The Pacific Island nation of Nauru says it is switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. The move on Monday leaves Taiwan with 12 diplomatic allies around the world. Taiwan now has official ties with 11 countries and the Vatican. Seven are in Latin America and the Caribbean, three are in the Pacific Islands and one is in Africa.

Canadians are facing a huge increase in property taxes this year. Toronto homeowners will see their biggest increase yet in the series as the city proposed a 10.5 per cent increase in property taxes in the budget and warned that property taxes could rise to 16.5 per cent if funding for refugee support is not forthcoming from the federal government. Meanwhile, property taxes in Montreal are going up about 5 percent this year. This is the biggest increase in the 13-year history of the city. On the other hand, the property tax in Vancouver is currently 7.5 percent after increasing by 10.7 perce

Some of the Canadian Facebook users have been offered $51 million in a class action lawsuit by Meta. The lawyer who is representing the case against the giant social media company said that this settlement proposal sent by Meta is a positive sign for other companies as well. Meta is facing lawsuits from four states over an advertising program on Facebook called Sponsored Stories that ran from 2011 to 2014. People's names and pictures were used in this program without their knowledge. Now Meta is offering $51 million to settle these lawsuits. The lawsuit was filed in 2019 by a BC woman, who

The air strikes on Yemen by America and Britain have been criticized by the leaders of Yemen's Houthi movement. According to a report published on a houthi-backed website, bombs were dropped on Yemen's capital Sana'a, the coastal province of Al-Hudaydah, the northern province of Saada, Hajja, Dhamar and Taez. According to the report, apart from Dilmi Air Base, Hudaydah and Hajjah airports were also targeted in the attack. This morning, a faction of Houthi fighters released a statement on Al-Masriha TV broadcast by their spokesman Yahya Yaha Sariya. This statement is also posted on X.

A dispute between the City of Surrey and the Surrey Police Union has escalated after the city refused to pay salaries for newly recruited officers, citing budget overruns. Union spokesperson Ryan Buehring said members were shocked to learn just before Christmas that the city would not add recruits to its payroll. “These officers joined in good faith, and to be told days before the holidays that they would not be paid is unacceptable,” Buehring told Connect Newsroom. The city confirmed it sent a letter on December 19 advising the Surrey Police Service that additional hires should not have b

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is visiting Kyiv on Friday to announce a new package of support, including an increase in military funding, a statement from his office said. Sunak is expected to announce an increase in military funding for Ukraine for the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion), the statement said.

The Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team has launched a new campaign aimed at steering children and teenagers away from gangs, with videos set to be shown in schools across the district starting this week. The video features Eileen Mohan, whose son was killed in the Surrey Six massacre, alongside a convicted murderer who reflects on his own role in gang life. Police say the contrasting stories are intended to highlight the devastating consequences of gang involvement for both victims’ families and offenders. Inspector Ryan Element said the goal is to deliver a message that resonates with youth.

Hospitals across Canada are facing a crisis due to overcrowding. According to the Canadian Medical Association, despite the tireless efforts of doctors, nurses and other providers, patients in some areas are waiting 20 hours or more for treatment. The association has requested the help of the provincial governments to deal with the situation. Kathleen Ross, president of the medical association, said that the number of patients with influenza, Covid and respiratory viruses are on the rise, while access to high-quality primary care is low and hospital emergency rooms are becoming overcrowded du

Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, and the Fraser Valley are expecting frigid wind chills to arrive tonight, joining much of the rest of Western and Northern Canada under various cold weather warnings. Environment Canada says Arctic air combined with strong winds gusting to 60 km/h in the region will generate wind chill values that feel like -20 until at least Saturday. Extreme cold warnings remain in place for parts of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, B.C., northern Saskatchewan, and all of Alberta. Communities have been grappling with bitterly cold temperatures and wind chills that feel as