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President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Trump rejects Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and other Mideast news

The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:30 PM CDT

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if the U.S. meets certain conditions.

Meanwhile, Iranian media outlets said the country's president has left New York after the United Nations gathering of world leaders that included Iran's indirect talks with the United States. And Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted another missile it blames on Iran -backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen.

Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.

Trump rejects Iran proposal to reopen the Strait

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Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd on the Champs Elysees avenue before a mass at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Pope Leo draws 800,000 people to central Paris for open-air Mass on iconic square

Nicole Winfield, Samuel Petrequin, Sylvie Corbet And John Leicester, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Pope Leo draws 800,000 people to central Paris for open-air Mass on iconic square

Nicole Winfield, Samuel Petrequin, Sylvie Corbet And John Leicester, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:00 PM CDT

PARIS (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people packed Paris’ iconic Champs-Élysées avenue to attend an open-air Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Saturday, a sign of the Catholic Church’s enduring appeal in the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country.

The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people attended — about 200,000 more than the number who had registered in advance. The turnout testified to the church’s lasting influence in France despite declining attendance and secularizing trends that have emptied churches across Europe.

The American pope greeted the flag-waving, cheering throngs from his popemobile during a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) parade along the grand boulevard leading to the Place de la Concorde for Mass, essentially the heart of Paris and a symbol of the French republic.

In his homily, Leo asked the crowds not to keep their faith to themselves, but to instead “let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:00 PM CDT

Local

Alberta referendum mail-in special ballots are seen in Calgary, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

A look at the questions on the Oct. 19 referendum in Alberta

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

A look at the questions on the Oct. 19 referendum in Alberta

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 11:02 AM CDT

EDMONTON - Here are the questions Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is sending to a provincewide vote on Oct. 19.

Question 1: Do you support the government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?

What you need to know: Smith has said she wants to see Alberta have a similar accord as Quebec, which has an agreement with Ottawa that lets the province set its own eligibility requirements for economic migrants.

She said in February a "normal" and "sustainable" level of immigration would represent less than one per cent of the population, or about 50,000 newcomers per year, but critics have said Smith has failed to plan for the population growth it invited with a countrywide ad campaign in recent years.

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Updated: 11:02 AM CDT

Business

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith makes a health-care announcement in Calgary, Monday, July 27, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Albertans set to vote on immigration questions that have only spawned more questions

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Albertans set to vote on immigration questions that have only spawned more questions

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:07 PM CDT

CALGARY - Albertans soon head to the polls to not only vote on Confederation but also on a raft of questions on immigration – questions that in recent months have spawned more questions.

On Oct. 19, Albertans vote on whether they want to stay in Canada or whether it's time to hold a second binding referendum on leaving Confederation.

It's one of 10 questions Albertans are being asked to vote on.

Five others focus on immigrants, including whether the province should take more control over who is allowed to arrive and whether some newcomers should pay or have to wait a certain period to access core services.

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:07 PM CDT

Business

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand speaks outside United Nations headquarters during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Anand tells UN that Canada seeks ‘strategic autonomy,’ relies on civil debate

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Anand tells UN that Canada seeks ‘strategic autonomy,’ relies on civil debate

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:08 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada's foreign policy is guided by establishing autonomy in strategic fields to limit superpower coercion, along with aspirations to lead middle powers.

"Great powers are walking away from global economic co-operation, dismantling economic integration," Anand said Saturday in Canada's annual address to the United Nations General Assembly.

"In the face of this rupture, Canada's goal is to achieve greater strategic autonomy," she said at the green marble dais.

Anand's speech did not directly mention American tariffs nor last month's collapse of trade talks between Canada and Washington, and she instead mentioned work to diversify trade beyond North America.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:08 PM CDT

Business

Police investigators work at the home where two bodies were found in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

‘Horrifying’: Focus on Tumbler Ridge shooter’s AI chats

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘Horrifying’: Focus on Tumbler Ridge shooter’s AI chats

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:09 PM CDT

An article published by U.S. magazine Mother Jones this week provides a vivid account of what it says were conversations between the Tumbler Ridge shooter and an OpenAI chatbot.

The report, which does not disclose its sources, has thrown a spotlight on the possible role played by ChatGPT in coaching Jesse Van Rootselaar before the February attack, in which eight victims died, including five pupils at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

Here's what we know, and how people are reacting.

WHAT DOES THE ARTICLE SAY?

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:09 PM CDT

Local

Matthew Atkinson, a farmer in the Neepawa area, was acclaimed reeve of the Rural Municipality of Rosedale after no other candidates registered before nominations closed on Tuesday. (The Brandon Sun files)

Atkinson acclaimed in Rosedale

By Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative 6 minute read Preview

Atkinson acclaimed in Rosedale

By Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative 6 minute read Yesterday at 12:05 AM CDT

The newly acclaimed reeve of the Rural Municipality of Rosedale said he ran for office partly because of the wind turbine project that has been proposed in the area.

Matthew Atkinson told the Sun on Thursday he wants to ensure “good governance” if the Fleury Winds project moves ahead in the RM north of Neepawa.

Atkinson — who was acclaimed reeve after no other candidates registered before nominations closed on Tuesday — is slated to lead council from 2026-30, when the Manitoba Métis Federation hopes to roll out the massive infrastructure project in the area.

“It definitely influenced my decision,” Atkinson, a farmer in the Neepawa area, said in a phone interview. “I want to ensure that it’s a proper process that is followed and everybody who deserves a say gets a say.”

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Yesterday at 12:05 AM CDT

Local

Mounties target ‘prolific offenders’ in Dauphin

2 minute read Preview

Mounties target ‘prolific offenders’ in Dauphin

2 minute read Yesterday at 12:03 AM CDT

Eight people were arrested in Dauphin this week as part of a targeted operation focused on “prolific offenders,” RCMP say.

The initiative was part of ongoing efforts to curb retail theft.

The arrests, which took place on Sept. 18 and Tuesday, involved mutiple Dauphin residents:

• A 22-year-old man wanted in connection with a recent robbery in Dauphin. Police say they seized two knives after searching the suspect. He was charged with possessing weapons for a dangerous purpose and was remanded into custody.

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Yesterday at 12:03 AM CDT

Local

Ward 5 candidate wants city to pass e-scooter bylaw

By Alex Lambert 3 minute read Preview

Ward 5 candidate wants city to pass e-scooter bylaw

By Alex Lambert 3 minute read Yesterday at 12:03 AM CDT

A Brandon councillor candidate says he wants the city to take the initiative when it comes to e-scooters, as injuries and close calls have soared in recent years.

Bhavesh Patel, who is running in Ward 5 against incumbent Coun. Greg Hildebrand, said he sees kids riding e-scooters without helmets far too often, and the mode of transportation is too fast to be safe.

“Instead of waiting on the Manitoba government or federal government, I think the city should introduce the bylaws for safety for the kids,” Patel, who is the president and managing director of Brandon-based Midwest Teleservices International, said in an interview on Monday.

Mandating the use of helmets and that children of a certain age cannot go beyond a maximum speed were his suggestions.

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Yesterday at 12:03 AM CDT

Local

Cyndi Price, a member of the Brandon Bear Clan Women’s Council, hands out wraps, vegetables and sandwiches to anyone needing a meal along with other Bear Clan members outside the Brandon Friendship Centre on Princess Avenue on Friday evening at the start of the Bear Clan’s patrol of downtown Brandon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Reported drop in city’s homeless disputed

By Rylee Gerrard 4 minute read Preview

Reported drop in city’s homeless disputed

By Rylee Gerrard 4 minute read Yesterday at 12:02 AM CDT

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Brandon reportedly decreased in 2026, but local outreach organizations say the statistics don’t match the demand.

The 2025-26 Community Homelessness Report — published by the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (BNRC) earlier this month — illustrates a decline in unhoused individuals in four of five reported categories.

During that period, which ended in March, the overall number of people who experienced homelessness for at least one day dropped by 157 people, from 916 in 2024-25 to 759, according to the report.

Indigenous people experiencing homelessness declined from 638 people to 512 — only seven above the target of 505 individuals.

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Yesterday at 12:02 AM CDT

Local

A Brandon police officer monitors video equipment showing a feed from a police drone operating overhead on Whillier Drive late Thursday evening. Police were staked out on Whillier during a standoff with a suspect who was believed to be holed up in a residence one street over on Creighton Boulevard. (Photos by Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Man arrested after standoff in Valleyview

By Tessa Adamski and Rylee Gerrard 2 minute read Preview

Man arrested after standoff in Valleyview

By Tessa Adamski and Rylee Gerrard 2 minute read Yesterday at 12:02 AM CDT

Brandon police officers blocked off multiple streets in the Valleyview area late Thursday evening during a standoff with a man who allegedly threatened to blow up a house with gas.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m., police responded to a report about a man that had stabbed a woman with a needle at a business on the 1100 block of 18th Street.

The man had left the area before police arrived and the woman was taken to the hospital for “non-life-threatening medical treatment,” police said in a news release Friday.

Officers saw the man running into a house on Creighton Boulevard at around 7 p.m.

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Yesterday at 12:02 AM CDT