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Israel’s Netanyahu will meet Biden in New York. The location is seen as a sign of US displeasure

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to have his long-coveted meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday — bringing together the two leaders for the first time since the Israeli leader took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year.Netanyahu has been a frequent visitor to the White House over the years, and Israeli leaders are typically invited within weeks of taking office. The lengthy delay in setting up the meeting with Biden, and the White House decision to hold the meeting in New York rather than Washington, have been widely interpreted in Israel as signs of U.S. displeasure with Netanyahu’s new government.“Meeting at the White House symbolizes close relations and friendship and honor, and the denial of that shows exactly the opposite,” said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. “This is not going to be a pleasant meeting,” Gilboa said. “It is going to be a sour meeting.”The White ...

UK leader Rishi Sunak signals plan to backtrack on some climate goals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to water down some of Britain’s climate commitments, saying the country must fight climate change without penalizing workers and consumers. Sunak issued a late-night statement Tuesday in response to a BBC report saying the prime minister is considering extending deadlines for bans on new gasoline and diesel cars – currently due in 2030 —- and on new natural-gas home heating. Sunak said that in a speech this week he will set out a “proportionate” approach to the environment. He did not set a date for the speech, which could come as early as Wednesday.“For too many years politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade offs,” Sunak said in a statement. “Instead they have taken the easy way out, saying we can have it all.”Sunak did not confirm details of his announcements. He said he would keep a promise to reduce the U.K.’s emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases to net ze...

In the news today: India tensions rise, PM at UN and Unifor strikes deal with Ford

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed tobring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Diplomatic tension with India could last monthsOne expert thinks Canada may be just at the beginning of a months-long diplomatic spat with India, as allies await more information on accusations New Delhi played a role in the death of a Canadian citizen.Roland Paris, who leads the University of Ottawa graduate school of international affairs, says the countries have issued contradicting statements, making it difficult to find common ground.On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canadian intelligence services are investigating “a potential link” between India’s government and the death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.India calls those claims “absurd and motivated,” leading Trudeau to urge India to take the allegations seriously and co-operate with a police investigation.Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat M...

Newfoundland university threw open its doors to Titanic dive operator, emails show

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A research institute at Newfoundland and Labrador’s Memorial University threw open its “proverbial doors” last year to the company that owned the doomed Titan submersible, less than a year before the vessel suffered a catastrophic implosion while diving to the Titanic shipwreck.Emails obtained by The Canadian Press show officials with Memorial’s Fisheries and Marine Institute signed an agreement with OceanGate in December allowing the company to store equipment with the university and promising that students and faculty would have opportunities “to join OceanGate expeditions to support research endeavours.”The memorandum of understanding also says the marine institute would show OceanGate’s submersible to visitors in an effort to promote ocean literacy and the “blue economy.”The Titan submersible was last heard from on June 18, after it dropped into the North Atlantic on its way to the Titanic wreck site....

If it’s Wednesday, it must be time to save the world at the UN General Assembly

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

WASHINGTON — If you think your Wednesday is going to be busy, pour one out for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Canada’s to-do list at the United Nations? Confronting the climate crisis, helping Ukraine defeat Russia and eradicating global poverty, among other things. Trudeau will take in a UN Security Council debate on the way forward in Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to speak. At a climate ambition summit, Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to hold leaders to account on what they’re doing to confront the emergency. Trudeau will also take part in high-level meetings on creating new finance models to help the developing world find sustainable solutions. And he’ll join Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault at an event aimed at helping developing countries deal with their carbon emissions. “The time has come for all of us to step up and understand: the future is expecting us all to meet this moment,” Trudeau said Tues...

Canada in ‘early stages’ of diplomatic tension with India: former Trudeau adviser

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

OTTAWA — One expert thinks Canada may be just at the beginning of a months-long diplomatic spat with India, as allies await more information on accusations New Delhi played a role in the death of a Canadian citizen.Roland Paris, who leads the University of Ottawa graduate school of international affairs, says the countries have issued contradicting statements, making it difficult to find common ground.On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canadian intelligence services are investigating “a potential link” between India’s government and the death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.India calls those claims “absurd and motivated,” leading Trudeau to urge India to take the allegations seriously and co-operate with a police investigation.Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat Monday.Then India expelled a Canadian envoy, arguing it was because of concerns Canada is harbouring extremists who want a separate country for Sikhs.Paris says t...

Parents’ doubts persist after forum on Montreal supervised drug-use site near school

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

MONTREAL — Several parents say they were left with serious doubts after a tense Tuesday evening information session about a new supervised drug-use site opening near their children’s Montreal elementary school.Marie-Ève Bourrelle was among them. She emerged from the Victor-Rousselot school gymnasium in the second hour of what was supposed to be a one-hour meeting to answer parents’ questions and address concerns about neighbourhood security.Bourrelle said she’s generally in favour of expanding overdose prevention services, just not so close to a school. The stakes, she suggested, are now high for local officials and the organization behind the new centre, Maison Benoît Labre, to follow through on hopes for a harmonious integration in the surrounding community.“If the security is not done like they say, I’m going to refuse to let my child go to school,” Bourrelle vowed.Maison Benoît Labre is a non-profit that serves unhoused people. Its under-const...

Emergency manager’s testimony to continue at ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizer’s trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

OTTAWA — The testimony of Ottawa’s emergency services manager is expected to continue today in the criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers.Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are on trial for alleged mischief and counselling others to commit mischief, intimidation and other offences during the protest.Kim Ayotte oversaw the city’s bylaw enforcement, fire and paramedic services during last year’s demonstration, as well as the department that oversees special events.  He stepped into the witness box Tuesday afternoon, but his testimony was stalled as he struggled to answer specific questions without access to his text messages and other communications with his staff.Ayotte also provided daily situation updates to then-mayor Jim Watson and the rest of city council during the demonstration.The trial has been running behind schedule, and the judge announced Tuesday that she is looking for more dates to hear evidence and legal arguments in October and Nove...

GardaWorld employees arrested by Libyan militia held for nearly two months

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

MONTREAL — Seven employees of Montreal-based security giant GardaWorld languished in detention for nearly two months after their arrest earlier this year by a powerful Libyan militia.The workers’ ordeal underscores the ongoing risks of operating in a volatile region as well as the financial toll on foreign companies exacted by armed groups and state actors amid a fluid power struggle in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.GardaWorld, one of the largest foreign security firms operating in Libya, offers services ranging from armoured cars to security reports for diplomats and multinational corporations. But its role there came to a jarring halt on April 11, when the Rada militia at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport seized GardaWorld’s contractors, who were providing security for the EU Border Assistance Mission in the country.The company cited an “administrative imbroglio” as the reason for the arrest of the seven men, who were working under its partnership with another security firm, France-bas...

Most Canadians view about Online News Act is news should be free, survey suggests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:24:57 GMT

OTTAWA — A new survey suggests that most Canadians feel news should be free and accessible for anyone, while also believing that media will find other ways to make money.Leger conducted a national online survey of 1,564 people over the weekend to seek opinions about the Liberal government’s Online News Act.The law, which comes into effect later this year, will force digital giants such as Google to compensate media outlets for content that is shared or otherwise repurposed on their platforms.About three out of every four respondents said they were aware of the Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18, with 34 per cent of respondents saying the law is a good thing to help media outlets that compete for advertising dollars with tech giants.  In response to the bill, Meta removed news from its social platforms Facebook and Instagram, irking respondents of the survey. Overall, 59 per cent of respondents agreed the company should restore access to news, and only 12 per cent agr...