Back to newsletter list 25/10/2008 21:27:35 (UTC) Canada | World Briefs | Sports | Weather Headlines  - Liberal Party gains one parliamentary seat after recount. - Restaurant faces lawsuit after disease outbreak. - Trial of Canadian terror suspect again delayed.
OTTAWA: LIBERAL PARTY ADDS ONE SEAT FOLLOWING RECOUNT Canada's opposition Liberal Party has gained one more seat in the House of Commons after a recount overturned a result in the federal election last week. The seat in Montreal had initially been won by the Bloc Quebecois. After the recount, Alexandra Mendes of the Liberal party won by 62 votes to give the Liberal Party 77 deputies in all. The Bloc Quebecois has 49 seats, still a substantial majority of the 75 seats in Quebec where the party is based. Two earlier recounts confirmed the winners announced after the election. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party won 143 of the 308 seats to form a minority government for a second time. NORTH BAY: RESTAURANT FACES LAWSUIT OVER DISEASE OUTBREAK A lawsuit has been filed against a restaurant in North Bay, Ontario, in connection with an outbreak of E. coli. At least 209 people have fallen ill. Lab tests have confirmed 39 cases of E. coli. A lawsuit totalling CDN$17-million has been filed against Cara Operations, the owner of the Harvey's fast-food restaurant. The restaurant was closed on October 12 after health officials linked it to the outbreak. GUANTANAMO BAY: TRIAL OF CANADIAN TERROR SUSPECT AGAIN DELAYED The trial of a Canadian prisoner at the U.S. military detention centre in Cuba has been delayed. Omar Khadr will now face trial on January 26, 2009. Proceedings against him were scheduled to begin in two weeks. Mr. Khadr's lawyers brought a motion for postponement to gain time to have an independent psychological assessment of their client. He is accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. Canada's government has ignored calls by human rights advocates to repatriate Mr. Khadr. HALIFAX: ACTIVISTS PROTEST AGAINST AFGHAN WAR More than 100 anti-war activists marched in Halifax on Saturday to call for an end to federal spending on Canada's mission in Afghanistan. The protesters urged the government to spend the mondy instead on social programs and the environment. Taxpayers will spend between CDN$14 billion and CDN$18 billion by the time that troops withdraw in 2011. TORONTO: ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AFFECTING CHARITIES The Salvation Army of Canada says that its operations are beginning to suffere as a result of the global economic downturn. A spokesman, Andrew Burditt, says that the charity is seeing an increase in demand for its services and a decrease in donations, particularly in food banks and utility assistance programs. The organization provides social services in more than 400 communities across the country. The Canadian Red Cross, the United Way and Canadian Cancer Society are monitoring the financial crisis but are unsure of its effect on operations. Other Canadian charities say it's too early to determine what impact the sagging economy will have on their work. TORONTO: COURT UPHOLDS BAN ON PIT BULLS A court in the central Canadian province of Ontario has upheld a ban on pit bulls. The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that pit bulls are dangerous and unpredictable dogs that have the potential to attack without warning. Clayton Ruby, who challenged the law, might take his case to the Supreme Court of Canada. ST. JOHN'S: LANGUAGE COMMISSIONER CRITICAL OF NEWFOUNDLAND Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages says that Newfoundland is not meeting its obligations to francophones. Graham Fraser is on his first official visit to the province since becoming Commissioner. His job is to ensure that federal institutions like Canada Post respect the rights of francophones to receive services in French, one of Canada's two official languages. Francophones represent .04 per cent of the population of Newfoundland.
CHINA China's premier, Wen Jiabao, pledged on Saturday to ensure that Chinese food exports would meet international norms. Speaking after the end of the two-day Asia-Europe summit in Beijing, Mr. Wen said that China has drawn serious lessons from the milk contamination scandal that led to the death of four babies. At least 53,000 Chinese children also fell ill this year after consuming contaminated milk powder and other dairy products. Many countries withdrew Chinese dairy products. Earlier this week, China's parliament began debating a draft law to prevent any cover-ups by health authorities. More than 40 people have so far been arrested in northern China for their alleged role in the scandal. Summit delegates also agreed to work together to reform the international monetary and financial systems. Mr. Wen called on all nations to enhance cooperation. He said that China will take an active role next month at a summit in Washington at which world leaders will discuss the global financial crisis. ISRAEL Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, is recommending holding an early national election on Saturday after calling off talks to form a new governing coalition. The ultra-orthodox Shas party refused to join the coalition, leaving her without enough support. Elections would likely take place in February. Ms. Livni is the designated successor to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is stepping down following allegations of corruption. She is expected to inform President Shimon Peres of her decision on Sunday. PAKISTAN Pakistan's army is claiming a breakthrough in its attacks against Taliban forces operating near the Afghan border. An army spokesman says that troops captured a key militant stronghold in Loi Sam, a town at a vital intersection connecting the border to three neighbouring Pakistani regions. Pakistan's army launched an offensive in the region in early August. U.S. officials say that the operation helps to reduce violence on the Afghan side of the border. SUDAN An aid agency in Sudan says that recent Arab militia attacks in south Darfur have killed more than 40 people and forced 12,000 others to flee their homes. Human Rights Watch cites unnamed residents who say that Arab militias attacked at least 13 villages and settlements around Muhagiriya earlier this month. AFGHANISTAN A British man and a South African were shot dead in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, on Saturday, by a security guard working in the victims' company. The gunman then killed himself. The shooting occurred as the victims arrived by car at the international shipping company DHL. The gunman had worked for the company for about one month. Police have detained 13 people for questioning. Earlier this week in Kabul, gunmen killed an aid worker with dual South African-British citizenship. GEORGIA A town mayor and a villager were killed on Saturday when an explosive device was set off near the rebel region of Abkhazia. A police officer was also injured. It happened as police and officials were investigating a grenade attack on an empty home in the border village of Muzhava. Police suspect Abkhaz militants. TAIWAN Close to half-a-million people marched in Taiwan on Saturday to protest against the government's growing ties with China. It was the strongest display of opposition yet to President Ma Ying-jeou's policies toward China. The protests were organized by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party. They came ahead of a visit by China's top negotiator on Taiwan affairs, Chen Yunlin, on November 3.
FOOTBALL A University of Saskatchewan professor has found the original Hardy Cup, the top prize for western Canadian university football. Mark Tennant discovered it in a storage room on the Saskatoon campus. The cup was first awarded in 1927. It was replaced with a new version in 1997. BOXING Canadian Lucian Bute narrowly escaped losing his IBF super-middleweight title to Librado Andrade in the 12th round on Friday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Bute defended his title for a second time. HOCKEY The Ottawa Senators lost to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, 4-3. Ottawa had just one victory in five games at home. SQUASH Canadian Robin Clarke beat Jason DeLierre of Montreal on Saturday to advance to the final at the GoodLife Open men's squash tournament in Ottawa. He'll face top-seed Scott Arnold of Australia in the championship final on Sunday afternoon. Arnold defeated Canadian Mike Reid in the other semi-final. FIGURE SKATING Kitchener, Ontario, will host the 2009 edition of Skate Canada. Kitchener has previously hosted the figure skating event in 1974, 1982 and 1996. The Skate Canada competition will be held next month in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata.
Weather Here is Canada's weather on Sunday. British Columbia will have sunny. The high temperature in Vancouver will be 11 degrees Celsius. The Yukon: overcast. Whitehorse, minus three. Northwest Territories: sunny. Yellowknife, minus seven. Nunavut: heavy snow. Iqaluit, one. Alberta: mainly sunny. Edmonton, zero. Saskatchewan: mainly sunny. Regina, zero. Manitoba: light rain. Winnipeg, five. Ontario: showers. Toronto, 11. Ottawa, ten. Quebec: mainly cloudy. Montreal, 14. New Brunswick: heavy rain. Fredericton, 15. Nova Scotia: sunny periods. Halifax, 15. Prince Edward Island: variable cloudiness. Charlottetown, 15. Newfoundland: variable cloudiness. St. John's, nine.
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