Back to newsletter list 01/04/2007 22:59:36 (UTC) Canada | World Briefs | Business News | Sports | Weather Headlines  - Canada hopes to appoint new RCMP commissioner soon. - Landmine injures two Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. - More agencies must comply with access-to-information laws.
OTTAWA: CANADA HOPES TO APPOINT NEW RCMP COMMISSIONER SOON Canada hopes to appoint a new head of the federal police within two months. But Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is declining to say whether the new commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will come as usual from within the force. The RCMP came under severe public scrutiny last week after a parliamentary committee heard testimony alleging mismangement and fraud in connection with the force's pension plan. The force initially came under pressure last year, when Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli resigned following the scandal over the case of Maher Arar, a Syrian-Canadian who was forcibly deported by American police to Syria as a suspected terrorist. A Canadian inquiry revealed that the RCMP provided false information that led to Mr. Maher's arrest. Commissioner Zaccardelli was temporarily replaced by Deputy Commissioner Bev Busson. Mr. Day calls the search process for a new commissioner 'a complicated and painstaking one.' KANDAHAR: LANDMINE INJURES TWO CANADIAN SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN Two Canadian soldiers were injured in southern Afghanistan on Sunday when their supply vehicle ran over a landmine near Maywand. The soldiers were taken to the hospital at the NATO base in southern Kandahar province. Military officials say their injuries are not life threatening. Taliban insurgents have begun relying more on landmines and rockets in their attacks against NATO forces in the region. Canada has some 2,500 soldiers serving with NATO's force. OTTAWA: MORE AGENCIES MUST COMPLY TO ACCESS-TO-INFORMATION LAWS More agencies, including the Canadian Wheat Board, came under Canada's access-to-information laws for the first time on Sunday, allowing their activities to come under public scrutiny. Among others now required to comply with public requests for information are five foundations and such agents of Parliament as the chief electoral officer and the auditor general. The Canadian Wheat Board expects that it will especially have to field queries because its activity as controller of grain prices and shipments has long been criticized. The Board plans to hire as many as four employees to handle the queries. Canada's Conservative Party government promised greater access to government information before it was elected last year. Further agencies will come under the access law on September 1, including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada Post and Via Rail. News agencies often use the law to gain access to information, but ordinary citizens may use it as well to ask for government files. Critics of the law say that if often fails to ensure that information is provided as required within 30 days, with delays of months not uncommon. HALIFAX: FORMER U.N. ENVOY CRITICIZING RESOLUTION ON DARFUR Canadian Stephen Lewis, the United Nations former special envoy for HIV-AIDS in Africa, roundly criticized the U.N. on Sunday for its latest resolution on Sudan's Darfur region. Speaking in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Mr. Lewis said that the U.N. Human Rights Council failed to condemn the atrocities faced by Darfur's residents. He said that simply expressing concern was inadequate, calling the Council's resolution 'inhumane.' Arab militias have terrorized Darfur, killing more than 200,000 people and forcing over two million people to flee. MONTREAL: REPORT FINDS TOO LITTLE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT A draft report for Canada's public safety department has concluded that the ten provinces lack the mental health resources to help prevent abrupt violent incidents by unbalanced people. The report was commissioned by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day after a lone gunman killed one student and wounded 20 others during a shooting spree at Dawson College in Montreal last fall. The gunman committed suicide. The report notes that provinces have laws designed to treat the mentally ill, but mental health laws are not designed to protect the public. Only one rarely used law allows courts to detain people who are proven to be at risk of committing violent crimes. But in commenting on the report, a leading crime psychiatrist at Montreal's Pinel Institute, Dr. Renee Fugere, noted that killers often do not have recognizable symptoms of mental illness, but are more likely to suffer from an antisocial disorder. The draft report concludes that the mental health system needs more money and staff. TORONTO: CANADIAN RESEARCHERS ANNOUNCE MEDICAL TEST FOR UNBORN BABIES Canadian researchers in Toronto say that some simple, non-invasive tests can determine whether a pregnant woman might give birth to an underweight premature baby or have a stillbirth. Dr. John Kingdom and his colleagues at Mount Sinai Hospital say that standard blood tests for Down Syndrome and spina bifida, along with ultrasound exams, can detect whether the fetus's placenta is damaged in early pregnancy. For babies at risk, doctors can intervene between 16 and 23 weeks' gestation. Statistics show that premature labour is one of the most common problems of pregnancy. It is also the cause of 75 per cent of all stillborn deaths of babies that do not have birth defects. SASKATOON: NELLY FURTADO A BIG WINNER AT JUNO AWARDS Singer Nelly Furtado was the big winner on the first night of the two-day annual Juno Awards honouring the best in Canadian music. At a ceremony reserved for members of the music industry, Miss Furtado was named artist of the year and her record, Loose, was Pop Album of the Year. Additional winners were scheduled to be announced at a televised ceremony on Sunday evening. Here is the complete list of Saturday's winners: International Album of the Year: "Taking the Long Way" (Dixie Chicks). Artist of the Year: Nelly Furtado. New Group of the Year: Mobile. Songwriter of the Year: Gordie Sampson. Country Recording of the Year: "Somebody Wrote Love" (George Canyon). Rap Recording of the Year: "Black Magic" (Swollen Members). Adult Alternative Album of the Year: "The Light That Guides You Home" (Jim Cuddy). Alternative Album of the Year: "Sometimes" (City and Colour). Pop Album of the Year: "Loose" (Nelly Furtado). Vocal Jazz Album of the Year: "From This Moment On" (Diana Krall). Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year: "From the Heart" (Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band). Traditional Jazz Album of the Year: "Avenue Standard" (Jon Ballantyne). Instrumental Album of the Year: "Run Neil Run" (Sisters Euclid). Francophone Album of the Year: "Il etait une fois dans l'est" (Antoine Gratton). Children's Album of the Year: "My Beautiful World" (Jack Grunsky). Classical Album of the Year, Solo or Chamber Ensemble: "Piazzolla" (Les Violons du Roy/ Jean-Marie Zeitouni). Classical Album of the Year, Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) With Large Ensemble Accompaniment: "Mozart: Violin Concerti" (James Ehnes, Mozart Anniversary Orchestra). Classical Album of the Year, Vocal or Choral Performance: "Mozart: Arie e Duetti" (Isabel Bayrakdarian, Michael Schade, Russell Braun, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra/ Richard Bradshaw). Classical Composition of the Year: "Clere Venus" (Denis Gougeon). Dance Recording of the Year: "Sexor" (Tiga). Reggae Recording of the Year: "Xrated" (Korexion). Aboriginal Recording of the Year: "Sedze" (Leela Gilday). Roots & Traditional Album of the Year, Solo: "Yellowjacket" (Stephen Fearing). Roots & Traditional Album of the Year, Group: "Bloom" (The McDades). Blues Album of the Year: "House of Refuge" (Jim Byrnes). Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year: "Wide-Eyed and Mystified" (Downhere). World Music Album of the Year: "Kaba Horo" (Lubo Alexandrov). Jack Richardson Producer of the Year: Brian Howes. Recording Engineer of the Year: John "Beetle" Bailey. CD/DVD Artwork Design of the Year: Chloe Lum & Yannick Desranleau for Seripop. Video of the Year: "Bridge to Nowhere" (Duplex). Music DVD of the Year: "Escarpment Blues" (Andy Keen, Sarah Harmer, Patrick Sambrook).
SOLOMON ISLANDS A tsunami swept ashore on the Solomon Islands after a strong earthquake on Monday morning shook the South Pacific island nation. Early reports described damage to some towns and villages but no casualties. Tremors were also shook buildings as far away as Tokyo, Japan. Warnings of possible tsunamis were issued immediately after the earthquake measuring 7.6 was detected. Regional authorities were urged to take precautions. About half-a-million people live on the Solomon Islands. ISRAEL Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, says he's ready to attend a summit with moderate Arab leaders to discuss their new peace plan. The peace plan was proposed at an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia last week. Mr. Olmert spoke at a joint news conference in Jerusalem with Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel. She has opened talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as part of a push for renewed peacemaking. Miss Merkel is the current president of the European Union. The chancellor's aides says that she will not be meeting members of the Palestinian unity government. ISRAEL The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives made an historic address to Israel's parliament on Sunday, reaffirming her country's commitment to its closest ally in the Middle East. Nancy Pelosi called Israeli democracy one of the cornerstones of a more stable Middle East. But she also appealed for the release of three Israeli soldiers held captive by Palestinian militants. She promised to raise the matter of their detention with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad when she continues her mid-east trip in Damascus on Tuesday. Earlier on Sunday, Miss Pelosi met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. IRAN Protesters staged a noisy demonstration outside Britain's embassy in Tehran on Sunday. Police had to restrain some of the protesters from scaling the surrounding fence. Britain and Iran have faced a diplomatic crisis since Iran arrested 15 British sailors in the Persian Gulf last month. The two nations are arguing over whether the sailors were in Iranian waters. Britain is exploring what it calls the potential for dialogue, but the government has declined to confirm reports that a British naval officer would be sent to Iran as negotiator. Canada and the United States have called for the sailors' release, calling their detention inexcusable. IRAQ Iraq's government will encourage Arab settlers in the city of Kirkuk to return to their original homes further south. The measure is in an article of Iraq's new constitution that deals with the ethnically mixed city. During the rule of President Saddam Hussein, Arabs were settled in the oil-rich northern province at the expense of Kurds and Turkomans. A referendum on joining the other three provinces recognized as Iraqi Kurdistan will be held later this year. The idea is supported by the Kurds, who see Kirkuk as their natural capital. Many Arabs and Turkomans oppose the idea. Violence continued in Iraq on Sunday as bombings and shootings across the country left at least 20 people dead and dozens more wounded. The deadliest attack was in northern Iraq, where eight workers were killed in an ambush on their minibus. In Baghdad, five people were killed and 15 wounded in a car bombing outside a hospital in the Shi'ite enclave of Sadr City. A second car bomb killed four people and wounded 20 more near a gas station in the central Shi'ite city of Hilla. UKRAINE Ukraine's president is preparing to hold discussions with his rivals on Monday in an effort to diffuse the country's latest political crisis. Viktor Yushchenko is threatening to dissolve parliament if the negotiations fail. Mr. Yushchenko spoke one day after thousands of his supporters and thousands of opponents staged demonstrations in Kiev. He has accused his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, of trying to usurp power. About 70 of his supporters remained camped outside parliament on Sunday. Further protests are planned on Monday. CHINA Rescuers on Sunday located the bodies of three workers who died earlier in the week when a tunnel collapsed at the construction site of Beijing's Olympic Games subway line. The confirmed death toll is four. Two other workers were still missing on Sunday. Ten people have been detained in connection with charges of attempting to cover up the accident. They include the supervisor and the designers of the subway tunnel. The labour contractor is being sought by police for questioning. The state-run construction company waited at least eight hours before notifying authorities. FRANCE French police in Paris detained 17 suspected members of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebel group on Sunday. The suspects are believed to be involved in extortion and other crimes related to fundraising for the group. Some Tamil families in France are thought to have been forced to contribute thousands of dollars to the group under threat of violence. The extortionists kept a percentage of funds raised. Similar allegations have been made against Tamil Tiger representatives in Canada. The European Union and Canada consider the Tamil Tigers a terrorist group. ZIMBABWE Reports from Zimbabwe say that paramilitary police attacked teenaged patrons of a popular nightclub in Harare early on Sunday morning, beating them with batons. Witnesses reported seeing women patrons being slapped. Scores of patrons were detained for several hours. Police had earlier shut down bars in poor black townships, but the raid in Harare was the first in an affluent, predominantly white region. President Robert Mugabe ordered the crackdown on bars as part of a campaign to stifle dissent. Last month, the leading opposition figure, Morgan Tsvangirai, was arrested and beaten while in police custody. Other opposition activists have been charged with murder and possessing illegal weapons. RUSSIA A ban on immigrant workers at Moscow's markets went into effect on Sunday. The ban has forced thousands of foreign traders to abandon their market stalls and return home. Foreign traders long dominated Moscow's fruit and vegetable markets. But resentment toward them has risen among Russian nationalists. Last year, a riot in a north-west Russian town forced migrants to flee. Russia's government approved the ban last November, saying that it was needed to ensure hygienic conditions. Critics of the ban call it a sign of xenophobia. PAKISTAN Heavy snow and rain have sent avalanches crashing on two villages in Pakistan, killing at least 29 people. Fourteen other people are missing. The victims lived in the villages of Wasij and Postaki. In the past week, about two metres of snow fell on some areas of the district of Chitral, near the border with Afghanistan. Landslides have blocked roads, leaving stricken areas without access to emergency help. BRAZIL Chaos continued in airports across Brazil on Sunday despite the end of an air-traffic controllers strike called two days earlier. Air officials warned that the effect of the strike might last for days as thousands of passengers remain stranded across the country. The labour conflict ended after twenty-four hours when the government agreed to the air-traffic controllers' demands.
TORONTO: AUTO WORKERS OCCUPY PLANT FOR SECOND DAY About 100 auto workers forcibly occupied the Collins & Aikman plant in Toronto for the second day on Sunday, but there was hope that their protest would end that day. The protesters want the company to honour a promise to pay severance to about 200 workers who were laid off. The two sides were reported to be in discussions. Collins & Aikman makes auto acoustic systems and other automotive parts. It filed for bankruptcy in the United States two years ago. In a show of sympathy, workers at the company's plant in Guelph, two hours' drive from Toronto, have stopped working. The work stoppage is affecting production at DaimlerChrysler's plant in Brampton, near Toronto.
AQUATICS Canada finished tenth overall as the World Aquatic Championships ended in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday. Canadians won one gold medal, three silver and one bronze. Swimmer Brent Hayden won a gold individually and a relay bronze, diver Alexandre Despatie won two silver including one with teammate Arturo Miranda, and diver Blythe Hartley won the other silver. The United States finished first overall, winning 36 medals, seven of which were won by swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps equalled Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a world champoionshiop. HOCKEY The Edmonton Oilers lost their fourth game in a row on Sunday, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1. Chicago's Patrick Sharp scored the winning goal in the third period. The Montreal Canadiens staged an upset on Saturday, beating the NHL's leading team, the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3. Montreal's Saku Koivu had the winning goal, his twentieth goal of the season. The Toronto Maple Leafs were leading 4-1 but the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied and won in overtime, 5-4. The Ottawa Senators beat the New York Islands for the eighth time this season, XX. The Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2. Calgary has won its lasts six games. CURLING Canadian Glenn Howard and his rink beat Denmark on Saturday, 8-4, for their second straight victory at the World Men's Curling Championship in Edmonton, Alberta.
Weather Here is Canada's weather on Monday. British Columbia will have variable cloudiness. The high temperature in Vancouver will be nine degrees Celsius. The Yukon: variable cloudiness. Whitehorse, minus six. Northwest Territories: sunny. Yellowknife, minus 12. Nunavut: sunny. Iqaluit, minus 24. Alberta: snow flurries. Edmonton, minus four. Saskatchewan: overcast. Regina, minus one. Manitoba: mainly cloudy. Winnipeg, minus one. Ontario: cloudy. Toronto, ten. Ottawa, 11. Quebec: rain. Montreal, eight. New Brunswick: overcast. Fredericton, three. Nova Scotia: cloudy. Halifax, two. Prince Edward Island: overcast. Charlottetown, minus one. Newfoundland: sunny. St. John's, minus four.
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