Envoy to China

DOMINIC BARTON was named Canada’s ambassador to China last week, filling a post in Beijing that was vacant for seven months, the prime minister’s office announced in a statement.

Barton, a former McKinsey & Co. executive, chaired Canada’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth. He has directly advised Canada’s Cabinet and has served as a member of the Advisory Committee on the Public Service.

Ship seized

IRAN’S coast guard has seized a foreign tugboat suspected of smuggling fuel in the Gulf and detained its 12 Filipino crew members, state television reported Saturday.

It said the tugboat was carrying nearly 284,000 liters of diesel. The report did not say what national flag the vessel was flying.

Guns restricted

SEVERAL more of the U.S.’s most ubiquitous retail chains said recently that they will ask customers to refrain from openly carrying guns in their stores.

The requests, days after Walmart announced a similar policy, marked a notable shift in the debate about the presence of guns in everyday life in the United States.