OTTAWA — The federal government has blocked the proposed $1.5-billion takeover of Aecon Group Inc. by a Chinese state-owned company for reasons of national security. After markets closed Wednesday, Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains confirmed the government’s decision to prevent CCCC International Holding Ltd. from acquiring the Aecon construction firm. The Trudeau government had been…
To begin with it was subtle. A security official who had stopped by at my hotel for a "chat" appeared to be the only thing coming between me and the mosques I wanted to see dotted around the dusty plains of Ningxia province. But by the time my trip to investigate China’s latest government crackdown on…
An Indian soldier was arrested for murdering a policeman during a riot over the slaughtering of sacred cows, in a case that has shone a light on mob rule and the increasingly zealous protection of cattle. The police inspector was killed when a mob of Hindu extremists went on the rampage in the state of…
OTTAWA — Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on up to $16.6 billion worth of U.S. imports in response to the American decision to place similar levies on Canadian-made steel and aluminum. The Canadian tariffs, which go into effect July 1, cover a broad range of items. Some, mainly unfinished iron and steel products, will be…
Charity workers are scrambling to avoid a public health crisis in the wake of the Indonesian tsunami that killed at least 429 people as supplies of medicine and clean water dwindle. Doctors working to limit the fallout from the tsunami that devastated the west coast of Java have warned that children are falling ill and becoming dehydrated. Thousands…
Poised on a chair before a group of American students, who are hanging off her every word, Myka Meier leans forward and lets them into a secret. The magic, she explains conspiratorially, comes from the knees and ankles. As the 30 students take notes, watching intently, Mrs Meier reveals the essence of “The Duchess Slant”…
CALGARY — The president and CEO of WestJet says the threat of a strike by its pilots is over. Ed Sims said the Calgary-based airline and the union that represents the pilots have agreed to a settlement process that will involve a federal mediator. If necessary, WestJet and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have…
Two women made history by sneaking into one of India’s holiest Hindu temples before dawn yesterday/WED in defiance of hardline activists blockading the shrine from female worshipers. The Sabarimala temple in southern Kerela has been at the centre of a highly politically charged stand-off after the Supreme court lifted a centuries-old ban on women of…
Violence could follow the announcement of election results in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations’ human rights office has warned, after authorities cut access to the internet in the wake of the December 30th vote. The poll, which is meant to lead to Congo’s first democratic transfer of power, was mostly peaceful, but…
Facebook users in Europe and Canada will for the first time be able to opt into the network’s facial recognition technology, which has been available in most other parts of the world for the past six years, the company says. Facebook is enhancing privacy safeguards for users around the world as it complies with new…