B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton dead following prison attack
Convicted B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, who preyed on women he lured from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to his rural pig farm, has died.
NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo said Monday they were investigating a shooting incident in a tense northern region, urging calm after Serbia sent its army chief to the border area in response.
The incident on Sunday evening took place in Zubin Potok, a town in northern Kosovo where local ethnic Serbs have been manning road barricades for the past two weeks and where tensions have been running high between the two former wartime foes.
The peacekeepers, known as KFOR, said the incident happened in close proximity of one of their patrols, involving unknown people. A statement said no one was injured and "we are working to establish all the facts."
Kosovo remains a potential flashpoint in the Balkans years after the 1998-99 war that ended with NATO intervention. Serbia doesn't recognize the 2008 declaration of independence of its former province, while Western efforts to mediate a solution so far have failed.
"It is important for all involved to avoid any rhetoric or actions that can cause tensions and escalate the situation," KFOR said in a statement. "We expect all actors to refrain from provocative shows of force and to seek the best solution to ensure the safety and security of all communities."
Fears of violence have soared since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine. The United States and most European Union countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, while Serbia has relied on Russia and China in its bid to maintain claim on the province.
Tensions in Kosovo have risen further in recent weeks and months over several issues amid international efforts to step up mediation efforts. Most recently, ethnic Serbs in the north put up roadblocks in protest of an arrest of a former Serb police officer.
Serbs in the north previously had walked out of Kosovo's institutions, claiming harassment by Kosovo authorities. Belgrade repeatedly has warned it would protect local Serbs "with all means" if they are attacked.
Kosovo's government has asked NATO troops -- which deployed in 1999 after the trans-Atlantic alliance bombed Serbia into leaving Kosovo -- to remove the Serb roadblocks. Prime Minister Albin Kurti, KFOR commander Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia and Lars-Gunnar Wigermark, who heads an EU law and order mission, met on Monday to discuss the situation, KFOR said on Twitter.
Kurti's office said that "the common conclusion from this meeting is that freedom of movement should be restored and that there should be no barricades on any road."
Serbia on Sunday held a top-level meeting after the shooting incident, with the army chief of staff later heading to the southern town of Raska, near Kosovo, where Serbian army troops are located. Local media carried a video with shots and shouts heard, but not showing clearly what happened at one of the barricades.
Gen. Milan Mojsilovic told local media that the army received "clear and precise" directions from Serbia's populist president, Aleksandar Vucic. Mojsilovic described the situation as "serious," adding that it requires the "presence of the Serbian army along the administrative line" with Kosovo, state RTS television reported.
Serbian army vehicles could be seen on the roads in the area on Monday, and the Balkan nation's defence minister also arrived. Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic, Gen. Mojsilovic and other senior army officers discussed the security situation during a meeting in Raska, a defence ministry statement said.
Serbia has asked KFOR to deploy up to 1,000 of its troops in the Serb-populated north of Kosovo, to protect Kosovo Serbs from alleged harassment by ethnic Albanians, who are the majority in the country. The request so far hasn't been granted.
Convicted B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, who preyed on women he lured from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to his rural pig farm, has died.
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
The ex-husband of Tatjana Stefanski – the woman whose disappearance and death set the small town of Lumby, B.C., on edge last month – has been charged with her murder.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two power-play goals as Edmonton smothered the Dallas Stars 3-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the NHL's Western Conference final on Friday.
A newborn is dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to a woman in police custody.
Jennifer Lopez has cancelled her 2024 North American tour, representatives for Live Nation confirmed to The Associated Press.
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
The Department of National Defence is moving approximately 1,000 employees out of an office building in Ottawa's Lowertown neighbourhood, citing safety concerns for its employees.
A man convicted of murdering a Toronto police officer more than four decades ago has been granted day parole for six months.
A hefty donation by a renowned local activist to the University of Winnipeg has created what is believed to be the most comprehensive two-spirit archives in all of Canada.
Leanne Van Bergen discovered a skulk of 10 baby foxes, and two mothers, had made themselves at home on her property in Beausejour.
An 81-year-old Waterloo, Ont. woman thought she’d never ride a horse again after a brain bleed led to severe physical complications.
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Prince Edward Island is celebrating its first-ever International Day of Potato on Thursday.
The president of Covered Bridge Chips in New Brunswick is hoping to have his factory rebuilt for late 2025 following a devastating fire last year.
Students and staff at Winnipeg’s Westwood Collegiate had a unique problem to solve this month; how do you lead ducks to water from the school’s courtyard when 12 of them can’t fly yet?
Debby Lorinczy remembers her father as an amazing person and as a man who also made an amazing discovery.
Abigail Strate is a member of the Canadian national ski jumping team and an Olympic bronze medallist. She's also a certified beekeeper.