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Austin seeks to stem discord with allies over document leaks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought Friday to tamp down any discord between the U.S. and its allies over the massive U.S. leak of classified documents, as he met with defense leaders from around the globe to coordinate additional military aid to Ukraine.Acknowledging that the other nations have closely followed the issue, Austin hit the subject head on in his opening remarks to start the meeting. The move underscored the gravity of the situation, since many of the documents distributed online revealed details on the status of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukrainian forces in battle — intelligence matters the other defense officials are keenly involved in.“I take this issue very seriously,” Austin said at the start of the daylong session at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. “And we will continue to work closely and respectfully with our deeply valued allies and partners. “Austin said he’d spoken to allies...

Germany sets up panel to review 1972 Munich Olympic attack

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German government said Friday it has set up an international commission of experts to review the events surrounding the 1972 attack on the Munich Olympics, a panel that was part of an agreement reached last year with relatives of the 11 Israeli team members who were killed by Palestinian militants.The Interior Ministry named an eight-member panel of historians, most of them based in Israel or Germany. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser underlined Germany’s commitment to “a thorough reappraisal of what happened.”The commission will also “rigorously examine the period before and after” the attack, Faeser said in a statement. “It is particularly important to me for their work to also thoroughly address the treatment of the family members after the attack.”In September, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologized for multiple failures by his country before, during and after the attack as he joined his Israeli counterpart and relatives of the slain athletes at...

In The News for April 21 : Canada’s premiers, police chiefs to talk bail reform

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of April 21 …What we are watching in Canada …The association representing Canada’s chiefs of police is expected to meet with provincial and territorial premiers today to talk about reforming Canada’s criminal justice system.Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, who chairs the Council of the Federation, says premiers aim to hear chiefs’ public-safety concerns and their perspectives on how Ottawa should amend federal law, including on bail reform.Premiers have been calling on the federal government to renew and enhance its Guns and Gang Violence Action Fund, which supports provincial and territorial public-safety initiatives.That request follows previous calls for Ottawa to create “reverse onus” measures for certain offences that would require a person seeking bail to prove why they should n...

UBC students construct one of Canada’s first ‘carbon-minimal’ hempcrete buildings.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

VANCOUVER — It has been two years, but University of British Columbia architecture student Katie Theall can vividly recall the”surreal moment” when their team learned it had received a site on the Vancouver campus to build a “carbon-minimal” student space.“That was sort of a big moment being like, this is our site, this is going to happen,” said Theall. As the project’s architecture lead, Theall guided a team of 60 university students from engineering, architecture, business and arts to fundraise $1.85 million and build the hempcrete building on campus — from plans to plaster — all within two years. Construction workers are putting the final touches on the building this week. The 222-square-metre building, called Third Space Commons, is one of Canada’s first such institutional spaces designed to be near-zero carbon and features a seminar area, a meeting room and a kitchen. The building is wood framed, while the thermal insulation is ma...

Defence Department expecting clarity on cost of new warship fleet later this year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

OTTAWA — The Defence Department’s procurement chief is hoping to have a better sense by the end of the year as to how much Canada will have to pay to build a new fleet of warships for the Royal Canadian Navy.In an interview with The Canadian Press, assistant deputy minister of materiel Troy Crosby said officials continue to review and refine Ottawa’s plan to build 15 new warships to replace the Navy’s frigates and destroyers over the next two decades.That includes moving closer to a final design and preparing to cut steel on a test model next year on what will eventually be the largest and most complex military procurement in Canadian history.Yet Crosby said he won’t have an updated cost estimate until at least later this year, when he expects Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding to submit a formal plan for building the first three ships.“We will have a better sense of that once we get through to the shipyard’s proposal for the build of the first bat...

‘A perfect example of what not to do’: ex-U. S. envoy on PM’s reported NATO comments

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

CLEVELAND — A former U.S. envoy to Ottawa says he’s concerned about what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly said about Canadian defence spending. David Jacobson, who served as Barack Obama’s ambassador from 2009 to 2013, says a recent Washington Post report could prove to be a setback for future U.S.-Canada relations. The Post says Trudeau privately told NATO officials that Canada would never meet the military alliance’s spending target of two per cent of GDP. Jacobson says the comments, if true, risk making it harder for the two countries to resolve future bilateral irritants. And they could also undermine the faith of the American public in NATO by fuelling the perception that the U.S. shoulders the bulk of the military burden around the world. Jacobson, who says he doesn’t know if the story is accurate, was speaking at the annual conference of the Canada-U. S. Law Institute. “It’s one of those things that causes governments to lose confi...

Canada pledges $39M in sniper rifles, non-lethal aid for Ukraine

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada is committing another $39 million in weapons and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine.Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the latest contribution during a meeting with counterparts from the U.S. and other allies in Germany.The donation includes almost $35 million in cash to help Ukraine buy fuel, first-aid kits and other non-lethal provisions through a special NATO fund.The remaining money will be used to buy 40 sniper rifles and ammunition from a Winnipeg company, and new radio sets for the eight Leopard 2 tanks that Canada has donated to Ukraine.Canada has committed more than $8 billion in financial, military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022.While the conflict has become a war of attrition over the past few months, Ukraine is expected to launch a counteroffensive with the aid of Western weapons in the coming weeks.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2023.The Canadian Press

Cost of VW battery plant subsidy raises questions on necessity of securing it

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

SAINT THOMAS, Ont. — There’s nothing small about the $13 billion in subsidies that Canada has promised Volkswagen to secure the automaker’s first battery plant outside of Europe, but it remains to be seen whether the deal is enough to kick start the manufacturing sector’s future. The rising sticker shock of establishing a manufacturing base for electric vehicles is, depending on who you ask, either a worthy investment to secure the next generation of auto assembly or a sign that Canada should consider giving up the subsidy race and not worry so much about the sector in general.Securing Volkswagen is a “massive win,” said Flavio Volpe at the Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association, adding that people should focus more on the $200 billion in output the company will have to meet to secure the full payout.Because the deal is based on output rather than just an upfront cash payment from government, it looks much bigger than past deals with automakers but ...

Canada’s premiers, police chiefs to talk bail reform as Ottawa faces calls for change

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

OTTAWA — The association representing Canada’s chiefs of police is expected to meet with provincial and territorial premiers today to talk about reforming Canada’s criminal justice system.Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, who chairs the Council of the Federation, says premiers aim to hear chiefs’ public-safety concerns and their perspectives on how Ottawa should amend federal law, including on bail reform.Premiers have been calling on the federal government to renew and enhance its Guns and Gang Violence Action Fund, which supports provincial and territorial public-safety initiatives.That request follows previous calls for Ottawa to create “reverse onus” measures for certain offences that would require a person seeking bail to prove why they should not stay behind bars.Justice Minister David Lametti committed to move forward quickly on “targeted reforms” to the Criminal Code that would update Canada’s bail system after meeting with h...

Outdoor store MEC commits to cutting carbon emissions from products, supply chain

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:51:42 GMT

VANCOUVER — Canadian outdoor retailer Mountain Equipment Co. has set sweeping new emissions targets for its supply chain, part of what the company is calling a stronger, science-based plan to help address the climate crisis. MEC said its goal is to slash emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 and 90 per cent by 2050. The targets apply to both direct operations, like MEC stores and buildings, and its supply chain, from the manufacturing of its in-house brand products to the vendor gear and clothing it carries, the company said.“It’s easy in the environmental movement to have jazz hands,” said Adam Ketcheson, MEC’s chief commercial officer, referring to actions that may help the environment but don’t significantly reduce a company’s carbon footprint. “What we are really trying to focus on right now is doing things that are measured and have the greatest impact.”MEC has deep roots in Canada’s environmental movement. The outdoor recreation...