CANADA

PM warns Alberta against separation

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned on Thursday that the United States is trying to break Canada so it can "own us", as he urged oil-rich Alberta not to begin a process toward separation in Monday's referendum. The vote will not be a direct referendum on independence. Alberta will decide whether to remain a province or instruct the government to begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation. Carney's warning came as the US wages a trade war with Canada and after repeated threats to make Canada the 51st US state. Carney has argued that Canada needs to become more economically resilient and less dependent on the US.

UNITED STATES

Plan to livestream execution shut down

US President Donald Trump scrapped plans to livestream the execution of the former Army major who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, overruling Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth on Thursday after the proposal drew opposition from Republicans, religious leaders and the public. Hegseth had announced plans to livestream the execution at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, the site of Nidal Hasan's 2009 attack. No other country is known to televise or livestream judicial executions. It was Trump's first major public split with Hegseth, a Trump ally. But it was unclear whether the split would politically imperil Hegseth given their strong ties.

DR CONGO

Ebola outbreak spreads to new border province

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to a new province bordering the Central African Republic, two health officials said on Thursday, posing a fresh challenge for authorities struggling to contain it. North Ubangi becomes the eighth province to be affected by the outbreak of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which was announced in mid-May and has become the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, with more than 4,000 deaths confirmed. In addition to DR Congo, the outbreak has also resulted in cases in Uganda and Kenya.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA