Russia-Ukraine war intensifies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the battle for eastern Ukraine has begun.
Ukrainian military officials say the offensive, long anticipated after the failure of Russia’s attempts to conquer the capital of Kyiv is aimed at securing the industrial heartland of the Donbas region, where Russian separatists have been active since 2014.
Zelensky says no matter how many Russian troops become involved, Ukraine will defend its soil.
Russian missile and air strikes have been reported on several Ukrainian cities.
Those include the southern port city of Mariupol where the last holdouts among Ukraine’s forces continue resisting.
The western city of Lviv also suffered its first civilian casualties in a missile strike yesterday.
Fast learning curve
United States troops have begun training Ukrainian soldiers in the use of heavy artillery, part of a package of 800-million dollars of heavy weapons being shipped to Ukraine.
But President Zelensky is rejecting worries from western nations that his troops will need months to learn how to use the new supplies.
Zelensky says his forces need the weapons now….and will learn to use them quickly.
Sunwing delays
Thousands of passengers with Sunwing Airlines are stranded after a breakdown in the company’s systems handling check-in and boarding.
Long delays are being reported with most of the airline’s flights and those beginning their trips today should check with the airline before leaving home.
Sunwing says the problems are at their service provider and have been affecting flights of other airlines, worldwide.
Remember those who died in Nova Scotia
Moments of silence are being observed in Nova Scotia today and tomorrow, to honour the 22 people killed by a gunman two years ago.
The rampage lasted 13 hours until the man, who was disguised as a Mountie, killed himself in a confrontation with police.
A public inquiry into the tragedy continues, centering around why the RCMP didn’t do more to alert the public that the shooter was on the loose.
Conservative leadership deadlines
It’s an important day for federal Conservative leadership candidates.
By the end of today, prospective contenders must pay an initial 50-thousand dollar fee.
Eight of the candidates have paid up so far.
The next deadline is April 29th….when each candidate will have to put up another 250-thousand dollars.
June 3rd is the cutoff date for new party memberships, with the winner to be named on September 10th.