Back to newsletter list 29/06/2008 22:29:21 (UTC) Canada | World Briefs | Sports | Weather Headlines  - Canada announces sanctions against Zimbabwe. - Northern premiers reject carbon tax proposal. - Military participates in Gay Parade.
OTTAWA: CANADA ANNOUNCES SANCTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE Canada announced sanctions against Zimbabwe on Sunday. In a statement, Foreign Minister David Emerson accused Zimbabwe's government of a systematic use of violence and intimidation that he said represents a grave violation of human rights and democratic principles. He said that Canada does not consider the result of Zimbabwe's recent presidential runoff election to be a credible outcome. Canada is imposing travel restrictions on Zimbabwe's senior government, military and police officials and their families. Any aircraft registered in Zimbabwe will be restricted from landing or flying over Canada. YELLOWKNIFE: NORTHERN PREMIERS REJECT CARBON TAX PROPOSAL Canada's northern premiers will not support a carbon tax proposed by the federal opposition Liberal Party leader, Stephane Dion. The premiers of Nunavut, the Yukon, and Northwest Territories met in Yellowknife on Saturday. They said such a tax would be unfair for anyone who lives in the region. Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik said that for many people in his territory, diesel fuel is the only option for heating homes and generating power. A carbon tax imposes a tax on the use of fossil fuels with the aim of curbing consumption and lessening the impact on global warming. TORONTO: MILITARY PARTICIPATES IN GAY PARADE For the first time, Canada's military participated in an annual parade in Toronto to express homosexual pride. A spokesman for the military said that participation was a way of sending a message to the public that the military offered opportunities to all, regardless of their sexual orientation. He also said that soldiers marching in the parade could show that they are proud of their work as members of the armed forces. The Gay Pride parade in Toronto on Sunday is one of the largest such parades in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators. OTTAWA: VIA RAIL TRAINS OFTEN LATE A new report shows that almost half of Via Rail's passenger trains arrived late during the winter. Severe winter weather is being blamed for hampering Via Rail's old locomotives and for damaging tracks, switches and signals. Via Rail had hoped to have no more than 14 per cent of its train late from January to March, whereas the figure was 46 per cent. In March, 54 per cent of trains across the country delivered passengers later than scheduled. Almost 75 per cent of trains arrived late on the popular Toronto to Ottawa route. Via Rail provides late-train credits to travellers whose trains are significantly overdue. The credits may be used to buy Via Rail tickets. The statistics are found in an internal report obtained under the Access to Information Act. MONTREAL: THOUSANDS APPLY FOR ASTRONAUT POSTS More than 5,000 people have applied for the chance to become one of Canada's next two astronauts. The most applicants to file preliminary application forms come from Ontario and Quebec. There are three hopefuls from Nunavut and nine each from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Three hundred and seventy Canadians outside Canada also applied. The Canadian Space Agency launched its latest recruitment campaign in May. The deadline to file was last week. A final group of about 15 candidates will be selected next year. The two successful candidates will be trained to conduct experiments on the International Space Station. OTTAWA: FEDERAL VEHICLES SLOW TO USE ALTERNATIVE FUELS Few Canadian government vehicles are using alternative fuels despite plans made many years ago. In 1995, legislation called on the government to switch three-quarters of its vehicles to alternative fuels within five years. But documents obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information laws show that only seven per cent of government vehicles used alternative fuel last year. The legislation says that alternative fuel vehicles should be used when it is economical and feasible. TORONTO: DERMATOLOGISTS ISSUE WARNING As skin cancer rates continue to rise in Canada, a shortage of dermatologists available to diagnose and treat the disease is looming. The president of the Canadian Dermatology Association, Dr. John Toole, says that no more than 700 skin doctors are available. Speaking at a Montreal conference, he said that victims of chronic skin diseases are frustrated in their efforts to get expert care and the latest treatments.
ZIMBABWE Robert Mugabe was sworn in on Sunday as president of Zimbabwe. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai declined his invitation to attend the ceremony. Mr. Mugabe was the only candidate in a run-off vote on Friday that observers say was not free and fair. Western nations, including Canada, as well as some African leaders continue to condemn the vote. Mr. Mugabe plans to attend an African Union summit in Egypt on Monday. CHINA China has declined to support calls by the United States for an arms embargo against Zimbabwe. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the appeal on Sunday as she began a visit to Beijing. In a meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, she said that it is time for strong international action to stop political violence in Zimbabwe. In avoiding a direct commitment, Mr. Yang said that the most pressing task is to stabilize the situation in Zimbabwe. Mr. Yang said that China hoped that African countries in particular would help to resolve the crisis. China is a past ally of Zimbabwe. The two diplomats also consulted over international efforts to press Iran into giving up uranium enrichment, and they hailed progress made last week for North Korea's nuclear disarmament. Mr. Rice will hold talks with President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Monday. JAPAN Demonstrators staged a protest in Tokyo on Sunday against the Group of Eight summit that begins in Japan next week. More than two thousand people demonstrated in two locations. Clashes were reported with police. At least one person was arrested. Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper will join leaders from the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Russia and Italy on July 7 for the meeting on the northern island of Hokkaido. The leaders will discuss ways to combat global warming among other world issues. ISRAEL Prime Minister Ehud Olmert won cabinet approval on Sunday for a prisoner swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group, Hezbollah. Under the United Nations-mediated deal, two Israeli soldiers seized by Hezbollah, who are believed dead, would be recovered. Israel would free five Lebanese guerrillas and repatriate the remains of about ten slain border infiltrators. AFGHANISTAN A British soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday. He died when his patrol triggered an old land mine buried at an airfield in southern Afghanistan. A senior United Nations official says fighting in Afghanistan is killing an increasing number of civilians. Johns Holmes is the U.N.'s leading humanitarian official. He says that 698 civilians deaths were reported so far this year, a 60 per cent increase over the year before. Mr. Holmes says that Afghan insurgents were responsible for most civilian casualties. MALAYSIA An opposition leader in Malaysia has taken refuge in the Turkish Embassy out of fear of a government plot to assassinate him. Anwar Ibrahim fled amid allegations that he sodomized a male aid. Similar allegations a decade ago led to his imprisonment and ouster as deputy prime minister. He was later exonerated. Malaysian politics have been in turmoil since elections in March in which Mr. Anwar's opposition coalition made unprecedented gains against the governing National Front coalition. TIBET China and representatives of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, will resume talks in early July. The talks will attempt to resolve the problems surrounding relations between China and the Dalai Lama. Relations between the two sides chilled after violent protests in Tibet and surrounding regions against Chinese rule this Spring. At least 200 people were reported killed in the demonstrations when Chinese forces were called in to deal with the unrest. INDIA Marches in support of homosexual rights were held in three cities in India on Sunday. The events represent the largest display of homosexual pride in a deeply conservative country where homosexuality is illegal. Marches were held in the streets of Calcutta, Bangalore and New Delhi. Participants waved rainbow flags and banners calling for an end to discrimination. Later next week, the Delhi High Court is expected to hear arguments about overturning a law against homosexual sex that dates to the British colonial era. The law is rarely enforced, but activists say it sanctions discrimination.
KAYAKING Canadian Adam van Koeverden won the gold medal on Sunday in the men's kayak singles 500-metre race at a World Cup canoe and kayak competition in Poznan, Poland. Tim Brabants of Britain was second and Kennneth Wallace of Australia was third. In the men's canoe singles 500, Canadian Thomas Hall was just over a second off the podium finishing fourth. Valentin Demyanenko of Azerbaijan won the gold. BASEBALL The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, 1-0. Former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Tony Fernandez was among four new inductees at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ontario on Saturday. Other inductees were pitcher Billy Harris of New Brunswick, the late Peter Widdrington, who was chairman of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Gladwyn Scott, who coached Canada's first national team in the 1967 Pan Am Games. SOCCER Toronto F-C lost 2-1 at New England on Saturday. Toronto's goal came in the 78th minute when a New England player headed the ball into his own goal.
Weather Here is Canada's weather on Monday. British Columbia will have variable cloudiness. The high temperature in Vancouver will be 29 degrees Celsius. The Yukon: sunny. Whitehorse, 21. Northwest Territories: overcast. Yellowknife, 16. Nunavut: variable cloudiness. Iqaluit, ten. Alberta: variable cloudiness. Edmonton, 31. Saskatchewan: mainly sunny. Regina, 33. Manitoba: sunny. Winnipeg, 31. Ontario: isolated showers. Toronto, 22. Ottawa, 23. Quebec: sunny periods. Montreal, 23. New Brunswick: variable cloudiness. Fredericton, 25. Nova Scotia: mainly cloudy. Halifax, 23. Prince Edward Island: thunder showers. Charlottetown, 24. Newfoundland: rain showers. St. John's, ten.
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