Oct 07

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=60 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="5c8746483.png"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="747" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC80" BORDERCOLORDARK="#CC9900" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#000000 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 52 WIDTH="37"><div> <A HREF="id1037.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 07"><U><IMG SRC="31ce11160.png" border=0 width="17" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> PREV</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="37"><div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Giant Dwarf"><U><IMG SRC="31ce11160.png" border=0 width="17" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> HOME</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="37"><div> <A HREF="id1026.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 07"><U><IMG SRC="31ce11160.png" border=0 width="17" 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HEIGHT= 36411 ><NOBR><div>  <A NAME="top"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="5e4a5c200.png" border=0 width="92" height="32" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <B>Past Articles:</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="626" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC80" BORDERCOLORDARK="#CC9900" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1201.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 12"><U><B>Feb/12</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1194.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 12"><U><B>Jan/12</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1193.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 11"><U><B>Dec/11</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1192.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 11"><U><B>Nov/11</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1191.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 11"><U><B>Oct/11</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1190.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 11"><U><B>Sep/11</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1185.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 11"><U><B>Aug/11</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1184.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 11"><U><B>Jul/11</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 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09"><U><B>Sep/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 09"><U><B>Aug/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 09"><U><B>Jul/09</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 09"><U><B>Jun/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1115.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 09"><U><B>May/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 09"><U><B>Apr/09</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 09"><U><B>Mar/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1103.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 09"><U><B>Feb/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1099.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B>Jan/09</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1092.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 08"><U><B>Dec/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1091.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 08"><U><B>Nov/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1086.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 08"><U><B>Oct/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1084.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 08"><U><B>Sep/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1083.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 08"><U><B>Aug/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1078.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 08"><U><B>Jul/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1077.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 08"><U><B>Jun/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1072.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 08"><U><B>May/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1071.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 08"><U><B>Apr/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1060.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 08"><U><B>Mar/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1044.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 08"><U><B>Feb/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1043.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 08"><U><B>Jan/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1038.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 07"><U><B>Dec/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1037.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 07"><U><B>Nov/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1032.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B>Oct/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1026.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 07"><U><B>Sep/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1025.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 07"><U><B>Aug/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1020.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 07"><U><B>Jul/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1015.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 07"><U><B>Jun/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 07"><U><B>May/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 07"><U><B>Apr/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id986.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 07"><U><B>Mar/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id979.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 07"><U><B>Feb/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id978.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 07"><U><B>Jan/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>These "Articles" are dated from October 1st, 2007 - October 31st, 2007.</B></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="368" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#30" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Iraq contractors routinely offered limited immunity</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 31/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#30" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Immunity reportedly promised to Blackwater guards</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 30/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#29" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Country star Porter Wagoner dead at 80</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 29/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#28" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Spacewalk uncovers potential ISS problem</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 28/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#27" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Suspected jihadists believed NATO ruled Afghanistan</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 27/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#26" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Loonie hits 104 cents US as greenback falls</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 26/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#25" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  World's largest jetliner makes historic flight</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 25/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#24" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Warming may bring mass extinctions: study</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 24/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#23" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Bush declares emergency over California wildfires</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 23/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#22" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Dollar down after Dodge questions its climb</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 22/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#21" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Russian spacecraft misses target but lands safely</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 21/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#20" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadian couple to fight U.S. car discrimination case</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 20/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#19" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadian pedophile suspect arrested in Thailand</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 19/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#18" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><B>Thai police issue warrant for alleged pedophile</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 18/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#17" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  National homicide rate drops in 2006: StatsCan</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 17/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#16" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Suspected pedophile identified as Canadian</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 16/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#15" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  PMO working on government-controlled media centre</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 15/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#14" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Blood test could one day predict Alzheimer's risk</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 14/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#13" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Dutch ban famed hallucinatory 'magic' mushrooms</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 13/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#12" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Victoria police chief suspended with pay</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 12/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#11" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Liberals win second majority in Ontario election</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 11/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#10" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Ontario residents heading to the polls</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 10/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#09" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Poll says Ontario Liberals have 15-point lead</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 09/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#08" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Off-duty Wis. deputy sheriff kills six: police</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 08/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#07" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Blackwater 'deliberately killed' civilians: Iraq</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 07/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#06" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Wait times skyrocket at border crossings</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 06/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#05" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Toronto may pay for unauthorized use of penny pic</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 05/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#04" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Heart surgeon: Chretien in 'very good condition'</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 04/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#03" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Refugees overwhelm Ontario border city's services</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 03/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#02" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Victims outraged by tainted blood trial acquittals</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 02/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#01" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Verdict expected today in tainted blood trial</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 01/10/07</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> =======================</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="705" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="707"><div>  <A NAME="31"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 390 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Iraq contractors routinely offered limited immunity</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 31 2007 06:11  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 31st, 2007</div> <div> <B>WASHINGTON -- Limited immunity has been routinely offered to private security contractors involved in shootings in Iraq, State Department officials said Tuesday, denying such actions jeopardized criminal prosecution of Blackwater USA guards accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians.</B></div> <bR> <div> State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to discuss specifics of the agency's role in the investigation, but said any immunity deals should not stop the Justice Department from prosecuting.</div> <bR> <div> "It's up to the investigators and prosecutors to determine what kind of case they have ... and ultimately whether to bring prosecution," McCormack told reporters.</div> <bR> <div> The immunity deals, first reported by The Associated Press, have delayed the U.S. criminal inquiry of the Sept. 16 shootings that has enraged Iraqis.</div> <bR> <div> Senior law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said the legal protections offered by the State Department could derail prosecution if investigators are unable to unearth other evidence from a crime scene now six weeks old.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c2c2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 2, 2007. (AP / Susan Walsh)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2c4a0700.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A sign at the entrance to Blackwater USA, in Moyock N.C., is shown in this Jan. 23, 2007, file photo. (AP / The Daily Advance, Joon Powell)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 562 WIDTH="707"><div> In Baghdad, the Iraqi government approved draft legislation lifting immunity for foreign private security companies -- one of the nation's most serious disputes with the U.S. since last month's shooting. Iraq is demanding the right to launch its own prosecution of the Blackwater bodyguards despite the company's insistence they acted in self-defense.</div> <bR> <div> Additionally, Democratic leaders in Congress demanded answers about the immunity deal as House Government Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman called it "an egregious misjudgment."</div> <bR> <div> The shooting investigation was initiated by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security hours after the attack. The inquiry was turned over to the FBI in early October after Justice Department prosecutors realized that the Blackwater bodyguards' statements could not be used in court.</div> <bR> <div> At the State Department, McCormack said "these kinds of issues are not new." He said Justice Department officials "can take steps to work around" any limited immunity agreements. "They provide limited protections that would not preclude a successful criminal prosecution," he said.</div> <bR> <div> A second senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing inquiry, said the agency has for years required its security contractors to give written statements within hours of any so-called "use of deadly force" in Iraq.</div> <bR> <div> Waivers granting a security worker limited immunity -- by barring those statements in a criminal case against the worker -- are a "routine part" of the investigations by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the official said.</div> <bR> <div> The waiver given to Blackwater guards reads, in part: "I further understand that neither my statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements can be used against me in a criminal proceeding, except that if I knowingly and willfully provide false statements or information, I may be criminally prosecuted for that action."</div> <bR> <div> It's not clear whether the waivers were ever authorized by the Justice Department, which decides whether cases are prosecuted. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell declined comment about whether the immunity waivers were part of the security firm's contract with the State Department.</div> <bR> <div> Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said prosecution was still possible, despite "knowing that this investigation involves a number of complex issues."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 620 WIDTH="707"><div> The Sept. 16 shootings in west Baghdad's Nisoor Square left 17 Iraqi civilians dead and prompted still-unanswered questions about who fired first. Blackwater has said its convoy was already under attack before it opened fire.</div> <bR> <div> A follow-up investigation by the Iraqi government, concluded that Blackwater's men were unprovoked. No witnesses have been found to contradict that finding.</div> <bR> <div> An initial report by U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Iraq, indicates "no enemy activity involved" in the incident. The report says Blackwater guards were traveling against the flow of traffic through a traffic circle when they "engaged five civilian vehicles with small arms fire" at a distance of 50 meters.</div> <bR> <div> Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, trying to soothe growing public anger over the Blackwater shootings, has promised to push through legislation to make all foreign private security contractors in Iraq subject to the nation's criminal laws.</div> <bR> <div> On Tuesday, his government sent the Iraqi parliament a measure overturning an immunity order known as Decree 17 that was issued by L. Paul Bremer, who ran the American occupation government until June 2004.</div> <bR> <div> Under the legislation, all security companies would be subject to the Iraqi criminal law and must obey all the country's legal regulations. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said she had not seen the measure and had no immediate comment.</div> <bR> <div> In Washington and on the presidential campaign trail, Democrats lambasted the Bush administration over the immunity deal and demanded to know who authorized it.</div> <bR> <div> "In this administration, accountability goes by the boards," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy. "That goes equally for misconduct and for incompetence. If you get caught, they will get you immunity. If you get convicted, they will commute your sentence."</div> <bR> <div> The White House had very little to say about the matter. President Bush ignored a question on the arrangement shouted after his meeting with the president of Uganda. And his spokeswoman dodged most questions about it at her daily briefing with reporters, referring them to the State Department.</div> <bR> <div> "It is under review," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "Anyone who has engaged in criminal behavior will be prosecuted."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="30"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 180 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Immunity reportedly promised to Blackwater guards</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 30 2007 09:01  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 30th, 2007</div> <div> <B>WASHINGTON -- A U.S. State Department promise of immunity to Blackwater USA bodyguards could make prosecution of last month's shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians impossible, The Associated Press has learned.</B></div> <bR> <div> The immunity deal already has delayed a criminal inquiry into the Sept. 16 killings. Undermining prosecution of the suspects would not be greeted kindly by the Iraqi government, which was incensed by the Baghdad shooting.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c235a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A sign near the Blackwater facility warns against the dangers involved in firearms training.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 587 WIDTH="707"><div> "Once you give immunity, you can't take it away,'' a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said.</div> <bR> <div> State Department officials would not confirm or deny that immunity had been granted. One official, who refused to be quoted by name, said: "If in fact such a decision was made, it was done without any input or authorization from any senior State Department official in Washington.''</div> <bR> <div> FBI agents were returning to Washington late Monday from Baghdad, where they have been trying to collect evidence in the Sept. 16 shooting, which involved Blackwater security guards in a U.S. Embassy convoy.</div> <bR> <div> Three senior law enforcement officials said all the bodyguards involved, both in the vehicle convoy and in at least two helicopters above, were given the legal protections as investigators from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security sought to find out what happened.</div> <bR> <div> The bureau is an arm of the U.S. State Department.</div> <bR> <div> The apparent investigative misstep comes in the aftermath of already-strained relations between the United States and Iraq, which is demanding the right to launch its own prosecution of the Blackwater bodyguards.</div> <bR> <div> Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell refused to comment about the U.S. investigation. Blackwater USA is the largest of three private security firm protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq.</div> <bR> <div> The company has said its Sept. 16 convoy was under attack before it opened fire in west Baghdad's Nisoor Square, killing 17 Iraqis. But an investigation by the Iraqi government concluded that the shooting was unprovoked.</div> <bR> <div> An initial incident report by U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Iraq, also indicated "no enemy activity involved'' in the incident.</div> <bR> <div> The report says Blackwater guards were travelling against the flow of traffic through a traffic circle when they "engaged five civilian vehicles with small arms fire'' at a distance of 50 metres.</div> <bR> <div> The FBI took over the case early this month after prosecutors in the Justice Department's criminal division realized they could not bring charges against Blackwater guards based on their statements to the Diplomatic Security investigators, officials said.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 571 WIDTH="707"><div> Officials said the Blackwater bodyguards spoke only after receiving so-called "Garrity'' protections, requiring that their statements be used only internally and not for criminal prosecutions.</div> <bR> <div> At that point, the Justice Department shifted the investigation to prosecutors in its national security division, sealing the guards' statements and attempting to build a case based on other evidence from a crime scene that was then already two weeks old.</div> <bR> <div> The FBI has re-interviewed some of the Blackwater employees, and one official said Monday that at least several of them have refused to answer questions, citing their constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination. Any statements that the guards give to the FBI could be used to bring criminal charges.</div> <bR> <div> A second official, however, said that not all the guards have cited their Fifth Amendment rights not to incriminate themselves, which leaves open the possibility for future charges. The official would not elaborate.</div> <bR> <div> Garrity protections generally are given to police or other public law enforcement officers and were extended to the Blackwater guards because they were working on behalf of the U.S. government, one official said.</div> <bR> <div> Experts said it is rare for them to be given to all or even most witnesses, particularly before a suspect is identified.</div> <bR> <div> "You have to be careful,'' said Michael Horowitz, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan and senior Justice Department official. "You have to understand early on who your serious subjects are in the investigation, and avoid giving these people the protections.''</div> <bR> <div> It is not clear why the Diplomatic Security investigators agreed to give immunity to the bodyguards, or who authorized doing so.</div> <bR> <div> Richard Griffin, chief of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, announced his resignation last week.</div> <bR> <div> The resignation, effective Thursday, was directly related to his oversight of Blackwater contractors, say State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="29"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 252 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Country star Porter Wagoner dead at 80</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 29 2007 06:24  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 29th, 2007</div> <div> <B>NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Porter Wagoner was known for a string of country hits in the '60s, perennial appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in his trademark rhinestone suits, and for launching the career of Dolly Parton.</B></div> <bR> <div> Like many older performers, his star had faded in recent years. But his death from lung cancer Sunday, at 80, came only after a remarkable late-career revival that won him a new generation of fans.</div> <bR> <div> The Missouri-born Wagoner signed with RCA Records in 1955 and joined the Opry in 1957, "the greatest place in the world to have a career in country music," he said in 1997. His showmanship, suits and pompadoured hair made him famous.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c2b7a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Country singers Porter Wagoner, right, and Marty Stuart perform a song during Grammy Foundation's 9th Annual Music Preservation Project 'The Soul Country' event celebrating the history of country music at Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 463 WIDTH="707"><div> He had his own syndicated TV show, "The Porter Wagoner Show," for 21 years, beginning in 1960. It was one of the first syndicated shows to come out of Nashville and set a pattern for many others.</div> <bR> <div> "Some shows are mechanical, but ours was not polished and slick," he said in 1982.</div> <bR> <div> Among his hits, many of which he wrote or co-wrote, were "Carroll County Accident," "A Satisfied Mind," "Company's Comin'," "Skid Row Joe," "Misery Loves Company" and "Green Green Grass of Home."</div> <bR> <div> The songs often told stories of tragedy or despair. In "Carroll County Accident," a married man having an affair is killed in a car crash; "Skid Row Joe" deals with a once-famous singer who's lost everything.</div> <bR> <div> In 2002, he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.</div> <bR> <div> In May, after years without a recording contract, he signed with ANTI- records, an eclectic Los Angeles label best known for alt-rock acts like Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Neko Case.</div> <bR> <div> Wagoner's final album, "Wagonmaster," was released in June and earned him some of the best reviews of his career. Over the summer, he was the opening act for the influential rock duo White Stripes at a sold-out show at New York's Madison Square Garden.</div> <bR> <div> "The young people I met backstage, some of them were 20 years old. They wanted to get my autograph and tell me they really liked me," Porter said with tears in his eyes the day after the New York show. "If only they knew how that made me feel -- like a new breath of fresh air."</div> <bR> <div> To many music fans, Wagoner was best known as the man who boosted Parton's career. He had hired the 21-year-old singer as his duet partner in 1967, when she was just beginning to gain notice through songs such as "Dumb Blonde."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 496 WIDTH="707"><div> They were the Country Music Association's duo of the year in 1970 and 1971, recording hit duets including "The Last Thing on My Mind."</div> <bR> <div> Parton's solo country records, such as her autobiographical "Coat of Many Colors," also began climbing the charts in the early 1970s. She wrote the pop standard "I Will Always Love You" in 1973 after Wagoner suggested she shift from story songs to focus on love songs.</div> <bR> <div> The two quit singing duets in 1974 and she went on to wide stardom with pop hits and movies such as "9 to 5," whose theme song was also a hit for her.</div> <bR> <div> Wagoner sued her for $3 million in assets, but they settled out of court in 1980. He said later they were always friendly, "but it's a fact that when you're involved with attorneys and companies that have them on retainer, it makes a different story."</div> <bR> <div> At a charity roast for Wagoner in 1995, she explained the breakup this way: "We split over creative differences. I was creative, and Porter was different."</div> <bR> <div> He said in a 1982 Associated Press interview that his show "was a training ground for her; she learned a great deal and I exposed her to very important people and the country music fans."</div> <bR> <div> She was present at the ceremony in May 2007 honoring Wagoner on his silver anniversary with the Opry. At the time, he called Parton "one of my best friends today." She also visited him in the hospital as he battled cancer.</div> <bR> <div> Wagoner, who had survived an abdominal aneurysm in 2006, was hospitalized again this month and his publicist disclosed he had lung cancer. He died at 8:25 p.m. CDT Sunday in a Nashville hospice, said Darlene Bieber, a spokeswoman for the Opry.</div> <bR> <div> Country singer and Opry member Dierks Bentley visited Wagoner in the hospice over the weekend and said Wagoner led them in prayer, thanking God for his friends, his family and the Grand Ole Opry.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 447 WIDTH="707"><div> "The loss of Porter is a great loss for the Grand Ole Opry and for country music, and personally it is a great loss of a friend I was really just getting to know," Bentley said. "I feel blessed for the time I had with him."</div> <bR> <div> Pete Fisher, vice president and general manager of the Opry, said the Opry family of musicians and performers was deeply saddened by the news. "His passion for the Opry and all of country music was truly immeasurable," Fisher said.</div> <bR> <div> Wagoner was born in West Plains, Mo., and became known as "The Thin Man From West Plains" because of his lanky frame. He recalled that he spent hours as a child pretending to be an Opry performer, using a tree stump as a stage.</div> <bR> <div> He started in radio, then became a regular on the "Ozark Jubilee," one of the first televised national country music shows. On the Opry since 1957, he joined Roy Acuff and other onetime idols.</div> <bR> <div> At one point his wardrobe included more than 60 handmade rhinestone suits.</div> <bR> <div> "Rhinestone suits are just beautiful under the lights," he said. "They've become a big part of my career. I get more compliments on my outfits than any other entertainer -- except for Liberace."</div> <bR> <div> While he continued with the Opry, and even had a small part in the 1982 movie "Honky Tonk Man" starring Clint Eastwood, his recording career dried up in the 1980s -- until his return this year.</div> <bR> <div> "I stopped making records because I didn't like the way they were wanting me to record," he said. "When RCA dropped me from the label, I didn't really care about making records for another label because I didn't have any say in what they would release and how they would make the records and so forth."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="28"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 254 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Spacewalk uncovers potential ISS problem</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 28 2007 15:03  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 28th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Two astronauts from the shuttle Discovery successfully completed the mission's second space walk on Sunday and identified a potential problem on a rotary joint located on international space station's solar wing.</B></div> <bR> <div> Spacewalkers Scott Parazynski and Daniel Tani began their 6.5-hour jaunt at 5:32 a.m. ET.</div> <bR> <div> Tani was charged with inspecting the balky rotary joint for the station's solar wings and checked for possible sharp edges on a rail for the robotic arm.</div> <bR> <div> While no sharp edges were found on the robotic arm railings, Tani noticed "metal shavings and unusual wear on a race ring," NASA's website reported.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c2b5a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This image provided by NASA television shows astronaut Scott Parazynski exits the hatch on the Quest airlock of the International Space Station early Sunday Oct. 28, 2007 on the second space walk of Discovery's mission. (AP Photo/NASA)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 678 WIDTH="707"><div> NASA officials say the joint has been showing increased signs of friction recently. NASA engineers are analyzing the potential causes and consequences.</div> <bR> <div> The spacewalkers' other tasks included preparing an 18-tonne truss to for relocation and adding to equipment on the station's newly-installed module, Harmony.</div> <bR> <div> The pair unbolted the cords that held the massive truss to the top of the station. Astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Doug Wheelock used the Canadarm 2 to detach the truss and move the solar array section to a temporary holding position for the night.</div> <bR> <div> "Don't drop it!'' one of the spacewalkers joked.</div> <bR> <div> Installation will take place during a third spacewalk scheduled for Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Parazynski also installed spacewalking handrails and other equipment to the outside of Harmony. Space shuttle Discovery delivered the school-bus sized compartment. The astronauts installed it during their first space walk.</div> <bR> <div> Grapple fixtures were added to the module that will enable the Canadarm 2 to move the compartment from its current temporary location to its permanent home on the front of the Destiny laboratory.</div> <bR> <div> The Italian-built, multi-port module will serve as the docking port for European and Japanese laboratories that are scheduled for launch in December. The installation of the new compartment will serve to effectively double the amount of laboratory space on the station.</div> <bR> <div> The module will function as a central hub on the station, providing air, electricity and water for the crew. It was launched with sophisticated computer and electronic equipment pre-installed that was later tightly bolted down for the jarring trip to the space station.</div> <bR> <div> The crew first entered Harmony on Saturday to collect air samples.</div> <bR> <div> On Saturday, NASA officials decided against another inspection of shuttle Discovery's thermal shield, deeming it in good condition after Tuesday's launch.</div> <bR> <div> The crew is scheduled to participate in three more space walks during the mission. Four of the walks will be used to complete construction duties with the fifth used to test a method of fixing damaged thermal tiles on the shuttle using high-tech goo.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="27"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Suspected jihadists believed NATO ruled Afghanistan</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 27 2007 16:26  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 27th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Three self-confessed, 20-something Pakistani jihadists arrested in Afghanistan have an odd story to tell -- assuming it's true.</B></div> <bR> <div> "They'd followed the call from a religious leader in Pakistan to come in and wage jihad," CTV's Paul Workman told Newsnet on Saturday from Kandahar.</div> <bR> <div> "They were told that the 'infidels' -- the NATO forces -- were running this country now, and they came in to help drive them out."</div> <bR> <div> After their arrest, "they suddenly realize that Afghanistan is not ruled by infidels, that this very much still a Muslim country, and they were proclaiming their naivete," Workman said.</div> <bR> <div> An Afghan security official told a news conference that three suspected Taliban 'trainers' from Pakistan had been arrested as they travelled to Kandahar province.</div> <bR> <div> Security agents picked up the three men on the highway between Uruzgan province and Kandahar to the south, Abdul Qayoom, of the National Directorate for Security, said Saturday in Kandahar City.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c2b3a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A Pakistan paramilitary soldier monitors a main road as he takes position behind a bunker outskirt of Mingora in Pakistan's Swat district, bordering Afghanistan, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007. (AP Photo / Mohammad Zubair)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2b4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This file image from video obtained by CTV shows a heavily armed member of the Taliban.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 673 WIDTH="707"><div> Authorities said they believe the men are trainers for the Taliban, who have been trying to recruit more members to become suicide bombers.</div> <bR> <div> "The intelligence services say they knew they were coming and that they are not just naive foot soldiers, that they very much are involving in training people to make and set roadside bombs," Workman said.</div> <bR> <div> The arrests actually happened a week ago but only made public now. However, the Afghan security forces want to show that they are doing their jobs, he said.</div> <bR> <div> Qayoom told the news conference that all three have confessed and that they are from Peshawar, Pakistan.</div> <bR> <div> Peshawar is very close to the Afghan border.</div> <bR> <div> Many of the suicide bombers who have attacked Canadian and other NATO member convoys have been recruited from refugee camps on the Afghan-Pakistan border.</div> <bR> <div> More than 100 suicide blasts have been carried out so far this year, a record pace.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Bombing deaths</B></div> <bR> <div> A Saturday suicide bombing attack outside a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province left four Afghan soldiers and one Afghan civilian dead.</div> <bR> <div> Six other Afghans were left wounded in the blast.</div> <bR> <div> The bombing occurred at Forward Operating Base Bermel, the International Security Assistance Force said Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> There was no immediate claim of responsibility, nor was it clear if the bomber was trying to enter the base itself.</div> <bR> <div> In other news:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Taliban killed three Afghan police who stopped the militants from carrying out a kidnapping in Helmand province.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">U.S.-led coalition troops, combined with Afghan soldiers, killed a number of Taliban fighters near Musum Qala in Helmand province.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Australia's Prime Minister John Howard praised the contributions of Canadian and Dutch troops in Afghanistan and urged other NATO to help ease the combat burden in the volatile south.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="26"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Loonie hits 104 cents US as greenback falls</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 26 2007 07:43  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 26th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The Canadian dollar surged forward Friday, peaking at 104.12 cents US in overseas trading.</B></div> <bR> <div> On Thursday, the dollar closed up 0.34 of a cent to 103.53 cents US.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c293a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 456 WIDTH="707"><div> "There will be a deadening effect by a higher dollar," BNN's Michael Kane said Friday.</div> <bR> <div> "That does put pressure on the Bank of Canada to cut rates to keep the economy going and that would pull the dollar down."</div> <bR> <div> The dollar dropped Monday, closing at US$1.02, after Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said last weekend that the currency's recent surge was "abnormally quick."</div> <bR> <div> But since Monday, the loonie has managed to rebound strongly.</div> <bR> <div> Camilla Sutton, currency strategist at Scotia Capital, told The Canadian Press that Monday's pullback was provoked by risk-averse fears that global growth could slow.</div> <bR> <div> However, by Tuesday the market turned around and the U.S. dollar reverted, said Sutton.</div> <bR> <div> She said the U.S. greenback should weaken further next week as the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates.</div> <bR> <div> Traders and markets are expecting the bank to cut its benchmark rate from 4.75 per cent next week.</div> <bR> <div> The Canadian dollar is strongly influenced by the price of oil -- which soared today in Asian trading.</div> <bR> <div> Crude oil prices spiked above US$92 a barrel at one point, caused by tensions in the Middle East and renewed concerns about oil supplies.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="25"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 536 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>World's largest jetliner makes historic flight</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Oct. 25 2007 07:54  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 25th, 2007</div> <div> <B>SYDNEY -- The world's largest jetliner made aviation history Thursday, completing its first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney with 455 passengers, some of them ensconsed in luxury suites and double beds.</B></div> <bR> <div> The Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 took from Singapore's Changi Airport and landed about seven hours later in Sydney to launch a new era in air travel. Also on board flight SQ380 were a crew of about 30 including four pilots.</div> <bR> <div> Passengers clapped as the plane disengaged from the dock on schedule at 8 a.m. More cheers broke out 16 minutes later as the double-decker plane, powered by four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines, soared into the nearly cloudless sky.</div> <bR> <div> Flight attendants handed out champagne and certificates to passengers, some of whom paid tens of thousands of dollars in an online auction for the seats to be part of aviation history.</div> <bR> <div> "I have never been in anything like this in the air before in my life,'' said Australian Tony Elwood, reclining with his wife, Julie, on the double bed in their private first class suite.</div> <bR> <div> "It is going to make everything else after this simply awful,'' he said, sipping Dom Perignon rose after a lunch of marinated lobster and double boiled chicken soup. He paid US$50,000 for the two places.</div> <bR> <div> The double-decker A380 ends the nearly 37-year reign of the Boeing 747 jumbojet as the world's most spacious passenger plane. The A380 is also the most fuel efficient and quietest passenger jet ever built, from inside and outside, according to its European manufacturer, Airbus SAS.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c2a5a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The first commercial A380 flight touches down at Sydney International Airport in Australia on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. (AP / Rob Griffith)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2a6a0fa0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Australians Tony and Julie Elwood share a romantic moment on their double bed in the exclusive suite aboard the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. (AP / Gillian Wong)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 968 WIDTH="707"><div> It was delivered to Singapore Airlines on Oct. 15, nearly two years behind schedule after billions of dollars in cost overruns for Airbus. Still, the wait was worth it, says Singapore Airlines, which got the exclusivity of being the plane's sole operator for 10 months.</div> <bR> <div> "This is indeed a new milestone in the timeline of aviation,'' said Chew Choon Seng, chief executive of Singapore Airlines in a speech before the departure.</div> <bR> <div> The Boeing 747 jumbo jet generally carries about 400 passengers. The A380 -- as tall as a seven-story building with each wing big enough to hold 70 cars -- is capable of carrying 853 passengers in an all-economy class configuration.</div> <bR> <div> However, Singapore Airlines, recognized as one of the best in the world, opted for 471 seats in three classes -- 12 Singapore Airlines Suites, 60 business class and 399 economy class.</div> <bR> <div> Each suite, enclosed by sliding doors, is fitted with a leather upholstered seat, a table, a 23-inch (58-centimeter) flat screen TV, laptop connections and a range of office software. A separate bed folds up into the wall. Two of the suites can be joined to provide double beds, one of which the Elwoods occupied.</div> <bR> <div> On the upper deck, business class seats can turn into wide flat beds, while the economy class seats on both decks will enjoy more leg and knee room, the carrier says. Business class passengers also have a bar area.</div> <bR> <div> Francis Wu, a San Francisco student who turned 22 on the flight, was updating his journal on the in-flight computer system when airline crew surprised him with a white chocolate cake and a song.</div> <bR> <div> "This is the best birthday I have ever had in my whole life,'' he said.</div> <bR> <div> Wu was not the only one celebrating. The entire flight was alive with a festive atmosphere with passengers lining up to get autographs from chief pilot Robert Ting, who came out of the cockpit.</div> <bR> <div> "Not even three or four years ago had I dreamed of flying this airplane. So this is a blessing that I am flying it today,'' Ting said.</div> <bR> <div> Singapore Airlines auctioned most of the seats on the inaugural flight on eBay, raising US$1.26 million for charity. The highest bidder was Briton Julian Hayward who bought two suite seats for US$100,380.</div> <bR> <div> Analysts say that with about 70 more seats than the 747, the A380 is set to provide much needed extra capacity and greater efficiency for the air carrier on the busy Singapore-Sydney route, and the Singapore-London route expected to start in February with the delivery of the second plane.</div> <bR> <div> Singapore Airlines has ordered a total of 19 A380s, hoping to benefit from a recent boom in air travel that has seen global air traffic growing 5 to 10 percent a year.</div> <bR> <div> Dubai-based Emirates, Airbus' largest A380 customer with 55 on order, will take its first delivery only in August 2008.</div> <bR> <div> Still, not all analysts are convinced that the plane, which has a list price of US$320 million, will be a success.</div> <bR> <div> "I see there's some demand for the A380, but it's an expensive way to address a small market,'' said Standard & Poor's Equity Research analyst Shukor Yusof.</div> <bR> <div> Shukor said the market was set to be dominated by mid-sized, long haul two-engine aircraft such as the rival Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which offers greater fuel efficiency than four-engine jets of the same size.</div> <bR> <div> He pointed out that orders for the 787 have exceeded 700. The A380 has received 165 orders to date.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="24"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Warming may bring mass extinctions: study</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 24 2007 07:53  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 24th, 2007</div> <div> <B>WASHINGTON -- Whenever the world's tropical seas warm several degrees, Earth has experienced mass extinctions over millions of years, said a first-of-its-kind statistical study of fossil records.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c2a1a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 583 WIDTH="707"><div> And scientists fear it may be about to happen again -- but in a matter of several decades, not tens of millions of years.</div> <bR> <div> Four of the five major extinctions over 520 million years of Earth history have been linked to warmer tropical seas, something that indicates a warmer world overall, said the study published Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> "We found that over the fossil record as a whole, the higher the temperatures have been, the higher the extinctions have been,'' said University of York ecologist Peter Mayhew, the co-author of the peer-reviewed research published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a British journal.</div> <bR> <div> Earth is on track to hit that same level of extinction-connected warming in about 100 years, unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed, top scientists say.</div> <bR> <div> A second study, to be presented at a scientific convention Sunday, links high carbon dioxide levels, the chief man-made gas responsible for global warming, to past extinctions.</div> <bR> <div> In the British study, Mayhew and his colleagues looked at temperatures in 10-million-year chunks because fossil records aren't that precise in time measurements. They then compared those with the number of species, the number of species families and overall biodiversity. They found more biodiversity with lower temperatures and more species dying with higher temperatures.</div> <bR> <div> The researchers examined tropical sea temperatures -- the only ones that can be determined from fossil records and go back hundreds of millions of years. They indicate a natural 60-million-year climate cycle that moves from a warmer "greenhouse'' to a cooler "icehouse.'' The Earth is warming from its current colder period.</div> <bR> <div> Every time the tropical sea temperatures were about four degrees C warmer than they are now and stayed that way for millions of enough years, there was a die-off. How fast extinctions happen varies in length.</div> <bR> <div> The study linked mass extinctions with higher temperatures but did not try to establish a cause-and-effect. For example, the most recent mass extinction, the one 65 million years ago that included the die-off of dinosaurs, probably was caused by an asteroid collision as scientists theorize and Mayhew agrees.</div> <bR> <div> But extinctions were likely happening anyway as temperatures were increasing, Mayhew said. Massive volcanic activity, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, has also been blamed for the dinosaur extinction.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 566 WIDTH="707"><div> The author of the second study, which focuses on carbon dioxide, said he does see a cause-and-effect between warmer seas and extinctions.</div> <bR> <div> Peter Ward, a University of Washington biology and paleontology professor, said natural increases in carbon dioxide warmed the air and ocean. The warmer water had less oxygen and spawned more microbes, which in turn spewed toxic hydrogen sulphide into the air and water, killing species.</div> <bR> <div> Ward examined 13 major and minor extinctions in the past and found a common link: rising carbon dioxide levels in the air and falling oxygen levels. Ward's study will be presented Sunday at the Geological Society of America's annual convention in Denver.</div> <bR> <div> Mayhew also found increasing carbon dioxide levels in the air coinciding with die-offs but concluded temperatures better predicted biodiversity.</div> <bR> <div> Those higher temperatures that coincided with mass extinctions are about the same level forecast for a century from now if the world continues its growing emissions of greenhouse gases, the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said.</div> <bR> <div> In April, the same climate panel of thousands of scientists warned "20 to 30 per cent of animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction'' if temperatures increase by about two degrees C.</div> <bR> <div> "Since we're already seeing threshold changes in ecosystems with the relatively small amount of climate change already taking place, one could expect there's going to be severe transformations,'' said biologist Thomas Lovejoy, president of the H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment in Washington.</div> <bR> <div> University of Texas biologist Camille Parmesan, who studies how existing species are changing with global warming but wasn't part of either team, said she was "blown away'' by the Mayhew study and called it "very convincing.''</div> <bR> <div> "This will give scant comfort to anyone who says that the world has often been warmer than recently, so we're just going back to a better world,'' Pennsylvania State University geological sciences professor Richard Alley said.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="23"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 626 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Bush declares emergency over California wildfires</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 23 2007 07:59  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 23rd, 2007</div> <div> <B>U.S. President George Bush declared an emergency early Tuesday in parts of Southern California. The move is aimed at speeding delivery of federal disaster relief to firefighters battling out-of-control wildfires in seven counties.</B></div> <bR> <div> Wind-driven fires have damaged or destroyed more than 800 homes and businesses and forced the evacuation of some 265,000 residents.</div> <bR> <div> The flames are being driven by the hot, dry Santa Ana desert winds and Tuesday's forecast shows even hotter temperatures and more explosive gusts to come.</div> <bR> <div> "Fortunately on Thursday we are expected to see a change in conditions, meteorologists think those winds will head offshore and that could be huge," CNN's Kara Finnstrom reported Tuesday from San Diego.</div> <bR> <div> A White House statement said Tuesday's emergency declaration authorizes Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Measures Agency (FEMA) to co-ordinate disaster relief efforts in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.</div> <bR> <div> "Lots of resources are headed this way now... some military helicopters, a lot more firefighting forces and other resources will be coming in," Finnstrom told CTV's Canada AM.</div> <bR> <div> California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger already declared a state of emergency Monday in the seven affected counties after firefighters battled the blazes on the weekend.</div> <bR> <div> So far, the fires have killed one person and injured at least 16 firefighters and 42 others.</div> <bR> <div> Fires are blazing from the beaches of Malibu to the mountain retreats east of Los Angeles. They have also moved south through Orange and San Diego counties to Mexico.</div> <bR> <div> At least 600 buildings, including 500 homes and 100 commercial properties, have been destroyed in northern San Diego County.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c29ba0f00.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Trees erupt in flames and dark smoke obscures the sun as fire leaps across Piuma Road in the Santa Monica mountains as fire continues to burn in Malibu, Calif. (AP / Reed Saxon)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c29aa0dc0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="220" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Orange County Fire burns east of Irvine, Calif. on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. (AP / Chris Carlson)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 360 WIDTH="707"><div> At least 250,000 residents in San Diego County alone were forced to evacuate.</div> <bR> <div> Schools buses and ambulances were used to evacuate hundreds of patients from a hospital and nursing homes in Poway, San Diego, sheriff's officials said.</div> <bR> <div> San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, home to the NFL's Chargers, was turned into an evacuation centre, where thousands of people huddled and watched TV reports on the disaster.</div> <bR> <div> In the community of Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles, at least 160 homes were destroyed by a pair of wildfires.</div> <bR> <div> In Orange County, heavy smoke forced officials to evacuate more than a thousand inmates from a jail and bus the prisoners to another facility in Irvine.</div> <bR> <div> One of the fires, in Orange County, is believed to have been set by arsonists. Other blazes, threatening the homes of celebrity-laden Malibu, are believed to have been caused by power lines.</div> <bR> <div> Among the celebrities forced to flee were Mel Gibson, Kelsey Grammer and Victoria Principal, their publicists confirmed.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="22"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Dollar down after Dodge questions its climb</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 22 2007 09:02  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 22nd, 2007</div> <div> <B>The Canadian dollar dropped 1.51 cents Monday, to 102.04 cents US, following comments from Bank of Canada governor David Dodge on the weekend that the currency's recent surge may be unjustified.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c293a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 592 WIDTH="707"><div> The dollar had closed at $1.0355 cents US on Friday, a gain of 21 per cent since the beginning of 2007. Most of the gains have occurred since August.</div> <bR> <div> "The recent round of appreciation has been abnormally quick and doesn't seem to be related to the domestic factors, which would normally lead to that sort of appreciation,'' Dodge told an audience of international bankers in Washington Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> Also Sunday, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told CTV's Question Period that the weakened U.S. dollar and credit crunch in the housing sector has sparked North American recession fears and forced Canada to support its neighbour to the south.</div> <bR> <div> "Canada has borne a disproportionate burden in terms of the depreciation of the U.S. dollar. We've suffered a third of that burden with the European community, but we're only 33 million people and they are 300 million people or more," Flaherty said.</div> <bR> <div> Flaherty said he plans to meet this week with representatives of the Retail Council of Canada to discuss the high value the Canadian dollar.</div> <bR> <div> He said he plans to address concern that prices haven't been lowered by retailers despite the dramatic rise in the loonie.</div> <bR> <div> Last Thursday, the Bank of Canada said that the country's economy has already begun to cool and would run out of steam by the end of the year.</div> <bR> <div> ''Although Canada's economic growth in the first half of 2007 was somewhat stronger than earlier projected, the projection for the second half of this year and for the first half of 2008 is somewhat weaker,'' the bank said.</div> <bR> <div> ''This reflects the downward revision to the growth projections in the U.S. gross domestic product, as well as the effect of the higher assumed level of the Canadian dollar.''</div> <bR> <div> However, the central bank did predict that the economy would make a soft landing.</div> <bR> <div> The bank said it expected the loonie to remain high and forecasted that it would hover at about 98 cents US for the next two years.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="21"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 487 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Russian spacecraft misses target but lands safely</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 21 2007 07:23  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 21st, 2007</div> <div> <B>MOSCOW -- A Soyuz craft veered off its designated course Sunday while headed for its landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan but safely brought two Russian cosmonauts and Malaysia's first space traveler back to Earth, officials said.</B></div> <bR> <div> The landing capsule carrying Russians Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov, and Malaysian Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, deviated from its intended landing site after a technical glitch during the descent, Russia's Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said.</div> <bR> <div> However, it landed safely -- one minute ahead of schedule-- and the crew was unharmed, he said.</div> <bR> <div> Russian search and rescue teams quickly located the craft, which landed just under 340 kilometres west of the designated landing site near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, NASA reported on its Web site.</div> <bR> <div> It said all the three crew members were feeling fine.</div> <bR> <div> The spacecraft's descent deviated from the intended path apparently due to a computer glitch, and the crew were subjected to higher than normal gravity load on their descent, Lyndin said.</div> <bR> <div> Yurchikhin and Kotov were returning home after a six-month stint at the international space station. Sheikh had been at the orbital outpost since Oct. 12.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c291a05a0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Mi-17 helicopters of Russian search and rescue teams fly above the Kazakh steppe near the northern town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007, during a search of a Soyuz spacecraft. (AP Photo / Sergey Ponomarev,Pool)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c290a0af0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="175" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Malaysia's first space traveler Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor gestures after arriving in the town of Kustanai in north-central Kazakhstan, Sunday, Oct. 21 2007. (AP Photo / Sergey Ponomarev,Pool)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canadian couple to fight U.S. car discrimination case</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 20 2007 11:20  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 20th, 2007</div> <div> <B>BANGOR, Maine -- A Canadian couple who say they were turned down dozens of times when they tried to buy a new car in the United States are challenging what they regard as illegal discrimination.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c28ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 732 WIDTH="707"><div> Rhonda Chancey and Allan Coombs, a married couple from Paradise, Nfld., claim that more than 80 New England dealerships, including 61 in Maine, refused their business.</div> <bR> <div> Chancey and Coombs filed a discrimination complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission and plan to sue five car companies. Similar complaints are planned in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to the couple's lawyer, Stephanie Jazlowiecki of Topsham.</div> <bR> <div> Jazlowiecki said General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge were seeking to maximize profits by not allowing Canadians to take advantage of their strong dollar and buy new cars in the United States, where prices are much lower.</div> <bR> <div> "The dealerships' uniform denial of sales of new vehicles to Canadian citizens is a blatant pattern and practice of nation of origin discrimination,'' Jazlowiecki told the Bangor Daily News.</div> <bR> <div> "Individual dealerships claim they are not allowed or that it is illegal to sell to Canadians. But this would appear to be a patent violation of state and federal anti-discrimination laws, as well as federal anti-competition statutes,'' she said.</div> <bR> <div> Automakers impose the same rule on Canadian dealerships, barring U.S. residents from buying vehicles when the dollar is particularly strong, Jazlowiecki said.</div> <bR> <div> Chancey and Coombs visited most of the dealerships and e-mailed some of them in the last two months, Jazlowiecki said.</div> <bR> <div> In many cases, sales staff only became aware of the manufacturer's rule against selling to Canadians when they tried to go forward with a transaction, the lawyer said. She said dealers were permitted to sell the couple a used vehicle.</div> <bR> <div> Savings can be significant. A $40,000 Cadillac Escalade in the United States now fetches about $80,000 in Canada, Jazlowiecki said.</div> <bR> <div> Last month, consumer advocacy groups in Canada filed a class-action lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court seeking $2 billion in general damages and $100 million in punitive damages from General Motors, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan for allegedly fixing car prices 25 per cent to 35 per cent higher in Canada than in the United States.</div> <bR> <div> Jazlowiecki said her clients' case could also warrant class-action status. She said she has "been getting calls left and right'' from Canadians who also have tried unsuccessfully to purchase cars in the U.S.</div> <bR> <div> Chancey and Coombs finally did buy a car, a 2008 Pontiac Torrent. A relative in New Hampshire purchased it for them at a local dealership and then sold it to the couple.</div> <bR> <div> Even though they had to pay transfer tax and sales tax twice, the vehicle was still cheaper than it would have been in Canada, Jazlowiecki said. </div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="19"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 730 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canadian pedophile suspect arrested in Thailand</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 19 2007 08:26  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 19th, 2007</div> <div> <B>A Canadian accused of sexually abusing boys was caught during a morning raid in rural Thailand Friday, ending an intensive international manhunt.</B></div> <bR> <div> Christopher Paul Neil, of Maple Ridge, B.C., was arrested in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, about 250 km from Bangkok.</div> <bR> <div> With a blue shirt draped over his head, the 32-year-old said nothing to reporters Friday as officers led him into Bangkok's national police headquarters in handcuffs.</div> <bR> <div> At a news conference later, Neil sat quietly with dark sunglasses on his face as officials with the Royal Thai Police addressed a throng of reporters.</div> <bR> <div> Police said they tracked Neil by tracing the mobile phone of his 25-year-old Thai boyfriend, Reuters reported.</div> <bR> <div> "They went together to different provinces, probably on the run, and the last call made was from Nakhon Ratchasima. So I sent my men there," tourist police chief Chuchart Suwannakom told the news agency.</div> <bR> <div> Col. Paisal, superintendent of the Tourist Police Division, said police located the Thai man, whom they described as a transvestite, in the neighbouring province of Chaiyaphum on Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> The man admitted he knew Neil's whereabouts and led police to a rented house in Nakhon Ratchasima.</div> <bR> <div> When police raided the house, Neil answered and did not put up a fight. He refused to answer questions and demanded a lawyer, CTV's Steve Chao reported from Bangkok.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Manhunt</B></div> <bR> <div> Neil abruptly left his teaching job in South Korea and flew to Thailand last week, after digitally unscrambled images of a pedophilia suspect were released to the public.</div> <bR> <div> German police, investigating the case for about three years, say they discovered about 200 photos of a man sexually abusing children -- but his face had been digitally disguised.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c282a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil is shown at a police news conference in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. (AP / Apichart Weerawong)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c283a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil is led by Thai police to a new conference in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. (AP / Sakchai Lalit)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c284a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil's Canadian passport is seen in this image released by Interpol.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c271a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil is seen in this image made available by Interpol, the world's largest international police organization.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 687 WIDTH="707"><div> Investigators say the break came after they were able to digitally reconstruct a man's face in the pictures, which they then released to the media through Interpol on Oct. 8.</div> <bR> <div> The images were allegedly posted on the Internet in 2004, but were likely taken in 2002 and 2003 in Cambodia and Vietnam.</div> <bR> <div> On Monday, after receiving hundreds of tips, Interpol announced it had identified the suspect but did not release his name. However, Thai and Cambodian police revealed a name, age and nationality on Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> Last week, cameras at the immigration counter in Bangkok's airport captured photos of Neil arriving in the country.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Allegations</B></div> <bR> <div> After those images aired, police say three Thai youths came forward Wednesday alleging they were paid to perform oral sex in 2003, a police official told The Associated Press. At the time, the boys were 9, 13 and 14.</div> <bR> <div> Two of the boys also claim they were shown pornographic images at the suspect's apartment.</div> <bR> <div> The Thai warrant was based on the testimony of one of the boys, who said he was lured to the suspect's apartment by a Thai man, said police Maj. Gen. Wimol Powintara.</div> <bR> <div> In that case, Neil is charged with detention of a child under 15 without parental consent, punishable by up to three years in prison; taking a child under 15 from his parents without consent, punishable by five to 20 years; and sexual abuse of a child under 15, punishable by up to 10 years.</div> <bR> <div> Additional charges could be added.</div> <bR> <div> The allegations also stretch to dozens of Cambodian and Vietnamese boys. Thailand is the first country to bring charges against Neil. Interpol's "Red Notice" requests the subject's arrest for extradition.</div> <bR> <div> Under Canada's Criminal Code, there are provisions to charge someone in this country for certain offences committed abroad, including crimes that fall under the category of "sex tourism."</div> <bR> <div> Canada has an extradition treaty with Thailand, which could allow Neil to be tried here.</div> <bR> <div> As well, the RCMP confirmed Thursday to The Canadian Press that it is conducting an investigation of Neil's activities in Canada, including time spent working as a counsellor and chaplain at an air cadet centre in Nova Scotia.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="18"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 432 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Thai police issue warrant for alleged pedophile</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Oct. 18 2007 07:54  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 18th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Thai police issued an arrest warrant Thursday for a suspected Canadian pedophile, following new allegations from a group of young boys.</B></div> <bR> <div> Police Maj. Gen. Wimon Pao-in said authorities were tracking Christopher Paul Neil, already the target of a global Interpol manhunt, through a network of his friends in Thailand.</div> <bR> <div> "We have an arrest warrant for him now and we will release information about him to the media soon,'' said Wimon, the local official in charge of the case.</div> <bR> <div> Neil, a 32-year-old native of British Columbia, recently worked as an ESL teacher in Korea and is believed to have slipped into Thailand last Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> German police have been trying to identify the suspect for about three years. They allegedly discovered about 200 photos of a man sexually abusing children -- but his face had been digitally disguised.</div> <bR> <div> The break came when German investigators were able to allegedly restore the images to their original state, which they then released to the media through Interpol.</div> <bR> <div> The images were allegedly posted on the Internet in 2004, but were likely taken in 2002 and 2003 in Cambodia and Vietnam.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c27ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Maj.-Gen. Wimol Pao-in, commander of the Crime against Children and Women Division, shows an image of Christopher Paul Neil at his office in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. (AP / Apichart Weerawong)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c271a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil is seen in this image made available by Interpol, the world's largest international police organization.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 561 WIDTH="707"><div> On Monday, after receiving hundreds of tips, Interpol announced it had identified the suspect but did not release his name. However, Thai and Cambodian police revealed the man's name, age and nationality on Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Allegations </B></div> <div> Three Thai youths came forward Wednesday alleging they were paid to perform oral sex in 2003, Wimon told The Associated Press. At the time, the boys were 9, 13 and 14.</div> <bR> <div> Two of the boys also claim they were shown pornographic images at the suspect's apartment.</div> <bR> <div> The suspect is alleged to have had sex that year with at least one other boy, said Wimon. The boys were allegedly paid between US$16 to $32 for sexual relations.</div> <bR> <div> Neil worked at the Ramkhamlaeng Advent International School -- a Christian school in the outskirts of Bangkok -- between August 2003 to January 2004, reports AP.</div> <bR> <div> An assistant chairman at the school told AP that Neil didn't pass probation and was given verbal and written warnings about his performance.</div> <bR> <div> CTV's Steve Chao, accompanying Thailand's sex-crimes unit Thursday, said the manhunt is in full swing, now that police have secured an arrest warrant.</div> <bR> <div> "We understand that there are three charges levied against him at this point," Chao reported from Bangkok.</div> <bR> <div> "We're told by police that the charges of sexual abuse and abduction come with about a 20-year jail sentence."</div> <bR> <div> Canadian authorities have said they would like to seek extradition if Neil is captured.</div> <bR> <div> "Extradition is a distinct possibility," said Chao. "Right now though... there's a high possibility as well that Thailand may choose to prosecute him."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="17"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 147 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>National homicide rate drops in 2006: StatsCan</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 17 2007 10:09  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 17th, 2007</div> <div> <B>OTTAWA -- The national homicide rate dropped 10 per cent in 2006, while the number of killings committed with firearms fell for the first time in four years.</B></div> <bR> <div> The homicide rate across Canada dropped 10 per cent last year, while the number of murders committed with a firearm also fell.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ba2aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 651 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> Canada's police services reported 605 homicides in 2006, 58 fewer than the previous year, says a new <U>report</U> from Statistics Canada.</div> <bR> <div> The decline translated into a national rate of 1.85 homicides per 100,000 people in Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Additionally, the number of homicides committed with a firearm dropped for the first time in four years.</div> <bR> <div> Of the 605 homicides, 190 were carried out with a firearm -- 33 fewer than in 2005.</div> <bR> <div> The homicide rate has been on a general decline since the mid-1970s when it peaked at more than three homicides per 100,000. In 2003, Canada's homicide rate reached a 35-year-low of 1.73.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, the rate of youth aged 12 to 17 accused of homicide was at its highest point last year since 1961, says the report. A total of 84 youth were accused of homicide in 2006, 12 more than in 2005.</div> <bR> <div> The majority of homicide victims were killed by someone they knew:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">About one-third of victims were killed by an acquaintance.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">17 per cent by a spouse.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">19 per cent by a family member other than a spouse.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">12 per cent by someone known through criminal activities.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">17 per cent by strangers.</div> <bR> <div> The figures come just a day after the Tories' speech from the throne declared crime, and gun violence, one of the government's top priorities.</div> <bR> <div> The speech outlined plans for a new "Tackling Violent Crime" bill that would crack down on impaired driving and set mandatory prison terms for gun crimes.</div> <bR> <div> Toronto reported the most shooting deaths in 2006, with 34; however, based on population, Edmonton had the highest firearm homicide rate.</div> <bR> <div> Increases were seen in other violent crimes, including attempted murder, serious assaults and robberies, says Statistics Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="16"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 610 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Suspected pedophile identified as Canadian</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 16 2007  12:07  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 16th, 2007</div> <div> <B>A suspected pedophile who had his computer-altered photos digitally unmasked by Interpol has been identified as a 32-year-old Canadian teacher.</B></div> <bR> <div> On Monday, after receiving hundreds of tips, Interpol announced it had identified the suspect but did not release his name. However, Thai and Cambodian police revealed the man's name, age and nationality Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> "The name was given to us from the Korean police. We provided them with some basic information and they were able to help us with that," Interpol crime intelligence officer Anders Persson told CTV Newsnet from Lyon, France on Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> Investigators believe Christopher Paul Neil is in Thailand, possibly hiding out in a hotel.</div> <bR> <div> "We know that he arrived in Bangkok and we have camera footage which you have seen of him coming in at Bangkok airport, but at that point the trail has gone cold," Interpol's Mick Moran told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> Moran said Neil was most recently working as a teacher in South Korea but had also taught in Thailand and Vietnam.</div> <bR> <div> Police allege the suspect has been going around the world preying on young boys and taking pictures of his encounters.</div> <bR> <div> They allege he would then post the images on the Internet after digitally altering his face. Police have about 200 photos of the man with a dozen boys posted on the Internet in 2004, but likely taken in 2002 and 2003.</div> <bR> <div> Interpol believes the photos were taken in Cambodia and Vietnam.</div> <bR> <div> Neil's younger brother Matthew says the family is devastated by the allegations and has had no contact with Neil since he left for South Korea in August.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c271a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil is seen in this image made available by Interpol, the world's largest international police organization.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c272a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil is seen in this image made available by Interpol.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c273a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Christopher Paul Neil is seen in these images released by Interpol on Monday, Oct. 8, 2007. German specialists produced the identifiable images from the original pictures, where his face had been digitally blurred.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 692 WIDTH="707"><div> "My mother is devastated and the family is in shock,'' the 30-year-old told The Canadian Press from the family home in Maple Ridge, B.C.</div> <bR> <div> "We're co-operating with RCMP and Interpol. We're hoping this comes to a quick close.''</div> <bR> <div> He says the family first found out about the allegations last week when RCMP officers contacted them to identity photos.</div> <bR> <div> Last week, Interpol unscrambled images of the suspect -- who had used standard Adobe Photoshop software to create a swirl over his face -- and released them to media outlets worldwide.</div> <bR> <div> "When this went public last week it is our understanding that he didn't turn up for work then and he immediately bought a one way ticket, full-fare paid, to Bangkok from Korea," said Moran.</div> <bR> <div> Moran said authorities in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand have all been alerted to look out for Neil.</div> <bR> <div> "We'd like to appeal to him to come in and give himself up if he's in a position to do so," said Moran.</div> <bR> <div> At first, Interpol sent the photos of the man to police around the world, but when that failed, police said they had no other choice.</div> <bR> <div> Persson said crimes involving children are usually met with resounding public assistance.</div> <bR> <div> "We have learned during the years that crimes against children are something the public is very upset about. Anyone who can possibly help law enforcement solve crimes against children, they very much do so," Persson said.</div> <bR> <div> "We had a very good response and a lot of high-quality information from the public, which we really very much appreciate."</div> <bR> <div> The Toronto police child exploitation unit -- an elite body that hunts suspected pedophiles internationally -- says Neil will be extradited to Canada and prosecuted here once he's arrested.</div> <bR> <div> Kim Scanlan, of the sex crimes unit says, "the paperwork has been put place for that to happen.''</div> <bR> <div> A Canadian Embassy spokesman declined comment Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> Interpol is asking anyone who may have information about Neil to contact local police. They also asked the public not to take direct action.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="15"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 210 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>PMO working on government-controlled media centre</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 15 2007  08:34  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 15th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The Prime Minister's Office has been secretly working on plans to build a government-controlled briefing room, which would supplant the current National Press Theatre.</B></div> <bR> <div> The plan, with an estimated cost of $2 million, has been in the works since at least last year, reveal documents obtained by the <I>Toronto Star</I> under the Access to Information Act.</div> <bR> <div> The Privy Council Office and the PMO have been working on the "special project for the PM, otherwise reffered (sic) as the Shoe Store Project," says the documents.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c26aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper answers reporters questions during his first press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007. (CP / Fred Chartrand)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 641 WIDTH="707"><div> Officials have been looking into renovating an old shoe store, located near the PMO and PCO in Langevin Block, "for the possible use of the PM."</div> <bR> <div> The "dedicated press availability facility" is part of plans to "put in place robust physical and information security measures to protect the Prime Minister and Cabinet," stated one document obtained by the newspaper.</div> <bR> <div> The National Press Theatre is operated by members of the parliamentary press gallery, meaning the prime minister has no control over who is asking questions.</div> <bR> <div> Until an impromptu press conference earlier this month, Harper had never used the theatre since being elected 20 months ago.</div> <bR> <div> Harper has had a sometimes frosty relationship with the national press corps, stemming from his staff's tight control over news conferences and lack of accessibility to MPs and cabinet ministers.</div> <bR> <div> The new facility could impose even stricter measures, giving the PMO control over who may enter and possibly what gets filmed and broadcast.</div> <bR> <div> One document shows staff established a working list for what to put in the Shoe Store Project, including "a stage or riser; comfortable seating for 40-80 people, security at the back and front door, electronic feeds for sound, sound boards, simultaneous translation space, phone-in capacity, proper lighting for cameras (may require drapes for windows), tables for handouts, products, etc., glasses, water, flags, backdrop, photocopier, full work station/internet hook-up, printer (large-capacity) in the back for officials to use, washroom facilities."</div> <bR> <div> A hand-drawn sketch of the facility also shows a space for "maybe permanently installed cameras with feeds to media."</div> <bR> <div> That suggests that the news cameras could be controlled by government employees instead of independent media journalists, reports the <I>Star</I>.</div> <bR> <div> Many details of the project were blacked-out or withheld because of "international affairs and defence," "security," and cabinet confidentiality.</div> <bR> <div> However, the <I>Star</I> reports that concept drawings and preliminary cost estimates were to be completed by the end of this year.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="14"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Blood test could one day predict Alzheimer's risk</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 14 2007  13:10  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 14th, 2007</div> <div> <B>U.S. researchers say they are developing a blood test that can help to detect Alzheimer's disease two to six years before the onset of the disease.</B></div> <bR> <div> The test identifies changes in a handful of blood plasma proteins that cells use to send </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c268a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 725 WIDTH="707"><div> messages to one another.</div> <bR> <div> The research team at the Stanford University School of Medicine discovered a connection between shifts in the cells' "dialogue" and the changes in the brain that mark Alzheimer's.</div> <bR> <div> By "listening" to the way different proteins communicate, the researchers say they can measure whether something is going wrong in the cells. Their "chatter" takes on a different tone, explains Tony Wyss-Coray, associate professor of neurology and neurological sciences and senior author of the study.</div> <bR> <div> They found that the blood test could indicate who would develop Alzheimer's with 90 per cent accuracy.</div> <bR> <div> The study will appear in the Oct. 15 advance online edition of <I>Nature Medicine</I>.</div> <bR> <div> Currently, the only way to clinically diagnose Alzheimer's is by ruling out other causes of cognitive declines, such as stroke and tumours. What often remains is Alzheimer's, the most common cause of dementia.</div> <bR> <div> Even the clinical diagnosis is imperfect, and the only definitive diagnosis is by brain autopsy after a person has died.</div> <bR> <div> The researchers came to their findings after obtaining 259 blood samples from individuals who had symptoms ranging from nothing abnormal to mild cognitive impairment to advanced Alzheimer's.</div> <bR> <div> Starting with 120 communication proteins, the team developed an analysis procedure to recognize if there was a pattern seen in Alzheimer's that could be compared with that of people without the condition.</div> <bR> <div> They discovered that as few as 18 proteins were sufficient to identify an Alzheimer's-specific pattern.</div> <bR> <div> Among blood samples from 92 individuals who ranged from no symptoms to full dementia, the protein analysis matched the clinical diagnosis 90 per cent of the time.</div> <bR> <div> In their study, the team determined that the 18 proteins that indicate Alzheimer's are also involved in the production of new blood cells, immune processes and apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death when a cell is no longer needed.</div> <bR> <div> "Our hypothesis is that there is something wrong with the production of certain blood cells, which may be needed to clear that stuff that accumulates in the brain in Alzheimer's disease," said Wyss-Coray.</div> <bR> <div> "That makes a lot of sense, and it is very exciting to think of immune cells and molecules interacting with the brain."</div> <bR> <div> The authors emphasize their findings need to be confirmed in further clinical trials.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="13"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Dutch ban famed hallucinatory 'magic' mushrooms</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 12 2007  08:45  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 13th, 2007</div> <div> <B>AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The Dutch government said Friday that it will ban the sale of hallucinatory mushrooms, rolling back one element of the country's permissive drug policy after a series of high-profile negative incidents.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c25aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 793 WIDTH="707"><div> The decision will go into effect within several months and doesn't need parliamentary approval, Justice Ministry spokesman Wim van der Weegen said.</div> <bR> <div> "We intend to forbid the sale of 'magic' mushrooms," he said. "That means shops caught doing so will be closed."</div> <bR> <div> Under the country's famed tolerance policy, marijuana and hashish are technically illegal but police don't bother to prosecute people for possession of small amounts, and they are sold openly in designated cafes.</div> <bR> <div> Possession of "hard" drugs like cocaine and Ecstasy is illegal.</div> <bR> <div> Psilocybin, the main active chemical in the mushrooms, has been illegal under international law since 1971. However, mushrooms that are fresh and unprocessed in any way have continued to be sold legally in the Netherlands, on the theory that it was impossible to determine how much of the naturally occurring substance any given mushroom contains.</div> <bR> <div> Mushrooms will fall somewhere in the middle of the Dutch legality scale.</div> <bR> <div> "We're not talking about a non-prosecution policy, but we'll be targeting sellers," Van der Weegen said.</div> <bR> <div> Van der Weegen said that, in the end, that was also the reason the policy proved unworkable.</div> <bR> <div> "The problem with mushrooms is that their effect is unpredictable. It's impossible to estimate what amount will have what effect."</div> <bR> <div> Calls for a re-evaluation arose after a French 17-year-old, Gaelle Caroff, jumped from a building after eating psychedelic mushrooms while on a school visit to Amsterdam.</div> <bR> <div> Caroff's parents blamed her death on hallucinations brought on by the mushrooms, though the teenager had suffered from psychiatric problems in the past. Her photographs was splashed across newspapers around the country.</div> <bR> <div> Since Caroff's death, other dramatic stories involving mushrooms have been reported in the Dutch press, though mushroom vendors complained that each of the cases involved tourists who were using other drugs and alcohol at the same time -- against their usage instructions for mushrooms.</div> <bR> <div> The users include:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A British tourist, 22, who ran amok in a hotel, breaking his window and slicing his hand badly.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">An Icelandic tourist, 19, who thought he was being chased and jumped from a balcony, breaking both his legs.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A Danish tourist, 29, who drove his car wildly through a campground, narrowly missing people sleeping in their tents.</div> <bR> <div> Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen had suggested a 3-day "cooling off" period between ordering them and using them. Most mushrooms sold in Amsterdam are sold to tourists, and the city's reputation for liberal drug policies and legalized prostitution are major tourist attractions.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="12"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 504 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Victoria police chief suspended with pay</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Oct. 11 2007  21:52  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 12th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The mayor of Victoria, B.C., announced Thursday that the chief of police had been removed from his position until allegations of misconduct could be investigated.</B></div> <bR> <div> "Police Chief Paul Battershill is on administrative leave effective immediately to enable the police board to review and respond to the issues that have been brought to our attention," Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe said in a statement released Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Battershill was suspended with pay after an emergency police board meeting was called late Wednesday to discuss a letter that alleged misconduct. Officials have not officially said what the allegations against him are.</div> <bR> <div> "It's a personnel issue that has come to light which the police board felt that we needed to review. Obviously we needed to give the chief time as well to review the allegations and seek further direction," Lowe told reporters.</div> <bR> <div> The suspension was believed to be sparked by Freedom of Information requests made by lawyer David Mulroney.</div> <bR> <div> Mulroney told CTV News the requests were made for a client concerned about the quality of policing in Victoria's downtown.</div> <bR> <div> "My client disagrees with some of the allocation of resources that has been going on and feels that we haven't had as good of policing as we could have," Mulroney told CTV News. "We have no specific knowledge of impropriety and therefore it would not be fair to characterize it as anything other than fishing."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c25ca06e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Victoria's Chief Paul Battershill will remain on leave while the matter is fully reviewed.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c25fa06e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 'We as a police board have to act upon what we saw and heard about it,' Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe said on Oct. 11, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c260a06e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The suspension was believed to be sparked by Freedom of Information requests made by lawyer David Mulroney.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 580 WIDTH="707"><div> Mulroney made two related Freedom of Information requests in September, both focused on Battershill's expense accounts and details about personnel dismissals.</div> <bR> <div> The first request asked for information on the salary, benefits and employment-related expenses of senior personnel at the Victoria Police Department.</div> <bR> <div> It also asked for the chief's records of expense dating back to 2004.</div> <bR> <div> The second request asked for all records of any civilian and regular personnel dismissed without cause from the Victoria Police Department since 2004.</div> <bR> <div> As well, information on a review into taser use done by Battershill was requested.</div> <bR> <div> Mulroney also sought information surrounding Battershill's role overseeing the investigation of Const. Lisa Alford, of the West Vancouver Police Department.</div> <bR> <div> Alford pleaded guilty to drunk driving in November 2005, after rear-ending a car on her way home from a drinking party held at her police station.</div> <bR> <div> She retained her position with the police, but temporarily lost her licence and paid a $600 fine.</div> <bR> <div> Mulroney said a letter he wrote to the law firm that represents the Victoria Police Department, pointing out the conflict of interest surrounding the police chief handling freedom of information requests for his own documents, was dismissed.</div> <bR> <div> Lowe named Victoria's Deputy Chief Bill Naughton acting police chief until the conclusion of Battershill's review.</div> <bR> <div> "It's not up to me to ask the chief to step down. The chief will have to make a decision in the future on what he decides," Lowe said.</div> <bR> <div> CTV's Jim Beatty reported that Battershill has one week to challenge the allegations or resign his position.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press and CTV British Columbia's Jim Beatty</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="11"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 217 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Liberals win second majority in Ontario election</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 10 2007  23:58  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 11th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty easily won a second straight majority government Wednesday night, while Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory lost his own riding.</B></div> <bR> <div> McGuinty has become the first Liberal leader since Mitch Hepburn in 1937 to win back-to-back Liberal majorities.</div> <bR> <div> "Thank you Ontario. My friends, those are the first words of the next four years," McGuinty told cheering supporters.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c254a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty acknowledge the crowd after winning the Ontario provincial election in Ottawa on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. (CP / Tom Hanson)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="540"><div> As of midnight, the Liberals had won or were leading in 70 ridings, the Progressive Conservatives had 25 and the NDP had 10.</div> <bR> <div> "Ontarians are telling us we haven't voted for the status quo, we are voting for moving forward and we demand progress," he said. "We embrace every culture and respect every faith. But we want to work and build and dream together."</div> <bR> <div> The Liberals needed 54 seats to secure a majority.</div> <bR> <div> At dissolution, the Liberals had 67 seats, the Progressive Conservatives 25 and the NDP 10. One seat was vacant.</div> <bR> <div> McGuinty easily won his own seat in Ottawa South, a riding his family has held since his father won it in 1987.</div> <bR> <div> And among the prominent Liberal cabinet ministers who kept their seats were Greg Sorbara, John Gerretsen, Michael Bryant, Leona Drombrowsky, Jim Bradley, Dwight Duncan and Sandra Pupatello.</div> <bR> <div> Sorbara said the back-to-back majority win showed voters approved of what direction the Liberals had taken the province since 2003.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c255a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario PC Leader John Tory is consoled by his wife Barbara Hackett as he delivers his concession speech in Toronto on Oct. 10, 2007. (CP / Adrian Wyld)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c256a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton reacts to election results as he speaks to supporters in Fort Frances, Ont., on Oct. 10, 2007. (CP / Jacques Boissinot)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 608 WIDTH="707"><div> "It's a statement about the support that the people felt over what we've accomplished over the past four years," he told CTV News.</div> <bR> <div> But another cabinet member, culture minister Caroline Di Cocco, failed to keep her seat in the southwestern Ontario riding of Sarnia-Lambton.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, Tory lost his chance at winning a seat from Liberal Education Minister Kathleen Wynne in Don Valley West.</div> <bR> <div> "I came to this riding because it has been my home for most of my life, and to run for the PC party -- not against Kathleen Wynne," he said. "I hope Ms. Wynne will continue to ably represent the fine people of this riding, who shared so many of their hopes and concerns with both of us during this campaign."</div> <bR> <div> Polls suggested Tory's campaign derailed after he pledged to fund faith-based schools -- in Ontario, only private Catholic schools have the constitutional right to public funding.</div> <bR> <div> "It was a very significant issue, no doubt about it," McGuinty told CTV News. "Whenever you're talking about the future of 2 million children in over 5,000 schools, and taught by 120,000 teachers, then you're bound to get people's attention."</div> <bR> <div> Wynne said Tory's proposal would be a serious blow to Ontario's public education system, and both the Liberals and NDP opted to keep the status quo and limit funding to Catholic schools.</div> <bR> <div> Tory said that despite his loss against Wynne, he has no intention of leaving his party.</div> <bR> <div> "I intend to continue to serve the public and the province and the party, and will be consulting with our caucus and with our candidates and the party membership in the days ahead to get their advice on how we can proceed forward," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "We must continue to move ahead with the continued rebuilding and renewal of our party for the coming years so it can continue to play the role it must play in the affairs of this province well into the future."</div> <bR> <div> NDP Leader Howard Hampton easily won his seat in Kenora-Rainy River, and said New Democrats made strong gains in the number of Ontarians who voted for the party.</div> <bR> <div> "We increased our popular vote significantly tonight. And we're going to send more New Democrats to Queens Park and some of them are very youthful, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with them," he said.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 505 WIDTH="707"><div> "We're going to continue to fight for a decent minimum wage. People who work hard deserve to earn a decent living. And for all those young people who are having a hard time paying tuition fees and looking at graduating from university with $30 -$40,000 in debt, we're going to continue to work hard for you.</div> <bR> <div> "Education is more important now than ever, but it needs to be affordable for all young people."</div> <bR> <div> Hampton was clearly frustrated in the final days of the campaign, saying Tory's faith-based schools pledge took attention away from other important issues.</div> <bR> <div> "All I've heard from the media is that you want to talk about faith-based schools. There are real issues out there," Hampton angrily told reporters during a recent campaign stop in Hamilton.</div> <bR> <div> He said there were far more important issues that were never fully discussed.</div> <bR> <div> "We've become the child poverty capital of Canada -- don't any of you people care? Don't you care that there are seniors living in soiled diapers? Don't you care about that?"</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, the Green Party lost a chance to elect its first candidate to either provincial or federal parliament, as Shane Jolley was beaten by Progressive Conservative candidate Bill Murdoch in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.</div> <bR> <div> Earlier polls suggested Jolley had a slim chance of pulling off an upset.</div> <bR> <div> Ontarians also voted against changing their traditional first-past-the-post system to mixed-member proportional representation (MMP).</div> <bR> <div> The vote needed approval by 60 per cent of voters and the majority of approval in at least 64 ridings.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="10"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 321 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Ontario residents heading to the polls</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 10 2007  09:37  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 10th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Residents across Ontario are heading to the polls today, following an election campaign dominated by the issue of public funding for faith-based schools.</B></div> <bR> <div> The polls opened at 9 a.m. ET at more than 29,000 polling stations in 107 ridings across the province and will close at 9 p.m. ET.</div> <bR> <div> For most, the decision will come down to a pick between the two front-runners: Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty and Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.</div> <bR> <div> The opposition has attacked McGuinty on his record of "broken promises" -- while Tory's controversial plan to fund religious schools virtually dominated the campaign.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, NDP Leader Howard Hampton is hoping to pull in voters who support his social-services agenda.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c249a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c24aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty smiles as he speaks with reporters in Pickering, Ont. on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007. (CP / Jonathan Hayward)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 379 WIDTH="540"><div> Voters will also get an extra ballot on Election Day, to be cast in the province's first referendum in more than 80 years.</div> <bR> <div> The referendum question is: "Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?'' Options will be the existing so-called "first past the post'' electoral system, or a mixed member proportional system.</div> <bR> <div> The proposed mixed member proportional system would give citizens two votes -- one for the political party of their choice and another for a local candidate.</div> <bR> <div> Advocates say electoral reform would bring a balance of power in the legislature that better reflects the popular vote.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Faith-based schools</B></div> <div> Ontario's political party leaders spent the final day before the election campaigning furiously in and around Toronto, as polls showed voters could elect another Liberal majority government.</div> <bR> <div> McGuinty continued his attack on Tory and the faith-based schools issue.</div> <bR> <div> "The Conservative plan to take a half a billion dollars out of our publicly funded schools and divert that to private religious schools is a bad idea,'' McGuinty told supporters in Pickering.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c24ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory campaigns in Pickering, Ont. on Tuesday Oct. 9, 2007. (CP / Frank Gunn)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c24ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton speaks to supporters in Sault-Ste-Marie Ont. on Tuesday, Oct.9, 2007. (CP / Jacques Boissino)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 501 WIDTH="707"><div> "It's going to hurt our kids, it's going to hurt our province."</div> <bR> <div> McGuinty said he supports a parent's right to send their children to the school of their choice, but he said Ontario children will get the best education in the public system.</div> <bR> <div> The Liberal leader shrugged off criticism that he spent most of the campaign speaking with Liberal party supporters and not speaking with voters directly.</div> <bR> <div> He said he concentrated on the issues important to Ontarians, such as the economy, the environment, health care and education.</div> <bR> <div> He also responded to his critics who blasted him for making the public pay an extra health tax in the first year after being elected, despite vowing in his election campaign not to raise taxes.</div> <bR> <div> McGuinty said he had no choice because the previous Conservative government left a $5.6 billion deficit in its wake. The tax was also needed to help improve health care services, he said.</div> <bR> <div> Tory stuck to his guns on his religious schools funding proposal while visiting 11 ridings in Toronto, where the Conservatives don't hold a single seat.</div> <bR> <div> Despite internal pre-election polls showing the idea wasn't popular, Tory insisted Tuesday it was still the right thing to do. He said he has demonstrated his ability to take on the toughest issues, saying "that's what leadership's really all about."</div> <bR> <div> But Tory's controversial proposal has haunted him during the campaign. He said it has dominated the headlines and discussions, overshadowing the rest of the Conservative platform.</div> <bR> <div> Tory visited the Don Valley West riding on Tuesday, where he is running against some stiff competition, Liberal Education Minister Kathleen Wynne.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 451 WIDTH="707"><div> Tory admitted he's in for a battle, but said he isn't planning to resign if he loses on Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> Campaigning in Toronto and Hamilton, NDP Leader Howard Hampton urged undecided and jaded voters to choose his party and prevent another Liberal majority.</div> <bR> <div> "All those people who ordinarily don't vote but know that raising the minimum wage would make a difference ... those are the people we need to talk to,'' Hampton said.</div> <bR> <div> Hampton also slammed McGuinty's campaign style, saying the Liberal leader campaigned in a political bubble to avoid talking to "real people."</div> <bR> <div> The latest opinion poll shows the Liberals are heading for a second straight majority government.</div> <bR> <div> The Strategic Counsel poll for CTV News and <I>The Globe and Mail</I> showed Monday the Grits have a 15-point lead over the Tories, with 42 per cent support compared to 27 per cent.</div> <bR> <div> The NDP inched up to 19 per cent support while the Green Party has 11 per cent.</div> <bR> <div> Thirty-six per cent of voters also said they now see McGuinty as the best premier, compared to 30 per cent for Tory. In a September poll, Tory was the overwhelming favourite with 37 per cent.</div> <bR> <div> Poll respondents said they didn't support Tory's stance on funding faith-based schools, and his promise last week to hold a free vote on the issue did little to change their minds.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with reports from CTV's Paul Bliss and Austin Delaney and files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="09"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 217 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Poll says Ontario Liberals have 15-point lead</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 08 2007  23:27  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 9th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The Ontario Liberals are sailing to victory with a 15-point lead over the Progressive Conservatives, according to a new poll, despite PC Leader John Tory backtracking on his pledge to fund faith-based schools.</B></div> <bR> <div> The Strategic Counsel poll was conducted between Oct. 6 and 7 for CTV News and <I>The Globe and Mail.</I></div> <bR> <div> It shows the PC Party bleeding support ahead of Wednesday's vote: (percentage-point change from a Sept. 13-16 poll in brackets):</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c247a0660.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="102" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty smiles as he answers questions from the media during a campaign stop at Lincoln Alexander Public School in Markham, Ont. on Friday, Oct. 5, 2007. (CP / Jonathan Hayward)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 895 WIDTH="707"><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Liberals: 42 per cent (+2).</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Progressive Conservatives: 27 per cent (-7).</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">NDP: 19 per cent (+3).</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Green Party: 11 per cent (-1).</div> <bR> <div> But outside the Greater Toronto Area, both the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives have lost votes to the New Democrats and Greens since the previous election (percentage-point change from the 2003 results in brackets):</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Liberals: 35 per cent (-11).</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Progressive Conservatives (28 per cent (-8).</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">NDP: 24 per cent (+8).</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Green Party: 13 per cent (+10).</div> <bR> <div> Protecting the province's public education system has become a central issue of the campaign. In Ontario, only private Catholic schools have a constitutional right to public funding.</div> <bR> <div> Tory said other faith-based schools should get funding as well, while Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty and New Democratic Leader Howard Hampton argued such a move would undermine public education.</div> <bR> <div> Tory later clarified his position, saying he would hold a free vote on the issue.</div> <bR> <div> When respondents were asked if their opinion of Tory had changed as a result of that clarification, half of them said there was no difference:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Improved: 18 per cent.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Stayed the same: 50 per cent.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Worsened: 26 per cent.</div> <bR> <div> And when respondents were asked if the free-vote promise had made them more likely or less likely to vote for the PC party, there was also little change:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">More likely: 17 per cent.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">No impact: 60 per cent.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Less likely: 19 per cent.</div> <bR> <div> Both McGuinty and Hampton have promised more money to the public education system, while limiting faith-based funding to Catholic schools -- essentially keeping the status quo.</div> <bR> <div> The issue has remained dominant despite PC attack ads targeting McGuinty's broken campaign promises, such as his 2003 pledge to shut down Ontario's polluting coal plants by 2007.</div> <bR> <div> When respondents were asked which of the two issues they were most concerned with, 39 per cent said McGuinty's broken campaign promises, while 49 per cent said Tory's pledge to fund private religious schools.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Technical notes</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Interviews were conducted between Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, 2007.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Results are based on tracking among a proportionate sample of Ontarians 18 years of age or older.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A total of 850 Ontarians were surveyed.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Ontario margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Ontario sample size excluding Toronto CMA is 492, with a 4.4 percentage point margin of error.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>wiith a report by CTV's David Akin in Ottawa</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="08"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 593 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Off-duty Wis. deputy sheriff kills six: police</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 08 2007  12:27  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 8th, 2007</div> <div> <B>Six young people were killed by an off-duty sheriff's deputy in Wisconsin early Sunday, in an incident that may have been triggered by a rage of jealousy on the part of the shooter.</B></div> <bR> <div> Another victim, the sole survivor, is in critical condition.</div> <bR> <div> Tyler Peterson, a 20-year-old deputy-sheriff in Forest County and a part-time officer in Crandon, Wi. where the deaths occurred, was shot to death after he opened fire on the group, then fled. Police took him down Sunday afternoon about 15 kilometres away in the town of Argonne.</div> <bR> <div> Police said the victims were celebrating Homecoming weekend by getting together for pizza and movies at the home where the shooting took place.</div> <bR> <div> A sniper reportedly took down Peterson after he ran from the two-storey duplex in the town known for logging and outdoor activities.</div> <bR> <div> The victims were all either students or graduates of the same high school. Three of the victims were students at Crandon High School, while the other three had graduated within the past three years.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream," Jenny Stahl, whose 14-year-old daughter, Lindsey Stahl, was the youngest victim, told The Associated Press.</div> <bR> <div> "All I heard it was a jealous boyfriend and he went berserk. He took them all out."</div> <bR> <div> There have been unconfirmed reports that one of the victims was a former girlfriend of Peterson.</div> <bR> <div> However, Crandon Police Chief John Dennee declined comment on whether Peterson had been romantically involved with any of the victims.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c23aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The house where a shooting rampage took place is seen Sunday, Oct. 7th, 2007, in Crandon, Wis. (AP / Mark Was)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c23ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Police gather where a law enforcement employee went on a shooting rampage, killing at least five people before authorities fatally shot him, in Crandon, Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007. (AP / Andy Manis)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c23ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A pair of officers patrol the area of the shooting in Crandon, Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 528 WIDTH="707"><div> A neighbour said she was awakened by gunshots.</div> <bR> <div> "I heard probably five or six shots, a short pause and then five or six more," she told AP. The initial round of gunfire was followed by eight more shots and the sound of squealing tires.</div> <bR> <div> "I was just about to get up and call it in, and I heard sirens," she said. "There's never been a tragedy like this here. There's been individual incidents, but nothing of this magnitude."</div> <bR> <div> The mayor of Crandon, Gary Bradley, said the suspect was killed by a sniper, but Sheriff Van Cleve wouldn't confirm he was taken out by police officers.</div> <bR> <div> Peterson's family said they planned to release a statement soon, but until then they were declining to speak publicly.</div> <div> Classes were cancelled Monday at the high school.</div> <bR> <div> A former classmate of Peterson's told AP he had helped her with her studies.</div> <bR> <div> "He graduated with my brother," she said. "He was nice. He was an average guy. Normal. You wouldn't think he could do that."</div> <bR> <div> In the aftermath of the shooting, residents were asking whether the suspect had met policing requirements.</div> <bR> <div> "The first statement we said to each other was, 'How did he get through the system?'" said David Franz, who is married to Marci Franz.</div> <bR> <div> He told AP it was difficult to believe that a police officer may have been the gunman.</div> <bR> <div> Dennee said the investigation will be handled by the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="07"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 420 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Blackwater 'deliberately killed' civilians: Iraq</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 07 2007  14:48  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 7th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The Iraqi government accused Blackwater USA guards on Sunday of "deliberately killing" 17 Iraqi civilians who were gunned down in Baghdad's main square last month.</B></div> <bR> <div> Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters that an investigative committee set up by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki found "no evidence that the Blackwater convoy came under any direct or indirect fire, or that it was even hit by stones."</div> <bR> <div> Blackwater contends its employees came under fire from threatening targets while escorting a U.S. convoy through Baghdad, prompting guards to open fire in the capital on Sept. 16.</div> <bR> <div> Dabbagh said Blackwater guards had "violated rules governing the use of force" and should be held legally responsible for the incident.</div> <bR> <div> The Iraqi government put the official death toll at 17, up considerably from the 11 deaths previously attributed to the incident.</div> <bR> <div> A joint U.S.-Iraqi commission reviewing the work of private security firms met for the first time on Sunday and expressed its commitment to, "work together to evaluate issues of safety and security related to personal security detail operations in Iraq," an embassy statement read.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c235a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A sign near the Blackwater facility warns against the dangers involved in firearms training.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c236a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Plainclothes contractors working for Blackwater USA take part in a firefight as Iraqi demonstrators loyal to Muqtada Al Sadr attempt to advance on a facility being defended by U.S. and Spanish soldiers, Sunday, April 4, 2004 in the Iraqi city of Najaf. (AP / Gervasio Sanchez)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 463 WIDTH="707"><div> The two sides are charged with issuing a report to both governments that will make recommendations "ensuring that personal security detail operations do not endanger public safety."</div> <bR> <div> Iraq's cabinet vowed on Sunday it would review the commission's recommendations and "take the legal steps to hold the company to account", Dabbagh said. No date is confirmed for the release of the report.</div> <bR> <div> The commission is comprised of five embassy representatives and eight Iraqi officials. Sunday's meeting was chaired by Iraq's defence minister Abdel Qader Mohammed Jassim and the American embassy's second in command Patricia Butenis.</div> <bR> <div> The Federal Bureau of Investigation is expected to take over the investigation from the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security later this week.</div> <bR> <div> Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ordered a number of new guidelines designed to rein in members of the Blackwater security firm.</div> <bR> <div> The recommendations include the installation of video cameras on armoured Blackwater vehicles and the use of federal agents to accompany Blackwater-escorted convoys. All radio transmissions between Blackwater and the embassy will also be recorded.</div> <bR> <div> Last Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill making private security firms employed in global combat zones subject to prosecution in American courts.</div> <bR> <div> Blackwater employs nearly 1,000 people in Iraq and is one of three private security firms employed in the volatile country by the State Department in Iraq. Since 2001, the firm has earned more than US$1 billion in federal contracts.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="06"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 365 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Wait times skyrocket at border crossings</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 06 2007  12:16  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 6th, 2007</div> <div> <B>As the Canadian dollar continues to enjoy parity with its U.S. counterpart, hordes of bargain-hungry Canadians are heading south, leaving some with agonizing border wait times at entry points into the United States.</B></div> <bR> <div> On Saturday, wait times for domestic travellers at the Pacific Highway crossing in Surrey, B.C. and the Emerson, Man. entry point were as long as 2½ hours according to the <B>Canadian Border Services Agency </B>which can be found at <B>"</B><B><U>www.cbsa.gc.ca/menu-eng.html</U></B><B>"</B>.</div> <bR> <div> The St-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing in Lacolle, Que., and the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge in Queenston, Ont., also reported wait times of more than two hours.</div> <bR> <div> The long lines represent a dramatic increase for service standards at border primary inspection booths. Canadian Border Services reports usual processing of travellers takes 20 minutes on most weekends and holidays and a mere 10 minutes during weekdays.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, the majority of border officials are reporting minimal or no delays crossing into Canada from the U.S. as Americans decide to stay at home.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c232a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> An increasing number of Canadian are heading south of the border to buy vehicles.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c233a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A Canadian border patrol officer checks the back of a vehicle as it returns to Canada from the U.S. via the Peace Arch Border Crossing. (CP / Chuck Stoody)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 484 WIDTH="707"><div> As the U.S. greenback takes a beating amid recession fears and a credit crunch, tourism to U.S. cities near the border has surged and the American retail sector reports significant gains as a result.</div> <bR> <div> "When the exchange rate began getting closer to par we saw an increase in Canadian clients ... and they're coming throughout the year, instead of just off-season," Steve Gendall, owner of the Maple Leaf Motel in nearby North Conway, told the Canadian Press earlier this week.</div> <bR> <div> The loonie closed Friday's trading day in Toronto up 1.59 cents to US$1.0185, prompting long-weekend shoppers to head south to get more bang for their buck.</div> <bR> <div> Canadian overnight travel to the U.S. rose to its highest first-quarter level since 1993, according to a report released by Statistics Canada in late August.</div> <bR> <div> Canadians took about 3.7 million trips into the U.S., an increase of 4.8 per cent from the same time period in 2006.</div> <bR> <div> In total, Canadians spent about $3.1 billion in the U.S. during the first quarter -- an increase of five per cent.</div> <bR> <div> "We expect it will be a double-digit increase for 2007 ... with the dollar reaching parity," Chris Ryall, Canadian representative for the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development, told CP.</div> <bR> <div> "Having the loonie on par with the U.S. dollar really helps increase the spending," he said. "It definitely attracts people to stay longer and spend more."</div> <bR> <div> Americans made fewer than 1.8 million overnight trips to Canada by air and car between January and March. The numbers represent a decline of 6.3 per cent from 2006, marking the eighth consecutive year-over-year quarterly decline.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="05"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Toronto may pay for unauthorized use of penny pic</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 05 2007  11:10  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 5th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The Royal Canadian Mint wants payback after the City of Toronto used the image of a penny in a prominent ad campaign calling for a greater share of the federal tax pie from Ottawa.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="c229a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 559 WIDTH="707"><div> The ads, seen throughout the city in bus shelters and TTC vehicles as well as on buttons, bumper stickers and stickers, feature a blown-up picture of the penny. The ads are part of Mayor David Miller's push for one out of every six cents of GST revenue to be returned to the municipality where it was collected.</div> <bR> <div> The city and the Mint both said Thursday they are in negotiations over the 'One Cent NOW!' campaign, The Globe and Mail reports.</div> <bR> <div> The paper reports that lawyers for both sides have been corresponding, with the likely outcome being that the city will have to pay for its unauthorized use of the image.</div> <bR> <div> The city would likely have to pay several thousand dollars for the gaff.</div> <bR> <div> A spokesperson for the Mint told The Globe that after the ads started running, the federal agency told the city it had to have permission to use the image.</div> <bR> <div> The city confirmed it did not ask permission before using the image.</div> <bR> <div> The Mint requires the following for the use of one of its products in advertising:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">That it be done in a manner that is tasteful and compatible with "public policy objectives of the federal government';</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">That users pay a minimum $350 application fee and a royalty of between 1 and 2.5 per cent of the value of the campaign.</div> <bR> <div> The city is arguing that it didn't pay for the campaign, since it has a deal for free advertising space with the company that controls advertising on the TTC.</div> <bR> <div> But the Mint's regulations say if there is no purchase price, it will assess the value of the campaign at market value.</div> <bR> <div> It is not clear whether a campaign demanding more money from the federal government is compatible with Ottawa's public policy objectives.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="04"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 391 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Heart surgeon: Chretien in 'very good condition'</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 03 2007  11:10  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 4th, 2007</div> <div> <B>The heart surgeon who performed a quadruple bypass on Jean Chretien says the former prime minister is in "very good condition," and will make a full recovery.</B></div> <bR> <div> Chretien underwent the operation at the Montreal Heart Institute early Wednesday, after complaining of chest pains while golfing with a heart specialist the day before.</div> <bR> <div> "He's in very good condition, he's resting," Dr. Michel Pellerin, who performed the surgery, told reporters Wednesday evening.</div> <bR> <div> "His vital signs are excellent."</div> <bR> <div> He said Chretien suffered from "unstable angina," caused by obstruction of the coronary arteries.</div> <bR> <div> Chretien, 73, will remain in hospital for the next five to seven days.</div> <bR> <div> Although Chretien's mother had a heart condition, doctors said he's not at high risk, while his brother lived to 93.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c21fa06e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Dr. Michel Pellerin explains the operation he performed on former prime minister Jean Chretien, at the Montreal Heart Institute, in Montreal on Oct. 3, 2007. (CP / Ian Barrett)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c220a0730.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="115" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Former prime minister Jean Chretien is seen at the President's Cup in Montreal the week before his heart problems. (Photo courtesy 'Le Journal de Montréal')</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 488 WIDTH="707"><div> Lawrence Martin, who has written two books on Chretien, said the former prime minister is always physically active.</div> <bR> <div> "He boasted to me once -- and this was not long ago -- that he was doing 50 push-ups every morning, and he was damn proud of it," Martin told CTV News.</div> <bR> <div> "He would always try to convince you how strong he was. He would grab you by the hand, grab you by the shoulder, and put the squeeze on."</div> <bR> <div> Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed concern for Chretien's health.</div> <bR> <div> "I think we all were all rather surprised and alarmed to hear the news today of Mr. Chretien's surgery," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "I understand it's gone well, and we certainly wish Mr. Chretien a speedy recovery."</div> <bR> <div> Stephane Dion, the current Liberal leader, issued a statement Wednesday saying he was heartened by Chretien's "excellent prognosis" for a full recovery.</div> <bR> <div> "Throughout his decades of public service, Mr. Chretien has shown an unceasing commitment to Canada and today I join all Canadians in sending him support and encouragement."</div> <bR> <div> Dion added that he's proud to have been brought into politics by Chretien, who recruited the university professor to serve as unity minister in the wake of the 1995 referendum on Quebec independence.</div> <bR> <div> "It was a privilege to serve in his cabinet and it is an honour to be his friend," Dion said.</div> <bR> <div> Chretien had been scheduled to speak at an Asia-Pacific mining conference luncheon in Vancouver, but dropped out at the last minute.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 538 WIDTH="707"><div> He had been scheduled to speak at an Asia-Pacific mining conference luncheon in Vancouver, but dropped out at the last minute.</div> <bR> <div> No details were available about the nature of the illness, but organizers said Chretien felt sick and was advised by his doctor not to travel.</div> <bR> <div> Peter Donolo, a former Liberal communications director for Chretien, said he seemed in good spirits Tuesday night before his surgery.</div> <bR> <div> "I was able to have a brief talk with him last night in the hospital, over the phone," Donolo told CTV's <I>Mike Duffy Live</I>. "And of course, in typical fashion, he was cracking jokes. He said he was rethinking the title of his memoirs, and calling the second volume 'Straight Through the Heart.'"</div> <bR> <div> Chretien led the Liberals into office in 1993, bringing about a crushing defeat of the Progressive Conservatives.</div> <bR> <div> He went on to lead Liberal governments for a decade, until he was eventually succeeded by Paul Martin in 2003 amid deep-rooted party infighting and the legacy of the so-called sponsorship and Shawinigate scandals.</div> <bR> <div> Since retiring from politics Chretien has worked at an Ottawa law firm, toured the lecture circuit and worked on his autobiography.</div> <bR> <div> CTV's Roger Smith said Chretien is known for maintaining a high level of personal fitness. During his time in office he was an avid golfer and skier.</div> <bR> <div> A friend of Chretien told CP the former prime minister happed to be playing golf on Monday with a heart specialist. During the course of the game, Chretien mentioned that he'd been having periodic chest pains.</div> <bR> <div> The unnamed friend said Chretien was advised by the doctor to take the problem seriously and have it examined.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with reports from CTV's Craig Oliver and The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="03"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 324 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Refugees overwhelm Ontario border city's services</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 02 2007  11:30  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 3rd, 2007</div> <div> <B>Hundreds of Mexicans and Haitians have filed for refugee status in Windsor, Ont., overwhelming local services and prompting calls for federal help from Premier Dalton McGuinty.</B></div> <bR> <div> So far, more than 300 refugees -- many with children born in the United States -- have crossed into the province by bus from Detroit.</div> <bR> <div> Yanick Samedy, from Haiti, spent 15 years living in Florida. Desperate to avoid a deportation crackdown, and after hearing rumours Canada would accept her, she fled north with her family.</div> <bR> <div> "We heard that, so everyone takes their chance," she told CTV News.</div> <bR> <div> After five hours with border officials her refugee papers were in order. But because Windsor lacks enough facilities for immigrants like Samedy, she's been placed in a low-budget hotel.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c213a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A refugee family arrives in Windsor, Ont., on Oct. 2, 3007.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c214a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Yanick Samedy, from Haiti, decided to flee north of the border with her family.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="540"><div> Still, she said the living conditions were far better than her homeland.</div> <bR> <div> "There's violence, insecurity, kidnapping, I already have four kids," she said. "It's not good to go back to my country."</div> <bR> <div> McGuinty stressed that the sudden influx of refugees is not just a problem for Windsor -- it's a problem for the entire country.</div> <bR> <div> "These refugees aren't so much coming to Windsor as they're coming to Canada, and this is properly a federal responsibility," he said Monday following a campaign event.</div> <bR> <div> Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis has said that city services are being pushed to the limit because of the situation.</div> <bR> <div> He estimates that housing and social assistance for the refugees is costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.</div> <bR> <div> Last Friday, Francis met with a Jacques Sinjuste, founder of Jerusalem Haitian Community Centre in Florida.</div> <bR> <div> Sinjuste, accused of being responsible for sending a wave of immigrants to Windsor, told Francis there are more busloads on the way.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c215a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty listens to a question as he speaks with the media during a campaign stop at a local hospital in Kitchener, Ont. on Oct. 2, 2007. (CP / Adrian Wyld)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c216a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis has said that city services are being pushed to the limit because of the situation.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 488 WIDTH="707"><div> "He gave specific reference as to one that will be coming the first week of October and they've already made accommodation arrangements on the Detroit side of the border," Francis said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Social assistance</B></div> <bR> <div> Currently, 185 of the 300 refugees are being given social assistance in Windsor.</div> <bR> <div> Francis has written the federal and provincial governments asking for funding to help cover the cost of housing them while they wait for their refugee claims to be heard.</div> <bR> <div> The province at present pays about 80 per cent of the costs while municipalities take care of the rest.</div> <bR> <div> McGuinty said the province will be sending more cash to help deal with the situation.</div> <bR> <div> "No single Canadian community should have to assume all the financial costs associated with those refugees on their own,'' he said, adding that he is asking the federal government to also help out.</div> <bR> <div> Most of the immigrants have arrived with the help of Florida-based groups who say Canada has special permits to provide Mexican and Haitian citizens claiming refugee status a quick turnaround.</div> <bR> <div> Last week, Canada's Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said there would be "consequences" for any illegal refugees who try to enter Canada without proper documentation.</div> <bR> <div> Day said Canada will take a zero-tolerance approach to anyone trying to enter the country illegally, but wanted to investigate specific claims in Windsor more closely.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Refugee status</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 323 WIDTH="707"><div> Most of the claims have little chance of success, because Canadian refugee status is only meant to be given to people with a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country.</div> <bR> <div> According to the Geneva Convention, persecution must be based on reasons of race, nationality, membership of a specific social group or political opinion. Gender, in some cases, can also be a factor.</div> <bR> <div> Also, those applying from a "safe third country," such as the U.S., are ineligible to make refugee claims at a Canadian border crossing by land.</div> <bR> <div> If Mexicans come to Canada through the U.S., for example, they must make refugee claims there, and are not eligible here.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, a U.S. refugee worker was charged last week with human smuggling in Quebec, after she allegedly tried to help 12 asylum-seeking Haitians enter Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Janet Hinshaw-Thomas, 65, may be the first human rights worker ever charged under Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from CTV's Lisa LaFlamme in Windsor and files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="02"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 386 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Victims outraged by tainted blood trial acquittals</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 01 2007  07:42  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 2nd, 2007</div> <div> <B>An Ontario judge has acquitted all defendants in the tainted blood scandal, angering victims of the worst public health disaster in Canadian history.</B></div> <bR> <div> Ontario Superior Court Justice Mary Lou Benotto delivered her verdict Monday afternoon in a Toronto courtroom, ending the 18-month long trial.</div> <bR> <div> Former Canadian Red Cross chief Dr. Roger Perrault, three other doctors and the New Jersey-based Armour Pharmaceuticals Co. were all acquitted.</div> <bR> <div> "There was no conduct that showed wanton and reckless disregard," said Benotto.</div> <bR> <div> She then went on to say: "The conduct examined in detail over one and a half years confirms reasonable and responsible and professional actions and responses during this difficult time. The allegations of criminal conduct on the part of these men and this corporation were not only unsupported by the evidence, they were disproved."</div> <bR> <div> Defence lawyer Eddie Greenspan, who represented Perrault, said the ruling has restored his client's reputation.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c203a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Noella Baker holds back her emotions after the verdict in the tainted blood case was handed down in Toronto on Oct. 1, 2007. (CP / Adrian Wyld)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c207a0640.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Dr. Roger Perrault is questioned by the media as he leaves the courthouse after being acquitted in the tainted blood case on Oct. 1, 2007 in Toronto. (CP / Adrian Wyld)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 486 WIDTH="540"><div> "Today's absolute vindication, and his complete exoneration, is something we've been expecting for the last 10 years," he told reporters outside the court building.</div> <bR> <div> "But he's not a happy man. He's spent 10 years of his life trying to get his reputation back, although I've no doubt that this has done it."</div> <bR> <div> More than 20,000 Canadians contracted HIV or hepatitis C from tainted blood products administered in the mid-1980s.</div> <bR> <div> All defendants had pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges. Lawyers for three of the accused doctors had argued the Crown lacked a substantial amount of evidence to prove its case.</div> <bR> <div> It was alleged the defendants were criminally negligent in the distribution of an Armour HIV-infected blood-clotting product between July 1986 and December 1987.</div> <bR> <div> James Kreppner, a hemophiliac who contracted HIV through contaminated blood products, watched the trial closely, both as a lawyer and advocate for fellow victims.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm not out for revenge but I want the truth told as well, and I think the initial inquiry into the blood system told the truth," he told reporters. "And I expected something to happen as a result of those facts."</div> <bR> <div> Another victim, Mike McCarthy, was blunt in his reaction to Monday's verdict.</div> <bR> <div> "It's a shock, the verdict, and I think every tainted blood victim is going to feel there is no closure here. We feel it's been a miscarriage of justice."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c205a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Defence lawyer Eddie Greenspan, who represented Perrault, said the ruling has restored his client's reputation.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c206a0c80.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> James Plater looks on as John Kreppner (left) with the Canadian Hemophilia Society speak to the media outside the courthouse following the verdict in the tainted blood in Toronto on Oct. 1, 2007. (CP / Adrian Wyld)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 633 WIDTH="707"><div> But in delivering her ruling, Benotto cautioned against continued blame for the scandal.</div> <bR> <div> "The events were tragic. However, to assign blame where none exists is to compound the tragedy," she said.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Globe and Mail</I> journalist Andre Picard, who also followed the trial, wrote a book about the blood scandal called "The Gift of Death."</div> <bR> <div> Picard told CTV's Canada AM that the criminal trial is a small part of a much larger tragedy.</div> <bR> <div> "It's important legally because it's the first case and it's important symbolically but it's not an indictment of the tainted blood tragedy, that's not possible to do in a court of law," Picard said Monday.</div> <bR> <div> "We're looking at a very specific case, to make an example of people, I think, is a better way of putting it."</div> <bR> <div> A second criminal trial for Perrault -- dealing more specifically with how the Red Cross and senior health officials failed to prevent the spread of disease through donated blood -- is set for Hamilton, Ont.</div> <bR> <div> "They're both important cases, but I have to emphasize that you can't put tainted blood in a criminal context," Picard said.</div> <bR> <div> The Canadian Red Cross is no longer involved in blood distribution. In 1998, that responsibility was transferred to Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec.</div> <bR> <div> In May 2006, the Canadian Red Cross apologized and pleaded guilty to violating the Food and Drug Regulation Act by distributing tainted blood products.</div> <bR> <div> The Crown withdrew charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and common nuisance against the charity in exchange for the guilty plea.</div> <bR> <div> The Red Cross agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and allotted $1.5 million for a University of Ottawa scholarship fund and research project aimed at reducing medical errors.</div> <bR> <div> As of 1997, the death toll for those who received tainted blood products was 3,000. It's unclear how many others have died since then.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="01"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 321 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Verdict expected today in tainted blood trial</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 01 2007  07:56  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: October 1st, 2007</div> <div> <B>Victims of the worst public health disaster in Canadian history are anxiously awaiting Monday's Superior Court verdict in the criminal trial of three former senior Canadian health officials.</B></div> <bR> <div> After nearly three weeks of deliberation, Ontario Superior Court Justice Mary Lou Benotto will deliver a verdict in the 18-month long tainted blood trial in a Toronto courtroom.</div> <bR> <div> More than 20,000 Canadians contracted HIV or hepatitis C from tainted blood products administered in the mid-1980s.</div> <bR> <div> Former Canadian Red Cross chief Dr. Roger Perrault is at the centre of the criminal trial, along with two senior Health Canada officials and New Jersey-based Armour Pharmaceuticals Co.</div> <bR> <div> All four defendants have pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c110a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c111a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 'Before this trial, I watched three quarters of my friends die as a result of receiving contaminated products,' survivor James Kreppner, told CTV News.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 379 WIDTH="540"><div> It's alleged the defendants were criminally negligent in the distribution of an Armour HIV-infected blood-clotting product between July 1986 and December 1987.</div> <bR> <div> James Kreppner, a hemophiliac who contracted HIV through contaminated blood products, has been watching the trial closely, both as a lawyer and advocate for fellow victims.</div> <bR> <div> "I see things from all sides. I see things from a legal perspective and I see things from a victim's perspective," Kreppner told CTV's Canada AM on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> If convicted, the men face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a penalty that Kreppner says means little to victims like him.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm not out for revenge personally; I think I blew past that anger stage. What I want is to set a precedent for the future so that future companies and system operators know there are serious consequences when they take a "let's see" attitude as opposed to an ere-on-the-side-of-caution attitude," Kreppner said.</div> <bR> <div> Globe and Mail journalist Andre Picard, who has been following the trial, also wrote a book about the blood scandal called The Gift of Death.</div> <bR> <div> Picard told CTV's Canada AM that the criminal trial is a small part of a much larger tragedy.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="c112a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Journalist Andre Picard, who has been following the trial and wrote a book about the blood scandal called The Gift of Death speaks with CTV.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="c113a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> One of the defendants, Dr. Roger Perrault, the national director of the former Canadian Red Cross blood transfusion service.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 360 WIDTH="707"><div> "It's important legally because it's the first case and it's important symbolically but it's not an indictment of the tainted blood tragedy, that's not possible to do in a court of law," Picard said Monday.</div> <bR> <div> "We're looking at a very specific case, to make an example of people, I think, is a better way of putting it."</div> <bR> <div> A second criminal trial dealing more specifically with how the Red Cross and senior health officials failed to prevent the spread of disease through donated blood is set for Hamilton, Ont.</div> <bR> <div> "They're both important cases, but I have to emphasize that you can't put tainted blood in a criminal context," Picard said.</div> <bR> <div> "The courts are not the place to deal with these tragedies; we need to have systems change to make sure it doesn't happen. There is no way of giving people like Mr. Kreppner justice. They've taken away people's lives," Picard said.</div> <bR> <div> In May 2005, the Canadian Red Cross apologized and pleaded guilty to violating the Food and Drug Regulation Act by distributing tainted blood products between 1983 and 1990.</div> <bR> <div> The Canadian Red Cross is no longer involved in blood distribution. In 1998, that responsibility was transferred to Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="Oct 07"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>