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☆ Google Blocks News Results in Some Canadian Searches
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Vipal Monga | Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Google says the test affects less than 4% of randomly chosen users in Canada and will run for roughly five weeks. Alphabet Inc.’s Google unit is blocking news content on its search function in Canada for some of its users, as it tests ways to respond to proposed legislation that would force online platforms to pay media organizations for links to their stories. Google’s move comes as the legislation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’s government is before the Canadian senate for debate. The bill, known as C-18, was approved by the lower house of parliament late last year. The legislation focused on online news links is part of Canada’s broader effort, championed by Mr. Trudeau, to regulate online content.

☆ Canada’s Use of Emergency Powers ‘Appropriate’ to Counter Freedom Convoy, Inquiry Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Justin Trudeau was the first prime minister to invoke powers in Canada’s Emergencies Act in an effort to end Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa. OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was justified in invoking emergency powers last year to end a weekslong protest that paralyzed the capital and thwarted trade on key U.S.-Canada corridors, a judicial inquiry said Friday. The inquiry said Canada’s cabinet had information about a “threat of serious violence for a political or ideological purpose.” Furthermore, the inquiry said a series of policing mistakes by local authorities “contributed to a situation that spun out of control. Lawful protests descended into lawlessness, culminating in a national emergency.”

☆ On TikTok, Even Canadians Don’t Want to Be Labeled Canadian
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OTTAWA—Canada is days away from passing a law to force digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to showcase more Canadian content. While that might sound like good news for Canadian artists and content producers, many see it as about as welcome as a polar vortex.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t describe the origin of the two latest crafts shot down over the U.S. and Canada. U.S. officials believe the two latest flying objects shot down over the U.S. and Canada in recent days were also balloons, although smaller than the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down Feb. 4, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday. Officials have publicly described the crafts shot down over Alaska Friday and over Canada Saturday as objects. Mr. Schumer was asked in a television interview Sunday if these were also balloons.

☆ U.S. Military Shoots Down Fourth High-Altitude Object Over North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon said it began tracking the latest object over Montana. WASHINGTON—The U.S. shot down a fourth flying object Sunday afternoon at 20,000 feet above Michigan’s Lake Huron, the Pentagon said, underscoring its stepped-up defense of North American airspace following the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. An F-16 jet fighter shot down the object on orders of President Biden at 2:42 p.m., the Pentagon said, with the same kind of missile used in the previous three shootdowns, an AIM-9X Sidewinder.

‘Until a few months ago we didn’t know of these balloons,’ Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. U.S. and Canadian officials were seeking Sunday to determine the origin and purpose of two objects shot down by military jet fighters over Alaska and Canada in the wake of increased aerial surveillance following the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. U.S. officials said they had stepped up monitoring of high-altitude airspace following the discovery of the Chinese balloon. In two separate incidents this weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed off airspace to civilian operations—first over Montana, and later over Lake Michigan—to support Department of Defense operations.

☆ Flying Object Shot Down Over Canada on Orders of Biden and Trudeau
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shown in Ottawa earlier in the week, says the country’s forces would recover and analyze the wreckage of the downed object. A U.S. military jet shot down another unidentified airborne object, this time over Canada, on Saturday on orders of President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . “Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized it to be taken down,” according to a statement from the U.S. National Security Council. “President Biden authorized U.S. fighter aircraft…to conduct the operation and a U.S. F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory in close coordination with Canadian authorities.”

☆ Flying Object Shot Down Over Canada on Trudeau’s Orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Paul Vieira | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ France urges stronger international response to Iran's missile program
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna looks on during a news conference with Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira ( not pictured ) at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File PhotoSummary French govt: Colonna spoke to Blinken on ThursdayDiscussed Iran, Ukraine, Armenia, AzerbaijanUrged stronger response to Iran missile programmePARIS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - There must be a stronger "international response" to the threat posed by Iran's ballistic missiles program, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told her U.S. counterpart Anthony Blinken, France's Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The French Foreign Ministry said Colonna and Blinken had spoken by phone on Thursday, during which they discussed an array of topics, including Ukraine and Iran. Colonna and Blinken also reiterated their "full support" to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia almost a year ago, and discussed the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten and John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-GuptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biologists found 5 new species of snakes and Leonardo DiCaprio named one that produces a 'musky and distasteful odor' after his mom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One of the snakes was named by actor Leonardo DiCaprio in honor of his mother, Irmelin Indenbirken. The snakes are being threatened by mining operations in the country, scientists noted. Biologist Alejandro Arteaga examining a preserved snail-eating snake in a museum Jorge CastilloOf the five species, one — a red-orange snake with large, glowing orange eyes — is called DiCaprio's snail-eating snake. "When threatened, individuals may hide the head among body coils and produce a musky and distasteful odor," the study read. Alejandro ArteagaThe four other snakes include the canopy snail-eating snake, Marley's snail-eating snake — named after the daughter of billionaire Brian Sheth — as well as Vieira's snail-eating snake, and Welborn's snail-eating snake.

☆ Canada Pulls Back Proposed Rifle Ban From Gun-Control Measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Canada’s public safety minister called hunting a proud tradition and a way of life. OTTAWA—Canada’s Liberal government repealed on Friday elements of its gun-control legislation that proposed banning rifles and shotguns widely used by hunters, farmers and indigenous communities. The surprise decision emerged after the plan to target thousands of rifles and shotguns sparked widespread opposition from the governing Liberals’ political allies on gun control, indigenous leaders and gun-rights advocates.

☆ Bank of Canada Raises Rates, Declares Pause to Assess Economic Impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bank of Canada is one of the first central banks among major developed-world economies to declare that it is done for now raising interest rates. OTTAWA—The Bank of Canada raised interest rates on Wednesday by a quarter point and said it would now pause to assess the economic impact from sharply higher borrowing costs. The Bank of Canada increased its target for the overnight rate to 4.50% from 4.25%, or the highest level in over 15 years. More important, the Bank of Canada is one of the first central banks among major developed-world economies to declare that it is done for now raising interest rates in the quest to bring inflation down from historically high levels. Central banks are trying to balance the risks between raising rates too aggressively and triggering a deep recession, and raising rates at too tepid a pace and allowing inflation expectations to remain elevated.

The EU froze funds earmarked for Hungary and Poland over their nationalist governments' track record of undercutting liberal democratic rules. Portugal had disbursed 1.4 billion euros, or 8.5% of the total recovery funds assigned to it, to project promoters by the end of 2022. Romania and Portugal are the two countries pushing hardest to extend the 2026 deadline and Spain and other Eastern European countries are supporting their demands, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said. Some countries are devising workarounds for projects that are particularly important and look like they are unlikely to meet the deadline, said a source. This would imply budgeting and allocating funds before the projects have been commissioned in order to meet the 2026 deadline, the person said.

Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng says the ruling reaffirms ‘our understanding of the negotiated outcome on the rules of origin for automotive products.’A trade panel ruled in favor of Mexico and Canada in a dispute with the U.S. over rules to calculate regional content required for tariff-free imports of vehicles under the U.S., Mexico, Canada Agreement, officials said Wednesday. Mexico and Canada had challenged the U.S. method for calculating the regional content required under the USMCA trade pact for cars to have tariff-free access to the U.S., and requested the panel early last year after failing to reach agreement during consultations.

☆ Canada, U.S. Agree to Workaround on Border-Security Dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OTTAWA—The U.S. and Canada said Tuesday they have reached a partial resolution over a yearslong border-security dispute that has disrupted plans for business travelers and others who frequently cross the border. Details were released on the margins of the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City. In a joint statement, the U.S. and Canada said the measures to be implemented would help clear a backlog of applications—peaking last year at 330,000—related to the joint U.S.-Canada trusted traveler program called Nexus.

☆ Brazilian judge orders arrest of Bolsonaro’s ex-minister after Brasília rampage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

BRASILIA, Brazil — A Brazilian Supreme Court judge ordered the arrest on Tuesday of the capital’s most recent public security chief after supporters of right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro led a rampage through government buildings. Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro storm the National Congress building in Brasília on Sunday. In the arrest warrant, Moraes cited their failure to ensure proper security forces were in place. A Reuters witness spotted police at the Torres family residence in an upscale Brasília neighborhood, where a resident said they left carrying bags. His son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, denied on Tuesday that the former president was responsible for the riots on Sunday.

☆ The 7 cities you 'must visit before you die,' according to 50 travel experts—only one is in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Sharael Kolberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As travel journalist of over 20 years, I recently interviewed more than 50 travel enthusiasts, experts and agents. New York City, U.S.Jonathan de Araujo, owner of The Vacationeer Travel Agency, calls the Big Apple "a city of superlatives." Just a short walk from the 9/11 Museum, New York City tourists can take a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty. "It's now as much a part of New York City history as the Statue of Liberty," he says. Cape Town, South AfricaTom Marchant, founder of luxury travel company Black Tomato, calls Cape Town "the perfect destination for thrill seekers."

The government of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva bolstered security measures nationwide as flyers appeared on pro-Bolsonaro social media calling for mass demonstrations in Brazilian cities to "retake power." Ricardo Cappelli, the federal official in charge of public security in the capital since Sunday, said all security forces had been mobilized to prevent protests and that there would be no repeat of rioting. So far, 727 of the over 1,500 involved in Sunday's riots have been imprisoned. The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Moraes's arrest warrant for Anderson Torres, Bolsonaro's former justice minister who oversaw public security in Brasilia during Sunday's riots. The former president, whom Lula has blamed for inflaming the protests, did not mention Sunday's riots.

☆ Canada to Buy 88 F-35 Jet Fighters to Refurbish Aging Air Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Paul Vieira | Doug Cameron | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An F-35 demonstration in 2019. Canada was one of eight original countries to partner in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, as a way to defray some of its costs. OTTAWA—Canada said Monday it would purchase 88 F-35 combat jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp., ending a protracted, politically-charged process to refurbish the country’s aging air force. The total cost is budgeted at 19 billion Canadian dollars, or the equivalent of over $14 billion, with deliveries set to start in 2026 and all purchased aircraft expected to be in operation by 2034. Canada said the deal, struck with the Pentagon, provides the country with the best jet fighter to meet its obligations to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and protect the country’s Arctic, which officials say face elevated threats from Russia and China.

☆ ‘The View’ pays tribute to Barbara Walters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —“The View” returned from its holiday hiatus to pay tribute to its creator, Barbara Walters, who died last week at 93 years old. Vieira thanked Walters for allowing her to “reinvent” herself from a journalist to a talk show host. Former hosts pay tributeOver the past few days, former co-hosts of “The View,” which first aired in 1997, honored Walters on social media. Matenopoulos, who was 22 years old when Walters picked her as one of the show’s original co-hosts, thanked her on Instagram for taking a chance on her. At that network, Walters launched “The Barbara Walters Specials” and “10 Most Fascinating People” before becoming a co-host and correspondent for ABC News’ “20/20” in 1984.

☆ Women journalists remember Barbara Walters: 'Her powerful legacy lives on'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters report from London during the wedding of Prince William and Princes Kate in 2011. Guthrie posted a throwback photo of Walters at the “TODAY” anchor desk with the caption: “thank you, Barbara. Harry Reasoner and Barbara Barbara on the set of ABC's evening news in 1976. "Her powerful legacy lives on in all the women journalists who were influenced by her passionate work and searing interviews," Roberts wrote. 'This is my legacy'Led by Oprah, 25 women journalists who were influenced by Barbara Walters say goodbye to her during her final co-host appearance on "The View" in 2014.

☆ Canada’s Ruling Party Faces Pushback on Gun-Control Legislation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said hunters would be exempt from the proposed gun-control legislation. OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’s push to further tighten the country’s gun-control rules has stalled over a last-minute attempt to prohibit rifles and shotguns widely used by hunters. The legislation, rolled out following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May that killed 19 children and two teachers, would formally prohibit the purchase, sale or transfer of handguns, and introduce a mandatory buyback program for roughly 1,500 firearms banned in 2020 after the deadliest massacre in the country’s history, in the East Coast province of Nova Scotia.

☆ Barbara Walters, pioneering TV journalist who began on ‘TODAY,’ dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Ethan Sacks | Ethan Sacks Writes For Nbcnews.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Barbara Walters, the pioneering TV broadcaster who blazed a trail for women in a male-dominated medium, died Friday. “Barbara Walters proved to be the evolutionary step between Edward R. Murrow and Oprah Winfrey.”Barbara Walters interviews Ronald Reagan in 1980 for ABC News. NBCMcGee, who died shortly after being partnered with Walters, demanded that he ask three questions to every one of Walter’s in studio interviews. So, Walters started fielding interviews outside the studio, quickly building a reputation as an incisive and probing questioner. After nearly 60 years in journalism, Walters announced she was retiring in 2014.

☆ Brazil's Lula calls for peace at meetings with Russia, Ukraine representatives
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met on Saturday with representatives of Russia and Ukraine ahead of his inauguration and called for an end to the war between the two countries. Lula, who will be sworn in on Sunday, said on Twitter he had separately met with the speaker of Russia's Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, and Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The two were in Brazil to represent their countries at Lula's inauguration and met both him and his future foreign relations minister, Mauro Vieira, according to pictures shared by the leftist leader. Lula said he told Matvienko that Brazil wishes for "peace and for the parties to find common ground to end the conflict," which began when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Reporting by Gabriel Araujo, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada Shifts on China To Build Credibility With Allies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OTTAWA—Canada has recently kicked out Chinese companies from its critical-mining sector, accused Beijing of meddling in its domestic affairs and publicly called China “a global, disruptive force.”The moves, which came in the past few weeks, mark an abrupt turnaround for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau , who came to power promising closer economic and political ties with China.

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