Beyond Local

OTTAWA — From "good riddance" to "don't unfriend us," independent publishers are expressing mixed feelings about Meta's decision to temporarily block news on Instagram and Facebook for some of its Canadian users.

OTTAWA — Almost 700 firefighters from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are set to arrive in Canada over the next two weeks to help with the unusually severe start to the wildfire season.

Lorraine Vandenbosch found after being missing from a Gleniffer Lake area campground for three days

EDMONTON — Police say they are investigating a shooting in downtown Edmonton that wounded a 17-year-old girl. Edmonton police say they responded to a call of a shooting at about 11 p.m. Thursday.

QUEBEC — The Quebec government wants to ban the sale of products that aren't intended to last and reinforce consumers' ability to repair the products they buy.

MONTREAL — Quebec's language law reform is continuing to draw criticism and legal challenges from the province's English community as more of its provisions come into effect Thursday, exactly a year after it received royal assent.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Thursday with China's deputy foreign minister and other top diplomats from the BRICS bloc of developing economies for discussions that included the group's possible expansion to include the major oil-producing nations of Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

TORONTO — A new policy allowing single family homes to be converted into low-rise multiplexes in Toronto is being hailed by observers as a welcome move, although experts warn it won't make housing more affordable in Canada's most populous city right away.

OTTAWA — Two prominent gun-control groups are urging the Liberal government to proceed without delay in drafting regulations that will flesh out firearm legislation being reviewed by the Senate.

OTTAWA — A cross-party group of MPs and senators is hoping to grant honorary Canadian citizenship to Russian political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza in the coming weeks.