Police have released the name of a homicide victim whose remains were found during a bush fire in Langley, B.C., last year, as they appeal for witnesses in the case.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says Michael Kashani was 36 years old when he died last September, leaving “a void in his family and community.”

Police say Langley firefighters and RCMP responded to a report of a bush fire in Nicomekl Park on Sept. 22, 2023.

Hamilton Police are warning the public of a suspicious male approaching young females.

On December 5, at approximately 3:00 p.m. a thirteen-year-old female was walking alone in the area of Gemini Drive on the Hamilton Mountain. During her walk, a vehicle approached her, and a male driver told her to, “Get in the car to have fun and drive around”. The female ignored the driver and continued on her way. The vehicle followed her, but then conducted a U-turn and left the area.

Then, a week ago, at approximately 9:30 p.m. a sixteen-year-old female was walking alone in the area of Upper Ottawa Street and Queensdale Avenue East when she was also approached by a vehicle. This time, the driver slowed down beside her and attempted to make conversation with her. The female ignored the male, and the vehicle drove away. Moments later, the same vehicle was spotted again, and the driver began to shout, “You’re my friend”. The female then continued on, but the vehicle slowly followed behind. The female decided to run to the closest house and knock on the door where she was let inside. The male continued to yell towards her until the door shut. Only then did the male leave the area.

Police believe both occurrences were committed by the same suspect. He was described by both females as East Indian, in his 20’s, with a smaller build. He had a small beard and spikey hair. Notably, one of the females stated that the male smiled the during the whole interaction.

The vehicle is described as a grey or silver sedan. No license plate was obtained.

Hamilton Police are reminding the public to always be vigilant when out walking alone. If anyone notices any suspicious, they are advised to report it immediately to Police.

Anyone with  information that might assist Police with this investigation, are asked to contact Detective Tremis at 905-546-8964. Additionally, for those who wish to remain anonymous, they cane contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or visit: http://www.crimestoppershamilton.com

Merry Moments, an annual soccer tournament hosted by the YK Galaxy club, offers on-field reunions for older players and a field of dreams for younger ones.

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A Noonan man is set to be back before a provincial court judge early in the new year to answer to an allegation of breaking into an industrial recycling facility in Fredericton this fall.

Rodney Shane Jewett, 38, of Watters Road, made his first appearance in Fredericton provincial court Friday to face an indictable burglary charge.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after he was accused of submitting fraudulent tax returns and applications for hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic aid programs.

The signed plea agreement was approved Friday by a federal judge in Delaware. Smallwood, of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, faces sentencing in May on the three fraud charges.

Smallwood’s lawyer, Mark Sheppard, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Smallwood appeared in court Friday “and forthrightly took full responsibility for his actions. He recognizes that this is but the first step to try to begin to make amends to the government and to those closest to him. He will continue to do so.”

Smallwood, 30, was originally charged in October.

He filed false tax returns for himself and others in 2021 and 2022, drawing refunds for himself of about $110,000, prosecutors said.

He also used what prosecutors said were defunct or recently registered businesses and provided false information about the scale of their operations, such as start dates, revenue amounts, expenses and number of employees. Some were under his name, while others were under other people’s names.

In one scheme, Smallwood used false information when he applied to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program for loans for three businesses under his name. The U.S. Small Business Administration approved loans of just over $46,000, prosecutors said.

In a separate scheme, Smallwood submitted fraudulent applications in the names of at least 13 other people for the Paycheck Protection Program, prosecutors said. A bank disbursed loans of nearly $270,000, from which Smallwood received kickbacks in return for preparing and submitting the applications, prosecutors said.

The Eagles drafted Smallwood out of West Virginia University in 2016. The Delaware native played three seasons for the Eagles before spending time over three more seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the team now known as the Washington Commanders.

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Record-setting flooding over three days dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of northern California, a fire left thousands under evacuation orders and warnings in Los Angeles County, forecasters issued the first-ever tornado warning in San Francisco and rough seas tore down part of a wharf in Santa Cruz.

All of this extreme weather has hit California in the past several weeks, showcasing the state’s particular vulnerability to major weather disasters.

Strong storms Tuesday produced waves that forecasters said could reach 35 feet (10.7 meters) around Santa Cruz. The National Weather Service issued a high surf warning until early evening, cautioning people to stay out of the ocean and away from piers.

For Chandler Price, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, these extreme weather events are both typical and unusual for a La Niña winter, a natural climate cycle that can cause extreme weather across the planet. In California, it means a wetter than average northern region and a drier south.

“So far we’ve seen that pattern play out pretty well,” he said, but added, “obviously, you know, the tornado in the Bay Area was atypical. … We haven’t seen that before, at least not for a very long time.”

A storm and wind gusts of up to 60 mph (96 kph) prompted the San Francisco tornado warning that extended to neighboring San Mateo County, which went out to about 1 million people earlier this month. The tornado overturned cars and toppled trees and utility poles near a mall in Scotts Valley, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of San Francisco, injuring several people. Tornadoes do occur in California, but they rarely hit populated areas.

In San Francisco, local meteorologists said straight-line winds, not a tornado, felled trees onto cars and streets and damaged roofs.

The storm also dumped significant snow across the northern Sierra Nevada.

F. Martin Ralph, director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, said climate change means that atmospheric rivers, long stretches of wet air that can produce heavy rains, will be responsible for a greater share of California’s yearly precipitation and the periods in between those big events will be drier. These storms are essential for the water supply but can also be dangerous.

“When they are too strong and too many in a row, we end up getting floods,” he said, adding that they drive California’s weather extremes.

During storms this week around Santa Cruz, one man was trapped under debris and died and another person was pulled into the ocean. The surf also splintered off the end of a Santa Cruz municipal wharf that was under construction, plunging three people into the ocean. One swam to shore and the other two were rescued.

A series of atmospheric rivers are expected through the rest of the week. Overall, this pattern is not unusual — these storms regularly produce high winds, heavy snow in the mountains and torrential rain this time of year.

“What’s a little unique about this setup is how closely spaced they are, so there’s not much of a break between them,” said David Lawrence, a meteorologist and emergency response specialist with the National Weather Service.

Bad storms hit the state ahead of Thanksgiving, too, dumping more than a foot of rain (32 centimeters) on Santa Rosa over three record-setting days, according to federal forecasters.

But these storms haven’t stretched very far south, creating dry weather in Southern California that increases fire risk.

One of the state’s most recent blazes, the Franklin Fire left some 20,000 people under evacuation orders and warnings and forced students at Pepperdine University to shelter in place. The blaze was fueled by the Santa Anas, the notorious seasonal winds that blow dry air from the interior toward the coast, pushing back moist ocean breezes.

Most of the destruction occurred in Malibu, a community on the western corner of Los Angeles known for its beautiful bluffs and the Hollywood-famous Zuma Beach. The fire damaged or destroyed 48 structures and is one of nearly 8,000 wildfires that have scorched more than 1 million acres (more than 404,685 hectares) in the Golden State this year.

The Santa Ana winds, which peak in December, have also contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in parts of the southern state, said Price with the National Weather Service.

“Eighty-degree (26.7 Celsius) Christmases are not entirely uncommon around here,” he added, but “there was a couple of high temperature record breaks in the mountains, which are usually less affected by the Santa Anas, and so those were a little unusual.”

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Phillis reported from St. Louis.

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Associated Press writers Martha Mendoza and Stefanie Dazio contributed to this story.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

Dorany Pineda And Michael Phillis, The Associated Press

The Fundy Regional Service Commission is encouraging its residents to recycle wrapping paper for the first time, while a non-profit in Cap-Acadie is asking for used Christmas trees to restore dunes.

The Federal Court has once again faulted the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for how it has handled the cases of disabled lobster licence holders who sought lengthy exemptions from federal rules that require them to be on board the boat when it is fishing.

More than 200 Iqalummiut gathered Monday night at the Iqaluit cadet hall to run around, throw balls, get competitive and be silly on the first day of the annual Christmas games.

“The City of Iqaluit is hosting these games, and the only thing they are asking is for you to come and be happy,” said David Akeeagok, Nunavut’s minister of justice, who was one of the hosts of the event.

Iqalummiut gather in a circle for the 2024 Christmas games at the cadet hall Monday night. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)

Kids and adults played games like Untie and Wrist and were able to win one of the many prizes — anything from mittens or an ulu to a gift card at Arctic Ventures or the Snack.

The biggest prize — a Canadian North ticket for a round trip to Ottawa — will be awarded on the last day of the games, Dec. 31.

One of the organizers, Naja Pearce, said they are still thinking about what game will be used to determine the big winner.

It took about a month to organize the event, Pearce said, adding that even though she had never taken part in the games, she loves watching the community enjoy the result of her work.

The games continue on Christmas Eve and will continue until New Year’s Eve, breaking for Christmas Day and the weekend of  Dec. 28 and 29. They run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day, followed by a New Year’s Day candy toss on Jan. 1.

There was relief and joy in September when a six-year-old girl was found having spent days in the wilderness. More than 600 volunteers from around the province had joined what police say was one of the largest search operations ever recorded in northern B.C.

Leaders and volunteers at a beloved east London theatre are on edge following a start to the winter that's included a number of fires being lit in their entryway, a burglary, and damage to the front of the historic building.

A theatre group in Glace Bay, N.S., put on a very special production of the Grinch this year, one rife with Cape Breton music and local slang. The CBC's Erin Pottie tells us more about Savoy Theatre's The Grinch Who Stole Glace Bay.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan in rare airstrikes targeted multiple suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside neighboring Afghanistan on Tuesday, dismantling a training facility and killing some insurgents, four security officials said.

The strikes were carried out in a mountainous area in Paktika province bordering Pakistan, said the officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record. It was unclear whether the jets went deep inside Afghanistan, and how the strikes were launched.

No spokesman for Pakistan’s military was immediately available to share further details. But it was the second such attack on alleged hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban since March, when Pakistan said intelligence-based strikes took place in the border regions inside Afghanistan.

In Kabul, the Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the airstrikes by Pakistan, saying the bombing targeted civilians, including women and children.

It said that most of the victims were refugees from the Waziristan region.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers this a brutal act against all international principles and blatant aggression and strongly condemns it,” the ministry said.

Local residents said at least eight people, including women and children, were killed in the airstrikes by Pakistan. They said the death toll from the strikes may rise.

In a post on the X platform, the Afghan defense ministry said the Pakistani side should know that such unilateral measures are not a solution to any problem.

“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered but rather considers the defense of its territory and territory to be its inalienable right.”

The strikes came hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, traveled to Kabul to discuss a range of issues, including how to enhance bilateral trade, and improve ties.

Sadiq during the visit met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s acting interior minister, to offer his condolences over the Dec. 11 killing of his uncle Khalil Haqqani. He was the minister for refugees and repatriation who died in a suicide bombing that was claimed by a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group.

Sadiq in a post on X said he also met with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and he “held wide ranging discussions. Agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation as well as for peace and progress in the region.”

Islamabad often claims that the Pakistani Taliban use Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security expert, said Tuesday’s airstrike “represents a clear and blunt warning to Pakistani Taliban that Pakistan will use all the available means against the terrorist outfit both inside and outside its borders.” However, it is not an indiscriminate use of force and due care was taken by Pakistan in ensuring that only the terrorist bases were hit and no civilian loss of life and property took place, he said.

The Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, whose leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan.

The TTP has stepped up attacks on Pakistani soldiers and police since November 2022, when it unilaterally ended a cease-fire with the government after the failure of months of talks hosted by Afghanistan’s government in Kabul. The TTP in recent months has killed and wounded dozens of soldiers in attacks inside the country.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this story.

Riaz Khan And Muir Ahed, The Associated Press

The janitors had planned to set up lawful picket lines at the airport on Christmas Eve.