LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — China’s increasingly assertive posture in the South China Sea and escalating violence in Myanmar topped the agenda for Southeast Asian diplomats at their meeting in Laos on Monday, with the Laotian foreign minister expressing guarded optimism that progress could be made this year on both acrimonious issues.

Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith told reporters that Thailand was moving ahead with plans to provide more humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, where more than 2.6 million people have been displaced by civil war.

He said it was

Toronto police have made two arrests in connection with a firearm investigation near Cabbagetown.

On Saturday, police were conducting a firearms investigation in the Bleeker Street and St. James Avenue area.

Members of the 51st Division Major Crime Unit conducted a Criminal Code Search Warrant in relation to the investigation.

It is alleged that two firearms were located during the search.

Radcliffe Sweeting, 24, of Toronto, has been arrested and charged with 15 firearm related offences including two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, two

Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers were on the brink, needing a spark to overcome a big deficit and avoid a third straight loss in the conference title game.

Brandon Aiyuk delivered with an improbable catch that helped save San Francisco’s season.

Purdy’s 51-yard pass into Aiyuk’s hands helped the Niners rally from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 on Sunday and reach the Super Bowl.

The 49ers (14-

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court ordered China Evergrande, the world’s most , to undergo liquidation following a failed effort to restructure $300 billion owed to banks and bondholders that fueled fears about China’s rising debt burden.

“It would be a situation where the court says enough is enough,” Judge Linda Chan said Monday. She said it was appropriate for the court to order Evergrande to wind up its business given a “lack of progress on the part of the company putting

MIAMI (AP) — Taylor Swift was born in 1989. Travis Kelce wears jersey No. 87.

American Airlines and United Airlines took notice.

Whether you’re a Swiftie or a member of Chiefs Kingdom, if you need flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas and the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, a few flight numbers might catch your eye.

American’s Flight 1989 is scheduled to run twice from Kansas City to Las Vegas on Feb. 9 and Feb.

OTTAWA — Toronto entrepreneur Mohammad Al Zaibak is the latest addition to Canada’s Senate.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office announced the appointment today, describing Al Zaibak as a community leader who will bring business and philanthropic experience to the senate.

Al Zaibak, who will represent Ontario in the upper house, is the president and CEO of the Canadian Development and Marketing Corporation, a holding company that invests in technology businesses.

He was previously the co-founder and director of Teranet, a public-partnership that developed and

The bodies of three people killed in a heli-skiing crash north of Terrace, B.C., last Monday have been recovered, the head of the guiding company said.

A statement from John Forrest, president of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, said the RCMP along with Terrace Search and Rescue led the effort on Sunday.

The victims of the Jan. 22 crash have been identified as three Italians.

Terrace Search and Rescue manager Dave Jephson also said last week that poor weather had been hampering efforts to recover

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A teenager awaiting trial in a homicide case who was captured on Sunday, police said.

Shane Pryor was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, said Sgt. Eric Gripp with the Philadelphia Police Department.

The marshals will hand the 17-year-old over to police homicide detectives, Gripp said.

“A special thanks goes out to the media and public for sharing their tips and information,” Gripp said in a statement. “No further information is available at

ROME (AP) — Police detained an Italian man found with a knife in his bag on the boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square hours before Pope Francis made his weekly appearance at a Vatican palace window Sunday.

The Italian news agency ANSA said the knife was discovered during an inspection of the bag as part of routine security for the public approaching the square.

The man, 52, from the southern Italian region of Calabria, is believed to be mentally disturbed and authorities said there was no suspicion of terrorism