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Canadian Olympic team is ‘heartbroken’ by deadly school shooting in British Columbia

MILAN (AP) — Canadian fans and athletes at the Milan Cortina Olympics woke up Wednesday to learn of a school shooting in British Columbia that left at least seven people dead and many others wounded.

Seven people were killed in Tuesday’s shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, while two more were found dead at a nearby home, Canadian authorities said. A woman believed by police to be the shooter was also found dead, apparently from a self-inflicted wound.

“It’s very unusual and tough to hear. It’s not something you ever expect to hear anywhere in Canada, let alone a small community,” Winnipeg native Thomas Hepworth said near Milan’s historic Duomo cathedral.

Hepworth, a scientist who lives in Germany, was in town to watch Canada’s men’s hockey team, one of the favorites for the gold medal.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police said more than 25 people were wounded, including two who were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

The school, located in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, has 175 students from Grades 7 to 12, according to the provincial government’s website. The town is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) north of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta.

The Canadian Olympic Committee, in a statement on Wednesday, pledged its support to victims and their families.

“We are heartbroken by the news of the horrific school shooting that occurred in British Columbia. Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones, those who are injured, and the entire Tumbler Ridge community. Team Canada stands with everyone affected as they navigate difficult days ahead,” the statement said.

School shootings are rare in Canada, which has strict gun control laws.

Edmonton native Gerry Fardoe, also at the Duomo cathedral, said Canadians complete comprehensive training before they can own a gun.

“I have a couple guns. I don’t hunt but I have a remote cabin where we have bear issues. I’ve used it just to scare them off,” said Fardoe, also in Milan to see the Canadian men’s team.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

By WTOP Staff
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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