HURGHADA, Egypt — With nothing but grit, muscle and an iron jaw, a hugely popular Egyptian wrestler geared up for an extraordinary challenge Saturday: pulling a 700-ton ship across the water with a rope held only by his teeth.

“Today, I have come to break the world record,” Ashraf Mahrous said in an interview in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Hurghada after the challenge.

It was no easy task but Ashraf Mahrous, also known by his nickname Kabonga, has dazzled before with his astonishing strength. Earlier this year, he pulled a train. He has also singlehandedly pulled a locomotive and four years ago, a truck.

With each achievement, his popularity has soared — children run after him in the streets, where he’s known simply as “strong man.”

With the ship pull, Mahrous, a 44-year-old native of the port city of Ismalia, hopes to get yet another recognition from the Guinness World Records.
A triumph by the Red Sea

The scene was set Saturday at the shore in Hurghada. Mahrous first pulled a 700-ton ship, and to affirm his challenge he pulled two ships weighing approximately 1,150 tons together.

“I pulled them both, thanks to God, to prove to my friends and the whole world that God blessed me by being the strongest man in the world,” Mahrous said.

He said the current Guinness World Record is a 614-ton ship set in 2018.

Mahrous said he will send videos and photos of his attempt to Guinness World Records to be evaluated.

In preparation for the feat, Mahrous followed a protein- and iron-rich diet, consuming at least a dozen eggs, two whole chickens, and 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of fish every day — all while training for two hours, three times a day.

It wasn’t his first ship pull. Six years ago, he tried for two hours before he managed to pull a 4,000-ton ship in the water, a rope strapped to his shoulders, for about 30 metres (yards). The event was caught on video.

″I grunted and yelled as I pulled the ship, and I spoke to it, saying ‘It’s either me or you today,’" he told The Associated Press recently at his local gym in Cairo, where he trains daily.

Mahrous believes that speaking with the object he pulls beforehand helps him establish a connection and is key to his success. “It’s important for me to treat the object that I will pull as part of my body that moves along with my heart beat,” he said.
An extraordinary child

Mahrous, 190 centimetres (6 feet 3 inches) tall and weighing 155 kilograms (341 pounds), said his strength emerged early.

As a child, he would carry his friends for fun and haul heavy loads, several gas cylinders at once on a wheelbarrow. He was 9 when his father lost his job as a contractor in Iraq and after that, Mahrous began knocking on doors, offering to lift heavy items for some cash.

Once, he accidentally broke a friend’s arm when he tried to pull him as they played. He helped people move bricks, sandbags and other heavy materials — and he was fast. He loved sports and trained in kung fu, kickboxing and even established a wrestling team in Cairo.

It was only when his friends saw him easily flip giant tires 10 times in a row in a deserted courtyard at their gym and push a car using only a finger that they encouraged him to go for a world record.

“I was inspired by people who broke records and felt like they are no better than me,” he said. Now he’s less fearful of injuries and more concerned about failing to accomplish a pull.
Past recognitions

In March, he was formally recognized by Guinness World Records for the heaviest rail pull: He pulled a train weighing 279 tons with a rope held by his teeth for a distance of nearly 10 metres (33 feet). At the time, he received two other certificates, for the heaviest locomotive pull and for the fastest 100-metre road vehicle pull.

Mahrous, who is also president of the Egyptian Federation for Professional Wrestlers, was previously recognized by Guinness in June 2021, for pulling a 15,730-kilogram truck with his teeth. And in February 2024, the international franchise recognized him for cracking and eating 11 raw eggs in 30 seconds.

He wears a mouthguard during pulling events but says he has no concerns about his teeth. Instead of going to a dentist, he uses a miswak — a traditional teeth-cleaning twig rich in anti-bacterial compounds that help prevent decay.

He says he takes no supplements but eats, sleeps and works out at least twice every day.

His ambitions are far from over. Next, he plans to send a request to the Egyptian presidency for permission to pull a 263,000-ton submarine.

He also hopes someday to pull a plane using only his eyelid muscles.

Khaled reported from Cairo.

Fatma Khaled And Ahmed Hatem, The Associated Press

Popular #Egyptian ‘strong man’ goes for another jaw-dropping challenge: Pulling a ship with his teeth

Dozens at #UN General Assembly walk out as Israeli leader Netanyahu begins much-watched speech.

Encircled by critics and protesters at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told fellow world leaders on Friday that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza, giving a defiant speech despite growing international isolation over his refusal to end the devastating war. “Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure,” he said. “And I guarantee you one thing: Israel won’t.”

Netanyahu’s speech, aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UN General Assembly hall en masse Friday as he began.

Responding to countries’ recent decisions to recognize Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu said: “Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere.”

As the Israeli leader spoke, unintelligible shouts echoed around the hall, while applause came from supporters in the gallery. The U.S. delegation, which has backed Netanyahu in his campaign against Hamas, stayed put. The few world powers in attendance, the United States and the United Kingdom, did not send their most senior officials or even their UN ambassador to their section. Instead, it was filled out with more junior, low-level diplomats.

“Anti-semitism dies hard. In fact, it doesn’t die at all,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu routinely accuses his critics of antisemitism.

Netanyahu faces international isolation, accusations of war crimes and growing pressure to end a conflict he has continued to escalate. Friday’s speech was his chance to push back on the international community’s biggest platform.

As he has often in the past at the United Nations, Netanyahu held up a visual aid -- a map of the region titled “THE CURSE,” which chronicles Israel’s challenges in its neighborhood. He marked it up with a large marker. He wore -- and pointed out -- a pin with a QR code that leads to a site about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that led to the war and about the Israeli hostages taken by the militants. Members of the Israeli delegation wore similar pins.

Netanyahu also frequently praised U.S. President Donald Trump, his chief ally in his political and military approach in the region. Netanyahu said the changes across the Mideast have created new opportunities. He said Israel has begun negotiations with Syria aimed at reaching security arrangements with the country’s new government.

The Israeli government took steps Friday to ensure that those in Gaza heard Netanyahu, setting up loudspeakers at the border to blast his words into the territory. The prime minister’s office also claimed that the Israeli army had taken over mobile phones in Gaza to broadcast his message. AP journalists inside Gaza saw no immediate evidence of Netanyahu’s speech being broadcast on phones there.

Netanyahu said the special measures were taken in an attempt to reach the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza. He spoke in Hebrew at one point, and he read the names of the 20 who are believed to still be alive. But much of his speech was also aimed at an international audience that is increasingly critical of Israel.
A closely watched speech

Netanyahu’s annual speech to the UN General Assembly is always closely watched, often protested, reliably emphatic and sometimes a venue for dramatic allegations. But this time, the stakes were higher than ever for the Israeli leader.

In recent days, Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and others announced their recognition of an independent Palestinian state. The European Union is considering tariffs and sanctions on Israel. The assembly this month passed a nonbinding resolution urging Israel to commit to an independent Palestinian nation, which Netanyahu has said is a non-starter.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant accusing Netanyahu of crimes against humanity, which he denies. And the U.N’s highest court is weighing South Africa’s allegation that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which it vehemently refutes.

As Netanyahu spoke Friday, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered a few blocks from the heavily secured United Nations.

“Israel has chosen a war against every conscientious human being in this world,” said Nidaa Lafi, an organizer with Palestinian Youth Movement, prompting chants of “shame” from the growing crowd. “The masses have come to the irreversible realization that this war was always about the complete ethnic cleansing of Palestine, about the exploitation and the stealing of Palestinian land.”
Opposition to Netanyahu’s approach is growing

At a special session of the UN Security Council this week, nation after nation expressed horror at the 2023 attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, saw 251 taken hostage and triggered the war. Many of the representatives went on to criticize the response by Israel and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and influx of aid.

Israel’s sweeping offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced 90 percent of its population, with an increasing number now starving.

While more than 150 countries now recognize a Palestinian state, the United States has not, providing Israel with vociferous support. But Trump pointedly signaled Thursday there are limits, telling reporters in Washington that he wouldn’t let Israel annex the occupied West Bank.

Israel hasn’t announced such a move, but several leading members in Netanyahu’s government have advocated doing so. And officials recently approved a controversial settlement project that would effectively cut the West Bank in two, a move that critics say could doom chances for a Palestinian state. Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet during his visit.

Netanyahu’s office also “instructed civilian groups in cooperation with the army to place loudspeakers on trucks on the Israeli side of the border,” it said in a statement, noting that the broadcasts would be arranged so they would not endanger soldiers.
Palestinians had their UN say the day before

Netanyahu was preceded at the leaders’ meeting a day earlier by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who addressed the General Assembly via video on Thurdsay after the U.S. denied him a visa. He welcomed the recent announcements of recognition but said the world needs to do more to make statehood happen.

“The time has come for the international community to do right by the Palestinian people” and help them realize “their legitimate rights to be rid of the occupation and to not remain a hostage to the temperament of Israeli politics,” he said.

Abbas leads the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which administers portions of the West Bank. Hamas won legislative elections in Gaza in 2006 before seizing control from Abbas’ forces the following year.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war, then withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their envisioned state, part of a “two-state solution” that the international community has embraced for decades.

Netanyahu opposes it robustly, maintaining that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas. In his speech, Netanyahu insisted that Israel is battling radical Islam on behalf of all nations.

“You know deep down,” he said, “that Israel is fighting your fight.”

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Geller reported from New York. Liseberth Guillaume in New York contributed.

#Russia is helping China to prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, defence institute says

#Scientists find new bite-resistant wetsuits can reduce shark bite injuries.

Fatal shark bites are vanishingly rare, with less than 50 unprovoked shark bites on humans worldwide in 2024, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History. But increased sightings of large sharks in some parts of the world have swimmers, surfers and divers looking for new ways to stay safe.

Scientists with Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, tested four bite-resistant materials and found they all reduced the amount of damage from shark bites. They performed the work by dragging samples of the materials behind boats and allowing white and tiger sharks to bite the samples.

The bites from such large sharks can still cause internal and crushing injuries, but the materials showed effectiveness beyond a standard neoprene wetsuit, the scientists said. The research found that the bite-resistant materials “can reduce injuries sustained from shark encounters,” said Flinders professor Charlie Huveneers, a member of the Southern Shark Ecology Group at Flinders and a study co-author.

“Bite-resistant material do not prevent shark bites, but can reduce injuries from shark bites and can be worn by surfers and divers,” Huveneers said.

There were small differences between the four tested materials, but they all “reduced the amount of substantial and critical damage, which would typically be associated with severe hemorrhaging and tissue or limb loss,” said Tom Clarke, a researcher with the science and engineering college at Flinders and a study co-author.

Chainmail suits to resist shark bites have existed for decades, but lack in flexibility for aquatic activities like surfing and diving, the scientists said in research published in the journal Wildlife Research on Thursday. Newer wetsuits can be designed to provide flexibility as well as protection.

The scientists tested the efficacy of wetsuit materials Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster. The scientists said in their paper that they found that all of the materials “offer an improved level of protection that can reduce severe wounds and blood loss, and should be considered as part of the toolbox and measures available to reduce shark-bite risk and resulting injuries.”

The promise of effective shark resistant wetsuits is encouraging for people who spend a lot of time in areas where there are large sharks, said Nick Whitney, a senior scientist and chair of the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies Program at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life in Boston. That includes surfers and spearfishers, he said.

Whitney, who was not involved in the study, said it’s also encouraging that the materials are unlikely to make a person “feel invincible” and engage in risky behaviors around sharks.

“I also like it because it’s not relying on any impact on the shark’s behaviour,” Whitney said. “It’s basically very, very simple. In the extremely rare event that you get bitten by a shark, this material will hopefully make you bleed less than you would if you were not wearing this.”

The researchers said the suits do not eliminate all risks from sharks, and precautions still need to be taken around the animals.

They are hopeful their research will help the public “make appropriate decisions about the suitability of using these products,” Huveneers said.

Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press

‘I could not blow into it’: Woman taking Manitoba Public Insurance to court over breathalyzer test.

The notice said Hosco has various medical conditions that make breathing difficult — including a probable diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

According to the notice, the officer cautioned Hosco for criminal refusal, as none of her breaths were strong enough to generate a reading on the breathalyzer. This led to a 90-day licence suspension and an immediate vehicle impoundment, with her case proceeding administratively rather than criminally.

“I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me, because I do not drink, and I have not had any alcohol since my 50th surprise birthday party. And I’m 77, so that’s a long time,” she said in the interview.

Hosco said she believes her breathing issues are at fault, noting she was a smoker for 33 years and hasn’t been able to blow up a balloon since at least 2007. To make matters worse, she said she tested positive for COVID-19 the same night she was pulled over.

The court document said Hosco filed for an administrative review with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), but was told the suspension and resulting fines and consequences would be upheld.

According to Hosco’s notice filed in court, MPI did not provide her any reasons for the decision other than a letter which reads: “Based on the balance of probabilities, you operated a conveyance and refused or failed to comply, without reasonable excuse, with a demand made by a peace officer.”

The notice said MPI gave no consideration to Hosco’s credibility, overall health issues, or her right to counsel. It noted in order for Hosco to get her licence back, MPI required her to have an Ignition Interlock Device installed in her car.

Hosco told CTV News, like the breathalyzer, she’s not able to provide a strong enough breath to activate the device to start her vehicle.

“I don’t think it’s fair I could not blow into the breathalyzer, so I lose my licence, and I can’t get my licence back because I can’t blow into the immobilizer,” she said, fearing she may not ever get her licence back.

Hosco’s lawyer, Ryan Poirier, said he wants to see the licence restored.

“But aside from that, we would like the court to find that this system should be made better for Manitobans,” he said.

Poirier said he wants the court to direct MPI to provide more specific reasons when issuing long-term licence suspensions, and ensure police give people the right to counsel when conducting roadside impaired driving investigations.

He said they are in discussions with MPI.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for MPI said they can’t comment on specific cases due to privacy reasons.

“To be clear, legislation requires an ignition interlock device to be installed following certain roadside suspensions. This is not at the discretion of MPI,” the statement reads in part.

Arguments are set to be heard in court on Oct. 9.

#Iran has likely carried out an undeclared missile test, satellite photos analyzed by the AP show.

Iran has not formally acknowledged last week’s test at a circular pad that has hosted other major launches by the country’s civilian space program. A single lawmaker in Iran’s parliament, however, claimed, without offering evidence, that Tehran tested a possible intercontinental ballistic missile.

The test and the claim raise concerns that Iran may be trying to expand the reach of its missiles as tensions remain high ahead of United Nations sanctions, which are likely to be reimposed this weekend over Tehran’s nuclear program — as it also repairs missile sites that were struck by the Israelis.

“Israel’s successes in the 12-day war against Iran’s missile attacks reinforced for Tehran the importance of developing more ballistic missiles and qualitatively better versions of them,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The think tank has long been critical of Iran and has been sanctioned by Tehran.

“Consider this part of Tehran’s efforts to build back better, and as quickly as possible,” he added.
Scorch marks seen on the launch pad

On Sept. 18, Iranian social media users posted images of the sky over Semnan province, showing what appeared to be a rocket’s contrail at sunset. Iranian officials did not acknowledge what caused the contrail, nor did Iranian state media report on the incident.

Satellite photos taken prior to that by Planet Labs PBC show the circular pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport — about 230 kilometres (145 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, in Semnan — painted blue ringed with red, white and green lines — the colors of the Iranian flag.

But in satellite images since Sept. 18, the pad appeared discolored, though it wasn’t fully clear until a more-detailed Planet image requested by the AP taken this Wednesday. That image shows significant scorch marks, the pattern of which resembled scorching seen at the pad following past launches. When rockets launch, the flames from their engines pour down onto pads.

Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, who studies missiles, said the scale of the scorching suggested Iran launched a solid-fuel missile, as burning aluminum oxide particles cause such marks.

The north-south marks suggest a blast deflector being used as well to channel the flames, he said.
The claim of an intercontinental ballistic missile

Iranian parliament member Mohsen Zanganeh, appearing on Iranian state television on Saturday, claimed that the Islamic Republic had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday. He portrayed it as a sign of Iran’s strength as it faces challenges from Israel and the West.

“We have neither abandoned (nuclear) enrichment, nor handed uranium over to the enemy, nor backed down from our missile positions,” said Zanganeh, a member of parliament’s budget committee from Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province.

“The night before last we tested one of the country’s most advanced missiles, which until now had not, so to speak, been trialed — and that test was successful,” he said.

“In other words,” he added. “I mean to say that even under these conditions we are conducting a security test of an intercontinental-range missile.”

Zanganeh did not elaborate on where he got his information, nor did he provide any evidence to support his assertion. Iranian parliament members have made exaggerated claims in the past.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles typically have ranges greater than 5,500 kilometres (3,415 miles). That would extend far beyond the range reportedly allowed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles).

The range of 2,000 kilometres encompasses much of the Middle East, including Israel and American military bases in the region. An intercontinental missile would at least put all of Europe in range. The U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees its Mideast operations, did not respond to a request for comment.
Questions remain over the launch

Despite the lawmaker’s claims, there are still many questions surrounding the launch — including just what Iran sent into the sky.

Iran has in the past used the pad to launch solid-fueled missiles called Zuljanah, named after a horse of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a key figure in the Shiite faith who was massacred with his fighters at Karbala in the 7th century.

The Zuljanah can launch satellites in space. However, the fact that it uses solid fuel and is capable of reaching space has raised concerns by the U.S. government that Iran could potentially build an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“If, as is increasingly being alleged, the test was of a space-launch vehicle, it represents a desire by Tehran to potentially threaten targets outside the Middle East, like the European continent and even the American homeland,” Taleblu said.

Such missiles can deliver nuclear weapons, but Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful. U.S. intelligence agencies also assess that Iran is not actively pursuing an atomic bomb, though it had been enriching uranium to up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran also would need to miniaturize any possible nuclear bomb to put it atop a ballistic missile.

With Iran not formally acknowledging the launch and the erratic contrail that was left behind, the likelihood is that the launch may have failed. There’s also no acknowledgment by U.S. space officials of Iran putting any new satellites into space on Sept. 18.

Iran may also have used the launch to signal to the West that it will continue its missile program, despite sanctions and pressure — though without a formal confirmation, it remains unclear just what Tehran was trying to do.

“The problem is that so much happens with Iran,” Hinz said. “It’s hard to say what is coincidental and what is a pattern.”

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Re-allocated tuna tags put P.E.I. boats back to work. Some tuna fishers on P.E.I. who thought their season was over are back in business, with a green light from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) giving dozens another shot at a payday.

The federal department released 48 tuna tags to Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) licence holders on Thursday. Several fishers picked them up before heading to North Lake Harbour on the island’s eastern end, often called the “tuna capital of the world.”

The late-September re-allocation gives eligible fishers one more chance to land a high-value catch and recoup rising costs.

“It’s nice to get an extra fish every year,” said commercial fisherman Cody Gallant. “Just more income. You get to keep fishing and another chance to make back some of the loss of expenses.”

Tuna is internationally managed, having been historically overfished. Canada is given a yearly quota, which is shared among regional fleets, then divvied up to licence holders. Near season’s end, the federal department can re-allocate unused quota via tags. The tags function as tickets to catch.

It helps keep owner-operators financially viable, said Ian MacPherson, PEIFA’s executive director.

“Operating costs have been going up quite a bit over the last few years,” he said. “Fuel has gone up significantly, bait has gone up significantly… obviously, crew members’ wages have increased over the last few years.”

He said the association is continually pursuing more quota for its members. MacPherson added P.E.I. has the highest number of bluefin licence holders, but several other fleets have more quota per licence.

At North Lake, crowds gathered along the wharf to watch as crews secured lines, hauled a bluefin alongside and lifted it on a scale hook for the first weigh. Several families and tourists took photos with the catch. After grading, the fish was iced and prepared for a final weigh to determine value.

It came out to around 180 kilograms, or close to 400 pounds. One fisher said that could fetch up to $6,000 if sold domestically.

Beyond the bottom line, there are other benefits, said Gallant. “It’s good to be on the water.”

Fishers have until the end of the year to use their tuna tags, or until the quota is caught.

#Israeli strikes on Yemen’s capital kill at least 9 people and injure scores, the #Houthi rebels say.

ADEN, Yemen — Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Friday that at least nine people were killed by Israeli strikes on the country’s rebel-held capital of Sanaa the previous day, the latest in an increase in exchanges between Israel and the Iranian-backed rebels over the war in Gaza.

The strikes on Thursday afternoon came a day after a drone launched by the Houthis wounded 22 people in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a rare breach of Israel’s air defenses.

According to the health ministry in the Houthi-controlled northern half of Yemen, which includes Sanaa, four children, two women and three older people were among the dead. Rebel officials also said 59 children, 35 women and 80 older people were among the wounded.

Medics were still searching for victims believed to be trapped under rubble, the rebels said, indicating the casualty tolls could rise.

The Israeli military said Thursday it carried out strikes in Yemen, with dozens of aircraft targeting Houthi military command headquarters, military camps and security and intelligence facilities.

A Houthi spokesperson, Omar el-Bekhety, said Thursday the Israeli strikes targeted residential neighborhoods and electricity facilities and claimed the Houthis’ defense systems had thwarted a “large part of the attack.”

“These crimes will not deter our people or break their will but will increase their steadfastness and resilience in confronting the Zionist crimes and continuing to support and back the honorable, oppressed, free people of Gaza,” he added.

According to Sanaa residents, one of the strikes hit a building in a densely populated area in Sanaa, believed to have housed a Houthi leader. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.

Ahmed al-Mahweity said Friday that the strikes set off intense explosions that damaged several houses in the neighborhood. Selim Rageh, another resident, said several cars were also damaged.

“Everyone in the area came out covered in dust as if they came out from graves,” said Salem al-Qasab, a shop owner. ”Thick dust rose from the ground due to the intensity of the explosions. It was a terrifying scene, with the skies turning to clouds of black smoke and dust.”

Akram al-Adeiny said Thursday the explosion was so intense it brought down the ceiling of his house, though no one was injured. His colleague in a cellphone shop lost his wife and child in one of the attacks, he said.

The Sanaa residents spoke to the AP over the phone.

Israel has launched previous airstrikes in response to the Houthis firing missiles and drones at Israel. The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

Ahmed Al-haj, The Associated Press

#Russia not probing into Canadian airspace, federal officials say.

#OTTAWA — Following several recent high-profile Russian incursions into NATO airspace, senior defence and foreign affairs officials told members of Parliament Thursday that Canada has not seen similar Russian moves into Canadian airspace over the past year.

Eric Laporte, head of the regional security and defence relations division at Global Affairs Canada, told MPs on the House of Commons foreign affairs committee that Russia’s efforts to probe the defences of NATO allies increased “markedly” this year.

“Russian drone incursions is not a new phenomenon. They’ve been doing it since 2022, essentially, but the pace and scope has increased recently,” he said.

Laporte called the incursions a “cat and mouse game” that is both “egregious” and “reckless” and risks escalation. He added that the alliance stands ready to respond.

The committee is studying the recent Russian air incursions over eastern Europe.

Russia has in recent weeks sent drones into Polish and Romanian airspace and flown fighter jets through Estonian airspace.

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said the stepped-up Russian activity is “head spinning.”

Ty Curran, deputy director general of international security policy at the Department of National Defence, told the committee Canada has “not seen any incursions” or “penetration of our air defence” space in the past year.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said it intercepted Russian military aircraft off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday.

Norad also noted the Russian planes did not enter American or Canadian airspace and that this is a regular occurrence that is not seen as a threat.

Drones have also been spotted over Denmark and Norway recently, although those nations have not specifically attributed the incursions to Russia.

In response to Russia’s actions, NATO has invoked Article 4 consultations and launched Operation Eastern Sentry to bolster its posture and air defences on Europe’s eastern flank.

Canada has not provided additional forces to Eastern Sentry at this point. Officials pointed to Canada’s contributions to Russian deterrence through the troop deployment in Latvia.

Poland shot down Russian drones in its airspace but allied militaries did not shoot down the MiG 31 jets that flew over Estonia.

Former defence minister Bill Blair pointed out that U.S. President Donald Trump has made a “very significant change” in his posture toward the restoration of Ukraine’s original territorial integrity this week.

Trump also called on NATO countries to stop buying oil from Russia and declared he is considering tariffs against countries still purchasing Russian energy.

Canadian officials said there could be a broader response from NATO in the future if Russia escalates, and Ottawa is constantly reviewing possible new sanctions on Russia.

Laporte said Canada is looking into options related to the oil and gas revenues that are topping up Russia’s war chest.

“We recognize that oil and gas continues to be an important source of revenue for the Russian economy and that is why we are looking at other options under our G7 presidency to reduce Russia’s oil revenues,” Laporte said.

“In the long term, we know the sanctions are causing persistent diversions of resources for Russia, so it is damaging its growth potential.”

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press