'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
The European Union moved a step closer Wednesday to deploying the bloc's massive pandemic recovery fund, with a top executive going to Portugal and Spain to announce the bloc's initial endorsement of their national spending plans.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first visited Portugal, which was the first of the EU's 27 countries to formally present ideas for spending its share of the 800 billion euros (US$970 billion) earmarked last year to help countries out of a sharp economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She then crossed the border to visit Madrid, where she met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to give the stamp of approval to Spain's plan to use nearly 70 billion euros ($85 billion) in grant money.
The commission highlighted Spain's emphasis on the environment with investments in renewable energy and climate-friendly technologies like electric cars.
"This plan will deeply transform Spain's economy, make it greener, more digital, more resilient," von der Leyen said. "We have endorsed this plan because it is ambitious, far-sighted and will help build a better future for the Spanish people."
The commission's green light for the proposals will have to ratified by the leaders of the member states within four weeks.
In coming years, Spain is also to receive an additional 70 million euros in loans, leaving it only behind Italy as the biggest beneficiary of the funds after both southern European countries were the first of the bloc to be pummeled by the pandemic.
In Portugal, von der Leyen told Prime Minister Antonio Costa that his government's plan for how to use its 16.6 billion-euro windfall ($20 billion) in grants and loans has earned the commission's blessing.
Portugal says much of its spending will go to improving the public health network, reducing pollution from public transportation, making housing more energy efficient and buying computers for schools.
So far, 23 of the EU's 27 countries have submitted their spending plans to Brussels authorities, which vet them to ensure they are in line with the bloc's policy goals. EU officials will follow up later to check whether nations are abiding by their commitments.
The EU's 1.1 trillion-euro ($1.3 trillion) seven-year budget from next year will also help national economies recover from the economic hurt caused by COVID-19.
Von der Leyen also plans to visit Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg later this week.
She started her tour of member states a day after the bloc launched its bond sale for the EU Next Generation funds.
Johannes Hahn, the European Commission for Budget and Administration, said Tuesday that the issue of 20 billion euros in bonds was "the largest ever issuance from a European public sector institution and the largest amount the EU has raised in a single transaction."
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.