A rare Israeli strike on central Beirut kills Hezbollah’s spokesman, official says

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Opposition protesters in Georgia’s breakaway province of Abkhazia on Sunday refused to cede control of key government buildings seized during rallies earlier in the week during which at least 14 people were injured in clashes with police.

Demonstrators stormed the buildings Friday to protest new measures allowing Russians to buy property in the seaside region.

Protesters on Sunday continued to demand the ouster of self-styled Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania, and one prominent politician vowed that the opposition would form a rival government if he refuses to step down.

“If our demands for the president’s resignation are not met, we will have to form a temporary government to ensure the normal functioning of state bodies,” Temur Gulia told his supporters, according to local agencies.

Bzhania, who is backed by Russia, signaled Sunday that he was prepared to step aside temporarily and hold early elections, even as he continued to slam the demonstrations as “an attempted coup d’etat.”

Opponents of the property agreement say it will drive up prices of apartments and boost Moscow’s dominance in the region.

On Saturday, Bzhania announced that he would only agree to a snap election if demonstrators vacated the region’s parliament building. But crowds that gathered in the Abkhazian capital, Sukhumi, rejected the deal and opposition leaders said they would only accept Bzhania’s unconditional resignation.

Meanwhile, protesters on Sunday began dismantling the security barriers around the government complex in Sukhumi.

One prominent opposition figure called the metal barriers a symbol of the authorities being out of touch.

“This barrier shows that the government has decided to fence itself off from its people,” Adgur Ardzinba said, according to local media.

Most of Abkhazia broke away from Georgia in fighting that ended in 1993, and Georgia lost control of the rest of the territory in the short war with Russia in 2008. Russia recognizes Abkhazia as an independent country, but many Abkhazians are concerned that the region of about 245,000 people is a client state of Moscow.

Abkhazia’s mountains and Black Sea beaches make it a popular destination for Russian tourists and the demand for holiday homes could be strong.

At least 14 people were injured Friday when opposition protesters clashed with police, Russian state agencies reported.

Lawmakers had gathered at the region’s parliament building to discuss ratifying measures allowing Russian citizens to buy property in the breakaway state. However, the session was postponed as demonstrators broke down the gate to the building’s grounds with a truck and streamed inside. Some threw rocks at police, who responded with tear gas.

The arrest of five opposition figures at a similar demonstration Monday set off widespread protests the next day in which bridges leading to Sukhumi were blocked.

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it has detected the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial poultry at additional locations in two British Columbia cities.

The agency says the flu has been detected at two more premises in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, both of which have seen multiple cases since October.

The CFIA says avian influenza is not a food safety concern, and there is no evidence to suggest that eating cooked poultry or eggs could transmit it to humans.

It says additional primary control zones, which seek to prevent the flu’s spread, will be created as required.

The CFIA currently lists 41 premises in Canada where the flu has been detected in bird flocks, with 37 of those in B.C.

Last week, a B.C. teen was treated in hospital after being confirmed to be the first known human in Canada to domestically acquire the flu, thought to be the H5N1 variant, but it’s not yet known how the teen was infected.

The World Health Organization says the avian flu has been circulating widely among wild birds and poultry for more than two decades, but infections in humans are rare.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2024.

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OSHAWA, Ont. – Police in Durham Region say a 41-year-old man has been charged with murder after his wife was found injured Sunday in an Oshawa, Ont., home and later pronounced dead.

Police say officers were called to the home around 12:30 a.m. where they found a 48-year-old woman suffering from “obvious signs of trauma.”

They say emergency officials performed life-saving measures on the woman and she was taken to a Toronto-area trauma centre where she was pronounced dead.

They say her husband is in police custody and faces a first-degree murder charge.

Police say the couple’s two children, both five years old, as well as another woman, were on the scene at the time, but all were uninjured.

They say the incident is being investigated as a case of intimate partner violence.

Acting Staff Sgt. Joanne Bortoluss said at a press conference Sunday that police urge anyone with information on the case to come forward.

“Anytime there’s any sort of incident like this I think it affects the community a great deal,” she said.

She said there are community resources available to those affected by intimate partner violence, adding that accessing Victim Services of Durham Region does not require police involvement.

“When it comes down to intimate partner violence, there’s no geographical location, it really affects everywhere and anywhere,” she said. “If you do need us, if you do need victim services, then all of us are here to provide help.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2024.

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