News for Youse: B.C. campaigns begin, condolences for Boston, and Canucks face the Blues

Provincial election begins  Campaigns officially kick off today for the British Columbia provincial election scheduled for May 14. NDP opposition frontrunner Adrian Dix is scheduled to speak this morning at the UBC Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, while Liberal premier Christy Clark will appear at Government House in Victoria. The campaigns’ start date falls on the same day as the dissolution of the B.C. legislature.

Little known about Boston attack  U.S. President Barack Obama said today (April 16) that the FBI is investigating yesterday’s bombings in Boston as an act of terrorism. In a press conference held at the White House, Obama said that authorities do yet not know who carried out the attack, why it was carried out, whether it was conducted by a domestic or foreign organization, or whether the attack was the work of an individual.

Condolences for Boston  B.C. Premier Christy Clark has offered the province’s assistance in the wake of bombings in Boston yesterday. “Our government stands ready to offer whatever assistance may be needed in light of this tragedy,” she said. Prime Minister Stephen Harper also issued a statement, saying, “Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured or affected by this horrible incident. We stand with our American neighbours in this difficult time.”

Liberal platform out  Yesterday (April 15), the B.C. Liberal party released its platform ahead of next month’s election. Among the pledges outlined in the document is a referendum on new revenue sources for TransLink. Premier Christy Clark touted the platform as a roadmap for a “debt-free British Columbia.” You can read more about it here.

Calls to free Omar Khadr  An event will take place this evening to call attention to the ongoing detention of Omar Khadr, who was apprehended by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2002. Khadr was long the only Canadian citizen held at Guantánamo Bay, and that facility’s youngest inmate. He was transferred to the maximum security Millhaven Institution in Ontario in 2012. Khadr was 15 years old when captured.

Canucks beat Predators  The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators 5-2 last night. After establishing a two-goal lead, the Canucks stumbled to let the Predators tie it at 2-2, before making a strong late showing for the win. Tonight, Vancouver takes on the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center.

Violence follow Venezuela polls  At least seven people have died in post-election violence in Venezuela, al Jazeera English reports. On April 15, incumbent Nicolás Maduro defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles by a margin of just 1.5 percent. The vote was held after president Hugo Chavez succumbed to cancer shortly after he was reelected for a fourth term in office in October 2012

China reveals military strength  China has for the first time detailed the structures of its military units. According to defence white paper released today, China’s army has a total of 850,000 officers, the strength of its navy stands at 235,000, and its air force 398,000. The Asian giant’s defence budget rose by 11.2 percent in 2012 to exceed US$100 billion.

Earthquake hits Iran  A major earthquake struck near the border of Iran and Pakistan today. Estimates on the number of the dead range from five to the mid-40s. The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake occurred in the Iranian province of Sistan Baluchistan in an area largely devoid of dense urban settlements.

Prince plays Vancouver  Pop superstar Prince played his first two of four Vancouver shows at the Vogue Theatre last night. The evening was dogged by ticket sales controversies. As many as 100 seats were given away for as little as $50 in a last-minute charity event at Save-On-Meats, and scalpers were reported to be selling at the same bargain price. That was after concertgoers who went through official channels paid as much as $275 a pop. Prince plays two more shows at the Vogue tonight. Tickets are still available.