30 and 35 C are expected through Sunday.Special air quality statements are in effect in nor...

Pleas for help as Montreal’s LGBTQ Village falls victim to addiction, homelessness

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

MONTREAL — The Village, Montreal’s historical LGBTQ neighbourhood, has become the scene of homelessness, addiction and crime, with locals suggesting that its social problems are being imported because of the district’s history of being an inclusive space for marginalized people.Richard Fitzgerald, who has lived in the Village for 46 years, says he has witnessed a slow decline.“Twenty years ago it was a really lively place and it was known around the world.” Now, he said, “you come here at night and it’s scary. There’s violence. There’s a whole problem of people who have drug problems, mental health problems.”In response, the city has boosted police presence in the neighbourhood just east of downtown and assigned a two-person psychosocial intervention team to direct vulnerable people to resources. In June, it released a plan to revitalize the neighbourhood and deal with homelessness and mental health.But residents and business own...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set to meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

CALGARY — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith today in Calgary, among other stops in the city as Stampede season gets underway.Trudeau and Smith are expected to discuss a number of issues including emission reductions and the federal government’s goal of having a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.Smith said in June prior to a meeting with the federal ministers of natural resources and intergovernmental affairs that Ottawa’s 2035 target wasn’t realistic for Alberta without a massive cost to the economy and jobs.Both Canada and Alberta are aiming to be net zero by 2050, but the federal government has multiple earlier targets along the way.Another target would see emissions from the oil and gas sector cut by more than 40 per cent by 2030.Smith says she remains hopeful that a “breakthrough” will take place between the province and Ottawa. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.Th...

Statistics Canada to release June employment numbers today

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:33:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is set to release employment figures for June this morning.The job report will be the last major economic data release before the Bank of Canada announces its interest rate decision on Wednesday.In May, the unemployment rate ticked up for the first time in nine months, rising to 5.2 per cent. The Bank of Canada is hoping to see more softening in the labour market as it stays focused on bringing inflation down. RBC says it expects the economy added 20,000 jobs in June. But with population growth surging, it’s also forecasting the unemployment rate rose to 5.3 per cent.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.The Canadian Press