WorldJun 03, 2020
Second-degree murder charge against the officer who knelt on George Floyd
The three other Minneapolis police officers involved in the arrest that led to the death of George Floyd are now being charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao had been fired along with Derek Chauvin, who was seen on video pressing his knee into the black man's neck for several minutes. Chauvin was originally charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but those counts are now upgraded to a charge of second-degree murder.
CanadaJun 03, 2020
Military ends mission to recover Cyclone helicopter crash wreckage, remains
The Canadian Armed Forces has ended its mission to recover the wreckage of the Cyclone helicopter that crashed off the coast of Greece in April.
Maritime Component commander Rear-Admiral Craig Baines says the remains of some of the service members who were on board when the helicopter went down were recovered.
They will be returned to Canada this weekend for identification.
Baines says wreckage from the helicopter was also recovered, with the focus on debris that flight-safety investigators believed could help determine the cause of the crash.
Baines says the military decided not to raise som
WorldJun 03, 2020
ACLU files suit on behalf of journalists in Minnesota
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against Minneapolis Police and the Minnesota State Patrol, alleging police have violated the rights of journalists covering the protests in response to the death of George Floyd. The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of Minnesota on Wednesday, alleges a ``pattern and practice of conduct by law enforcement,'' which the organization says, ``tramples on the Constitution.'' The lawsuit's lead plaintiff is Jared Goyette, a freelance journalist who says he was shot in the face by a rubber bullet fired by police.The suit outlines the number of journalis
BCJun 03, 2020
Video of officer seen punching driver to be investigated: Kelowna RCMP
The top RCMP officer at the detachment in Kelowna, BC, says a video circulating on social media that appears to show one of his officers punching a combative driver doesn't tell the full story.The video was filmed by a passerby and shows two officers wrestling with a man in a local parking lot on Saturday, and when a third officer arrives, he hits the man in the face.Superintendent Brent Mundle says he recognizes that the tactics in the video are shocking to many people and it's always the intention to make a peaceful arrests.But he says when circumstances require it, officers may have to use
BCJun 03, 2020
Metro Vancouver home prices stable despite pandemic
Home prices remained steady across Metro Vancouver in May but data from the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board shows sales see-sawed as the COVID-19 pandemic affects the market.A statement from the board says the composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Vancouver is just over one-million dollars -- virtually unchanged since April and up nearly three percent since May 2019.But the board says sales last month were 54 per cent below the 10-year May sales average and plunged almost 44 per cent compared with May of last year, but jumped 34 per cent since April.The board says thi
CanadaJun 02, 2020
House of Commons can manage virtual voting securely if MPs want it, Speaker says
House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota says he is comfortable the technology is in place to safely allow MPs to vote remotely during the hybrid Parliament sittings.Rota tells the procedure and House affairs committee today he is confident the process for public votes is secure and that it's up to MPs to decide which kind of system is appropriate to approve.Security concerns and other barriers to letting MPs vote while attending the House of Commons virtually kept the Liberals and NDP from supporting a return to normal last month.The House of Commons is continuing with hybrid sittings of the spe
CanadaJun 02, 2020
Feds continue to add to COVID-19 supply stores to meet future demand
The federal government continues to add to the supply of personal protective agreement and related medical equipment needed to fight COVID-19.The prime minister says the race to accumulate what Canada needs requires a balance between shopping all over the world and continuing to bolster manufacturing capabilities at home.Justin Trudeau pointed out that over half the face shields acquired so far have been made by a Canadian company that expanded its workforce to contribute to the effort.He says Canada has what's required to meet the provinces' demands at the moment but as the slow reopening of
WorldJun 02, 2020
Trump threatens military force against protesters
American cities erupted in violence and destruction in a seventh straight night of unrest, with several police officers shot or run over, amid boasts and threats from President Donald Trump to send in troops to ``dominate the streets.''The death toll nationwide has risen to at least nine, with over 5,600 arrests in the week since George Floyd's death in Minneapolis touched off protests against police killings of black people.Trump has threatened to deploy the United States military unless states halt the violent protests that have gripped cities from coast to coast.Trump said yesterday he was
CanadaJun 02, 2020
Trudeau rejects Trump suggestion to readmit Russia to G7, citing Crimea invasion
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Russia is not welcome in the G7 any time soon.Trudeau is flatly rejecting today a suggestion by U.S. President Donald Trump to readmit Russia, which was kicked out of the group of leading democratic countries after its invasion of Ukraine in 2014.Trump was to host the G7 summit later this month but has postponed it to the fall because of the mass protests rocking the United States, and he has mused that he would like to see Russia, India, South Korea and Australia added to what he calls a "very outdated" group of countries.Trudeau says Russia was kicked out o