Foreign

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s aircraft has broken down during a trip to Jamaica, in his second travel incident in four months.

The Canadian Armed Forces said on Friday that they were forced to send a second plane with a repair team to address the issue.

Mr Trudeau was on the Caribbean island for a family holiday.

Last September, Mr Trudeau’s departure from India was delayed by two days because of a mechanical glitch.

The PM, who is required to travel on a military plane for security reasons, flew to Jamaica on 26 December.

The problem was discovered on 2 January, CBC news reports.

A day later, the second plane carried a maintenance team to repair the first, a spokeswoman for Canada’s defence department told the broadcaster.

He returned on 4 January as originally scheduled.

Both planes were CC-144 Challenger aircrafts, relatively new acquisitions by the Canadian Armed Forces.

Mr Trudeau has suffered a string of travel mishaps in recent years.

In September, his departure from Delhi following a G20 Summit was embarrassingly delayed after his plane encountered an unspecified mechanical problem.

During his re-election campaign in 2019, a bus carrying journalists collided with the wing of an aircraft chartered by Mr Trudeau’s Liberal party.

Later that year, he was forced to use a backup plane to attend a Nato summit in London after the original had been damaged in a hangar accident.

But a problem was discovered with the backup aircraft and the prime minister had to use a third one to return home.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

 

India has suspended visa services for Canadian citizens amid an escalating row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

Visa service provider BLS posted a message from India’s mission blaming “operational reasons” for the decision.

Tensions flared this week after Canada said it was investigating “credible allegations” linking India with the murder of the separatist leader.

India angrily rejected the allegation calling it “absurd”.

Analysts say relations between the countries, which have been strained for months, are now at an all-time low.

The message about the suspension of visas was first posted on the BLS website on Thursday.

“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” it read.

India’s foreign ministry refused to comment on the matter and asked the BBC to refer to the BLS website.

The move comes a day after India issued an advisory urging its citizens travelling to or living in Canada to “exercise utmost caution” in view of the “growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada”.

Delhi said that some recent threats were directed at its diplomats and some Indians “who oppose the anti-India agenda”.

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau said on Monday that intelligence agencies were investigating whether “agents of the government of India” were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen – India had designated him a terrorist in 2020.

Nijjar was shot dead in his vehicle by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple on 18 June in British Columbia.

“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Mr Trudeau told the Canadian parliament on Monday.

India reacted strongly, saying that Canada was trying to “shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists” who had been given shelter there.

The Indian government has often reacted sharply to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan, or a separate Sikh homeland.

The Khalistan movement peaked in India in the 1980s with a violent insurgency centred in Sikh-majority Punjab state.

It was quelled by force and has little resonance in India now, but is still popular among some in the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK.

Canada has the highest number of Sikhs outside Punjab and has seen several pro-Khalistan protests and demonstrations.

In June, reports said India had raised a “formal complaint” with Canada about the safety of its diplomats there.

BBC / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Foreign

An 81-year-old man has appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court in connection with a number of historical child abuse offences.

James Henry Clarke, with an address at Meadow Lake in Canada, is facing three charges of indecently assaulting two boys in the 1960s and 1970s.

He has been extradited to Northern Ireland from Canada.

The court heard Mr Clarke is retired and has been in custody in Canada for some time awaiting extradition.

A police constable told the court he had executed a warrant for Mr Clarke.

Mr Clarke was released on bail to an agreed address and was ordered to surrender his passport.

He will appear again in court on 22 September.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

At least 30,000 households have been ordered to evacuate in Canada’s British Columbia province, where nearly 400 wildfires are raging.

Officials have restricted travel to Kelowna, a waterside city of 132,000 people, where smoke from nearby fires hangs over Lake Okanagan.

The order is designed to ensure enough accommodation for evacuees and emergency workers.

Fires have destroyed homes in nearby West Kelowna, a city of 36,000 people.

The travel restrictions also apply to the towns of Kamloops, Oliver, Penticton and Vernon and Osoyoos.

Hundreds of miles north, a huge fire continues to edge towards the city of Yellowknife.

An official deadline to evacuate the city – the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories – lapsed on Friday. A local official said later that day that nearly all residents had left, either by car or plane.

About 19,000 of the city’s 20,000 inhabitants had evacuated. Authorities said 39 patients were moved out of a hospital to alternative facilities on Friday evening, making them the last people to be evacuated from the city.

Environment and communities minister Shane Thompson said some people had chosen “to shelter in place”, but urged locals to leave.

In British Columbia, evacuation orders grew from covering 15,000 homes on Friday to at least 30,000 by Saturday evening. Another 36,000 homes are under evacuation alert.

Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said officials “cannot stress strongly enough how critical it is to follow evacuation orders”.

“They are a matter of life and death not only for the people in those properties, but also for the first responders who will often go back to try to implore people to leave,” she said.

Premier of the province, David Eby, put the total number of people ordered to leave at 35,000, with 30,000 told to be prepared to evacuate.

Canada is having its worst wildfire season on record, with at least 1,000 fires burning across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

Experts say climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

Extreme and long-lasting heat draws more and more moisture out of the ground – which can provide fuel for fires that can spread at an incredible speed, particularly if winds are strong.

No deaths have been reported so far.

Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Canadian rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years for shooting fellow musician Megan Thee Stallion.

Lanez shot Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion in the feet during an argument between the pair after a party in 2020.

He was found guilty on three gun-related charges in December and has been held in jail since.

The shooting, which polarised the music world, left Megan Thee Stallion needing surgery to remove bullet fragments from her foot.

The LA District Attorney, George Gascón, said after the verdict that her fame “has brought an important spotlight on the issue of violence against women”.

The shooting occurred during the journey home from a pool party hosted at reality star Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood mansion.

Prosecutors had asked the judge for a 13-year prison sentence. They said Lanez, 31, deserved a lengthy sentence for shooting a “vulnerable victim” on a quiet residential street, and for waging “a campaign to humiliate and re-traumatise her” after the attack.

A court sketch of Tory Lanez during his sentencing on Tuesday

Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, has had seven US top 10 albums in the past seven years.

He was convicted of three felonies: assault with a semi-automatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

His lawyers argued he should get probation and time in a drug treatment programme. It is unclear if Lanez is now facing deportation to Canada.

Jose Baez said his client planned to appeal due to “significant issues” with the trial.

Outside court on Tuesday, he cited a lack of DNA evidence against Lanez in relation to the shooting, adding that the rapper’s DNA was not found on the gun used. Mr Baez added that he believed Lanez did not receive a fair trial.

‘I did wrong that night’

Lanez himself read a statement to the court before the sentencing.

While he has maintained his innocence during and since the trial, he said on Tuesday that he accepted “responsibility” for what “I did wrong that night”, without saying exactly what he was referring to.

“There’s been this misconception about me being this monster or not having remorse, that’s just not true,” the star told the court, according to the Press Association.

“That night was a night that everyone was drunk… I said some very immature things. If I could turn back the series of events… I would, but I can’t.

“But to think that I am some sort of callous individual is not the case. The victim was my friend… [and] she still is to this day.

“I did wrong that night and I take full responsibility and culpability for it.”

‘I will never be the same’

The shooting happened when the pair left Jenner’s home with two other people in an SUV in the early hours of 12 July 2020.

Megan, real name Megan Pete, told the court she got into an argument with Lanez over their previous sexual relationship. The row escalated and led to the pair insulting each other’s careers.

She said she demanded to be let out of the vehicle, at which point Lanez started shooting at the ground and shouted at her to “dance”.

During the trial, Lanez’s lawyers suggested Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris, who was in the vehicle, may have shot her friend out of jealousy. She denied that.

In a victim impact statement that was read in court on Monday, Megan said: “Since I was viciously shot by the defendant [Lanez], I have not experienced a single day of peace.

“Slowly but surely, I’m healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.”

Hip-hop stars take sides

Other witnesses who spoke on Monday included Lanez’s father, who talked emotionally about the effect on his son of the death of his mother when he was 11, and a prison chaplain who said Lanez had been leading daily prayer groups.

The judge said he had received more than 70 letters in support of Lanez from his family and friends, including rapper Iggy Azalea, who called for a sentence that would be “transformative, not life-destroying”.

Following the shooting, other famous names in the hip-hop world also took sides about who was telling the truth.

Rapper 50 Cent apologised to Megan for suggesting she lied about being shot by Lanez, while Drake appeared to reference the shooting in his lyrics.

After the sentencing, Tanishia Wright, director of victim services at the District Attorney’s office, told reporters: “Violence against black women and girls is a long standing national epidemic that has long been overlooked and under-reported.

“Women of colour more times than not do not come forward to report victimisation due to the fear they will not be believed.”

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Parts of the tourist submersible that imploded on a deep dive to the Titanic, killing five people, have been seen for the first time since the incident.

Metal wreckage from the Titan sub was unloaded from the Horizon Arctic ship in St John’s, Canada, on Wednesday.

Photographs showed metal pieces from the sub covered in tarps before cranes lifted them onto trucks.

US Coast Guard officials have said the submersible’s landing frame and a rear cover were found among the debris.

All five people on board the vessel died on 18 June after it imploded about 90 minutes into a dive to view the famous 1912 shipwreck, which sits at a depth of 3,800m (12,500ft) in the north Atlantic.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Economy

By Bolanle Adesida

The Canadian Government has indicated interest in investing in the agricultural and technological sectors of the Ogun State economy as part of efforts to strengthen the Country’s bilateral relationship with Nigeria.

The Canadian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Jamie Christoff, who stated this at a meeting with Governor Dapo Abiodun in Abeokuta said his country was also interested in the infrastructural sector.

Ambassador Christoff while emphasizing the numerous investment opportunities in the State said his visit would enhance further discussions with the relevant government representatives on the areas of mutual benefit to both parties.

Responding, Governor Abiodun who explained that his administration had provided needed infrastructure to attract more investors, said plans were on to build a seaport in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area as well as a dry port at Kajola area of the state. 

The Governor who urged the Canadian investors to explore the huge investment opportunities in the State, gave the assurance that his government was ready to ensure a conducive environment for progress.

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Economy

Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde says with its many strategic advantages particularly in areas of agribusiness, the state remains open for business and meaningful collaboration.

The governor, who stated this when he received the Deputy High Commissioner, Government of Canada in the company of his Trade Commissioner Assistant to his office expressed optimism that Oyo State has a lot of areas which Canada could leverage on for partnership.

Governor Makinde explained that with the state’s vast arable land, significant solid mineral deposits and tourism potentials, the prospects of doing business in the state remains enormous especially with recent incentives from the World Bank on the ease of doing business.

Earlier in his speech, the Deputy High Commissioner, Government of Canada, Teshome Nkurumah hinted that the team was coordinating an agricultural outreach and trade promotion in Oyo State to understand areas of prospects as well as opportunities to facilitate partnership.

The Trade Commissioner Assistant, Ms Benedicta Emovuon was on the entourage for the courtesy visit.

The team later held a roundtable with private sector players to see ways of partnering with manufacturers and farmers in different ways and in the area of exportation.

The meeting which was facilitated by the Director General, Oyo State Agricultural Development Agency, OYSADA, Dr Debo Akande was held at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, IITA, Ibadan.

Speaking with journalists, Dr Akande was optimistic that the meeting would be fruitful as there was a commitment between Oyo State and Canadian government in terms of understanding on what is required from agro-companies and farmers for certification of products so as to export them to Canada.

The DG, OYSADA explained that Oyo State is now known to be attractive to international countries, businesses and companies, as evident by the investment of the French, Netherlands and others foreign governments.

Iyabo Adebisi

Foreign

Power lines have been downed and houses washed into the sea after Storm Fiona battered Canada’s coastline.

One woman is missing after being washed out to sea in Newfoundland.

Fiona was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Friday. Such weather events are rare in Canada, and police said the storm was “like nothing we’ve ever seen”.

The military has been deployed to Nova Scotia to help with the clean-up operation.

Parts of five provinces experienced torrential rain and winds of up to 160km/h (99mph), with widespread flooding and hundreds of thousands of people left without power.

Prime Minister Trudeau says the military will be deployed to Nova Scotia, adding: “If there is anything the federal government can do to help, we will be there.”

He has said he will no longer travel to Japan to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to deal with the storm’s aftermath.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, as well as in parts of Quebec.

In Port aux Basques, with a population of 4,067 on the southwest tip of Newfoundland, intense flooding saw some homes and office buildings washed out to sea, local journalist Rene Roy, told CBC. The area is under a state of emergency.

“This is hands down the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Mr Roy said.

He added that many homes were left as “a pile of rubble in the ocean right now”, adding: “There is an apartment building that’s literally gone. There are entire streets that are gone.”

Officials later confirmed that at least 20 homes had been lost.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a woman was rescued after being “tossed into the water as her home collapsed” in the area.

Another report of a woman being swept out from her basement had been received, they said, but conditions remained too dangerous to conduct a search.

Power companies have warned that it could take days to restore electricity, as wind speeds remain too high to start work on downed power lines.

Severe hurricanes in Canada are rare, as storms normally lose their energy once they hit colder waters in the north and become post-tropical instead.

Nova Scotia was last battered by a tropical cyclone in 2003 with Hurricane Juan, a category two storm that killed two people and heavily damaged structures and vegetation.

Fiona had already wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic earlier this week, with many still left without power or running water.

Florida also faces a hurricane threat as tropical storm Ian strengthened as it moved over the Caribbean on Saturday. It could approach Florida early next week as a major hurricane.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Sport

Nigeria’s U-20 girls, Falconets, set a World Cup group stage perfect record for themselves after beating Canada 3-1 in Alajuela on Thursday morning to finish with a perfect nine points out of nine in Group C.

Head Coach, Chris Musa, said before the encounter that his girls would seek to win even as a quarter-final ticket was already in the bag, in order to sustain their winning mentality following hard-fought victories over France and the Korea Republic.

That was exactly what the Falconets did.

Africa’s best team conceded their first goal of the competition in an accidental manner, following goalkeeper Omini Oyono’s poor management of a back-pass from Jumoke Alani that granted Kala Novak a fortuitous goal in less than two minutes.

“It was great for us to come back from that setback, and also concede first in the tournament. We showed character and spirit, and that would be huge for us going forward in the competition,” Musa said after the match.

Midfield impresario Esther Onyenezide, whose vicious curling shot earned all three points against the Korea Republic to send the Falconets into the last eight on Monday morning, scored from the penalty spot in the 24th minute to pull the Falconets level. Defender Mia Pante had handled the ball from a Blessing Okpe shot in the box.

The Falconets looked composed and surefooted in the middle with the return of Deborah Abiodun, who sat out the encounter with the Koreans, and Chiamaka Okwuchukwu also played an inspired game after starting for the first time in the tournament. Her firm header from a Blessing Okpe cross in the 15th minute was missed narrowly.

Onyenezide shot Nigeria ahead, also from the spot, in the 32nd minute, after Simi Awujo’s dangerous play against Mercy Idoko, as the latter went for a header from Rofiat Imuran’s inswinger, was penalised.

In the added time of the first period, Idoko came close to scoring her first goal of the tournament, but her touch from another Imuran inswinger kissed the upright.

In the second half, the Falconets added pace and brilliant use of space to their game, and it was no surprise when Imuran, again with a visionary cross, set up substitute Chioma Olise for Nigeria’s third goal.

Their imperial campaign in the group stage earns the Falconets a quarter-final date with the Netherlands in Alajuela from 1 am on Monday (Nigeria time).

Punch/Simeon Ugbodovon

Foreign

Canada’s government is proposing putting health warnings on individual cigarettes in what would be a world-first way of tackling the habit.

Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett said she hoped the measure would help reach more people.

She said the key target were young people who often access cigarettes “in social situations sidestepping the information printed on a package”.

A 75-day public consultation period on the issue starts on Saturday.

“Adding health warnings on individual tobacco products will help ensure that these essential messages reach people,” Ms. Bennett told reporters.

She added that photo warnings on cigarette packets – introduced in Canada in 2001 – were no longer as effective as the government had hoped.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada welcomed the new proposal.

“Canada will now have the strongest health warning regime for cigarettes in the world,” the foundation’s CEO, Doug Roth was quoted as saying by Canada’s CBC public broadcaster.

“These are deadly products, and these measures will help to further reduce their appeal to youth and non-smokers, as well as to support current smokers in their efforts to quit.”

In 2020, more than four million Canadians were daily or occasional smokers, according to Statistics Canada.

Tobacco use is still the leading preventable cause of illness and premature death in the country with a population of more than 38 million.

An estimated 48,000 Canadians die each year as a result of smoking, according to the Canadian Lung Association.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

Lifestyle

The Journalists International Forum For Migration , JIFORM, has invited the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to its third annual migration summit in Canada.

Participants from North America, Europe, Asia, South and North America, Africa and from several countries have confirmed participation at the hybrid event to be held in Toronto between December 3-11, 2021.

Ajibola Abayomi, President JIFORM in a statement said the invitation of the duo was necessitated by their interest and support for advocacy on migration matters.

JIFORM, comprising over 300 Journalists covering migration issues across the continents also announced the addition of an event company, Abedorc Productions Inc., Canada, the owners of the Dorc Tv and Dorc Radio to the list of partners for the summit in the country.

Other partners are: Home For The Needy, Edo State; Diaspora Innovation Institute, Federal University of Technology Akure, the NEKOTECH Center of Excellence, Ghana and others.

The United Nations’ lead migration agency the International Organization for Migration IOM in Nigeria and in other countries and international speakers that include former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration in Canada, Hon Gerry Weiner; Professor Patrick Lumumba, a foremost pan-Africanist from Kenya and member of the African Union Labour Migration Advisory Committee, H E Dr Kabuki Asie Ocansey from Ghana are to deliver presentations during the summit.

Listed also were Mr Williams Goiz, the Regional Director, Asia Migration Forum; Director, Home For The Needy, Folorunso Abumere; Professor Byron Price of City University, New York City, USA and others. 

JIFORM, founded in 2018 initiated the global summit premiered in Abuja between November 26-28,  2019. On February 25-26, 2021, the media body held the maiden African Migration Summit in Accra, Ghana in partnership with the Nekotech Center of Excellence and equally organized the  first African Media Migration Summit in Lome, Togo between June 22-23 this year.

Apart from these, JIFORM has organized series of trainings and workshops on migration, anti-human trafficking, labour, decent work, economic and social developments over the years from which over 3000 Journalists and other participants have benefitted.

Kayode Banjo 

Sport

Canada and Australia have pulled out of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games over concerns for athletes’ safety with the outbreak of Coronavirus across the globe.

The International Olympic Committee, IOC, has been in consultation with Japan about possibly postponing the Games, which is scheduled to start in July.

However, host nation Japan is adamant the Games will go on as scheduled much to the consternation of many countries and athletes, who have criticized the Asian country.

Canada followed up the announcement of withdrawing from the games with a tweet on Sunday:

Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Committee said it was clear the Games would not be held in July, as Japan has recorded 1046 cases with 41 confirmed deaths.

Olaolu Fawole

Yoruba

Ọkùnrin kan Joseph Johnson ẹni ọdún mẹ́tàlélógún ni ónkáwọ́pọ̀n sẹ́yìn níwájú ilé ẹjọ́ magisrate nípinlẹ̀ Ọsun, nílu Osogbo, láti sàlàyé on tórí labẹ̀ tó fi garu ọwọ́, lórí kíkùnà láti gba ìwé ìrìnà sílẹ̀ Canada fún oníbarà rẹ̀.

Arákùnrin yi, ni ìròyìn fìdí ẹ̀ múlẹ̀ pe ó gba ẹgbẹ̀rún lọ́nà ẹdẹgbẹrin naira lọ́wọ́ Bukọla Alayande, tó sì sèlérí pé òun yó ba arábìnrin náà àti ọmọrẹ̀ gba ìwé ìrìnnà sílẹ̀ Canada.

Àmọ́ arákùnrin Johnson sọ pé òun kò jẹ̀bi ẹ̀sùn, méjì lórí olèjíjà àti àilèmú ìlérí sẹ, tí wọ́n fi kan òun.

Ẹni tón mú ojú rẹ̀ balé ẹjọ́ Kayọde Adeoye náà nílu Osogbo lọ́jọ́ kẹtàlélógún osù kejìlá ọdún 2018.

Gẹ́gẹ́ bó sise wí, ìwà ọ̀hún ló tàpá sófin ìwà ọ̀daràn tìpínlẹ̀ Ọsun, nílẹ̀ yí tọdún 2002.

Bótilẹ̀jẹ́pé ẹnitómú ojú rẹ̀ balé ẹjọ́ kòwí ǹkankan nípa gbígba oníduró àmọ́ adájọ́ Modupẹ Awodele kọ̀ láti gba oníduro rẹ̀.

Tó sì ní kí ẹni tí wọ́n furasí náà, kó wà ní àhámọ́, tó sì sun ìgbẹ́jọ́ sí ọjọ́ kẹrìnlélógún osù- kẹsan ọdún yíì.

Kemi Ogunkọla/Sheriff Nasirudeen