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An employee at Israel’s Embassy in Beijing was attacked in unclear circumstances and is hospitalized

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — An employee of the Israeli Embassy in Beijing was attacked on Friday and later hospitalized, the country’s Foreign Ministry said. China did not immediately acknowledge the assault. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the attack, though it comes after Israel had criticized China for its statement that followed Hamas’ unprecedented and deadly incursion into southern Israel last Saturday that sparked the ongoing war between the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Israel. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement to journalists, saying the attack did not happen on the embassy’s grounds. The identity of the employee was not made public and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.“The employee was transferred to hospital and he is in a stable condition,” the statement said, without giving additional details. It added that Israeli officials were still trying to assess the “background” of what happened in ...

Israel orders unprecedented mass evacuation in northern Gaza ahead of feared ground offensive

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military told some 1 million Palestinians living in Gaza on Friday to evacuate the north, according to the United Nations, an unprecedented order for almost half the population of the sealed-off territory ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group.The U.N. warned that so many people fleeing en masse would be calamitous, and Hamas, which staged a shocking and brutal attack on Israel nearly a week ago and has fired thousands of rockets since, dismissed it as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes.The evacuation order, which includes Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, sparked widespread panic among civilians and aid workers already running from Israeli airstrikes and contending with a total siege and a territory-wide blackout.“Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel. The only concern now is just if you’ll make it, if you’re going to live,” said Nebal Farsakh, a spokespe...

In the news today: Canadian doctor trapped in Gaza, Convoy trial in Ottawa

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 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…Canadian doctor trapped in Gaza helps at hospitalA Canadian doctor trapped in Gaza says he has been volunteering at the biggest hospital in the besieged Palestinian territory since Israel began its massive retaliatory bombardment of the area.Dr. Ehab Bader is a resident of London, Ontario and says he went to Gaza to visit his elderly parents 12 days before Hamas militants crossed through Israel’s highly fortified separation fence and killed over 1,200 Israelis in a brutal rampage.Israel has retaliated with a massive bombardment of Gaza, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. Convoy trial to hear how protest affected busesThe criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is expected today to delve into how public transit was affected by the three-week protest that clogged downtown Ottawa streets last year.Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are...

From high flying to burnout, pot industry faces downturn five years post-legalization

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

When Abi Roach thinks about the 20 years she spent fighting for Canada to legalize cannabis, she says pot legislation is like a clenched fist.The analogy, which Roach first heard from a former Toronto councillor, represents the tight grip on the cannabis market that legislators held for centuries. It meant Roach had to exploit a grey area of the law to run her popular cannabis consumption space HotBox, which opened in 2000, and its customers were accustomed to looking over their shoulders for cops before walking through the door.Roach has been a stalwart in Canada’s cannabis industry as a longtime advocate for legalization and queen of an empire that eventually spanned 15 different businesses, including a magazine, a tour company and lines of pot accessories and apparel. While regulations and attitudes have loosened since Canada legalized recreational cannabis five years ago, Roach said policy constraints and industry response mean there is still “a ton of room to go” before t...

Canadian universities face challenges navigating Israel-Hamas war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

MONTREAL — In the days since Hamas launched violent attacks on Israel, Canadian universities have been grappling with how to address a deeply divisive subject that has sparked grief, anger and heated debate on campuses and in wider society.Several universities have faced backlash for public statements, while others have been forced to respond to groups who expressed support for the militant group’s actions.Some schools, including Concordia University in Montreal and Western University in London, Ont., drew criticism online for statements that mentioned “violence in the Middle East” but did not mention Israel or the attack Saturday on its civilian population. Others, such as Waterloo, used stronger language, condemning the “reprehensible terrorist attack on Israeli civilians.” The University of Toronto wrote a statement on Oct. 8 expressing concern for students in “the Middle East region” before putting out another a day later condemning terr...

Canada’s top court to rule on validity of federal environmental assessment law

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s top court is expected to rule today on the validity of the federal government’s environmental assessment legislation.The Supreme Court’s judgment on the Impact Assessment Act is to set the tone for how different levels of government work together to balance the economic benefits of resource development against the environmental risks.The Alberta government wants the law disallowed, arguing it opens the door to federal meddling in areas that the Constitution says are none of its business.Ottawa says its involvement in environmental matters is needed to ensure standards are consistent across the country and to meet national goals such as fighting climate change. Although the Alberta Court of Appeal has issued an opinion against the federal government, the Supreme Court has several times in the past affirmed a role for Ottawa in environmental issues. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2023. The Canadian Press

NDP convention a chance for ‘new direction,’ but grassroots could take up old debates

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

HAMILTON — New Democrats are gathering for a three-day convention to focus on how to convince voters looking for change they are a better choice than Conservatives, despite having helped to keep the minority Liberal government in power.“We see a Liberal government that is out of gas, out of steam and no ideas,” said Brad Lavigne, who was national director of the NDP under former leader Jack Layton.“The New Democrats are positioning themselves as the chief alternative or the lead alternative to Conservatives. This convention will be an opportunity to take stock, and set that new direction.”It could also end up giving new life to older debates within the party, such as an emergency resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has the potential to distract from the agenda.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been in the role since 2017, will also face a mandatory leadership review — his first since the 2021 election. At the last convention held in April of t...

OC Transpo worker, store owner to testify in ‘Freedom Convoy’ trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

OTTAWA — The criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is expected today to delve into how public transit was affected by the three-week protest that clogged downtown Ottawa streets last year.Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are facing charges of mischief and counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation.The court expects to hear from Natalie Huneault, an employee of the public transit operator, OC Transpo.Several witnesses have already spoken about how buses were rerouted during the protest as a result of the crowds and parked big-rig trucks.  The owner of several downtown businesses, Chantal Biro, is also expected to testify.The Crown plans to ask how the protest interfered with the daily lives of local Ottawa residents and businesses as part of its case against Lich and Barber. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

Canadian doctor trapped in Gaza volunteers at hospital, urges entry of medical aid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

Dr. Ehab Bader had travelled from London, Ont., to Gaza for a family visit, to see his aging parents.  Now trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory, he is volunteering at Gaza’s largest hospital, which is overwhelmed by people in urgent need of life-saving care as medical supplies run short.“People are waiting outside, severely injured and sometimes you have to choose unfortunately, who do you serve,” the neonatologist told The Canadian Press, speaking from his parents’ home in Gaza City. “It’s a difficult choice for those who work at the emergency room. The situation will be better described as catastrophic.”Bader, 47, arrived in Gaza less than two weeks before Hamas militants crossed through Israel’s highly fortified separation fence and killed over 1,200 Israelis in a brutal rampage. Israel has retaliated with a massive bombardment of Gaza, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. The war, which has claimed at least 2,600 live...

New Zealand political candidates dance and hug on the final day of election campaign

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:54 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Prime Minister Chris Hipkins looked to be about a half-beat behind when, with a grin, he joined in a Zumba dance class Friday on the last day of campaigning before New Zealand’s general election. “I’m sure you’ll choose the best shots, when I’m at my most coordinated,” Hipkins joked with reporters after the event at an Auckland market. If there was a little extra spring in his dance step, it’s because the polling numbers for Hipkins, 45, and his liberal Labour Party have started to trend upward in recent days from a low ebb. But the numbers indicate his conservative rival, Christopher Luxon, 53, remains in the best position to become the nation’s next prime minister after polls close Saturday night.Luxon, meanwhile, hugged supporters in Auckland on his final campaign stop as they chanted his slogan to get New Zealand “back on track.”Luxon has promised tax cuts for middle-income earners and a crackdown on crime. Hipkins...