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Turkey’s opposition leader visits jailed Erdogan challenger Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
ISTANBUL (AP) — The head of Turkey’s main opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Tuesday after six nights of massive protests calling for his release. Imamoglu, arrested on March 19 on corruption charges, is seen as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. His arrest has been widely viewed…
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Protesters block traffic in Hungary in opposition to new law banning LGBTQ+ Pride events
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Several thousand protesters blocked a major thoroughfare in the center of Hungary’s capital on Tuesday in opposition to a recent law that effectively bans LGBTQ+ Pride events and restricts Hungarians’ right to assembly. The demonstration was the second within a week since Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party used its two-thirds parliamentary majority…
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School workers’ new deal includes wins for wages, school safety
Over 5,000 education workers in Nova Scotia have signed a new two-year deal with the province, after nearly a year of bargaining. In a member update Sunday night, the council of eight local union presidents told members they were “proud of what we have achieved” and that getting this deal “showed us what we can…
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Federal and three provincial privacy commissioners launch TikTok investigation
GATINEAU, Que. — Federal and several provincial privacy authorities say they will jointly investigate TikTok. The Privacy Commissioner of Canada says it has teamed up with the offices of the information and privacy commissioners in B.C., Alberta and Quebec to look into the short-form video streaming application. They will examine whether TikTok, which is owned…
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No foreign interference report more than one year after Liberal government re elected
OTTAWA — Canadians still do not have access to an assessment of the work done by a panel tasked with flagging incidents of foreign interference during the last election in 2021. The Critical Election Incident Public Protocol was created to monitor and report on threats to the 2019 election with a mandate to continue its…
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Gaps in province’s literacy education probed
MANITOBA — Education’s response to a scathing report that concludes the way Ontario schools teach students how to read — a popular approach in local classrooms — is failing children with learning disabilities is being met with skepticism. Internal documents shed light on government officials’ limited analysis of Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read…
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Political spin on election interference helps China undermine democracies: Trudeau
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says members of Parliament who put a political spin on foreign election interference are helping China undermine Canadians’ confidence in their democracy. He says playing “political games” to get a partisan advantage will undermine people’s trust in their institutions, and will only assist the efforts of countries like Russia…
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UNESCO chief urges tougher regulation of social media
PARIS (AP) — The United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural agency chief on Wednesday called for a global dialogue to find ways to regulate social media companies and limit their role in the spreading of misinformation around the world. Audrey Azoulay, the director general of UNESCO, addressed a gathering of lawmakers, journalists and civil societies…
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Amazon closes $3.9B buyout of health company One Medical
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Wednesday it has closed its $3.9 billion acquisition of the primary care organization One Medical. The e-commerce giant has said the buyout, which was announced in July, is a key component of its growing health care business, which includes its online drugstore Amazon Pharmacy and a patient to doctor…
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China, Russia targeting Canada’s artificial intelligence know how, CSIS warns
OTTAWA — Canada’s spy service warns that adversaries will turn to espionage and foreign interference tactics to target the country’s increasingly important artificial-intelligence sector. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says in a newly released analytical brief that countries including China and Russia can be expected to “pursue Canada’s AI through all available vectors” — from state-sponsored investment…
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Trudeau government mum on Japan’s invitation to rejoin global timber treaty
OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government has yet to respond to a months-old invitation from Tokyo to have Canada rejoin a global environmental organization that regulates the timber trade. A July 2022 briefing note obtained through an access-to-information request shows that Japan has asked Ottawa to be part of the International Tropical Timber Organization. The group…