OTTAWA — The suspect in a deadly school shooting in western Canada was an 18-year-old woman with mental health issues who killed her mother and stepbrother before attacking her former school, police said on Wednesday, but investigators did not offer a motive for one of the worst mass slaughters in Canadian history.

The killer, whom police identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, died by suicide after the shooting on Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of 2,400 people in the Pacific province of British Columbia. Police revised the death toll down to nine, including Ms. Van Rootselaar, from the initially reported 10.

On more than one occasion, Ms. Van Rootselaar had been apprehended under the provincial Mental Health Act for an assessment, said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia.

“Police had attended that (family) residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect,” Mr. McDonald said.

Unlike the United States, school shootings are almost unheard of in Canada, and federal politicians initially struggled to maintain their composure.

“We will get through this. We will learn from this,” a visibly upset Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters. He postponed a trip to Europe and ordered flags on all government buildings be flown at half-mast for the next seven days.

Hours later, legislators in the House of Commons observed a moment of silence and listened as a somber Mr. Carney said the killings had left the country in shock and mourning.

“Tumbler Ridge represents the very best of Canada,” Mr. Carney said.

The mayor of Tumbler Ridge, Darryl Krakowka, told reporters late on Wednesday that the close-knit community was “one big family.”

“Lend your ear when someone needs your ear,” he said, growing emotional at times. “Lend your shoulder when someone needs your shoulder. Give somebody a hug.”

Mr. McDonald said Ms. Van Rootselaar, who was born male but began identifying as a female six years ago, had first killed her mother, 39, and 11-year-old stepbrother at the family home.

She then went to the school, where she shot a 39-year-old female teacher as well as three 12-year-old female students and two male students, one aged 12 and one aged 13. Police recovered a long gun and a modified handgun.

Dozens were injured, and two severely wounded victims remain in the hospital. One of those victims, a 12-year-old girl named Maya, was fighting for her life after sustaining gunshot wounds to the head and neck, her mother, Cia Edmonds, said in a Facebook post.

Police officers who arrived at the scene two minutes after the initial call encountered active gunfire, including rounds fired in their direction, according to authorities, before discovering Ms. Van Rootselaar dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound.

She once attended the school but dropped out four years ago, police said.

“We do believe the suspect acted alone… it would be too early to speculate on motive,” Mr. McDonald told a press conference, saying police did not have information to suggest anyone had been specifically targeted.

Several prominent world leaders sent messages of condolence. King Charles III, Canada’s head of state, said he was “profoundly shocked and saddened.”

SHOOTING AMONG DEADLIEST IN CANADIAN HISTORY
Details about some of the deceased victims were slowly emerging on Wednesday.

In an anguished Facebook post, Abel Mwansa said his 12-year-old son, also named Abel, had died in the shooting. Abel had once cried when his father proposed home schooling because he loved going to school so much, his father wrote.

He raised his son, Mr. Mwansa added, to respect his elders, “be strong, work hard, put a smile on the face like I do, focus on his studies, never miss school and to be a good kid.”

Another woman, Shanon Dycke, said her 12-year-old niece, Kylie May Smith, was among the victims. 

“Pray for the other families who have lost their child, or are waiting to hear news,” she wrote on Facebook. “Just pray for Tumbler Ridge.”

The attack sent shockwaves through the tiny community.

“Everybody knows everybody,” Jordon Kosik, a resident, said in an interview. “People don’t lock their homes. They don’t lock their cars. You can just go to your neighbor’s house, just walk right in.”

Mr. McDonald said police had seized firearms from the family residence about two years ago but returned them after the owner, who he did not identify, successfully appealed the decision.

Canada has stricter gun laws than the United States, but Canadians can own firearms with a license.

Ms. Van Rootselaar previously had a firearms license, but it expired in 2024. Canadians between the ages of 12 and 17 can obtain a minor’s firearms license after taking a firearms safety course and passing tests.

The shooting ranks among the deadliest in Canadian history.

In April 2020, a 51-year-old man disguised in a police uniform and driving a fake police car shot and killed 22 people in a 13-hour rampage in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia, before police killed him at a gas station.

In December 1989, a gunman killed 14 female students and wounded 13 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, before dying by suicide. — Reuters

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be taking steps to consolidate his daughter’s position as successor, and there are signs she is providing input on policy matters, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing a spy agency briefing.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency (NIS) will be closely watching whether the daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, attends an upcoming meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party and how she is presented, including whether she takes on any official title, the lawmakers said.

“In the past, the NIS described Kim Ju Ae as being ‘in study as successor’ but today the expression used was that she ‘was in the stage of being internally appointed successor,’” lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters following a closed-door briefing from the NIS.

Ms. Ju Ae, who is believed to be in her early teens, has been increasingly prominently featured in North Korea’s state media accompanying her father on field guidance including inspections of weapons projects amid speculation by analysts that she is being groomed as the country’s fourth-generation leader.

The NIS believes the role she has taken on during public events indicates she has started to provide policy input and that she is being treated as the de facto second-highest leader, Mr. Lee and another lawmaker Park Sun-won said.

North Korea has announced the Workers’ Party will convene the inauguration meeting of the ninth Congress in late February, an event that analysts believe will unveil major policy goals for coming years on the economy, external affairs and defense.

Mr. Kim is directing the development of a large submarine that is likely capable of carrying up to 10 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and which, considering the vessel’s displacement of 8,700 tons, may be designed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, Mr. Park and Mr. Lee said.

It remains unclear, however, whether it will be nuclear powered or operationally functional as designed, the lawmakers said, citing the spy agency’s analysis. — Reuters

MOOI RIVER — South Africa’s beef exports fell 26% in 2025, despite growing global demand, partly due to China’s ban on the African country’s red meat products as it battles its worst foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in recent memory.

The country has faced resurgent foot-and-mouth infections since early 2025 when the disease spread to seven of its nine provinces.

Beef shipments to China fell 69% to 1,687 metric tons last year following the ban imposed in May, according to statistics from industry body Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

China was South Africa’s third biggest external market in 2024 after the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

When the highly contagious viral disease broke out on James Kean’s dairy farm in Mooi River late January, his normal seasonal farm expenses had increased by 1 million rand ($62,985.38) as he fought to keep infections out.

Mr. Kean says some of his peers have spent three years’ worth of veterinary products in just one month.

Milk production on his farm declined to about 23,000 liters a day from about 26,000 liters within days of the outbreak, as infected cows eat less and are less productive.

“The cost to the economy is enormous. The (national) livestock population could halve in two years, in which case food prices are going to rise as well,” Mr. Kean told Reuters during a visit to his farm.

Mr. Kean complains that the government has failed to contain the disease, a concern shared by many farmers.

The government plans to vaccinate 80% of South Africa’s national herd, which is estimated at 12 million cattle.

On February 6, it rolled out South Africa’s first foot-and-mouth vaccine in 20 years as it seeks to ease shortages of the inoculation doses.

The country is currently importing most of its foot-and-mouth vaccines from Botswana, Turkiye, and Argentina.

“We are hit now by one of the worst outbreaks at a time when we don’t have the capacity to produce the vaccines that are required,” agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo told Reuters. — Reuters

MANCHESTER — Britain’s economy barely grew in the final quarter of 2025 as activity fared worse than initially estimated during the run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves’ budget, official figures showed on Thursday.

Gross domestic product grew by 0.1% in the October-to-December period, the same slow pace as in the third quarter, the Office for National Statistics said.

Economists polled by Reuters, as well as the Bank of England, had forecast 0.2% fourth-quarter growth compared with the previous three months.

The period was marked by rampant speculation about tax increases ahead of Ms. Reeves’ budget on November 26. The ONS revised down monthly GDP data for the three months to November to show a 0.1% contraction rather than 0.1% growth.

Some more recent data have suggested that uncertainty has lifted for consumers and businesses.

“Looking at various surveys, there were some tentative signs that sentiment turned a corner and started to improve after the budget last year, which could help deliver a pick-up in activity this year,” Luke Bartholomew, deputy chief economist at Aberdeen, said.

“However, recent political uncertainty may see that sentiment bounce reverse.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has had to fight to keep his grip on Downing Street this week due to fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Thursday’s figures underscored why investors think that the Bank of England is more likely than not to cut interest rates again in March.

The monthly GDP data showed a sharp downward revision to growth.

The data suggested hesitancy on the part of businesses during the fourth quarter as their investment fell by almost 3% – the biggest quarter-on-quarter drop since early 2021, driven largely by volatile transport investment.

Economist Thomas Pugh at tax and consultancy firm RSM said the overall weakness in business investment suggested budget uncertainty held back investment and spending.

Manufacturing was the biggest driver of the increase in output, despite the fact that car output was still recovering from September’s cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover, while the dominant services sector was flat. Construction output contracted by 2.1%.

In 2025 as a whole, Britain’s economy grew by an annual average 1.3%, the Office for National Statistics said, compared with 0.9% in France, 0.7% in Italy and 0.4% in Germany.

British economic growth per head contracted by 0.1% for a second quarter, although it rose by 1.0% for 2025 as a whole.

In December alone, the economy grew by 0.1%, the ONS said, as expected in the Reuters poll. That left the size of the economy back at its level of June 2025. — Reuters

HONG KONG/BEIJING — More Chinese tourists are expected to travel overseas during next week’s extra-long Lunar New Year break, with top destinations ranging from Russia and Australia to Thailand and South Korea, travel agencies say, but Japan has lost some sheen.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is one of China’s longest holidays, running for nine days this year from February 15, or a day longer than usual, to usher in the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.

Millions traditionally head home for family reunions during this time, boosting spending in shops, cinemas and restaurants as families nationwide and overseas celebrate together.

RECORD TRIPS EXPECTED OVER 40-DAY TRAVEL RUSH
China expects a record 9.5 billion passenger trips during the accompanying 40‑day travel rush, up from 9.02 billion last year, as officials hope this year’s longer event spurs more holidaymakers to make domestic visits or venture abroad.

“Thailand has returned to being the top outbound destination thanks to its weather, when most parts of China remain cold,” said Zhou Weihong, of Shanghai‑based Spring Tour, the travel unit of budget carrier Spring Airlines 601021.SS.

Amid an uncertain economic outlook, many appear to be hoping to leave their troubles behind, however briefly. A prolonged property downturn has eroded household wealth, while uneven growth after the COVID-19 pandemic, has fueled job insecurity.

Studies show Chinese consumers are prioritizing spending on experiences, with consultants McKinsey’s saying in an August market update, “Consumers appear to have quietly moved on … highlighting deeper shifts in how China consumes.”

Domestic leisure demand this year is also split between warm and snowy destinations, with trips to the tropical island of Hainan and northeastern Changbai Mountain popular, added Zhou, a deputy general manager at Spring Tour.

Bookings to Russia on its platform have more than doubled from last year, as have trips to northern Europe.

“For the rest of the year, we’ll probably see increased Chinese travel to Russia,” said Sienna Parulis‑Cook, marketing and communications director of Dragon Trail Research.

She attributed its popularity, rising off a low base, to Moscow’s December move to waive visas for visitors from China.

REBOUND DRIVES UP NUMBERS VISITING AUSTRALIA
China’s largest travel booking site, Trip.com Group, said a rebound in long‑haul travel has driven up visitors to Australia by more than 100% over the year-earlier period.

Seat capacity on international flights during the holiday period, both inbound and outbound, has risen 9% on the year, aviation intelligence firm IBA said.

“The international market is playing an increasingly important role in Spring Festival travel,” it said in a report ahead of the break, adding that available seat kilometers on international flights now make up about half of total capacity.

But for other destinations, the picture is not all rosy.

Simmering political tension with Japan has eroded its appeal for Chinese visitors, who normally made it a top choice.

Flight data for 2026 shows travel to Japan has dropped sharply amid the strained ties and China’s safety warnings to its travelers, prompting airlines to broaden refund and change policies for Japan routes.

In the week starting on February 2, flights between China and Japan were down 49.2% from a year earlier, said travel data provider Flight Master.

And all flights have been cancelled on 58 routes that operated during last year’s Spring Festival, when Trip.com ranked Japan among the most popular overseas destinations, alongside Thailand and other regional markets. — Reuters

DHAKA — Bangladeshis lined up outside polling booths on Thursday as voting began for what many say is a pivotal election for the South Asian nation, marking a return to democracy after the 2024 ouster of long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z‑driven uprising.

Analysts say a decisive result is crucial for steady governance in the nation of 175 million, as the deadly anti-Hasina protests triggered months of unrest and disrupted key industries, including the garments sector, the world’s second-largest exporter. It is the world’s first election after a revolution led by under-30s, or Gen Z, to be followed by Nepal next month.

The contest pits two coalitions led by former allies, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist Jamaat‑e‑Islami, with opinion polls giving an edge to the BNP.

In Dhaka, the capital, people queued up outside voting booths before polls opened at 7:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT), including eager participants like Mohammed Jobair Hossain, 39, who said he last voted in 2008.

“I am feeling excited because we are voting in a free manner after 17 years,” Mr. Hossain said as he waited in line. “Our votes will matter and have meaning.”

Ms. Hasina’s Awami League is banned, and she remains in self‑imposed exile in long-term ally India, opening the window for China to expand its influence in Bangladesh as Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi deteriorate.

Unlike previous elections marred by opposition boycotts and intimidation, more than 2,000 candidates, including many independents, are vying for 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or House of the Nation. Voting in one constituency has been postponed due to the death of a candidate. At least 50 parties are contesting in total, a national record.

“This election is not just another routine vote,” Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, head of an interim government installed after Ms. Hasina’s ouster, said this week.

“The public awakening we witnessed against long‑standing anger, inequality, deprivation and injustice finds its constitutional expression in this election.”

In parallel, there will be a referendum on a set of constitutional reforms, including establishing a neutral interim government for election periods, restructuring parliament into a bicameral legislature, increasing women’s representation, strengthening judicial independence, and imposing a two-term limit on the prime minister.

Despite the crowded field and expectations of a close race, the campaign period remained largely peaceful, barring a few incidents.

“The crucial test for Bangladesh now will be to ensure the election is conducted fairly and impartially, and for all parties to then accept the result,” said Thomas Kean, a senior consultant with the International Crisis Group. “If that happens, it will be the strongest evidence yet that Bangladesh has indeed embarked on a period of democratic renewal.”

On election day, more than 100,000 soldiers from the army, navy and air force will assist nearly 200,000 police in maintaining law and order.

EARLY START, LATE FINISH
Polling opened at 7:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) and closes at 4:30 p.m. Counting will begin soon after, with early trends expected around midnight and results likely to be clear by Friday morning, Election Commission officials said.

Nearly 128 million people are registered to vote, 49% of them women. But only 83 female candidates are contesting.

Corruption and inflation are the biggest issues among voters, a recent survey found.

The two prime ministerial candidates are the BNP’s Tarique Rahman and Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman. They are not related.

Several voters are conflicted about participating in the election.

Some, like rickshaw puller Chan Mia, say they cannot afford to travel to their villages to vote and lose their daily income in Dhaka. Others, such as gatekeeper Mohammad Sabuj, feel disillusioned because Ms. Hasina’s party is barred.

But some are determined to cast their ballots.

“During Hasina’s time, we couldn’t cast our votes,” said Shakil Ahmed, a driver. “It’s my right to vote. This time, I won’t miss it.” — Reuters