2-hour wildfire evacuation notice issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
An Ethiopian drone strike has killed 17 civilians in the country's Tigray region on the day that U.S. President Joe Biden during a call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed concern about such attacks in the ongoing war, local authorities say.
A report by the zonal administration said women at a flour-grinding mill made up most of those killed in the Monday drone strike near Mai Tsebri, a source who saw the report told The Associated Press. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it to reporters.
Such drone strikes have been reported almost daily in Tigray, a humanitarian worker in the town of Shire told the AP, with an attack over the weekend on a displaced persons camp in Dedebit killing at least 57 people and wounding more than 130, many of them children. The aid worker shared photos of partially charred bodies and small corpses laid out on the ground.
A spokesman for Ethiopia's government and military didn't respond to questions about Monday's drone strike.
Biden expressed concerns in Monday's phone call with Ethiopia's prime minister about detentions and civilian killings in the war against Tigray forces, while commending Abiy for the release of several high-profile political prisoners.
The White House said Biden raised to Abiy the airstrikes that continue to cause civilian casualties and suffering in Africa's second most populous nation.
The statement added that the leaders "discussed ways to accelerate dialogue toward a negotiated cease-fire, the urgency of improving humanitarian access across Ethiopia, and the need to address the human rights concerns of all affected Ethiopians, including concerns about detentions of Ethiopians under the state of emergency."
Abiy on Twitter described the conversation with Biden as "candid" and both agreed "there is great value in strengthening our cooperation through constructive engagement founded on mutual respect."
The call was requested by Biden after Jeffrey Feltman, the outgoing U.S. special envoy to the Horn of Africa, visited Ethiopia last week for talks with senior leaders.
The more than yearlong war has created a devastating humanitarian crisis. The conflict entered a new phase in late December when Tigray forces retreated into their region amid a new military offensive and Ethiopian forces said they would not advance further there.
Biden stressed to Abiy that the two sides must take advantage of the moment and called on the Ethiopian leader to improve humanitarian access, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the leaders' call on the condition of anonymity. White House officials are concerned that if momentum is not maintained, the conflict--which has left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands facing famine--could further deteriorate.
Ethiopia's government has sought to restrict reporting on the conflict and detained some journalists, including a video freelancer accredited to the AP, Amir Aman Kiyaro.
------
Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
Saskatchewan RCMP are set to provide an update on what the service calls a 'significant' sexual assault and internet child exploitation investigation.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
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.