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Russia Advising Citizens to Avoid Traveling to Canada, Citing Attacks

Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Russia Advising Citizens to Avoid Traveling to Canada, Citing Attacks

Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Russia is advising citizens to avoid travel to Canada, citing what it calls numerous cases of discrimination against Russians, including physical violence, its foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Canada is one of the most vocal backers of Ukraine in the war against Moscow’s forces and has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials and companies as well as wide-scale trade bans.

“Due to the numerous instances of discrimination against Russian citizens ... in Canada, including physical violence, we recommend you refrain from traveling to this country for the purposes of tourism, education, and in the context of business relations,” the Russian foreign ministry said in an advisory, Reuters reported.

“If you are already in Canada, we urge you to be vigilant, especially in public places.”

The advisory, dated April 20, was posted on the ministry’s main Telegram channel on Saturday. The Canadian foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Shortly after the war started last year, Canada advised citizens to avoid all travel to Russia.

Russia last week imposed sanctions on 333 Canadian officials and public figures, including prominent Olympians, in what it said was a tit-for-tat response to Canadian restrictions on Moscow and support for Ukraine.

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Typhoon Bringing Heavy Rain Slowly Heads toward Taiwan, 4,000 Evacuated

A car moves along the shore in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, as Typhoon Krathon is expected to hit the area. (AP)
A car moves along the shore in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, as Typhoon Krathon is expected to hit the area. (AP)
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Typhoon Bringing Heavy Rain Slowly Heads toward Taiwan, 4,000 Evacuated

A car moves along the shore in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, as Typhoon Krathon is expected to hit the area. (AP)
A car moves along the shore in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, as Typhoon Krathon is expected to hit the area. (AP)

A typhoon bringing strong winds and torrential rainfall slowly advanced Wednesday toward Taiwan, where thousands of people have been evacuated from vulnerable low-lying or mountainous terrain.

At least 93 centimeters (3 feet) of rain has fallen in the coastal Taitung County in the past four days and 29 centimeters (11.4 inches) in the major port city of Kaohsiung ahead of Typhoon Krathon.

The typhoon, packing maximum sustained winds near the center of 173 kph (108 mph) and gusts of 209 kph (130 mph), is expected to make landfall early Thursday on Taiwan’s densely populated west coast, according to the island's Central Weather Administration.

Typhoons rarely hit Taiwan’s west coast, affecting instead the mountainous, eastern side of the island.

Authorities shut schools and government offices across the island and canceled all domestic flights.

In the eastern Hualien County, more than 3,000 people were evacuated from townships vulnerable to landslides. Almost 200 people in the southwestern city of Tainan and more than 800 residents of the southern Pingtung County were also evacuated.

Before noon Wednesday, the center of the typhoon was around 130 kilometers (81 miles) southwest of Kaohsiung, moving northeastward at around 8 kph (5 mph). It has been weakening and will continue to do so after landfall, the weather administration said.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai earlier warned residents against approaching areas prone to flooding and landslides near rivers, the sea and the mountains. He likened Krathon’s intensity to that of Typhoon Thelma, which in 1977 devastated Kaohsiung and caused 37 deaths.

In Kaohsiung, most stores and restaurants remained closed for a second consecutive day. Shoppers emptied supermarket shelves of essentials including bread, meats and instant noodles.

Almost 40,000 troops were on standby to help with rescue efforts.

The typhoon on Monday lashed northern Philippine islands, where four people were killed and at least 5,000 were displaced, officials said.