Year in review: A look at news events in September 2022

2 – At least 18 people were killed and 21 others wounded in an explosion at a crowded mosque in Herat, Afghanistan. The blast, which happened during noon prayers, killed a prominent cleric who was known across Afghanistan for his criticism of the country’s western-backed governments.

2 – Eight people were sent to hospital after an explosion at a refinery in Come By Chance, N.L., owned by Braya Renewable Fuels.

2 – Serena Williams, weeks away from her 41st birthday, lost what was expected to be the last match of her tennis career. The 23-time Grand Slam champion was eliminated from the U.S. Open in the third round by Ajla Tomljanovic before an electric crowd in New York.

3 – An extremist group in Somalia killed at least 20 people and burned seven vehicles that were transporting food in the Hiran region. Somalia’s government condemned al-Shabab’s “barbaric” attack, saying it was devastating for communities dealing with severe drought. The country’s drought envoy said al-Shabab also blew up wells for water in Hiran in recent days.

3 – A manhunt was underway for two suspects after a series of stabbings left 10 people dead in Saskatchewan. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said at least another 15 people had been injured in the attacks on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the village of Weldon. RCMP were looking for 31-year-old Damien Sanderson and 30-year-old Myles Sanderson.

3 – Canada won the women’s world hockey championship after defeating archrival United States 2-1 in the final. Brianne Jenner scored twice and goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens made 20 saves for the win. The Canadians halted a run of five world straight titles by the U.S. in Calgary last year with a 3-2 overtime win, and also beat the Americans 3-2 in February’s Olympic final in Beijing.

5 – Foreign Secretary Liz Truss would become Britain’s next prime minister. The governing Conservative Party announced that Truss had defeated Rishi Sunak, winning the most votes from party members to succeed Boris Johnson as party leader and prime minister. Truss had promised to increase defence spending and cut taxes, while refusing to say how she would address the cost-of-living crisis.

5 – RCMP said one of two suspects in a deadly stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan was found dead. They said the body of 31-year-old Damien Sanderson had been found, after a more than 24-hour search for him and his brother, 30-year-old Myles Sanderson.

6 – Britain had a new prime minister. Liz Truss took office after meeting with the queen at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. The carefully choreographed ceremony took place shortly after Boris Johnson formally stepped down during his own audience with the monarch.

7 – RCMP said Myles Sanderson, a suspect in a deadly stabbing rampage northeast of Saskatoon over the weekend, was taken into custody. They said he was found near the town of Rosthern, Sask., on the fourth day of a massive manhunt. Sanderson went into “medical distress” shortly after his arrest and died.

8 – Queen Elizabeth died after 70 years on the throne. Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen died at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland. She was 96. Her 73-year-old son automatically became King and became known as King Charles III. His wife, Camilla, became the Queen Consort.

8 – Ontario’s legislature passed a bill to give the leaders of Toronto and Ottawa so-called strong mayor powers to reject bylaws conflicting with provincial priorities, such as building housing. Opposition parties said the legislation amounted to Premier Doug Ford interfering in municipal politics right before the October municipal elections. The legislation also gave the mayors responsibility for preparing and tabling their city’s budget, appointing a chief administrative officer, and hiring and firing department heads, except for statutory appointments such as an auditor general or police chief.

9 – Health Canada approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between the age of six months and four years old. The federal department said a review of the evidence highlighted the benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and how they outweighed the potential risks for children.

10 – King Charles III became Canada’s new head of state. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the order-in-council and the proclamation for the accession in the presence of Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall. Trudeau and members of the federal cabinet and Privy Council met ahead of the ceremony as part of the protocol needed to formally proclaim the new sovereign.

10 – Pierre Poilievre was elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. The veteran Conservative was the clear choice in a first-ballot victory among more than 400,000 votes cast by the party’s membership, ending a seven-month race.

12 – People aged 70 and older, long-term care residents and health-care workers in Ontario could now receive an Omicron-targeted COVID-19 vaccine shot. Indigenous people and their household members who are 18 years and older, immunocompromised people aged 12 and older, and pregnant people were also eligible.

12 – Const. Andrew Hong, a 22-year veteran of the Toronto police force and father of two, was fatally shot in an “ambush attack” while on a lunch break from training in Mississauga, Ont. One other person was killed and three others injured in what police said were two separate shooting incidents involving the same suspect. That suspect was later shot and killed by police in Hamilton.

13 – The first Canadian edition of the Michelin Guide was released, with more than a dozen Toronto eateries receiving the coveted stars. Japanese restaurant Sushi Masaki Saito was awarded two Michelin stars, and 12 others restaurants earned one.

14 – Police north of Toronto said an officer died after an early morning collision. The chief of York Regional Police said 38-year-old Const. Travis Gillespie was on his way to work when he was killed in the crash. Gillespie was pronounced dead at the scene and the other driver, a 23-year-old man, was taken to hospital.

14 – A federal jury convicted R. Kelly of several child pornography and sex abuse charges in his hometown of Chicago. The 55-year-old was found guilty of three counts of child pornography and three counts of child enticement but was acquitted of a fourth pornography count. The verdict delivered another legal blow to the singer who used to be one of the biggest R&B stars in the world. The 55-year-old Kelly was sentenced in June to 30 years in prison during a separate federal trial in New York.

16 – Mahsa Amini, 22, died in police custody in Tehran. Amini was arrested when the so-called “morality police” found fault with her headscarf. Police said Amini died of a heart attack and released closed circuit footage from the police station showing the moment she collapsed, but a relative said she had no history of heart disease. Her death set off widespread protests and drew condemnation in Iran and around the world.

19 – Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was taken to Windsor Castle from Westminster Abbey on a last procession through the heart of London. Members of the RCMP and representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces joined military members from around the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey for the procession following the state funeral. The Queen was buried at St. George’s Chapel alongside her husband, Prince Philip.

21 – Russian President Vladimir Putin took a risky and deeply unpopular step after a series of humiliating setbacks on the battlefield. In a nationally televised speech, Putin announced plans to partially mobilize his country’s military reservists. The move sent some Russians scrambling to buy one-way tickets out of the country, and others into the streets in protest. One human rights group reported that more than 800 people were arrested in antiwar demonstrations in 37 cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.

23 – High winds knocked out power in thousands of homes in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island as people in Atlantic Canada began feeling the wrath of post-tropical storm Fiona. By 10 p.m. Atlantic time, more than 14,000 homes and businesses in Nova Scotia had been plunged into darkness. In P.E.I., more than 1,000 homes and businesses had lost power as the wind picked up across the region.

23 – Swiss Tennis star Roger Federer ended his superlative professional tennis career at age 41 with a loss in doubles alongside longtime rival Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup. Federer and Nadal paired up for Team Europe and were beaten by Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World in London. Federer is a 20-time Grand Slam champion who announced last week that this team event founded by his management company would be his final event before retirement. He had not competed anywhere since a quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon in July 2021.

24 – Post-tropical storm Fiona, characterized as “historic” in its scope by meteorologists, made landfall in the Maritimes. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Fiona came ashore in the early morning on the Canso Peninsula near Hart Island and Guysborough. Hundreds of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada and parts of Quebec were without power.

24 – Manitoba politician Bill Blaikie — who spent nearly 30 years as a member of Parliament with the federal New Democrats — died. His son, NDP finance critic Daniel Blaikie, posted a family statement on social media saying his 71-year-old father died at home in the presence of his wife, Brenda. Bill Blaikie had announced publicly earlier this month that he was entering palliative care. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1979 representing a Winnipeg riding for the NDP, and at one point was the longest-serving MP in the House of Commons.

25 – Post-tropical storm Fiona moved inland in southeastern Quebec after hammering Atlantic Canada. Nearly 267,000 Nova Scotia Power customers and more than 82,000 Maritime Electric customers remained in the dark, and more than 20,600 homes and businesses in New Brunswick were also without power.

26 – A NASA spacecraft rammed an asteroid in an unprecedented test to see if a potentially menacing space rock could be knocked off course. The Dart spacecraft plowed into the small space rock called Dimorphos at more than 22,500 kilometres per hour. Scientists said the impact should have carved out a crater and hurled streams of rocks and dirt into space. Most importantly, though, scientists were hoping the collision altered the asteroid’s orbit.

27 – One million Cubans were without electricity in the wake of hurricane Ian. The storm hit with top sustained winds of 205 kilometres an hour, devastating the country’s world-famous tobacco belt. Forecasters were predicting Ian would strengthen into a catastrophic Category 4 storm as it approached the southwest coast of Florida, where 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.

27 – About two dozen people were sent to a hospital in Ontario’s Niagara Region after an acid spill at an auto plant. Officials said all 23 were discharged, including three who were directly exposed to a vapour cloud of hydrochloric acid. The spill took place at the THK Rhythm Automotive plant in St. Catharines. Staff accidentally bumped a valve and released about five litres of the hazardous liquid chemical, which transformed into a vapour cloud.

28 – Robert Cormier, a Toronto-born actor whose credits include “American Gods” and the long-running CBC series “Heartland,” died at the age of 33. Cormier appeared on “Heartland” as Finn Cotter, the grandson of Duncan Fraser’s Al Cotter.

28 – One of the biggest names in ’90s hip-hop died. Coolio — who won a Grammy for best solo rap performance for “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the soundtrack of the film “Dangerous Minds” — was 59. His manager said Coolio — whose legal name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr. — died at the Los Angeles home of a friend.

30 – Ceremonies, marches and other gatherings were held as Canada observed the second annual National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

30 – Comedy Central host Trevor Noah announced his departure from “The Daily Show.” The comedian said that after seven years, he would be stepping down as host. During the previous night’s broadcast, Noah said he wanted to return to standup.

30 – Ukraine’s president said his country was submitting an “accelerated” application to join the NATO military alliance. The fast-tracked application came after Russia announced it would be formally annexing four regions of Ukraine in defiance of international law. Putin’s land-grab and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s signing of the NATO membership application cranked up fears of a full-blown conflict between Russia and the West.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Year in review: A look at news events in September 2022

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