President Joe Biden says he stands ``squarely behind'' his decision for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan. Speaking about the chaotic situation in Kabul, Biden says he faced a choice between sticking with an agreement to leave or sending thousands more U.S. troops to fight a ``third decade'' of war. Biden spoke Monday after the planned withdrawal of American forces turned deadly at Kabul's airport as thousands tried to flee following the Taliban's swift takeover of the country. He told Americans it would be wrong to use US troops to stand up to the Taliban when Afghan forces would not. Biden retu

Fourteen people are safe after a harrowing incident off Gabriola Island just east of Nanaimo. An eight-metre boat began taking on water near Pilot Bay yesterday. A BC Ferry running between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay was one of the many vessels that responded to the call. All 14 people were rescued while their crippled boat was towed to Nanaimo for repairs. BC Ferries on Twitter: #ServiceNotice UPDATE #Tsawwassen - #DukePoint #QueenOfAlberni is currently delayed 30 minutes due to assisting in a marine rescue for a vessel in distress. Details posted here: http://ow.ly/IAB130rR794 ^gh1:59 PM · A

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says Canada plans to send military aircraft back into Afghanistan to evacuate Canada-connected Afghans. But Trudeau says the airport in the capital, Kabul, must be secured to combat the chaos that currently exists there. Trudeau says Canadian military aircraft are on standby in Kuwait, waiting until the Kabul airport can be secured so they can extract Afghan citizens who helped the Canadian mission there. Afghans have been flocking to the Kabul airport, desperately trying to get out of the country. Several people are reported to have been killed as they frantical

Police say a male victim is in hospital after a shooting in Surrey, B.C. The RCMP say officers responded to a shots fired call on 152nd Street just after midnight. Police say a male with a gunshot wound was found at the scene and rushed to hospital. There was no immediate word on his condition. Investigators say the investigation is in its early stages, but they believe the victim was targeted. Mounties have been canvassing the neighbourhood, hoping to talk to possible witnesses.

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021.Fires:Since April 1, 2021:1,511 wildfires766,709 hectaresCurrently burning: 268Active fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 32Coastal: 21Kamloops: 86Northwest: 5Prince George: 60Southeast: 64Resources:Total personnel: 3,701Contract firefighters: 1,236Out-of-province personnel: 480Aircraft (rotary and fixed-wing): 213Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 74 (+13)Evacuation alerts: 119 (-1)Properties:Number of properties on order: 6,607 (+717)Number of properties on alert: 1

Haitians are searching for survivors and the dead in collapsed buildings following the powerful earthquake over the weekend as hospitals overflow with patients. Thousands of people in the quake zone have slept outside, clutching small transistor radios tuned to the news. Officials have raised the death toll from Saturday's earthquake to at least 1,297. And the devastation could soon worsen. Tropical Depression Grace is predicted to reach Haiti on Monday night and it will bring the potential for heavy rain, flooding and landslides. The country's Civil Protection Agency says the magnitude 7.2 e

The federal parties are beginning to lay out their plans to revive the country's economy after months of pain from the COVID-19 pandemic.The Liberals are promising to extend a hiring credit first unveiled in their recent budget, aimed at boosting payrolls.Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole laid out his party's full platform, which similarly aims to create jobs, but also unwinds the Trudeau government's child-care system.Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is promising to pry money out of the pockets of CEOs who saw their compensation rise even as their companies received federal business aid.The

Senior U.S. military officials say the chaos at the Kabul airport this morning left seven people dead, including some who fell from a departing American military transport jet. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss ongoing operations. Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital's airport on Monday as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban seized power with stunning speed. Some clung to the side of a U.S. military plane before takeoff, in a widely shared video that captured the sense of desperation as America's 20-yea

India's cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 54.58 crores, said the Central government on Monday. As per the data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 54,58,57,108 vaccine doses have been administered through 61,54,235 sessions out of which 17,43,114 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. The country's recovery rate stands at 97.48 per cent and out of the people infected since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,14,11,924 have already recovered from COVID-19, and 35,909 patients recovered in the last 24 hours. The data revealed that 32,937 new cas