Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is headed to China on Friday at the invitation of Beijing, after years of diplomatic strain following the 2018 detention of two Canadians. In recent months, China has urged Canada to work on shared priorities and draw less attention to disagreements. Joly's visit follows Canadian security officials flagging Chinese interference as the country's greatest strategic threat, a charge Beijing rejects. Canadian business leaders have called out Ottawa for being an outlier in restoring high-level dialogue with Chinese leaders, arguing Canada can still raise human

British Columbia's wildfire service says it's on the lookout for a surge in wildfire activity as hot weather continues with thunderstorms and wind in the forecast. The service's latest bulletin says storms are expected over eastern B.C. up to the northern Rockies and winds are expected to pick up across the province later this week, carrying the potential to fan the flames of nearly 160 current wildfires. The winds come after Environment Canada expanded heat warnings to cover more than two dozen regions and communities, from Whistler to Kelowna to the Kootenays in the southeast, Terrace in the

Nearly two-thirds of Democrats say President Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to a new poll, sharply undercutting his post-debate claim that “average Democrats” are still with him even if some “big names” are turning on him. The new survey by theAP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, conducted as Biden works to salvage his candidacy two weeks after his debate flop, also found that only about 3 in 10 Democrats are extremely or very confident that he has the mental capability to serve effectively as pres

Heat warnings have expanded across a broad swath of British Columbia, a day after temperatures reached into the low 40s in the Interior and daily heat records tumbled. Twenty-five heat alerts are in place, up from 21 Tuesday, stretching from Whistler in the southwest to the north and central coasts and deep into the Interior. Environment Canada says the second heat wave for July is set to continue into next week in the Interior before gradually easing, while coastal areas could see conditions moderate after the weekend. Heat records in the 30s fell in six places on Tuesday, including Pemberton

Mahinder Bhagat, who won the election from Jalandhar West of Punjab, may soon be given a place in the cabinet. He was administered the oath by Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan today in Chandigarh. State Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also present on this occasion. Former BJP minister Bhagat Chunni Lal's son Mahendra Bhagat may be made the sports minister in the Aam Aadmi Party government. This portfolio was previously held by Gurmeet Singh Meet Hare, which has become vacant after he became an MP. It may be noted that Mahendra Bhagat left BJP and joined Aam Aadmi Party las

The Aam Aadmi Party government of Punjab has received a blow from the President. President Draupadi Murmu has rejected the Punjab University Law Amendment Bill 2023. As before, the Governor of Punjab will continue to be the chancellor of the universities. Under this bill, provision was made to withdraw the power of the Chancellor of 12 State Universities from the Governor and give it to the Chief Minister. Currently, there is no response from the state government. The Punjab Legislative Assembly unanimously passed this bill on June 21 last year. After not getting approval from the President,

Mansa CIA Inspector Preetpal Singh, who helped the accused gangster Deepak Tinu escape from jail in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, has received a blow from the Punjab-Haryana High Court. The court rejected the bail petition filed by him. The High Court said that Preetpal Singh, being a police officer, supported a criminal, which is a crime in itself. It is to be noted that the gangster Deepak Tinu was to be questioned about the Sidhu Moosewala murder case when CIA Inspector Preetpal Singh helped him escape from custody in the year 2022. The Special Cell Counter Intelligence Unit arrested h

A man serving a second-degree murder sentence has died in an Abbotsford prison. Correctional Service of Canada says in a statement that Eugene Raymond Benoit died while in custody at the Abbotsford Regional Treatment Centre. C-S-C officials say the 69-year-old man died of apparent natural causes on July 13th, and at the time of death, the inmate had been serving an indeterminate sentence. They also say the police and coroner have been notified, with a review of the death pending.

British Columbia's government has introduced new guidelines for public post-secondary education institutions, capping the number of international students at 30 per cent of their total enrolment. In a statement, the provincial Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills says the new limit is meant to make sure that "international student enrolment doesn't strain an institution's ability "to provide appropriate services." The ministry says the new guidelines call for public universities and colleges to submit international education strategic plans to the government, which the provin