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Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian authorities are holding local elections this weekend in occupied parts of Ukraine in an effort to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.The voting for Russian-installed legislatures in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions begins Friday and concludes Sunday. It has already been denounced by Kyiv and the West.“It constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, which Russia continues to disregard,” the Council of Europe, the continent’s foremost human rights body, said this week.Kyiv echoed that sentiment, with the parliament saying in a statement that the balloting in areas where Russia “conducts active hostilities” poses a threat to Ukrainian lives. Lawmakers urged other countries not to recognize the results of the vote.For Russia, it is important to go on with the voting to maintain the illusion of normalcy, despite the fact that the Kremlin does not have full c...

2 dead in Hong Kong amid extreme rain and flash floods that also struck southern China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Heavy rain in Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, with hundreds evacuated and two deaths reported in Hong Kong.Hong Kong authorities said during a joint news conference Friday that the extreme weather was expected to last until at least midnight, with widespread flooding and heavy disruptions to public transport in multiple districts.An official from the Hong Kong observatory said the city had recorded over 600mm of rain so far — a quarter of the city’s average annual rainfall. The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 158.1 millimeters (6.2 inches) of rain in the hour between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the highest recording for a single hour since records began in 1884. Hong Kong police said that two bodies were found floating in waters in different parts of the city. The city’s fire services department said it had evacuated 110 people and assisted 20 injured people.The city’s response to the rain a...

India seeks a greater voice for the developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — It’s never been easy for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to find common ground, but Russia’s war on Ukraine has made it even harder for the Group of 20 meeting to reach meaningful agreements this year.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year’s host, has pledged Ukraine won’t overshadow his focus on the needs developing nations in the so-called Global South, but the war has proved hard to ignore. “New Delhi will not want to distract from the main agenda, which is to address issues of concern for the Global South,” said Nazia Hussain, an associate research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “So while there will be discussions on the emerging issues as a fallout of the war — supply chain security and decoupling, energy security, and food supply — the focus must remain on how to mitigate the fallout rather than debate the geopolitical/security aspects of the war.”As leaders began arriving Friday, Indian di...

In the news today: Trudeau at G20 in New Delhi, “Freedom Convoy” trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 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…Trudeau suggests he would raise issue of foreign interference with India’s PM ModiPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading to New Delhi for the G20 leaders’ summit, hoping to meet with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Trudeau has suggested that if he does end up meeting Modi, he will bring up the issue of foreign interference in Canada.The Liberal government has asked a Quebec judge to lead an inquiry into allegations of meddling by China, Russia and other foreign states and non-state actors.Trudeau’s national security adviser Jody Thomas said earlier this year that India, a democratic country, was among the top sources of foreign interference in Canada.‘Freedom Convoy’ Facebook evidence to be debatedDay four of the criminal trial of “Freedom Convoy” organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is set to focus on w...

Police search huge London park for terrorism suspect who escaped from prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British police scoured a huge London park on Friday for an ex-soldier who escaped from prison while awaiting trial on terrorism charges.The Metropolitan Police confirmed the search of Richmond Park in the city’s southwest, which involved two helicopters and officers on the ground, was connected to the hunt for Daniel Abed Khalife. The 21-year-old slipped out of Wandsworth Prison on Wednesday morning while working in the kitchen, apparently by clinging to the underside of a food-delivery truck, police said.Khalife is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base and of violating Britain’s Official Secrets Act by gathering information “that could be useful to an enemy.”He was discharged from the British army after his arrest earlier this year and had denied the allegations. His trial is set for November.His escape has prompted extra security checks at airports and the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to France. But activity focused on Richmond Park,...

Egoyan’s TIFF film ‘Seven Veils’ set for unique premiere with Canadian Opera Company

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

TORONTO — Director Atom Egoyan is set to premiere his film “Seven Veils” tonight, in a unique collaboration with the Canadian Opera Company and the Toronto International Film Festival.The special “avant-premiere” will take place at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, with the official TIFF screening taking place Sunday at the Princess of Wales Theatre.“Seven Veils,” starring Amanda Seyfried, tells the story of a theatre director whose world unwinds as she reworks a production of “Salome” after the death of her mentor, who was previously in charge.Egoyan directed “Salome” for the Canadian Opera Company in 1996. It depicts the beheading of John the Baptist at the behest of Jewish princess Salome.Egoyan has said the work carries deeply personal themes about concealed wounds, which have also been a staple in several of his early works.However, Seyfried won’t be walking the red carpet due to an ongoing strike by mem...

Red carpet revelry dimmed at TIFF, but movie buffs unfazed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival is kicking off its second day following an opening night that saw sparse red carpet crowds amid a Hollywood strike preventing many celebrities from attending publicity events.Yet film buffs were undeterred by the lack of star power, instead choosing to use this year’s festival to celebrate the art of cinema and industry workers.Oakville, Ont., resident Dean Dobono said he waited in line for more than seven hours to see opening night film “The Boy and the Heron.”Kuuku Quagraine, another animation fan in line to see Hayao Miyazaki’s much-anticipated new film, said he wanted to celebrate people who love and make movies, not just celebs.Still, celebrities have traditionally been a huge draw at TIFF, and several buzzy world premieres tonight are not expected to have any screen stars walking the red carpet.That includes Wall Street scandal comedy “Dumb Money” with Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson and Shailene W...

‘Freedom Convoy’ lawyers to argue admissibility of Facebook evidence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

OTTAWA — Day four of the criminal trial of “Freedom Convoy” organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is set to focus on whether Facebook content should be entered into evidence.Lich and Barber helped to bring a convoy of large trucks and other vehicles to Ottawa last year, remaining for a three-week, chaotic protest against COVID-19 restrictions and the federal government. The two are co-accused of mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, intimidation and obstructing the police. The Crown says getting the “Freedom Convoy 2022” Facebook page accepted as evidence in the trial is the first step toward proving the two organizers conspired together, and that evidence against one should apply to both.Lich’s lawyer, Eric Granger, says the Crown is trying to put 212 pages of Facebook evidence to the court, including posts that haven’t been made by Barber or by Lich.He says this is not the trial of the “Freedom Convoy,” and the evidence ...

B.C.’s Cantonese speakers fight to preserve language amid uncertainty in Hong Kong

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

You wouldn’t know that Cantonese is under threat, judging from the food court of the Parker Place shopping mall in Richmond, B.C., the most ethnically Chinese city in the world outside Asia.All around, tables of diners young and old meet to “chui sui” — literally, to “blow water,” or gossip — in the language that originated in southern China and Hong Kong.Charles Chan, who immigrated to British Columbia from Hong Kong 40 years ago, said he raised his children to speak Cantonese at home.“You better let your children learn Cantonese to help them be more competitive in the job market,” said Chan as he waited for his wife to buy dumplings. He said he was confident about the language’s future. But some Metro Vancouver Cantonese speakers say its fate is uncertain in its homeland, and overseas communities play a vital role in its preservation.The concerns come after the shutdown of an online group promoting Cantonese in late August, after authorities in ...

Pierre Poilievre to deliver first speech as leader to Conservative convention

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:34 GMT

QUEBEC — Conservatives gathered for the federal party’s national policy convention in Quebec City today will hear not only from their leader later, but from a man who at one time wanted that job himself.The must-see event of the day for the more than 2,000 Conservatives who travelled to Quebec City will be tonight’s speech by leader Pierre Poilievre.The convention comes almost one year exactly since he scored a resounding first-ballot victory in the leadership race and it is the first time he will address a policy convention as the party’s head.Poilievre will take the stage as recent polls show the Conservatives with a considerable lead over the governing Liberals, lifting the spirits of party members clamouring for a return to power after being shut out for nearly eight years. Before Poilievre, the delegates will hear from former cabinet minister Peter MacKay.MacKay skipped the virtual policy convention in 2021 following his defeat in the 2020 leadership race and ...