Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Former NBA great Yao Ming said Monday he and others had a pleasant talk when they met last month with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, whose disappearance after making a sexual assault allegation against a former government official raised international concern.
He also said it is unfortunate that Novak Djokovic won't play at the Australian Open because of his COVID-19 vaccination status. But Yao added that he isn't qualified to judge Australia's pandemic policies.
Yao, who played for the Houston Rockets from 2002-11 and is now president of the Chinese Basketball Association, used stories and humor to deflect challenging questions at a news conference to promote the Beijing Winter Olympics, which open in 18 days.
Asked about China's relations with the U.S., which has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games, Yao likened sporting and cultural events to the community temple gatherings he went to as a child in Shanghai.
"On that occasion, even with the neighbours I had bickered with, I would nod my head (in greeting)," he said. "Then we went on with whatever we needed to do. I think we need more of this kind of temple gathering."
He also called sports a bridge for communication, saying there are sometimes collisions on bridges, but "we hope we can keep the bridge."
Peng, who won Grand Slam titles in women's doubles, denied making the assault allegation to a Singapore newspaper on the same day photos of her with Yao and two former Olympians were posted on social media. The photos appeared to be part of a campaign to respond to international demands that Peng be allowed to talk freely about her situation.
Yao said that he has known Peng for about 20 years. The four Chinese sports figures were photographed on an observation deck from where they watched a winter sports exhibition.
"We had a pleasant chat," he said. "We asked many questions about the game as we were not familiar with snow sports."
At one point, it was unclear if he said Peng was OK. Some, including the translator for the news conference, heard her say "she was fine that day," but others thought Yao said "we were all fine that day."
The International Olympic Committee, which has been pressured to move the Games from China because of human rights concerns, came under further fire after IOC President Thomas Bach held a video call with Peng. An IOC statement said that she assured Bach and others that she was well.
Regarding Djokovic, Yao said he is not familiar with Australia's pandemic measures, "so I'm not in a position to comment if he did right or wrong."
But, he said, "speaking as a former athlete, I think it's a pity for a player to lose such an opportunity and for the spectators to lose an opportunity to enjoy watching the player's skills."
The former Rockets centre also said he wants to invite Boston Celtics centre Enes Kanter Freedom, who has argued for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, to visit China to develop a deeper understanding of the country. He said he couldn't comment on Freedom's position, but that "everyone receives information from different channels and it may lead to different points of view."
Yao, who is 41, said society should embrace technology because it brings more convenience and promotes communication. But he started his answer by saying, "If you allow me to choose, I would rather go back to 10 years ago without these high technologies so I can move more freely."
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
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.
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
Past left-leaning presidents who enacted some of the most socially liberal policies on the continent have given way to a self-proclaimed "anarcho-capitalist" whose fiery appraisals of social justice and efforts to dismantle diversity and equity programs have made him into a global far-right icon.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
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.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.