The Department of State released today the newly digitized edition of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume V, Microfiche Supplement, American Republics.

This publication supplemented the print volume of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume V, American Republics. From 1993 to 1998, the Foreign Relations series published 13 microfiche supplements with facsimiles of additional documents expanding upon issues addressed in corresponding print volumes in the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy subseries that could not be printed due to space limitations. The Office of the Historian is digitizing these microfiche supplements and incorporating the digital editions into its full-text searchable and date-sortable online Foreign Relations portal.

This volume is available online and as a free eBook on the Office of the Historian website at https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v05mSupp. For further information, contact the Office of the Historian at history@state.gov.

There’s a sandwich foodies have flown thousands of kilometres to Japan to try and have strategized how to get through customs to share with friends back home.

Though it sells for just a few bucks and comes wrapped in plastic, it even got the stamp of approval from late food journalist Anthony Bourdain who labelled it “pillows of love.”

That sandwich — a tamago sando, or Japanese-style egg salad sandwich — comes from 7-Eleven, one of the world’s biggest convenience store chains.

The treat, which nestles a generous heap of cooked eggs and Kewpie mayonnaise between fluffy pieces of crustless milk bread, is about to make its way to Canada on March 4.

But for 7-Eleven, it’s much more than a sandwich. It’s a small part of a broader, five-year push to deepen the chain’s presence in Canada and help it grow in an environment where everyone is now their competitor.

“The industry just generally has blurred,” Marc Goodman, vice-president and general manager of 7-Eleven Canada, said in an interview.

2:10
Business Matters: Canada’s Couche-Tard looks to buy owner of 7-Eleven

That means the convenience stores you might have popped into for a chocolate bar are now facing competition from Walmart, which has plunked itself in every city with more than 10,000 people, and other discount stores, where treats are a very low price, he said.

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Also in the mix are grocery stores with expanded snack sections and more ready-to-go meals than ever, food trucks that can pop up in front of the busiest office districts and fast-food chains welcoming walk-in customers and others requesting meals through delivery apps.

“So more and more we’ve been seeing the external environment trying to take a piece of our pie, if you would,” Goodman said.

Never was that more true than over the last two years, when Alimentation Couche-Tard, the Laval, Que.-based convenience store goliath also behind Circle K and Ingo, tried to purchase 7-Eleven parent company Seven & i Holdings.

Seven & i’s board initially rebuffed Couche-Tard’s overtures but then the Quebec firm sweetened its deal and the two met at the table to discuss how a sale could get regulatory approval. Months later, Couche-Tard walked away, accusing its takeover target of a “persistent lack of good faith engagement.”

Asked about the failed merger and how it’s shaping the company now, Goodman said, “that was interesting, but we never lost sight and never took our foot off the pedal.”

“We continued down our path and our direction and we’re glad we did and now, it’s time to accelerate it,” he said.

That plan is to combat competition, not just with the sandwich, but also with a revamp to 7-Eleven’s business model and move toward franchising.

The chain, which has been in Canada since 1969, has 550 corporately-owned stores between Ontario and B.C.

Goodman says a franchisor could help the company reach the Maritimes and Quebec and beef up its presence in Ontario.

Franchise growth will come as the company slowly repositions itself to be more like a quick-serve restaurant that happens to sell convenience store items, he said.

Some of that shift has already taken shape with many locations selling beer and wine and others offering dine-in seating for customers who don’t want to dirty their car with food.

There’s also been an emphasis on more diverse and quality food. For example, 7-Eleven Canada ships in its samosas from India and has hundreds of stores where crispy chicken is battered on site and croissants and cookies are baked. There are also four commissaries the company runs in Canada where it makes food that is then sent immediately to stores.

“If we talk about this in five years’ time, hopefully, we’ll see a higher degree of fresh food sales and hot food sales, and proprietary beverage sales, than we have today,” Goodman said.

“And while we’ll still have our traditional convenience store items, that will take a back seat.”

Some of its new stars will come from Japan. It already sells onigiri — Japanese rice balls — but Goodman says, “we can probably do better with that product and expand.”

“Whatever is popular in Japan, we could hopefully find one day here in Canada in our 7-Elevens,” he said.

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A former RCMP weapons officer says guns in a photo posted by the Tumbler Ridge shooter’s mother all appear to have been legal to own in Canada at the time, although they include a semi-automatic rifle that was later prohibited.

Jennifer Jacobs posted the photo of guns in a cabinet to Facebook in August 2024 with the caption, “Think it’s time to take them out for some target practice.”

Jacobs and her 11-year-old son were among eight people killed in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Feb. 10 by Jacobs’s daughter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, before she killed herself.

Frank Grosspietsch, a retired RCMP officer with the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team and a technical adviser to the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners, said the photo posted by Jacobs includes five rifles — three of which appear to be semi-automatic — two shotguns and a handgun.

“I can’t see any of the markings that are on the firearms but I’m looking at the undersides, the barrel configurations, the stocks and unique markers that stand out to me,” he said.

He added that “every firearm in that locker at the time that photograph was taken was non-restricted.”

An RCMP spokesperson said in an email on Thursday in response to questions about the guns in the photo that they “will not confirm which firearms have been seized as these details are subject to the ongoing investigation.”

It’s unclear whether Van Rootselaar used any of the guns from the photo in the killings, or if they were among the weapons that police previously seized from the home under the Criminal Code before returning them after a request from their owner.

RCMP say they seized two firearms from the home last week, including an unregistered shotgun police said was used in the killings, as well as “a number of other firearms.”

2:03
Father of Taber school shooting victim speaks out after Tumbler Ridge tragedy

Police also seized a long gun and modified rifle from Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where Van Rootselaar shot dead five pupils aged 12 and 13, a teacher’s aide and then herself.

The rifle on the far left of the photo is a bolt-action Lee-Enfield, a First World War-era weapon commonly found across Canada, Grosspietsch said.

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Second from the left is a pump-action shotgun that he said is missing its barrel, which “may be what we see to the far right in the safe.”

To the right of that gun is what appears to be a Winchester pump-action shotgun, then a bolt-action Tikka rifle.

Grosspietsch said the distinctive and boxy-looking black gun in the middle of the cabinet is a Kriss Vector semi-automatic 9-mm rifle.

In August 2024, when the photo was posted, “that particular firearm on that date was deemed as non-restricted,” he said.

“So whoever in the household, if they had a valid PAL (possession and acquisition licence) could have purchased that because at that time it was non-restricted. It wasn’t deemed prohibited until December.”

The Kriss Vector became illegal to own in December 2024 after the federal government extended its list of prohibited assault-style firearms, a decision it said it made to counter crime.

Grosspietsch said the other two guns in the cabinet appear to be semi-automatic rifles, an SKS on the left and what looks like a Ruger carbine next to it.

2:02
Latest on the Tumbler Ridge shooting investigation

In the top part of the cabinet, he noticed a high-capacity magazine for a .22 rifle. “They’re rim fire, so there’s no restriction on the size of the magazine. So they are not limited to 10 rounds,” Grosspietsch said, adding that above the boxes of ammunition there is a handgun.

Non-restricted firearms don’t need to be registered in Canada, with the exception of Quebec, though they can only be transferred to someone who holds a valid PAL.

RCMP said Jennifer Jacobs held a valid PAL and there were no firearms registered to it.

The firearms in the photo are not inconsistent with guns owned by many Canadians with a valid PAL, Grosspietsch said.

“It’s not more complicated than that,” he said.

B.C. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said last week that the shotgun used at the home had never been seized.

The main firearm used in the killings at the school had also never been seized by police, McDonald said, adding it is of “unknown origin.”

McDonald said Van Rootselaar had a gun licence that expired in 2024 and had no weapons registered to her.

It’s not known who owned the guns that where previously seized from the home where Jacobs and Van Rootselaar lived, or who successfully applied for their return.

In a memorandum Wednesday, the B.C. Provincial Court’s Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie wrote there was no formal written application filed at the Dawson Creek or Tumbler Ridge registries by Jacobs in relation to firearms previously seized at the home.

“There are no adult records in relation to Jesse Van Rootselaar in relation to any firearms seized under the Criminal Code,” she added.

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The federal government has updated its travel advice for the United States, urging First Nations people to carry a passport in addition to a status card when crossing the border.

Before this week, the government website said First Nations people could “freely” enter the United States for the purposes of employment, study, retirement, investing or immigration.

As of Thursday, the website has been updated with new guidelines.

The website now says First Nations people “may” be able to cross the Canada-U.S. border by land or water with their Secure Certificate of Indian Status, also known as a secure status card.

The website says acceptance of all status cards is “entirely at the discretion of U.S. officials.” Status cards and secure status cards aren’t accepted travel documents for air travel, it says.

When using a status card to cross the Canada-U.S. border, travellers are strongly recommended to carry a valid passport and use a valid machine-readable secure status card, the website says.

As of February 2019, the government says all new and renewed secure status cards are issued with a machine-readable field. The government began issuing secure status cards in 2009, phasing out older versions of laminated, paper or plastic status cards.

“While you may have previously crossed the Canada-U.S. border with only a secure status card, [Indigenous Services Canada] now strongly recommends also carrying a valid passport when travelling outside of Canada,” the Government of Canada website says.

The government says people registered under the Indian Act entering the U.S. to live or work may also be asked to provide documentation to “prove the percentage of Indian blood required under U.S. law.”

WATCH | Crossing this remote Canadian border is about to get more complicated:

Crossing this remote Canadian border is about to get more complicated

Canada is planning to scrap the Remote Area Border Crossing Program, which allowed Americans to get pre-clearance and cross with ease. The change will have a big impact on residents of Northwest Angle, Minn., many of whom cross the border with Manitoba daily.

The Assembly of First Nations has warned First Nations people to be wary of crossing the border into the United States in response to immigration enforcement raids and the detention of some Indigenous people.

AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has confirmed that at least one First Nations person had a negative encounter recently with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, and that person has since returned to Canada.

The case prompted the advocacy body to issue a statement, warning First Nations members to make sure they have the right documentation and identification when crossing the border.

In a statement, Indigenous Services Canada said last month it had been made aware that some people have recently reported the confiscation, or damage, of status cards in the U.S. It said the department can issue emergency status cards, and will expedite requests from people who have been affected.

Mississauga First Nation has also warned its members against crossing the border, citing ICE’s recent detention of Indigenous people. Three Oglala Sioux Tribe members were detained at a homeless encampment by ICE agents in Minnesota earlier this year.

Several other First Nations have issued similar warnings, including Six Nations of the Grand River near Hamilton and Garden River First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

The Jay Treaty Alliance, a body representing tribal governments and First Nations communities on both sides of the border, is encouraging First Nations people crossing the border to the U.S. to ensure they are carrying their familial lineage letter, status card, long-form birth certificate and government-issued photo ID.

U.S. tribal members are being encouraged to carry their tribal IDs, state-issued IDs or driver’s licences, or a U.S. passport.

An area in Edmonton referred to as Happy Beer Street will be the city’s newest entertainment district after a unanimous city council vote Wednesday.

Entertainment districts are areas where alcohol can be purchased and consumed from participating businesses within specific boundaries during events. In such cases, these areas are restricted to foot traffic. 

This district, along 78th Avenue between 99th and 100th streets, is the city’s third. The others are on Rice Howard Way and a section of 104th Street.

Cole Boyd, the co-owner of Bent Stick Brewing, told CBC News Thursday the district has been a long time coming.

“With the concentration of breweries we have got on 78th Avenue, to be able to use it as more of a gathering spot and leverage our proximity and collaboration into something to better the community — we’re pretty excited about it,” said Boyd.

Cultivating a vibrant city

Most community members seem to welcome the district. Of 1,484 respondents of the city’s public engagement survey, 87 per cent indicated support. 

Eleven per cent opposed the change, citing noise, public alcohol consumption, traffic congestion and parking scarcity as concerns. 

Natalie Darrah, a director of local non-profit Paths for People, told the city’s executive committee on Wednesday that the district supports her organization’s “vision of a human-centred, vibrant city.”

The area is well-serviced by non-vehicular forms of transportation like public transit, sidewalks and bike lanes, said Darrah.

“It makes sense to carry this momentum forward and to take full advantage of this existing community infrastructure to create an active node … that benefits our local economy and our identity as a city,” she said.

At a city council committee meeting Wednesday, Edmonton’s local economy director Tom Mansfield said entertainment districts can reduce red tape so businesses can host events with ease and more regularly.

Currently, individual businesses must get a special licence from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis. Obtaining these licences can involve additional fees and costs and can take up to six weeks to process.

A separate application is also needed to request temporary street closures from the city.

This new event-hosting ease will breed collaboration between businesses in the neighbourhood, said Boyd.

“It’s things that we’ve wanted to do before, but were restricted by our use case,” he said. “If we put live music on the street [now], everyone benefits from it instead of just one brewery.”

“It’s going to be a bit of a touch-and-go trial year, but we’re excited. We’ve got good bones in place to make this year’s programming go over well.”

Communities in southern Niagara Region and Norfolk County should expect high winds Friday, with gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour expected, Environment Canada says. 

A cold front will lead to strong winds this afternoon, lessening in the evening, the federal agency said in a statement.

“Local utility outages are possible. Secure loose objects,” Environment Canada warned.

The warning applies to municipalities including Niagara Falls, Ont., Welland, Ont., Port Colborne, Ont., and Port Dover, Ont.

In some parts of the Hamilton area, there’s fog. Environment Canada says that should pass this morning.

Two people have been charged with murder after a ‘seriously injured’ boy was admitted to hospital and later died from his injuries.

London’s Met Police launched an investigation after a three-year-old boy was admitted to hospital on Saturday, January 3 with severe injuries.

Police said they later launched a safeguarding and criminal investigation. Despite efforts of medical staff, the youngster died on Monday, January 19th.

They have named him as Isiayah Henry from Woolwich.

A spokesperson from the Met said: ‘Enquiries have been ongoing within the Met’s Specialist Crime Command. On Friday, 20 February, two people were charged with murder and causing/allowing the death of a child in connection with Isiayah’s death following an appearance at Woolwich Crown Court.’

Tanisha Henry, 28, of Woolwich and Mikael Williams, of Walworth, will next appear at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, 22 April.

The Met added that Isiayah’s family have been informed and continue to receive support from specialist officers.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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The Pentagon is deploying USS Gerald R. Ford to the Middle East, creating a rare two-carrier presence in the region as tensions with Iran rise and questions swirl about possible U.S. military action.

The Ford will reinforce USS Abraham Lincoln already operating in the theater, significantly expanding American airpower at a moment of heightened regional uncertainty.

While officials have not announced imminent action, the dual-carrier presence increases the Pentagon’s flexibility — from deterrence patrols to sustained strike operations — should diplomacy falter.

The largest aircraft carrier in the world

The Gerald R. Ford is the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier ever built.

Commissioned in 2017, the nuclear-powered warship stretches more than 1,100 feet and displaces more than 100,000 tons of water. It serves as a floating air base that can operate in international waters without relying on host-nation approval — a key advantage in politically sensitive theaters.

Powered by two nuclear reactors, the ship has virtually unlimited range and endurance and is designed to serve for decades as the backbone of U.S. naval power projection.

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, steams alongside the replenishment oiler Laramie. (U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 6th Fleet / Handout via Reuters)

WORLD’S LARGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN NUCLEAR TENSIONS SPIKE DRAMATICALLY

How much airpower does it carry?

A typical air wing aboard the Ford includes roughly 75 aircraft, though the exact mix depends on mission requirements.

Those aircraft can include F/A-18 Super Hornets, stealth F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, E-2D Hawkeye early warning aircraft and MH-60 helicopters.

In a potential conflict with Iran, several of those platforms would be central. 

The F-35C is designed to penetrate contested airspace and carry out precision strikes against heavily defended targets. The Growler specializes in jamming enemy radar and communications — a critical capability against Iran’s layered air defense systems. 

The E-2D extends surveillance hundreds of miles, helping coordinate air and missile defense.

Together, they give commanders options ranging from deterrence patrols to sustained strike operations.

An F-18E fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford as it sails during the NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise on Sept. 24, 2025, in the North Sea. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)

Built for higher combat tempo

What separates the Ford from earlier carriers is its ability to generate more sorties over time.

Instead of traditional steam catapults, it uses an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, or EMALS, allowing aircraft to launch more smoothly and at a faster pace. The system is designed to reduce stress on jets and increase operational tempo.

The ship also features advanced arresting gear and a redesigned flight deck that allows more aircraft to be staged and cycled efficiently.

In a high-intensity scenario — particularly one involving missile launches or rapid escalation — the ability to launch and recover aircraft quickly can be decisive.

How it compares to the Lincoln

While both the Ford and the Abraham Lincoln are 100,000-ton, nuclear-powered supercarriers capable of carrying roughly 60 aircraft to 75 aircraft, they represent different generations of naval design.

The Lincoln is a Nimitz-class carrier commissioned in 1989 and part of a fleet that has supported decades of operations in the Middle East. The Ford is the Navy’s next-generation carrier and the lead ship of its class.

The key differences are efficiency and output. 

The Ford was built to generate a higher sustained sortie rate using its electromagnetic launch system, along with a redesigned flight deck and upgraded power systems. In practical terms, both ships bring substantial strike capability — but the Ford is designed to launch and recover aircraft faster over extended operations, giving commanders greater flexibility if tensions escalate.

USS Gerald R. Ford pictured in the Mediterranean Sea. (U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 6th Fleet / Handout via Reuters)

IRAN SIGNALS NUCLEAR PROGRESS IN GENEVA AS TRUMP CALLS FOR FULL DISMANTLEMENT

How it defends itself

The Ford does not sail alone. It operates as the centerpiece of a carrier strike group that typically includes guided-missile destroyers, cruisers and attack submarines.

Those escort ships provide layered air and missile defense, anti-submarine protection and additional strike capability.

The carrier itself carries defensive systems including Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, Rolling Airframe Missiles and the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System — designed to intercept incoming threats at close range.

That defensive posture is especially relevant in the Middle East.

Iran has invested heavily in anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, armed drones, naval mines and fast-attack craft operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Gulf region presents a dense and complex threat environment, even for advanced U.S. warships.

The world’s largest warship, U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, on its way out of the Oslofjord at Nesodden and Bygdoy, Norway, Sept. 17, 2025. (NTB/Lise Aserud via Reuters)

Why two carriers matter

With both the Ford and the Lincoln in theater, commanders gain more than just added firepower. Two carriers allow the U.S. to sustain a higher tempo of operations, distribute aircraft across multiple areas or maintain a continuous presence if one ship needs to reposition or resupply.

Dual-carrier deployments are relatively uncommon and typically coincide with periods of heightened regional tension.

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The timing — as negotiations with Tehran continue — underscores the strategic message. Carriers are often deployed not only to fight wars, but to prevent them.

By positioning both ships in the region, Washington is signaling that if diplomacy falters, military options will already be in place.