In the news today: Three miners rescued from B.C. mine
Three miners rescued from B.C. mine
Three miners who were trapped in a remote northern British Columbia mine have been rescued after more than 60 hours underground.
Red Chris mine operator Newmont Corp. said the three men were safely bought to the surface at about 10:40 p.m. on Thursday.
It said Kevin Coumbs, Darien Maduke and Jesse Chubaty — contractors for B.C.-based Hy-Tech Drilling — were in good health and spirits after being trapped underground by two rockfalls on Tuesday morning.
Newmont said that the men had consistent access to food, water, and air in a refuge chamber of the gold and copper mine about 500 kilometres northwest of Terrace, B.C.
It described an operation involving drones and a remote-controlled scoop that dug away a massive rockfall, estimated to be 20 to 30 metres long and seven to eight metres high.
Here's what else we're watching…
Hockey players' acquittal leaves mark in London, Ont.
The acquittal of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team who were accused of sexual assault continues to reverberate in the southwestern Ontario city where their high-profile trial played out.
Dozens gathered outside the London, Ont., courthouse Thursday evening to show support for the complainant, while rallies earlier in the day saw a mix of supporters for the woman and the players.
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault, in a ruling the defence deemed a 'resounding vindication.'
Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found the complainant's testimony was not credible or reliable, and that there were 'troubling aspects' in how she delivered some of her evidence.
Carroccia said she found there was 'consent not vitiated by fear,' noting the absence of physical force, violence or threats during the 2018 encounter.
Canada condemns Israel over humanitarian crisis
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday accused the Israeli government of failing to prevent a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and of violating international law by denying aid.
In a post on X, Carney said Israel's control of aid distribution must be replaced by 'comprehensive provision' of humanitarian assistance led by international organizations.
Israel's parliament on Wednesday approved a symbolic motion to annex the West Bank. Annexation of the West Bank could make it impossible to create a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel, which is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict.
Carney said Canada supports a two-state solution, with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand set to attend a UN conference next week in New York on the issue.
The Centre for Jewish and Israel Affairs said Hamas does not want a ceasefire agreement and wants to retain power at any cost.
Montreal group pushes back on U.S. aid cuts
A Montreal-based organization promoting democracy and digital rights is using a billboard in New York's iconic Times Square to urge Americans to resist cuts to U.S. foreign aid.
'A retreat by the United States will mean that the weight balances in favour of digital authoritarianism, and away from what are essentially Canadian values,' said Alex Dalessio, executive director of eQualitie.
The organization works to advance digital security for civil society and media around the world, allowing people in oppressive states to circumvent censorship and surveillance to communicate securely.
Dalessio's group has partnered with the American branch of Transparency International to post a 10-second message urging Americans to 'support foreign aid' on a video billboard in the heart of Manhattan over 90 days.
Dalessio said the campaign isn't 'targeted' at the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and noted that European countries are also cutting back on foreign aid.
Lack of seniors downsizing creates housing logjam
Realtor Barry Lebow specializes in helping seniors downsize — moving out of the family homes they've lived in for decades to a smaller place that's a better fit for their aging lifestyle.
From the outside, that might look like the natural progression: feeding a healthy bit of turnover into the housing supply as move-up buyers seek their own family home.
But the reality is a bit different when it comes time to sell, Lebow, who works in the Greater Toronto Area, said in an interview.
Experts say it's a myth that seniors who own their homes are keen to downsize to fund their retirements, when the reality is they're largely staying put, in part because they don't like the downsizing options, making it harder for young prospective buyers to break into the housing market.
Seniors are in fact the demographic that's least likely to move, according to data from the 2016 census.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
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Asked about the USAID report, the Israeli military said that its allegations are based on intelligence reports that Hamas militants seized cargoes by "both covertly and overtly" embedding themselves on aid trucks. Those reports also show that Hamas has diverted up to 25% of aid supplies to its fighters or sold them to civilians, the Israeli military said, adding that GHF has ended the militants' control of aid by distributing it directly to civilians. Hamas denies the allegations. A Hamas security official said that Israel has killed more than 800 Hamas-affiliated police and security guards trying to protect aid vehicles and convoy routes. Their missions were coordinated with the UN. FRANCE 24 could not independently verify the claims by Hamas and Israel, which has not made public proof that the militants have systematically stolen aid. GHF also accuses Hamas of massive aid theft in defending its distribution model. The UN and other groups have rejected calls by GHF, Israel and the US to cooperate with the foundation, saying it violates international humanitarian principles of neutrality. In response to a request for comment, GHF referred to a July 2 Washington Post article that quoted an unidentified Gazan and anonymous Israeli officials as saying Hamas profited from the sales and taxing of pilfered humanitarian aid. Aid groups required to report losses The 156 reports of theft or losses of supplies reviewed by BHA were filed by UN agencies and other humanitarian groups working in Gaza as a condition of receiving U.S. aid funds. The second source familiar with the matter said that after receiving reports of U.S.-funded aid thefts or losses, USAID staff followed up with partner organizations to try to determine if there was Hamas involvement. Those organizations also would "redirect or pause" aid distributions if they learned that Hamas was in the vicinity, the source said. Aid organizations working in Gaza also are required to vet their personnel, sub-contractors and suppliers for ties to extremist groups before receiving U.S. funds, a condition that the State Department waived in approving $30 million for GHF last month. The slide presentation noted that USAID partners tended to over-report aid diversion and theft by groups sanctioned or designated by the US as foreign terrorist organizations - such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - because they want to avoid losing US funding. Of the 156 incidents of loss or theft reported, 63 were attributed to unknown perpetrators, 35 to armed actors, 25 to unarmed people, 11 directly to Israeli military action, 11 to corrupt subcontractors, five to aid group personnel "engaging in corrupt activities," and six to "others," a category that accounted for "commodities stolen in unknown circumstances," according to the slide presentation. The armed actors "included gangs and other miscellaneous individuals who may have had weapons," said a slide. Another slide said "a review of all 156 incidents found no affiliations with" U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, of which Hamas is one. "The majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor," said another slide. "Partners often largely discovered the commodities had been stolen in transit without identifying the perpetrator." It is possible there were classified intelligence reports on Hamas aid thefts, but BHA staff lost access to classified systems in the dismantlement of USAID, said a slide. However, a source familiar with US intelligence assessments said that they knew of no US intelligence reports detailing Hamas aid diversions and that Washington was relying on Israeli reports. The BHA analysis found that the Israeli military "directly or indirectly caused" a total of 44 incidents in which US-funded aid was lost or stolen. Those included the 11 attributed to direct Israeli military actions, such as airstrikes or orders to Palestinians to evacuate areas of the war-torn enclave. Losses indirectly attributed to Israeli military included cases where they compelled aid groups to use delivery routes with high risks of theft or looting, ignoring requests for alternative routes, the analysis said.
