Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A veteran corporate lawyer has been shot dead in Myanmar's biggest city by self-proclaimed urban guerrillas, highlighting the bloody struggle between the military government and its foes in the country's cities as well as the remote countryside.
Min Tayza Nyunt Tin was shot multiple times while driving his car in Yangon on Friday, according to a business colleague, media reports and a statement from the guerrilla group.
The group, calling itself Urban Owls, accused him of being a business associate of the country's military leaders who seized power two years ago, and claimed he helped them launder money in order to buy real estate and business assets abroad in deals totalling hundreds of millions of dollars.
Its claims could not be independently verified, and a colleague of Min Tayza denied the guerrillas' allegations. The victim was the founder and CEO of BIZ Law Consult Myanmar, a law firm specializing in intellectual property and trademark law.
Media outlets sympathetic to the military reported on the Telegram messaging app that the 56-year-old was shot by members of the People's Defence Force.
It's a loosely organized armed wing of the pro-democracy National Unity Government, which opposes the military government that was established when the army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Many of the opposition forces operate autonomously of the National Unity Government.
The army takeover triggered widespread peaceful protests that were quashed with lethal force, triggering armed resistance that UN experts now characterize as civil war.
Urban guerrillas have carried out targeted killings, arson and small bombings since 2021. Victims included officials and members of the military as well as people believed to be informers or military collaborators. In November 2021, a former navy officer who was the chief finance officer of Myanmar's military-linked telecommunications company was fatally shot on a Yangon street.
The army has clamped down harshly on opponents in the cities, arresting thousands and using deadly force even against non-violent demonstrators. According to a detailed list by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, at least 3,160 civilians have been killed by security forces since the army seized power.
The statement issued by the Urban Owls guerrillas cited what it claimed were social media postings by Min Tayza, including one that expressed gratitude to former air force commander Myat Hein for helping him make his fortune.
The guerrillas' statement also claimed Min Tayza "has publicly announced on Facebook that he shall 'only provide services to reliable friends and supporters of the military' shortly after the 2021 coup took place."
The citations could not be verified, because the Facebook account where the comments allegedly were posted is marked as a private one.
The guerrillas' statement said the shooting is "yet another warning to all business tycoons and associates" of the country's military.
"We are among many guerrilla groups in Yangon who are aware of your money laundering schemes and blood money deals, and shall spare no one standing against the Spring Revolution of Myanmar," it said.
A member of BIZ Law Consult Myanmar company confirmed Min Tayza's death to The Associated Press on Friday night but denied the allegation of his military links. The person spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of arrest by the military and attacks by urban guerrillas.
"I want to say that none of the allegations are correct. We only give services for intellectual property for business firms. We are not associated with them (the military)," the person said.
The firm's Facebook page also promotes opening bank accounts, buying property and getting retirement visas in neighbouring Thailand, where the company has an office. Well-to-do Myanmar residents, not just supporters of the military, have sought to transfer assets to Thailand, which they consider a safe haven.
Myanmar's economy has been in shambles due to civil disobedience, mismanagement by the military and economic sanctions imposed by western nations as a consequence of the army's seizure of power and human rights abuses.
On Friday, the U.S. government announced a new set of sanctions against two individuals and six companies meant to stem the supply of jet fuel to Myanmar. Activists say blocking the supply of jet fuel can hinder Myanmar's military from carrying out air strikes in the countryside, which often cause civilian casualties.
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
The Vancouver Canucks are moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
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.