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Canadian rapper Tory Lanez has been jailed for 10 years for shooting US star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet after a party in Hollywood last year.
Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted of three firearms offences in December and has been in custody since then.
The incident, which divided the music industry, left Megan Thee Stallion needing surgery to remove bullet fragments from her foot.
The LA District Attorney, George Gascón, said after the verdict that her fame “has brought an important spotlight on the issue of violence against women”.
Lanez sentence: ‘Hope to those who feel helpless’, lawyer says The shooting happened on 12 July 2020, when Lanez, 31, fired a gun at Megan Thee Stallion, 28, during an argument as they were leaving a pool party hosted by reality TV star Kylie Jenner.
Prosecutors had asked for a 13-year prison sentence. They said Lanez deserved a long term for shooting a “vulnerable victim” on a quiet residential street, and for trying to “humiliate and re-traumatise her” afterwards.
Lanez, who has had seven US top 10 albums in the past seven years, was found guilty of assault with a semi-automatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
His lawyers argued he should get probation and time in a drug treatment programme. It is not clear if Lanez will now face deportation to Canada.
Jose Baez said his client planned to appeal because of “significant issues” with the trial.
Outside court on Tuesday, he cited a lack of DNA evidence linking Lanez to the shooting, adding that the rapper’s DNA was not found on the gun used. Mr Baez also said he believed Lanez did not get a fair trial.
Canada is implementing new regulations that require individual cigarettes to bear warnings like “poison in every puff” and “cigarettes cause impotence.” The government aims to make it challenging for consumers to avoid health warnings entirely.
The world’s first measure of its kind, a part of extensive new tobacco regulations, will be implemented on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. These regulations will introduce strict controls gradually over the next two years.
“Tobacco use continues to kill 48,000 Canadians each year. We are taking action by being the first country in the world to label individual cigarettes with health warning messages,” said Carolyn Bennett, who was minister of mental health and addictions when the rules were first announced. (Bennett was shuffled out of cabinet last week after announcing her departure from federal politics.)
The move is the latest in a long series of measures to curb smoking from the Canadian government.
About 13% of Canadians use tobacco, costing the public healthcare system more than $6bn annually, the government says. In 1965, about half of Canadians smoked.
The smoking rate in Canada has steadily declined as public awareness of smoking’s dangers has grown. Federal and provincial regulations on tobacco sales, use, taxation and advertising have also led to declining rates in all age groups.
Canada was the first country in the world to require cigarette makers put pictorial warnings on cigarette packages, in 2001. Bans on indoor smoking followed later that decade.
Research suggests that periodically refreshing warnings with new images and text is an effective way to raise awareness of health effects among smokers.
The new rules taking effect this week – known as Tobacco Products Appearance, Packaging and Labelling Regulations (TPAPLR) – mean that the warning messages will change every two to three years, depending on the product.
Canadian Lung Association CEO Terry Dean welcomed the new measures, calling the individual cigarette warnings “quite unique and novel”.
TPAPLR also attempts to standardise the sizes of package health warnings which must now take up at least 75% of cigarette packs’ display areas.
Annie Papageorgiou, executive director of the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health, said it had been more than 10 years since the images were last changed.
Papageorgiou and Dean said they would like to see more regulations on vaping and a tobacco tax hike moving forward, as well as a cost recovery fee levied on tobacco companies.
“We still have too many smokers in Quebec – too many people who are dying from tobacco use. We’ll gladly take anything we can do to protect occasional smokers, new smokers and youth,” she said.
The government says these new regulations bring the country into line with the World Health Organisation’s framework convention on tobacco control.
A plane crash in Canada claimed the lives of six individuals.
After taking off the previous night from Springbank airport, the event took place just west of the city, in the highlands of Alberta, according to Calgary police.
There were five people riding with the pilot. They were flying in a single-engine Piper PA-32 and heading for Salmon Arm in the nearby British Columbia province.
A Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules plane was quickly ordered to hunt for the missing aircraft after the plane was reported overdue at 1AM on Saturday, according to officials.
The emergency locator transmitter was tracked by the search team to Mount Bogart, where it was determined that nobody had survived the crash.
It brings to mind the terrible two-year-old crash of a small plane carrying a “will you marry me?” banner.
The message was being followed by a 1974 Cessna 172 aircraft when it caught fire and crashed in Montreal’s Parc Dieppe.
Partygoers at the adjacent Osheaga Get Together music event witnessed the plane falling.
When the plane hit the ground, it bounced and spun before coming to a stop, according to evidence recovered from the crash site.
Gian Piero Ciambella, the pilot, was hurt, and one passenger perished. When his engine failed during a flight in 2016, he made an emergency landing in the city and received recognition for his “extraordinary piloting feat.”
Two more pilots perished earlier this week while battling flames on the Greek island of Evia, close to Athens. Their aircraft, which is believed to be a Canadair, crashed into a mountainside.
Locals described how nearly fifteen years ago to the day, a very identical tragedy also involved a Canadair jet claimed the lives of two men.
TheCanadian women’s national team announced on Friday that they have reached an interim agreement with Canada Soccer to receive compensation for 2023, considering the financial challenges faced by the governing body.
In contrast, Canada’s men’s team revealed on Tuesday that they are still unpaid for their participation in the World Cup in 2022.
They also expressed concerns that the governing body is using the pressure of the women’s tournament to push them into an unsatisfactory agreement.
“We have been forced to choose between compensation and the funding required to hold necessary training camps,” women’s national team players said in a statement posted on the social media of the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association (CSPA).
“We have been forced to choose between receiving a fair share of the rewards from our teams’ successes at the World Cups and our commitment to equal pay and equal treatment with our Men’s National Team.
“These are choices we should not have had to make.”
The players said the new agreement includes prize money allocation from the ongoing Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but added they were disappointed with not having reached a “more complete” deal.
“We are deeply disappointed to find ourselves without a more complete agreement at this crucial stage in our calendar,” they said.
“While there are many important items remaining for future negotiation… we have worked… to make sure this… agreement ensures, at minimum, equal pay with our Men’s National Team, within the constraints created by Canada Soccer’s financial situation.
“This isn’t over. We and the Men’s National Team remain committed to finding a long-term solution that provides for fair and equal treatment for our current National Teams and investments in the future of Canadian soccer.
“But for now, our team just wants to focus on soccer.”
Canada are second in Group B of the Women’s World Cup following a goalless draw with Nigeria and a 2-1 win over Ireland.
They will face third-placed co-hosts Australia in their last group stage clash on Monday in their bid to progress to the knockout stage.
Canada narrowly avoided a major upset at theWomen’s World Cup (WWC) as they had to stage a comeback to defeat Ireland.
The underdogs, Ireland, took a shocking lead in the fourth minute when Katie McCabe scored.
However, Canada quickly turned the game around with two quick goals before and after half-time, eliminating Vera Pauw’s side.
Ireland made an impressive start, almost taking the lead through Kyra Carusa before McCabe’s goal from a corner caught the Canadian goalkeeper off guard.
Canada, despite being the favorites, struggled to create chances until late in the first half when Vanessa Giles missed a close-range opportunity.
In the second half, Canada showed more energy and leveled the score just before half-time stoppage when Ireland’s Megan Connolly accidentally scored an own goal.
After the break, Canada continued to press, and Courtney Brosnan’s excellent save denied Jordyn Huitema’s long-range shot, which could have given Canada the lead much earlier.
Minutes later though, that goal finally came thanks to Adriana Leon prodding home from near the penalty spot to complete the turnaround.
Christine Sinclair, introduced at half-time, was twice thwarted in her attempt to score at a record sixth WWC as her shots were saved by Brosnan, who also caught Huitema’s towering header.
Searching for a third goal left Canada open to a sucker punch at the other end, and one was nearly provided by McCabe when her mazy run ended in a shot that was deflected narrowly wide.
There was to be noIreland comeback though, meaning their dream of qualifying for the knockout stages is over, whereas Canada know a point from their final game against Australia is likely to be enough to progress to the last 16.
Canada’s Christine Sinclair was named to the bench ina Women’s World Cup match for the first time in her 23-year international career on Wednesday.
Sinclair, the all-time top goal-scorer in international football and her country’s captain, was among the substitutes when the teamsheet came out for Canada’s crucial clash with Ireland.
The 40-year-old has now been to six World Cup tournaments, her first coming in 2003, and had been included in the starting XI in all 22 of her previous appearances in the competition. Sinclair missed a penalty in Canada’s first game of this World Cup as the Olympic gold medalists were held to a goalless draw by Nigeria.
A result against Ireland is imperative, then, if they are to stand a good chance of progressing from a group that also includes co-hosts Australia.
If Sinclair scores during Canada’s current campaign, she will become the first man or woman to score in six different World Cup tournaments.
Sinclair will hope she can still make an impact from the bench as Canada look to kickstart theirWomen’s World Cup campaign with a good result against Ireland in Perth.
In British Columbia, a 9-year-old kid passed away last week after suffering an asthma attack while watching the continuing wildfires in Canada.
Carter Vigh’s parents, James and Amber Vigh, told CNN’s Canadian partner, CBC, that their son has had asthma his entire life and has always carried an inhaler.
According to Carter’s parents, their kid passed away on July 11 after going to the emergency department for an asthma attack.
While his cause of death has not been determined yet, the BC Coroners Service said in a Monday afternoon bulletin that it is investigating his death as “related to an existing medical condition aggravated by wildfire smoke.”
“The sudden and unexpected death of this young boy is a heartbreaking loss for his family and community,” the coroner’s service said.
Carter was at a water park with friends earlier in the day when the air was clearer and then went to a birthday party, his parents told CBC. “He had a great day,” said Amber Vigh. “I had no indication he was struggling in any way.”
Carter began coughing in the evening, and his parents gave him his inhaler and advised him to concentrate on his breathing.
The coughing worsened, so they took Carter to the hospital where they said he later lost consciousness.
“I’m hoping that people realize how quickly it can turn because we had his asthma under control. We were so diligent,” his parents told CBC.
“They tried everything,” Amber told CBC. “I just stood there and just told him that I loved him and just to breathe.”
His parents described Carter as “perfect” and the “most loving boy.”
“Our communities are now becoming more aware of the risks presented by wildfire smoke and the measures that can be taken to reduce those risks,” the coroner’s service said.
Children can have a harder time breathing when the air quality is bad due to how small their airways are, CNN previously reported. The lungs in children are not fully developed either, which adds to the difficulty.
As of Tuesday, more than 900 wildfires are burning across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre’s website. So far, at least two firefighters have died battling the wildfires.
The Canadian government put out a special air quality statement for British Columbia on Monday that will carry over to Tuesday. The statement says that smoky conditions will be “intensified” by Tuesday morning in the 100 Mile and Williams Lake area.
While his cause of death has not been determined yet, the BC Coroners Service said in a Monday afternoon bulletin that it is investigating his death as “related to an existing medical condition aggravated by wildfire smoke.”
“The sudden and unexpected death of this young boy is a heartbreaking loss for his family and community,” the coroner’s service said.
Carter was at a water park with friends earlier in the day when the air was clearer and then went to a birthday party, his parents told CBC. “He had a great day,” said Amber Vigh. “I had no indication he was struggling in any way.”
Carter began coughing in the evening, and his parents gave him his inhaler and advised him to concentrate on his breathing.
The coughing worsened, so they took Carter to the hospital where they said he later lost consciousness.
“I’m hoping that people realize how quickly it can turn because we had his asthma under control. We were so diligent,” his parents told CBC.
“They tried everything,” Amber told CBC. “I just stood there and just told him that I loved him and just to breathe.”
His parents described Carter as “perfect” and the “most loving boy.”
“Our communities are now becoming more aware of the risks presented by wildfire smoke and the measures that can be taken to reduce those risks,” the coroner’s service said.
Children can have a harder time breathing when the air quality is bad due to how small their airways are, CNN previously reported. The lungs in children are not fully developed either, which adds to the difficulty.
As of Tuesday, more than 900 wildfires are burning across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre’s website. So far, at least two firefighters have died battling the wildfires.
The Canadian government put out a special air quality statement for British Columbia on Monday that will carry over to Tuesday. The statement says that smoky conditions will be “intensified” by Tuesday morning in the 100 Mile and Williams Lake area.
Canada has taken action to abolish the practise of testing cosmetics on animals, following a number of other nations and American states in doing so.
The choice was revealed by the Canadian government in a news release on Tuesday. According to the news release, Bill C-47 changes the Food and Drugs Act to prohibit both cosmetic product testing on animals and the sale of goods based on the results of such testing.
The news release stated that “rarely is animal testing for cosmetics conducted in Canada.”
Canada will join the ranks of the European Union, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, which have all moved to ban cosmetic testing on animals, according to the release.
A total of 44 countries have passed laws banning cosmetic animal testing, according to the Humane Society International. Additionally, 10 states in the US have banned the practice: New York, Virginia, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Maine, Hawaii, Nevada, Illinois, and Maryland.
“Protecting animals, now and in the future, is something that many Canadians have been calling for, and something we can all celebrate,” said Canadian Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos in the release. “We are proud to move forward with this measure, and to assure Canadians that the products they buy are cruelty-free. We will keep working with experts and international partners to explore safe, cruelty-free alternatives so no more animals suffer and die due to cosmetic testing.”
The release added Health Canada is also working to identify “effective alternatives to animal testing” outside the cosmetic world.
The amendment banning cosmetic testing on animals in one of a package of amendments included in the measure. The text of the bill stipulates “No person shall sell a cosmetic unless the person can establish the safety of the cosmetic without relying on data derived from a test conducted on an animal that could cause pain, suffering or injury, whether physical or mental, to the animal” and that “No person shall conduct a test on an animal that could cause pain, suffering or injury, whether physical or mental, to the animal.”
The bill was first read in the House of Commons in April and received royal assent on June 22.
Cosmetic testing has historically included “toxicity tests” in which animals are focused to consume or inhale certain chemicals, or have the chemicals applied to their skin or eyes, according to the Humane Society International’s Animal-Free Safety Assessment Collaboration.
In addition to being unnecessarily cruel, animal tests are also less effective compared to newer forms of assessment like computer modeling or tests using human cells, said the Humane Society International.
Suspect, age 4, accused of stabbing three students in gender studies class At the University of Waterloo in Canada this week, a 24-year-old student is accused of stabbing three individuals during a gender studies class in what the police are describing as a “hate-motivated incident.”
According to Waterloo Regional Police Service Chief Mark Crowell, the suspect, Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, is a foreign student who recently graduated from the university.
Villalba-Aleman is accused of targeting the gender studies class, and “investigators believe this was a hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity,” according to a news release from the Waterloo Regional Police Service. He has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault; four counts of assault with a weapon; two counts of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose; and mischief under $5,000.
“It is both sad and disturbing that this incident has occurred during Pride month,” Crowell said. “We hope this incident does not diminish from these celebrations but, instead, encourages us all to come together.”
Police say the suspect walked into a university lecture classroom on Wednesday around 3:30 p.m. and stabbed a 38-year-old professor, a 20-year-old female student and a 19-year-old male student with a knife. Roughly 40 students were inside the classroom at the time of the attack, police said.
At 3:37 p.m., police received multiple 911 calls from students at the university, saying people were stabbed inside a classroom, Crowell said. The first police officer arrived on the scene within three minutes, the chief said.
The victims’ injuries are serious but not life-threatening, and all were being treated at hospitals, police spokesperson Cherri Greeno told CNN Wednesday.
Officers found the suspect in the same building where the stabbings took place – Hagey Hall – and placed him under arrest “without further incident,” Crowell said. The suspect initially posed as a victim before officers quickly identified him, he added.
Villalba-Aleman was not a member of the class, Crowell said, but spoke with the professor of the class “before attacking her with two large knives without provocation.”
Several students attempted to stop the attack while others fled the room, Crowell said. As students were trying to escape, the suspect stabbed two students and attempted to stab a third student, who was not injured, he said.
“We have since sought judicial authorizations to search the suspect’s home to further our investigation,” Crowell said during the news conference. “At this point, there’s no information to suggest the suspect coordinated with anyone else in carrying out this attack.”
The stabbings prompted the university to issue orders to vacate the building and shelter in place order as police responded to the scene.
It’s understandable why Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce) isn’t in the best of moods after almost killing Elaine Jones (Paula Wilcox) in Coronation Street.
Recently, Stephen drugged Elaine with the knowledge that if she passed away, he would be entitled to a sizable inheritance as her next of kin.
In addition to Stephen’s usual financial plight, he was in need of money to attempt to purchase Carla’s (Alison King) stock in the plant after Owen (Ben Hull) forewarned him that he would be fired as soon as he became the sole owner.
Stephen’s murderous plan backfired because well…he didn’t actually kill Elaine…she just passed out and after a few days in hospital, she was sent back home.
As Stephen stresses and Elaine is still none the wiser, she feels concerned when he snaps at her while she’s practicing Tai-Chi.
Worried about Stephen’s low mood, Elaine is curious when Michael (Ryan Russell) says that it’s probably because he’s missing Canada.
At the end of the week, when Stephen reveals that it’s Canada Day, Elaine forms an idea and prepares to cheer him up.
Just as Stephen tries to argue with Owen about his feelings for Jenny (Sally Ann Matthews) and stealing money from Underworld, Elaine, Audrey (Sue Nicholls), Sarah (Tina O’Brien) and Michael burst in waving Canadian flags.
Stephen paints on a smile, but he’s taken aback to clock Elaine scowling at him, but why?
What does Elaine know?
‘The last thing he needs is Owen moving in on Jenny, they could end up being together for years and he only sees Elaine as a short-term thing before he gets together with Jenny’, Todd Boyce said, explaining Stephen’s feelings for Jenny.
‘He is with Elaine for the money and what he can get from that relationship. He sees Jenny as the end goal, he has been insane about her from the moment they kissed.’
Following the passage of a contentious online news bill in the Canadian parliament, Meta has announced its intention to implement news restrictions on its platforms exclusively for Canadian users.
The bill mandates that major platforms must provide compensation to news publishers for the content shared on their sites.
Both Meta and Google have already conducted trials by limiting news access to certain Canadian users.
This move echoes a similar action taken by Facebook in 2021 when Australian users were blocked from sharing or accessing news content in response to a comparable law.
Known as Canada’s Online News Act, the legislation was approved by the senate on Thursday.
It establishes regulations that require platforms like Meta and Google to engage in commercial negotiations and financially compensate news organizations for the utilization of their content.
Meta has called the law “fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how our platforms work”.
On Thursday, it said news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada – before the bill takes effect.
“A legislative framework that compels us to pay for links or content that we do not post, and which are not the reason the vast majority of people use our platforms, is neither sustainable nor workable,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.
The company said the changes to news would not have an impact on other services for Canadian users.
Google called the bill “unworkable” in its current form and said it was seeking to work with the government to find a “path forward”.
The federal government says the online news bill is necessary “to enhance fairness in the Canadian digital news market” and to allow struggling news organisations to “secure fair compensation” for news and links shared on the platforms.
An analysis of the bill by an independent parliament budget watchdog estimated news businesses could receive about C$329m ($250m; £196m) per year from digital platforms.
Earlier this month, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez told Reuters the tests being run by the tech platforms were “unacceptable” and a “threat”.
In Australia, Facebook restored news content to its users after talks with the government led to amendments.
On Thursday, Mr Rodriguez’s office said he had met both Google and Facebook this week and planned further discussions – but the government would move forward with the bill’s implementation.
“If the government can’t stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?” he said in a statement.
Media industry groups hailed the bill’s passage as a step towards market fairness.
“Real journalism, created by real journalists, continues to be demanded by Canadians and is vital to our democracy, but it costs real money,” said Paul Deegan, president and chief executive officer of News Media Canada, a media industry group, said in a statement
The Online News Act is expected to take effect in Canada in six months.
Alphonso Davies, a defender for Bayern Munich, claims that theGhana Football Association (GFA) contacted him about playing for Ghana but that it was too late.
The left-back, who was born in Ghana to Liberian parents, was qualified to represent both Ghana and Liberia, but chose to represent Canada after earning Canadian citizenship in June 2017.
Despite playing football for a while, Davies said he was never considered because he ‘wasn’t a big name’ and it took a big transfer move for Ghana to act.
According to him, there was an attempt from the Ghana FA to play for the national team at some point but the timing of the approach was too late for him to reconsider his decision with the contact coming on Instagram.
“Ghana never reached out and also my mum was like, no [to the idea of me playing for Ghana],” he said when quizzed whether was an option to play for the country of his birth.
“I was playing like not even like the academy they never like said [anything about wanting me] I wasn’t a big name. When the news came out that I was going to Bayern, then I got a message from the Ghana federation.
Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies reveals an official from the GFA texted him via Instagram to play for Ghana after his move to Bayern was confirmed.
“I think it was someone on the federation he texted me on Instagram because he didn’t have my number or email. But it was too late, at that time I had already got my citizenship and already made it to [represent] Canada.”
Davies made his first debut for the Canadian national team in June 2017 becoming the youngest player to play for the senior team.
The 22-year-old has 13 goals in 39 appearances for Canada since making his debut.
Police in the Canadian city of Mississauga have seized eight stolen vehicles that were about to be shipped to Ghana.
According to a report by Insauga.com, detectives from the Regional Municipality of Peel executed a search warrant on Friday, June 9, 2023, leading to the recovery of the eight vehicles at a business location near Drew Road and Torbram Road in Mississauga.
The vehicles, estimated to be worth approximately $650,000 in total, were in the process of being shipped to Ghana.
The eight cars consist of a 2020 Mercedes GLEC, a 2021 Mercedes GBG TY, a 2021 Honda CRV, a 2020 Honda CRV, a 2021 Honda CRV, a 2020 Honda CRV, a 2020 Honda CRV, and a 2021 Honda CRV.
The report added that several of the cars have since been returned to their owners, while the police have issued a call for more information.
Ghana Is fast becoming a destination for stolen cars especially from Europe and America.
An investigation by Mariana van Zeller for the National Geographic Channel, published in April this year, exposed a sophisticated car smuggling syndicate traced to Ghana.
The investigation started in the United States of America, where the investigative journalist followed the activities of a gang involved in stealing of luxury cars.
Some of the gang members who spoke to Van Zeller explained how they carry out their activities and the structure of the international crime syndicate that sees stolen cars from the streets of America end up in third world countries like Ghana.
Van Zeller traveled to Ghana to meet some of the local players.
She met a hacker/black market trader and another person who handles the business aspect of the enterprise.
The two provided the journalist with insights into the local trade of stolen cars and how they are able to get the cars into the Ghanaian system without raising any red flags.
With import duties costing as much as 20% of the value of a car in Ghana, the hacker told Van Zeller that he can hack into the system of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to help the syndicate evade paying the required import duties.
“It is my duty to attack the Tema Harbour… We make it seem as if you’ve paid everything,” the hacker stated.
As the final destination, the Ghanaian syndicate is considered to be at the top of the international car smuggling syndicate.
Identifying himself as Ivan, a man who leads the importation and sale of stolen cars in Ghana, opened up about the gang’s operations to the journalist.
“It is possible that most of these cars are stolen. Most of the boys come here to hang out. There are top guys that are in the business now; the stolen cars business. This is how some family generations have made money,” Ivan told the journalist as they drove through areas in Accra where the nightlife is buzzing.
Overall, the investigation revealed that the Ghanaian players are at the pinnacle of the international car theft ring. They make the most money from a criminal enterprise that sees cars belonging to people in America stolen and shipped over six thousand miles away from their owners.
EOCO retrieves stolen cars from garages in Accra
In December 2022, the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) retrieved thirty-seven vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), was based on an intelligence-led approach.
In a press statement, EOCO stated that the vehicles were recovered from garages in Ghana on December 9, 2022, and the suspects have since been questioned and granted bail.
“The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), has carried out an intelligence-led operation to retrieve various specifications of luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
“On Friday, December 9, 2022, thirty-seven (37) such vehicles were retrieved from garages in Accra, during which ten (10) persons were arrested. The suspects have since been questioned and granted bail,” the statement further added.
As stated by specialists, the smoke from the hundreds of wildfires blazing in Canada has already blanketed sections of the US and put some 75 million people under air quality advisories. It has also reportedly spread as far as Norway.
Smoke plumes that originated in Canada have recently travelled as far as Greenland, Iceland, and Norway.
Using extremely sensitive instruments, researchers at the Climate and Environmental Research Institute in Norway (NILU) have been able to identify the increase in smoke and then use forecast modelling to identify its source. Are you indeed Victor Shevchenko, or are you accepting this award on behalf of someone person? asked Zelensky.
People in Norway may be able to smell and even notice the smoke as a light haze but, unlike parts of the US that have seen hazardous pollution, they should experience no health impacts, said Nikolaos Evangeliou, a senior scientist at NILU. “The fires traveling from such long distances arrive very diluted,” he told CNN.
Over the coming days, the plume is expected to spread across swaths of Europe but it’s unlikely people will be able to smell or notice the smoke, Evangeliou said.
It’s not unusual for wildfire smoke to travel long distances. “Smoke from wildfires such as those in Canada is injected at high altitudes thus staying in the atmosphere longer and able to travel over far distances,” he said.
In 2020, smoke from California’s record-breaking wildfires was detected in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located deep inside the Arctic Circle.
The smoke brings negative climate impacts. Wildfire smoke moving over the Arctic deposits soot on the snow and ice, darkening the white surface, which allows it to absorb more heat. This, in turn, accelerates Arctic warming.
The Arctic is already warming around four times faster than the rest of the world, which has global consequences, including influencing extreme weather events such as heatwaves, wildfires, and floods.
The levels of soot arriving from the Canadian wildfires are not expected to have a direct impact on Arctic melting because they are too dilute, Evangeliou said. But the concern is that if fires in the high latitudes increase, which they have done over the past few decades and are projected to do further, then more soot will deposit, he added.
As the climate crisis intensifies, wildfire seasons are expected to increase in severity, especially as droughts and heat become more common and more severe.
Intense wildfires in Canada have resulted in poor air quality levels, leading authorities to advise millions of people in North America to wear N95 masks when outdoors.
In response, New York has announced the distribution of free masks starting Thursday. Canada has recommended mask usage for those unable to stay indoors.
Officials have warned that the hazardous smoky conditions are likely to persist throughout the weekend.
The majority of the smoke is originating from Quebec, where approximately 150 fires are currently burning.
With over 15,000 residents expected to be evacuated in the province, it has become Quebec’s most severe fire season on record. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has stated that one million masks will be provided to residents of the state on Thursday.
“This is a temporary situation. This is not Covid,” she said at a news conference. The governor added that New York City buses and trains have high-quality air filtration systems that make them safe forms of travel.
Environment Canada has said that conditions are worsening in Toronto on Thursday, as more smoke pours in.
In a special weather bulletin on Wednesday, the agency recommended that anyone outdoors wear a mask.
Hundreds of #wildfires are raging across #Canada . The devastating fires have displaced more than 20,000 people and scorched about 3.8 million hectares of land in the country.pic.twitter.com/Ttna2SkmOS
“These fine particles generally pose the greatest risk to health. However, respirators do not reduce exposure to the gases in wildfire smoke,” the Environment Canada statement said.
Meanwhile, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the air quality in much of the north-east as “unhealthy” especially for people with respiratory concerns.
In total, millions of people around North America are thought to be under a form of air quality warning.
In New York, an orange haze blanketed the city’s skyline and shrouded landmarks including the Statue of Liberty.
“We recommend all New Yorkers limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible,” Mayor Eric Adams warned on Wednesday.
Zoos have brought animals indoors, and in New York, carriage horse rides have been suspended.
On Wednesday, schools in the Washington DC area also cancelled outdoor activities as air quality levels were labelled “code red”, while Detroit was listed as the fifth worst major metropolitan area in the world on IQAir’s air pollution rankings.
Public health officials have cautioned people not to exercise outside and to minimise their exposure to the smoke as much as possible, as the air poses immediate and long-term health risks.
Canadian officials say the country is shaping up for its worst wildfire season on record.
Experts have pointed to a warmer and drier spring than normal as the reason behind the trend. These conditions are projected to continue throughout the summer.
Fires across Canada have already burned more than 3.8m hectares (9.4m acres) of land – an area 12 times the 10-year average for this time of year.
More than 600 US firefighters have been sent to Canada to assist local officials, the White House announced on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a phone call to discuss the current situation.
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
Currently, there are wildfires raging throughout Canada, and their impacts can be seen on the other side of the border.
More than 150 forest fires are raging in the province, more than 110 of them being considered out of control, and the largest municipality in Canada’s Northern Quebec region is currently being evacuated.
Eastern Canada and the northeastern United States are being covered in smoke as a result of the severe wildfires, and New York City and the state of New England are being affected.
The sky has been turned an unpleasant orange-yellow colour and the air is acrid and smoke-filled.
Late on Tuesday authorities ordered for Chibougamau, the largest town in Northern Quebec, to be evacuated – and the current number of people evacuated from their homes has reached just over 8,300.
Vulnerable people have been warned to stay indoors, away from the smoke.
Premier Francois Legault said: ‘We’re following all of this from hour to hour, obviously.
‘If we look at the situation in Quebec as a whole, there are several places where it is still worrying.’
Lady Liberty’s backdrop is usually far less hazy (Picture: Reuters)The city’s skyline is shrouded in smoke (Picture: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)The iconic view of New York City taken from across the river has been obscured (Picture: Ed JONES/AFP)Sunset in Times Square turned the sky a strange orange colour (Picture: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
There is no rain predicted in the upcoming days, which makes it more difficult to fight fires – and in some places the fire has been too intense to send water bombers.
Striking photographs show the smoke has travelled towards New York – and some of its most iconic sights have been blanketed in the bizarre haze.
The Statue of Liberty stands proudly surrounded by the orange glow, while the view of the skyline from one of the city’s many viewpoints is obscured with haze.
Times Square is as busy as ever, with billboards flickering despite the strangely coloured backdrop.
And the city’s iconic silhouette which marks the beginning of countless television programmes set in New York is much less recognisable when obscured with thick smoke.
On Tuesday, weather officials warned that smoke from blazing wildfires in Nova Scotia that have caused almost 18,500 people to flee is moving from Canada to the United States and will affect communities throughout the northeast.
The ongoing fires cover more than 25,000 acres, have burned numerous buildings, and have caused enormous clouds of smoke to rise over the area. They are occurring while the Canadian region experiences heat records-breaking temperatures. Due to the “seriousness of the current fires,” officials declared a burn restriction for the entire province on Monday.
According to the National Weather Service in Boston, the smoke is moving towards Cape Cod and will spread throughout portions of New England as the winds change to the southeast.
“Those with a sensitive nose may be able to smell the smoke as it pushes through the region,” the agency said.
A fire burning in Halifax, the provincial capital of Nova Scotia, is “not yet under control” and has forced around 16,492 people to evacuate, according to Halifax Regional Municipality officials.
Authorities said about 2,000 people have been evacuated from Shelburne County in southwest Nova Scotia.
All schools in Shelburne County and at least 14 schools in Halifax will be closed Wedesday, officials announced in an update Tuesday evening, as wildfires remain out of control.
Residents are still advised to avoid the evacuation areas as at least 200 structures suffered damage from the fires, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum said on Tuesday, adding that the fires have not yet been contained.
“Please don’t return to the evacuated area. It’s still a dangerous place. It’s not ready for you yet,” Meldrum added.
“I am praying for any type of precipitation at this point, and I know everybody up here shares in that thought,” David Steeves with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables said in a press conference on Tuesday.
Steeves said the possibility of wildfires spreading more quickly is increasing every day. There is no rainfall expected in the coming days for the area, according to CNN meteorologists, but as of Tuesday evening, the forecast called for a chance of rain at the end of the week.
“Weather is not helping us at all in regard to this,” Steeves said.
Near Philadelphia, the air quality was considered “moderate” as of Tuesday morning, according to a recent tweet from the National Weather Service. But it’s still uncertain whether the wildfire smoke will reach the ground before dissipating. If it does, the air quality could deteriorate quickly – especially for sensitive groups such as the elderly, young children and people with respiratory illnesses.
An area of high pressure centered to the south of Nova Scotia will bring winds from the southeast later on Tuesday, allowing the smoke to disperse inland and exit north and west of New York. Although some smoke and haze may linger overnight, a general clearing trend is expected near coastal New York.
Eight of the 13 wildfires burning in Nova Scotia started on Monday, three of which are “out of control,” Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection for the region’s Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, said during a Tuesday news conference.
The five remaining active wildfires are “small” and authorities have been successful in containing them, Tingley said.
During the news conference, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston reminded residents of the provincewide burn ban, saying it was “absolutely ridiculous” that at least six illegal burns were found on Monday by conservation officers.
“Don’t be burning right now. No burning in Nova Scotia,” Houston said. “For God’s sake, stop burning. Stop flicking your cigarette butts out your car window. Just stop it.”
The ban is expected to stay in place until June 25, “unless the Province determines it can be lifted sooner,” officials said in a news release on Monday.
“Our resources right now are stretched incredibly thin right now fighting existing fires,” Houston said.
Every household required to evacuate will receive $500 administered through the Canadian Red Cross, according to the release. The funds are intended to help with what Houston called “urgent needs such as food and personal care items.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the wildfires “incredibly serious” in a tweet Monday.
“We stand ready to provide any federal support and assistance needed,” Trudeau said. “We’re keeping everyone affected in our thoughts, and we’re thanking those who are working hard to keep people safe.”
After Canada‘s Africa Oil Corp and France’s Total Energies withdrewal, British exploration firm Tullow Oil has taken complete ownership of a significant Kenyan oil project.
Africa Oil said it abandoned the project to concentrate on regions with high petroleum potential, while Total said it was considering other options.
Each had a 25% stake in the South Lokichar Basin.
TotalEnergies had at the end of last year indicated plans to dispose of its stake, as doubts lingered on Kenya’s ambition to join the league of oil exporting nations.
Tullow Oil had last year disclosed plans to exit the project amid funding problems, which are likely to worsen with the exit of its partners.
Kenyan authorities are yet to comment on the impact of the exits and whether the country’s oil project was still viable.
Ghana must be more aggressive in evaluating air quality in order to eliminate dangerous pollutants in the ecosystem and produce a healthy population, according to a Ghanaian scientist, Dr Charles Odame-Ankrah.
According to him, an efficient air monitoring system was even more crucial as the country moved towards industrialisation and tackles climate change impact.
TheAir Quality Research Scientistwas speaking to the Ghanaian Times on the back of his receipt of a US patent for inventing a device that detects the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a common pollutant, in the air.
The “Photolytic Converter” technology breaks down and measures accurately, the amount of NO2 in the airspace to inform policy decisions that helps build a healthier society and fight global warming.
Nitrogen dioxide gas produced by cars, industries and other combustibles could increase the risk of chronic respiratory diseases within a population and damage the environment.
“We must move aggressively towards proper monitoring. We must know our green zones, monitor pollutant areas and take steps to control harmful emissions in the air so we can avoid the mistakes of the West as we seek to industrialise,” Dr Odame-Ankrah, urged.
He said, air quality was not only important for maintaining good health but could also help resolve the high unemployment crisis facing Ghana.
“Ghana has the opportunity to use air quality to not only make its air better and build a cleaner society but to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth,” he stated.
The Research Scientist, called on government to begin to diversify career opportunities for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the country.
“We need to create clear career paths for people who pursueSTEMto function. It’s almost as if, if you studied science you either end up becoming a nurse or a doctor because there are no avenues for those in other fields to thrive.
This is dangerous for a country that is seeking to develop because we train the people and they leave for other countries to pursue their careers because they are made redundant here,” he noted.
Dr Odame-Ankrah made the case for investment into scientific research to drive new discoveries and technologies that could help develop the nation.
“These monitoring stations for instance, could help scientists, researchers, government officials, and the public understand data in real-time, as we work together to identify and mitigate sources of harmful air pollution.
Air pollution, just like the climate crisis, threatens our health and our prosperity,” he said.
Principal of Ghana International School (GIS), Mary Ashun is among the top 10 finalist for the Africa Education Medal 2023.
Founded last year by T4 Education and HP in collaboration with Microsoft, the Africa Education Medal is Africa’s most prestigious education accolade.
The Africa Education Medal was established to recognise the tireless work of those who are transforming education across the continent – to celebrate the stories of those who have lit the spark of change so others will be inspired to take up the torch. It is given to an outstanding individual who has demonstrated impact, leadership, and advocacy in the field of education.
Mary Ashun is Principal of Ghana International School (GIS), an independent not-for-profit school that provides an internationally diverse experience which instils mutual understanding, promotes holistic development, and teaches life skills to produce responsible global citizens.
Projects she has championed through GIS include support for students from under-equipped schools, teacher training and resource capacity building in remote villages, collaborative international educator visits as well as fostering student efforts to be innovative in the Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Ashun advocates for all children, especially the marginalised in education. In March 2021, she learned about a young man who sat entrance exams and gained admission to the most prestigious public boarding school in Ghana. On checking in to his dormitory he was denied entry because he had dreadlocks. Dr. Ashun wrote a paper titled “The Issue of the Other When it Comes to Admissions” and published it on Ghanaweb. The ensuing heated national discourse on whether a Rastafarian student could be denied his place in a public boarding school put her opinion and that of others of like minds at the centre of a national debate. While the issue raged on in the court of law, a group of committed GIS parents worked with her and a scholarship was arranged for him. She admitted the student in question to GIS, making a statement of inclusion and acceptance. In advocating for his right to an education
irrespective of his religion, she showed her students the power of their voices and the need to live out the school motto of ‘Understanding Of Each Other’.
Prior to joining GIS, Dr. Ashun was a school principal in Canada and also taught Sciences and Maths from K – 12 and lectured at Redeemer University (Ontario) in the Faculty of Education, teaching and supervising pre-service and in-service teachers.
Dr. Ashun created a teacher conference called TIME (Teachers, Inspiring, Motivating & Empowering). At these conferences, researcher teachers are able to share their action research, master teachers share strategies that work well in different kinds of classrooms, and administrator teachers share insights relating to parent engagement, supporting teacher growth and self-care for educators. Each year, a fifth of the spaces are reserved for educators from underserved regions.
As Chair of the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works Advisory Board, Dr. Ashun has been a panellist on EdTech Mondays, a programme that showcases technological innovation in schools. This is streamed online and is a key component of Mastercard Foundation’s drive to make learning relevant and accessible across Africa.
Her work with the African Leadership Academy and the Anzisha Fellowship also allows her to mentor the next generation of African entrepreneur educators. Through the programme she has mentored educators from Algeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria, and Congo, sharing her experiences with them as they transform education in refugee communities or innovate with micro-schools in North Africa.
Mayank Dhingra, Senior Education Business Leader, Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa, at HP said:
“My warmest congratulations to Mary Ashun on being named a Top 10 finalist for the Africa Education Medal 2023. Her tireless work to improve education stands as an inspiration to us all and I hope many others will follow in her footsteps to become leaders in the field.
“HP has a bold goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people globally by 2030. Only by joining forces and aligning with NGOs, government, educators and businesses can we truly improve the education environment. The Africa Education Medal brings together all those who are changing the face of African education, whose vital work deserves to be celebrated.”
Vikas Pota, Founder and CEO of T4 Education, said:
“Africa’s teachers and school leaders, and its leaders of governments, NGOs and businesses, all play a crucial part in unlocking the continent’s potential through quality education. African education stands at a crossroads in the wake of the pandemic, but if leaders from across the continent in every field can work together then they can build the lasting change needed.
“I congratulate Mary Ashun on her achievements in leading Ghana International School and I hope her success serves as a rallying cry for changemakers to come forward and make a difference.”
The Top 10 finalists for the Africa Education Medal are:
Mary Ashun, Principal of Ghana International School, Ghana
Laura Kakon, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer of Honoris United Universities, Morocco
Rogers Kamugisha, Country Director of Educate!, Rwanda
Grace Matlhape, CEO of SmartStart, South Africa
Mary Metcalfe, former policymaker and CEO of Programme to Improve Learning Outcomes (PILO), South Africa
Martha Muhwezi, Executive Director of FAWE, Uganda
Jean-Claude Nkulikiyimfura, Executive Director of Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Rwanda
Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa, Nigeria
Sara Ruto, Former Chief Administrative Secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Education and former CEO of PAL Network, Kenya
Snehar Shah, CEO of Moringa School, Kenya
Nominations for the Africa Education Medal opened in February 2023 for individuals working to improve pre-kindergarten, K-12, vocational and university education who are either educators, school administrators, civil society leaders, public servants, government officials, political leaders, technologists, or innovators.
The winner of the Africa Education Medal will be announced in July. Finalists will be assessed by a Jury comprising prominent individuals based on rigorous criteria.
ABOUT T4 EDUCATION:
We believe every child everywhere deserves a good education. We are building the world’s largest community of teachers and schools to achieve this. Together. Our digital media platform provides opportunities for educators to network, collaborate, share good practices, and support each other’s efforts to improve learning and school culture. We work to amplify teachers’ voices because the world we want to see will only be built by listening to those at the heart of education.
Our global community of over 200,000 teachers and our digital media platform provides an engine for organisations to run education prizes that cut through in both the international media and the public consciousness.
Former Jamaican electoral commissioner, Paul Christopher Burke has stated that legalising cannabis in Ghana will bring huge benefits to the country.
According to him cannabis should be endorsed due to its immense therapeutic value.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday May 16, 2023 “the ignorance and superstition that surround cannabis must be killed. More focus should be placed on putting its science to the test.”
“The same way that liquor and alcohol can disorientate, so can cannabis. However, quite clearly that is only when taken-in to certain extents … medically, the positive effects is overwhelming.
“And for countries like Canada, where it has been legalised, there has not been any case which can be pointed that can back any argument against legalisation of cannabis,” Burke said.
Watch the full interview in the attached video clip below: Destruction
Meanwhile, theNarcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has destroyed 50,000 kilogrammes (50 tonnes) of marijuana, worth GHC50 million, at the Bundase Military Camp in the Greater Accra Region.
The two-day destruction exercise, according to the commission, is in line with its mandate to “seize, investigate, and prosecute perpetrators, as well as destroy seized narcotic drugs” after following all legal procedures.
The commission is mandated to destroy seized narcotic drugs after conducting all necessary investigations.
A statement issued by NACOC said “the seizures mainly were made between 2021 and 2023 in the Volta Region and Eastern Region, where suspects escaped arrest while their trucks, vans, and cars were impounded at the commission’s headquarters in Accra.”
The statement said NACOC under normal circumstances “would have used an insinuator to destroy the cannabis, but due to the huge nature of the drugs,” the commission decided to resort to open-air destruction.
The commission further cautioned the general public, particularly drivers, who allow themselves to be used as couriers by smugglers, with or without their knowledge, that their vehicles used in the act will be seized.
If you have a low GPA (2.2), 3rd Class or HND, these are the things you must do to ensure you secure an admission in the US with funding.
Evaluating results with WES:World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit organization that evaluates international academic credentials for individuals who want to study or work in Canada or the US.
Their evaluations help academic institutions and employers understand the value of an individual’s educational qualifications. To evaluate your result with WES, you need to submit your academic credentials, including transcripts and certificates, to WES for evaluation.
2. Research interest: A research interest is an area of study that you are passionate about and would like to investigate further. It is an essential aspect of academic research as it helps you focus your research efforts and make meaningful contributions to your field.
3. Cold emailing professors: Cold emailing is the practice of sending unsolicited emails to individuals or organizations that you want to establish a connection with. In the academic context, cold emailing professors is a common practice among graduate students or individuals looking for research opportunities.
To draft a compelling cold email, you need to research the professor’s work, explain why you are interested in their research, and demonstrate how your skills and interests align with their work.
4. Academic CV: An academic CV is a document that summarizes your academic achievements, publications, research experience, and other relevant qualifications. It is an essential tool for academics, researchers, and graduate students looking for research or academic positions. To draft an irresistible academic CV, you need to highlight your accomplishments, tailor your CV to the job or position you are applying for, and ensure that your CV is well-organized and easy to read.
5. Additional skills: In addition to academic qualifications, individuals in the academic and research field require additional skills to succeed. These skills include communication, time management, data analysis, problem-solving, and project management.
To acquire additional skills, you can take courses, attend workshops, or seek mentorship from experienced professionals in your field. Examples of such skills include:
Statistical/computational ability
Research & Teaching skills
Communication ability
Volunteering and community Development experience
Admission in the US for MS/PhD is not necessarily about your CGPA. The defining requirements that makes an admission application strong are:
Components of the Academic CV
SOP
LoR
Research and Teaching Skills
Volunteering/Community service
Also below are some desirable skills schools and scholarship hubs look out for to award funding to students, especially in theUSA, UK and Canada.
Data Analytics Skills
Statistical Analytics Skills
Python or R programming Skills
Teaching Experience (even Virtual Teaching is ok)
Volunteering experience and Community Service
Research Interest
These are desirable aptitude for Graduate School. Especially if you are looking for an Admission that offers GTA and GRA, you need these.
However, note that this is both for those in STEM and NON-STEM fields.
STEM and non-STEM are two categories of academic fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, while non-STEM refers to fields that are not included in these categories.
Non-STEM fields, on the other hand, encompass a broad range of academic disciplines that are not included in the STEM categories. Examples of non-STEM fields include social sciences (such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology), humanities (such as history, philosophy, and literature), arts (such as music, fine arts, and theater), business, law, education, and many others.
It is worth noting that both STEM and non-STEM fields have their unique challenges and opportunities. While STEM fields often require strong analytical and quantitative skills, non-STEM fields may require excellent communication, critical thinking, and writing abilities. Ultimately, the choice of a field of study depends on personal interests, career goals, and academic strengths.
Consider the US if you’re seeking for a nation with more opportunities for scholarships.
Consider Canada if you’re seeking for a place where you have a better possibility of obtaining a passport for travel abroad.
If obtaining a scholarship is a key component of your study abroad plans and doing so in Canada seems difficult, you can come up with a smart plan.
Think about going to the US to study, then proceed to applying for Canadian permanent residence from there.
That’s a smart plan.
In the UK, you will easily get an admission if you have your money. A low undergraduate grade will also not be a huge barrier compared to Canada.
And just like the US, and any other country where you have a valid status, you can apply for Canadian permanent residence from UK too.
The requirements to apply for permanent residence from your home country is the same when applying from US/UK/Europe etc, as long as you have a valid status in those other countries
However, processing times may be faster & less cumbersome than applying from developing countries
The additional degree from those other countries will also increase your points for permanent residency in 🇨🇦Canada (if you only have a BSc or less)
You also now have travel experience, better means of raising/showing POF, processing your transcript for credential assessment, etc.
Due to the closure of airspace and ferocious fighting between competing forces, Canada has informed its people living in Sudan that evacuations are “not possible at this time”.
The Canadian government advised citizens to “continue to shelter in place” in a tweet sent out on Saturday, assuring them that it was “coordinating with other countries to respond to the crisis.”
The tweet was sent before US President Joe Biden said that members of the US government and their families had been evacuated during a special military operation.
Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it had evacuated Canadian nationals from Sudan to Saudi Arabia. However, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide the number of Canadians it had helped to evacuate.
There are 1,596 Canadians signed up to the Registration of Canadians Abroad Service in Sudan but this number provides only an estimate of Canadians in Sudan as registration is voluntary.
Since registration is voluntary, the number of registrants for any given area is typically not fully representative of the number of Canadians actually residing or visiting that area. Canadian citizens can register through the Registration of Canadians Abroad service on the Travel.gc.ca site.
Fierce fighting erupted in the northeastern country on April 15 between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The ensuing violence has seen hundreds killed and thousands wounded, igniting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Many Sudanese people have been desperately trying to flee escalating violence in Khartoum, where hospitals are being flooded with victims.
But escaping Sudan now is no easy task. Bus tickets out of the conflict zone are estimated to be at least five times more expensive than before.
Survivors have told CNN that they wanted to leave the country “at any cost.” “Death surrounded us from all directions so I said it would be better for us to die attempting to cling to life while trying to survive instead of dying by a stray bullet at home or maybe dying of hunger or thirst,” said a father of four.
In addition to Canadians, Saudi authorities said they had also evacuated people from 11 other countries which included Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates and Burkina Faso, as well as its own citizens.
College of New Caledonia Columbia International College University of the Fraser Valley Vancouver Community College Alexander College
In Alberta
Alberta University of the Arts Canadian Imperial College Burman University Ambrose University CDI College of Business, Technology and Health Care
In Manitoba
Assiniboine Community College Heartland International English School Brandon University Booth University College International College of Manitoba Harv’s Air Service Canadian Mennonite University
In Nova Scotia
Acadia University Memorial University of Newfoundland College of North Atlantic Western Regional School of Nursing Academy of Learning Career College Apex Language and Career College
In the course of their duties, two police officers in the western Canadian province of Alberta were shot and killed while attending to a family dispute.
A 16-year-old male is the suspect in the fatal shooting, according to Edmonton police.
The adolescent self-inflicted a gunshot wound, according to police.
The teenager’s mother, a 55-year-old woman, was also shot and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The officers killed were Travis Jordan, 35, and Brett Ryan, 30. Both worked with the Edmonton Police Service. Mr Jordan had been with the force for more than eight years, while Mr Ryan had been an officer for more than five years.
Police Chief Dale McFee said the two officers were shot on Thursday after responding to a domestic dispute call at an apartment complex in Edmonton at around 00:47 local time (06:47 GMT).
The call was made by the suspect’s mother, police said, and officers met her outside the building. As they approached the apartment, the officers were shot multiple times by a young male suspect at the door.
Devin Laforce, Edmonton police’s chief deputy of investigations, said neither officers discharged their firearm as they had “no opportunity” to do so. They also were not aware that the teenager had a weapon prior to arriving, as the initial 911 call made no mention of it.
Deputy Chief Laforce said the suspect and his mother then got into an altercation, during which she was shot as well.
Police did not name the suspect or his mother, who remains in hospital in serious but stable condition.
Chief McFee said the two officers were given aid immediately and rushed to hospital. “Unfortunately, they were both declared deceased at the hospital,” he said.
Deputy Chief Laforce said the teenager was known to police, who had responded to the apartment in the past for “non-violent” mental health calls. The suspect did not have a criminal record, he said.
Police did not reveal what type of gun was used in the shooting, and said they are currently investigating where it originated from.
Condolences have poured in from several police forces around Canada, including in Vancouver and Toronto, as well as from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Every day, police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep people safe,” Mr Trudeau said in a post on Twitter. “The news that two Edmonton police officers have been killed in the line of duty reminds us of that reality. I’m sending my condolences to the officers’ loved ones and colleagues – we’re here for you.”
Edmonton mayor Amarjeet Sohi described it as a “very difficult and sad day”.
“Every day, families of the police officers send their loved ones off to duty, to work and hope they return home safely,” Mr Sohi said.
“We hold you in our hearts as you mourn this profound loss and we mourn it with you,” he said.
Eight police officers have been killed on the line of duty in Canada in the last six months. The other fatalities occurred in Ontario and British Columbia.
Prince Williamand Prince Harry enjoy a skiing trip with their father and cousin, Zara Phillips. Their annual trip to Switzerland was a time for fun and family bonding. CHARRIAU//Getty Images
1997
A young Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie carry their gear in matching ski suits. The sisters were on vacation in Verbier, Switzerland—the same place where Eugenie met her husband over a decade later. Julian Parker//Getty Images
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1997
In one of her final outings before her passing, Princess Diana embarks on a cruise through St. Tropez with Prince William and her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed.Michel Dufour//Getty Images
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Princess Diana looks radiant in a bright orange swimsuit during a holiday on the island of Nevis.Thierry Orban//Getty Images
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With her sons by her side, Princess Diana rides the ski lift in Lech, Austria.Princess Diana Archive//Getty Images
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Anwar Hussein//Getty Images
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1986
Princess Diana plays with her sons on the playground at Highgrove House. The boys are dressed in their uniforms for the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, the group for which their father served as Colonel-in-Chief. Tim Graham//Getty Images
1985
Kids drive Prince Charles and Princess Diana around at the Careful Cobber children’s driving program, during a trip to Australia. Princess Diana Archive//Getty Images
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1985
At the Windsor Horse Show, it’s clear Princess Anne has passed her love for denim (and undying passion for all things equestrian) down to her daughter, Zara Phillips. Tim Graham//Getty Images
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Even with her busy schedule, Princess Diana always made time for her sons. Here, she completes a puzzle with a 3-year-old Prince William. Tim Graham//Getty Images
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A young Prince Harry plays the piano, while Prince William has a case of the giggles during a private photoshoot in Kensington Palace.Tim Graham//Getty Images
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At a costume barbecue in Canada, Charles and Diana give people an idea of what they might have looked like in another era. Tim Graham//Getty Images
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The Princess of Wales gets a ride in a cherry picker alongside the archeological director of the Mary Rose Trust. PA Images//Getty Images
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Lady Diana Spencer laughs while posing with Soufflé, her Shetland pony, at her mother’s home in Scotland.PA Images//Getty Images
1969
Prince Charles looks over the shoulder of his mother during a trip to Sandringham Estate. The family was spending time together in the Drawing Room.
Automatic participation spots have been given to the three host countries.
Along with Mexico and Canada, the men’s national team of the United States will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
In a joint North American bid, the three nations were successful in winning the right to host the World Cup. Although this is the first time FIFA has had to reserve three host bids, FIFA has historically granted host nations the right to compete in the World Cup without first participating in the customary qualification competitions.
The tournament is set to expand from 32 teams to 48 in 2026. Another three berths will be awarded to CONCACAF nations via qualifying.
FIFA released a statement Tuesday saying, “In addition, the FIFA Council confirmed that, in line with the long-standing tradition of having all hosts competing at the FIFA World Cup, as well as sporting and operational considerations, the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026, namely Canada, Mexico and the USA, will qualify automatically for the final round of the competition, with their slots, therefore, being deducted from the overall allocation of six assigned to CONCACAF.”
While the U.S. and Mexico tend to qualify for most World Cups, it was good news for Canada, whose men’s national team broke a 36-year drought between World Cup appearances when it qualified for Qatar in 2022. Canada lost all three of its group-stage matches.
The FIFA Council also determined its timetable for bidding for the right to host the 2030 World Cup, saying it will make its decision next year.
That meeting will be separate from FIFA’s meeting to select a host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be held first, earlier in 2024.
There are three confirmed bids for 2030 hosting duties: a South American joint bid featuring Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile; a Spain-Portugal joint bid that added war-torn Ukraine last year; and Morocco.
As the Caribbean country of Haiti continues to suffer from economic and political unrest as well as violence, much of it fueled by organised criminal groups, Canada will send navy vessels there to gather intelligence.
At a gathering of Caribbean leaders on Thursday in the Bahamas, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the decision public. One of the subjects they discussed was the powerful armed gangs operating in the nation, which have generated numerous reports of murder, kidnapping, and sexual violence.
“Right now, Haiti is confronted with unrelenting gang violence, political turmoil and corruption,” Trudeau said. “Now is the moment to come together to confront the severity of this situation.”
The Canadian leader did not specify how many ships would take part in the effort or the duration of their mission. The announcement came during a meeting for CARICOM, the 15-member Caribbean trade bloc.
Haitian leaders including Prime Minister Ariel Henry have previously requested military assistance from the international community to help curb the escalating violence.
But some Haitians have pushed back against those calls, citing Haiti’s long and troubled history with foreign intervention.
Last Friday, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk also called for an international force to help end the island’s “living nightmare”.
Haiti’s gangs have seen their power grow since the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. The UN estimated in December that 60 percent of the capital city of Port-au-Prince was under gang control.
For more than a month, starting last September, a powerful gang alliance known as the G9 Family and Allies also blockaded a key fuel terminal in the capital, effectively shutting down commerce for much of the city and sparking a humanitarian crisis.
With rubbish piling up and clean water growing scarce during the blockade, Haiti documented its first case of cholera in nearly three years. Since then, infections have shot up.
For many Haitians, the conditions amid the violence have become unbearable, with many seeking refuge abroad.
In January, the United States unveiled new rules that would allow up to 30,000 people a month to arrive from Nicaragua, Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba so long as they meet a strict set of requirements, including extensive vetting. But under the new programme, Haitians who try to cross into the US from Mexico would be turned away.
The UN has urged countries not to deport refugees and migrants back to Haiti, citing the dangerous conditions there.
Speaking at CARICOM on Thursday, Trudeau explained that Haiti’s plight “weighs heavily” on him. He also pledged $9.1m in humanitarian assistance, as well as $7.4m to help protect Haitian women and children along the country’s border with the Dominican Republic.
Tens of thousands of Haitians and people of Haitian descent have been deported from the Dominican Republic over the past year, despite international criticism against the removals.
Both Canada and the US have previously sent military hardware to the Haitian government and imposed sanctions on individuals accused of corruption or criminal ties in Haiti.
That tactic continued on Thursday, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced further sanctions against “five individuals and seven family members” with links to criminal groups that “have threatened the livelihoods of the Haitian people and are blocking life-saving humanitarian support”.
Haiti’s Prime Minister Henry even suggested the US and Canada could lead the proposed foreign intervention. But neither country has offered to head such a force.
Ninety-five vehicles believed to have been stolen and smuggled into the country will be seized by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) following a court order.
EOCO in a statement noted that the freezing order from the court would enable them to seize 95 more vehicles.
This, according to them will add up to 41 others seized earlier in collaboration with the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in December 2022.
EOCO added that the court order obtained would also restrain anyone from disposing of the vehicles.
According to the statement, information available to EOCO indicates that about 400 luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the USA and Canada were in the country.
The said vehicles were alleged to have been obtained through fraud and other crimes and shipped into the country, with some being displayed for sale in a number of garages in Accra.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Head of EOCO, Nana Antwi says the culprits will face the law.
According to him, although the vehicles cannot be seen in the garages, EOCO is convinced that the vehicles are in the country, adding that “they would be taken one after the other.”
“We are in the process of asking for special documents or orders to do a publication of those suspected vehicles, we have their chassis numbers and ask those in possession to voluntarily submit, failing which we will draw a plan to get all of them,” he said.
In a joint operation by the North American neighbours, a US fighter jet shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Canada.
After a week-long saga over a rumoured Chinese spy balloon, North America appeared to be on high alert. The shootdown on Saturday was the second such action in as many days.
The shootdown was first reported by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who also promised that his country’s forces would recover and examine the aircraft’s wreckage.
Canadian defence minister Anita Anand declined to speculate on the origin of the object, which she said was small and cylindrical in shape. She stopped short of describing it as a balloon but said it was smaller than the Chinese balloon shot down off South Carolina’s coast a week ago, but similar in appearance.
She said it was flying at 12,100 metres (40,000 feet) and posed a risk to civilian air traffic when it was shot down at 3:41 EST (20:41 GMT).
“There is no reason to believe that the impact of the object in Canadian territory is of any public concern,” Anand told a news conference.
The Pentagon said the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the object over Alaska late on Friday evening. US fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, monitored the object as it crossed over into Canadian airspace, where Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joined the formation.
“A US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory using an AIM 9X missile following close coordination between US and Canadian authorities,” Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said in a statement
US President Joe Biden authorised the country’s military to work with Canada to take down the high-altitude craft after a call between Biden and Trudeau, the Pentagon said. The White House said Biden and Trudeau agreed to continue close coordination to “defend our airspace”.
“The leaders discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin,” the White House said in a statement.
Shortly after the 3:41 pm (2041 GMT) downing of the object, aviation authorities also shut down part of the airspace over the northwest US state of Montana after detecting what they called a “radar anomaly,” the US Northern Command said.
In a sign of jitters over possible intrusions, Northern Command said US fighter jets took to the skies but “did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits”. Skies were then reopened to commercial air traffic.
Suspected Chinese spy balloon
A day earlier, Biden ordered another shootdown of an unidentified flying object near Deadhorse, Alaska. The US military on Saturday remained tight-lipped about what, if anything, it had learned as recovery efforts were under way on the Alaskan sea ice.
The Pentagon on Friday offered only a few details, including that the object was the size of a small car, it was flying at about 12,100 metres and could not manoeuvre and appeared to be unmanned. US officials have been trying to learn about the object since it was first spotted on Thursday.
“We have no further details at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose or origin,” Northern Command said on Saturday.
It noted difficult arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow and limited daylight that could hinder search and recovery efforts.
“Personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” Northern Command said.
On February 4, a US F-22 fighter jet brought down what the US government called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina, following its week-long journey across the US and portions of Canada. China’s government has said it was a civilian research vessel.
Some US legislators criticised Biden for not shooting down the Chinese balloon sooner. The US military had recommended waiting until it was over the ocean out of fear of injuries from falling debris.
US personnel have been scouring the ocean to recover debris and the undercarriage of electronic gadgetry since the shootdown of the 60-meter-high (200-foot-tall) Chinese suspected surveillance balloon.
The Pentagon has said a significant amount of the balloon had already been recovered or located, suggesting US officials may soon have more information about any Chinese espionage capabilities onboard the vessel.
Sea conditions on February 10 “permitted dive and underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) activities and the retrieval of additional debris from the sea floor,” Northern Command said.
“The public may see US Navy vessels moving to and from the site as they conduct offload and resupply activities.”
Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain are the additional four nations where Netflix is imposing restrictions on password sharing.
If customers in certain nations want to share their subscription with friends and relatives who don’t reside with them, they must pay an additional cost.
The measure, which will take effect in the UK by the end of March, comes in response to a crackdown on password sharing in South America.
According to Netflix, 100 million people worldwide use shared accounts.
Netflix’s capacity to invest in new television content was being hampered by the loss of revenue from the shared accounts, the company claimed. It has stated that it intends to expand the new strategy to more nations in the upcoming months.
It has previously been simple for subscribers to give their login information and password to pals who live outside of their home.
When it tweeted, “Love is sharing a password,” in 2017, Netflix even seemed to be endorsing the behavior.
However, increasing consumer subscription cancellations due to rising living expenses and increased competition in the streaming industry have forced Netflix to concentrate on increasing its revenue.
The company claimed that permitting accounts to be used by multiple people in a single household had “caused confusion” regarding who could share what and how.
It said members in Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal would now be asked to set up a “primary location” for their account and manage who has access to it.
Members would still be able to watch Netflix when they travelled, both on personal devices and logging in in other places, for example in a hotel, it said.
For CAD$7.99 (£4.92) Canadian subscribers can add up an extra member as a “sub account” the blog said, with a maximum of two sub accounts per subscription.
The fee would be similar in New Zealand at NZ$7.99 (£4.17). There would be a price difference for sub accounts between Portugal at €3.99 (£3.54) and Spain at €5.99 (£5.32).
Netflix chief operating officer Gregory Peters last month acknowledged that the changes would not be “universally popular” and warned investors to expect some cancellations.
He said the firm expected to eventually make up those losses.
In the first half of 2022, Netflix saw its subscriber numbers fall sharply. It cut hundreds of jobs and put up prices to cover rising costs.
But the company saw a bigger-than-expected rise in user numbers in the last three months of 2022, up 7.66 million, taking its total paid subscribers worldwide to nearly 231 million.
In November, it introduced a cheaper ad-supported option in 12 countries, including most of Europe, the UK and the US.
The murder trial involving student Safina Mohammed Adizatu, often known as Safina Diamond, and technical officer Michael Fiifi Ampofo Arku has been adjourned till February 16.
Because the Adenta District Court was not in session on Friday, February 3, 2023, the parties to the case decided on a date.
While Diamond’s accomplice has been granted bail by an Accra High Court, she remains in custody.
Diamond was returned to cells while being escorted by police.
Depending on the advice of the Attorney-General, the two could be committed to stand trial at the High Court.
Diamond, a first-year student of the University of Ghana, Legon, and Arku are being held for the murder of one Frank Kofi Osei, a Canadian on vacation in Ghana, at Ashalley Botwe, School Junction in Accra.
Osei, a Ghanaian domiciled in Canada, was in Ghana for vacation when he was allegedly murdered.
Diamond is accused of allegedly stabbing the deceased (boyfriend) several times on his chin, jaw, back and later strangled him to death.
The two have been charged with conspiracy and murder.
Their pleas are yet to be taken.
The facts as narrated earlier by Chief Inspector Jacob Nyarko were that on Sunday, July 24, 2022, Osei, now deceased, visited Diamond, his finance, who resided at Ashalley Botwe School Junction and decided to spend the night with her.
According to the prosecution, at night, Diamond, Arku and other accomplices yet to be identified, allegedly stabbed Osei several times with a knife and strangled him to death.
It said Osei’s blood was afterwards cleaned up by Diamond and Arku allegedly while the deceased was in the room for a 24-hour period.
The prosecution said the accused persons allegedly later dragged the deceased from the first floor of the storey building through the staircase and dumped him at the gate of the house where the deceased had parked his Toyota Tundra.
According to the prosecution, on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at about 4:00 am, Diamond called a Police officer and alleged that her boyfriend visited her and died in her room.
The prosecution said the said Police officer called the Police Patrol team, which rushed to the scene and found the body of the deceased lying at the gate of Diamond’s house.
It said, however, Diamond and Arku were nowhere to be found.
The prosecution said the Police later traced Diamond to Ashalley Botwe School Junction and arrested her.
Arku, however, escaped to Kumasi, the prosecution said.
The government of Cameroon and different groups involved in the separatist conflict in the country have agreed to take part in a process aimed at resolving the situation, the Canadian government says. There has been no comment from the parties involved.
But Canadian newspaper La Presse quotes an anonymous source in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office as saing that there had already been three “secret meetings”, the AFP news agency says.
The five-year conflict in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions of North-West and South-West has claimed thousands of lives, while forcing more than one million to flee to French-speaking areas and a further 80,000 to take refuge in next-door Nigeria.
In a statement from Ottawa, the Canadian government announced that it had accepted the role of facilitator.
“Canada welcomes the agreement by the parties to enter a process to reach a comprehensive, peaceful and political resolution of the conflict,” the foreign ministry says.
It lists the parties to the agreement as:
The Republic of Cameroon
The Ambazonia Governing Council
The Ambazonia Defence Force
The African People’s Liberation Movement
The Southern Cameroons Defence Force
The Interim Government
The Ambazonia Coalition Team
The war has its roots in grievances that date back to the end of colonialism, when British-controlled territory was unified with French areas to create what is now Cameroon.
Many English-speaking Cameroonians have felt marginalised ever since and have opposed what they see as attempts by the government – dominated by the French-speaking majority – to force them to give up their way of life, including their language, history and education and legal systems.
“The agreement to enter a formal process is a critical first step toward peace and a safer, more inclusive and prosperous future for civilians affected by the conflict,” Canada says.
A previous effort at mediation by Switzerland failed to end the war.
A standoff between the US state of Michigan and Canada is the result of an aging pipeline that crosses a portion of the Great Lakes.
Many will look at the outcome of the fight over Line 5, which supplies energy to central Canada and the US Midwest, as a sign of how North America will balance its future energy needs with its environmental obligations.
The most controversial section of the Line 5 pipeline, which connects Superior, Wisconsin, with Sarnia, Canada, via Michigan, is located on the floor of the Straits of Mackinac. Two of the biggest lakes in the world, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, are connected by the narrow waterway.
In 2018, an anchor from a shipping freighter passing through the Straits struck and damaged the pipe, bringing to the fore longstanding concerns from environmental campaigners and others over possible spills.
Then-Michigan Governor Rick Snyder made an agreement with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge to protect the pipeline from further damage and keep it operational. Enbridge, one of the world’s largest pipeline firms, would build a $500m (£411m) tunnel bored through rock below the lakebed in the Straits, to enclose Line 5.
The agreement was meant to end uncertainty about the controversial 69-year-old oil and natural gas pipeline’s safety.
Will Line 5 be shut down?
But two years later, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mr Snyder’s Democratic successor and a long-time opponent of Line 5, ordered the company to cease operations in the Straits, effectively shutting Line 5 down. She called it an “unreasonable risk” to the Great Lakes, one of the largest sources of fresh water in the world and an economic engine for the region.
Now, there is no end in sight for the ongoing battle over the fate of the project, the pipeline and the need to protect the Great Lakes.
Permits and a safety and environmental impact assessment for the project – which would take years to complete – are still pending. And Enbridge has ignored Gov Whitmer’s order to halt, setting things up for a lengthy and contentious court battle.
Enbridge says the pipeline, which earns it an estimated $1.6-$2m daily, has been operating safely and reliably in the Straits for decades.
In turn, Michigan has sued the company to enforce the Line 5 shutdown. The case is currently before a US federal court.
Calgary-based Enbridge has Canada in its corner.
Line 5 is part of the Lakehead System, a network of pipelines that brings oil and natural gas from western Canada to homes and refineries in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario and Quebec.
It provides the majority of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec’s crude oil and, fearing its closure, Ottawa – which has warned a shutdown would have a profound impact on both sides of the border, including on jobs and supply chains – backed Enbridge’s legal case. It invoked the 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty between the two countries.
The treaty ensures that crude oil will flow between theUS and Canada so long as the pipelines involved are compliant with various rules and regulations. It forces an arbitration process in the event of a dispute.
But Michigan has the support of 12 federally recognised Anishinaabe tribes in the state, who say Line 5 poses too high a risk to the Great Lakes.
Line 5 ‘ticking time bomb’ fears
The waters are also of spiritual importance for the tribes, who argue they are protected by their constitutional treaty rights.
“The Straits of Mackinac are the centre of our creation story,” explains the President of the Bay Mills Indian Community, Whitney Gravelle.
She said they have a right to hunt, fish and gather in the territory “in perpetuity – and Line 5 is a ticking time bomb that could destroy our culture and lifeways”.
For many Michiganders it is a vital fuel supply – their main source of heating, delivering 55% of the state’s propane needs, according to Enbridge.
Dan Harrington is the owner of UP Propane, a major supplier of propane used for heating in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, north of the Straits of Mackinac.
Over concerns the pipeline would be shut down, he arranged an alternative supply route so as not to let down his 17,000 customers.
“We actually put in a rail terminal where we aren’t getting any, or very little, of our propane from Line 5,” says Harrington.
But if it were shut down, “the Midwest would be in a world of hurt”, he said.
Image caption,Whitney Gravelle is president of the Bay Mills Indian Community and Dan Harrington is a Michigan businessman
While Enbridge says the Great Lakes tunnel project would “virtually eliminate” the chance of a spill, others disagree.
An independent pipeline safety expert hired by the Bay Mills Indian Community, Richard Kuprewicz, says that transporting oil and gas “through an enclosed tunnel enhances the risk of a catastrophic explosion” – a risk he called low but not “negligible”.
If there was a pipeline break, even in the best-case scenario the outcome would be disastrous, according to Great Lakes oceanographer Dave Schwab.
Line 5 carries almost half-a-million gallons of oil and natural gas daily.
“So even if the oil flow was stopped instantly, which is impossible, the pipe would still contain a minimum of 5,000 barrels of oil,” he said.
A “best-case scenario” could see 700km (435 miles) of shoreline along Lake Huron and Lake Michigan affected, he said, and “in the worst case of a 25,000 barrel spill, over 1,000km of shoreline in both Canada and America would be affected”.
According to an independent risk analysis commissioned by Michigan, an oil spill could cost almost $2bn in damages. Given the diversity of habitats in and around the Straits – home to many insects, fish and migratory birds – it may “represent a point of no return for species loss”.
Michigan has been looking at options to replace Line 5 that include adding pumping stations to increase the flow of other Enbridge pipelines, or transporting the product via trucks and railroads. Those options, Canada’s Minister for Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson told the BBC, were “less safe, less efficient, and higher emitting”.
Pipelines are generally regarded as a safe way to transport fuel and a better alternative to tanker trucks or freight trains.
Eyes on Biden as energy prices rise
Supporters argue Line 5 is critical to the state for the millions of dollars Enbridge pays in property, corporate and other tax revenues annually, and is vital to its energy needs.
Enbridge says there’s no viable alternative to the tunnel project and that they intend to continue operating Line 5 at the Straits until the tunnel’s completion.
“The tunnel makes what has always been a safe pipeline even safer, ensuring energy access and reliability, and supporting jobs and the economy throughout the Great Lakes Region,” it told the BBC in an emailed statement.
They said they had also taken additional measures to regularly monitor its integrity and prevent future anchor strikes.
Although Line 5 has spilled over one million gallons at other stretches of the pipeline over its lifetime, Enbridge states that the portion crossing Mackinac “remains in excellent condition and has never experienced a leak”.
So far, the Biden administration has kept at arm’s length from the dispute, saying it will allow current environmental reviews of the tunnel project to play out.
Image caption,The Straits of Mackinac is an economically and environmentally vital part of the Great Lakes
But Heather Exner-Pirot, a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a Canadian think-tank, believes Mr Biden is unlikely to allow Line 5 to close, especially in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has had a significant impact on global energy supply and markets.
“The energy crisis has caused the political tides to turn on this,” said Ms Pirot.
This will dismay both environmentalists and tribes, who assert that Line 5 is contrary to the Biden administration’s green energy commitments.
“Enbridge is speaking the universal language of economics,” says Liz Kirkwood of FLOW, a non-profit conservation group, referring to the firm’s warnings that a shutdown would have immediate consequences on the economies in the region.
“What we’re talking about is 20% of the planet’s fresh surface water and the identity of an entire region. This is our home.”
Editor’s note: Leana Hosea was arrested in 2017 while working as a journalist covering a protest against Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline in Wisconsin. All criminal charges were dropped.
According to the Canadian Foreign Ministry, Canada has delivered armoured vehicles to Haiti to aid in the fight against criminal gangs as the Caribbean country faces a humanitarian crisis.
According to the report, the Canadian military aircraft were delivered to the Haitian National Police in the capital city of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, Haitian gangs have taken control of much of the country, resulting in routine gun battles with police.
Hundreds died in turf battles last year and, in September, Haitian gangs blocked a fuel terminal for nearly six weeks, halting most economic activity.
Canada and the United States provided tactical and armoured vehicles, as well as other supplies, in October after Haiti urged the international community to send in a “specialised armed force”. Ottawa has also sanctioned Haitians accused of gang ties, including a former president, two ex-prime ministers and three high-profile entrepreneurs.
“We’re all very aware that things could get worse in Haiti and that’s why Canada and partners, including the United States, are preparing various scenarios if it does start to get worse,” he said.
Canada will continue to provide support, Trudeau said, but he emphasised the Haitian crisis must be resolved domestically. Trudeau’s comments came as he attended the North American Leaders’ Summit along with US President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
“What is particularly important in this situation is that the Haitian people themselves be at the centre of the support, the building of stability and the resolution of the crisis in Haiti right now,” Trudeau said.
Canada says, the sanctions were for human rights violations committed during armed conflict from 1983 to 2009.
Canada has imposed sanctions on four top Sri Lankan officials, including former presidents Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, over “gross and systematic violations of human rights” during armed conflict in the island nation from 1983 to 2009, the Canadian foreign ministry has said.
The Sri Lankan government has taken “limited meaningful and concrete action” to uphold its human rights obligations, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday in a press release.
“The impact this will have on the [Rajapaksa] brothers in particular cannot be understated,” Mario Arulthas, a Phd candidate at SOAS, University of London and an adviser to People for Equality and Relief in Lanka, told Al Jazeera.
“Sri Lanka has been under pressure from countries such as Canada, the US and the UK for years, and has failed to deliver on repeated commitments it has made. This is a further signal, after similar sanctions by the US, that Sri Lanka will continue to be haunted by the crimes it committed against the Tamil people,” he said.
“Sanctioning individuals won’t be enough, however – ultimately there needs to be an international judicial mechanism that puts the perpetrators on trial.”
Alan Keenan, Senior Consultant, International Crisis Group, said that the sanctions “will not lead to quick or major changes within Sri Lanka”.
“But they are a timely reminder that continued impunity will bring increasing costs to the government’s international reputation at a time when it is desperately appealing for international financial assistance to address the economic crisis.”
Last October, the UN Human Rights Council renewed a mandate to collect and preserve evidence of atrocities during the decades-long civil war despite protests from Sri Lanka.
Sagara Kariyawasam, general secretary and member of parliament of the Rajapaksa-dominated Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), said that all Sri Lankans must condemn the Canadian move.
“Sri Lanka faced the scourge of terrorism for 30 years. Not only a large number of civilians were killed from all communities but also Tamil politicians, intellectuals and civil servants. Even renowned Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed by the LTTE,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Former presidents Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa played a great role in ending the war. Now people live without fear of bombs going off, no more body bags go to villages each day.”
Sri Lanka’s separatist war killed more than 100,000 people, according to United Nations estimates [File: Sri Lankan Government/Reuters Handout]
‘Culture of impunity’
Gary Anandasangaree, a Canadian liberal party MP, told Al Jazeera that there is a culture of impunity that has prevailed in Sri Lanka.
If the country is to move forward, it needs to be a state “based on the rule of law”, he said.
“I hope Sri Lanka takes the direction of strengthening the rule of law and begins to hold people to account,” Anandasangaree said.
“We are confident these sanctions will have a ripple effect with other countries undertaking similar measures based on their domestic laws,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Canadian foreign ministry in its statement said it supports efforts towards “urgent political and economic reforms to alleviate the hardships faced by the people in Sri Lanka”.
In response to the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, Canada announced $3m to support the appeals launched by the UN and its partners to address “immediate needs, including food security and livelihoods, shelter and non-food items, as well as nutritional assistance and primary healthcare services for vulnerable children and women”, the statement said.
The number of people in Sri Lanka needing urgent humanitarian help doubled to 3.4 million, the UN recently said. It warned of a worsening food crisis in the south Asian island nation that declared itself bankrupt in July.
The island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1948 and has been enduring soaring inflation, power blackouts, and fuel rationing since last year.
Months of protests against high prices and shortages of food and medicines led to the toppling of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last July. Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister last May. The Rajapaksa brothers were blamed for the economic crisis due to the mishandling of government policy.
Since then, thousands with the support of civil rights groups and trade unions have rallied to express their anger over the economic situation and police brutality.
Some 200 million Americans are feeling the icy grip of a massive winter storm that has been linked to at least 19 deaths ahead of the holiday weekend.
More than 1.5 million people lost power and thousands of flights were cancelled on Friday.
The vast storm extends more than 2,000 miles (3,200km) from Texas to Quebec.
A bomb cyclone, when atmospheric pressure plummets, has brought blizzard conditions to the Great Lakes on the US-Canada border.
In Canada, Ontario and Quebec were bearing the brunt of the Arctic blast, with power cut to hundreds of thousands.
Much of the rest of the country, from British Columbia to Newfoundland, was under extreme cold and winter storm warnings.
The US National Weather Service (NWS) said its Friday map “depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever”.
Temperatures in Elk Park, Montana, dropped to -50F (-45C), while the town of Hell, Michigan, has frozen over.
It was 1F (-17C) in the snow-covered community on Friday night. Emily, a bartender at Smitty’s Hell Saloon, told the BBC: “It’s pretty cold here, but we’re having a hell of a time.”
In South Dakota, snowed-in Native Americans burned clothes for warmth after running out of fuel, said tribal officials.
Heavy snowfall was forecast in areas of Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Buffalo, New York, was expecting at least 35in (89cm). The National Weather Service reported “zero mile” visibility there and posted video of white-out conditions.
“We don’t even want to be parked in it, you *definitely* don’t want to be driving in it. Seriously,” it said in the tweet.
More than eight million people remained under blizzard warnings, said the NWS.
Coastal flooding has been seen in New England, New York and New Jersey.
Image caption,Cows walk in the snow following a blizzard in Sturgis, South Dakota
In the Pacific Northwest, some residents ice-skated on frozen streets in Seattle and Portland.
Even the usually milder southern states of Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia were experiencing hard-freeze warnings.
A number of the storm-related fatalities have involved road traffic accidents, including a 50-car pile-up in Ohio that killed four motorists. Another four died in separate crashes in the state.
Travel problems across the country were being exacerbated by a shortage of snow plough operators, with low pay rates being blamed.Media caption,
Watch: Flooding pours through the streets of New York and New Jersey
More than 5,900 US flights were cancelled on Friday, according to the tracking site FlightAware, as flyers battled to make it home for Christmas. Another 1,200 Saturday flights have already been cancelled.
By Friday night one million customers had no electricity across the US, according to PowerOutage.us.
Utilities throughout the Tennessee Valley were implementing rolling blackouts to save power.
The NWS says more than 100 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken over the next few days. Decades-old records have already been matched:
Denver, Colorado, dropped to -24F on Thursday, its lowest point since the 1990s. Craig McBrierty, 34, who is originally from Scotland, but now lives in Denver, told the BBC it is “colder than I have ever experienced”
Wichita, Kansas, recorded its coldest wind chill (-32F) since 2000
Nashville, Tennessee, saw its temperatures plunge to below zero for the first time in 26 years
Casper, Wyoming, set a new record low on Tuesday of -42F
According to police, the teenage girls, most of whom were under the age of 16, met on social mediaand acted in a “swarming mob mentality” when they allegedly attacked a 59-year-old man.
After a man was stabbed to death in Toronto, eight teenage girls who apparently met on social media were charged with murder.
Investigators believe the girls assaulted and stabbed the 59-year-old man in the downtown district of the Canadian city early Sunday morning.
The man was taken to the hospital by medics, where he died.
Three 13-year-old girls, three 14-year-old girls, and two 16-year-old girls were arrested near the scene of the attack, according to police.
Detective Sergeant Terry Browne said investigators think the girls were trying to take a bottle of alcohol from the man.
He said they were all “equally culpable”.
“There is no doubt in our minds that they were all working as a singular entity in a swarming mob mentality when they chose to attack this man,” DS Browne added.
He said a number of weapons were seized, but declined to say what kind. He also said three of the girls had prior encounters with the police.
The girls met on social media but DS Browne said police “don’t know how or why they met on that evening”.
“It’s bizarre that they would all have hooked up together and found their way to downtown Toronto. Their primary residences are all over the place,” he said.
“I’ve been in policing for almost 35 years and you think you’ve seen it all,” DS Browne said.
“Anyone who isn’t shocked with hearing something like this has clearly just thrown in the towel and just said that anything is possible in this world.
“Eight young girls and most under the age of 16. If this isn’t alarming and shocking to everyone, then we’re all in trouble quite frankly.”
DS Browne said police have spoken to the parents of the teens.
“I can tell you it was a shock to find out that their children were involved in an event like this,” he said.
The victim was living in a homeless shelter and has not yet been named, DS Browne said.
He added that they would investigate whether “swarming” had seen a resurgence in popularity on social media.
The officer said 20 or 30 years ago, young teen boys in Toronto would swarmothers and try to steal Dr Martens boots or Air Jordan shoes but that trend faded away.
Canadian authorities cannot release the girls’ names because they are underage. They have made their first court appearance and remain in custody.
The girls’ next court appearance is on 29 December.
In a shooting that took place in the Toronto suburbs, five people were killed and another was injured.
Police Chief Jim MacSween told reporters that the shooting occurred in an apartment complex and that the suspect also passed away on Sunday after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement personnel.
A hospital was visited by the injured person, who had non-life-threatening wounds.
Sunday night, police were called to the scene.
“Once the officers arrived they were met with … a horrendous scene where numerous victims were deceased,” MacSween told reporters.
Police are investigating the motive and whether there was a connection between the victims and the male suspect, who has not been named. The suspect allegedly acted alone.
The victims were found in different apartments in the building, which is located in Vaughan, in the suburbs about 30km (20 miles) north of Toronto.
Residents were evacuated immediately and dozens of ambulances and police officers were at the scene.
Canada has experienced a surge in gun violence, which has prompted it to recently legislate to ban handguns.
In April 2020, a gunman disguised as a policeman killed 22 people in the eastern province of Nova Scotia, Canada’s worst mass shooting.
In September this year, a man stabbed 11 people to death and wounded 18 others, mainly in an isolated Indigenous community in Saskatchewan province.
Firearms-related violent crimes account for less than 3 percent of all violent crimes in Canada – but since 2009, the per capita rate of guns being fired with intent to kill or wound has increased five-fold.
Canada banned 1,500 types of military-grade or assault-style firearms in May 2020, days after the Nova Scotia shooting.
For the first time, the national rent average for all types of property in Canadasoared over $2,000 in November, marking a 2.5 per cent rise from October, according to a report from Rentals.ca
Renters in 2022 are paying approximately $224 more this year than they were in 2021, marking a 12.4 per cent increase.
Rent was highest in Vancouver, where the average price for a one-bedroom apartment was $2,633. A two-bedroom apartment cost nearly $1,000 more per month.
Toronto ranked second with an average price of $2,532 for a one-bedroom, while the two-bedrooms cost on average $3,347.
Meanwhile, Montreal clocked in at 23rd place with the average rent being $1,572 for a one-bedroom. A two-bedroom apartment in Montreal cost approximately $2,072.
Seven of the top 10 most expensive cities to live in are in Ontario, while British Columbia had the remaining three.
Atlantic Canada represented the fastest-growing rental market in Canada, according to the report with a 31.8 per cent rise in rental rates as of November. Halifax ranked 13th in the list of most expensive cities to live in.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has retrieved thirty-seven vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
The exercise which was carried out in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), was based on an intelligence-led operation.
In a press statement, EOCO said these vehicles were retrieved from some garages in Ghana, on December 9, 2022 and the suspects have since been questioned and granted bail.
“The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), carried out an intelligence-led operation for the retrieval of various specifications of luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
“On Friday December 9 2022, thirty-seven (37) of such vehicles were retrieved from some garages in Accra during which ten (10) persons were arrested. The suspects have since been questioned and granted enquiry bail,” the statement further added.
EOCO’s statement comes following allegations by some importers of used vehicles that the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and National Security unlawfully raided their garages and seized their cars.
The importers claimed that over three hundred vehicles belonging to their members were taken from them to an unknown location by EOCO.
The union had given a three-day ultimatum for government to put on hold the exercise or risk forceful retrieval of their cars even if they are auctioned.
“Even if it has been alleged that the cars have been stolen, to us we know we are not selling such cars. The cars that we are selling were completely bought. We ship them from America and Canada. We clear them here in Ghana, we have all the necessary documents to support whatever we are saying.
“We are only sending a signal to government that what they are doing does not help us as business people,” General Secretary of the Union, Clifford Ansu said, as quoted by myjoyonline.
An oath of fealty to the monarch is no longer required of legislators in the Canadian province of Quebec, thanks to a new law.
Three parliamentarians refused to take the oath of allegiance after King Charles III’s coronation, which led to the introduction of the measure.
The federal parliament of Canada overwhelmingly rejected cutting ties with the Crown in October.
In Canada, Quebec is the province that favors constitutional monarchy abolition the most.
The bill was introduced on Tuesday by Premier Francois Legault.
In October, after the province had an election,14 politicians refused to swear the oath. After being told they could not sit in the legislature without doing so, 11 of them backed down.
But three hold-outs did not, and have been barred from the National Assembly since late November, waiting for Mr Legault to bring forward the bill. It was fast-tracked once all parties in the legislature agreed to waive consultation.
In Quebec, members of the legislature had to swear two oaths, to both the people of Quebec and the Crown, and the latter has long been controversial.
The new provincial law amends the Canadian Constitution Act of 1867, to add a section exempting Quebec from the Oath of Allegiance to the King. That allegiance has been a requirement for all members of provincial legislatures across Canada.
“It is, I think, a relic from the past,” Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, a co-spokesperson for the Quebec solidaire party, said in early December about the oath to King Charles.
“I think there is strong support in Quebec to modernize our institutions, to make sure that the representatives of the people are not forced in 2022 to swear an oath to a foreign king.”
Constitutional scholar Philippe Lagasse told the BBC in an email that Quebec did not have the authority to amend the constitution by an act of legislation alone.
He said a change like this would either need the support of seven provinces that had, on aggregate, more than 50% of the population of Canada, or the federal parliament would have to agree with Quebec to allow the change in Quebec alone.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could challenge this new law in court, or a private citizen could be given standing by the court to bring forth a challenge.
In Canada, the monarch – now King Charles – is the head of state. The monarchy serves a mainly symbolic role, with the power to govern entrusted to the Canadian government.
Opinion polls suggest Canada as a whole remains divided on the monarchy. In an Ipsos survey conducted following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, half of the Canadian respondents – around 54% – said their country should sever its ties with the Crown.
That sentiment is strongest in Quebec, where 79% agreed.
According to the rights group, it is publicising the attack to raise awareness of the dangers that civil society faces.
Amnesty International’s Canadian office says its English-language unit was the target of a “sophisticated” hacking attempt that it believes is associated with China.
The digital security breach was discovered on October 5 when suspicious activity was detected on Amnesty’s IT infrastructure, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International Canada on Monday.
It also stated that it took immediate action to protect the systems and investigate the source of the attack.
“As an organization advocating for human rights globally, we are very aware that we may be the target of state-sponsored attempts to disrupt or surveil our work. These will not intimidate us and the security and privacy of our activists, staff, donors, and stakeholders remain our utmost priority,” Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, said in a statement.
The preliminary results of the investigation indicated the breach was perpetrated using tools and techniques associated with specific advanced persistent threat groups (APTs), Amnesty said.
Forensic experts with international cybersecurity firm Secureworks later established that “a threat group sponsored or tasked by the Chinese state” was probably behind the attack.
The forensic audit’s conclusion is based “on the nature of the targeted information as well as the observed tools and behaviors, which are consistent with those associated with Chinese cyberespionage threat groups,” it added.
A report released in August by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said a hacking group known as RedAlpha, suspected of acting on behalf of the Chinese government, had conducted a years-long espionage campaign against numerous governments, think tanks, news agencies and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), including Amnesty.
Last year, the United States, United Kingdom and their allies accused actors affiliated with the Chinese government of a cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange, and blamed the Chinese government for a broad array of “malicious cyber activities”.
Amnesty said it had decided to speak publicly about the attack as a warning to other human rights defenders on the rising threat of digital security breaches to their work
“This case of cyberespionage speaks to the increasingly dangerous context which activists, journalists, and civil society alike must navigate today,” Nivyabandi said. “Our work to investigate and denounce these acts has never been more critical and relevant. We will continue to shine a light on human rights violations wherever they occur and to denounce the use of digital surveillance by governments to stifle human rights.”
Amnesty said no evidence had been found that any donor or membership data had been taken.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeauhas said that invoking never-before-used emergency powers to end last winter’s truck protests, he “absolutely made the right choice.”
Mr Trudeau made the remarks during a Friday appearance before an inquiry into Canada’s use of the Emergencies Act.
He stated that he did not believe police had a proper plan in place to put an end to the anti-vaccine mandate protests.
For weeks, protests had paralysed Ottawa and shut down key border crossings.
The Act, in place between 14 February and 23 February, helped bring an end to three weeks of “Freedom Convoy” protests in Ottawa and elsewhere in Canada.
It allowed the government to impose bans on public assembly, to prohibit travel to protest zones, and gave it the ability to freeze bank accounts, among other measures.
Critics say Mr Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act was an overreach of government power and could set a precedent for its use to quell future protests.
The Public Order Emergency Commission, which is examining whether the Trudeau government was justified in invoking those powers, has been hearing from a series of witnesses, including police, intelligence officials and protesters, for the last six weeks.
Mr Trudeau is the final person to testify.
He told the inquiry he was concerned the protests posed a threat of violence, and his goal was to keep both protesters and the public safe.
As the Ottawa protests continued into February, and grew to include blockades at the Ambassador Bridge and Coutts border crossings, he said it became clear events were not “dissipating”.
In a mid-February raid, police found a cache of weapons among a small organised group within the larger Coutts protest, among the things Mr Trudeau cited as a specific concern.
“We were seeing things escalate, not things get under control,” he said.
The inquiry also heard that Mr Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden during the protests, seeking to reassure his US counterpart that Canada remained a “reliable partner” and a “safe neighbour” in spite of the blockades.
On Thursday, Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told the inquiry that the White House had expressed alarm when protesters blocked the Ambassador Bridge, a border point vital to North America automakers.
An independent inquiry after the Act’s use is required under the law, and a final report on the findings will be tabled next February.
Kevin De Bruyne was named player of the match in Belgium’s 1-0 win against Canada in their World Cup opener on Wednesday, but he was unsure why.
Belgium were second-best for large parts of the Group F contest at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, with Thibaut Courtois having to save a penalty from Alphonso Davies before Michy Batshuayi scored what proved to be the winner.
De Bruyne cut a frustrated figure as little came off for him on the night, and he was as confused as anyone as to why he had been awarded player of the match.
“I don’t think I played a great game, I don’t know why I got the trophy – maybe because of my name,” he said at a post-match press conference.
“We just didn’t play well as a team, especially in the first half.
“We started really badly, the momentum was with Canada and we couldn’t break through the press. I think there was more space than we thought.
“I don’t think we played a good game, me included, but we found a way to win.”
De Bruyne completed just 23 of his 33 passes (70 per cent), though did still create four chances, three more than any of his team-mates.
“When I saw the way we played I thought we were playing long too much, there was more space,” he added when asked about a confrontation with Toby Alderweireld immediately after the goal in the first half.
“You have to attract the pressing, play short and cross that line, but I don’t think we were brave enough to find that position.
“At half-time we cleared it up and things are OK, no hard feelings with Toby.”
Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez also acknowledged his team had not played well, but praised them for getting the three points.
