Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
The suspect in a deadly shooting ahead of an LGBTQ festival in the Norwegian capital, which authorities are treating as an Islamist attack, was ordered held Monday in pre-trial detention for four weeks -- two of them in solitary confinement. He continued to refuse to be questioned.
Zaniar Matapour, a 43-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after Saturday's predawn shooting in Oslo's nightlife district and was held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Two people were killed and more than 20 wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an "Islamist terror act."
Prosecutor Ingvild Myrold said investigators have "many hypotheses" regarding a possible motive for the shooting although police have unsuccessfully tried to question Matapour for the third consecutive day.
"We take a closer look at his mental health, his political motives and background and possibly who else he may have had contact with before this happened," Myrold told The Associated Press. "We do not exclude anything. But now the accusation is about pure terror incident," she added.
Matapour is now being held solely on suspicion of murder and attempted murder according to an Oslo District Court ruling obtained by the AP. The court added that it "cannot see that it is necessary today to decide whether there is good reason to suspect terrorist intent."
Matapour has refused to explain his actions to investigators. His lawyer, John Christian Elden, said his client objects to having his statement recorded and videotaped unless police release the entire recording to the public "with no time delay so it won't be censored or manipulated." Recording interrogations is a standard police practice.
Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s, according to Norwegian media.
The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in downtown Oslo. Police investigators have said it is too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community.
Police on Monday identified the two victims as Kåre Arvid Hesvik, born in 1962, and Jon Erik Isachsen, born in 1968.
A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was canceled because of the shooting.
In a joint statement on Monday, the head of Norway's national police, Benedicte Bj├╕rnland, and the acting security service chief Roger Berg said they would review their response to the shooting, saying "it is very important that ... any weaknesses and errors are identified quickly in order to be able to implement measures."
The agency known by its Norwegian acronym PST earlier had said that it first became aware of the suspect in 2015. It had talked to the suspect in May because he had shown interest in demonstrations and activities perceived as insulting to Islam. "Our assessment, after talking to the perpetrator, was that he did not have violent intentions," it said.
PST also said that the suspect had a "long history of violence and threats," as well as mental health issues.
After the attack, PST raised the threat scale from moderate to its highest level, adding the move "implies that there has been a terrorist attack and that there is an unresolved situation. We are continuously assessing the terrorism threat level."
Police urged the cancelation of a spontaneous Pride parade in the aftermath of the attack, scheduled for later Monday, saying they cannot guarantee security. "We know that this can be big, and as long as we have such an unresolved threat situation, we cannot recommend that (the march) be implemented," Martin Strand of the Oslo police said according to the Aftenposten daily.
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is downplaying what staff describe as a cockroach infestation in a medical unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears will avoid what could have been a long, ugly and revealing trial with a settlement of the lingering issues in the court conservatorship that controlled her life and financial decisions for nearly 14 years.
The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.