Gun control legislation expected this week
The federal government could be introducing new gun control legislation as early as this week.
The move had been promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the wake of the Texas school shooting that saw 19 elementary students and two teachers shot to death by an 18-year-old man.
The new law will likely make it mandatory for the owners of weapons on a list of banned guns to sell them to the government.
It would also create criminal offences for those modifying magazines beyond legal limits, and increased penalties for weapons smuggling.
Fighting continues in the Donbas
Ukrainian officials say fighting has intensified, with Russian forces moving towards the centre of the eastern city of Severodonetsk.
The city is the last major urban area in the province of Luhansk in the Donbas, still under Ukrainian control.
Russian separatists have been operating in the area since 2014.
Meantime, reports from South Korea say Canada has asked that country to purchase 100-thousand artillery shells, to back-fill supplies sent to Ukraine.
South Korea has, so far, refused to send lethal aid directly to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, leaders of the European Union are meeting in Brussels today and tomorrow, to discuss further sanctions against Russia, but at least one official says the group’s unity is starting to crumble.
Germany’s economics minister says the stumbling block is over a proposal to ban Russian oil imports completely and to reduce their dependence on Russian natural gas and electricity.
Hungary has rejected current proposals as inadequate.
That country receives two-thirds of its crude oil supplies from Russia.
Hurricane Agatha on its way
The first named hurricane of the season is due to come ashore in southern Mexico later today.
“Agatha” already has sustained winds of 175 kilometers an hour and is expected to strengthen into a dangerous Category Three storm before it comes ashore along a stretch of coastline popular with tourists.
Weather officials are warning of a dangerous storm surge along the coast.
Schools are closed for the day, and emergency storm shelters are being opened.
