Hungry Palestinians in Gaza block UN aid trucks. Hamas responds to a ceasefire proposal
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the U.N. World Food Program said Saturday, as desperation mounts following Israel's monthslong blockade while talks of a ceasefire inch forward.
Hamas said it has responded to a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire, which Israeli officials have approved, but details of the response were not immediately known. U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiators were nearing a deal.
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CBC
23 minutes ago
- CBC
No tax on tips? Experts warn against bringing U.S. proposal to Canada
The idea of "no tax on tips" has found a way to appeal across party lines in the U.S. The policy is winding its ways through the halls of American government — but economists warn, it's not an idea worth pursuing here in Canada. "It would be just as silly of an idea in Canada as it would be in the United States," Alex Muresianu, a senior policy analyst at Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation said. The No Tax on Tips Act passed the U.S. senate in a unanimous bipartisan vote last month. Similar provisions are being worked into the One Big Beautiful Bill currently before congress. What Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' means for Canadians' wallets 5 days ago Duration 4:49 U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that he would increase government spending and loosen some fiscal restraints with a new spending bill dubbed the "big beautiful bill" last week. Mark Ting, a partner with Foundation Wealth and On The Coast's personal finance columnist, says that markets have already responded positively to the bill. "It's catchy. I think 'no tax on tips' just rolls off the tongue very easily. And I think that is probably a big part of why it's caught on," Muresianu said. While the idea was backed by both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the recent U.S. presidential election, it didn't come up in Canada's recent federal election — something that surprised UBC economics professor Kevin Milligan. "I think that's a good thing," Milligan said. "I think that the focus on making sure that workers feel that they get a good deal from the government by looking carefully at the taxes that working families pay, I think those are good things." The No Tax on Tips Act exempts those making less than $160,000 a year from paying tax on tips, and capped the deduction at $25,000. There are similar provisions in the budget bill that is now before congress, though it does not include the cap. When asked how much he pays in taxes on his tips, Windsor server Dawson Ryan says it's "too much." He says tips are "almost the entire job," for him to make a living on top of minimum wage. Taking away the burden of taxes on tips would go a long way, he says, in helping him get by. "I feel like honestly it would get more people into the industry as well," he said. Maiden Lane assistant manager Olivia Holt says that, of course, the change would be welcome — but sees both sides of the issue and understands why some might call it a bad idea. But Holt says she does want to see the process of accounting for tips during tax season simplified. "It's already such a headache and figuring out what forms you have to fill out," Holt said. 'Treating a buck as a buck' "What problem is it solving?" asked Christine Neal, chair of the economics department at Wilfrid Laurier University. "Certainly from an economics perspective, no one has explained it well. Maybe from a politics perspective, but I'm not even sure of that to be honest." She says while it might be true that a lot of people who earn tips are themselves low income, it doesn't mean they're paying a lot in taxes already. "It ends up being these higher income people that might be benefiting the most," she said. Kevin Milligan at UBC says the tax system shouldn't be distinguishing between different types of income. "We'd like to think of treating a buck as a buck," he said. "Not caring too much whether it's tip income or other kinds of income. So that's why just helping out those with tip income is most likely something that's not the best way to go." Neall agrees when it comes to not giving different treatments to different types of income. She says it helps keep overall taxes lower than they otherwise would be and stops "loopholes that people can use for tax evasion or tax avoidance purposes." 'A good thing' says Canadian Taxpayers Federation Kris Sims is the Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a group that would like to see taxes come down across the board. She says an initiative like this would be a nice thing to think about for Canada, and a starting point. "At the end of the day, a tax cut is a tax cut. If we can get it for people even if it's for a certain class of people who just get tips, that's a good thing. Sims says she can understand why politicians in Canada might have avoided the idea during the federal election because of perceptions people have about Donald Trump and his push for the plan — but it shouldn't stop anyone from bringing the idea forward now.
Winnipeg Free Press
31 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Dutch queen unveils a bell made from Russian weapons to show solidarity with Ukraine
PRAGUE (AP) — Queen Maxima of the Netherlands handed over a bell made partly from Russian weapons to a church in the Czech Republic on Thursday in a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. Known as the Bell of Freedom, it was manufactured by the Dutch Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry that used fragments of artillery shells and other weapons fired by Russia against Ukraine. 'This bell has a lot of symbolism in it and it's a very special project for us,' the owner of the bell foundry, Joost Eijsbouts, told the Czech public radio. 'To use material designed for violence and turn it into something peaceful is a good idea.' The bell will be installed in the tower of the Church of the Holy Saviour in Prague, in place of one of the original bells that were seized by the Austro-Hungarian army and turned into weapons during World War I. The Czech Republic and the Netherlands support Ukraine in its fight against Russian troops. The ceremony at the church, attended by Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva, was meant to be one of the highlights of the Dutch royal couple's stay in Prague. But King Willem-Alexander had to cut short the trip and returned home late Wednesday due to the collapse of the Dutch government.
CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
Israel says it has recovered the bodies of 2 Israeli-American hostages from the Gaza Strip
People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes overnight and into Thursday meanwhile killed at least 13 people, including three local journalists, according to health officials in the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai were recovered and returned to Israel in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency. 'Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. Our hearts ache for the most terrible loss. May their memory be blessed,' he said in a statement. Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, both of whom had Israeli and U.S. citizenship, in December 2023. The military said they were killed in the Oct. 7 attack and taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children. The army said it recovered the remains of Weinstein and Haggai overnight into Thursday from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. A teacher who helped children and a chef who played jazz The couple were taking an early morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the border and rampaged through several army bases and farming communities. In the early hours of the morning, Weinstein was able to call emergency services and let them know that both she and her husband had been shot, and send a message to her family. Weinstein was born in New York and taught English to children with special needs at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the Gaza border. The kibbutz said she also taught meditation techniques to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiety as a result of rocket fire from Gaza. Haggai was a retired chef and jazz musician. 'My beautiful parents have been freed. We have certainty,' their daughter, Iris Haggai Liniado, wrote in a Facebook post. She thanked the Israeli military, the FBI and the Israeli and U.S. governments and called for the release of all the remaining hostages. The couple were survived by two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren, the kibbutz said. Reporters among 13 killed in Israeli strikes At least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis overnight, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. It was not immediately clear if the strikes were related to the recovery mission. In Gaza City, three local reporters were killed and six people were wounded in a strike on the courtyard of the al-Ahli Hospital, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It did not immediately identify the journalists or say which outlets they worked for. The Israeli military said it was looking into reports on the strike at al-Ahli. The army says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it is embedded in populated areas. Over 180 journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the vast majority of them in Gaza, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Israel has said many of those killed in its strikes were militants posing as reporters. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 56 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians. Ceasefire talks deadlocked The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker another ceasefire and hostage release after Israel ended an earlier truce in March and imposed a blockade that has raised fears of famine, despite being eased in recent weeks. But the talks appear to be deadlocked. Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It has offered to hand over power to a politically independent Palestinian committee. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of hostages. He has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. He has said Israel will maintain control over Gaza indefinitely and will facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries. The Palestinians and much of the international community have rejected such plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion that could violate international law. ___ Melanie Lidman, Natalie Melzer and Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed.
