Haitians leave their homes in several neighborhoods to escape more gang violence in the capital

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues and gear aims to intimidate Ukrainian forces and marks a new chapter in the 2 1/2-year war with the introduction of another country into the battlefield, Ukrainian officials said.

The video, which was obtained by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which operates under the Culture and Information Ministry, is said to show North Korean soldiers standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other apparel from Russian servicemen. The Associated Press could not verify the video independently.

“We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, head of the center.

“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” he said. “For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.”

The center claims the footage was shot by a Russian soldier in recent days. The location is unknown.

It comes after the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said in local media reports that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently training in eastern Russia. He predicted they would be ready to join fighting by November. At least 2,600 would be sent to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August, he was quoted as saying.

“The emergence of any number of new soldiers is a problem because we will simply need new, additional weapons to destroy them all,” Solovey told AP. “The dissemination of this video is important as a signal to the world community that with two countries officially at war against Ukraine, we will need more support to repel this aggression.”

The presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine, if true, would be another proof of intensified military ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last summer, they signed a strategic partnership treaty that commits both countries to provide military assistance. North Korean weapons have already been used in the Ukraine war.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Two suspects have been arrested in connection to a weekend shooting that targeted a Jewish school in the city’s north end, Toronto police said Friday, as investigators look to establish the motive for the attack.

Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said a 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were arrested on Thursday in the case.

He said the two are facing multiple charges, including the possession of an unauthorized loaded firearm and the discharge of a restricted firearm.

Police allege the two shot at Bais Chaya Mushka girls’ school on Oct. 12.

“Fortunately, no one was inside and there were no injuries,” said Johnson. A school window was shattered, he said.

Bais Chaya Mushka was the target of another attack in May, and Johnson said investigators are working to find out if the two shootings are linked.

“This is the second incident at the school and it occurred on Yom Kippur, a sacred day for the Jewish community, making this even more devastating,” he told reporters.

He said the force’s gun and gang task force led the investigation with the assistance of the hate crime unit, the Centre of Forensic Sciences and the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

“Their meticulous examination of the evidence was key in identifying and charging the two individuals,” he said.

Johnson said police are investigating to determine if the shooting was motivated by hate, but could not confirm a motive as of Friday.

“While we’re not sure right now what the motivation is, I can assure you that if we find evidence … that this is motivated by hate, we will explore the aggravating nature of this with our partners in the ministry through the court process,” he added.

Johnson said the safety of the city’s Jewish community remains a top priority for Toronto police, and the force will have a strong presence in Jewish neighborhoods for as long as needed.

“Our increased police presence will continue as long as is necessary,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government will look at proactively releasing more information about its out-of-province travel expenses, Premier Wab Kinew said Friday.

It’s a move that would bring Manitoba in line with the federal government and some other provinces.

Currently, the government posts travel expenses of the premier and other cabinet ministers on its website. But unlike the federal government and provinces such as Saskatchewan and Alberta, Manitoba does not post the expenses of senior staff or bureaucrats that accompany a minister.

The government recently posted a total of $6,649 dollars for a trip to a United Nations conference in March by Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the province’s freedom of information law show three other people accompanied the minister — Fontaine’s director of ministerial affairs and two members of Gender Equity Manitoba, a branch of the Families department — for a total of $23,105.

Getting information through freedom of information can be cumbersome when ministers or staff from different departments travel, as requests must be filed with each department. Getting a response to a request can take months.

Kinew, who became premier a year ago, said he was surprised by what he called an “ad hoc” system of disclosing expenses. He said he will look at including staff and bureaucrat travel expenses.

“We are standardizing things and we are going to ensure that there is a regular, systematic approach to delivering on these disclosures,” Kinew said.

“And so I think that … (we’ll) have a discussion about what that would mean potentially and what’s the art of the possible there.”

Kinew’s office recently posted $1,684 in expenses for a March trip to Toronto, which included a speech to the Economic Club of Canada and attendance at an international mining conference. The listing doesn’t include expenses of senior political staff who accompanied the premier.

In Saskatchewan, recent online travel disclosures include a trip to India for Premier Scott Moe over six days in February. It lists the names of an adviser and a deputy minister who went along, for a total of $37,397. It also includes, unlike Manitoba, a detailed list of the trip’s objectives and people the premier met with.

The federal government lists ministerial travel expenses and has a separate searchable database for senior officials including minister’s press secretaries.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.