Deusdedit RuhangariyoICTAround the World: Indigenous leaders honored in Canada; Aboriginal women mark 45 years of courage, leadership in Australia; and in New Zealand kindness collective expands Christmas joy amid rising hardship. CANADA: Indigenous leaders honoredIn Canada this month, history and hope met in a deeply meaningful national moment. In New Zealand, Christmas is being saved not by spectacle, but by solidarity. In Canada, Indigenous leaders stood unapologetically in the halls of power, not as tokens of diversity, but as architects of justice. On Christmas Eve, as many homes glowed with lights, another kind of light traveled quietly across continents — the light of moral courage.

A Gatineau, Que., family is in mourning this holiday season after a couple was found dead while vacationing in the Dominican Republic. Sauvé's brother Gilles Sauvé Jr. said local authorities told him autopsy results will be sent to the family within 45 days. She had blood tests done and was supposed to undergo more scans on Boxing Day, Sauvé said. Sauvé said he's now in the Dominican Republic to obtain death certificates, meet with authorities and repatriate the bodies to Quebec. Global Affairs Canada said Canadian officials are providing consular assistance and communicating with local authorities to obtain more information.

A nasty winter storm continues to head east, hammering Ontario and Quebec with freezing rain and snow. Environment Canada's wind warning for Toronto has ended, but high winds and power outages persist across Ontario Monday evening as areas north of the city for snow squalls . Customers in Orangeville and Guelph were among the most affected as of Monday evening, according to Hydro One's map. Snow squall warnings north of Toronto overnightSnow squall and wind warnings are still in effect in many parts of Ontario, according to Environment Canada. Newmarket, Georgina and the northern York Region are under a snow squall alert, with blizzard conditions expected, Environment Canada warned Monday evening.

KUALA LUMPUR: An organised crime group linked to armed robberies and at least two murders has been busted following the arrest of 17 suspected members. "A total of 17 suspected members of the group have been arrested, aged between 24 and 42. "Checks showed that they have several criminal cases linked to them, including armed robbery, murder and drug distribution," he said. A total of 15 more suspected members, including the leader of the gang, are still being sought. "We believe all of them are still in the country," Comm Kumar said.

A teenage girl police said was kidnapped on Christmas Day in Texas was located by her father using his phone’s parental controls. Her father used parental controls to track the location of his daughter’s phone to a “secluded, partially wooded area” about three kilometres away in adjacent Harris County. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementPolice said he found her and the dog “inside a maroon-coloured pickup truck with a partially nude” man. The girl told police the man had threatened her with a knife when he abducted her from the street. With the help of witnesses at the scene, police located the truck and identified the driver, a 23-year-old Porter resident.

Amid the growing backlog of requests, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) was implementing a contentious new operational bulletin that limited the services eligible for funding. WATCH | Explaining the controversy over Jordan's Principle: Jordan's Principle changes explained | Duration 2:35 The federal government recently rolled out sweeping changes to Jordan’s Principle. The newly elected prime minister instituted tectonic political shifts in the capital — and earned some early rebukes from First Nations leaders. Amid election talk of imposing a pipeline on Indigenous nations, Indigenous leaders demanded inclusion. An oft-repeated complaint was that Carney only vowed to consult Indigenous leaders after rushing his major projects law through Parliament.

One politician was threatened because a resident didn't like the speed bump the city installed on his street. Earlier this month, a man who began emailing London city hall in June was arrested after his inquiries turned into death threats. "Many people talked about how fraught campaigning was in 2022 and they're worried about what they're walking into in 2026." Politicians face personal attacks and hatred toward their families, said Corrine Rahman, a city councillor in London. Although she hasn't reconsidered staying in municipal politics, being harassed and yelled at does wear on a person, Rahman added.

“But, in reality, Mr. Makarov asks us to reweigh the evidence and redo the Minister’s job. Joly provided “ample and detailed” support for her decision to keep Makarov on the sanctions list, Stratas said in his decision dated Dec. 9. “The Minister considered Mr. Makarov’s attempts to distance himself from the Russian regime to be superficial, not meaningful. “The Minister did not consider Mr. Makarov’s renunciation of citizenship a genuine effort to separate himself from the regime. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“The Minister’s decision was made based on evidence existing at the time of this decision,” Stratas said.

Almost six months later, he’s still waiting for the results of the investigation from Toronto’s Hate Crime Unit. Teper‘s first and only communication with the Hate Crime Unit about the report was received in mid-October, from Det.-Const. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementSince the report, for some unknown reason, a few posts on the Palczynski account have been taken down, but many others remain. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementThe Palczynski account is still active on X. This month, a Saskatoon man made his first court appearance after being charged with public incitement due to alleged antisemitic posts.

But in reality, 172 caucus members, or a one-MP majority, is not the panacea for the Liberals that many imagine it to be. In fact, in many ways, it’s the worst-case scenario for a majority government, says Lyle Skinner, a constitutional lawyer specializing in parliamentary law. Since the Liberals are without Scarpaleggia’s vote, that means they have 171 votes against a combined opposition vote of… 171. “You need to have a majority votes in order to change the committee composition. At 173 MPs, the Liberals could maintain the speakership and a razor-thin margin over opposition MPs during votes (172 to 171).

Historian Bob Chaulk says the construction of the Halifax rail cut was such a transformational moment in the city's history, he decided to explore its story more fully. His recent book Railroaded: The Untold History of Halifax's Rail Cut chronicles the project's turbulent history. Bob Chaulk has written a book about the legacy of the Halifax rail cut. (Brian MacKay/CBC)The rail cut was born from a challenging time in the history of Halifax. Chaulk said it's the lasting, but under-recognized impact of the rail cut on modern Halifax that compelled him to write its story.

There were approximately 375,000 customers impacted by the breach, according to Nova Scotia Power. Nova Scotia Power said in the report that historical billing data is used to determine estimated bills, and it's working to enhance its privacy rules. Nova Scotia Power is aiming to have all smart meters reconnected by March of next year. (The Canadian Press)80% of customers received estimated bill in JuneNova Scotia Power officials have said all smart meters should be reconnected by March 2026. Nova Scotia Power said in the report that more than 75 per cent of customers were on estimated billing as of last May.

Often referred to as one of the last places in the world with year-round sea ice, these waters have historically been difficult to access because of the thickness of the ice. But melting sea ice has opened a path for a Canadian research icebreaker to sail through some of these passageways for the first time ever. On Sept. 4, scientists with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the University of Manitoba embarked on a four-week cruise aboard the CCGS Amundsen to study Arctic sea ice. The fact that an icebreaker is able to enter one of the world’s last refuges of sea ice is yet another startling sign of the effects of climate change. “We were finding really deteriorated and heavily melted sea ice….

Bundle up, Londoners—meteorologists say Monday's fresh blast of winter weather is but the beginning of what's expected to be a highly active season to come. It's likely any slush that formed overnight is now turned to ice, said Cheng, making for slippery conditions on the roads and walkways. "And of course, this is only the beginning of winter and colder temperatures to come this week. Up to 40 centimetres of snow is expected to fall into Tuesday, with a wind chill of - 18 C Tuesday morning. Wednesday's high is - 5 C and Thursday's is - 9 C.

Canadian retailers accused of favouring local liquor by U.S. distilleriesNewsDuration 1:55The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States claims in a submission to the office of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that Canadian retailers are giving unfair advantage to local spirits. Meanwhile, some Canadian distilleries say pulling U.S. booze off shelves has only add a small increase to their sales.