Ukrainian and Russian officials have held a a new round of talks as Moscow's troops press their assault on Kyiv and other cities. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted a photo of the two sides meeting by video link on Monday but said the talks had ended for the day and would resume Tuesday. Podolyak said on Twitter earlier that the negotiators would discuss ``peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops & security guarantees.''Previous rounds were held in person on the border with Belarus, most recently a week ago, and failed to produce a breakthrough.

B.C. is reporting 288 new cases of COVID-19, including two epi-linked cases, for a total of 352,039 cases in the province. There are 368 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 46 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, three new deaths (Fraser Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 2,935.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks, for a total of 14 facilities with ongoing outbreaks. From March 3-9, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 18.0% of cases.From Feb. 24 to March 9, they accounted for 28.7% of hospitalizations.Past week cases (March 3-9) - Total 2,0

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau capped a week-long European trip by slapping sanctions on five more Russia oligarchs for their close ties with President Vladimir Putin. They include Roman Abramovich, who is a major shareholder in Evraz, a company that operates a steel mill in Regina. G-7 leaders have issued a joint statement backing Ukraine, calling for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops and promising further sanctions and economic policies targeting Russia's economy. The leaders say they're also pushing global financial institutions including the World Bank and Internation

Plans are in the works in British Columbia for the province to accept thousands of Ukrainians fleeing as Russia's invasion pushes further into their country. Premier John Horgan says he has met with Ukrainian community leaders, refugee settlement agencies and faith groups to make preparations to meet the housing, health and transition needs of those fleeing the war.Horgan says he's not sure about the number of people from Ukraine who might come to B.C., but he told a news conference it could be tens of thousands.He says community leaders indicate housing will be the top issue and discussions a

Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says job creation in BC in February helped nudge the province's jobless rate down two basis points to 4.9 per cent. Kahlon says the province continues to lead the country in economic recovery with 84,000 more people working than before the pandemic, a number he says is the highest job recovery rate in Canada. Statistics Canada data show jobless figures in Kelowna barely budged last month and are pegged at 7.1 per cent while Victoria's rate climbed three basis points to 4.2 per cent. Unemployment in Abbotsford-Mission saw a steep drop in February, falling more than on

Surrey RCMP is investigating a break and enter into a grocery store where a substantial amount of cash was stolen from an ATM. On February 2, 2022, Surrey RCMP received a report that a grocery store in the 15900-block of Fraser Highway was broken into while closed overnight between 1:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Police attended and determined that the suspect entered the store from the rooftop where they cut a hole through the ceiling and used a 40ft extendable ladder to climb down into the store. Once inside the store the suspect targeted the ATM machine and was able to steal a substantial amount of

A man is recovering from injuries after the latest shooting in Surrey. RCMP say it happened just before midnight in the Guildford neighbourhood. They say the attack appears targeted but a motive is unknown, although detectives don't believe it's linked to the ongoing gang conflict in Metro Vancouver. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Surrey RCMP.

January was another grim month in BC for deaths caused by toxic illicit drugs. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says 207 people died, an average of 6.7 every day, the third-highest monthly toll since 2016 when a public health emergency was declared due to rising toxicity of street drugs. Lapointe says there were also concerning increases in drug-related fatalities in small and medium-sized communities in January, with 11 deaths in Kamloops and 19 recorded across the Northern Health region. She says a safer drug supply is one key to solving the crisis, a recommendation contained in a report issued

Masks are no longer required in indoor public settings or on most transit options in BC as provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry lifted the province's mask mandate effective today. But Dr. Henry has urged patience and understanding, saying not everyone is ready to abandon the most visible safeguard against COVID-19, and she also says individual businesses have the right to decide if face coverings are required on their premises. Some places where masks must still be worn include Vancouver International Airport and on all flights, courthouses across the province, the University of BC wher