Russian upper house Duma passes LGBTQ 'propaganda' bill
MOSCOW -
The upper house of Russia's parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill significantly expanding restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights in the country, the latest move in an ongoing crackdown on the country's embattled LGBTQ community.
The Federation Council quickly rubber-stamped the bill following its equally speedy approval last week by the lower house, the State Duma. It will now go to President Vladimir Putin who will sign it into law.
A 2013 law banned what authorities deem to be spreading "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors. The new bill expands that ban to spreading such information to people aged 18 and older.
The new bill outlaws advertising, media and online resources. books, films and theater productions deemed to contain such "propaganda."
It also broadens the existing restrictions by banning information about gender transitions to be conveyed to minors.
Violations are punishable by fines and, if committed by non-residents, could lead to their expulsion from Russia.
The fines range from 100,000 to two million rubles ($1,660 to $33,000 US). For some violations, foreigners could face 15 days' detention prior to expulsion.
The bill does not make violations a criminal offense as Russian law stipulates that the criminal code can be amended only through an independent bill. Some lawmakers have suggested they favor such a measure.
Russia explicitly outlawed same-sex marriages in 2020 by adopting amendments to the country's Constitution that, among other things, stipulated that the "institution of marriage is a union between a man and a woman."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A short-lived 'punch in the face' cold snap is coming for Eastern Canada
The beginning of February is expected to bring Arctic-like temperatures across much of Eastern Canada, thanks to frigid air from the polar vortex. The cold snap will descend on Eastern Canada this week, with temperatures becoming seasonable again on Sunday. In between, much of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada can expect the coldest days yet this winter.
Family in remote northern Ont. reeling after daughter killed in fire, home destroyed
A family in the remote community of Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
Late Jean Vanier sexually abused 25 women, says non-profit he founded
A report commissioned by a non-profit organization founded by the late Jean Vanier says the Canadian sexually abused 25 women during his decades with the group.
Girl, 6, dies after T-bar lift incident at Quebec ski resort
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
Hybrid Parliament should be here to stay, say MPs in new report
The hybrid sitting structure and electronic voting system should become permanent features of the House of Commons, according to a new report from MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee.
'Just incredible': Winnipegger and former teammate remembers Bobby Hull
Without Bobby Hull, the Winnipeg Jets wouldn’t be in the NHL right now. That’s how one of his former teammates feels about the late Jets forward.
Why adding a bit of milk to your morning coffee might be good for you
Adding some milk to your morning coffee may boost the body's anti-inflammatory response, new research out of Denmark shows.
WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency isn't over. What happens next?
The World Health Organization decided Monday not to end to the COVID-19 global public health emergency it declared three years ago, even though the pandemic has reached what the international body calls an 'inflection point.'
BREAKING
BREAKING | Canucks trade captain Bo Horvat to Islanders
The rebuild of the Vancouver Canucks has begun, with centre Bo Horvat heading to the New York Islanders.
Canada
-
Quebec RCMP say they rescued man trying to cross U.S. border on foot through woods
Quebec RCMP say they rescued a man over the weekend who became lost in the woods in heavy snow while trying to cross the border into the United States.
-
B.C. reveals plan for decriminalization of small amounts of drugs for personal use
British Columbia is taking a major step forward in its fight against the province’s deadly overdose crisis by decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of certain illicit drugs for personal use.
-
Family in remote northern Ont. reeling after daughter killed in fire, home destroyed
A family in the remote community of Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
-
Girl, 6, dies after T-bar lift incident at Quebec ski resort
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
-
Parks Canada updating its reservation system to book camping and other activities
Parks Canada says visitors will be able to start booking reservations for camping and other activities at its sites across the country in March.
-
Late Jean Vanier sexually abused 25 women, says non-profit he founded
A report commissioned by a non-profit organization founded by the late Jean Vanier says the Canadian sexually abused 25 women during his decades with the group.
World
-
Donald Trump investigations: Georgia prosecutor ups anticipation
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies have been put on notice by a prosecutor, but the warning didn't come from anyone at the Justice Department.
-
Smuggler tells U.S. jury he paid off ex-Mexico security chief
Describing meetings at a car wash and a smuggler's country house, a onetime drug trafficker testified Monday that he paid a former cabinet-level Mexican security official millions of dollars for help that included U.S. government information about a huge cocaine shipment in Mexico.
-
6th officer relieved of duty, EMTs fired, in Tyre Nichols death
The Memphis Police Department has disciplined an officer involved in the arrest, beating and death of Tyre Nichols, the department said Monday. Also Monday, two Fire Department emergency medical technicians and a driver were fired in connection with the case.
-
Suicide bomber kills 59, wounds over 150 at Pakistan mosque
A suicide bomber struck a crowded mosque inside a police compound in Pakistan on Monday, causing the roof to collapse and killing at least 59 people and wounding more than 150 others, officials said.
-
Defence faults crime scene collection in Alex Murdaugh trial
Defence attorneys in South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial continued Monday to question the way state agents collected and analyzed evidence in the shooting deaths of Murdaugh's wife and son.
-
What's behind the Pakistani Taliban's deadly insurgency?
The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for Monday's suicide bombing at a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar. The bombing is likely to strain relations further between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, who are sheltering the TTP leadership and fighters.
Politics
-
Hybrid Parliament should be here to stay, say MPs in new report
The hybrid sitting structure and electronic voting system should become permanent features of the House of Commons, according to a new report from MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee.
-
Health, economy, crime top issues of concern as House of Commons resumes
Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
-
No security threat from RCMP's dealings with China-linked firm, minister tells MPs
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says there is no reason to believe Canada's national security was under threat at any time due to the RCMP's dealings with an Ontario company that has links to China.
Health
-
WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency isn't over. What happens next?
The World Health Organization decided Monday not to end to the COVID-19 global public health emergency it declared three years ago, even though the pandemic has reached what the international body calls an 'inflection point.'
-
All countries 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics: report
The world is 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end.
-
New alcohol recommendations could speed up changing drinking habits: businesses
New guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular, advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say.
Sci-Tech
-
China's Baidu to launch ChatGPT-style bot in March: source
Chinese internet search major Baidu Inc is planning to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
-
TikTok CEO to testify before U.S. Congress over security concerns
TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew will appear before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee in March, as lawmakers scrutinize the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.
-
YouTube star MrBeast helps 1,000 blind people see again by sponsoring cataract surgeries
YouTube superstar MrBeast is making the world clearer -- for at least 1,000 people. The content creator's latest stunt is paying for cataract removal for 1,000 people who were blind or near-blind but could not afford the surgery.
Entertainment
-
'Laverne & Shirley' actor Cindy Williams dies at 75
Cindy Williams, who played Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the popular sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, her family said Monday.
-
Chicago prosecutor dropping R. Kelly sex-abuse charges
A Chicago prosecutor said Monday that she's dropping sex-abuse charges against singer R. Kelly following federal convictions in two courts that should guarantee the disgraced R&B star will be locked up for decades.
-
Michael Jackson's nephew to star in King of Pop biopic
Michael Jackson's 26-year-old nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will play the King of Pop in the planned biopic "Michael" to be directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Business
-
Companies make progress on anti-Black racism, but workers worry about recession: poll
Most Black Canadians feel their employers made progress addressing anti-Black racism last year -- but they worry about what a recession could mean for those gains, a KPMG survey said.
-
WestJet cancels summer flights between Halifax and Europe
WestJet has suspended its transatlantic service between Halifax and Europe for summer 2023.
-
Companies extend deadline to close Rogers-Shaw deal to Feb. 17
The companies involved in the Rogers Communications Inc. deal to buy Shaw Communications have extended the deadline to complete the transaction.
Lifestyle
-
Once-in-a-lifetime discovery: Indigenous jacket more than a century old turns up in small U.K. town
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
-
Mindbender roller coaster closed after 37 years at West Edmonton Mall
The Mindbender roller coaster at Galaxyland has been shut down, West Edmonton Mall announced on Monday. The redevelopment of the area is already underway, and the roller coaster is being decommissioned and removed.
-
Marie Kondo is focusing on what's important--and that means letting the tidying slide
Queen of clean Marie Kondo admits that tidying up is no longer top of her to-do list. Posting on her website shortly after the birth of her third child in 2021, the Japanese organization expert reflected on motherhood, saying she had 'eased up on herself' when it comes to tidying.
Sports
-
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull dies at 84
Bobby Hull once proudly said that he played the way he lived -- straightforward. The Hockey Hall of Famer, who electrified fans through the 1960s and 70s, died on Monday at the age of 84. Hull played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks before a jump to the Winnipeg Jets of the upstart World Hockey Association in 1972, a move that led to lawsuits but ultimately higher salaries for hockey players.
-
'Just incredible': Winnipegger and former teammate remembers Bobby Hull
Without Bobby Hull, the Winnipeg Jets wouldn’t be in the NHL right now. That’s how one of his former teammates feels about the late Jets forward.
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Canucks trade captain Bo Horvat to Islanders
The rebuild of the Vancouver Canucks has begun, with centre Bo Horvat heading to the New York Islanders.
Autos
-
Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Canada not affected by U.S. theft issue, automakers say
Kia and Hyundai vehicles sold in Canada do not have the same anti-theft issue as those in the United States because of Canadian regulations, the automakers say.
-
Ford to cut prices of Mustang Mach-E, following Tesla's lead
Ford Motor Co on Monday cut prices of its electric crossover SUV Mustang Mach-E by as much as US$5,900 per vehicle, weeks after rival Tesla Inc slashed prices globally on its electric vehicles by as much as 20 per cent.
-
Automakers Renault, Nissan to make cross-shareholdings equal
Nissan and Renault have agreed to equalize the stakes they hold in each other, both sides said Monday, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance.
