Fort Frances Time Online Edition - January 24, 2017

Nick Larson carefully read the instructions before beginning his Grade 9 math exam this morning in the Fort High gym. Exams began yesterday and will run through Thursday, with the new semester beginning next week following Friday's P.A. Day for all students.

TORONTO--A new study suggests nearly a third of cigarettes sold in Ontario are purchased illegally.

The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco commissioned research that tracked the cigarette-buying habits of people in Ontario.

The study found 32 percent of respondents purchased contraband cigarettes--a figure the coalition says is the highest in the country.

CALGARY--Federal Labour minister Patty Hajdu said it's possible to forge a strong relationship with the new U.S. government while standing up for values that may be at odds with those of the Trump administration.

The abrupt turnaround in Canada-U.S. relations is dominating discussions as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal cabinet hold two-day retreat in Calgary.

CALGARY--An Alberta judge says a Calgary woman who treated her son with holistic remedies before he died of a strep infection "gambled away" his life and is guilty of criminal negligence causing death.

But Justice Kristine Eidsvik also issued a judicial stay on a second charge against Tamara Lovett of failing to provide the necessaries of life.

OTTAWA--The Federal Court has dismissed a challenge by a Quebec law professor to condemn the federal government's $15-billion sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia.

OTTAWA--Two of the world's biggest digital information platforms say they're getting ready to roll out tools in Canada designed to crack down on so-called "fake news."

The phenomenon of false or misleading information being widely disseminated online became a major storyline in the U.S. presidential campaign, which culminated in the November election of Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON--Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet the new U.S. president within the next several weeks, as the incoming American administration talks to its northern and southern neighbours about a revised North American Free Trade Agreement.

Your mother’s maiden name is probably not a secret. Neither, necessarily, is your high school mascot or the size of your car payment. But some banks and brokerages still pretend this is information only you would know, and that could be putting your money at risk.

BEIJING — The number of births in China has risen nearly 8 per cent in the year after the government loosened its unpopular one-child policy.

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission said this week that 17.86 million children were born last year, an increase of 1.31 million from 2015. Nearly half of the children born were to couples who already had a child.

LONDON — Britain’s government must get parliamentary approval before starting the process of leaving the European Union, the Supreme Court ruling Tuesday, potentially delaying Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to trigger negotiations by the end of March.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has signed a decree increasing fines for swearing and drinking in public.

MOSUL, Iraq — For the first time in over two years, flocks of white and grey pigeons can be seen circling Mosul’s rooftops.

The candy-coloured love letter to musicals "La La Land" today landed a record-tying 14 nominations to the Academy Awards, which fielded a notably more diverse list of nominees following two-straight years of "OscarsSoWhite" backlash.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pursuit of an “America first” foreign policy is raising questions about who, if anyone, will fill the void if the U.S. relinquishes its traditional global leadership role. China and Russia are among the aspirants for greater economic and military influence, while an ambivalent Germany could emerge as the West’s moral compass.