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The apparent alteration of a mosque belonging to the Hui ethnic group in Najiaying village, Yunnan province comes amid a sweeping campaign unleashed by China’s leader Xi Jinping to “sinicize” religion. Ma Ju, a prominent Hui activist who now lives in the United States and has kept close contact with Najiaying residents, said about 30 people were arrested. Clashes broke out between police officers and Najiaying residents outside the mosque. In 2018, thousands of Hui residents in Ningxia, in the country’s northwest, staged a sit-in protest for three days to prevent authorities from demolishing a newly constructed mosque. “After they trampled on your dignity, they will suppress you step by step, and assimilate the Hui ethnic group completely into the Han, generation by generation.

[1/2] Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party (UCP) gestures during her party's provincial election night party after a projected win in Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 29, 2023. Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP), defeated left-leaning New Democratic Party leader Rachel Notley on Monday, and immediately targeted Trudeau, threatening the country's ambitious climate goals. Some analysts have said deep emissions cuts are not possible without reducing oil production, which Smith fiercely opposes. "As premier I cannot under any circumstances allow these contemplated federal policies to be inflicted upon Albertans." "One of the challenges is there is a political class in Alberta that has decided that anything to do with climate change is going to be bad for them or for Alberta," Trudeau told Reuters in a January interview.

☆ Eastern Canada's Halifax declares emergency over wildfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Large plumes of smoke rise from a wildfire raging in the Upper Tantallon area, as seen from Hubley, Nova Scotia, Canada May 28, 2023 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. Ben Britton/via REUTERSMay 28 (Reuters) - The eastern Canadian city of Halifax declared a state of local emergency late on Sunday after a wildfire caused evacuations and power outages. "Emergency responders are working around the clock to keep people safe and reduce the threats posed by the fires," the municipal authority in the capital of Nova Scotia province said in a press release. The state of emergency would be in effect for seven days, unless lifted or extended, the municipality said. Nova Scotia Power had temporarily disconnected power in the affected area, it said on Twitter.

☆ Horrific World War II bunker where Japanese scientists experimented on prisoners with biological weapons, found by archaeologists, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Archaeologists found a bunker used by WWII Japanese scientists to conduct human experiments, says a report. The Japanese scientists captured by the US were granted immunity in exchange for their research findings. Japanese scientists exposed prisoners to pathogens and dissected them to learn about the effects on the human body. The researchers are yet to enter the bunkers, but the survey has revealed details about the underground structures, South China Morning Post reported. Most of the surface-level buildings at the Anda site were destroyed in 1945 to erase evidence of the experiments, but the underground structures remain, archaeologists said.

☆ A secretive SEAL-like unit is leading Ukraine's shadowy battle against Russia in a vital corner of the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations appears to be leading the effort for Ukraine. For Ukraine, the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, a secretive SEAL-like unit, is leading the shadowy battle against Russia. Therese PratsThe 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations was based on the Soviet-era 17th Naval Special Purpose Brigade. The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations could play a significant role in future large-scale fighting. Roxana DavidovitsLike the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, most of the Ukrainian military emerged from the Soviet military.

☆ Fulgence Kayishema: Rwanda genocide suspect appears in South African court
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Wendell Roelf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

We are sorry to hear what was happening," he responded, coming up from holding cells at Cape Town Magistrates' Court. REFUGEES[1/7] Rwandan genocide suspect Fulgence Kayishema holds up a Christian book, as he appears in the Cape Town Magistrates Court, in Cape Town, South Africa May 26, 2023. REUTERS/Nic BothmaAccording to a charge sheet seen by Reuters, Kayishema faces five charges in South Africa, including two of fraud. Then two years later to eSwatini and then in the late 90s he ended up in South Africa," Brammertz said. The prosecution persuaded a small number of former Rwandan soldiers with false identities living in South Africa as refugees to provide information on Kayishema's whereabouts, he added.

☆ Alberta Election Tests Conservatives’ Hard-Right Turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Ian Austen | Amber Bracken | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sitting at a cafe terrace overlooking a park commemorating the birthplace of the vast oil industry in the western Canadian province of Alberta, Audrey Cerkvenac and Ernestine Dumont, wrestled with a political dilemma. In a province long the epicenter of Canada’s conservative politics, the two older women had been unwavering conservative supporters. But now, as Monday’s provincial election approached, they said they had been turned off by the strident right turn the province’s conservative party had taken as it ruled Alberta during the pandemic, fueled by extremist protests against Covid restrictions and baseless claims about vaccines. The hard-right turn of the United Conservative Party has put a province that was once a sure win for Canada’s conservatives up for grabs in Monday’s elections. Beyond a referendum on the ideological shift of the party, the vote could also serve as a gauge of the conservative standing nationwide.

☆ China issues guidance for basic elderly care system by 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, May 21 (Reuters) - China has issued guidance to all provinces to build a basic elderly care system by 2025, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, in the latest step to prevent a demographic crisis. "Promoting the construction of the basic elderly care service system is an important task for implementing the national strategy of actively responding to population ageing and achieving equalisation of basic public services," Xinhua said. It said the guidelines require all provinces to implement a list of basic elderly care services, based on factors such as economic and social development level and financial situation. Provinces must improve the basic pension system service and implement a long-term care security system that connects insurance, welfare and assistance, the statement said. The state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences sees the pension system running out of money by 2035.

☆ Alberta wildfire fighters hope rain, cooling bring relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Smoke rises from the Stoddart Creek wildfire near Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada May 13, 2023. Amid hot, dry conditions, forecasters were tracking a front likely to move into the province on Sunday that should bring much-needed relief, including humidity and even rain, Christie Tucker, information unit manager at Alberta Wildfire, said at a Saturday briefing. "That will help us more than a short burst that would bring lightning and could spark a new wildfire." Alberta is enduring energy production cuts, home evacuations and poor air quality after an intense start to the wildfire season. This year, Alberta Wildfire responded to 496 wildfires burning more than 842,000 hectares, compared with just 459 hectares in 2022.

☆ Cholera outbreak claims ten more lives in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 21 (Reuters) - The provincial health department in the South African province of Gauteng on Sunday announced 19 new cases of Cholera in Hammanskraal, including 10 deaths. South Africa reported its first cholera death in February, after the virus arrived in the country from Malawi. It was unclear how many cholera cases there was nationally as of Sunday, but the most populous province of Gauteng, where Johannesburg and Pretoria are situated, has been hardest hit. Cholera can cause acute diarrhoea, vomiting and weakness and is mainly spread by contaminated food or water. The last outbreak in South Africa was in 2008/2009 when about 12,000 cases were reported following an outbreak in neighbouring Zimbabwe, which led to a surge of imported cases and subsequent local transmission.

☆ Alberta on high alert for wildfire upsurge over scorching holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Sky crane helicopter dumps water on the Eagle Wildfire Complex near Fox Creek, Alberta, Canada May 19, 2023. Record-high temperatures and lack of rain this year have led to widespread fires burning nearly 830,000 hectares (2 million acres) of land in Alberta, about 10 times the size of the province's largest city, Calgary, according to Alberta Wildfire. "We will all be on high alert this weekend," Christie Tucker, information unit manager at Alberta Wildfire, said on Friday. The wildfires have tested Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's disaster management skills ahead of a provincial election on May 29. Some 275 houses, businesses and other properties had been damaged, while more than 10,000 people remained evacuated by Friday, according to Alberta government officials.

☆ Ontario to offer more money for Stellantis to resume battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sam Jabri-Pickett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ontario's Premier Doug Ford and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answer questions from the media at the Stellantis Research and Development Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada May 2, 2022. ... Read moreTORONTO, May 19 (Reuters) - Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that his government will put more money on the table to help carmaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) resume its battery plant in Canada. Stellantis on Monday stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada, which is being built in partnership with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS), saying Canada has not fulfilled the promises. read moreStellantis and LGES announced their battery plant investment in March last year, but tensions emerged when the United States in August passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a massive package of clean-tech incentives for companies. Canada's federal government has argued that the province of Ontario, where the battery plant is being built, should pay its share to resolve the dispute.

☆ Pakistan police to search Imran Khan's home - official
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Mubasher Bukhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAHORE, Pakistan, May 19 (Reuters) - Pakistani police plan to search the Lahore home of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday, a provincial government official said, an operation that could trigger more violence as the country grapples with political and economic instability. Amir Mir, the information minister of Punjab province, said hundreds of policemen, led by the city police commissioner, would conduct the search operation later on Friday. Khan's home is located in the Zaman Park neighbourhood of Lahore, the capital of Punjab. His arrest triggered a wave of violence that saw supporters attacking military installations and other government buildings. On Thursday, Khan's aide Iftikhr Durrani allowed journalists into some areas of Khan's Lahore home to "look for terrorists".

☆ Wildfire risk spurs Alberta to close parks, urge caution ahead of holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Leslie Kramer walk her dogs as some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 16, 2023. Traditionally, residents spend the Victoria Day weekend outside as families take advantage of the warmer weather to go camping or enjoy other outdoor activities. The long weekend in May has usually seen an uptick in seasonal wildfires, some of which are accidentally caused by people, according to Alberta Wildfire. With abnormally hot and dry weather forecast until at least early next week, Alberta has preventively closed some provincial parks and campgrounds for the weekend and imposed a fire ban. Consultancy firm Rystad Energy has estimated nearly 2.7 million barrels per day of Alberta oil sands production in May is at risk in "very high" or "extreme" wildfire danger rating zones.

☆ No respite for wildfire-hit Alberta as conditions set to worsen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Leslie Kramer walk her dogs as some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Record-high temperatures and tinder-dry vegetation have led to an intense, early start to wildfire season in western Canada this year. Alberta has been the worst-hit, with about 91 wildfires burning, including 27 out of control, as of Wednesday. On Wednesday, consultancy firm Rystad Energy said nearly 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of Alberta oil sands production in May is at risk in "very high" or "extreme" wildfire danger rating zones. Of estimated May production volumes, about 60% are subject to extreme wildfire danger levels, with the remaining 40% subject to very high danger, Oslo-based Rystad said.

☆ Alberta wildfires hit gas flow out of Canada to US, spiking prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Smoke rises above the southeast perimeter of the Paskwa fire (HWF030) as it burns near Fox Lake, Alberta, Canada May 16, 2023. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERSOTTAWA, May 18 (Reuters) - Alberta officials on Thursday warned more wildfires could spread in next few hot and dry days, even as firefighters make progress in tackling widespread blazes that have slowed the outflow of natural gas from Canada into the United States, spiking prices. There were about 92 active wildfires and over 10,000 people out of their homes as of Thursday, Alberta officials told a daily briefing. "Firefighters can experience challenging conditions in hot, dry and windy weather, but progress has been made on many active wildfires," said Christie Tucker, information unit manager at Alberta Wildfire. "We are expecting and preparing for more active wildfire behavior today and over the next few days," she said.

He said there are no statistics available showing more people are committing violent offences while on bail. The bill introduced this week comes after multiple high-profile violent crimes that police allege were committed by people on bail, including the killing of a police officer late last year. The bill needs to be passed in Parliament, where the governing Liberals have a minority and require support of another party. People jailed awaiting trial may feel pressured to plead guilty to get out of jail sooner, Brown said. "We just need to hold those accountable when they fail to do their jobs as bail supervisors or when people fail to abide by their bail terms."

☆ Ethics official cites Alberta premier for violation, ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, May 18 (Reuters) - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith interfered with the judicial process, the Canadian province's ethics commissioner said in a ruling released on Thursday, two weeks before a provincial election that is expected to be hard fought. Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler said Smith had breached conflict of interest laws by contacting the province's justice minister about the case of a Calgary pastor facing criminal charges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In statement on Thursday, Smith said she would seek legal advice on how a premier could talk to a justice minister about sensitive matters in the future. Last week Smith apologized for having compared Albertans vaccinated against COVID-19 with followers of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. In March, another UCP candidate resigned after claiming children are exposed to pornography in schools and teachers help them change their gender identities.

He said Khan had 24 hours to surrender the suspects, and that a police operation would be launched if he did not comply. The arrest of the former prime minister, who was ousted in a parliamentary confidence vote in April last year, has deepened political instability in the South Asian nation of 220 million. Thousands of Khan supporters had attacked and set on fire scores of government and public buildings, including the army's headquarters, following his arrest. Khan has previously disowned those involved in arson and attacks against the army, demanding an impartial inquiry. The military has said the May 9 attacks against the army were "pre-planned" and ordered by Khan party's leaders, which he and his party deny.

☆ Russia Charges Former U.S. Embassy Employee With Helping a Foreign State
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alan Cullison | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russian authorities arrested a former supply manager for the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, state news agencies reported. Photo: Yuri Smityuk/Zuma PressMoscow has charged a former employee of the U.S. Embassy in Russia with collaborating with a foreign state, Russia news services reported, amid a broadening Kremlin campaign against Western influence that has complicated work of the U.S. mission there. Russian state news agencies identified the employee as Robert Shonov , 62 years old, a longtime supply manager for the U.S. Consulate in the far eastern provincial city of Vladivostok, which closed two years ago.

☆ Canada has increased planned Stellantis battery factory support -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OTTAWA, May 16 (Reuters) - Canada has increased its planned support to carmaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) to build a battery plant in Windsor, Ontario, the industry minister said on Tuesday, but it wants the Ontario provincial government to help pay for it. To break the "stalemate," it is important that Ontario "pay its fair share," Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters at a news conference in Seoul. Stellantis on Monday stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada, which is being built in partnership with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS). Canada has not delivered what it already promised and there are no new talks under way, Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also making an official visit to South Korea this week before heading to the G7 in Japan.

☆ Canadian minister 'confident' of Stellantis battery plant deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, May 16 (Reuters) - Canada's industry minister is optimistic about reaching a deal with carmaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) over subsidies to build a battery plant in Windsor, Ontario, provided that the provincial government also offers some support, he said on Tuesday. Stellantis stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada, which is being built in partnership with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS), while in talks with the federal government. "I'm very confident that we will come to an agreement," Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters at a press conference in Seoul. Talks with the company are ongoing, he said, adding that it was important that the Ontario provincial government "pay its fair share". Stellantis and LGES announced their battery plant investment last year, but tensions developed between the company and Canada after the country agreed in April to provide up to C$13 billion in subsidies and a C$700 million grant to lure German automaker Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) to build its North American battery plant in the country.

[1/2] A smoke column rises from wildfire WCU001 near Wildwood, Alberta, Canada May 5, 2023. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoTORONTO, May 16 (Reuters) - Tinder-dry weather and shifting winds in Alberta on Tuesday elevated the risk of spreading wildfires in the Canadian oil-producing province where thousands have already been forced from their homes. Some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government. Judy Levesque, 50, stood outside in the central Alberta town of Drayton Valley on the night of May 4 as ash rained down. The change in wind direction can pose a problem for firefighters as the path of the fires changes suddenly, said Christie Tucker, spokesperson for the Alberta Wildfire agency.

☆ American jailed for spying by China rubbed shoulders with senior Chinese officials, CNN reporting shows, CNN reporting shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“He’s a very famous person, known by many overseas Chinese in the southern US,” Tang said. Reports published by Chinese-language media in Texas and China’s state media show Leung’s long-running access to senior Chinese officials. In 2014, he met with the director of Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office during a visit to Nanjing, the provincial capital. This photo shows John Leung with Wang Hua, the former director of Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. It also comes as American and Chinese officials are resuming high-level engagements since a dispute over a suspected Chinese spy balloon shattered efforts to mend ties earlier this year.

The Canadian pension funds have benchmarked their investments to that level, according to the presentation. Australian pension funds have invested about 50% of their total assets in domestic equities, according to the presentation. China Investment Corp is Teck's single-biggest institutional investor with a 10.3% stake, and Norway's wealth fund, Norges Bank, owns 1.52%, while Canadian pensions together hold 0.78% stake, according to Refinitiv data. All other pension funds did not respond to Reuters request for comments. Canadian pension funds represent 30% of the total financial savings of Canadians.

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