Beyond Local

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end a battlefield stalemate and punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day Monday, in what may herald the start of a long-anticipated counteroffensive after 15 months of war.

OTTAWA — Allowing new Canadians to take the oath of citizenship by clicking a box online is a disgusting idea that will cheapen the process and open the door to fraud — or a forward-thinking notion that will help decrease a backlog of citizenship applications, depending on who you ask. 

OTTAWA — The federal prison service will review its decision to move notorious killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security facility, but its reason for the controversial transfer remained secret Monday.

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Anita Anand says Beijing acted irresponsibly on the weekend in the Taiwan Strait, where Washington says a Chinese warship forced a U.S. vessel to avoid a collision near a Canadian frigate.

OTTAWA — The briefing with Canada's spy agency, warning Jenny Kwan that she is a target of foreign interference by China, took roughly an hour. It took less than a second, she says, for her to decide that she wouldn't let Beijing weaken her resolve.

OTTAWA — An area of land 11 times bigger than the city of Toronto burned from wildfires in the last four days — Canada's worst spring wildfire season to date.

EDMONTON — The internet memes started meme-ing within days of Monday's Alberta provincial election. "If you voted Rachel Notley, you don't support Alberta," said one, referring to the leader of the province's defeated New Democrats.

CALGARY — The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced a plan to protect iconic Prairie grasslands, considered one of the most endangered and least protected ecosystems in the country.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California bill that would force Big Tech companies to pay media outlets for posting and using their news content cleared another critical hurdle Thursday.

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Police in New Westminster, B.C., say a 50-year-old man who worked at a drug recovery organization has been charged with three counts of sexual assault.