Author: Press Room

Andrew Paterson | Photographer’s Choice RF | Getty ImagesCryptocurrency payments to suspected human trafficking syndicates surged 85% in 2025, with hundreds of millions of transactions traced on public blockchains, according to a new report by Chainalysis.The U.S.-based blockchain analytics firm said most of the activity was linked to an expanding criminal ecosystem in Southeast Asia, where scam compounds, illegal online gambling operations and Chinese-language money laundering networks operate in unison. The crypto tracker said crypto activity by human traffickers largely fell into three categories: International escort and prostitution services; labor placement agents and scam compounds; and child sexual abuse material (CSAM)…

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted February 15, 2026 6:20 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad has announced he will not be entering the party’s leadership race, saying the decision comes after “a lot of reflection.” He says in a statement posted to social media that he did not make the choice lightly and he believes the best thing he can do for the party and the province is “support the next leader and help ensure we come out of this process stronger, not divided.” Get daily National…

An Islamic advocacy group is demanding Pauline Hanson and Angus Taylor reveal their immigration policies or stop their “cowardly noise”.

CRITICAL MINERALS & DEFENCE COOPERATIONAn agreement to enhance cooperation in critical minerals could also be on the cards as both countries look to diversify supply chains and reduce reliance on China, the world’s dominant power in rare earths.“Because of the nature of trust that we have and the kind of relationship that India and France enjoy, it is but natural that we will seek to cooperate in the area of critical minerals,” said Jawed Ashraf, former Indian ambassador to France.“(We are also expected to seek cooperation) in advanced areas of green energy transition, semiconductors and AI, the building blocks of our new…

Listen to this article | 4 minsinfoIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outlined the conditions he considers necessary for any prospective deal between the United States and Iran, including the dismantling of all of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure.His comments on Sunday came as Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi headed to Switzerland for a second round of nuclear talks with the US.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listSpeaking at the annual Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Netanyahu said he was sceptical of a deal, but had told US President Donald Trump last week that any agreement must include…

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told CBS News immigration is an issue the country has “punted on for a very long time” amid the nation’s heated debate over federal enforcement.While he has publicly condemned the Trump administration’s immigration policies as a “cruel and reckless political agenda,” he told CBS News senior correspondent Norah O’Donnell that former President Joe Biden “did not have this right.””We needed to do more. That, I don’t think anyone can argue that we had the system worked out under President Biden – that immigration was worked out,” he said during a town hall that aired Sunday.During the…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A New Mexico woman is facing charges after she allegedly gave birth in a portable toilet and then killed the newborn by drowning them in the holding tank.Sonia Cristal Jimenez, 38, arrived at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces at around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 7, when staff said she appeared as if she had just given birth, but she had no baby with her, Las Cruces Police said in a press release.Hospital staff then notified police about the unusual encounter.Jimenez’s boyfriend said they had been at Burn Lake, which is located…

Descrease article font size Increase article font size “Today is the same as forever,” says Erwin Miller. Married to his wife, Neva Miller for almost 69 years, he looks at her with a smile as he shares the story of how they first met before they moved to Saskatchewan and settled in Regina. In 1955, at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wis., Erwin was playing the piano for a room full of students on campus as they prepared the space for an upcoming play. Amongst the students was Neva, a girl from Kansas and Erwin caught her eye.“The first time I…

Australia’s fifth-largest retail bank has set aside millions of dollars to plug risk-management deficiencies after it was pinged by regulators.Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is dealing with the fallout of a 2025 review that found it had deficient safeguards against money laundering before it self-reported to the banking regulator and AUSTRAC.On Monday, it reported a 3.3 per cent fall in first-half net cash earnings to $256.4 million as lending fell.Its performance for the six months ended December also produced a 6.4 per cent rise in statutory net profit to $230.6 million.The bank’s earnings were driven by deposit growth of 2.3 per…

Also in the race is Nepali Congress, the country’s oldest party.It was once part of Oli’s coalition government, but has elected a new leader since the uprising – 49-year-old Gagan Thapa.And, at the other end of the spectrum from Gen Z politics, supporters of the ex-king Gyanendra Shah, 78 – deposed in 2008, ending 240 years of monarchy – will also campaign.The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), which draws support from royalist nostalgia and frustration with mainstream politics, rallied thousands in Kathmandu on Friday as the ex-king drove through the streets waving from his car.”WAY OUT”Nearly 19 million people have registered…