Hundreds of licensed growers have sprouted in anticipation of the end of pot prohibition, attracting major investment.

In just the past year, the market capitalization of firms including Canopy Growth and Tilray has increased fivefold, to a total of more than US$10 billion on the New York stock market.

And with significant know-how gained since Canada’s legalization of medical marijuana in 2001, others including Aurora and Aphria are making inroads abroad as more and more foreign markets allow therapeutic cannabis use and research.

Beverage makers and pharmaceutical companies are also partnering in the sector, hoping to develop new products infused with THC or cannabidiol (CBD).

Constellation Brands, the North American distributor of Corona beer and Robert Mondavi wine, recently invested about Can$5 billion ($3.8 billion US) in Canopy Growth for a 38 percent stake in the company.

And soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is looking into using CBD, the non-psychoactive molecule in cannabis believed to provide health benefits, as an ingredient in some drinks.

Experts like John-Kurt Pliniussen, a marketing professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, are also predicting a bump in tourism worth several billion dollars, citing as examples Amsterdam and a handful of US states where pot is legal.

“The same can happen in Canada, because one of the things we have going for us and that no other country in the world has, is the name of our country — it is almost spelled very similar to cannabis,” Pliniussen told AFP.

“And so you could have Canatourism — from a marketing point of view, it lends itself very well.”

In the meantime, an investor frenzy is fueling mergers and acquisitions, with 48 deals worth a total of Can$5.2 billion announced in the first six months of this year alone, according to Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC).

The consolidation will continue after legalization, says PwC, as an “expected oversupply takes its toll and forces undercapitalized players into bankruptcy” and firms “look to fuel further growth by tapping emerging foreign medical markets.”

Economic high

There are untold economic spinoffs to be had, for sure.

Tokyo Smoke — a reinvention of the classic coffee shop — promotes cannabis lifestyle, selling pipes, infusers and other pot paraphernalia along with shots of espresso (but not cannabis itself).

The three-year-old company was purchased for Can$500 million last month by Canopy Growth and plans to expand nationwide from five locations in Toronto.

“I think Canada will become a world leader in cannabis — it’s exciting and something we can be proud of,” Tokyo Smoke vice president Josh Lyon told AFP.

“Legalization will open the doors to a dynamic, sophisticated industry that will create new jobs, new opportunities for businesses, and new revenues for government,” echoed Deloitte in a report.

Nearly five million Canadians or 16 percent of the population consumed 773 tonnes of cannabis in 2017, mostly for recreation, paying an estimated Can$5.5 billion to buy bud, according to the government statistics agency.

The number of consumers is expected to increase slightly after legalization, but spending is predicted to remain the same, Statistics Canada said in a recent report.

Further growth is expected from derivative products like edibles, cosmetics and e-cigarette products containing pot, which will be allowed starting in 2019.

But there is disagreement among forecasters on just how much of a boost the new industry could give Canada’s economy.

According to the TD Bank, cannabis will push up economic growth 0.9 percentage points in the fourth quarter to hit 2.9 percent.

But the government statistics agency expects the new cannabis industry to have at best a “minimal impact” on growth in Canada.

And according to Benoit Durocher, a senior economist with Desjardins Bank in Montreal, it will be a drop in the bucket for this G7 nation’s massive and highly diversified economy.

“Given the small size (of the sector) relative to overall GDP (which is close to Can$2 trillion), the impact on growth will be very small or no impact at all,” Durocher said.

Three other suspects are linked to Prince Mohammed’s security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic doctor, the Times said.

The account could raise doubt about US President Donald Trump’s claim — after Saudi King Salman strongly denied to him any knowledge of what happened — that “rogue killers” might have been responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Khashoggi, a Saudi national who contributed to The Washington Post and criticized policies of Salman’s son Crown Prince Mohammed, has not been seen since October 2, when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage.

Turkish government sources have said police believe the journalist was killed by a special team of 15 Saudi officials sent to Istanbul especially for the task.

Riyadh insists that he left the consulate safely.

The Times said it confirmed that at least nine of the 15 worked for the Saudi security services, military or other government ministries.

The newspaper said it gathered more information about the suspects through facial recognition software, a database of Saudi cellphone numbers, leaked Saudi government documents, witnesses and media.

Who are the suspects?

One suspect, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, was a diplomat assigned to the Saudi embassy in London in 2007, it said, citing a British diplomatic roster.

Mutreb, perhaps a bodyguard, has been photographed emerging from planes with Prince Mohammed on recent trips to Madrid and Paris, the newspaper reported.

It added that Mutreb was also photographed standing guard during Prince Mohammed’s visits in the United States to Houston, Boston and the United Nations.

The Times said three other suspects are Abdulaziz Mohammed al-Hawsawi — a member of the security team that travels with Prince Mohammed — Thaar Ghaleb al-Harbi, and Muhammed Saad Alzahrani.

Harbi and Alzahrani have the same names as two people who have been identified as members of the Saudi Royal Guard, the Times said.

The fifth suspect is an autopsy expert, Salah al-Tubaigy, who the Times said identified himself on his Twitter account as the head of the Saudi Scientific Council of Forensics.

He also held high positions in the Interior Ministry and the kingdom’s top medical school, the report said.

On Monday, CNN cited two sources as saying the Saudis are preparing a report that Khashoggi’s death resulted from a botched interrogation, while The Wall Street Journal said the kingdom was weighing whether to say that rogue operatives killed Khashoggi by mistake.

Jamal Khashoggi, an insider turned critic of the conservative monarchy, was last seen on October 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to sort out marriage paperwork.

“We, the G7 foreign ministers, of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the high representative of the European Union, affirm our commitment to defending freedom of expression and protection of a free press,” read a statement.

“We remain very troubled by the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” added the statement by Canada, which currently holds the presidency of the group of industrial democracies.

Officials in Turkey say that the Saudis killed Khashoggi inside the consulate. The Saudis initially insisted, without evidence, that Khashoggi left freely while later reportedly hinted that rogue elements could be responsible.

“Those bearing responsibility for his disappearance must be held to account,” The G7 statement added.

“We encourage Turkish-Saudi collaboration and look forward to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conducting a thorough, credible, transparent and prompt investigation, as announced.”

The former prime minister was able to give journalists who were stationed at the MACC office the slip twice – when he arrived and when he left.

MACC sources confirmed he came at about 10am and left at 4.30pm Tuesday (Oct 16) after giving his statement.

It is said that Najib is being investigated on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), of which he was chairman.

The last time Najib was called up by the MACC was on Sept 19, when he was subsequently arrested and charged in court the following day.

“I just commented on an important issue (in Dewan Rakyat), and suggest you focus on that now. “You should be cautious in writing news.

“If possible, please give coverage to more important issues,” he said when met at Parliament lobby on Tuesday (Oct 16).

Syed Saddiq had on Saturday (Oct 13)  posted the photos on both his Twitter and Instagram accounts, but removed it following a backlash from netizens.

The photo showed the 25-year-old, who became the youngest ever minister in the country after the election in May, undergoing cold water therapy after a friendly football match that was held in conjunction with Hari Sukan Negara 2018 on Saturday (Oct 13).

The Twitter photo showed his well-defined abs to his 613,000 followers. “After scoring the golden goal, (I) immediately soaked myself in ice. Good game @dugongallstars,” he tweeted.

Some Malaysians, however, described the post as unbecoming of a minister. Syed Saddiq’s Choice team had played against Dugong Allstars, a team made up of local celebrities, on Saturday afternoon.

His team won the match 4-3, with the minister scoring the decisive goal.

It’s common practice among athletes to soak themselves in ice water after training or after a competition. The therapy is said to provide relief for muscle pain and soreness.

The happy prince and his US-born wife laughed and smiled as they were inundated with gifts —  a pair of Australian baby Ugg boots, baby blankets, toy kangaroos and joeys — watched eucalyptus-munching koalas at the zoo and took a boat ride across Sydney Harbour at the start of a lengthy tour of the Pacific.

“We genuinely couldn’t think of a better place to announce the, err, upcoming baby… a boy or a girl,” said a hesitant Harry, as he toasted his Sydney “mates” and lauded an afternoon reception for serving both tea and beer “in true Aussie style”.

Meghan began the day wearing a tight white dress by Australian designer Karen Gee and showed few signs of having a baby bump, to the mild disappointment of onlooking fans.

    But she smiled broadly while posing against the backdrop of the Opera House sails, which gleamed in the spring sunshine.

Shortly after the appearance, Gee’s website was down, apparently due to the volume of traffic it was receiving.

​​​​​– Media frenzy –

At the foot of the Opera House a crowd of hundreds pressed against security fences for a royal outdoor meet-and-greet, waving Australian flags, assorted pictures and carrying human-size koala toys, all under the gaze of police snipers and close protection officers.

“To see them in the flesh was amazing. You can’t describe it,” said 53-year-old Tanya Galway. “I climbed up that pole there to get a better view.”

The royal baby was on the mind of most of the crowd, including 56-year-old fan Rhonda Tissington, who managed to give the couple a gift.

“I quickly put together a baby blanket and a first baby book, of farm photos inside,” she told AFP. “Harry said ‘Oh wonderful’, so he was very pleased. He even shook the present.”

This royal couple are on a 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga that had already been keenly watched but is now set to be a media frenzy that may test Australia’s large contingent of royal-sceptic republicans.

Shortly after the pair stepped off the plane on Monday, Kensington Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II’s 34-year-old grandson and the 37-year-old actress are “expecting a baby in the spring of 2019”, triggering a chorus of coos and rampant tabloid speculation about baby names.

“What fantastic news!” tweeted Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “Australia is thrilled for you both. Looking forward to sharing in the joy during your stay down under.”

The queen was said to be “delighted”, British Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted her “warmest congratulations”, and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland said she was “very happy about this lovely news”.

As TV stations in the English-speaking world broke into their regular coverage, Google saw a spike in searches for “when is spring?” — the answer in Britain is from March until May or June — and newspapers mused over what the baby, who will become either an earl or lady, will be called.

The bookies’ instant pick was Diana — the name of the late princess who was mother to both Prince Harry and his older brother Prince William — along with Arthur and Alice.

The celebrity couple can expect a warm welcome on their tour, even if polls show half of Australians would like to ditch British monarchs as their country’s head of state.

    – American princess –

Kensington palace said they did not expect any changes to the trip schedule, although Meghan is not expected to join Harry in scaling the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the start of the Invictus Games later in the week.

They are still expected to visit Fiji and Tonga despite a notice advising pregnant women to stay away because of the Zika virus.

The decision came after consultations with doctors, Kensington Palace said.

Meghan made her name in acting as savvy paralegal Rachel Zane in the US television legal drama “Suits”, a world far removed from Buckingham Palace.

Her first steps as a British royal have been cautious, immaculately scripted and well received.

Britons swooned after seeing Meghan nonchalantly closing her own car door at her first solo engagement last month in London.

Poor visibility caused one F-7 jet to fly into a telecommunications tower near Magway air force base more than 500 kilometres northwest of Yangon, an air force official told AFP.

“He had no time to eject,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

A 10-year-old girl, who was studying at home, was hit by a piece of the plane after it struck the tower, lawmaker Kyaw Swan Yee from nearby Min Buu town said.

    “She died after arriving at hospital,” he said.

In the other incident — which occurred just 10 miles (16 kilometres) away — the pilot managed to eject from his plane but was killed when he hit the ground according to the official.

The pilots were named as Captain Hein Thu Aung and Captain Phyo Maung Maung, both in their thirties.

Magway’s chief minister and a delegation of lawmakers paid their respects to the girl’s family, Kyaw Swan Yee said.

The crashes are the latest aviation catastrophes to blight the country’s air force.

In April an F-7 pilot died after his jet crashed due to a technical failure.

In June last year a Chinese-built Shaanxi Y8 carrying military personnel and their families plunged into the Andaman sea after taking off, killing 122 people, 15 of whom were children.

The F-7 is a Cold War-era fighter jet — a Chinese made variant of the Soviet Union’s MiG-21.