Past Articles:
These "Articles" are dated from June 1st, 2007 - June 30th, 2007.
 Ont. Teachers fund wins battle for BCE
30/06/07
 Native blockades disrupt highways, rail line
29/06/07
 Former ad man Lafleur sentenced to 45 months
28/06/07
 Computerized prescriptions reduce med errors
27/06/07
 'Bizarre' details emerge in Benoit's death
26/06/07
 Anglican Church votes against same-sex unions
25/06/07
 International forces see surge in Afghan deaths
24/06/07
 Manitoba town cleans up after destructive tornado
23/06/07
 Anti-war protesters to rally at parade for troops
22/06/07
 Australia to ban alcohol, porn on Aboriginal land
21/06/07
 Cancer therapy offers one-time radiation dose
20/06/07
 Dubai sentences B.C. man to prison on drugs charges
19/06/07
 U.S.-led airstrike kills seven Afghan children
18/06/07
 Massive police bus bombing kills 35 in Kabul
17/06/07
 Investigator slams former RCMP chief
16/06/07
 Tories under fire again over detainee controversy
15/06/07
 War vet widow lobbies Harper to keep promise
14/06/07
 Canada rated mediocre in new socio-economic report
13/06/07
 Rebellious daughter plotted murders: Crown
12/06/07
 No neat and tidy ending to 'The Sopranos' run
11/06/07
 Rookie Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix
10/06/07
 Judge orders Paris Hilton back to jail
09/06/07
 Paris Hilton headed for courtroom showdown today
08/06/07
 Anaheim Ducks win 2007 Stanley Cup
07/06/07
 Tory MP ejected from caucus after budget vote
06/06/07
 Military judge drops charges against Omar Khadr
05/06/07
 Canadian dollar continues to make gains
04/06/07
 Three killed, hundreds injured in China quake
03/06/07
 Winnipeg police recover stolen Austrian jewel
02/06/07
 Jack Kevorkian to be released from prison
01/06/07
=======================
 
Ont. Teachers fund wins battle for BCE
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. June 30 2007  10:50  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 30th, 2007
BCE announced today that it has entered into a "definitive agreement" to be acquired by an investor group led by Teachers' Private Capital. It's the largest takeover ever in Canada, valued at C$51.7 billion.
Teachers' Private Capital is the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. The investment group also includes Providence Equity Partners Inc. and Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC.

"We are honoured to lead the largest buyout transaction in Canadian corporate history," Jim Leech, Senior Vice-President, Teachers' Private Capital, said in a joint press release Saturday.

Leech noted that Teachers have been a major BCE shareholder since the early 1990s.

"We made it clear in our proposal that we have carefully considered the potential for BCE and its ongoing status as a Canadian icon. We strongly believe that all BCE shareholders, Canadian consumers, and employees, including senior management, who will continue to direct the company from its headquarters in Montreal, will benefit from this transaction.
We look forward to working together with BCE to make this a reality."

The all-cash transaction is valued at C$51.7 billion, including C$16.9 billion of debt, preferred equity and minority interests.

If the deal is approved, the equity ownership of BCE would be: Teachers Private Capital 52 per cent, Providence 32 per cent, Madison Dearborn nine per cent and other Canadian investors seven per cent.

"It will deliver substantial value creation for our shareholders. In addition, a majority of the equity will be owned by Canadians," Richard J. Currie, Chairman of the Board of BCE, said in the press release.

BCE said its board of directors is unanimously recommending that shareholders vote to accept the offer.

Under the negotiated terms, the investor group will acquire all of the common shares of BCE not already owned by Teachers for an offer price of C$42.75 per common share.
The purchase price represents a 40 per cent premium over the "undisturbed average trading price" of BCE common shares in the first quarter of 2007.

Michael Sabia, President and CEO of BCE, said the deal will strengthen Bell.

"The transaction delivers to our shareholders the economic benefit of the work done to focus on our core business and to strengthen Bell with a new cost structure and new competitive capabilities," said Sabia.

"All members of the investor group have outstanding track records in building strong and resilient enterprises and they share our commitment to customers, our employees and the communities we serve."

The transaction is subject to the customary approvals, including CRTC approval for the transfer of Bell's broadcast license, and Industry Canada with respect to the transfer of spectrum licenses.

BCE selected the Teachers over offers from two other private equity groups:
The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, allied with U.S. partner Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
New York private equity outfit Cerberus Capital with Richard Li's Pacific Century Group.

BCE said it expects that the "transaction will be completed in the first quarter of next year."

Under the Bell brand, BCE's services include local, long distance and wireless phone services, IP-broadband services, high-speed and wireless Internet access including the Bell Sympatico service.

Teachers and BCE are part owners of CTVglobemedia Inc., the parent company of CTV and The Globe and Mail, at 25 and 15 per cent respectively.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Native blockades disrupt highways, rail line
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. June 29 2007  08:02  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 29th, 2007
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) closed a stretch of Canada's busiest highway early Friday after a small group of angry Mohawk protesters blocked a secondary highway and the main CN Rail line on what is meant to be a peaceful Day of Action.

The OPP shut down Highway 401 in both directions between Napanee and Belleville "for safety reasons," Sgt. Kristine Rae of the Smith Falls detachment told The Globe and Mail.

The move came after a group of about 40 Mohawks, led by Shawn Brant, closed secondary Highway 2 and the CN rail line near Deseronto, roughly 100 kilometres east of Toronto.

Brant's group managed to park a school bus and truck across Highway 2, forcing traffic to turn around.

Protesters closed the rail line by using jumper cables to activate crossing barriers before moving another old school bus onto the tracks.

"He (Brant) says he doesn't want armed conflict, he says there are no guns on the people that are here at the front lines either here at the CN Rail tracks or at Highway 2," CTV's Rosemary Thompson reported from the Tyendinaga reserve Friday.

Brant also said he does not want to aggravate long-weekend travellers more than necessary by keeping the 401 closed. He told The Canadian Press that two native police officers will negotiate with the OPP about possibly reopening the highway.
OPP officers block the on-ramp to Highway 401 in Napanee, Ont. in order to avoid a confrontation with Bay of Quinte Mohawks near Deseronto, Ont. on Friday, June 29, 2007. (CP / Jonathan Hayward)
Masked Mohawk Warriors from the Bay of Quinte Tyendinaga Mohawks reserve near Deseronto, Ont. block Highway 2. (CP / Tom Hanson)
Brant has promised to maintain the other barricades until midnight Friday.

OPP have issued an arrest warrant for Brant on a charge of mischief.

"We know that the warrant has been served but the OPP hasn't come to serve it," said Thompson.

"Brant said he's prepared to go to jail if necessary because it's a fight for better education, clean water, better housing and for a better future," Thompson reported.

Meanwhile, native demonstrators also blocked roads leading in and out of a reserve in Alderville, Northumberland County, located halfway between Toronto and Kingston.

Const. George Silvestri said both the north and south ends of Alderville were blocked early Friday by demonstrators.

Another country road near Bala, a popular Muskoka town, was also blocked by protesters.

Anticipating the disruption, VIA Rail suspended travel Friday on the heavily used Montreal-Toronto and Ottawa-Toronto corridors -- affecting plans for an estimated 5,000 people.
A bus manned by natives from the Bay of Quinte Tyendinaga Mohawks reserve near Deseronto block the main rail line near Deseronto Ont. (CP / Tom Hanson)
CTV map detailing the location of Deseronto, Ont.
The OPP said motorists travelling into Toronto on Highway 401 westbound were being directed to exit at Highway 41 north to Highway 7, west to Highway 37 and then being sent south.

Those travelling eastbound to Montreal or Ottawa were being redirected to Highway 41 north to Highway 7, west to Highway 37 and then sent south.

In the Maritimes, members of the Mi'kmaq Nation also threatened a blockade of the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick boundary on Highway 104.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Former ad man Lafleur sentenced to 45 months
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. June 27 2007  17:40  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 28th, 2007
Montreal ad man Jean Lafleur has been hit with a 45-month sentence for his role in the infamous sponsorship scandal.

CTV's Jed Kahane told Newsnet from Montreal that Lafleur's sentence is the toughest handed down so far.

Chuck Guite, a key federal bureaucrat, received a 42-month sentence. He is appealing that sentence.

In addition, Lafleur has been slapped with an order to repay the $1.5 million he pilfered from the now-defunct program.

Lawyer Jean-Claude Hebert had said his client is too saddled with debt to repay that sum and asked instead for a 30-month sentence.

Jean Brault, another Montreal ad man involved in the scandal, received a 30-month sentence.
Jean Lafleur is seen in this courtroom sketch Wednesday, June 27, 2007.
The scene in the courtroom is shown in this sketch Wednesday, June 27, 2007.
Lafleur returned to Canada from the Caribbean country of Belize in April and pleaded guilty to 28 charges of fraud. He has been in custody since then, which will count towards the time he is serving.

Lafleur's advertising firm helped the federal government place tens of millions of dollars worth of ads in Quebec in the period after the hotly-contested 1995 sovereignty referendum, one the federalists won by about 50,000 votes.

As a result, Lafleur and other members of his family paid themselves a total of $12 million.

However, he did work of little or no real value. During his testimony at the Gomery Inquiry into the sponsorship scandal, Lafleur seemed to have a very spotty memory.

Kahane said the sentencing judge told Lafleur that he didn't do himself any favours with his Gomery testimony.

New Democrat MP Bill Siksay said the sponsorship scandal continues to have negative political repercussions for the Liberal party, particularly in Quebec.

"I think it will be fascinating what will happen in Quebec with the byelections, once they're called in Outremont and other places," Siksay told Mike Duffy Live on Wednesday.

"The Liberals aren't doing so well among francophone Quebecers, and the NDP is actually leading them in some polls. I think this has a real legacy of distrust for the Liberal party, of absolute shock. People are appalled at what they did in the name of federalism."

But Liberal MP Mark Holland said his party proved its desire for accountability when former-prime minister Paul Martin called for an inquiry.

"It was in fact the Liberal party that called for the Gomery Inquiry, that called for the auditor general, that ensured we were able to go after the individuals who were responsible," he said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Computerized prescriptions reduce med errors
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. June 27 2007  12:01  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 27th, 2007
Anyone who has tried to decipher a prescription written by their GP knows that doctors tend to have dreadful handwriting. But that sloppy script isn't just an odd quirk; it also leads to thousands of medication errors each year.

Computerized physician prescription entry systems are promising to bring an end to those errors and now a new study shows just how effective those systems can be.

Research suggests that up to 61 per cent of medication errors in hospitals are caused by illegible or inaccurately written prescriptions. A simple mistake such as putting the decimal point in the wrong place can have serious consequences because a patient's dosage could be 10 times the recommended amount.

Drugs with similar names are another common source of error, such as the pain medication Celebrex and the antidepressant Celexa, or the tranquilizer Zyprexa and the antihistamine Zyrtec.

Pharmacists, too, often have trouble reading doctor "chicken scratch and frequently have to call the prescribing doctor to help them decipher the handwriting.

"Often physicians are writing prescriptions under pressures of time, and they can make careless errors, like writing 50 mg instead of 5 mg," explains study author Dr. Robert Kane of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

"What people don't realize is that from writing a prescription to filling an order, it may pass through five sets of hands."

Dr. Kane wanted to see what happened to error rates when hospitals used new computerized prescribing systems, in which drug orders are checked for spelling, accuracy dose and drug interactions.
'Often physicians are writing prescriptions under pressures of time, and they can make careless errors' explains study author Dr. Robert Kane.
Hand written prescriptions, like the one shown here, are often illegible.
New computerized prescriptions provide a simple solution to the rather serious problem.
Kane and research associate Tatyana Shamliyan looked at 12 U.S. studies that compared medication errors with handwritten prescriptions from in-hospital doctors and computerized prescriptions and found that computer prescribing:
cut total prescribing errors by 66 per cent
cut dosing errors by 43 per cent
and reduced events in which patients were harmed by 37 per cent

The review of studies is published in the journal Health Services Research.

Kane says implementing computerized prescriptions is a simple step to protect the safety of hospital patients and should be implemented into more doctors' offices too.

Dr. Sarah Muttit, vice president of Innovation and Adoption with Canada Health Infoway says that a recent Commonwealth study showed that 11 per cent of GP's or primary care physicians are using e-prescribing, but Canada had the lowest rate in the countries surveyed.

And while 70 per cent of Alberta hospitals are using computerized prescribing systems, the rest of the country lags. Fifty-five per cent of Canadian hospitals say they are ready to implement the systems but not all are actually doing it.

"Our goal in the next five to 10 years is to move the system significantly forward toward computerization," says Muttit.

"We need to do more for the health and safety of Canadians."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff & Angela Mulholland; with a report by CTV's Avis Favaro & Elizabeth St. Philip
=======================
 
'Bizarre' details emerge in Benoit's death
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. June 26 2007  08:06  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 26th, 2007
Details surrounding the suspected murder-suicide of Canadian pro-wrestler Chris Benoit and his family are being described as "a little bizarre" according to a prosecutor involved in the case.

The 40-year-old wrestler, his wife and 7-year-old son were found dead at 2 p.m. on Monday in three separate rooms of his suburban Atlanta home.

Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The details, when they come out, are going to prove a little bizarre."

Benoit was supposed to participate in a pay-per-view World Wrestling Entertainment event in Houston over the weekend but cancelled because of a family emergency.

Friends of Benoit said they received "curious text messages" from the wrestler on Sunday morning, ABC's Mike Von Fremd told Canada AM from outside Benoit's home in Fayetteville, Ga., Tuesday.

The WWE notified authorities after hearing from friends who received the curious messages, the wrestling organization said on its website.
Chris Benoit is shown in this March 29, 2004 photo.
 (CP / WWE)
Chris Benoit, his wife and 7-year-old son were found dead in three separate rooms of his suburban Atlanta home on Monday, June 25, 2007.
It was then that police discovered the body of the wrestling star; his wife Nancy, 43; and son, Daniel.

Lt. Tommy Pope, the lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, told ABC News that the "instruments of death were located on scene."

Investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend and than himself some time on Monday.

More details are expected to emerge Tuesday after an autopsy report.

Officers are "not actively searching for any suspects outside of the house," Pope said.

World Wrestling Entertainment aired a three-hour tribute show to Benoit instead of its usual "Monday Night RAW" TV show on the USA Network.

"I am deeply saddened over the loss of Chris Benoit," WWE Canada president Carl DeMarco said on the organization's website.

"My heartfelt thoughts and sympathy go out to his parents and family. My relationship with Chris has extended many years and I consider him a great friend. Chris was always first-class -- warm, friendly, caring and professional ... one of the best in our business."

Benoit, 40, was born in Montreal and grew up in Edmonton, graduating from Archbishop O'Leary High School.

He began his career in 1985, starting with the famous Hart family of Calgary, who operated Stampede Wrestling.

He won the world heavyweight championship at Wrestlemania XX. In response, Edmonton declared "Chris Benoit Day" on April 15, 2004.

Benoit was known as "The Canadian Crippler," in part because he broke another wrestler's neck in 1994. Another nickname was the Rabid Wolverine. His signature move was the "Crippler Crossface."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from CTV Edmonton, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
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Anglican Church votes against same-sex unions
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. June 24 2007  22:03  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 25th, 2007
Canadian Anglican delegates meeting in Winnipeg have voted against blessing same-sex unions, despite the majority of members actually being in favour of the motion.

"The laity voted in favour, the clergy voted in favour, but it was the House of Bishops that narrowly decided not to approve the motion that was before the members of Synod," Reverend Canon Christopher Pratt, of the Diocese of Huron, told CTV Newsnet on Sunday.

"In total point of fact, there was a majority of members of Synod that voted in favour (of the motion)."

The bishops voted against the motion 21-19.

The Anglican Church does not perform weddings for same-sex couples; instead, debate focused on whether it should allow priests to perfrom blessings for those who obtain a civil marriage.

Earlier, delegates had deciding that blessing same-sex unions would not conflict with the Church's core doctrine. But the final motion -- that clergy should be allowed to perform such blessings -- was defeated.

The vote came a day after delegates failed to made a decision after hours of wrangling over procedural issues.
Anglican church delegates speak to a motion on the blessing of same-sex unions at the Canadian Anglican Church General Synod in Winnipeg, on June 23, 2007. (CP / John Woods)
Reverend Andrew Hutchison (right), Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, addresses delegates at the Canadian Anglican Church General Synod in Winnipeg on June 23, 2007. (CP / John Woods)
Speakers at the annual meeting were torn over the issue and debated whether to even hold the vote this weekend.

"Sin is still sin, and to bless sin would be a disaster to our church," Rev. David Parsons, a minister for 28 years, warned attendees ahead of the vote.

"Jesus Christ is my one and only saviour, this Bible is trustworthy, and I urge you brothers and sisters to listen to it."
Others were more supportive of the blessings.

Archdeacon Karl McLean, a colonel with the Canadian Forces, said the church should bless same-sex relationships that are monogamous and committed.

"We need to consider and demonstrate God's character, God's love and justice," he said.

Canada's Evangelical Lutheran church, which is also meeting in Winnipeg this weekend, rejected same sex blessings in a vote held Saturday.

Pratt said the issue would be a source of continuing debate among clergy, despite Sunday's vote.

"I think this is going to be an ongoing discussion, as people take a look at the way in which they can effectively carry out the ministry to which they've been called at the local level," said Pratt. "And so the conversations are going to continue to go on, as people reflect on those basic elements of scripture and tradition."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
International forces see surge in Afghan deaths
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. June 24 2007  10:29  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 24th, 2007
According to a recent tally, NATO and U.S. forces have killed more than 200 Afghan civilians this year while battling insurgents, surpassing 178 killed in attacks by militants.

The Associated Press, which tallied the civilian casualty estimate, reported escalating violence may have claimed another civilian life on Sunday.

British troops reportedly opened fire in a populated area after a convoy was struck by a roadside bomb, officials and witnesses told AP.

The reported death comes a day after Afghanistan's president delivered a scathing speech accusing NATO and U.S.-led forces of carelessly killing civilians in recent operations.

More than 90 Afghan civilians have been killed in militant and insurgent attacks in the past 10 days President Hamid Karzai said.

Karzai suggested the international community considered Afghan lives to be "cheap" and that there was "a serious lack of coordination" between the Afghan government and foreign forces.

"Several time in the last year, Afghan government tried to prevent civilian casualties, but our innocent people are becoming victims of careless operations of NATO and international forces," Karzai said in a mixture of English and his native Pashto.

President Karzai spoke a day after Afghan police said a NATO airstrike killed 25 civilians as
Afghan men pray during a funeral ceremony in a mosque Kabul, Afghanistan. Dozens of mourners, including President Hamid Karzai, filed into the mosque in central Kabul to pay respects to the families of police killed in a bomb attack Sunday that killed as many as 35 people, the deadliest insurgent attack since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. (AP / Farzana Wahidy)
Afghan president Hamid Karzai speaks a press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, June 23, 2007. (AP / Farzana Wahidy)
well as 20 militants who had fired on NATO and Afghan troops in the southern province of Helmand.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Chris Belcher told AP it's difficult to determine who actually killed Afghan victims after explosive fire fights with insurgents.

"One of the problems is sometimes determining who exactly caused the casualties. It's not always clear if a civilian casualty is caused by an extremist or coalition forces," Belcher said.

Militants often dress in civilian clothing and seek refuge in villagers' homes, which further complicates the accuracy of civilian death tolls.

Fighting often takes place in areas too dangerous or too far for foreign agencies and international journalists to travel in order to verify causality numbers.

The AP tally of casualties is based on reports from witnesses, Afghan and foreign officials:
399 civilian deaths have occurred so far this year.
18 of the 399 were killed in the crossfire between Taliban and international forces.
203 civilians were killed this year by U.S. and NATO forces.

The U.S. and NATO did not have civilian casualty figures.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says 213 civilians have been killed by insurgents in the first five months of 2007 with 207 of the deaths attributed to Afghan and international forces.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Manitoba town cleans up after destructive tornado
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. June 23 2007  16:17  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 23rd, 2007
A small Manitoba town was digging out Saturday after a tornado flattened at least four homes Friday night, leaving residents astounded by the damage but relieved no one was hurt in the powerful storm.

Elie, a town of about 1,000 people located west of Winnipeg, was one of three towns in the province to reportedly get hit by tornadoes Friday night.

In addition to the destroyed homes in Elie, several houses were damaged, a few trucks were tossed into fields and powerful winds caused a transport truck to roll over into a ditch on the Trans Canada Highway.

Rescuers used search dogs to look for victims, but everyone was accounted for and there were no reports of injuries, according to reports.

Henry Hudek, a resident of Elie, said he was shocked no one was hurt. He told CTV Newsnet the tornado sounded like a train approaching the house.

"Elie is on the CN main line so we know what trains sound like. We're about 200 yards from the tracks and this one sounded like it was 10 yards from the house, and the trees were shaking. It was pretty exciting."

He said he stood on the street watching the long white funnel-shaped tornado with many of his neighbours before ducking for cover in the basement when the tornado moved into the town."

The storm was fast and furious, and moved out of town as quickly as it arrived. Hudek was able to go out and inspect the damage Friday night.

"We were walking around town last night and the four houses that are gone, they're gone. It's totally flat and the bush, the trees that were all around them are broken off halfway up and stripped clean of branches."
A damaged flour mill and a truck are shown in Elie, Manitoba after reports of tornados in the area, June 22, 2007. (CP / Winnipeg Free Press-Joe Bryksa)
Viewer Sara Tkachyk took this picture of the Elie Tornado from her farm, five miles north of Culross, Manitoba.
This is a shot from the Tkachyk farm of a tornado that developed just south of Oakville (east of Portage la Prairie).
Environment Canada said three reports of tornadoes came in Friday night; one in Elie, one west of Portage la Prairie, and another in the Carman area.

But the agency has not yet confirmed whether the storm activity produced actual tornadoes or funnel clouds that came close to the ground.

More increment weather was predicted for Saturday night, with thunder storms expected to follow a daytime high of about 30 C.

Hudek said the Elie tornado will be especially memorable for one group.

"It was high school grad last night, so they had to push that back for about an hour. So the kids will have something to remember that occasion for them."

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer toured the town on Saturday.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Anti-war protesters to rally at parade for troops
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. June 22 2007  08:05  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 22nd, 2007
Anti-war activists are planning to protest Friday during a Quebec City parade being held to honour the Royal 22nd Regiment before they ship off to Afghanistan.

The coalition of social and antiwar groups say they are not protesting against the actual soldiers but rather the politicians who are allowing them to go.

"When we found out there was a military parade, we decided it would be a good opportunity to show the population, the military and politicians the opposition to this mission," Maxim Fortin, a spokesman for the War on War Coalition, told The Canadian Press.

On Thursday, more than 2,000 soldiers from Quebec's CFB Valcartier gathered in Montreal to hold a tailgate party and watch the Alouettes play against the Toronto Argonauts.

The event was meant to drum up flagging support for Canada's mission in Afghanistan, where members of the Royal 22nd Regiment -- popularly known as the Van Doos -- are headed this summer.

"We've had tremendous support from the population of Quebec and the population of Canada for the past year," Maj. Eric LaForest, an operations officer with the Van Doos, told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.

"What we're doing this week is more of a way for us to say thank you to those people who have been supporting us."

A recent poll by Leger Marketing suggested most Quebecers oppose sending the Van Doos to Afghanistan.

The soldiers have also received about 3,000 letters urging them to refuse to carry out their duties.
More than 2,000 soldiers lined up for food before the football game Thursday, June 21, 2007.
'It's a break after all the training we've had,' one soldier told CTV Montreal Thursday, June 21, 2007.
When members of the Royal 22nd Regiment attended the national assembly on Wednesday, a shouting match erupted when some Parti Quebecois members refused to stand and applaud them.
And when members of the Royal 22nd Regiment attended the national assembly on Wednesday, a shouting match erupted when some Parti Quebecois members refused to stand and applaud them.

NATO Secretary-General Japp de Hoop Scheffer was also in Montreal on Thursday, urging all 26 NATO allies to continue their work in Afghanistan.

Canada's mission in the war-torn country is set to end in February 2009.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV Montreal's Daniele Hamamdjian and files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
Australia to ban alcohol, porn on Aboriginal land
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. June 21 2007  06:22  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 21st, 2007
CANBERRA, Australia -- Australia's government plans to ban alcohol and pornography on Aboriginal land in the country's Northern Territory to curb child abuse, Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday.

Howard was responding to a report from officials in the Northern Territory, where the federal government has strong oversight, that found child abuse is rampant in Aboriginal communities.

"This is a national emergency,'' Howard told Parliament.
Australian aborigines perform during opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia in this Sept. 15, 2000 file photo. (CP / Ryan Remiorz)
The bans would apply in about one-half of the Northern Territory's land, on areas which have been given to Aboriginal owners under federal law over the last 30 years.

Since the areas are in a territory, rather than in one of Australia's six states, the federal government can change laws with an act of Parliament. Howard's majority in both houses of Parliament virtually ensures he can implement his policy.

"There is no greater obligation that this Parliament has than the obligation for caring for all of the young and vulnerable in our community,'' Howard said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Cancer therapy offers one-time radiation dose
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. June 19 2007  22:10  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 20th, 2007
A new breast cancer therapy may be able to turn the traditional weeks of post-surgery radiation treatments into a single, one-day treatment.

Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto has started to test the new technique, called intraoperative radiation therapy, which they hope will speed up a woman's return to normal life after a diagnosis of breast cancer.

"The potential benefits to patients are huge," says lead surgeon Dr. David McCready, who heads the PMH Breast Cancer Program.

The procedure delivers radiation during the actual cancer surgery. After a breast tumour is removed, surgeons use a portable low-dose radiation unit and insert a probe attached to a portable intrabeam radiotherapy machine into the hole that remains to deliver a concentrated dose of radiation.

Radiation is given for about 30 minutes using half the dose of standard therapy but focused into a two-centimetre radius.

The single dose is "biologically equivalent" to conventional radiation treatments for breast cancer that typically require a minimum of 16 treatments over three weeks and treats the whole breast.

"Treating the specific area of cancer with this kind of precision protects the skin, heart and lungs from unnecessary radiation, minimizes side effects, and saves the patient a lot of time," says McCready.

Gabriella Di Donato was among the first patients to undergo the treatment. She says she's grateful for the short treatment.
Radiation is given for about 30 minutes using half the dose of standard therapy but focused into a two-centimetre radius.
'The potential benefits to patients are huge,' says lead surgeon Dr. David McCready, who heads the PMH Breast Cancer Program.
Gabriella Di Donato was among the first patients to undergo the treatment.
"I feel great. I am blessed that it was resolved so fast," she says. "For me, it's like a miracle."

Standard radiation treatments typically carry side effects such as burning and swelling at the site. Intraoperative radiation therapy reduces those effects.

"So it's really a win-win in that situation," says Dr. Anthony Fyles, the radiation oncologist who leads the Breast Radiation Oncology Program at Princess Margaret and treated the first patient using the technique. "You get the same effects on the tumour and reduce side effects."

The best candidates for the treatment are women with small tumours, those that are less than 15 millimetres in diameter. That could mean that up to 40 per cent of breast cancer patients would qualify.

"What we're finding so far is that it's safe and it works well and if we pay attention to details, the breast heals well," says McCready.

The revolutionary technique was pioneered four years ago in Britain, where more than 800 women are now part of an international randomized clinical trial. Drs. McCready and Fyles will now join the trial to further study the results of the procedure.

"It holds the promise of being more convenient for patients and possibly less costly for the health system," says Dr. Ivo Olivotto of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology. "The challenge will be: is it as effective as standard treatment and is it as safe?"

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
=======================
 
Dubai sentences B.C. man to prison on drugs charges
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. June 19 2007  07:38  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 19th, 2007
A Vancouver man, who advised Afghan farmers on alternatives to poppy cultivation, was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for smuggling and drug possession.

Bert Tatham, 35, was arrested April 23 during a layover at Dubai International Airport.

Authorities said they found him with 0.6 grams of hashish and two poppy bulbs.

Tatham pleaded not guilty during an arraignment last week.

On Tuesday, the judge told Tatham he must serve his full sentence in the United Arab Emirates Gulf country and then be deported from the Gulf country, which is known for its "zero tolerance" policy on narcotics.

When Tatham was arrested, he was on his way to Canada from the Afghan city of Kandahar.

According to media reports, Tatham worked as a consultant for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, but his father rejected those suggestions, saying this wasn't true.

His father, Charles Tatham, also rejected reports that his son worked as an adviser to the Afghan government on its program to eliminate poppy crops, which are used to produce opium and then heroin.

"He was working with a team of Afghani nationals in helping the farmers find alternatives" to growing poppies," Charles Tatham said.

"He had no involvement nor was there any action in terms of crop eradication," he told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday morning.
Bert Tatham, who worked advising farmers of alternatives to poppies, is seen in a poppy field in Afghanistan.
Bert Tatham is seen in this undated handout photo made available to CTV News.
Louise and Charles Tatham speak with Canada AM from Duntroon, Ont. on Tuesday, June 19, 2007.
Sharif Emara, a member of the Dubai-based legal team defending Tatham, told The Associated Press he was dissatisfied by the sentencing.

"We had good defence and he got the full punishment,'' Emara said.

Tatham's lawyer, Saeed al-Gailani, will appeal the sentence some time over the next 15 days.

In an interview with The Associated Press before the sentencing on Monday, al-Gailani said he was optimistic that the judge "will understand that drugs are part of Tatham's job.''

Al-Gailani argued in court last week that his client inadvertently carried the near-microscopic amount of drugs because his job involved burning and disposing of Afghan opium crops.

Al-Gailani contended part of Tatham's job included collecting "tons of drugs every day'' in Afghanistan.

He also told the court that his client was present at the burning of five to 10 tons of poppies every day.

"His trousers must have mistakenly picked up the tiny quantity of hashish,'' al-Gailani said.

The lawyer explained the traces of hashish found in Tatham's urine as "secondhand smoke" that he inadvertently inhaled. Hashish is produced from marijuana plants.

Tatham's lawyer also argued that his client was taking the poppy bulbs to Canada "for experiments and education."

But Tatham's father rejected that explanation, saying his son kept the poppy bulbs as "artifacts" and that this had been lost in translation.

"I think he spent an hour just explaining to his lawyer what a poppy is and what the word might be in Arabic and so on," said Charles Tatham.

"They were off his desk, literally, and they'd been lanced a couple of years ago and the stuff that comes out of them that goes towards opium production had been removed so they were just simply inert artifacts," he added.

Tatham's mother Louise told CTV's Canada AM her son sounded frustrated when they last spoke over the weekend.

"I spoke to him on Saturday and at that point he was feeling quite angry, he was frustrated, and that has been the story of his stay in jail," she said.

"He's been quite strong through it all. It's pretty terrible conditions considering the fact that they have nothing to do all the time they're in there."

Courts in Dubai have handed out stringent sentences to travellers caught with even minute amounts of drugs as the Gulf country leads a heavy crackdown on the drug trade.

Last month, an Italian citizen was sentenced to four years behind bars in Dubai for possessing a hundredth of a gram of hashish.

Last week, a Briton was handed the same sentence for carrying 0.7 grams of marijuana.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
U.S.-led airstrike kills seven Afghan children
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. June 18 2007  07:10  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 18th, 2007
Seven children were killed in a U.S.-led airstrike targeting al Qaeda militants in eastern Afghanistan, the coalition said in a statement on Monday.

In an operation supported by Afghan forces, jets on Sunday targeted a compound that also contained a mosque and a madrassa, or Islamic school, in the Zarghun Shah district of Paktika province.

The coalition statement said that early reports indicated seven children at the school and "several militants" were killed, and that two militants had been detained.
Afghan police investigation team members inspect the wrecked police bus following a bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, June 17, 2007. (AP / Musadeq Sadeq)
"Coalition forces confirmed the presence of nefarious activity occurring at the site before getting approval to conduct an air strike on the location," the statement said.

Coalition troops had "surveillance on the compound all day and saw no indications there were children inside the building," said Maj. Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman.

Belcher blamed al Qaeda for the loss of innocent lives, saying they did not let the children leave the targeted compound, which was located about 180 kilometres south of Kabul.

The coalition said other children who survived the airstrike alleged the victims were held inside the building and beaten and pushed away if they tried to leave.

"If we knew that there were children inside the building, there was no way that that airstrike would have occurred," said Sgt. 1st Class Dean Welch, another coalition spokesman.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has sent a team with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission to investigate the incident.

There is mounting concern over the rising number of civilian deaths as a result of foreign-led strikes.

President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called for foreign troops to minimize civilian casualties.

"This kind of attack has caused widespread anger in Afghanistan for quite some time -- another airstrike that happened to take out civilians at the same time when they were targeting insurgents," CTV's South Asia Bureau Chief Paul Workman reported from Kandahar.

"We've seen it many times in the past, the government in Kabul will probably issue a statement of anger as it's done in the past saying NATO has to be much more careful in the way it wages this battle," Workman told CTV Newsnet.

In other violence in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said three coalition soldiers and their Afghan interpreter died in a bomb blast in the south.
The deaths came after "an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Kandahar province" on Sunday, a statement said.

The airstrike in Paktika came hours after a suicide bombing in Kabul, the deadliest insurgent attack since the Taliban was ousted in 2001.

Police said they had detained a suspect in connection with the deadly bombing that destroyed a bus full of police instructors at Kabul's busiest transportation centre, killing 35 people and wounding 52.

Interior Minister Zarar Ahmad Muqbal said initial indications were that a suicide bomber came aboard the bus as it stopped to pick up police instructors at an open-air bus station.

"It's very difficult to put a higher level of security in Kabul. ... It's an open city, there are many NATO forces there, there are lots of foreign contractors who work in the city," Workman said.

"I think, in fact, what happened yesterday is that there was a breach of security of some kind that would allow a suicide bomber or a bomb to be put on this bus," he said.

It was at least the fourth attack against a bus carrying Afghan police or army soldiers in Kabul over the past year.

The suspect in the blast was arrested after he was caught filming the aftermath of the blast, said Kabul police director of criminal investigation Ali Shah Paktiawal.

The suspect, whose name and nationality have not been released, had pictures of the slain Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah in his phone, as well as text messages from a foreign country, Paktiawal said.

A self-described Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, told the Associated Press that a Taliban suicide bomber named Mullah Asim Abdul Rahman caused the blast.

However, Ahmadi's claim could not be independently verified.

More than 2,400 people, mainly insurgents, have been killed as a result of insurgency-related violence this year, according to an AP count based on figures from U.S., NATO, UN and Afghan officials.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Massive police bus bombing kills 35 in Kabul
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. June 17 2007  08:13  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 17th, 2007
At least 35 people were killed when a powerful bomb struck a police academy bus in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday.

It is the deadliest insurgent attack since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

Purported Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the strike was carried out by a Taliban suicide bomber.
An Afghan police officer gestures at the scene of a bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
Twenty-two policemen were among the dead, said Ahmed Zia Aftali, the head of Kabul's military hospital.

A doctor at a nearby hospital said at least 35 were wounded, with the majority of them in serious condition. Many of the victims were said to be police instructors training new recruits.

CTV's Paul Workman said violence appears to be on the rise in Afghanistan. Sunday's attack, he said, is reminiscent of al Qaeda tactics in Iraq that have proven effective against U.S. troops and Iraqi police.

"As I was told earlier this week by a senior Canadian commander here in Kandahar, there seems to have been an upsurge certainly in roadside bombings in southern Afghanistan, and this is the second suicide bombing or serious bombing we've seen in Kabul in the last two days," Workman told CTV Newsnet from Kandahar.

Civilians were ordered from the area as police and investigators secured the site, attempting to determine whether the blast had indeed been caused by a suicide bomber, or by an improvised explosive device. Body parts were littered as far as 20 metres away from the wreckage of the bus, which was completely destroyed, and investigators were attempting to collect the bodies of the victims.

"Never in my life have I heard such a sound," Ali Jawad, a 48-year-old selling phone cards nearby told The Associated Press.
"A big fireball followed. I saw blood and a decapitated man thrown out of the bus. Wounded people were shouting, 'Help me, help me,' and women and children were shouting and running in different directions."

The explosion occurred at 8:10 a.m. local time.

Nasir Ahmad was sitting at the back of the bus, and was counted among the survivors.

"There were between 30 to 40 police instructors in the bus," he told AP, speaking from a hospital bed where he was recovering from wounds to his face and hands.

In addition to the police transport, a civilian bus was also damaged in the strike. The bus was driving just ahead of the police academy vehicle, and its position may have helped shield civilians, said a doctor at the scene.

Afghan police and security forces have increasingly been targeted by militants. At least 307 have been killed this year alone, according to a count by The Associated Press.

Workman said a Canadian commander told him Afghan police remain a "soft target" for the Taliban.

"They don't have the kind of heavy duty armour, heavy weapons that the military does, both the Canadian and NATO military and the Afghan military, and that they seem to have become the new prime target of the Taliban."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Investigator slams former RCMP chief
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. June 15 2007  17:53  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 16th, 2007
The special investigator who probed the RCMP pension scandal has laid the blame firmly and squarely at the feet of former commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli.

David Brown, the former head of the Ontario Securities Commission, also said Canadians' trust in the national police force is broken and needs to be rebuilt.

He also said a full public inquiry would not uncover anything new, and worse, would waste taxpayers' money and time that could be better spent taking action to fix the problems.

Instead he recommended that a task force made up of police, public servants and experts from the private sector review the way the RCMP is run.

NDP MP David Christopherson disagreed, arguing a public inquiry is necessary in order to disclose any further details potentially left untouched by the probe.

"Unfortunately, it's only been studied in half-measures. We've got all these reports, but none have been sufficient for the public to say 'case closed.' And same thing with the report that we got today," Christopherson told CTV's Mike Duffy Live on Friday.

"And as to the argument that we don't need a public inquiry, Canadians have heard all these arguments -- no need, time, money -- with Air India. And look what's happened, look what's coming out."

Day countered that the issue has been exhaustively investigated and agreed with Brown.

"The suggestion that after seven separate types of inquiries, we now have a public inquest that could go on for years, is just not tenable," he said.
David Brown responds to questions about his report at a news conference in Ottawa Friday June 15, 2007. (CP / Tom Hanson)
NDP MP David Christopherson argues a public inquiry is necessary in order to disclose any further details potentially left untouched by the probe.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day appears on 'Mike Duffy Live,' Friday, June 15, 2007.
"We think there's enough here to move ahead, and in a reasonable period of time see a fresh governance structure in place, that gives a breath of fresh air to an incredible organization."

He added that the government will name a new full-time commissioner of the RCMP in the coming days or weeks.

Brown said in his report that the management structure, culture and governance of the RCMP is "horribly broken."

"We cannot allow the image of our national police force to slip any further in the esteem of its own members or in the public they serve. We do not need another inquiry to figure this out, we need solutions," he said Friday.

Brown said a combination of inadequate corporate governance and Zaccardelli's leadership led to many of the issues the RCMP has faced of late.

"It is this very culture, this very structure, exacerbated by the leadership style of former commissioner Zaccardelli, that allowed this insurance and pension plan debacle to unfold as it has," Brown told reporters on Friday.

He went further in his report to Day: "Commissioner Zaccardelli expressed himself in ways that showed little regard or apparent respect for those with whom he was dealing."

Brown also accused Zaccardelli of allowing the growth of a culture in which "displeasing the commissioner was career-limiting.''

The report said that so-called whistleblowers who attempted to reveal misdeeds within the organization suffered retaliation and career damage.

"Bad news did not travel upwards very well in the RCMP," he told reporters.

Brown also found that an earlier criminal investigation of the affair, ostensibly under the control of Ottawa municipal police, was not as independent as it should have been.

Brown recommended that the Ontario Provincial Police look into the file to determine whether a probe -- which critics say was cancelled prematurely -- should be resumed.

The alleged mishandling of the $12 billion pension fund and an insurance fund has already been the subject of a criminal probe, internal RCMP audit, review by Auditor General Sheila Fraser and hearings by the Commons public accounts committee.

Brown said he started his own investigation by reviewing the previous reports.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Tories under fire again over detainee controversy
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. June 14 2007  18:17  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 15th, 2007
Opposition parties are blasting the government on the Afghan detainee controversy once again, this time over the question of who will have access to results of a probe into torture allegations.

Afghan detainees captured by Canadians have made allegations that they're being abused after being handed over to local authorities.

Canadian officials heard the complaints while visiting prisons under the agreement signed in early May that allows Canadians greater access to prisoners.

Since signing a revised prisoner transfer agreement, the Conservatives have insisted the International Red Cross will be informed of the results of the investigation by Afghan authorities.

But the Red Cross says it has no such role in the war-torn country and isn't expecting a report of any kind.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said the Red Cross contradicted the government's claims that the organization is kept informed of the progress of Afghan authorities' investigations into allegations of detainee abuse.
Liberal leader Stephane Dion asks a question during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Thursday, June 14, 2007. (CP / Tom Hanson)
Peter Van Loan, the government's house leader, responds to a question in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Thursday, June 14, 2007.
Dion said the head of the Red Cross, in Kabul, confirmed that his organization "does not have access to inquiries into torture in Afghanistan."

"Will the prime minister admit that today the only ones who are investigating allegations of torture in afghanistan are the afghan authorities?" said Dion.

Government House Leader Peter Van Loan said the revised agreement put the onus on the Afghans to investigate abuse complaints, to take corrective action and to advise both Canada and the Red Cross.

Van Loan said the Red Cross has a right to visit detainees "at any time" and that right "derives from international law."

"And I think everyone in this House is well familiar with our supplementary agreement that we entered into with the government of Afghanistan, and that reaffirms a role for the Red Cross," Van Loan told the House.

"But of course in that agreement -- and everybody knows because it was tabled in this House -- sets out quite clearly that the onus is on the government of Afghanistan to advise Canada."

Dion then accused the government of censoring passages of a report outlining the realities of the detainne situation in Afghanistan in order to avoid further embarrassment on the issue.

He said the prime minister's own office produced a report last November that the threat of the Taliban in Afghanistan could "split the country in two." This report was never published, said Dion, and the Harper government instead published a very "rosy" report that indicated the situation on the ground was better than it was.

"This is no way to support troops in Afghanistan, how could the prime minister let the report be tabled when he knew it was false?" said Dion.

"You would have to be living under a rock not to realize that our troops are meeting great challenges in Afghanistan," responded Van Loan. "And we are very proud of the work that they are doing and we are quite sure that the Liberal leader is aware of that as well. Something he never talks about is the progress in Afghanistan..."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
War vet widow lobbies Harper to keep promise
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. June 13 2007  20:57  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 14th, 2007
The widow of a Second World War veteran travelled from Cape Breton to Ottawa to personally lobby Prime Minister Stephen Harper about a promise he once made.

"Remember to keep your promises," Joyce Carter, 84, told Harper on Wednesday.

"As soon as we can," he replied.

In 2005, Harper, then in opposition, promised Carter he would extend a special benefits program to the widows of Second World War and Korean War veterans.

The program is called the Veterans Independence Program, or VIP. It was designed to help vets live independent lives and avoid moving into an institution in their later years.

Carter gets the benefit of the VIP program. But she said Harper promised that other widows should also be covered by the program.

He did so in a June 28, 2005 letter. (See letter below)

"A conservative government would immediately extend the Veterans Independence Program services to the widows of all Second World War and Korean War veterans," the letter read.

After 17 months in office, Harper hasn't acted to fulfill the promise.

"That was a lie he told us. He didn't keep his promise. There's his promise in black and white. He signed it," Carter told reporters.
Joyce Carter speaks to the media at a press conference in Ottawa Wednesday, June 13, 2007.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes his written 2005 promise from Carter on June 13, 2007.
Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson met personally with Carter and told her that extending the program would take place in the 2008 federal budget.
Harper and Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson met personally with Carter and told her that extending the program would take place in the 2008 federal budget.

"She's a wonderful woman and her concern is real and it's one that I can clearly understand but the fact of the matter is that we want a comprehensive fix," Thompson said.

"I'll torment him until he does keep his promises," said Carter, a great grandmother.

She also said this: "How can any person trust a Prime Minister to keep a promise when he's breaking so many? And with so many widows depending on this ..."

The opposition parties have been regularly attacking Harper and his government recently on the issue of broken promises and not living up to their word.

"Will the prime minister apologize to Joyce Carter and our veterans' widows?" Liberal Leader Stephane Dion asked in the House of Commons question period on Wednesday.

"The government is well aware of its commitments," Harper said. "We intend to act on those commitments."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV's David Akin
=======================
 
Canada rated mediocre in new socio-economic report
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. June 13 2007  08:00  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 13th, 2007
Canada is trailing other top Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in key socio-economic areas, according to a new report.
The group, which represents countries "committed to democracy and the market economy," said Canada's performance is mediocre.

Canada, along with 16 other countries, was graded on six areas: economy, environment, innovation, education, health and society.

OECD used a report card-style ranking of the countries, based on "input indicators" and "policy indicators."

Input indicators were defined as underlying pressures affecting performance, which were ignored. Policy indicators were the "policy responses that countries have undertaken to influence their performance."

In addition to Canada, the other countries included: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

Canada received its best grade in education and skills, scoring an "A" and ranked 3rd of 17 in the category.

OECD said Canada has a good education system that gives its residents the necessary training needed to "enter the workforce and achieve a substantial measure of success."

But the report cautioned that more than 7.5 million adult Canadians have low basic skills and literacy, and not enough students are encouraged to pursue post-graduate degrees.

"Resources should be directed to three priorities," the report said. "Opening educational institutions to new Canadians; improving Canada's system for lifelong learning; and creating an environment that encourages high-level thinkers to complete advanced degrees and contribute to innovation inside and outside our universities."
Canada scored a "B" grade in the economy, health and society categories.

For its economy, Canada ranked 11th.

OECD said the middling performance came from a diminishing ability to attract foreign direct investment, because its "marginal tax rate on capital is the highest in the developed world."

The group also said Canada has too many obstacles to foreign ownership and suffers from low labour productivity.

Canada ranked 8th for health, because of relatively high mortality rates due to diabetes and lung cancer, along with the number of women who die from heat disease. OECD said the country needs to pay particular attention to treating chronic disease.

And in the society category, Canada came in 10th, trailing countries that spend "a larger share of GDP on social programs." OECD also cited a low rating on combating child poverty.

Canada's worst categories were environment and innovation, scoring a "D" and ranking 14th in both.

The report cited high levels of carbon dioxide emissions, and suggested a carbon tax as a possible solution. But OECD also praised Canada for its air and water quality, along with its biodiversity.

The poor ranking for innovation was blamed on Canada's "resource intensive economy" and a shortage of skilled people in the technology sector.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Rebellious daughter plotted murders: Crown
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. June 11 2007  21:56  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 12th, 2007
Anger over parental disapproval about her much-older boyfriend led a Medicine Hat girl to murder her family, a trial heard.

Crown prosecutor Stephanie Cleary read the following to the jury Monday during the opening of the first-degree murder trial: "'I hate them. So I have a plan. It begins with me killing them, and ends with me living with you,'" the girl is alleged to have said to some friends in a posting on a website.

The girl, now 13, was 12 at the time of the April 2006 killings. Her boyfriend was 23 years old.

The Crown intends to present a drawing, taken from the girl's school locker, which seems to depict the killings and an escape in the boyfriend's truck.

Police arrested the couple in Leader, Saskatchewan. Bloody clothes had been found in the truck.

"What she says isn't evidence. It's just what she expects the evidence will turn out to be," defence lawyer Tim Foster told reporters afterwards about Cleary's opening remarks.

The jury heard some evidence. Police testified that they found two knives. The girl's 42-year-old father, found in his underwear, had suffered 24 stab wounds. The 48-year-old mother, naked from the waist down, had been stabbed 12 times.

There is evidence to show both had struggled with their attackers.

The girl's eight-year-old brother had been strangled and stabbed. A cut to the neck was likely the fatal blow.
A sketch of the scene inside the courtroom Monday, June 11, 2007.
Crown prosecutor Stephanie Cleary addresses the media outside the courthouse, Monday, June 11, 2007.
'What she says isn't evidence. It's just what she expects the evidence will turn out to be,' defence lawyer Tim Foster told reporters afterwards about Cleary's opening remarks.
One police officer choked up during testimony. The accused appeared upset too.

Foster said of his client: "This is obviously very difficult for her. Regardless of what the jury may ultimately decide, this is a very tragic case."

Cleary agreed this is a difficult case for all those involved.

Seven men and five women comprise the trial's jury. The case is expected to last about five weeks.

Jeremy Allan Steinke, 24, the girl's boyfriend at the time of the slayings, will have a trial date set next month.

Kacy Lancaster, 19, and a 16-year-old girl, have been charged with accessory to murder for allegedly trying to help cover up the crime.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with reports from CTV's Sarah Galashan and Shelly Makrugin, plus files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
No neat and tidy ending to 'The Sopranos' run
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. June 11 2007  02:21  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 11th, 2007
TORONTO -- David Chase wrapped up his masterpiece television series "The Sopranos" in typical fashion Sunday night: with excruciating ambiguity.

In the feverishly anticipated finale to the HBO series, considered by many to be the best television show ever made, the screen suddenly faded to black as Tony and his wife and children gathered in a diner for supper surrounded by a series of shady characters who seemed ready at any moment to unveil their semi-automatics and blow the family away.
James Gandolfini portrays Tony Soprano in a scene from one of the last episodes of HBO's 'The Sopranos.' (HBO / Craig Blankenhorn)
After an episode that focused almost entirely on family ties - except for the vaguely comical whacking of Phil Leotardo, Tony's bitter foe - the last five minutes at the low-rent restaurant, as Meadow Soprano struggled to parallel-park outside, might have been the most agonizing moments in the series' eight-year run.

That's because speculation was running high that Tony would be gunned down in the bitter bloodbath that had erupted between his New Jersey mobsters and their New York counterparts. Tony's steady and stunning slide into paranoia and depravity during the show's final season seemed certain to have sealed his fate.

Instead, Phil gets whacked just seconds after cooing to his infant grandchildren while getting out of the passenger seat of an SUV driven by his wife. He's shot execution-style at a gas station and when his horrified spouse leaps from the vehicle and leaves it in drive, his head is slowly crushed under the rear wheels as his grandkids gurgle cheerfully in their car seats when the SUV lurches over his skull.

Frank Vincent, the actor who brilliantly portrayed the ruthless and bloodthirsty Phil, gave no hint of his character's fate in an interview with The Canadian Press two days before the finale aired on The Movie Network/Movie Central. He even defended the mafia's violent way of life.

"It's a business," Vincent said.

"These guys, above all else, are businessmen and certain problems have to be eliminated."

But the fate of Tony and those he's closest to - Carmela, Meadow and A.J. - was left unknown with the abrupt fade to black. Did Phil's lieutenants really turn on their boss? Or was Tony set up and deliberately persuaded to let his guard down so Phil's hitmen could take him out with ease? We'll never know.
Some fans weren't immediately impressed.

"Is it just me, or did they forget to tack an ending on 'The Sopranos?"' asked one loyal viewer.

"I just wasted seven years."

But Chase has always proven himself to be a master at ambiguity, never providing neat answers or tying up loose ends the way viewers have sometimes hoped he would. No one is truly good in Chase's world, nor truly evil and so tidy resolutions to storylines are rarely in the cards.

He's always said the show was primarily about family and the final episode proved he meant it: it was consumed with the troubled A.J.'s future, in particular and even though Tony fears a hitman could burst in the door at any moment and gun him down, he still manages to berate his slacker son after he inadvertently sets his car on fire.

Uncle Junior also reappears when a newly widowed Janice tries to make a play for his stash of cash and it seems clear Tony finally believes, upon paying his own visit to his uncle, that the old man is truly lost to Alzheimer's disease.

Those hoping for a "Goodfellas"-style bloodbath were likely disappointed. The final episode was one of the most hotly anticipated series finales in television history, with Las Vegas bookies taking bets on whether Tony would live or die, while "Sopranos" junkies voted in countless online polls on what fate should befall the deeply flawed protagonist after a lifetime of sin.

The Toronto Star devoted its entertainment section front to the finale, with a full-page cartoon of a naked Tony, cigar in hand, plunging to the fiery depths of hell.
In its eight years on the air, Chase was masterful at combining weighty Shakespearean themes with brutal violence and rivetting story-telling that often showed the confusingly compassionate sides of a group of sociopathic killers.

"I'm basically a good guy," Tony, a devoted family man despite his relentless philandering and countless whackings, often told his psychologist.

When Tony pulled A.J. from the family swimming pool after a botched suicide attempt this season, Chase expertly laid bare the duelling facets of the mob boss's personality: he angrily cursed his son and sobbingly comforted him at the same time in one of the show's most heartbreaking scenes.

But "The Sopranos" was also frequently hilarious, its dialogue riddled with malapropisms that spewed from the mouths of its uneducated characters. The finale was no exception.

"I'm a little miffled," Tony tells Paulie Walnuts at one point when his yappy lieutenant hesitates to take on a difficult job.

Paulie's irrational loathing of a stray cat who shows up and stares, eerily, at the deceased Christopher's framed photo on the wall at the Bada Bing was also a hoot. But even those scenes were woven with pure Chase menace - Tony is an animal-lover and every time Paulie seemed about to whack the cat, viewers knew he would be signing his death certificate.

Indeed, though there was little by way of blood, gore or resolution in the final episode, Chase did provide something wonderful: a loving last look at the characters who became part of one of the biggest cultural phenomena in television history.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
Rookie Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. June 10 2007  15:17  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 10th, 2007
Rookie McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton made history on Sunday after he won the Canadian Grand Prix for the first victory of his Formula One career.

Britain's Hamilton, also the sport's first black driver, started from pole position and held on to become the first rookie to win an F1 race since Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya won with Williams in 2001.
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes rookie F1 driver, speaking on Canada AM on Thursday, June 7, 2007.
Germany's Nick Heidfeld won second place for BMW Sauber and Austrian Alexander Wurz placed third for Williams.

Hamilton won by completing the 70-lap race at Gilles Villeneuve Circuit by 4.3 seconds over Heidfeld and 5.2 seconds ahead of Wurz, who started 19th on the grid.

He has finished in the top-three of all six races this season -- something no other racer has done. He took the lead in drivers' standings over teammate Alonso, the two-time defending world champion.

The 22-year-old kept his cool in a race so riddled with crashes that only 12 of the 22 drivers finished, and the safety car made an appearance five times.

The most serious crash came when Robert Kubica lost control of his BMW Sauber off a turn and smashed into a wall head on. A team spokesperson said Kubica, 22, was conscious and moving his limbs, but was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Hamilton held pole position off the start. But his teammate Alonso was pushed on to the grass on the first turn by Heidfeld, who took over second place and left the defending champion third. Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa took fourth spot and Kimi Raikkonen dropped two places to sixth, their cars touching each other.

Massa and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella were disqualified for leaving pit lane under a red light.

Takuma Sato passed two cars in the final laps to place sixth, while Alonso was seventh. Ralf Schumacher placed eighth for Toyota.

Leading up to the race, Hamilton was drawing comparisons to Formula One legend Michael Schumacher. But he also took some criticism from former world driving champion, Canadian and Montrealer Jacques Villeneuve, who said Friday that Hamilton was only doing so well because he drives too dangerously.

"I'm a racer," Hamilton said in response. "I do those moves to gain places, and it's not dangerous."

Villeneuve got dropped by the BMW team in mid-2006 and currently is not racing in the F1 circuit.

The 4.361-kilometre course is named after Gilles Villeneuve, Jacque's famous racer father who died in a crash in 1983.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
Judge orders Paris Hilton back to jail
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. June 08 2007  18:13  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 9th, 2007
A judge ordered a screaming Paris Hilton back to jail on Friday, overturning a decision to have her serve the remainder of her sentence under house arrest.

A distraught Hilton, 26, was taken from court sobbing hysterically after being told she will have to serve the remainder of her 45-day-sentence behind bars.

"It's not right!" Hilton shouted in tears.

"Mom!" she screamed to her mother who was watching in the audience.
Paris Hilton is seen the window of a police car as she is transported from her home to court by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Los Angeles on June 8, 2007. (AP / Nick Ut)
A teary-eyed Hilton, handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle, was taken by Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to court earlier in the day.

Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer was irritated by developments in the case.

The judge said he left the courthouse Thursday night having signed an order for Hilton to appear for the hearing.

When he entered his vehicle on Friday morning, he said, he heard a radio report that she would not appear and that he had approved a telephonic hearing.

He said no such thing had been approved by him.

"I at no time condoned the actions of the sheriff and at no time told him I approved the actions,'' he said of the decision to release Hilton from jail after three days.

"At no time did I approve the defendant being released from custody to her home on Kings Road,'' he said.

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo spearheaded the charge to get Hilton back in jail and deemed justice was served on Friday.
"This decision sends the message that no individual -- no matter how wealthy or powerful -- is above the law. Today, justice was served,'' Delgadillo said in a statement.

On Thursday, Hilton was transferred from jail to house arrest because of an undisclosed medical condition after serving only three-full days of her sentence.

During the hearing, the judge said that he had not seen any documentation to support claims that Hilton was suffering from a medical condition.

Unconfirmed reports from the gossip website TMZ.com allege the condition was psychological, not physical.

The celebutante was visited by a private psychiatrist while incarcerated.

Hilton's attorney, Richard Hutton, implored the judge to listen to testimony about Hilton's medical condition in his chambers before he made his final decision. The judge did not respond to that suggestion.

Steve Levine, another of Hilton's attorneys said, "The sheriff has determined that because of her medical situation, (jail) is a dangerous place for her.''

"The court's role here is to let the Sheriff's Department run the jail,'' he said.

Hilton was fitted with an electronic monitoring device on Thursday ordered to spend the remainder of her sentence on house arrest for a reckless driving probation violation.
Kathy Hilton, center, and her husband Rick Hilton, right, parents of Paris Hilton, leave a courthouse in Los Angeles, Friday, June 8, 2007.(AP / Damian Dovarganes)
In this courtroom sketch, Paris Hilton listens in a L.A. courtroom as her attorney addresses the court during a hearing, Friday, June 8, 2007, in an attempt to keep her from returning to jail for the completion of her sentence. (AP / Mona Shafer Edwards)
The 26-year-old heiress turned herself in at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles just after 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night.

During her previous incarceration, Hilton was held in a "special needs" section of the jail and did not have to share her cell with other inmates.

Officers arrested Hilton in Hollywood on Sept. 7. In January, she pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of the alcohol-related reckless-driving charge. She was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.

But the heiress was pulled over again by California Highway Patrol on Jan. 15.

Officers informed Hilton she was driving on a suspended license and she signed a document acknowledging she was not to drive.

Then again on Feb. 27, she was pulled over by sheriff's deputies, at which time she was charged with violating her probation.

A traffic court judge ruled on May 4 that Hilton violated her probation and sentenced her to 45 days in jail.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
=======================
 
Paris Hilton headed for courtroom showdown today
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. June 08 2007  06:35  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 8th, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- Rarely has it been the simple life for Paris Hilton these days.

The hotel heiress was headed for a courtroom showdown Friday that could put her back behind bars, as prosecutors sought to hold sheriff's officials in contempt for releasing her early from jail.

Hilton was ordered to report to court at 9 a.m. and will be brought in a sheriff's vehicle from her Hollywood Hills home, said Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini.
This photo made available Monday, June 4, 2007 by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office shows Paris Hilton after she turned herself in at the Century Regional Detention Facility.
The frenzy began early Thursday when sheriff's officials released Hilton because of an undisclosed medical condition and sent her home under house arrest. She had been in jail for three days.

Hilton was fitted with an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet and was expected to finish her 45-day sentence for a reckless driving probation violation at her four-bedroom, three-bath home.

The decision by Sheriff Lee Baca to move Hilton chafed prosecutors and Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer, who spelled out during sentencing that Hilton was not allowed to serve house detention.

Late Thursday, Sauer issued the order for Hilton to return to court after the city attorney filed a petition demanding that Hilton be returned to jail and to show cause why Baca shouldn't be held in contempt of court.

Baca does not have to be in court, and it was unclear who would represent the Sheriff's Department.

The move also was met with outrage from the sheriff's deputies union, members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, civil rights leaders, defence attorneys and others.

"What transpired here is outrageous,'' county Supervisor Don Knabe told The Associated Press, adding he received more than 400 angry e-mails and hundreds more phone calls from around the country.

Hilton's return home "gives the impression of ... celebrity justice being handed out,'' he said.

Baca dismissed the criticism, saying the decision was made based on medical advice.

"It isn't wise to keep a person in jail with her problem over an extended period of time and let the problem get worse,'' Baca told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.
"My message to those who don't like celebrities is that punishing celebrities more than the average American is not justice,'' Baca said.

The Los Angeles County jail system is so overcrowded that attorneys and jail officials have said it is not unusual for nonviolent offenders like Hilton to be released after serving as little as 10 per cent of their sentences.

In the hours after Hilton's release, it was a madcap scene outside her house in the hills above the Sunset Strip. As word spread that the 26-year-old poster child for bad celebrity behaviour was back home, radio helicopter pilots who normally report on traffic conditions were dispatched to hover over her house and describe it to morning commuters. Paparazzi photographers on the ground quickly assembled outside its gates.

Shortly before noon, Hilton issued a statement through her attorney.

"I want to thank the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and staff of the Century Regional Detention Center for treating me fairly and professionally,'' she said. "I am going to serve the remaining 40 days of my sentence. I have learned a great deal from this ordeal and hope that others have learned from my mistakes.''

Hilton's path to jail began Sept. 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her Mercedes-Benz on what she said was a late-night run to a hamburger stand.

She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.

In the months that followed she was stopped twice by officers who discovered her driving on a suspended licence. The second stop landed her in Sauer's courtroom, where he sentenced her to jail.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Anaheim Ducks win 2007 Stanley Cup
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. June 06 2007  23:18  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 7th, 2007
The Anaheim Ducks have become the first Californian team to win the Stanley Cup, beating the Ottawa Senators 6-2 Wednesday night and hoisting the trophy after five games.

Anaheim took the lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Andy McDonald -- who scored on a power play -- and Rob Niedermayer.

Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson fought back in the second period, personally scoring two goals, but the Ducks managed to stay ahead.

Senators player Chris Phillips scored on his own net as he tried to get the puck away from Travis Moen, who was credited with the goal. And then Anaheim's Francois Beauchemin scored -- his fourth goal of the playoffs.

The Ducks dominated the third period, with Moen and Corey Perry both blasting the puck into the Senators' goal, in front of a capacity crowd of 17,372 at the Honda Center.
Anaheim Ducks defenceman Scott Niedermayer raises the Stanley Cup after winning Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final hockey game Wednesday, June 6, 2007, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP / Mark J. Terrill)
Ottawa never managed to get the puck past Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the final period. The netminder managed a total of 11 saves Wednesday night.

To the frustration of Ottawa fans, history was firmly set against the Senators.

Since the best-of-seven format began in 1939, only the Toronto Maple Leafs have ever managed to win after trailing the finals 3-1 -- and that was back in 1942.

"I think most people accepted the Senators weren't going to pull this off. There were no lineups outside the bars on 'Sens Mile' like there were earlier in the series," reported CTV's Roger Smith in Ottawa.

Anaheim also had 16 Canadian players on its team, compared with 12 skating for Ottawa.

Two of the Canadians playing for the Ducks were brothers: Scott and Rob Niedermayer. They're the first siblings to win the Cup together since Brent and Duane Sutter raised the trophy for the New York Islanders in 1983.

Scott Niedermayer also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

And in another piece of future trivia, Anaheim player Teemu Selanne, 36, is the oldest player in NHL history to score more than 45 goals. The Finn managed 48 in the regular season.

Despite winning the Stanley Cup, however, celebrations were largely subdued in California.

"They used to call this place 'The Pond,' and hockey spirit here is a bit like a pebble in a pond: the ripples don't go very far. A kilometre or so away from here and you wouldn't know there was any hockey," reported CTV's Tom Walters from outside Anaheim's Honda Center.

"There was bit of a splash in the centre, though. Nearly 18,000 fans saw their team win the Stanley Cup, the first in the 13-year history of this franchise, and that was very exciting for those in the building."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
Tory MP ejected from caucus after budget vote
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. June 05 2007  23:23  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 6th, 2007
A Nova Scotia Conservative MP has followed through on his threat to vote against his government's budget to express his displeasure with how it treats the Atlantic Accord on offshore resources.

And as a result, Bill Casey has been ejected from the Conservative caucus.

"He knew the consequences of his action," said Government Whip Jay Hill.

There were big cheers from the opposition and glum faces on the Tory colleagues of Casey after Tuesday evening's vote, even though the preliminary motion passed 158-108.

A more important vote on Bill C-52's third reading will take place later this week.

Casey said he'd been working on the issue for weeks and had raised it with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty before the vote.

Casey said earlier Tuesday he would find it simple but not easy to vote his conscience.
Conservative MP Bill Casey talks to the media following his vote against the budget, Tuesday, June 5, 2007.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, June 5, 2007. (CP / Tom Hanson)
"It's not easy, but it is simple in a way: If the government of Canada will not honour a contract, then it's easy for me to do it," he said on CTV's Mike Duffy Live.

But he added he knew there was a risk he would be kicked out of caucus.

"If the government of Canada can't honour a contract, then we'll have to live with the consequences," he said.

Casey is upset that the 2007 budget effectively kills the 2005 accord, which deals with revenues from offshore resources.

In the House of Commons question period, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty indicated he wasn't prepared to budge. Casey met with him Monday night.

There was another meeting on Tuesday morning. Casey said he wasn't invited to that one.

Peter Van Loan, the government's house leader, noted on MDL that the Liberals expelled Joe Comuzzi after the veteran Liberal voted for the 2007 budget.

"Obviously budget bills are the most important bills for any government," he said.

Van Loan added that the Atlantic Accord is protected by the budget, but only if they opted to stay with the older equalization formula.

But Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale said the agreement specifically states that if the equalization arrangements change in the future, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland won't be barred from benefiting from those improvements.

"That is clearly what is in the deal. The government of Canada is breaking the deal," he said.

NDP House Leader Libby Davies said Casey must believe the agreement was broken, "otherwise, why would he be voting against something as serious as a budget?"

Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald, a Conservative, wouldn't comment. But Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert, who has himself been feuding with his federal counterparts over equalization, praised Casey.

"The question many people in Saskatchewan are asking, including myself is: where are our members of Parliament?" Calvert told The Canadian Press. "'Where is the courage to stand up for their province?"

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
Military judge drops charges against Omar Khadr
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. June 04 2007  21:33  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 5th, 2007
A military judge has dismissed charges against Canadian detainee Omar Khadr, who was 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan, saying the case is outside his jurisdiction.

The surprise ruling came minutes after Khadr's arraignment.

"You could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom this morning when the judge announced his decision. He was the one, incidentally, who noticed the discrepancy," CTV's Washington Bureau Chief Tom Clark reported from Guantanamo Bay.

The decision also came as a relief to his family in Toronto, although Khadr, now 20, will remain in custody at Guantanamo Bay.

"We always had hope, and we pray and we're going to continue doing that," Khadr's sister, Zaynab, told CTV Newsnet by phone in Toronto.

Khadr had been classified as an "enemy combatant" by a military panel years earlier. But
A court sketch shows Omar Khadr, far left, inside the Guantanamo Bay courtroom. (AP)
This photo of Omar Khadr was taken before he was imprisoned and distributed by his mother, Maha Khadr.
because he was not classified as an "alien unlawful enemy combatant," Army Col. Peter Brownback said he had no choice but to throw the case out.

"The charges are dismissed without prejudice," Brownback said as he adjourned the proceeding.

Under the Military Commissions Act, which U.S. President George Bush signed last year after the Supreme Court threw out the previous war-crimes trial system, only those classified as "unlawful" enemy combatants can face war trials there.

"Obviously there are illegal enemy combatants and then there are legal enemy combatants," Clark said.

"In other words if you're wearing the uniform of another country, just because you fired a shot in anger at an American soldier doesn't mean that it is illegal," Clark said.

The ramifications of the ruling are an "unbelievable defeat for the Bush administration and the previous Congress that enacted this. It is enormous," Clark said.

Hours after the decision, a second judge threw out charges against Salim Ahmed Hamdan, former driver for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The judge said similarly that he lacked legal jurisdiction.
Khadr faced charges he committed murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and spying.

The son of an alleged al Qaeda financier, Khadr was accused of killing U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Speer with a grenade during a firefight in Afghanistan on July 27, 2002.

While the judge has dismissed the charges against Khadr, authorities have said they can still legally hold him as an enemy combatant.

Meanwhile, the prosecutors have asked the judge for 72 hours in which to appeal.

"They are trying to appeal to a court within the next 72 hours, a court that does not exist and that they are hoping that might be made up in the next 72 hours. The chaos around this system is almost indescribable," Clark said.

Now that that process is in doubt, some are calling for Canada's government to intervene.

"Whatever we may think about Mr. Khadr and his past, he is a Canadian citizen with the rights of a Canadian citizen -- and the government should take up his case actively with U.S. authorities," said Liberal Deputy Leader Michael Ignatieff.
Army Col. Peter Brownback is seen in this court sketch inside the Guantanamo Bay courtroom. (AP)
'We always had hope, and we pray and we're going to continue doing that,' Khadr's sister, Zaynab, told CTV.
Khadr is one of three prisoners of the approximately 380 men held at the isolated military base to be formally charged under the new military tribunal system.

"Certainly a number of military lawyers here are hoping that this will open the door to throwing all of these cases into a civilian court system, which they say works perfectly well," Clark said.

"What the military defence lawyers are saying here is that this proves once and for all that the military commission system is simply unworkable and should be disbanded as quickly as possible," he said.

Khadr, an Ottawa native, was 15 when he was first brought to the U.S. military prison camp in southeast Cuba.

He became the first juvenile to be charged with war crimes in modern history.

"This is something that did not happen in the former Yugoslavia, it didn't happen in Rwanda and it didn't happen in Sierra Leone where kids were involved in all sorts of horrific war-crime activities," Muneer Ahmad, former lawyer for Khadr, told Canada AM from Washington on Monday.

In Ottawa, Foreign Affairs officials said they were reviewing the situation, but had no other immediate comment.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Canadian dollar continues to make gains
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. June 04 2007  07:07  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 4th, 2007
The Canadian dollar is building on last week's record increases, moving up more than half a U.S. cent today in overseas trading.

On Monday morning, the loonie was trading at 94.77 cents US on the overseas markets.
The Canadian dollar closed at 94.22 cents US on Friday -- its highest value since July 1977.

The break came after economists at CIBC World Markets predicted that the loonie will be equal in value to the American dollar by the end of 2007.

The dollar was also strengthened after the Bank of Canada indicated last week that it would likely raise interest rates to combat inflation.

The loonie is already up about nine per cent this year. Over the past five years, the dollar has jumped 43.4 per cent.
Still, some within the industry remain skeptical about the dollar's growth potential.

"I don't think we have quite all the factors in place yet to see parity," Camilla Sutton, currency strategist at the Bank of Nova Scotia, told The Globe and Mail Friday.

The Royal Bank of Canada has also issued cautious predictions, forecasting that the dollar will hit 96 cents.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Canadian Press
=======================
 
Three killed, hundreds injured in China quake
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. June 03 2007  09:50  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 3rd, 2007
At least three people were killed, hundreds were injured and 120,000 were evacuated after a powerful earthquake struck in southwest China on Sunday.

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and struck in Yunnan province, about 2,365 kilometres southwest of Beijing, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

According to reports from the state-controlled Xinhua News Agency, 290 were injured, 15 seriously.

One of those killed was a five-year-old boy who was crushed by debris. The boy's parents
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a local resident clears the debris of his house following a strong earthquake in Ning'er in southwest China's Yunnan Province Sunday, June 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Qin Qing)
were also trapped by debris, but were rescued by locals, the news agency reports.

The quake was followed by at least 233 aftershocks Sunday, according to the local seismological bureau. The strongest aftershock had a magnitude of 5.1, The Associated Press reports.

The evacuation of the more than 120,000 residents was ordered after officials deemed the tremor had made buildings unsafe. Even the seismological bureau's walls were cracked, an official with the bureau told AP.

Though roads, water and electricity did not seem to have been affected, several homes collapsed outright and the area's communications network was damaged, Xinhua reported.

Emergency relief agencies were rushing to the area, AP reports.

The epicentre of the quake was near Pu'er City, in southwest Yunnan province. Earthquakes are common in the region of China that borders with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. Since 1990, there have been more than 20 quakes with magnitude greater than 5.0, according to Xinhua.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Winnipeg police recover stolen Austrian jewel
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. June 01 2007  19:41  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 2nd, 2007
A famous jewel crafted in 1864 for one of the most beautiful women in Europe has been traced to Winnipeg, and police allege it was stolen by a criminal organization worthy of a Hollywood film.

The jewel, named the Koechert Diamond Pearl, was designed for Empress Elisabeth of Austria in preparation for a court portrait.

More than a century later, in 1998, it went missing from a palace in Vienna.

Police allege a leading figure in the group behind the theft is 35-year-old Gerald Daniel Blanchard, of Vancouver, who was arrested in January. He now faces 41 charges.

Investigators said Blanchard has an incredible knowledge of electronics, and allegedly used that talent to help the group in a crime spree that last for several years and spanned three continents.

"The electronics (used) were unknown to us and most police departments across Canada," said Sgt. Mitch McCormick of Winnipeg's Major Crimes Unit.

Blanchard had apparently rigged a security system in his condominium that allowed him to see people approaching his home from blocks away, but he was asleep at the time of his arrest.

Another seven people were arrested in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver, as part of an investigation called Project Kite.

The group faces numerous charges including fraud and participation in a criminal organization.

Police also allege they used fake passports, robbed banks and traded in firearms. But most of their money may have come from stolen credit card information, which they transferred to London, England.

"We discovered an international component with a number of individuals in Canada, whereby they were leaving the country, committing frauds and bringing the cash back," said Insp. Tom Legge.

Meanwhile, the Austrian government is eager to have the Koechert Diamond Pearl returned to the country.

Police said only a professional thief could have taken the diamond.
Winnipeg police have seized the antique Koechert Diamond Pearl, which was made for Queen Elisabeth of Austria in the 19th century.
The jewel, named the Koechert Diamond Pearl, was designed for Empress Elisabeth of Austria in preparation for a court portrait.
The head of the unit is believed to be Gerald Daniel Blanchard, a 35-year-old Vancouver man who is in custody facing 41 charges.
'The electronics (used) were unknown to us and most police departments across Canada,' said Sgt. Mitch McCormick of Winnipeg's Major Crimes Unit.
"It was on exhibit in an alarmed, glass, secure case. Someone with enough talent or sophistication was able to steal it during the day," said Legge.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with reports from CTV Winnipeg
=======================
 
Jack Kevorkian to be released from prison
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. June 01 2007  09:49  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: June 1st, 2007
Jack Kevorkian is expected to leave prison Friday morning after serving more than eight years for helping a terminally ill man end his life.

The 79-year-old retired pathologist is slated to be released from Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater.

Although he was only convicted of one murder, Kevorkian has said he helped at least 130 people die from 1990 to 1998.

Tina Allerellie says that her sister was one of them. Karen Allerellie, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was found dead in a Michigan hotel room in August 1997 after contacting Kevorkian.

Tina Allerellie told CTV's Canada AM that it's been 10 years since her sister's death, but hearing of Kevorkian's release opened up old wounds.

"I truly thought that he would have died in there. I was actually kind of hoping that he would have," she said.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian poses with his 'suicide machine' in Michigan in this Feb. 6, 1991 file photo. (AP / Richard Sheinwald)
Tina Allerellie, blames Dr. Kevorkian for sister's death, speaks with Canada AM from CTV studios in Kitchener, Ont. on Friday, June 1, 2007.
She blames Kevorkian for her sister's death. Tina Allerellie said that if Karen wouldn't have learned about him through newspapers, she may have worked to manage her illness instead of looking for a way out.

Karen Allerellie sent a fax to Kevorkian after she accidentally urinated during a work meeting. Tina Allerellie said the loss of bladder control, one of the symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease, was too embarrassing for her sister to bear.

"It was extremely humiliating for her -- for her that was the final straw," Allerellie said.

Kevorkian responded immediately to the fax, recommending that Karen Allerellie check into a Holiday Inn in Michigan a few days later.

"We don't know if she tried to back out of it or not," Tina Allerellie said. "None of his patients ever have the chance to speak up afterwards because they're all dead."

Kevorkian, still a staunch advocate of assisted suicide, has said he'll continue to fight for its legalization, but won't do commit any crimes.

He went to jail after being convicted of second-degree murder in the 1998 death of 52-year-old Thomas Youk.

Youk suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, a disorder that leads to the death of nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

Kevorkian was given a 10- to 25-year sentence and is getting out because of time off for good behaviour.

Recently, he made it clear that he still thinks people have the right to decide when they want to die.
"It's got to be legalized. That's the point,'' he told WJBK-TV in Detroit. "I'll work to have it legalized. But I won't break any laws doing it.''

On Thursday, the Michigan Catholic Conference warned it would oppose any effort to renew the push for assisted suicide in Michigan. The state has had a law banning assisted suicide since 1998, the same year voters rejected a ballot proposal that would have made physician-assisted suicide legal for terminally ill patients.

Oregon is the only state in the nation in which a terminally ill patient with six months or less to live can legally ask a doctor to prescribe a lethal amount of medication.

Right to Life of Michigan, which also opposes any effort to allow assisted suicide, said it distrusts Kevorkian's promise to not help anyone else die.

"He made similar false promises prior to a string of deaths, the last of which led to his imprisonment,'' the group said in a statement this week.

Kevorkian will be on parole for two years, and one of the conditions he must meet is that he can't help anyone else die. He is also prohibited from providing care for anyone who is older than 62 or is disabled. He could go back to prison if he violates his parole.

He will report regularly to a parole officer and won't be able to leave the state without permission. He can speak about assisted suicide, but can't show people how to make a machine like one he invented to give lethal drugs to those who wanted to die, Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said.
His attorney, Mayer Morganroth, said he would bring Kevorkian a suit and tie to wear out of prison. Morganroth will be accompanied by his son Jeffrey, an attorney, and by Ruth Holmes, a paralegal who has been Kevorkian's legal assistant during his years in prison.

They will drive Kevorkian to Oakland County, which includes Detroit's northern suburbs, where he will live with friends.

Kevorkian suffers from a variety of ailments including diabetes, hepatitis C, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries in his brain. He will see his internist, a dentist, as well as some specialists, after his release from prison, Morganroth said.

Kevorkian did not have many possessions to take home, in part because many of them have gone missing.

"Strange as this may seem, last month ... someone stole his manuscript he'd been writing and his belongings,'' Morganroth said, adding that he expects someone took Kevorkian's clothes and medicine to sell on eBay.

Holmes said her friend wants to eat some of the things he couldn't freely get in prison, including a sandwich of plain sliced turkey on thin lavash bread.

"He's looking forward to some grapes and apricots,'' she said. "He loves pistachios.''

Working with Kevorkian, Holmes already has sent to a book publisher about 250 of the thousands of letters he got while in prison.

"He wasn't able to answer all of them, but it was very heartwarming to see the number of people who wrote to him from all over the world,'' she said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with from  The Associated Press