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Canada unveils more Russian sanctions – CTV News

Published

3 years ago

February 24, 2022

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s second tranche of sanctions against Russia for their attack on Ukraine, which includes financial penalties against 58 individuals and entities and the halting of all export permits.

Trudeau said he spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday morning, and that during a G7 meeting agreed that Russia’s actions will not go unpunished.

“We condemn unequivocally this attack on Ukraine, this invasion of Ukraine, but also the violation of the UN Charter, the principles, the rule of law internationally, and we will respond forcefully to make sure that Russia fails,” he said.

“Russia’s actions stand in direct opposition to the democratic principles that generations of Canadians have fought to protect. Democracies, and democratic leaders everywhere, must come together to defend these principles and stand firmly against authoritarianism.”

The announced sanctions will target members of the Russian elite and their family members, as well as paramilitary organization the Wagner Group, and major Russian banks, among others. Canada will also sanction members of the Russian Security Council, including the defence minister, the finance minister and the justice minister.

In addition to no longer issuing new export permits for Russia, the government will also cancel existing permits.

Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee. Ukraine’s government pleaded for help as it said Russian tanks and troops rolled across the border in a “full-scale war” that could rewrite the geopolitical order.

In the hours since, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its ground forces have moved into Ukraine from Crimea, the first confirmation from Moscow that its ground forces have moved in.

The federal government has arranged for safe passage for Canadian and permanent resident families at the land borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, Trudeau said.

Trudeau said the government is also urgently issuing travel documents for those affected, and are prioritizing immigration applications for Ukrainians who want to come to Canada. The government is also launching a new dedicated phone line for anyone in Canada or abroad that have urgent Ukraine-related immigration questions.

“We stand united and steadfast in our support of Ukraine’s sovereignty. And we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people’s right to decide their own future in a free and democratic state,” he said.

Canada’s diplomatic staff in Ukraine have been moved to Poland due to security threats, and Ottawa has suspended operations at its Ukrainian embassy and consulate.

The prime minister was joined by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Defence Minister Anita Anand, and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

Freeland echoed the government’s condemnation of the attack.

“The horrific human costs of this cruel invasion are the direct and personal responsibility Vladmir Putin, who has chosen to invade a sovereign democracy and challenge the rules-based international order,” she said.

“History will judge President Putin as harshly as the world condemns him today. Today, he cements his place in the ranks of the reviled European dictators who caused such carnage in the 20th century.”

Earlier this week, the government announced a “first round” of sanctions against Russia, after it recognized the independence of two non-government controlled Eastern Ukraine regions and ordered troops there.

The measures included banning Canadians from all financial dealings with Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as approving a deployment of up to 460 Canadian Armed Forces troops to Latvia as part of Operation REASSURANCE to “reinforce” Canada’s commitment to NATO.

Anand said 3,400 more troops have been put on standby to assist with the NATO Response Force should they be required.

“I can confirm that the Canadian Armed Forces are ready to assist with the whole of government efforts in the region,” she said.

The government has also sent two shipments of lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine, worth nearly $10 million.

Asked whether economic sanctions are sufficient to cease Putin’s progression into Ukraine, Freeland assured that their hyper-targeted design will have an impact.

“What these united sanctions from the West are saying to those people, to the Russian oligarchs, is you’re not going to be able to keep on doing that, you’re not going to be able to be a high roller enjoying all the fantastic things which Western democracy has created and continue to support this evil barbaric policy,” she said.

Joly added that more sanctions are “coming,” but all moves will be made in concert with allies.

“We want to make sure to put maximum pressure on Vladimir Putin’s regime and also on the Russian economy. To do that, we need to do the work with our allies…it’s important for us to act as one,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the foreign affairs minister summoned Russia’s ambassador for a meeting to condemn “in the strongest possible terms” Russia’s “egregious” attack on Ukraine.

Meanwhile, opposition parties in Canada have expressed their own condemnation of the invasion.

Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen called Putin’s actions “unacceptable” and “despicable,” and said that the party stands ready to defend the rules-based international order against “grievous” violations of international law.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh urged the Liberals to use “all tools” to deter aggression in the region and to engage with allied countries to remove Russia from the SWIFT global interbank payment network.

On the humanitarian front, the party is calling on Ottawa to develop a plan to help Ukrainians in need alongside allies and the United Nations.

With files from CTV News’ Rachel Aiello and The Associated Press.

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Langford, Heim lead Rangers to wild 13-8 win over Blue Jays

Published

21 mins ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rookie Wyatt Langford homered, doubled twice and became the first Texas player this season to reach base five times, struggling Jonah Heim delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie and the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 13-8 on Tuesday night.

Leody Taveras also had a homer among his three hits for the Rangers.

Langford, who also walked twice, has 12 homers and 25 doubles this season. He is hitting .345 in September.

“I think it’s really important to finish on a strong note,” Langford said. “I’m just going to keep trying to do that.”

Heim was 1-for-34 in September before he lined a single to right field off Tommy Nance (0-2) to score Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe, giving Texas a 9-7 lead. Heim went to the plate hitting .212 with 53 RBIs after being voted an All-Star starter last season with a career-best 95 RBIs. He added a double in the eighth ahead of Taveras’ homer during a three-run inning.

Texas had 13 hits and left 13 men on. It was the Rangers’ highest-scoring game since a 15-8 win at Oakland on May 7.

Matt Festa (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, giving him a 5-0 record in 13 appearances with the Rangers after being granted free agency by the New York Mets on July 7.

Nathan Eovaldi, a star of Texas’ 2023 run to the franchise’s first World Series championship, had his worst start of the year in what could have been his final home start with the Rangers. Eovaldi, who will be a free agent next season, allowed 11 hits (the most of his two seasons with Texas) and seven runs (tied for the most).

“I felt like early in the game they just had a few hits that found the holes, a few first-pitch base hits,” said Eovaldi, who is vested for a $20 million player option with Texas for 2025. “I think at the end of the day I just need to do a better job of executing my pitches.”

Eovaldi took a 7-3 lead into the fifth inning after the Rangers scored five unearned runs in the fourth. The Jays then scored four runs to knock out Eovaldi after 4 2/3 innings.

Six of the seven runs scored against Toronto starter Chris Bassitt in 3 2/3 innings were unearned. Bassitt had a throwing error during Texas’ two-run third inning.

“We didn’t help ourselves defensively, taking care of the ball to secure some outs,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a double and two singles, his most hits in a game since having four on Sept. 3. Guerrero is hitting .384 since the All-Star break.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (calf) was activated and played for the first time since July 19, going 2 for 5 with an RBI. … OF Daulton Varsho (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list and will have rotator cuff surgery … INF Will Wagner (knee inflammation) was placed on the 60-day list.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Chad Bradford (5-3, 3.97 ERA) will pitch Wednesday night’s game on extended five days’ rest after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and home runs (three) in 3 2/3 innings losing at Arizona on Sept. 14.

Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (8-4, 3.50) has had two no-hitters get away in the ninth inning this season, including in his previous start against the New York Mets on Sept. 11. Francis is the first major-leaguer to have that happen since Rangers Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1989.

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Billie Jean King set to earn another honor with the Congressional Gold Medal

Published

1 hour ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.

Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”

The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.

King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”

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Account tweaks for young Instagram users ‘minimum’ expected by B.C., David Eby says

Published

1 hour ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.

The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.

Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.

Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”

He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.

In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.

— With files from The Associated Press

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

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