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Hong Kong’s economy is recovering, but its freedoms are not

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Like most people in Hong Kong, taxi driver Leung Tat-chong says it feels like the city is recovering after years of protests, crackdowns and pandemic restrictions, while it also has changed forever.He’s earning almost as much as he did before the pandemic. But, Leung said, the city has been divided since the 2019 protests, in which hundreds of thousands of people marched, and many battled police, in opposition to a government they saw as a proxy for Beijing. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the city welcomed more than 2 million visitors in the month of March. Crowds of art collectors and dealers spilled across two floors of a convention center at the Art Basel Hong Kong fair in late March. Excited chatter returned to a dim sum shop at the high-speed rail terminus. Yet Leung sometimes doesn’t turn on the radio in his cab because the news or a public affairs program could get his customers cursing. A supporter of the government, he watches what he s...

In The News for April 28 : How did Canada’s economic growth fare in February?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of April 28 …What we are watching in Canada …Statistics Canada is set to release its February reading for economic growth this morning.The federal agency will also provide estimates for March and the first quarter of the year.After recording zero growth in the fourth quarter, the Canadian economy bounced back in January as real gross domestic product grew by 0.5 per cent.Statistics Canada’s preliminary estimate for February suggests the economy grew by 0.3 per cent. However, RBC says it expects growth to come in lower than the federal agency’s estimate due to lower manufacturing sale volumes, as well as a fall in wholesale and retail sales. The Bank of Canada’s aggressive rate hikes are expected to slow the economy this year, as high borrowing costs constrain spending. —Also this …Worker...

Canada-U. S. meeting to focus on fight against cross-border gun smuggling, opioids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

OTTAWA — Co-operation on targeting cross-border gun smuggling will top the agenda today when senior justice and public safety officials from Canada and the United States meet in Ottawa.The Canada-U. S. Cross-Border Crime Forum brings together Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Justice Minister David Lametti and their U.S. counterparts, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland.The leaders plan to hold a news conference this afternoon.Canada and the U.S. are expected to announce steps to improve collaboration in the fight against the smuggling and trafficking of firearms across the shared border.Other items for discussion include the opioid crisis, addressing human smuggling and advancing criminal justice reform.Through the cross-border forum, the two countries have worked on joint targeting and assessment of potential threats, better information sharing and new ways to co-operate.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Apr...

Trudeau, buoyed by Biden visit, visits Council on Foreign Relations to talk up Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

NEW YORK — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will take his Canadian sales pitch to an influential U.S. audience this morning.Trudeau is at the Council on Foreign Relations, a respected New York think tank, to promote Canada as a wise investment and trusted trading partner. The idea is to capitalize on the momentum that was generated by last month’s visit to Ottawa by U.S. President Joe Biden. The centrepiece of that visit was a new Canada-U.S. strategy for the extraction, development and processing of critical minerals. Experts say would-be investors and developers now want to hear how Canada plans to streamline the regulatory process in order to capitalize on the country’s underground riches. Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s envoy to the U.S., acknowledges the appetite for clarity and says it’s a high priority — although the details likely won’t come today. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Canada’s permitting processes are actually more efficient than those...

High Court to rule on hearing over police misdeeds during gang murder investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will rule today on a gangland murder case from 2007 out of Surrey, B.C., where two men convicted of the crimes claim the investigation was tainted by police misconduct. Gangsters Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston were both found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy in 2014, seven years after the executions of six people in a Surrey highrise apartment building. Two of the victims, Christopher Mohan and Ed Schellenberg, were innocent bystanders in the apartment when they were gunned down alongside Corey Lal, Michael Lal, Eddie Narong and Ryan Bartolomeo.The question before the high court is whether police misconduct during the investigation, and Johnston and Haevischer’s treatment in prison, warrants a hearing of evidence to determine if the convictions were tainted by an abuse of process. The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in 2021 that there should be a hearing, but Crown prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, claiming n...

Federal workers strike for 10th day as negotiations on pay, remote work continue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

OTTAWA — Workers in Canada’s largest federal public service union are hitting the picket lines for the 10th day as negotiations continue. Both sides are facing pressure to reach a deal, though there is no talk of back-to-work legislation being on the way.According to an update from Treasury Board President Mona Fortier earlier this week, wages and remote work are among the points of contention in the labour dispute. The federal government is offering a nine per cent wage increase over three years, backdated to 2021. Meanwhile, the union says it has adjusted its initial ask for a 13.5 per cent increase over the same period of time — but is not revealing the new number. As the strike continues, Canadians are facing a wide range of federal service disruptions ranging from immigration services to passport applications. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2023. The Canadian Press

B.C. government to announce Surrey police service decision, RCMP or municipal force

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

VICTORIA — A decision is due today on who will police the Metro Vancouver city of Surrey: the RCMP or the municipal Surrey Police Service.British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the government has reached a decision on which law enforcement agency it will approve after months of difficult deliberations.The city had hired numerous policing staff and even a new chief for the Surrey Police Service when voters elected a mayor and several councillors last fall who opposed the change. Mayor Brenda Locke campaigned on the promise to move back to the RCMP, saying it will be less expensive, but both the RCMP and the Surrey Police Service are currently working in the city. The B.C. government had previously approved the switch to the municipal force, and now it has to reveal if the city can reverse the decision. Opposition BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says he lacked information from the government to make a decision on which police force to support, while Green Leader Son...

Daily horoscope for April 28, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Leo.Happy Birthday for Friday, April 28, 2023:You are energetic, radiant and know how to motivate others. You have a strong sense of responsibility for others, especially family. This is a wonderful year to socialize and enjoy life. Let your guard down and loosen up. Meanwhile, old friends may reappear to rekindle relationships.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Social plans might suddenly change today. They might be canceled, or you might get a surprise invitation. Meanwhile, parents should be extra vigilant today, because this is an accident-prone day for your kids. Admittedly, there is increased chaos and confusion at home. Tonight: Party!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Your home routine will change today. Small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur. Someone might surprise you by knocking on your door and catching you off guard. Get dressed. Stock the fridge. Be ready for any...

Two women killed in Russian missile strike on museum, Ukraine says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

A Russian missile struck a museum in the centre of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk on Tuesday (25 April), killing two women and wounding 10 other people, the state emergency service said.Rescue workers dug through mounds of rubble to retrieve the bodies after the local history museum was hit by what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff and the regional governor said was a Russian S-300 missile.Anatolii Haivoronskyi, who used to work at the museum, said the museum director had been trapped under the rubble."And that's a (museum) worker," he said, standing in the rain outside the devastated building and looking at a body bag on the ground.Yulia, a resident who gave no surname, said she had been at the post office when she heard three explosions in the morning attack."Civilians are suffering every day... Today's attack took place at 8:55 a.m., the ... museum was hit, and I guess some people were injured or died there. Civilians, not soldiers. There were no weapons ther...

Harriette Cole: How long until I can ask my grieving roommate for the rent?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:48 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My roommate is suffering from a tough personal loss that has left them completely overwhelmed by grief.I understand and want to give them the space and support they need to process, but because they were so preoccupied, they seem to have forgotten to pay their half of the rent. I didn’t want to burden them, so I paid the full amount myself.When is the right time to ask them to pay me back?Awkward TimingDEAR AWKWARD TIMING: You were kind to step in in the way you did, but know that your kindness was also risky.Even during tough times, people have to be responsible for themselves. Hopefully, your roommate will make good on paying their portion of the rent.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My husband just died, and my neighbor made a bothersome request Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I get out of paying for the car repair? Advice | Harriette Cole: I act like I have the answers, but my life is a wreck Advice |...