Back to newsletter list 28/02/2007 00:00:59 (UTC) Canada | World Briefs | Business News | Sports | Weather Headlines  - Canadian lawmakers vote against retention of terror measures - Canadian troops kill civilian in Afghanistan - Canada to impose sanctions on Iran
OTTAWA: ANTI-TERROR MEASURES VOTED DOWN Canada's opposition parties joined forces to vote down the extension of two controversial anti-terrorism measures. A Conservative government motion seeking to extend the security measures for three years was defeated by a vote of 159 to 124 on Tuesday. Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs voted against extending the provisions, which expire automatically Thursday without parliamentary approval to renew them.The measures allow authorities to detain without charge foreigners who are suspected terrorists. Another measure could compel individuals with knowledge of terrorist activity to testify before a judge. The measures are part of the Anti-Terror Act passed in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. Conservative Prime minister Stephen Harper offered to adopt a Senate committee proposal last week that would have extended the measures for three years, but would also require a report once a year on how they're being used and whether they remain justified. Liberal leader Stéphane Dion immediately rejected the idea as unrealistic. The Conservatives argued the provisions are needed to keep the country safe from terrorists, but critics say they went too far and infringed on civil liberties. KANDAHAR: CANADIAN TROOPS KILL AFGHAN CIVILIAN Canadian troops have reportedly been involved in a civilian shooting in Afghanistan. Reports say the civilian was shot by Canadian soldiers while he was driving his car in the streets of Kandahar. The vehicle, a white Toyota, is the kind favoured by suicide bombers. Canadian military officials say the driver of the vehicle failed to stop after repeated warnings. Officials say the vehicle ignored one checkpoint manned by Afghan National Police and accelerated towards Canadian vehicles when the shooting occurred. Canada is part of a NATO-led force in Afghanistan trying to restore democracy to the country. However, there's heavy resistance by Taliban rebels to foreign troops. OTTAWA: CANADA TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN Canada has announced its intention to implement a United Nations resolution against Iran. The Minister of Foreign Affairs , Peter MacKay, says he will table regulations in the House of Commons that will bring Canadian law into accord with United Nations Resolution 1737 which is aimed at restricting nuclear materials to Iran. The regulations impose an embargo on certain goods and services that could contribute to Iran's activities linked to uranium enrichment, reprocessing, heavy water or the development of nuclear weapons delivery systems. They also address an assets freeze and a travel notification requirement. The United Nations moved to impose sanctions after Iran ignored a February 21 deadline to halt its uranium enrichment program. TORONTO: CANADA URGED TO MOVE AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING Canada needs to increase its efforts to stop the trafficking of human beings. That's one of the conclusions of a new report made by members of Canada's parliament. The report's 33 recommendations could become a foundation of a national anti-trafficking strategy. The recommendations include providing trafficking victims with support services such as safe shelter, counselling and legal advice. The report also says the federal government should create a counter-trafficking office that would co-ordinate the strategy. The report, prepared by the all-party Status of Women committee, comes just a week after human trafficking was condemned in Parliament as the tragic consequence of global trade. TORONTO: OPPOSITION PROMISES HELP FOR CITIES The leader of Canada's opposition Liberal Party, Stéphane Dion, says absorbing immigration is one of the biggest challenges that Canada's cities are facing. Mr. Dion was speaking at a convention of leaders of big Canadian cities in Toronto. Dion says while immigration may be a federal responsibility, "cities are the ones doing the heavy lifting." He says the two levels of government need to be better partners. He called on the existing federal government not to cut cut payments that help new immigrants adjust. In an election-style speech, the Liberal leader urged the Conservatives to help the poor by funding the working income-tax benefit, which supplements the wages of low-income earners to the level proposed by the Liberals two years ago. He is also promising to make permanent gas-tax transfers to municipalities if he's elected prime minister. However, he stopped short of agreeing to give cities a one-cent cut of the national sales tax, the GST. The mayor of Toronto, Canada's largest city, asked for a share of the Goods and Services Tax during a two-day summit on the city's future, but Mr. Dion says it's something he can't agree to without more discussion. VANCOUVER:BRITISH COLUMBIA TAPS TECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION FOR ENERGY NEEDS The west coast province of British Columbia is counting on new technology to help meet its future energy needs. It is also looking at improved conservation measures and the possibility of building at new hydro-electric dam to meet 2020 projected energy demands. The government released its energy plan in the capital, Victoria, Tuesday aimed at following through on the throne speech promise of energy with zero net greenhouse gas emissions within nine years. Buildings will have new energy efficiency standards by 2010 and routine flaring at oil and gas wells must be cut in half in four years and eliminated in nine years. The province will get some of its energy by burning agriculture and wood waste, particularly its huge supply of timber killed by the mountain pine beetle. Energy Minister Richard Neufeld says the plan will put the province at the front of environmental and economic energy policies. Environmentalists say they are impressed by the government's intentions, but have been disappointed they haven't resulted in actions.
IRAQ Violence continues to take a toll In Iraq. On Tuesday, a car bomb exploded near a park in Ramadi, killing at least eighteen people. Officials from the office of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki say at least 12 of those killed were young boys, aged between ten and fifteen years old, who were playing soccer. Ramadi, a city west of Baghdad, has been a centre of a Sunni insurgency. In Mosul, a suicide truck bomber targeting an Iraqi police station killed at least six policemen and wounded 25 people. Witnesses say the blast destroyed the police headquarters. Elsewhere, at least five people were killed by a roadside bomb in the town of Al-Wahda about 40-kilometres southeast of Baghdad. In a fourth incident, three US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb as they carried out a mission outside Baghdad during a security operation. AFGHANISTAN U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was the target of a suicide bomber in Afghanistan Tuesday. Mr. Cheney was on a surprise visit to the Bagram airbase near Kabul. Officials say he was never in danger, but at least 23 others were killed in the blast.The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack took place outside a gate at the huge US airbase located about 60 kilometres from Kabul. At least two American soldiers were reported killed in the attack. After the incident, Mr.Cheney travelled to Kabul for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss the current situation in the country. IRAN Iran has harsh words for the United States. Iran's ambassador to Moscow says if the United States attacks Iran, Teheran would retaliate immediately. Gholamreza Ansari also says the retaliation could be anywhere. Tension has risen over Iran's nuclear program, driving up the price of oil and the value of bonds and gold. U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney says all options are open after Iran's refusal to honour a United Nations deadlines to stop enriching uranium. An Iranian deputy foreign minister responded to the UN resolution by saying that Iran was prepared, even for war. Russia supported initial UN sanctions against Iran in December. However, it has expressed increasing concern more recently over repeated talk of possible U.S. military action against Teheran.The UN imposed sanctions in December, giving Iran until Feb. 21 to shut down its uranium enrichment program or face additional penalties. Iran has ignored the resolution. The United States, Canada and European powers accuse Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. SERBIA The United Nations highest court has cleared Serbia of legal responsibility for genocide and complicity in genocide during the Bosnian war. But the court did say Serbia failed to use its clear influence with Bosnian Serbs to prevent the genocide of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica in 1995. The International Court of Justice says the leaders of Serbia should have made "the best effort" to prevent the massacre because of they were in a position to divine the outcome. NETHERLANDS The International Criminal Court in The Hague has named a Sudanese minister and a Janjaweed militia leader as the first war crimes suspects in the Darfur conflict. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused the pair of 51 crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture and mass rape. Ahmed Haroun, Sudan's minister for humanitarian affairs and a former minister in charge of Darfur, and Ali Kosheib, a principal leader of the Janjaweed militia accused of some of the worst Darfur atrocities, could become the first Darfur suspects to face a war crimes trial. Darfur has entered a fifth year of the civil war that has left more than 200,000 dead and more than two million displaced. SRI LANKA The Italian and U-S ambassadors to Sri Lanka have been injured by Tamil Tiger shelling of a delegation of diplomats to the east of the country. Hospital officials said the Italian Ambassador, Pio Mariani, had a small piece of shrapnel lodged in his head, but it was described as a minor wound. US Ambassador Robert Blake had his arm grazed by shrapnel or a flying stone. He did not need hospital treatment. The ambassadors were part of a goodwill fact-finding tour of the country. They were injured when the helicopter they were traveling in was fired upon. The Tamil Tigers said they were sorry the envoys were injured, but said it was the fault of the Sri Lankan government for putting them in harm's way. It's believed to be the first time that western envoys have been caught up in the conflict since it began in 1983.
EDMONTON: ENERGY COMPANIES ASKED TO BECOME HOME BUILDERS Energy companies in western Canada are being asked to provide housing for their workers. A growing number of cabinet ministers for the province of Alberta are calling on energy companies to build housing for their workers in the booming oil sands region. The province's intergovernmental affairs minister, Guy Boutilier, says some firms provided housing when the first oil sands plants were being built decades ago. He says the current policy of providing rental subsidies only inflates rents and does nothing to tackle the dire housing shortage.The province is to release land for 300 affordable housing units in Fort McMurray, but that's only half of the number needed. REGINA:WESTERN WHEAT PROFITS The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool says it earned $C7.9 million in the three months ended January 31st.T hat's an increase of more than 170 per cent from the year-earlier period.The Regina-based grain handler and agricultural supply company says all three of its core operations showed improvements over the year-earlier period. Revenue for the fiscal second quarter rose 21.9 per cent to $C448.2 million. The Pool reiterated that it is still "actively engaged" in completing a hostile takeover offer for Winnipeg-based rival Agricore United despite a competing bid supported by Agricore's managment. Winnipeg-based Agricore and James Richardson announced a friendly merger deal last week.They're partnering with the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board, one of Canada's largest pension funds. That merger would create Canada's largest non-government grain company. The Pool's offer is scheduled to expire March 7. MARKETS TSE Tuesday felt the effects of a major stock sell off in China. The TSE fell 364 points to end the day at 13,040, a drop of 2.8 per cent. At its worst point, the index was down 457 points. Every sector was in negative territory, with resource stocks leading the charge down. The Canadian dollar closed at US85.73, down 0.43 of a cent . Euro: $C1.5418. Light sweet crude: $61.46.
HOCKEY In the National Hockey League Tuesday was the deadline for player trades before the playoffs begin and there were some surprises. The Edmonton Oilers are sending forward Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders for a first-round pick and prospects. Phoenix is sending forward Yanic Perreault to Toronto and forward Oleg Saprykin to Ottawa.
Weather The forecast for Wednesday calls for blowing snow in Nunavut with a high of minus-22 degrees Celsius in Iqaluit. Cloudy in the Northwest Territories. Yellowknife -14. Mainly sunny in the Yukon and minus-20 in Whitehorse. Cloudy with flurriesin northern British Columbia. Rain inthe south, with a high of 7 in Vancouver. Cloudy across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with highs of -11 in Edmonton, -8 in Regina and -1 in Winnipeg. Sunny across Ontario, Quebec. Zero in Toronto , Ottawa, -3 and Montreal -3. A mixture of cloud and sun is forecast for most of the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. 3 degrees Celsius in Fredericton, -2 in Charlottetown, 1 in Halifax and -2 in St John's.
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