Back to newsletter list 11/03/2007 23:00:24 (UTC) Canada | World Briefs | Business News | Sports | Weather Headlines  - Canada's defence minister makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan. - Candidate in Quebec election is fired for disturbing remarks. - Canadian fears for brother imprisoned in Eritrea.
KANDAHAR: DEFENCE MINISTER MAKES UNANNOUNCED VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN Canada's defence minister, Gordon O'Connor, arrived on Sunday in Afghanistan, where about 2,500 Canadian soldiers are serving in NATO's force there. Mr. O'Connor planned to visit troops in Kandahar and to meet with the Afghan Human Rights Commission. Canada has been criticized over its policy to hand over suspected Taliban detainees to the Afghan government. There've been reports government abuse of prisoners. Mr. O'Connor has said that the International Committee of the Red Cross monitors the treatment of such detainees, a practice that the Red Cross denies. Last month, Canada signed a deal with the Afghan Human Rights Commission to do the monitoring. Mr. O'Connor will meet with the commission to ensure that Canada receives reports of detainee abuse. QUEBEC CITY: CANDIDATE IN QUEBEC ELECTION IS FIRED FOR DISTURBING REMARKS A political candidate in the elections this month in the Canadian province of Quebec has been told to abandon the race after he made disturbing comments about immigrants. Christian Raymond was a candidate for the opposition Action Democratique party. A Quebec newspaper recently quoted him as urging native-born residents to have more children or else immigrants would become a majority. He was also reported as saying that immigrants should conform to local traditions or return to their country of origin. In dropping Mr. Raymond from his ranks, Party leader Mario Dumont called Mr. Raymond's remarks 'totally unacceptable.' Mr. Raymond is the party's second candidate to be fired. Eric Dorion was dismissed after making sexist and racist remarks and lying about his criminal record. A new public opinion poll suggests that the general election on March 26 could give the province its first minority government in 128 years. The CROP survey suggests Premier Jean Charest's Liberal Party has the support of 33 per cent of decided voters. Support for the separatist Parti Quebecois led by Andre Boisclair is at 29 per cent, while 26 per cent are for the right-of-centre Action Democratique du Quebec. The three party leaders will take part in a televised debate on Tuesday. The leader of the Green Party, Scott McKay, says that it's a sad day for democracy that he and Quebec Solidaire leader, ***e David, were not invited to participate in the debate. TORONTO: CANADIAN FEARS FOR BROTHER IMPRISONED IN ERITREA The Canadian sister of a journalist detained for more than five years in Eritrea is fearing the worst. Sara Habtemichael became more alarmed after hearing that another detained journalist died in custody. Miss Habtemichael's brother, Dawit, was among a dozen independent journalists detained in an Eritrean government crackdown in September, 2001. Four of them are believed to have been killed. The United States recently branded the African regime as one of the most repressive on the continent. VANCOUVER: STANLEY PARK CLEANUP COSTS MILLIONS The cost to clean up the debris of thousands of trees felled by three strong winds storms in southern British Columbia has been determined to be CDN$12 million. Worst hit was Stanley Park in Vancouver, where about ten thousand trees were destroyed, around one per cent of the park's total. Almost 20 thousand other trees were felled by the weather late last year throughout Vancouver and nearby Coquitlam and Port Moody. Local municipalit governments are still unsure where they will find money to pay for the cleanup and to plant new trees. About CDN$9 million is coming from government sources, while corporations and citizens have pledged CDN$3 million. TORONTO: DEMONSTRATORS STAGE ANTI-POVERTY MARCH More than 1,500 people marched in downtown Toronto on Saturday to call for more affordable daycare and a higher minimum wage in the province of Ontario. The march held in connection with International Women's Day included many social and labour activists. Cheri DiNovo, a member of the left-of-centre New Democratic Party in the provincial legislature, said that it's appalling that Ontario recently boosted its minimum wage by only 25 cents to eight dollars an hour. Ms. DiNovo urged boosting the wage to ten dollars an hour immediately. Rally organizers said that women make up two out of three of the two million adult Canadians earning less than 10-dollars an hour. The marchers also called for national daycare in licenced centres. EDMONTON: PETITION CALLS FOR HARSHER PUNISHMENT More than forty-five thousand people signed a peitition calling for tougher sentences for violent young offenders. The petition was sent to Canada's government in Ottawa. The petition was circulated at a rally in Edmonton, Alberta, on Saturday attended by hundreds of Albertans who have been affected by violence. The rally's organizer, Gary Hunt, started the petition after his 16-year-old son, Josh, was killed at a house party last October. TORONTO: STUDY HAS WARNING FOR ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES A new study warns that universities in the Canadian province of Ontario will be unable to accommodate adequately a large number of graduate students this fall. The study was made the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. The association represents the province's professors and lecturers. In its report, the association praises the provincial government for encouraging more students to begin graduate studies. But the report says that the government has pledged too little money to support graduate schools. The government is giving CDN$170 million in 2007-2008. The report says that CDN$500 million more is needed to hire 1,900 faculty to ensure that student-faculty ratios return to the levels a decade earlier. Enrolment in Ontario universities is increasing dramatically in part as a result of the government's decision four years ago to abolish the last grade of secondary school. The government projects that enrolment this fall will be about 37,000 students---fifty per cent more than in 2002-2003. WASHINGTON: AMERICAN SUSPECTED OF DISCLOSING CANADIAN MILITARY SECRETS A former U.S. Navy sailor is suspected of disclosing secrets about a Canadian navy frigate that was part of a force headed to the Middle East in 2001. Hassan Abugihaad, also known as Paul Hall, is accused of telling terrorists in Britain about the location of ships and the best ways to attack them. One ship was the HMCS Winnipeg. Mr. Abujihaad is charged in the same case as Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist arrested in 2004 and accused of running websites to raise money for terrorism. During a search of Mr. Ahmad's computers, investigators discovered files containing classified information about the positions of navy ships and their susceptibility to attack. U.S. security agents say that Mr. Abujihaad exchanged e-mails with Mr. Ahmad while on active duty on the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer. WHISTLER: RARE MURDER SHOCKS TOWN The residents of Whistler, British Columbia, are shocked to hear about the town's first murder in 30 years. The murder of a man occurred early on Sunday in front of an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who pursued and captured the suspected shooter. Mayor Ken Melamed called the murder an issue of grave concern.
ISRAEL Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas gave no sign of progress in their peace meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday. It was their second encounter in less than a month. Mr. Olmert refuses to deal with the Palestinian unity government until its main faction, Hamas, renounces violence and accepts Israel's territorial claims. After their meeting, the two leaders declined to make comments. Mr. Olmert plans to keep lines of communication open with Mr. Abbas, leader of the moderate Fatah Palestinian faction. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to make another mid-east trip in the next few weeks. IRAQ At least 58 people were killed in attacks across Iraq on Sunday. The victims included 31 Shiite Muslim pilgrims who died in a car bombing as they returned from a religious festival. The violence followed an international security conference in Baghdad on Saturday. At the conference, Iraq's prime minister appealed to Iraq's neighbours to stop cross-border shipments of cash and weapons to extremist groups fighting on Iraq's territory. SYRIA Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, met Iran's defence minister in Damascus on Sunday. The two discussed joint military links. The two countries have made high-level contacts in the past week. Iran's vice-president was in Damascus, and Syria's prime minister is due to visit Tehran in the next few days. Syria has been reinforcing its ties with Iran as the United States puts pressure on Iran's government over its nuclear program. All three nations sent representatives to the international conference on Iraq in Baghdad on Saturday. COLOMBIA U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Colombia's capial, Bogota, on Sunday, to show support for his closest ally in Latin America. He stayed for only six hours amid concerns that rebels might try to disrupt his summit with President Alvaro Uribe. About five thousand people demonstrated in Bogota against Mr. Bush's visit, clashing with police, burning American flags and smashing windows. Two people were injured and 25 others were arrested. The two presidents discussed Mr. Uribe's war against guerrillas and drug traffickers. Colombia is Latin America's biggest recipient of American aid. The meeting was planned for the heavily guarded Narino Palace. On Saturday in Uruguay, Mr. Bush sought to deliver his message of solidarity toward the region. Throughout his Latin American tour, Mr. Bush has refused to acknowledge verbal barbs from Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, who is also making a Latin American tour. JAPAN Japan's prime minister tried on Sunday to qualify his recent controversial remarks about Chinese sex slaves during the Second World War. Shinzo Abe generated outrage last month when he said that there was no evidence of Asian women forced to work in Japanese military brothels. His comment was at odds with an ambiguous government statement made in 1993, when Japan formally acknowledged the exploitation of so-called 'comfort women.' In his latest remark, Mr. Abe said that he agreed with the 1993 statement, and that no further apology would be made. His comment came as Japan prepares to welcome China's prime minister, Wen Jiabao, next month. FRANCE As expected, Jacques Chirac announced on Sunday that he will not seek a third term as France's president. In a televised address, he said that he will find new ways to serve his country. Mr. Chirac's popularity is low among the French. His party has largely moved to support his party colleague, Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential election next month. Mr. Sarkozy will face the left-wing candidate, Segolene Royal, who is trying to become France's first female president. ZIMBABWE Police in Zimbabwe arrested the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, on Sunday, one of many people detained for trying to stage an unauthorized protest march. Unofficial reports say that more than 100 people were arrested. A lawyer for Mr. Tsvangirai said later that police refused to allow him to see his client. The protest rally organized by a coalition of church and opposition groups called the Save Zimbabwe Campaign was described as a rare show of unity among rival factions of Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change. SPAIN A large monument to victims of terrorist bombings in Spain three years ago was unvielded on Sunday in Madrid. The bomb explosions aboard commuter trains were the worst terror attacks in Europe. The monument commemorates 191 people who died and more than 1,800 others who were wounded. King Juan Carlos and several hundred invited guests observed three minutes of silence after unveiling the monument, a glass cylinder ten metres high containing messages of condolence. INDONESIA Aid from local and international relief agencies on Sunday reached victims of a deadly earthquake on Indonesia's Sumatra Island the previous week. The aid arrived as authorities revised the death toll down from 73 to 66. Earthquakes are a regular and often deadly occurrence in Indonesia, an archipelago that sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet.
TRENTON: PARLIAMENTARIAN AVERTS RAILCAR WORKERS STRIKE Workers at the TrentonWorks railcar plant in Nova Scotia have voted to avert their labour strike on Monday following a plea by a provincial member of Parliament, Peter MacKay. A strike notice was issued after the workers' labour union rejected the company's contract offer last month. On Sunday, Mr. McKay invited workers to meet with representatives from the company and the federal and provincial governments. Workers agreed to hold off the strike for a week. Company officials warned that a major worker layoff would occur once the plant's last job was finished next month. The company, owned by Greenbrier of Oregon, wants to impose a wage freeze and cuts in workers' benefits.
CURLING Canada's rink led by Charley Thomas won the gold medal at the world junior championships in Eveleth, Minnesota, on Sunday, beating Sweden, 8-3. It was Thomas's second consecutive world gold medal. Canada lost a close match against Scotland in the finals of the women's world junior championships. Stacie Devereaux and her rink were beaten, 7-6. Denmark won the bronze medal, beating the United States, 8-6. HOCKEY The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, 4-3. The Montreal Canadiens defeated St. Louis, 4-3. It was Montreal's only victory on a five-game road trip. The Calgary Flames lost to Tampa Bay, 3-2. BASKETBALL The Toronto Raptors beat the Seattle Supersonics on Sunday, 120-119, in overtime. SPEED SKATING Canada finished second in the men's five-thousand metre at the world short-rack championships in Milan, Italy, on Sunday. In the three thousand metres, Canadian Charles Hamelin was fourth. Song Kyung-taek of South Korea was first. Canadian ***-Louis Tremblay was fourth in the men's one-thousand metre event. Ahn Hyun-soo of South Korea was first. In the women's three thousand metres, Canadian Kalyna Roberge was fourth. South Korea's Jin Sun-yu was first. In the three-thousand metre relay, Canada was third. South Korea was first. China was second. At the world single distances speedskating championship in Kearns, Utah, Canadian Denny Morrison won the bronze in the men's 1500-metres and his compatriot, Christine Nesbitt won the bronze in the women's one thousand metres. Canadian Kristina Groves won the bronze in the five thousand metres. SYNCHRONIZED SKATING Canada's Junior Supremes won the silver medal at the World Challenge Cup junior synchronized meet in Nottingham, England, on Sunday. Finland's Team Fantastic was first. A second Canadian team, Gold Ice, finished fourth. SKIING Canadian *** Bourque finished eleventh in the men's super-G race in a World Cup meet in Kvitfjell, Norway, on Sunday. Austria's Hans Grugger was first. Canadian Erik Guay, who has had an outstanding season so far with four medals, did not finish. FREESTYLE SKIING Canadian Jennifer Heil won the gold medal in the double moguls event at the world freestyle skiing championship in Italy on Saturday. Her compatriot, Steve Omischl, won the bronze in the men's aerials. CANADA WINTER GAMES The Canada Winter Games ended on Saturday in Whitehorse, the Yukon. The closing ceremony for the 16-day Games paid homage to the North and its athletes. One legacy of the Games is its world-class training centre. It hopes to attract elite athletes. The Canada Summer Games will be held in Prince Edward Island in 2009. The next Winter Games will be in 2011 in Halifax.
Weather Here is Canada's weather on Monday. British Columbia will have a few rain showers. The high temperature in Vancouver will be nine degrees Celsius. The Yukon: variable cloudiness. Whitehorse, minus four. Northwest Territories: mainly sunny. Yellowknife, minus 19. Nunavut: sunny. Iqaluit, minus 30. Alberta: variable cloudiness. Edmonton, four. Saskatchewan: mainly cloudy. Regina, six. Manitoba: rain showers. Winnipeg, six. Ontario: rain showers. Toronto, four. Ottawa, seven. Quebec: sunny periods. Montreal, four. New Brunswick: sunny. Fredericton, six. Nova Scotia: sunny. Halifax, one. Prince Edward Island: variable cloudiness. Charlottetown, minus four. Newfoundland: rain showers. St. John's, three.
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