Tag: Canadian News

Political dissident who fled China by boat arrives in Canada, his friend says

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Man rowing an inflatable boat at sunrise on calm water near rocky shore

A Chinese political dissident who fled to South Korea last month in a dinghy has arrived in Canada, his friend said on social media Saturday. Dong Guangping was aboard a 10.8-foot inflatable boat in the waters off a western South Korean island in May when he was detained by South Korea’s coast guard for allegedly violating the country’s immigration law. It was his fourth known attempt to flee China. Dong, a former police officer in China, had previously been detained several times for his activism.

He was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for “inciting subversion of state power” and spent more than eight months behind bars after being arrested in 2014 for participating in a memorial for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to past statements from Amnesty International. He previously escaped to Thailand and Vietnam, but authorities there deported him back to China. Dong also unsuccessfully tried to swim to a Taiwanese island.

The rubber boat that a Chinese national was in when he was detained in the waters off South Korea’s west coast, at a port in Taean, South Korea. The Taean Maritime Police via AP

At a court hearing in South Korea after his arrest, he told reporters that he hopes to go to Canada to reunite with his wife and daughters, who have already been resettled there, according to South Korean media. In a post Saturday on X, his friend Sheng Xue, a Chinese Canadian activist, said Dong had landed in Toronto following an Air Canada flight on Friday. “He just had a big bowl of noodles with eggs, tomatoes and shrimps,” she wrote in the post, adding that she has spent more than 10 years trying to get him out of China.

She attached a photo of Dong in a car with her and another photo of Dong holding a bowl. Xue wrote Saturday in a follow-up post, “In the process of fleeing for his life more than ten times over a decade, risking his life and facing constant failures, he has never uttered a single word of complaint or discouragement.” She added, “Souls that love freedom are full of strength.” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has not immediately commented.

Source: Political dissident who fled China by boat arrives in Canada, his friend says – CBS News

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

Robin Williams as the American Flag

Robin Williams portrays the American flag in “I Love Liberty,” a two-hour television special created by Norman Lear and presented by People For the American Way. Source:…

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The Story of America: John Adams

The White House Salute to America 250 Task Force has partnered with Hillsdale College to provide a history series that tells the remarkable story of American Independence.…

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Air France flight bound for Detroit diverted to Canada over passenger from Congo, officials say

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an airplane parked on a tarmac

An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit was forced to divert to Montreal on Wednesday due to U.S. flight restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak after it was determined that one of the passengers was from the Democratic Republic of Congo, federal officials and the airline said. Air France boarded the passenger “in error on a flight to the United States,” a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CBS News in a statement. “Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” the CBP spokesperson said. “CBP took decisive action and prohibited the flight carrying that traveler from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and instead, diverted to Montreal, Canada.” CBP did not say when the person had last been in the Congo or whether they were showing symptoms of the virus.

When reached about the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration directed CBS News to CBP. CBS News has also reached out to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for comment. Air France said in a statement to CBS News that it “confirms that, at the request of U.S. authorities, (the flight) was diverted to Montreal Airport after a Congolese passenger on board was denied entry into the United States. In fact, under new regulations, passengers arriving from certain countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, may only enter U.S. territory via Washington (IAD) Airport. There was no medical emergency on board, and like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves.”

According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, Air France Flight 378 from Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport landed at Montreal Trudeau International Airport at 5:15 p.m. ET. The status of the passenger from the Congo was unknown.  Deborah Mistor, a business class passenger aboard the flight, told CBS News in an interview Thursday night that the rest of the passengers were then flown from Montreal to Detroit aboard the same aircraft. Mistor revealed that the passengers were notified by the captain about four hours before they were initially due to arrive in Detroit that U.S. authorities were not allowing the plane to land in the U.S. and the flight was being diverted. The captain did not provide a reason, however. “I think enough people must have been questioning what was going on because 30 minutes later, he came back on and said that he wanted to confirm that there was nothing wrong with the plane, there were no technical difficulties, that it was strictly because of U.S. authorities not allowing us to land in the U.S.,” Mistor told CBS News.

Source: Air France flight bound for Detroit diverted to Canada over passenger from Congo, officials say – CBS News

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32

ICE Deports MS-13 Member With Cartel Ties

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported a self-admitted MS-13 gang member with ties to Mexico’s Cartel del Noreste after he completed a prison sentence in Texas, Newsmax learned exclusively…

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Gunman at Mexico’s Teotihuacán pyramids kills Canadian tourist, injures at least 13 people

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pyramid of the sun in teotihuacan under clear sky

A Canadian tourist was shot and killed Monday while visiting the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico, according to local authorities. Mexico’s security officials said a gunman opened fire at the popular tourist spot, killing a Canadian woman and injuring at least 13 people, including seven Americans. The shooter is believe to have taken his own life, the Security Cabinet said. Local prosecutors identified the gunman as Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez, a Mexican national.

His cause of death has not yet been officially determined, Mexico’s attorney general’s office said. Mexico’s Security Cabinet said a firearm, a bladed weapon and ammunition were found at the scene. The gunman also had notes that appear to reference the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, local officials said. In a video posted on X, verified by CBS News, a man with a gun is seen pacing near the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. In another video, gunshots can be heard as visitors of the archeological site are seen walking at the bottom of the pyramid. “I have hostages and if you try to climb up I’ll kill them,” the gunman can be heard telling responding officers in another video taken by a witness.

Source: Gunman at Mexico’s Teotihuacán pyramids kills Canadian tourist, injures at least 13 people – CBS News

Who “will render to each one according to his deeds”
Romans 2:6

The stabbing. Canada has a serious knife problem

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silver and gold switchblade on gray and white surface

Driving a blade into another person’s body is a savage, intimate act of violence. Why are we paying so little attention to these attacks?

Source: The stabbing. Canada has a serious knife problem | National Post

He who builds His layers in the sky, And has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth— The LORD is His name.
Amos 9:6

San Jose brush fire burns near homes before progress stopped

A brush fire burned close to homes in San Jose on Friday before firefighters stopped its forward progress. The fire burned in the Communications Hill area of South San Jose near the Sunshine Hill Cross and began at around 11:15 a.m. The San Jose Fire Department said it burned about seven acres close to the…

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Utah declares emergency, limits fireworks ahead of July Fourth as crews battle largest U.S. wildfire

Utah restricted fireworks and declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of July Fourth celebrations as the United States’ largest wildfire expanded its reach across more tinder-dry forest, as crews rush to fight new blazes in the arid state. The National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning as dry, windy conditions provided…

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Extreme heat expected to cover Southeast Michigan next week. What to know.

Extreme temperatures are on the horizon in Southeast Michigan, setting the stage for a prolonged and dangerous heat wave next week. High temperatures beginning Monday will reach 90 degrees, and starting Tuesday will exceed this level.  From Tuesday through Friday, highs will be in the mid- to upper 90s each day, with dew points in…

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Drone nearly hits United plane landing in Newark, pilot says

A United Airlines passenger jet nearly collided with a drone as it was coming in to land in New Jersey on Friday, its pilot said. “We almost hit a drone,” the pilot can be heard saying, in air traffic control audio verified by CNN, describing the device as circular and roughly three feet wide, “about…

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Minnesota man accused in a $250M fraud scheme taken into custody in Somalia

Authorities say a Minnesota man charged with helping to orchestrate a $250 million fraud scheme has been taken into custody in Somalia. Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a news release. Court documents do not show if Eidleh has obtained an…

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Volkswagen reportedly planning to axe 100,000 jobs

Volkswagen, one of the world’s largest automakers, is reportedly planning to axe as many as 100,000 jobs over the next few years, representing 15% of its global workforce. The job cuts would come alongside the planned closure of four factories in Germany and a 15% reduction in investment over the next five years, according to…

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