Canada's emergency preparedness minister says Ottawa is providing $870 million to support recovery efforts after destructive flooding in British Columbia last fall. Bill Blair says the money is the first payment as part of a commitment the federal government made in the immediate aftermath of the severe weather, with more to come.He says the money is being distributed through the disaster financial assistance program.British Columbia has asked for about $5 billion from the program, and provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says getting access to the money can take time, so this adva

France and the United Arab Emirates have signed an agreement on energy cooperation to ensure oil and gas supplies from the Gulf country. The deal announced by the French economy ministry Monday comes as Europe prepares for the possibility of a total cutoff of Russian natural gas in retaliation for sanctions over the war in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Paris. Oil and gas supplies to France and the European Union are top of the agenda as the 27-member bloc scrambles to prepare for winter. France has been in discussions wi

EDMONTON - An appeal by a former Edmonton nightclub employee who was found guilty of sexually assaulting five women has been dismissed. Matthew McKnight, who is in his mid-30s, was accused of sexually assaulting 13 women ranging in age from 17 to 22 between 2010 and 2016. A jury found him guilty in five of the assaults in January 2020 and he was later sentenced to eight years in prison. McKnight's defence team filed the notice of appeal of his conviction in August 2020, and it was heard by the Alberta Court of Appeal in June 2021. The decision by a panel of three judges was released today. Pro

A judge has denied bail for the fourth man charged with conspiracy to commit murder at a border blockade earlier this year in southern Alberta. Queen's Bench Justice Johnna Kubik ruled in Lethbridge court today that Jerry Morin, who is 40, must remain in custody until his trial. Morin, Anthony Olienick, Chris Carbert and Christopher Lysak are accused of conspiring to kill police officers at a blockade near Coutts, Alta., in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictions. Olienick, Carbert and Lysak had already been denied bail. A trial for all four accused is to be held i

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the head of the country’s security service and its prosecutor general on Sunday, citing hundreds of criminal proceedings into treason and collaboration by people within their departments. “In particular, more than 60 employees of the prosecutor’s office and the SBU have remained in the occupied territory and work against our state,” Zelenskyy said. “Such an array of crimes against the foundations of the state’s national security, and the links recorded between Ukrainian security forces and Russian special services raise very serious que

The pictures and videos of former Prime Minister and Congress MP Manmohan Singh reaching Parliament in a wheelchair to cast his vote for the presidential election 2022 on Monday are being widely shared on social media. "Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India and Congress leader, casts his vote in the Parliament for the Presidential election in a wheelchair. Long Lives Singhji, Long Lives India!," a Twitter user wrote. Singh, 89, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were reportedly among the first few electors to cast their vote in the initial two hours of the presidential poll. When Singh

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has admonished the federal government for its controversial decision to send parts of a Russian natural gas pipeline back to Germany. In a video posted to social media yesterday, Kenney accused the Liberals of impeding efforts to export responsible Canadian energy to Europe while helping Russian leader Vladimir Putin's Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom. Canada agreed earlier this month to grant an exemption to the economic sanctions issued against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine, allowing six turbines being repaired in Montreal to be returned

With an aim to expedite work on all ongoing projects in the state along with initiating and completing the other ones for giving a major boost to the infrastructural development, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday chaired a review meeting of the department his official residence. The state chief asked the officials to accord top priority to all approved and sanctioned works for their timely completion. He directed the Public Works Department (PWD) officials to ensure proper checks at every stage of the project to ensure good quality of the works. Chief Minister directed the office

Alberta's police watchdog has been called in after a suspect was shot by officers in northeast Calgary Sunday night. Police were called to a home on Coventry Hills Way N.E. near Harvest Hills Blvd. N. at about 9:45 p.m. for reports of an unknown man with a weapon trying to get into the building. When they arrived, police say they attempted to de-escalate the situation, but failed, resulting in two officers discharging their service weapons. The suspect was immediately provided medical care at the scene and taken to hospital in non-life-threatening condition. No officers were injured during the