Weekend Posted: Some great stories you may have missed

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Welcome to your Weekend Posted. We were perusing Wikipedia on Friday looking for a bit of a fun fact to add to this introduction and came across quite a good one: On May 25, 1977, Star Wars: A New Hope debuted in U.S. theatres. Hopefully the weather is good for you this weekend and you can enjoy some time outside. But if not, why not go back 47 years and experience the first — and arguably the best — Star Wars film.

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In war-torn Ukraine, a cadre of volunteers is working to save cats and dogs. Even as Vovchansk, a city just five kilometres from the Russian border, was under attack, volunteers from a Norwegian rescue group braved mortar fire to drive to the front to rescue animals that had been left behind as humans evacuated. They wrestled pets into kennels and got as close as they could to the front to save lives. The volunteers even took pets to safety that had been offered up by their owners, themselves unwilling to leave the city but afraid for the lives of their beloved animals. This is just one of the many humanitarian and non-governmental efforts being carried out in Ukraine. Read more about the animal-rescue efforts and see photos of the pets of Ukraine.

FIGHTING OFF AN AMBUSH

David Shultz was in charge of a unit of Canadian soldiers near Kandahar in May 2009 when his troops were ambushed by Taliban fighters. They took cover in an irrigation canal as the enemy fired rocket-propelled grenades at them. Shultz organized a flanking manoeuvre to drive off the first attack, then had his troops fight off another. Under heavy fire, Shultz himself extracted the wounded and organized a fighting retreat. For his actions that day, Shultz was awarded the Star of Military Valour, Canada’s second-highest military honour, although he has said the medal should be shared by his entire team. The National Post series Heroes Among Us has been exploring Canadian soldiers who could be candidates for the Canadian Victoria Cross, Canada’s highest military honour. Read about Shultz and the intense firefight near Kandahar and check out the rest of the series.

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DEAR DIARY

In the weekly satirical feature Dear Diary, the National Post re-imagines a week in the life of a newsmaker. This week, Tristin Hopper takes an imagined journey into the thoughts of Sir John A. Macdonald: I’ve noticed drug addiction is also a big deal these days. Hey, guess who knows a little something about addiction? Me, your first prime minister; a guy with such a bad drinking problem that he once lit himself on fire while setting out the final terms of Confederation in London. 

ET CETERA

• • • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian government supports the International Court of Justice in its call for Israel to halt military operations in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. Read more about the decision and Trudeau’s reasons for supporting it. 
    • Linda Lamers was walking her dog about 20 kilometres from Whitehorse when she discovered a pile of more than 40 rotisserie chickens. An absolute mystery, you might say, and conservation officers are scratching their heads. Read on to find out more about this baffling buffet. 
    • Morgan Spurlock, perhaps most famous for his McDonald’s documentary Super Size Me, captured loads of attention over the years. The documentarian died Thursday in New York from complications of cancer. Read more about Spurlock’s work and career here.
    • Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative party leader, paid tribute to Rex Murphy, the National Post columnist who died earlier this month. Watch Poilievre praise the “great Canadian” writer. 
    • A second candidate to run for the Conservatives in the next election has claimed irregularities in the nomination process.  Rachel Gilliland says she provided evidence of irregularities to the party. This comes after Sabrina Maddeaux suspended her campaign to run for the party. Read more about what Gilliland says happened and what the party’s response has been. 
  • • Don’t miss your daily round of puzzles from Puzzmo. Test your skills at Really Bad Chess.

SNAPSHOT

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