National News

TORONTO — Defence lawyers for a Toronto man accused of sexually assaulting and strangling a young woman suggested Thursday that another man was responsible for the killing.

WINNIPEG — Manitoba announced its first presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, and officials are warning people to stop shaking hands, rethink travel plans and reconsider attending large public events.

CALGARY — A two-year-old who recently returned from a family vacation in Florida is among four new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Alberta, prompting a daycare in a downtown Calgary office tower to temporarily shut down.

OTTAWA — Leaders of Canada's three national Indigenous organizations will speak with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by telephone Friday to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Canada's Indigenous communities.

OTTAWA — A federal watchdog has found the federal prison service failed to ensure a safe work environment at a Quebec penitentiary.

Onion Lake Cree Nation is still in a state of emergency and the measures implemented are helping control gang-related activity, according to Philip Chief, director of operations. OLCN declared a state of emergency Jan.

WINNIPEG — Manitoba's Opposition New Democrats used procedural tactics to block the release of the provincial budget for a second straight day Thursday, pushing back the delivery of the 2020-21 fiscal plan to Monday — at the earliest.

OTTAWA — China and Russia are meddling in Canadian affairs, a national security-and-intelligence watchdog says in a new report that cites evidence of "significant and sustained" foreign interference directed at Canada.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault asked people returning from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days and cancelled large indoor gatherings Thursday as he called on the population to join the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

SASKATOON — Saskatchewan has reported its first presumptive case of COVID-19 Thursday, the same day the premier ended speculation about an early election because of concerns about the outbreak. The province's chief medical health officer, Dr.