Jan 09

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HEIGHT= 35924 ><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 </B><B>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" 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</NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id892.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 05"><U><B>Nov/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id885.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 05"><U><B>Oct/05</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id880.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 05"><U><B>Sep/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id875.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 05"><U><B>Aug/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id808.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 05"><U><B>Jul/05</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id803.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 05"><U><B>Jun/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id798.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 05"><U><B>May/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id793.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 05"><U><B>Apr/05</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id771.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 05"><U><B>Mar/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id766.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 05"><U><B>Feb/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id760.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B>Jan/05</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>These "Articles" are dated from January 1st, 2009 - January 31st, 2009.</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="381" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#31" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  More than 1M U.S. customers still without power</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 31/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#30" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Harper to lobby U.S. over 'Buy America' policy</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 30/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#29" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  French strike to protest fallout from economic crisis</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 29/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#28" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Federal budget forecasts massive $85B deficit</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 28/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#27" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Lawyer says client admits to slayings at day care</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 27/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#26" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  MPs return to work ahead of Tuesday's budget</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 26/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#25" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Opposition threatens Tories over tax cuts</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 25/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#24" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  CFIA confirms avian flu outbreak on B.C. farm</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 24/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#23" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Man kills 2 babies, adult in Belgium day-care attack</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 23/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#22" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Two death sentences given in China milk scandal</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 22/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#21" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Obama steps into Oval Office after historic night</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 21/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#20" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Obama to step into history as 1st black president</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 20/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#19" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Vancouver gets Olympic-sized loan approval</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 19/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#18" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  US Airways jet lifted from Hudson River</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 18/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#17" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Ontario man to redesign famous fembot creation</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 17/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#16" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Investigation begins after 'miracle on the Hudson'</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 16/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#15" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Premiers to push prime minister for big money</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 15/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#14" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Nortel expected to file for bankruptcy protection</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 14/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#13" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Israeli forces enter Gaza City neighbourhood</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 13/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#12" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  'Slumdog Millionaire,' Winslet sweep Golden Globes</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 12/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#11" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Israel sends reserve troops into Gaza strip</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 11/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#10" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Barack Obama to visit Canada after inauguration</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 10/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#09" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Jobless rate jumps to 6.6 per cent, 34,000 jobs lost</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 09/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#08" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Israel allows Canadians stuck in Gaza to leave</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 08/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#07" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Russia halts use of Ukrainian gas pipelines</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 07/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#06" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Six countries report complete shutoff of Russian gas</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 06/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#05" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Another blast targets B.C. EnCana pipeline</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 05/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#04" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Searchers find body of missing P.E.I. teen</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 04/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#03" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Probe into soldier's murder charge questioned</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 03/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#02" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadian soldier charged in presumed militant's death</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 02/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#01" TITLE="Jan 09"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Three men shot dead in Calgary restaurant attack</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 01/01/09</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></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="Jan 09"><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= 444 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>More than 1M U.S. customers still without power</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Jan. 31 2009  10:40  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 31st, 2009</div> <div> <B>More than one million U.S. customers are still without power after a major storm system that has been linked to 42 recent deaths knocked down power lines and placed numerous states in the southern Plains under thick sheets of ice.</B></div> <bR> <div> On Saturday morning, more than 536,000 Kentucky homes and businesses were still waiting for their power to come back on. That was an improvement from when 600,000 customers were affected earlier in the week -- a mass disruption that set a new power outage record, surpassing the damage from Hurricane Ike in September of last year.</div> <bR> <div> Thousands of Kentucky residents staying in motels and shelters are better off than those living in the most remote areas of the state. Authorities said residents living in the most far-flung regions may not see the lights come back on for days or even weeks.</div> <bR> <div> The power outages have shut down many water systems in western Kentucky, prompting some residents to retrieve water from their local creeks.</div> <bR> <div> Governor Steve Beshear said utility crews were doing everything they could to get things back to normal throughout the state.</div> <bR> <div> "We are pulling out all the stops, using all of our resources and devoting our entire energy to this emergency and we will continue to do so until the last home has power, the last road is cleared and the last family is safe," he said.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dc39a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Greg Sears, an AT&T employee, works Friday to restore service on a phone line in Danville, Ky. on Jan. 30, 2009. (AP / The Advocate Messenger, Clay Jackson)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dc3aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Cots and people seeking shelter in the aftermath of the ice storm are lined up at Boyle County High School in Danville, Ky., on Friday, Jan. 30, 2009. (AP / The Advocate Messenger, Clay Jackson)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 580 WIDTH="707"><div> Some local officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was not doing enough to help out their state.</div> <bR> <div> In Grayson County, about 128 kilometres southwest of Louisville, Ky., the emergency management director said people in the most remote areas are stuck in their homes, without power, and unable to cross roads strewn with fallen trees.</div> <bR> <div> "We've got people out in some areas we haven't visited yet," Randell Smith said.</div> <bR> <div> "We don't even know that they're alive."</div> <bR> <div> Smith said that the onsite National Guardsmen did not have chainsaws to use to clear out the fallen trees and FEMA had yet to make an appearance.</div> <bR> <div> FEMA spokesperson Mary Hudak said an initial group of agency workers had arrived in Kentucky on Friday with more to follow.</div> <bR> <div> The agency has sent between 50 and 100 generators to provide support, she said.</div> <bR> <div> In other states, such as Missouri and Ohio, thousands of people waited out the fallout from the storm in area shelters.</div> <bR> <div> Some took matters into their hands -- like the Poplar Bluff, Mo., man who moved a barbecue into his home for indoor cooking.</div> <bR> <div> Deputy Police Chief Jeff Rolland said that the man had been informed that barbecuing indoors has its problems.</div> <bR> <div> "Luckily, one of our volunteers was in a position to see what he was doing and inform him of the carbon monoxide dangers of using a charcoal grill inside a residence," he said.</div> <bR> <div> According to The Associated Press, the storm has been linked to nine deaths in Arkansas, two in Indiana, 11 in Kentucky, six in Missouri, one in Ohio, two in Oklahoma, six in Texas, three in Virginia and two in West Virginia. Many of these fatalities resulted from hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning and traffic accidents.</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="Jan 09"><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= 183 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Harper to lobby U.S. over 'Buy America' policy</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Jan. 29 2009  21:54  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 30th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to lobby the U.S. over protectionist legislation which calls for a "Buy America" policy as the country prepares for a series of sweeping infrastructure projects.</B></div> <bR> <div> The U.S. bill, which Congress appended Wednesday onto President Barack Obama's US$819 billion stimulus plan, has sparked fears that Canada's steel exports could be shut out of the U.S. recovery plan.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dc35a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The U.S. Steel Corp. flag flies in front of their headquarters building in Pittsburgh, April 29, 2008. (AP / Keith Srakocic)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 645 WIDTH="707"><div> Canada's steel industry exports about $7 billion every year, with a large chunk of that heading to the U.S.</div> <bR> <div> The bill essentially aims to ban foreign iron and steel used in any building projects attached to the massive stimulus plan.</div> <bR> <div> Harper told the House of Commons Thursday that the protectionist legislation could contravene the North American Free Trade Agreement and that it backtracks on America's "international obligations" to break down global trade barriers.</div> <bR> <div> "I spoke to our ambassador about it yesterday and I know that countries around the world are expressing grave concern about some of these measures that go against not just the obligations of the United States, but frankly the spirit of our G20 discussions," Harper said Thursday in Parliament.</div> <bR> <div> "We will be having these discussions with our friends in the United States and we expect the United States to respect its international obligations."</div> <bR> <div> Harper was responding to a question from Liberal Leader Michael Igantieff, who said in the House of Commons that Canada was in danger of losing jobs to U.S. protectionist policies.</div> <bR> <div> Ignatieff focused on language in the legislation that stipulated iron and steel used for U.S. projects must be made in America.</div> <bR> <div> The trade barriers, if passed with the stimulus bill, could become a major bone of contention between the Harper government and the new Obama administration. Obama will make his first foreign visit as president when he comes to Ottawa on Feb. 19.</div> <bR> <div> International Trade Minister Stockwell Day said the bill has the power to "shut out" Canada and other countries from the U.S. market and echoes the economically destructive policies enacted by the U.S. during the Great Depression.</div> <bR> <div> Day told CTV's On The Hill that the Canadian government will be "vigorous" in lobbying the U.S. to change the policy and he added that U.S. lawmakers should give it a "sober, second thought.</div> <bR> <div> "Protectionist measures wind up hurting economies," said Day.</div> <bR> <div> Joseph D'Cruz, an expert at the University of Toronto's Rothman School of Business, said the protectionist rhetoric is "very worrying" since so much of Canada's exports head south to the U.S.</div> <bR> <div> D'Cruz told CTV Newsnet that it's up to Ottawa to remind the U.S. that free trade is the best policy for both countries.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 414 WIDTH="707"><div> "This is what Mr. Harper has to do: he has to ensure that Obama continues to believe that Canada is a good friend, and we need to be treated differently than the rest of the world."</div> <bR> <div> Still, Canada was exempted from the previous U.S. restrictions on foreign-forged steel and some analysts have said the proposed U.S. measures would take aim at emerging markets like China rather than close allies like Canada.</div> <bR> <div> <B>'Thin edge of the wedge'</B></div> <bR> <div> Perrin Beatty, chief executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said that the U.S. language sets a dangerous precedent for trade relations at exactly the wrong time.</div> <bR> <div> While the NDP has said that Canada should hit back with its own "Canada first" policy, Beatty said that retaliating would be a destructive choice of action.</div> <bR> <div> "It would be impossible to think of a more foolish and damaging thing to do than to provoke a trade war when we're in a major recession," said Beatty.</div> <bR> <div> Though NAFTA has a legal apparatus to resolve such trade disputes, settling them is often a lengthy process and the iron and steel provisions could spread to other industries.</div> <bR> <div> "Steel is the thin edge of the wedge," said Beatty.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from CTV's Roger Smith</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="Jan 09"><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= 200 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>French strike to protest fallout from economic crisis</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Jan. 29 2009  08:08  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 29th, 2009</div> <div> <B>PARIS -- France is being hit by a massive strike by public and private-sector workers fearful over the fallout from the global economic crisis.</B></div> <bR> <div> Officials say the strike has shut down rail and subway lines and left millions of schoolchildren without their teachers.</div> <bR> <div> In Paris, commuters braved freezing temperatures and biked, walked and even took boats to work.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dc21a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Two women ride bicycles in Paris, braving freezing temperatures, on Thursday Jan. 29, 2009. (AP / Remy de la Mauviniere)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 505 WIDTH="707"><div> But a 2007 law ensuring minimal transport service meant that some subways, buses and suburban rail lines were operating -- and they were stuffed full of passengers.</div> <bR> <div> Beside transit workers and teachers, thousands of postal employees and hospital staff have also stayed off the job.</div> <bR> <div> Many banks are also closed and officials say workers at some factories hit by layoffs face protest strikes.</div> <bR> <div> Marches were planned throughout the day in some 200 French municipalities.</div> <bR> <div> Railway workers led the walkout that the French already are calling "Black Thursday." Commuters, however, appeared resigned to the year's first big strike.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm not against the fact that people demonstrate to defend their interest and their benefits as they say, but is this really the best time to do it considering what is going on right now with the economic crisis?" Pierre Rattier, a commuter, told Associated Press Television News.</div> <bR> <div> "So I really don't think it's the best time to have done this, but, well, this is typically French," Rattier said.</div> <bR> <div> The strike has unnerved President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative government, which hopes the show of force by unions and opposition politicians is confined to a single day.</div> <bR> <div> The normally irrepressible Sarkzoy has remained quiet, with aides saying he is watching developments from the Elysee Palace.</div> <bR> <div> Parisians coped with the temporary adversity in true French style. Women biked in high heels, and men in suits and ties kept their backs straight on their bikes as they wobbled among traffic.</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="Jan 09"><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>Federal budget forecasts massive $85B deficit</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Jan. 27 2009  11:07  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 28th, 2009</div> <div> <B>After months of speculation, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tabled a federal budget on Tuesday that is big on income tax cuts and even bigger on deficits.</B></div> <bR> <div> Flaherty's spending plan includes $40 billion in economic stimulus over the next two years in the form of infrastructure spending and tax cuts.</div> <bR> <div> The budget comes at a massive cost -- $85 billion in deficit over the next five years. The deficit in the 2009-2010 fiscal year will be a shade under $34 billion.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dc12a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tables the federal budget in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009. (Tom Hanson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 538 WIDTH="707"><div> The budget is remarkably different than any other one proposed by the Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- with massive government spending on everything from roads, social housing to the arts.</div> <bR> <div> "We must do what it takes to keep our economy moving, and to protect Canadians in this extraordinary time," Flaherty said. "Making new investments is more challenging in such a time; but it is also more necessary than ever."</div> <bR> <div> If all goes according to Flaherty's plan, the government estimates about 190,000 jobs will be created or saved, and the economy will grow by 1.0 per cent over the next two years.</div> <bR> <div> Flaherty told CTV's "On the Hill" that Canadians across that country have told him they want government to be pragmatic -- and do what it needs to do to protect Canada from a global recession.</div> <bR> <div> "And the same time we heard, 'invest for the future,'" he added, noting his budget includes major cash for universities, such as $1 billion towards clean-energy research.</div> <bR> <div> Both the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois have stated that they will be voting against the budget. In order for it to pass, the support of the Liberals is needed.</div> <bR> <div> Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says he will make an announcement about whether his party will support the budget at 11 a.m. Wednesday. He will meet with his caucus Tuesday evening.</div> <bR> <div> Pundits have noted that much of the budget does seem to meet the requirements Ignatieff put forth for his support and the Liberal leader seemed cautiously pleased with the document when speaking to reporters.</div> <bR> <div> "There are some developments in this budget that would have been unthinkable before Christmas," Ignatieff said. "That is to say the government has responded to the combined pressure of the opposition parties and those results are positive."</div> <bR> <div> He did add he had some "concerns" about the permanent tax cuts and will have to study them further.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Massive deficits forecasted</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 488 WIDTH="707"><div> The deficits proposed will virtually wipe out a decade of debt repayments - nearly 85 per cent paid back to 1998.</div> <bR> <div> Flaherty announced that the government has already slipped into deficit, and will post a shortfall of about $1.1 billion in the current fiscal year that ends March 31.</div> <bR> <div> It is the first deficit since the 1996-1997 fiscal year.</div> <bR> <div> The surprise move of the day was the roughly $2 billion per year in income tax cuts. Those cuts will extend to $20 billion over the next six years.</div> <bR> <div> The tax changes will include a slight increase in the basic personal exemption and raising the upper limit on the two lowest personal income-tax brackets.</div> <bR> <div> A single person making $40,000 will save $115 a year due to the changes, according to the Department of Finance's online budget calculator. A one-earner, family of four making $60,000 would save $275.</div> <bR> <div> A single parent of one child making $30,000 would save $297, while a senior couple on one $40,000 per year pension would save $366.</div> <bR> <div> Business tax cuts were also included in the budget, $2 billion over six years.</div> <bR> <div> Government spending will jump dramatically in the budget -- up nine per cent in the 2009-2010 and three per cent in the year following.</div> <bR> <div> EI benefits will also be extended five weeks for the next two years.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Gov't forecast optimistic: experts</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 596 WIDTH="707"><div> Patricia Croft, chief economist at RBC Global Asset Management, told CTV News that the budget seems to "have something in there for pretty much everyone."</div> <bR> <div> However, she said that there is a bit of a "fingers crossed" on behalf of the government in terms of getting back in the black in five years.</div> <bR> <div> "It assumes a fairly healthy rebound in the Canadian economy," Croft said of the budget's fiscal estimates.</div> <bR> <div> "There will be no long-running or permanent deficit," Flaherty promised. However, he did add a slight adjustment to that statement.</div> <bR> <div> "While our projections are based on the best possible information, we cannot guarantee them absolutely."</div> <bR> <div> Other economists echoed Croft's concerns about the government's optimistic economic forecasts.</div> <bR> <div> Dale Orr, managing director of Canadian Macro Services at Global Insight, told CTV's "On the Hill" that Canadians "are going to be in a very tough situation to the end of this year."</div> <bR> <div> "I am not quite as optimistic as Mr. Flaherty," he said. However, Orr said Canada is going to be in "very good shape" compared to other countries in its readiness to deal with the global economic downturn.</div> <bR> <div> But Flaherty says that his budget is cautious and says the worst could be yet to come.</div> <bR> <div> "The U.S. economy has not hit bottom, some of the European banks are still not okay, there is still some banking turbulence in the United States so I am being very cautious and we have to be ready for a difficult year," he told "On the Hill."</div> <bR> <div> The government is estimating the debt-to-GDP ratio will increase from 28.6 in the current fiscal year to 32.1 per cent by 2010-11 because of the deficits.</div> <bR> <div> The government says the ratio will be below the current year's by 2013-14.</div> <bR> <div> In an interview with CTV on Monday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged his Parliamentary colleagues to "stop the political games and get on with the business of passing some of these economic measures."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 292 WIDTH="707"><div> If his budget is defeated, Harper said "we'll have to go to an election and the people will have to decide this."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Federal budget highlights at a glance:</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">$85 billion deficit over the nest five years.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Personal taxes down $20 billion over six years.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Business taxes cut by $2 billion over six years.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">$12 billion for infrastructure spending towards roads, sewers and universities, $1 billion for "green" infrastructure, and $1 billion for clean-energy research.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">$1.5 billion for job training programs.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">$7.8 billion for social housing and home renovation, including a one-year only Home Renovation Tax Credit of up to $1,350 per household.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">$2.7 billion in short-term loans to the auto industry.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">More than $1.4 billion for aboriginal schools, health, water, housing, community services and training.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">About $325 million for arts and culture.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from Josh Visser</I></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="Jan 09"><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>Lawyer says client admits to slayings at day care</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Jan. 27 2009  06:21  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 27th, 2009</div> <div> <B>BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A defence lawyer says his 20-year-old client has admitted to killing two babies and a nursery attendant at a Belgian day care centre last week.</B></div> <bR> <div> However lawyer Jaak Haentjens says Kim De Gelder denies involvement in the killing of an elderly grandmother a week earlier.</div> <bR> <div> Haentjens told a news conference Tuesday that De Gelder understands he did something "inhuman."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dc04a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Jaak Haentjens, center, lawyer for 20-year-old Belgian Kim De Gelder, speaks with the media at the court of Dendermonde, Belgium, Tuesday Jan. 27, 2009. (AP / Alain Sprimont)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 107 WIDTH="707"><div> Investigators say De Gelder killed the two babies and nursery attendantlast week, as well as injuring dozens of other babies, toddlers and day care workers. They say they have evidence he was planning to attack two more nurseries.</div> <bR> <div> Authorities also say De Gelder is suspected in the fatal slashing of a 73-year-old woman on a remote farm.</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="Jan 09"><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= 305 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>MPs return to work ahead of Tuesday's budget</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Jan. 26 2009 08:18  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 26th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Members of Parliament are returning to work Monday, one day before the Tories present their federal budget -- which will need the support of the Liberals to survive.</B></div> <bR> <div> The NDP and Bloc Quebecois are expected to vote against it but the Liberals have said they'll wait to see the document before they decide.</div> <bR> <div> However, on the weekend, the Liberals threatened to vote down the budget because it is said to contain a potentially contentious proposal to permanently slash taxes for middle-class Canadians.</div> <bR> <div> While the Conservatives say the tax cuts will help working families during a challenging economic era, the Liberals say the rollback is ill-advised and will do little to stimulate the economy.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbfea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="dbffa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Liberal Finance Critic John McCallum speaks with CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="707"><div> Conservative House Leader Jay Hill said Monday he's confident that the tax proposal won't stop the Liberals from supporting the budget.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm quite optimistic that the Liberals... are going to take a responsible position, support the budget, support our government in the short term at least, and work together in the best interests of Canadians," Hill told CTV's Canada AM.</div> <bR> <div> He said it was important that Ottawa get additional tax relief measures into the marketplace and into the hands of Canadians.</div> <bR> <div> On Sunday, Liberal finance critic John McCallum said if the permanent tax cuts were very large the Liberals would be "very concerned" because it would saddle future generations with a big debt and a permanent deficit.</div> <bR> <div> McCallum told CTV's Question Period Sunday that if the Tory budget fails to deliver what's best for Canada the Liberals will have little option than to vote it down.</div> <bR> <div> However, senior Liberals are saying that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's instinct is to support the budget right now, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife said Monday.</div> <bR> <div> "My sense here is that the Liberals are probably going to end up supporting this budget because there probably is going to be enough in there for everybody," Fife told CTV's Canada AM.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Throne speech</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 447 WIDTH="707"><div> On Monday, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean will deliver a throne speech to open the new session of Parliament.</div> <bR> <div> In early December, Jean approved Prime Minister Stephen Harper's request to suspend Parliament, agreeing to put the government on hold until the end of January.</div> <bR> <div> At the time, the Liberals and NDP had agreed to form a coalition, with the support of the Bloc Quebecois, after the Tories released a fiscal update which withdrew public funding for the federal parties and failed to include details of an economic stimulus package.</div> <bR> <div> Harper sought a suspension of Parliament in order to avoid a confidence motion that would have likely toppled his government.</div> <bR> <div> Since then, the Tories have consulted with various groups and leaders across the country and are expected to include a major stimulus package in Tuesday's budget.</div> <bR> <div> Already, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley has announced a $1.5-billion fund for job training.</div> <bR> <div> Finley told CTV's Question Period Sunday that the money will be available to people who are eligible for Employment Insurance as well as those who are not -- such as self-employed workers and stay-at-home parents who want to get back into the workforce.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, Transport Minister John Baird is set to address the media in Ottawa Monday and is expected to talk about infrastructure spending -- a key component of the Tories' economic-stimulus plan.</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="25"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 196 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Opposition threatens Tories over tax cuts</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Jan. 25 2009 18:42  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 25th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Opposition parties are threatening to vote down this week's much-anticipated Conservative budget because it contains a potentially contentious proposal to permanently slash taxes for middle-class Canadians.</B></div> <bR> <div> While the Conservatives say the tax cuts will help working families during a challenging economic era, the Liberals say the rollback is ill-advised and will do little to stimulate the economy.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbfda0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Canadian flag flutters atop the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday Nov. 30, 2008. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 538 WIDTH="707"><div> "If the permanent tax cuts were very large, we would be very concerned, partly because it would saddle future generations with a big debt and a permanent deficit," Liberal finance critic John McCallum told CTV's Question Period Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> McCallum added that the tax reductions will be an ineffectual stimulus because people are more likely to save extra money during recessionary periods.</div> <bR> <div> And if the Tory budget fails to deliver what's best for Canada, McCallum said the Liberals will have little option than to vote it down.</div> <bR> <div> "Well, if it doesn't cut it, our leader has made it perfectly clear that we vote against it -and he is prepared to lead," said McCallum.</div> <bR> <div> If the budget fails to pass the muster of Parliament, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government could be pushed out of power.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton said Sunday that he is still in talks with his Liberal counterpart, Michael Ignatieff, about toppling the Tories this week and installing an opposition government, which would be supported by the Bloc Quebecois.</div> <bR> <div> "We have stayed in touch, and I think there is a fundamental desire for change and optimism," Layton told Question Period.</div> <bR> <div> Despite the opposition threats, however, the Conservatives maintain that reducing personal taxes will help Canadians when they need it most.</div> <bR> <div> "The middle class is the single biggest group that drives our economy," Human Resources Minister Diane Finley told Question Period.</div> <bR> <div> "They are working, they are raising their families, buying groceries and appliances and cars, and we have to make sure they still have the ability to keep spending."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tories to pour cash into social housing</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 521 WIDTH="707"><div> Meanwhile, the Toronto Star reported Sunday that more than $2 billion will be poured into social housing programs across the country, part of a stimulus package that will create construction jobs and help the poor, aboriginals and seniors.</div> <bR> <div> Finley added that more money is going into a $1.5 billion fund for job retraining.</div> <bR> <div> "A lot of people are going to be, unfortunately, losing their jobs and we want to make sure that we're helping them and protecting them and helping them get new jobs," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Finley said the money will be available to people who are eligible for Employment Insurance as well as those who are not -- such as self-employed workers and stay-at-home parents who want to get back into the workforce.</div> <bR> <div> Some $500 million will be targeted at "long-tenured workers," she said, and other "incentives" will be provided to apprentices to complete various training programs.</div> <bR> <div> The government also intends to give financial assistance to foreign-trained workers so they may have their credentials recognized in Canada, Finley said.</div> <bR> <div> Additionally, the government will freeze EI premiums so that employers will not feel any more taxed than they already do while conducting business in a troubled economy.</div> <bR> <div> "We don't want to discourage employers from hiring people or indeed keeping them hired," Finley said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>More advance details</B></div> <bR> <div> The training and tax cut initiatives are the latest in a series of details leaked by the Conservatives in advance of Tuesday's budget.</div> <bR> <div> Last week, the Tories let slip that they expect to post a budget deficit of $64 billion over the next two fiscal years. The leak was seen by many strategists as a way to mitigate the bad news aspects of the budget ahead of its release.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 571 WIDTH="707"><div> Both Finley and Conservative MP Ted Menzies defended their government's decision to share details in advance of the Jan. 27 budget, by saying they were simply repeating what Canadians had told them during pre-budget consultations.</div> <bR> <div> "Canadians really need to know that their government is listening to them, that we're going to take action, that we're on their side and I think that's really important for their peace of mind," Finley said.</div> <bR> <div> Menzies, the parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, said the decision to reveal budget details in advance was "a reflection of what we heard from Canadians."</div> <bR> <div> He also said that the Conservatives had heard "far more" from Canadians during pre-budget consultations than they did from either the NDP or Liberal parties, going as far as to say his government received "nothing in writing" from either party.</div> <bR> <div> But McCallum said the prime minister and finance minister did not respond to an offer to meet with Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff about the budget; and NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis said party representatives had given "endless suggestions" to both Menzies and the finance minister.</div> <bR> <div> <B>From the right</B></div> <bR> <div> Niels Veldhuis, the Fraser Institute's director of fiscal studies, told Question Period he preferred tax cuts over stimulus spending that he believes will be costly and ineffective.</div> <bR> <div> "The type of stimulus spending that we've heard so much about over the last three or four weeks, simply won't stimulate the economy," he said Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> However, Veldhuis said he is concerned about the spending in the upcoming budget that will reportedly put Canada into a $64 billion deficit over the next two years.</div> <bR> <div> "Any increase in spending financed by a deficit, obviously puts Canada back into a position where our debt is increasing, we're leaving a legacy of debt for the younger generation -- and so I would rather see both permanent tax cuts but also trimming spending in wasteful areas."</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="24"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 196 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>CFIA confirms avian flu outbreak on B.C. farm</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Jan. 24 2009 18:54  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 24th, 2009</div> <div> <B>The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed an H5 avian influenza outbreak on a turkey farm in B.C.'s Fraser Valley.</B></div> <bR> <div> CFIA says the strain in this case is of low pathogenicity, and further tests will be done to determine the precise subtype and stain of the virus.</div> <bR> <div> Pathogenicity refers to the severity of the bird's illness.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbfca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed an H5 avian influenza outbreak on a farm in B.C.'s Fraser Valley on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 795 WIDTH="707"><div> All birds on the farm will be humanely euthanized, the CFIA said in a news release. There are as many as 60,000 birds on the farm.</div> <bR> <div> Afterwards, the organization will oversea the cleaning and disinfection of the farm.</div> <bR> <div> Several other farms in a three-kilometre radius of the infected farm have been quarantined.</div> <bR> <div> Avian viruses are not a risk to food safety providing poultry products are properly cooked. Avian influenza rarely affects humans, unless they have been in close contact with the infected birds, the CFIA says.</div> <bR> <div> CTV British Columbia's Maria Weisgarber told CTV Newsnet Saturday afternoon that one man in close contact with the infected birds is under close medical watch in case anything develops.</div> <bR> <div> She added that no recalls of any meat products from the farm are expected.</div> <bR> <div> Weisgarber said that other farms in the area will have their birds extensively tested before they can put their product to market.</div> <bR> <div> Testing was done at the infected farm after some birds showed signs of respiratory distress.</div> <bR> <div> Dr. Neil Rau an infectious disease specialist told CTV Newsnet that the infected birds could have been contracted the virus from migratory birds.</div> <bR> <div> "It may not be that the virus will cause disease in the migratory birds that fly in and out and drop their stools in various areas, but then if you have farm-raised poultry they may be much more susceptible and then it spreads like wildfire in that population of domestic poultry," he said.</div> <bR> <div> CFIA is notifying the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health of the incident as per regulations.</div> <bR> <div> There are multiple subtypes of the H5 avian flu. Additionally testing is being done to determine the virus's neuraminidase subtype -- the N in a flu virus's name.</div> <bR> <div> Low path viruses, usually only lead to drop in egg production. However, a high path virus can wipe out an entire poultry operation as birds must be culled to extinguish the outbreak.</div> <bR> <div> In 2005, the Fraser Valley suffered an outbreak of H5N2 avian influenza.</div> <bR> <div> In Feb. 2004, 17 million birds were slaughtered in the Fraser Valley following an outbreak of H7N3, a different subtype of avian influenza.</div> <bR> <div> Seventeen million birds were slaughtered in the Fraser Valley in February 2004 following an outbreak of H7N3, a different avian influenza subtype.</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="23"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 379 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Man kills 2 babies, adult in Belgium day-care attack</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Jan. 23 2009 08:39  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 23rd, 2009</div> <div> <B>A calm, knife-wielding man stabbed two babies and a female worker to death at a day-care centre in Belgium on Friday before riding away on his bicycle.</B></div> <bR> <div> The man, armed with several knives, was described as wearing white paint on his face and black paint around his eyes.</div> <bR> <div> "He immediately started attacking babies who were being looked after at the day-care centre then he moved on to attack toddlers," the BBC's Dominic Hughes told CTV's Canada AM Friday from Brussels.</div> <bR> <div> "We understand two babies died during the course of that attack and one adult."</div> <bR> <div> Ten others, a reported combination of children and adults, were also injured in the attack, which took place around 10 a.m. local time in Dendermonde, a town about 30 kilometres northwest of Brussels.</div> <bR> <div> At a press conference Friday, Prosecutor Christian Du Four said digital photographs of the child victims were shown to parents at the hospital so that they could be identified.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbd5a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Parents comfort each other at a crisis centre after a stabbing incident at a day-care centre in Dendermonde, Belgium, Friday, Jan. 23, 2009. (AP / Virginia Mayo)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dbd6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This CTV map shows the location of Dendermonde, Belgium, which is 30 kilometres northwest of Brussels.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 418 WIDTH="707"><div> VRT Radio's Philip Heymans, reporting from outside the day care, said it was unclear how the man managed to enter the building because the doors are usually kept locked.</div> <bR> <div> "The killer was described as a man who was not in panic, he was very calm," Heymans said. "He arrived on his bike and after he did the killing he drove away on his bike again."</div> <bR> <div> Heymans confirmed reports that the man was wearing face paint, adding that he also had ginger-coloured hair and was of a slim build.</div> <bR> <div> Hughes said the man was arrested shortly after the incident outside a grocery store.</div> <bR> <div> "He was injured in the course of that arrest and is now being treated in a local hospital," Hughes said.</div> <bR> <div> Heymans said the suspect was a local man.</div> <bR> <div> "He was known to police for some crimes but we're not sure what crimes," Heymans said.</div> <bR> <div> Local media is also reporting that the unidentified man had a history of psychiatric problems.</div> <bR> <div> Veerle Heeren, the social welfare minister for the regional Flemish government, said an investigation would be launched to probe what security measures were in place at the centre.</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="Jan 09"><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>Two death sentences given in China milk scandal</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Jan. 22 2009 07:50  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 22nd, 2009</div> <div> <B>Two Chinese men face the death penalty and a former executive faces life in prison, for their roles in the tainted milk scandal that led to the deaths of six babies, and sickened hundreds of thousands.</B></div> <bR> <div> Investigators found that melamine was added to raw milk to make it appear to be higher in protein than it actually was.</div> <bR> <div> Cattle farmer Zhang Yujun, 40, and Geng Jinping, a milk trader, have been sentenced to death.</div> <bR> <div> Yujun was accused of operating an illegal melamine workshop in Shandong province in the east -- which produced an estimated 600 tonnes.</div> <bR> <div> Jinping was found guilty of producing and selling toxic dairy products.</div> <bR> <div> In addition to the death sentences announced on Thursday, the former head of the Sanlu dairy, where the scandal took place, was sentenced to life in prison by the Intermediate People's Court in Shijiazhuang.</div> <bR> <div> In December, Tian Wenhuam pleaded guilty to producing and selling milk she knew was tainted.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbc2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Police officers wait in an office of the Intermediate People's Court in Shijazhuang, in China's Hebei, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. (AP / Greg Baker)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dbc3a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Zheng Shuzhen, centre, the grandmother of a baby who died after drinking tainted milk, cries outside the Intermediate People's Court in Shijiazhuang, in China's Hebei province Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. (AP / Greg Baker)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 488 WIDTH="707"><div> In addition to the life sentence, the 66-year-old former highest ranking executive within the company was fined the equivalent of US$2.9 million.</div> <bR> <div> She pleaded guilty in December to the charges.</div> <bR> <div> But Tian got off lightly, family members of the victims charge.</div> <bR> <div> "My granddaughter died. She (Tian) should die too, she should be shot. She has brought such harm to the public, to children," Zheng Shuzhen, of Henan province, who said her 1-year-old granddaughter died in June after drinking Sanlu milk," told The Associated Press.</div> <bR> <div> According to reports, Sanlu itself was fined $7.3 million -- though the company has now been declared bankrupt.</div> <bR> <div> The scandal broke in September 2008. It was eventually revealed that the company had known the milk powder was tainted, but still went ahead and allowed roughly 900 tonnes of product to go out the plant doors.</div> <bR> <div> Production was eventually halted, but only after Sanlu's New Zealand partners intervened.</div> <bR> <div> The stoppage by the world's largest producer of milk powder was followed by international product recalls.</div> <bR> <div> The scandal came on the heels of other scares related to the health and safety standards of other Chinese-made products -- including a milk powder scare four years ago that left 13 babies dead.</div> <bR> <div> Among the 12 sentences announced Thursday, two other life terms were handed down, while others were given jail terms of five to 15 years.</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="21"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 537 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Obama steps into Oval Office after historic night</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Jan. 21 2009 11:27  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 21st, 2009</div> <div> <B>After spending his first night in the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama woke up early Wednesday and ventured into the Oval Office for the first time as commander-in-chief.</B></div> <bR> <div> Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama came home from inaugural celebrations around 1 a.m. and was in the Oval Office around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> Obama spent 10 minutes alone and read a note left for him by former president George Bush, placed in an envelope marked "To: #44, From: #43," Gibbs said.</div> <bR> <div> Obama was then joined by White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and, several minutes later, the first lady, Michelle Obama.</div> <bR> <div> Later Wednesday morning, Obama took part in a national prayer service at the National Cathedral.</div> <bR> <div> Obama and the first lady attended the service as part of a tradition that dates back to George Washington's inauguration. </div> <div> Joining the Obamas were Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, and the Clintons.</div> <bR> <div> "Grant to Barack Obama, president of the United States, and to all in authority your grace and good will. Bless them with your heavenly gifts, give them wisdom and strength to know and to do your will," prayed the Rev. Andy Stanley, one of numerous clerics from several religions to speak.</div> <bR> <div> After the prayer service, Obama was scheduled to return to the White House, which will be opened up to the public.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbbca0dc0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="220" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The London Evening Standard special edition commemorating the inauguration of President Obama, is sold by a street vendor, in London, Wednesday Jan. 21, 2009. (AP / Alastair Grant)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dbbda0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Barack Obama with his wife, Michelle, at his side, takes the oath of office to become the 44th president of the United States, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP / Ron Edmonds)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 656 WIDTH="707"><div> In the afternoon, Obama will be meeting with advisers to discuss the variety of problems facing his administration and the country.</div> <bR> <div> He is expected to hold talks on the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.</div> <bR> <div> Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, along with the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and other members of Obama's National Security Council will all be at the White House Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> Gen. David Petraeus, the military commander in charge of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is also scheduled to attend.</div> <bR> <div> During his campaign, Obama said he would withdraw all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. </div> <div> Obama has also promised a troop surge for Afghanistan, in the range of 30,000 soldiers.</div> <bR> <div> The Obama administration was already at work late Tuesday, with a request that the war crimes trials at Guantanamo Bay be suspended. A judge has granted the request, which include a stoppage of the trial of Canadian Omar Khadr.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Historic inauguration</B></div> <bR> <div> On Tuesday, Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.</div> <bR> <div> U.S. presidential historian Allan Lichtman called Tuesday's inauguration the "most extraordinary day" he has ever witnessed in his 35 years in Washington.</div> <bR> <div> "He's a political leader, he's a rock star, he's an icon," Lichtman told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> "He's Abraham Lincoln meets American Idol meets Muhammad Ali and we haven't seen anything like that before."</div> <bR> <div> After accepting the Oath of Office on the steps of Capitol Hill Tuesday, Obama delivered a rousing inauguration speech.</div> <bR> <div> He called on Americans to enter a "new era of responsibility," saying all citizens must pull together to overcome the current challenges.</div> <bR> <div> More than one million people watched the ceremony live or on massive projection screens in the National Mall.</div> <bR> <div> Among the crowd were dignitaries, Hollywood stars, former presidents and Obama's wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 493 WIDTH="707"><div> During the afternoon presidential inauguration parade along Pennsylvania Avenue, Obama got out of his limousine to walk part of the route with his wife.</div> <bR> <div> The couple then partied late into the night, attending 10 inaugural balls.</div> <bR> <div> Lichtman said he expects Obama's presidential honeymoon to last for a long time.</div> <bR> <div> "Americans know that Barack Obama is not Harry Potter," Lichtman said.</div> <bR> <div> "He can't wave a magic wand and solve all our problems. They don't expect that, they know our problems are going to take some time."</div> <bR> <div> Lichtman said Obama simply needs to show that he's moving the nation forward in a positive direction.</div> <bR> <div> "He's got to get a good stimulus plan through the Congress in the next few weeks," Lichtman said.</div> <bR> <div> "He's got to follow up this executive order halting prosecutions at Guantanamo... there are (also) things he can do on the environment, on labour issues, on human and civil rights that don't require going through Congress."</div> <bR> <div> Lichtman said Obama's inauguration marked more than just a change in power.</div> <bR> <div> "2008 marks the end of the Conservative-era that began with Ronald Reagan in 1980," he said. "We're witnessing one of those great hinge moments in history when one political era ends and another begins."</div> <bR> <div> At 47, Obama is the fourth youngest president in American history.</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="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 523 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Obama to step into history as 1st black president</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Jan. 20 2009 08:22  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 20th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Thousands of people began queuing in the early morning hours Tuesday, vying for a prime spot at the historic inauguration of U.S. president-elect Barack Obama.</B></div> <bR> <div> The crowd in Washington, D.C. included people from across the U.S., Canada and the world. They braved icy temperatures and snow flurries in the pre-dawn hours, all for a chance to witness the swearing-in of America's 44th president.</div> <bR> <div> "We are all basically stuck behind checkpoints here," said CTV's Lisa LaFlamme.</div> <bR> <div> "There are thousands of people crowded under bridges, on every road, trying to get into the various points that allow them access to the National Mall so they can actually witness the inauguration on these JumboTrons."</div> <bR> <div> LaFlamme was waiting with the crowds to be allowed through security checks and into the National Mall, home of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.</div> <bR> <div> Massive screens are set up along the mall to broadcast the inauguration ceremony which will take place on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.</div> <bR> <div> A heavy security presence, including fighter jets patrolling the skies overhead, was part of what was being described as the largest-ever U.S. security effort. That also slowed down access to the mall and other key locations.</div> <bR> <div> "People are getting a little bit restless and a llittle bit cold because everybody of course is jockeying to be first in line so they can get in there and get a prime spot on the mall," LaFlamme told CTV's Canada AM.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbb8a0fa0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Hundreds of thousands gather early on the National Mall for the swearing-in ceremony for U.S. president-elect Barack Obama in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP / Ron Edmonds)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dbb9a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The U.S. Capitol is seen lit up before the swearing-in ceremony of U.S. president-elect Barack Obama. (AP / Scott Andrews)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 521 WIDTH="707"><div> "We are surrounded by police from all over the United states and of course 32,000 military and national guard.</div> <bR> <div> The swearing-in ceremony will begin at 11:30 ET. Obama will take the oath of office using the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861, the president who is credited with abolishing slavery.</div> <bR> <div> After he is sworn-in, Obama will deliver his inaugural address, laying out his vision for the country and the direction he will take as president.</div> <bR> <div> That will be followed at 2:30 p.m. by a presidential inauguration parade along Pennsylvania Avenue, complete with marching bands and thousands of spectators lining the route.</div> <bR> <div> Hopes are high for Obama when he moves into the White House. He will do so as the first black president of the United States, and at 47, the 4th youngest.</div> <bR> <div> The charismatic former state senator from Illinois, a husband and father of two young girls, will come into office with great challenges ahead of him.</div> <bR> <div> He follows George Bush, one of the most unpopular and divisive presidents in U.S. history, into office, and will have to deal with the baggage of two unpopular wars, Guantanamo Bay, and a limping U.S. economy.</div> <bR> <div> Obama, his running mate vice-president elect Joe Biden, and their wives Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, began the day with a morning worship service at St. John's Episcopal Church, across Lafayette Park from the White House.</div> <bR> <div> The festivities will wrap up late in the night after 10 inaugural balls that will carry on late into the night.</div> <bR> <div> The Obamas were invited to the White House, as is custom, by Bush and his wife Laura, for coffee Tuesday morning. The two couples will then travel together to the U.S. Capitol for the handover ceremony.</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="19"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 233 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Vancouver gets Olympic-sized loan approval</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Jan. 19 2009 13:48  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 19th, 2009</div> <div> <B>VICTORIA -- The City of Vancouver has official approval to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure the city's $1-billion waterfront athletes village project for the 2010 Winter Olympics stays afloat.</B></div> <bR> <div> B.C. politicians voted unanimously today to support legislation that allows Vancouver to borrow more than $450 million without going to a public referendum.</div> <bR> <div> Politicians debated Bill 47 for about 20 hours straight, spending the night with the Opposition New Democrats accusing the government of hiding the true costs of the Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbb1a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell chats with Finance Minister Colin Hansen during an emergency session of the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 211 WIDTH="707"><div> New Democrat Leader Carole James left the legislature after an emergency special sitting that started Saturday at noon saying she supports the project, but she says people are concerned about the government's handling of the Games, especially with a May election approaching.</div> <bR> <div> Premier Gordon Campbell says the government passed legislation that allows almost 2,000 construction workers to keep their jobs in tough times and allows Vancouver to continue building a project that will enhance the city's waterfront for years to come.</div> <bR> <div> He says the Opposition is trying to attack the Games even though every other province in Canada and likely every state in the United States wishes it could host the event.</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="18"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 407 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>US Airways jet lifted from Hudson River</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Jan. 18 2009 12:11  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 18th, 2009</div> <div> <B>NEW YORK -- The airliner that was piloted to a safe emergency landing in the Hudson River was hoisted from the ice-laden current and placed on a barge, and its two "black box" data recorders were sent to investigators in Washington.</B></div> <bR> <div> Emergency workers swarmed around the barge and its battered cargo -- moored next to a seawall just a couple of blocks from the World Trade Center site -- Sunday morning as federal aviation investigators met in a downtown hotel.</div> <bR> <div> The aircraft was slowly lifted from the frigid water at the southern tip of Manhattan late Saturday, exposing its shredded underbelly that dropped pieces of metal as a crane manoeuvred it in the darkness. There was no immediate announcement where the barge would be taken or when it would be moved.</div> <bR> <div> Although the area was barricaded, the spectacle attracted dozens of Sunday morning strollers and tourists snapping pictures of the wreckage in gently falling snow.</div> <bR> <div> US Airways Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, speaking to National Transportation Safety Board investigators Saturday for the first time, said he made a split-second decision to put the airliner down in the river rather than risk a "catastrophic" crash in a populated area of New York City or New Jersey after a collision with birds shut down both engines.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbafa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A heavy lift crane removes US Airways flight 1549 from its makeshift mooring along a seawall in lower Manhattan, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 in New York. (AP / Edouard H.R.Gluck, Pool)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dbb0a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The wreckage of US Airways Flight 1549 is lifted from the waters of lower Manhattan Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009, in New York (AP / Craig Ruttle)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 856 WIDTH="707"><div> Police and coast guard boats patrolled the water Sunday morning around the barge holding the plane, its damaged right jet engine clearly visible.</div> <bR> <div> Divers still have to find the plane's left engine in the river, but have an idea where to look. A sonar team has identified an object directly below the crash site, upstream between mid-Manhattan and New Jersey, the NTSB said. Investigators initially thought both engines had been shorn off, but divers realized Saturday one was still attached and they had missed it in the murky river water.</div> <bR> <div> The NTSB said radar data confirmed that the aircraft crossed the path of a group of "primary targets," almost certainly birds, as Flight 1549 climbed over the Bronx after taking off from LaGuardia Airport. Those targets had not been on the radar screen of the air traffic controller who approved the departure to Charlotte, N.C., NTSB board member Kitty Higgins said.</div> <bR> <div> Sullenberger recounted seeing his windshield filled with big, dark-brown birds.</div> <bR> <div> "His instinct was to duck," Higgins said, recounting their interview. Then there was a thump, the smell of burning birds, and silence as both aircraft engines cut out.</div> <bR> <div> After the impact, Sullenberger told investigators he immediately took over flying from his co-pilot and decided it would be too dangerous to attempt a landing at the smaller Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.</div> <bR> <div> "We can't do it," he told air traffic controllers. "We're gonna be in the Hudson."</div> <bR> <div> "Brace! Brace! Head down!" the flight attendants shouted to the passengers.</div> <bR> <div> Security cameras on a Manhattan pier captured the Airbus A320 as it descended in a controlled glide, then threw up spray as it slid across the river on its belly.</div> <bR> <div> Two flight attendants likened it to a hard landing -- nothing more. There was one impact, no bounce, then a gradual deceleration.</div> <bR> <div> It all happened so fast, the crew never threw the aircraft's "ditch switch," which seals off vents in the fuselage to make it more seaworthy.</div> <bR> <div> Hoisting the water-filled craft, estimated to weigh 450 tonnes, took a few hours Saturday but was preceded by hours of preparation. Divers went into the water to thread five large slings around the plane and through holes they drilled in the wings.</div> <bR> <div> The conditions were treacherous, with the temperature dipping to -14 C and giant chunks of ice forming around the plane by midday. Divers were sprayed with hot water during breaks on shore.</div> <bR> <div> After a day struggling with the icy water and the immense weight of the craft, the mood on the shoreline in Lower Manhattan turned festive with the successful operation. Following the long work to secure the plane, people shook hands and investigators took snapshots, while police helicopters hovered overhead.</div> <bR> <div> Investigators on the barge circled the dented jetliner, examining the damage. An emergency slide still hung from the plane, and a compartment door was open, with luggage still visible inside. A gash extended from the base of the plane toward the windows. And in places, the skin of the aircraft was simply gone.</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="Jan 09"><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= 509 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Ontario man to redesign famous fembot creation</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Jan. 17 2009  07:05  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 17th, 2009</div> <div> <B>The creator of Canada's most famous android, which makes toast, remembers faces and speaks phrases in two languages, says he will attempt to build a better robot.</B></div> <bR> <div> Le Trung told CTV.ca he will "decommission" his home-built female android, Aiko, shortly after she makes her final public appearance at a Toronto cultural festival on Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> "I have to decommission her," Trung said. "It sounds so weird."</div> <bR> <div> No doubt, Aiko is a curious creation.</div> <bR> <div> Built in the basement of Trung's parents' home in Brampton, Ont., the 152 centimetre-tall robot can speak 13,000 English and Japanese phrases and can recognizes the faces of the people she meets.</div> <bR> <div> While she cannot walk, Aiko can use her arms to make toast and she can distinguish types of touch. She can also read newspaper articles aloud and tell you what the weather is like outside.</div> <bR> <div> And Aiko is, indeed, a female robot, with mechanical equivalents for the most female parts of the female form -- something Trung has said is a part of making her as human as she can possibly be.</div> <bR> <div> Aiko's official website projectaiko.com features a wish list of skills that her creator hopes to equip her with one day. They include feeding Trung sushi, having Aiko clean toilets and teaching the android to write.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="dbaca07d0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="dbada0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Le Trung built Aiko in the basement of his parents' home in Brampton, Ont. (Photo courtesy of Le Trung)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dbaea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Le Trung said he has learned a lot about the materials he works with and knows which ones are the best fit for his robot work. (Photo courtesy of Le Trung)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 692 WIDTH="707"><div> But in the immediate future, Trung hopes he will be able to make a few structural changes to his "version two" android.</div> <bR> <div> He would like to make her taller -- by six centimetres -- and give her a more substantial skeleton.</div> <bR> <div> "The design of Aiko one is fine, it's just (made of) cheap material," Trung said.</div> <bR> <div> Another long-term goal? Having Aiko walk through a shopping mall.</div> <bR> <div> "I have to find some local shopping mall here and then I'll have her walk in there," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Trung expects this next android will be cheaper to construct than the current Aiko, which itself cost more than $20,000 -- and three credit cards -- to develop.</div> <bR> <div> He said he has learned a lot about the materials he works with and knows which ones are the best fit for his robot work.</div> <bR> <div> "This time I know exactly what I want to buy, so hopefully it's cheaper, plus companies have donated some parts," he said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>How Aiko hit it big</B></div> <bR> <div> Trung made headlines worldwide in December, when the story of Aiko was picked up in the British press.</div> <bR> <div> Soon after, Aiko and her Canadian creator appeared in newspapers, on television and on countless blogs all over the Internet. On YouTube, Aiko's most popular video -- entitled "fembot" -- has been downloaded more than 1.3 million times.</div> <bR> <div> For Trung, it has been a bit overwhelming. After his story got picked up, his website kept crashing, he was answering his phone day and night and he even got recognized while applying for a bank loan. (The loan was to get money he intended to use for further developing Aiko.)</div> <bR> <div> But it hasn't been all bad: He's landed a couple of small advertisers for his website and about $2,000 in donations -- enough for four of the 14 motors he needs to make Aiko walk -- but it won't be nearly enough to build an entirely new android.</div> <bR> <div> "I don't have money to build two at the same time, so I will take some of the old (Aiko) parts and put them in the new one," Trung said.</div> <bR> <div> "Ideally, if I had the money, I would just build version two without touching version one," Trung said, referring to both the old and new Aikos.</div> <bR> <div> "But because I don't have the money I will have to steal some of the old sensors and the screen for the new one."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 273 WIDTH="707"><div> He is also getting a few financial offers to support his robot-building efforts.</div> <bR> <div> Trung said he heard from a couple of serious investors who wanted to put down real cash for a stake in Trung's Project Aiko.</div> <bR> <div> One investor offered Trung $15,000 for 98 per cent ownership of Aiko. Another offered him $32,000 for 50 per cent. But neither offer was enough to give up on his dream.</div> <bR> <div> "My family said: 'You know what? You didn't spend 11 years in university to earn $30,000 a year,'" Trung said.</div> <bR> <div> "Basically, they're going to fund me and continue helping me out."</div> <bR> <div> <I>Aiko will make her last public appearance at Toronto's Better Living Centre as part of the 24th Annual Lunar New Year Festival, better known as the Tet Festival 2009, on Jan. 17, between noon and 9 p.m.</I></div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from Geoff Nixon</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="Jan 09"><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= 734 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Investigation begins after 'miracle on the Hudson'</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Jan. 16 2009  08:25  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 16th, 2009</div> <div> <B>A day after all 155 passengers aboard US Airways Flight 1549 survived a "splash landing" on the Hudson River, investigators are probing how the near-disaster happened.</B></div> <bR> <div> Pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, 57, of Danville, Calif., managed to successfully land his crippled plane Thursday afternoon, shortly after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport.</div> <bR> <div> An air traffic controllers' union official said a pilot on the plane reported a "double bird strike" less than a minute after takeoff and immediately asked for an emergency landing.</div> <bR> <div> It is believed both engines were hit by a bird, possible an entire flock.</div> <bR> <div> National Air Traffic Controllers Union spokesman Doug Church said the bird strikes were reported at 30 to 45 seconds into the flight.</div> <bR> <div> On Friday, a team of 20 National Transportation Safety Board investigators will continue their probe into the incident. Federal officials are hoping to recover the flight recorder from the plane and will also be interviewing the crew.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, a giant crane and a barge have been brought to the site Friday to help pull the jetliner from the river.</div> <bR> <div> Aviation expert Vernon Grose said this incident marks the first time a jet airplane has landed in the water and survived.</div> <bR> <div> "The engines are the lowest part of the aircraft and they hit the water first. He wisely stalled the airplane as much as he could by having the tail down and the nose up and then at the last minute let the aircraft down," Grose told CTV's Canada AM.</div> <bR> <div> "The engines did not separate. If they had they would have torn the wings off possibly and left the fuselage to submerge."</div> <bR> <div> Vallie Collins, who was seated on the last row of the plane, described her ordeal to CTV's Canada AM on Friday.</div> <bR> <div> "The gentleman next to me was looking out the window and we heard a bang and the plane sort of dropped," Collins recounted. "He said he saw the birds. He said 'We've hit a bird.'"</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db9fa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> In this image taken from the website of Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., US Airways pilot Chelsey B. Sullenberger III is shown. An official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still ongoing identified Sullenberger as the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549. (AP / Safety Reliability Methods, Inc.)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dba0a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A US Airways plane rests against a retaining wall after the pilot ditched the disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River in New York on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009. (AP / Louis Lanzano)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="dba1a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Survivors of the US Airways plane crash in the Hudson River wait for a bus to take them from a First Aid center in Weehawken, N.J. back to La Guardia Airport, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009. (AP / Stuart Ramson)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 497 WIDTH="707"><div> Collins said she sent a quick text message to her husband as the plane continued to glide before it landed on the water.</div> <bR> <div> "Honestly, I've had landings on runways that were rougher," Collins said.</div> <bR> <div> "He did such a great job at putting us down as easy as possible."</div> <bR> <div> Collins said the pilot was her "hero."</div> <bR> <div> "If I could give him a big hug and kiss one day I would love to because he did a great job," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Collins said her husband was flying from Tennessee to New York Friday to drive her home.</div> <bR> <div> She said she will likely fly again.</div> <bR> <div> "My granddaddy's always said when you fall off a horse you've just got to get back on so I guess I'll just have to get back on -- but not today."</div> <bR> <div> On Thursday, New York Gov. David Patterson called the landing "a miracle on the Hudson."</div> <bR> <div> "We had a miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a miracle on the Hudson," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Sullenberger's co-pilot was Jeff Skiles, 49, of Oregon, Wis., a 23-year US Airways veteran.</div> <bR> <div> The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says there were about 65,000 bird strikes to civil aircraft in the U.S. between 1990 to 2005. But actual crashes caused by bird are rare.</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="15"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 183 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Premiers to push prime minister for big money</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Jan. 15 2009  06:36  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 15th, 2009</div> <div> <B>OTTAWA -- Premiers will bring a pricey shopping list of measures they say are needed to stimulate the flagging economy as they gather Thursday for a key pre-budget meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.</B></div> <bR> <div> Big new investment in job-creating infrastructure projects tops everyone's list. But the premiers also want the Jan. 27 federal budget to include more money for job training and education, enriched Employment Insurance and more federal aid for struggling industries.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db9ea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Toronto Mayor David Miller speaks with Canada AM from CTV's bureau in Ottawa, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 554 WIDTH="707"><div> Quebec's Jean Charest wants all that and more. He demanded Wednesday that the federal government back off plans to cap the growth of equalization payments to have-not provinces.</div> <bR> <div> No price tag has been attached to any of the demands but the Federation of Canadian Municipalities gave a hint Wednesday of the kind of bucks involved.</div> <bR> <div> It released a list of more than 1,000 "shovel-ready" municipal infrastructure projects that could be underway by spring -- if the federal government antes up a cool $13.7 billion.</div> <bR> <div> Transport Minister John Baird declined to say whether such a sum is realistic. But whatever the federal government provides, Baird indicated it won't be strictly for municipal roads, bridges and water systems.</div> <bR> <div> He noted that provincial governments, universities, airports and ports are all seeking funds for projects of their own.</div> <bR> <div> "We'll be taking a balanced approach," Baird said in an interview.</div> <bR> <div> Still he added: "There'll be a big focus on municipal infrastructure."</div> <bR> <div> Baird said the government will favour projects which are ready to go immediately and which can't start without a federal infusion. He also said Ottawa prefers projects whose costs are shared by the provinces and municipalities.</div> <bR> <div> Harper has mused about a multiyear stimulus package in the budget of up to $30 billion. He and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty have also conceded that the government will run a hefty deficit -- after presenting a fall economic statement that predicted a small surplus.</div> <bR> <div> The survival of Harper's minority Conservative government hinges on the budget so the support of the premiers could be crucial.</div> <bR> <div> Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he expects the budget will require provincial participation in infrastructure projects and Ontario is prepared to do its share. But he suggested red tape that has delayed such joint projects in the past must be alleviated.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 571 WIDTH="707"><div> "We want to get those shovels in the ground sooner rather than later. We don't want the recession to be over by the time we get infrastructure dollars spent," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Among other things, there is broad agreement among first ministers that Ottawa should eliminate, where possible, the requirement for federal environmental assessments of projects that have already received environmental stamps of approval from provincial governments.</div> <bR> <div> The premiers will meet Thursday afternoon before heading on to an evening sitdown with Harper and the leaders of five national aboriginal groups. Harper and the premiers will then meet again Friday.</div> <bR> <div> This will be the first formal first ministers' meeting Harper has held during his three years in office. He has met informally with premiers several times over dinner or lunch -- the last time only two months ago to discuss the global economic crisis.</div> <bR> <div> Although the meeting is being held little more than a week before the budget is unveiled, McGuinty and Manitoba's Gary Doer insisted Wednesday that they can still influence the content of the economic blueprint.</div> <bR> <div> "It really is a magnificent opportunity to influence the next federal budget and I think there's a lot of common ground," McGuinty said.</div> <bR> <div> Doer noted that Ottawa has been engaged in intensive consultations with the provinces well in advance of Friday's gathering.</div> <bR> <div> Provincial official don't expect Friday's meeting to produce any specific announcements on how Ottawa intends to stimulate the economy or insulate Canada from the worldwide financial meltdown. Such measures -- and the price tags attached -- likely won't be unveiled until the budget.</div> <bR> <div> However, there does appear to be broad agreement on the need for more job training funds.</div> <bR> <div> "The more education we can have, the more skills we can invest in, the more people we're going to have employed," Doer said in an interview.</div> <bR> <div> "And we think that is a both a short-term benefit to our Canadian economy and a great long-term benefit to the social cohesion of this country."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 554 WIDTH="707"><div> Several provinces are also pushing for reforms to Employment Insurance, to bolster benefits and ease eligibility rules.</div> <bR> <div> Most premiers have struck a co-operative tone as they prepare for the meeting. As British Columbia's Gordon Campbell put it: "We have to get through this (economic turmoil) together."</div> <bR> <div> But Charest struck a more combative tone, calling the planned constraints on the growth of equalization "unacceptable." He said the Harper government achieved provincial consensus on changes to equalization two years ago and is now unilaterally changing the program without consultation.</div> <bR> <div> "As far as I'm concerned, that is not the way that the federal government said it would do business. I'm asking them to respect their word and Mr. Harper to respect the commitment he made in regards to fixing this."</div> <bR> <div> Quebec and Alberta are also miffed that only days before the meeting, the federal government has announced plans to proceed with a single, national securities regulator. The two provinces contend that's an unconstitutional intrusion on provincial jurisdiction.</div> <bR> <div> However, Alberta's Ed Stelmach said he doesn't want Friday's focus on the economy to be sidetracked by the securities regulation issue.</div> <bR> <div> Stelmach and Saskatchewan's Brad Wall Harper said they expect a fair share of any federal largesse, even though their provinces are the most economically robust.</div> <bR> <div> Stelmach indicated that he wants aid for the hard-pressed forestry, energy and agriculture sectors, akin to the $4 billion in short-term loans offered last month to the Ontario's based auto industry.</div> <bR> <div> "Just to pay attention to the auto industry and think that's going to save the rest of Canada is wrong," he said.</div> <bR> <div> That sentiment has been echoed by New Brunswick's Shawn Graham. He's said the ravaged forestry industry is as important to his province's economic health as the auto sector is to Ontario's.</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="14"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 163 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Nortel expected to file for bankruptcy protection</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Jan. 14 2009  07:54  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 14th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Cash-strapped Nortel Networks Corp. could file for bankruptcy protection as early as Wednesday, according to reports.</B></div> <bR> <div> The company's board of directors reportedly met in Toronto Tuesday to assess the company's future, just two days before the telecom firm is due to repay a $107-million interest debt on bonds.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="db87a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 521 WIDTH="707"><div> "They don't have $107 million dollars just to make an interest payment so the next logical step might be filing for bankruptcy protection or protection from its creditors," BNN's Michael Kane reported Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> The interest payment would amount to about 10 per cent of the company's North American cash reserves.</div> <bR> <div> <I>The Globe and Mail</I> reports Nortel will file for creditor protection as early as Wednesday in Toronto and at an undisclosed U.S. location.</div> <bR> <div> "The issue is not whether or not they can pay it. ... It's the idea of: If you know you're eventually going to default anyway, why not do it now and keep the ... interest payments you would have shelled out?" Duncan Stewart, an analyst at DSAM Consulting in Toronto, told <I>The Globe</I>.</div> <bR> <div> If Nortel does file for bankruptcy protection, it would allow the company to restructure or sell off some of its assets.</div> <bR> <div> Once Canada's most valuable company, Nortel stocks traded as high as $124.50 a share during the tech boom in 2000, said Kane.</div> <bR> <div> After the telecom bubble burst, the company failed to re-establish itself and was plagued by accounting scandals and weakening demand.</div> <bR> <div> On Tuesday, the stock closed at 38.5 cents a share.</div> <bR> <div> Under a Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) restructuring, the common shares could become worthless if Nortel seeks bankruptcy protection.</div> <bR> <div> In November, after posting a $3.4-billion third-quarter loss, Nortel announced it was slashing 1,300 more jobs, including key management positions.</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="13"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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>Israeli forces enter Gaza City neighbourhood</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Jan. 13 2009  07:58  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 13th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Israeli ground troops moved into a densely populated neighourhood of Gaza City Tuesday, battling Hamas militants and destroying dozens of homes.</B></div> <bR> <div> The incursion into the Tel Hawwa neighborhood -- about 1.5 kilometres from of Gaza City's core -- marks the farthest point Israel has reached since the beginning of its 18-day offensive.</div> <bR> <div> "There were 60 air attacks on the Gaza Strip overnight. Two nights ago there were only a dozen," CTV's Tom Kennedy reported Tuesday from Jerusalem.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db7ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A shell fired from an Israeli Army tank explodes over a building in the outskirts of Gaza City, as seen from the Israeli-Gaza border, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. (AP / Anja Niedringhaus)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 704 WIDTH="707"><div> "There really is no sign that this thing is winding down at all."</div> <bR> <div> The Israeli military said it aerial assault targeted Hamas militants holed up in a hotel, a house and a mosque. Israel also fired on 15 squads of gunmen, rocket launching sites and 15 smuggling tunnels along the Egyptian border.</div> <bR> <div> In Tel Hawwa, several high-rise buildings were on fire, including a lumberyard, witnesses told The Associated Press. Palestinian medical officials report at least 16 people killed in fighting, although Israel says the death toll could be much higher.</div> <bR> <div> Khader Mussa, a resident in Tel Hawwa, said he fled his house waving a white flag. He spent the night in the basement of a relative's house, alongside his pregnant wife and parents.</div> <bR> <div> "Thank God we survived this time and got out alive from here. But we don't know how long we'll be safe in my brother's home," Mussa, 35, told AP by telephone.</div> <bR> <div> Kennedy said the closer Israeli forces get to Hamas fighters, the greater the death toll will climb on both sides.</div> <bR> <div> So far, Palestinian hospital officials say more than 900 Palestinians, half of them civilians, have been killed in fighting.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was headed to the region Tuesday to press for a ceasefire.</div> <bR> <div> "It's a very difficult diplomatic situation," Kennedy said.</div> <bR> <div> "The Israeli prime minister has said that the Hamas fighters inside the Gaza Strip will continue to feel the iron fist of Israel as long as Israel does not feel safe from these rocket attacks."</div> <bR> <div> Ki-moon will meet senior officials in Egypt and Jordan Wednesday, then head to Israel, the Palestinian-controlled West Bank, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Kuwait.</div> <bR> <div> "To both sides, I say: Just stop, now," the UN chief said Monday. "Too many people have died. There has been too much civilian suffering. Too many people, Israelis and Palestinians, live in daily fear of their lives."</div> <bR> <div> In a speech broadcast Monday, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh vowed to continue fighting but said his government was pursuing diplomacy to end the conflict.</div> <bR> <div> "As we are in the middle of this crisis, we tell our people we, God willing, are closer to victory. All the blood that is being shed will not go to waste," Haniyeh 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="12"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 718 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>'Slumdog Millionaire,' Winslet sweep Golden Globes</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Jan. 12 2009  13:19  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 12th, 2009</div> <div> <B>"Slumdog Millionaire" took home top film honours at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards Sunday night, including a win for Best Dramatic Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle, while "30 Rock" and "John Adams" were the big winners in television.</B></div> <bR> <div> Kate Winslet swept the acting awards -- winning Best Dramatic Actress for "Revolutionary Road" and Best Supporting Actress for "The Reader."</div> <bR> <div> "This is absolutely extraordinary," said a visibly shocked Winslet, who fought back tears after winning her second award.</div> <bR> <div> The movie about a Mumbai teenager who is accused of cheating on a Hindi version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Slumdog Millionaire" beat out "Frost/Nixon," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Revolutionary Road," "The Reader" and "The Visitor."</div> <bR> <div> "It's an enormous honour for me to be collecting this on behalf of everyone involved in making this film," said producer Christian Colson.</div> <bR> <div> The movie also won for Best Screenplay and Original Score.</div> <bR> <div> Heath Ledger posthumously picked up the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight." The movie's director, Chris Nolan, accepted on his behalf.</div> <bR> <div> "All of us who worked with Heath on 'The Dark Knight' accept this with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride ... He will be eternally missed but he will never be forgotten," said Nolan.</div> <bR> <div> The Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, returned in all its glory this year, after it was cancelled last year due to the writer's strike and a threat by the stars to picket if the show went ahead. The awards were instead announced in a scaled-back press conference.</div> <bR> <div> Mickey Rourke won Best Dramatic Actor for his role in "The Wrestler," marking a major comeback for the actor.</div> <bR> <div> "It's been a very long road back for me," said Rourke, as he took the stage.</div> <bR> <div> He thanked everyone from director Darren Aronofsky to Bruce Springsteen to his dogs.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db62a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> From left, 'Slumdog Millionaire' director Danny Boyle, composer A.R. Rahman, actor Anil Kapoor, actress Freida Pinto pose with their awards for the film backstage at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. (AP / Mark J. Terrill)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="db63a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> With her husband, 'Revolutionary Road' director Sam Mendes, right, Kate Winslet poses with awards for best actress drama for 'Revolutionary Road' and supporting actress for 'The Reader' backstage at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP / Mark J. Terrill)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="db64a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Mickey Rourke poses with the actor drama award for 'The Wrestler' backstage at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP / Mark J. Terrill)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 645 WIDTH="707"><div> "Sometimes when a man's alone that's all you've got is your dog."</div> <bR> <div> "The Wrestler" also took home the award for Best Original Song that went to Bruce Springsteen for his composition of the same name.</div> <bR> <div> "This is the only time I'm going to be in competition with Clint Eastwood. It felt pretty good, too," he joked, referring to how he beat out Eastwood's song "Gran Torino."</div> <bR> <div> Woody Allen's flick "Vicky Christina Barcelona" was named the Best Comedy or Musical Motion Picture, while Sally Hawkins won Best Actress for her role in "Happy-Go-Lucky."</div> <bR> <div> Colin Farrell picked up the Best Actor award in a Comedy or Musical for his role as a guilt-stricken hit man in "In Bruges," beating out co-star Brendan Gleeson and Dustin Hoffman.</div> <bR> <div> "They must've done the counting in Florida. An absolute shock, truly, to even get the nomination, to be here and to be part of such a piece," said Farrell.</div> <bR> <div> "Wall-E" picked up the award for Outstanding Animated Feature and "Waltz With Bashir" won for Best Foreign Language Picture.</div> <bR> <div> "30 Rock" was the big winner in television, with three top awards, including the Golden Globe for Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy.</div> <bR> <div> "Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won I would speak for the show from now on," said the show's star Tracy Morgan. "Welcome to post-racial America. I am the face of post-racial America. Deal with it Cate Blanchett!"</div> <bR> <div> The show's executive producer and writer Tina Fey won the award for Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy.</div> <bR> <div> "I really know how very lucky I am to have the year that I've had this year and if you ever start to feel too good about yourself they have this thing called the Internet and you can find a lot of people there who don't like you," said Fey, who went on to name a few of those people.</div> <bR> <div> Alec Baldwin also won for Best Actor.</div> <bR> <div> "Oh God I feel so old. I remember when I used to bring Rumer Willis a juice box on the set of the movie," said Baldwin, alluding to the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who had the honour of handing out the night's awards.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 845 WIDTH="707"><div> The Tom Hanks-produced "John Adams" was also a big winner, taking home four awards, including Best Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Actress for Laura Linney and Best Supporting Actor for Tom Wilkinson.</div> <bR> <div> "Mad Men" picked up the award for Best Dramatic TV Series while the award for Best Actor in a TV Drama went to Gabriel Byrne for "In Treatment." Anna Paquin took home the trophy for Best Actress in a TV Drama for vampire series "True Blood."</div> <bR> <div> Laura Dern won for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture for "Recount."</div> <bR> <div> Steven Spielberg was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, which was presented by Martin Scorsese.</div> <bR> <div> The Golden Globes are the first major awards of the season and offer early indications of who may take home the top prizes at the Academy Awards.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Complete List of Golden Globe Winners:</B></div> <div> <B>MOTION PICTURES:</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Picture, Drama: "Slumdog Millionaire."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Vicky Christina Barcelona."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, "In Bruges."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Foreign Language Film: "Waltz With Bashir."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Animated Film: "WALL-E."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Original Score: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Original Song: "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), "The Wrestler."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Cecil B. DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg.</div> <div> <B>TELEVISION:</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Series, Drama: "Mad Men."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, "True Blood."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Series, Musical or Comedy: "30 Rock."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, "John Adams."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, "Recount."</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from Sheri Block</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="Jan 09"><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= 697 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Israel sends reserve troops into Gaza strip</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Jan. 11 2009  13:57  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 11th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Israel has begun sending reserve units into the Gaza Strip, a move that could signal another escalated phase of its military offensive.</B></div> <bR> <div> Israeli Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu declined to confirm that a new phase had begun, but confirmed Sunday that reserve units were now in the area.</div> <bR> <div> Israel's ground operation into Gaza began on Jan. 3, with troops surrounding key locations. Israel says the next part of its operation will involve taking over even more areas, which will require the use of thousands of reserve forces.</div> <bR> <div> Reserve troops headed to the area as Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants waged a fierce battle in a Gaza City suburb. The Israeli military has been slowly moving toward Gaza's more heavily populated regions.</div> <bR> <div> Soldiers and militants clashed in the Sheikh Ajleen neighbourhood just before dawn, after Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad fought Israeli troops as they made their way toward the city.</div> <bR> <div> At least 14 people were killed in the fighting, according to Palestinian health officials.</div> <bR> <div> Fighting continued throughout the morning before Israeli soldiers took control of a number of buildings in the town's outlying areas.</div> <bR> <div> Throughout Gaza, battles killed at least 20 Palestinians, according to local health officials, including four family members who died when a tank shell hit their home near Gaza City.</div> <bR> <div> In the border village of Khouza, local witnesses said Israeli forces fired phosphorous shells at a row of houses, setting them on fire. One woman died and at least 100 others were injured in that attack, health officials said.</div> <bR> <div> The Israeli military denied the attack took place.</div> <bR> <div> The widening ground offensive is the second phase of Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip aimed at halting rocket fire from Gaza into settlements in southern Israel. Since the operation began on Dec. 27, an estimated 820 Palestinians have been killed, and local Gaza health officials say at least half of those are civilians.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db5fa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> An Israeli tank moves towards Gaza on a combat mission, near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. (AP / Sebastian Scheiner)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="db60a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> An Israeli boy walks past a wall of a house that was hit by a shrapnel of a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli town of Beersheeba, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. (AP / Tara Todras-Whitehill)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="db61a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Palestinian youths inspect the rubble of a mosque and Islamic school after it was destroyed in an Israeli missile strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. (AP / Khaled Omar)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 544 WIDTH="707"><div> According to the Israeli military, soldiers have killed 300 militants since the ground offensive began one week ago.</div> <bR> <div> Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, have also died.</div> <bR> <div> "Israel is nearing the goals, which it set itself, but more patience, determination and effort is still demanded," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday before his government's weekly meeting.</div> <bR> <div> Despite calls from the international community for an immediate ceasefire, including a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to the fighting, Olmert said Israel would continue to defend itself from rocket fire.</div> <bR> <div> Hamas has also ignored the UN resolution, complaining that it has not been consulted during diplomatic talks.</div> <bR> <div> Israel has sent signals that it is preparing for a third phase of its offensive against Hamas.</div> <bR> <div> Despite the violence, high schools in southern Israel re-opened on Sunday after two weeks, while there was indication elementary schools might re-open on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> "The indication from these communities is that the rocket attacks from Gaza are not as bad as they've been," CTV's Tom Kennedy told Newsnet on Sunday morning.</div> <bR> <div> Many of the regions in northern Gaza from which militants launch rockets are now controlled by the Israeli military.</div> <bR> <div> Israeli's air force also continued its air bombardment Sunday, hitting the town of Rafah along the Egypt-Gaza border.</div> <div> Repeated air strikes have targeted the tunnels that run underneath the region, which are used to smuggle weapons and supplies into Gaza.</div> <bR> <div> More diplomatic talks aimed at stopping the fighting were planned for Sunday. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was scheduled to meet with Israeli leaders in Egypt to push the Security Council ceasefire resolution.</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="10"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 200 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Barack Obama to visit Canada after inauguration</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Jan. 10 2009  14:13  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 10th, 2009</div> <div> <B>U.S. president-elect Barack Obama will visit Canada for his first foreign visit after his inauguration later this month, CTV News has learned.</B></div> <bR> <div> "(Obama) has accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to visit Canada once he is sworn in as president on January 20th," CTV's Robert Fife said Saturday.</div> <bR> <div> The planned trip will continue a longstanding tradition of new American presidents choosing Canada for their first official state visit.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db5ea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> U.S. president-elect Barack Obama delivers a speech on the economy from Fairfax, Virginia, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 509 WIDTH="707"><div> Fife said the tradition was broken by President George Bush after his election when he visited Mexico instead.</div> <bR> <div> The fact that Obama has revived the tradition of earlier presidents bodes well for Canada, Fife said.</div> <bR> <div> "This has got to please the government and please Canadians, in general," he told Newsnet.</div> <bR> <div> This "clearly shows that Barack Obama understands that Canada is an important player," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Details of the trip are still emerging, but Fife said Canada and the U.S. have a variety of bilateral issues to discuss.</div> <bR> <div> "There was a concern that with the American economy in such dire straits -- and the fact that there are so many global problems facing the Americans -- that he (would) not come to Canada right away," Fife said.</div> <bR> <div> "(But) clearly, if the economy is going to be a major issue for (Canadian and U.S. leaders) they will probably want to work as closely as possible."</div> <bR> <div> Fife added that the visit will also give Obama and Harper an opportunity to discuss climate change issues.</div> <bR> <div> Harper has proposed a North American accord to deal with the issue. Obama, too, has indicated he wants to change American policies to deal with global warming and energy issues.</div> <bR> <div> Obama has also said he wants to shift America's focus back to Afghanistan from Iraq, making it a bigger priority in the coming months and years.</div> <bR> <div> "Clearly, there is recognition here that Canada has carried a significantly heavy load in Afghanistan with loss of lives," Fife said.</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="09"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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>Jobless rate jumps to 6.6 per cent, 34,000 jobs lost</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Jan. 09 2009  07:52  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 9th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Employment details are out for December and the numbers are worse than expected, showing Canada's economy lost 34,000 jobs in the last month of the year.</B></div> <bR> <div> Along with that, the nation's unemployment rate jumped to 6.6 per cent, up from 6.3 per cent in November, according to the numbers released by Statistics Canada on Friday morning.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="db5da0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 521 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> "This was larger than markets had been expecting," Craig Alexander, deputy chief economist of TD Bank Financial Group, told CTV's Canada AM.</div> <bR> <div> "They had been anticipating a 20,000 job loss and the unemployment rate came up to 6.6 per cent, again worse than expected because markets were looking for 6.5 per cent," he said.</div> <bR> <div> It marks the second straight month that job losses have been recorded in the Canadian economy. In November, 71,000 jobs were lost.</div> <bR> <div> While the job-loss numbers are jarring, Alexander said "the details are actually worse than the headline."</div> <bR> <div> There was a total loss of 71,000 full-time jobs in December, though the number was partly offset by an increase in part-time jobs, he said.</div> <bR> <div> The majority of the full-time jobs that were lost, Alexander said, were in Alberta and Ontario.</div> <bR> <div> In Alberta, the losses reflected the trickle-down impact of falling commodity prices. In Ontario, the numbers were a direct result of the struggling manufacturing sector, Alexander said.</div> <bR> <div> "The bottom line is these numbers are consistent with the view that the Canadian economy contracted in the last three months of the year," he said.</div> <bR> <div> In all of 2008, StatsCan said, Canada gained a net total of 98,000 jobs. In the previous year, the economy added 358,000 jobs.</div> <bR> <div> All of last year's gains came from part-time jobs.</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="08"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 434 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Israel allows Canadians stuck in Gaza to leave</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Jan. 08 2009  07:52  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 8th, 2009</div> <div> <B>After days of negotiations between Canada and the Israeli government, 48 Canadians were allowed to leave the Gaza Strip Thursday to begin their journey home.</B></div> <bR> <div> CTV's Middle East Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer, reporting from the Israeli side of the Erez border crossing, said Canadians have begun to emerge from the terminal.</div> <bR> <div> "The Canadians are loading their luggage onto buses, looking relieved, leaving behind a very beleaguered Gaza Strip and in many cases leaving behind members of their family," Mackey Frayer told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> She said it has been a lengthy process for the Canadians to get out of Gaza, via the Red Cross, and to then clear the Israeli security checks.</div> <bR> <div> Amani Abu Ramadan, a Canadian who remains in Gaza, told CTV's Canada AM that her brother managed to get out on Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> "We managed to call him once when he was going through the Israeli tunnels," Ramadan said.</div> <bR> <div> "He walked for almost half a kilometre and then he was pulling his luggage for another half a kilometre through all the tunnels and the security checks at Erez point."</div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db57a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Unidentified Canadians who are trapped in the Gaza Strip pack their bags before evacuating the embattled region on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="db58a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Palestinians gather around the ruins of the Al-Noor Mosque following an Israeli airstrike in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City ,Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. (AP / Hatem Moussa)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 381 WIDTH="707"><div> Ramadan, who was married in August 2007, stayed behind to be with her husband. Since their marriage, Ramadan hasn't been able to return to Canada to process her husband's immigration papers.</div> <bR> <div> "There would have been nothing that would have made me happier than to go back to my family and to be with my mother and brother and sisters in Canada," Ramadan said.</div> <bR> <div> She said her husband wanted her to leave so that she'd be safe.</div> <bR> <div> "I couldn't leave my husband I couldn't do that to my family," she said.</div> <bR> <div> On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Canada was working to free the 39 Canadians trapped in Gaza.</div> <bR> <div> Mackey Frayer said 48 Canadians cleared the Erez crossing Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Canada is donating $4 million in humanitarian relief to the embattled Gaza Strip.</div> <bR> <div> Cannon said that $3 million of the Ottawa funding will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, while $1 million will go towards the Red Cross's work in Gaza.</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="07"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 502 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Russia halts use of Ukrainian gas pipelines</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Jan. 07 2009  08:26  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 7th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Russia has halted all gas supplies that it sends to Europe via Ukraine, which has only escalated a gas pricing dispute that has steadily worsened throughout the new year.</B></div> <bR> <div> A spokesperson for Russia's Gazprom gas monopoly confirmed early Wednesday that it had stopped all of its European-bound shipments through Ukraine. Normally, Russia ships about four-fifths of its gas to Europe through its western neighbour.</div> <bR> <div> BNN's Michael Kane told CTV's Canada AM that the move to shut down the supply chain came one day after Ukraine made supply cutbacks of its own.</div> <bR> <div> "Ukraine shut down three of its four big pipelines in order to conserve natural gas within that country, and today has shut down the fourth line. So that cuts off everything to Europe," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Both sides blamed one another for the shutdown of supplies to Europe.</div> <bR> <div> Russia stopped sending gas supplies to Ukraine on Jan. 1 after the two countries could not agree on prices and transit fees for 2009.</div> <bR> <div> In 2008, Ukraine paid about half the market rate for gas that Russia's European customers paid.</div> <bR> <div> Gazprom says that Ukraine should be paying more, whereas the Ukraine says Russia should pay more for shipping if it is making higher gas profits. It also says that it is owed $600 million by Ukranian state gas company Naftogaz.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db50a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Oleh Dubyna, the head of Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz, speaks during a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. (AP / Efrem Lukatsky)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="db25a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A gauge indicates pressure in the pipeline forwarding Russian natural gas from the Ukraine at the receiving station of Mol Natural Gas Transporting Corp. in Beregdaroc, 302 km east of Budapest, Hungary, near the Ukrainian border, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009. (AP / MTI, Attila Balazs)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 409 WIDTH="707"><div> Since Russia cut off its supply to Ukraine on New Year's Day, it has accused the country of siphoning off tens of millions of litres of gas that were destined for Europe. Ukraine, in turn, has admitted to taking some gas, but says it has the right to do so to keep its pipeline pumping system running.</div> <bR> <div> Kane said the two sides are supposed to meet this weekend in Moscow to try resolving the ongoing dispute.</div> <bR> <div> The supply shortage has left many of Russia's Eastern European gas customers scrambling to make alternate arrangements. It is believed that tens of thousands of Europeans have been left without heat in their homes as a result of the supply shutdown.</div> <bR> <div> France, Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary each reported significant drops in supplies from Russia. Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey each reported that their supplies from Russia had stopped as well .</div> <bR> <div> "The countries affected...they have a certain amount of stockpiles of natural gas they can use. So that's what they are living off right now, with hopes that this pricing dispute can be resolved in meetings this weekend," Kane said.</div> <bR> <div> Czechoslovakian gas operator RWE Transgas confirmed that it had lost its incoming supply from Ukraine on Wednesday, but said it had other gas from Norway to rely on.</div> <bR> <div> Romania, which imports just under one-third of its gas from Russia, said it had contacted Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation.</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="Jan 09"><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= 489 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Six countries report complete shutoff of Russian gas</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Jan. 06 2009  07:18  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 6th, 2009</div> <div> <B>KYIV, Ukraine -- Six countries reported a complete shutoff of Russian gas shipped via Ukraine on Tuesday, in a sharp escalation of a struggle over energy that threatens Europe as winter sets in.</B></div> <bR> <div> Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Croatia and Turkey all reported a halt in gas shipments from Russia through Ukraine. Croatia said it was temporarily reducing supplies to industrial customers and Bulgaria said it had enough gas for only "a few days."</div> <bR> <div> The European Union in Brussels called the sudden cutoff to some of its member countries "completely unacceptable."</div> <bR> <div> In a strongly worded statement, the EU complained that gas had been cut "without prior warning and in clear contradiction with the reassurances given by the highest Russian and Ukrainian authorities to the European Union."</div> <bR> <div> Up to Monday, the EU has said that the dispute would not affect end consumers in the coming weeks. The sudden drop over the past day however, increased the diplomatic pressure to find a solution.</div> <bR> <div> Ukraine and Russia are locked in a dispute over pricing and overdue payments, and Russia cut Ukraine off on Jan. 1 but had promised to keep gas moving to Europe.</div> <bR> <div> Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz said Russia's gas giant Gazprom had sharply reduced its shipments to Europe through pipelines crossing Ukraine, triggering the cuts.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="db25a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A gauge indicates pressure in the pipeline forwarding Russian natural gas from the Ukraine at the receiving station of Mol Natural Gas Transporting Corp. in Beregdaroc, 302 km east of Budapest, Hungary, near the Ukrainian border, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009. (AP / MTI, Attila Balazs)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="db26a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ukrainian state gas company Naftogas chief Oleh Dubina, left, and Ukrainian president's economic adviser Oleksandr Shlapak after their meeting with EU officials in Kiev, Ukraine Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. (AP / Sergei Chuzavkov)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 645 WIDTH="707"><div> "Our Russian partners are playing cat and mouse with us," said Oleksandr Shlapak, economic adviser to Ukraine's president. "These actions today can lead to serious problems not only for the Ukrainian but also for the European gas transport systems."</div> <bR> <div> But Gazprom's deputy chairman, Alexander Medvedev, blamed Ukraine's Naftogaz for the reductions, Russia's state-owned RIA-Novosti wire service reported. Medvedev was quoted as saying in London that Ukraine had shut three out of four transit gas pipelines Tuesday morning, "and the situation is getting worse."</div> <bR> <div> Naftogaz denied it was to blame for the drop in supplies and that it shut down the three pipelines.</div> <bR> <div> Naftogaz spokesman Valentyn Zemlyansky said Gazprom itself rerouted gas to just one out of the four, while the other three have no gas.</div> <bR> <div> "We did not turn anything off, there is simply no gas there, there is zero," Zemlyansky said. "How can we shut anything down if there is physically no gas there."</div> <bR> <div> Russia had earlier said it was cutting gas to Ukraine by 20 per cent, to compensate for what it claimed was diversion of gas by Ukraine.</div> <bR> <div> As gas shipments dwindled, there were no reports of face-to-face talks Tuesday between Moscow and Kyiv.</div> <bR> <div> Countries in the Balkans and Turkey saw supplies through the Ukrainian pipeline system cease Tuesday morning, Bulgaria's energy ministry said.</div> <bR> <div> The Croatian economics ministry reported that gas shipments from Russia via Austria and Slovenia had ceased and said it has introduced temporary measures to reduce gas supplies to industrial consumers to "a necessary minimum."</div> <bR> <div> It has also called on citizens to "rationally" use gas in their homes.</div> <bR> <div> Romania's gas transport company Transgaz said Ukraine ceased pumping gas at 3 a.m. Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler confirmed the cutoff and said the country was trying to compensate with supplies from other sources including another Russian pipeline beneath the Black Sea.</div> <bR> <div> Bulgarian pipeline operator Bulgargaz CEO Dimitar Gogov said his country's reserves were sufficient to cover needs only "for a few days."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 538 WIDTH="707"><div> Late Monday, Gazprom said it would cut the amount of gas it ships to Europe through Ukraine by 65.3 million cubic metres, or about 20 per cent -- the amount it accuses Ukraine of diverting from its transit pipeline network.</div> <bR> <div> Russia supplies Europe with about a quarter of its gas, 80 per cent of which is shipped through Ukraine.</div> <bR> <div> Kyiv denies allegations it is stealing gas, saying it is diverting only the Russian-supplied gas it needs to run its pipelines, including the compressor stations that pump gas west.</div> <bR> <div> Each side says the other is responsible for supplying the gas to run the pipeline network, but there is no way to sort out the conflicting claims. Details of the transit contract are secret.</div> <bR> <div> Gazprom said it was sure that it will be able to provide Europe with enough gas despite disruption of supply to Ukraine.</div> <bR> <div> "We are confident that we will be able to get through this situation without any damage to the gas production and transit system," Medvedev, according to RIA-Novosti. "The only issue is gas transit to Europe through Ukraine."</div> <bR> <div> But there are fears the rapidly developing crisis, now in its sixth day, could result in disruption of supplies for consumers in Europe, where gas is used for heating and electricity generation.</div> <bR> <div> During a similar dispute between Ukraine and Russia in 2006, which lasted just three days, several West European countries saw their gas supplies drop by 30 per cent or more.</div> <bR> <div> This time many of Gazprom's customers say they are better prepared, having built up substantial reserves. Ukraine, one of the largest consumers of gas in the world, says it has enough gas reserves to last for weeks.</div> <bR> <div> Ukraine is refusing to pay $600 million Gazprom claims it is owed. Russia is also demanding an increase in the price Ukraine pays for its gas. Last year Ukraine paid Gazprom $179.50 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas, less than half of the average price European countries are expected to pay this year.</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="05"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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>Another blast targets B.C. EnCana pipeline</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Jan. 5 2009  11:52  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 5th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Another natural gas pipeline in northeastern B.C. has been targeted with explosives, according to local RCMP investigators.</B></div> <bR> <div> A metering shed on an EnCana pipeline near the community of Tomslake, appears to be the subject of the "deliberate explosion," the Mounties said in a news release.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="db1da0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 472 WIDTH="707"><div> The shed, discovered Sunday by EnCana workers, was partly destroyed by the blast.</div> <bR> <div> It's the latest in a string of what police say are intentional attacks against EnCana.</div> <bR> <div> "There were no injuries or gas leakage as a result of the blast. This event is likely the fourth deliberate explosion in three months directed at EnCana natural gas facilities in the Tomslake area," the statement said.</div> <bR> <div> The other explosions occurred in October, at other nearby EnCana facilities. In all cases, damage has been minimal and no one has been hurt.</div> <bR> <div> The site is being probed by investigators from the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, the Explosives Disposal Unit and Forensic Identification.</div> <bR> <div> More information is expected to be released to media this afternoon.</div> <bR> <div> Tomslake is a small, rural community located just west of the B.C.-Alberta border.</div> <bR> <div> Earlier, when the October attacks occurred, the RCMP revealed they believed local perpetrators, who had local knowledge of the area, were behind the blasts.</div> <bR> <div> Police have also said they are concerned that the blasts are being carried out closer to populated areas.</div> <bR> <div> The RCMP asks anyone with information to call the dedicated tip line at 1-866-994-7473 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.</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="Jan 09"><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= 163 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Searchers find body of missing P.E.I. teen</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Jan. 4 2009  14:04  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 4th, 2009</div> <div> <B>Search crews have found the body of a P.E.I. teen who went missing after leaving a New Year's Eve party in a raging blizzard.</B></div> <bR> <div> Eighteen-year-old Kyle Alvin Bambrick was last seen at 3 a.m. on Jan. 1 as he was leaving the party at a local golf course. At the time, a snowstorm was hammering the rural town of Clyde River, which is just west of Charlottetown.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="d97ea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Kyle Bambrick, 18, seen here in an undated picture.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 362 WIDTH="707"><div> RCMP Sgt. Denis Morin confirmed Sunday afternoon that Bambrick's body was found in a field near a river, about a kilometre away from where fellow partygoers last saw the teen.</div> <bR> <div> "We can confirm that our search and rescue teams were able to find the body of Mr. Bambrick in the Clyde River area," Morin said.</div> <bR> <div> "Following direction from some volunteer searchers it was with the help of the police services dog that we were able to make the discovery."</div> <bR> <div> Morin did not speculate on how Bambrick died, but said investigators were on the scene.</div> <bR> <div> The RCMP, a dog team and about 50 local volunteers searched the area for two days, talking to witnesses and using poles to poke snow banks, some as high as one metre, that line rural roads.</div> <bR> <div> The search parties had to fan out through the region, as witnesses were unsure of Bambrick's direction.</div> <bR> <div> Poor weather conditions had hampered the search early Sunday.</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="03"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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= 395 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Probe into soldier's murder charge questioned</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Jan. 3 2009  15:48  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 3rd, 2009</div> <div> <B>Canadian military officials in Afghanistan say there was no cover up in their probe into the alleged murder of a presumed Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan in October.</B></div> <bR> <div> Human rights specialists say they're concerned by what may have been a delay between the date of the incident in October and the announcement of an arrest yesterday. A Canadian soldier, Capt. Robert Semrau, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a suspected militant "on or about" Oct. 19 in Helmand province.</div> <bR> <div> Critics have said they're concerned about the timing of events.</div> <bR> <div> CTV's Steve Chao, reporting from Kandahar, said military officials in Afghanistan told him "there was no cover up."</div> <bR> <div> They also said "they acted very quickly. They informed the upper chamber of command very quickly," Chao told CTV Newsnet on Saturday morning.</div> <bR> <div> Semrau is accused of shooting, "with intent to kill," an unarmed male civilian during a battle in which Afghan, Canadian and British soldiers defended the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, from an insurgent attack.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="d97ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Capt. Robert Semrau is seen in this image taken from video filmed in Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2008. (U.S. Military / Cpl. John Scott Rafoss)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="d97da0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> CTV map detailing the location of Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 1080 WIDTH="707"><div> Semrau, who is from Pembroke, Ont., was charged Dec. 31, the same day the Canadian military announced that the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service was investigating a death.</div> <bR> <div> Chao said he's been told Semrau is no longer in Afghanistan, but it's not clear when he will be returned to Canada for legal proceedings.</div> <bR> <div> Unsurprisingly, Canadian troops at Kandahar Airfield are staying mum about the charges. Some have politely declined to discuss the charges, while others say they simply haven't been following the news.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Experts question investigation</B></div> <bR> <div> Michel Drapeau, a retired Canadian colonel who practises law in Ottawa, he's concerned about the time lapse between the alleged incident and the date of the charges.</div> <bR> <div> "I can't believe that you'd be able to suffocate this kind of report for two-and-a-half months . . . unless you wanted to," he told CTV News.</div> <bR> <div> "Was there a conspiracy along the way? Did everybody agree not to talk about it, not to report it? Everybody under the National Defence Act has a positive duty to report a crime when they see it."</div> <bR> <div> Amir Attaran, a law professor with the University of Ottawa, told CTV News the timing of the charge "doesn't pass the smell test."</div> <bR> <div> He questioned how quickly the military went from launching the investigation to laying a charge, suggesting that they already knew "who their man was."</div> <bR> <div> Paul Champ, a human rights lawyer, says he's also concerned about the timing of events.</div> <bR> <div> "The biggest concern is the delay," Champ told The Canadian Press.</div> <bR> <div> "The allegations are that a Canadian officer -- a mentor, at that -- shot an unarmed man over two months ago. And we don't have any information about why it took so long for that allegation to come forward or be investigated ... That has to be the gravest concern which most closely parallels Somalia."</div> <bR> <div> Champ noted that a similar delay occurred in 1993 after a Somali teenager was beaten to death by members of the Canadian Airborne Regiment during their peacekeeping mission in Africa.</div> <bR> <div> "There was also a delay in the investigation by military police in what was clearly a brutal murder," he said.</div> <bR> <div> But Chao said military officials in Afghanistan have said such comparisons don't fit -- the incident occurred out in the field and therefore investigators needed time for their probe due to logistics.</div> <bR> <div> They also said Semrau is innocent until proven guilty in court.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Online support for soldier</B></div> <bR> <div> As of early Saturday afternoon, three Facebook groups in support of Semrau had sprung up online. The largest, Support the Freedom of Capt. Robert Semrau, had more than 325 members.</div> <bR> <div> Several members of the group posted that they knew Semrau and expressed disbelief at the charges.</div> <bR> <div> "I knew Rob (ten-plus) years ago through a church youth group, in which he was involved as leader. He was a very charismatic, friendly, fun, caring guy who everybody wanted to be around." Shelley Hubbs, listed as from Saskatoon, wrote. "I find this accusation insanely hard to believe."</div> <bR> <div> "For anyone who knows Rob, this charge makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Rob is 'salt of the earth', dedicated, loyal and true to his word. He is one of those rare people that leaves a permanent positive impact on your life," Stephen Cornish wrote.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report 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="Jan 09"><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= 200 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canadian soldier charged in presumed militant's death</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Jan. 2 2009  12:21  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 2nd, 2009</div> <div> <B>A Canadian soldier in Afghanistan is facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with the death of a suspected Taliban militant in Helmand province.</B></div> <bR> <div> Capt. Robert Semrau is accused of shooting, "with intent to kill," an unarmed male civilian during an October battle in which Afghan, Canadian and British soldiers defended the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, from an insurgent attack.</div> <bR> <div> Semrau was charged on Dec. 31, the same day the Canadian military announced that the </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="d97ca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Capt. Robert Semrau is seen in this image taken from video filmed in Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2008. (U.S. Military / Cpl. John Scott Rafoss)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 814 WIDTH="707"><div> Canadian Forces National Investigation Service would investigate a death that took place "on or about" Oct. 19 in Helmand province. The siege in Lashkar Gah ended Oct. 18.</div> <bR> <div> Semrau is being held in military custody and will be transported back to Canada to face the charge.</div> <bR> <div> A military judge will determine if he is guilty. Semrau could spend 25 years in prison if convicted.</div> <bR> <div> Officials at Kandahar Airfield did not offer further comment on the case Friday.</div> <bR> <div> Semrau is part of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT), the unit of the Canadian military that trains members of the Afghan National Army (ANA).</div> <bR> <div> During the siege in Helmand province, the OMLT was mentoring Afghan soldiers participating in the attack.</div> <bR> <div> After the three-day battle, Afghan and foreign troops managed to gain control of the Nad Ali district, which had been under insurgent control.</div> <bR> <div> Both Afghan and NATO officials said at least 100 Taliban militants were killed in the fighting.</div> <bR> <div> In a news release issued by NATO on Oct. 19, 2008, the date of the shooting, Semrau is quoted discussing his work training Afghan soldiers.</div> <bR> <div> "Working with the ANA presents some challenges; you have to be very patient, but when you get down to the bottom of it, they are just like us and like to kid around and joke," Semrau, who is identified as an OMLT "commanding mentor," is quoted as saying.</div> <bR> <div> "They're just like soldiers all around the world and are good guys."</div> <bR> <div> CTV News correspondent Steve Chao said the fact that a Canadian soldier is facing charges in connection with the death of an Afghan civilian will not reflect well on NATO forces, which have faced criticism for conducting air strikes that have killed civilians.</div> <bR> <div> "I think the Canadian forces here are trying to show, by announcing this very publicly, that they are taking a very hard stance against any inappropriate misconduct," Chao said Friday during an interview on CTV Newsnet. "They want the world, and especially Afghans, to know that this is not acceptable and they will come down hard on any soldiers that step out of line."</div> <bR> <div> On Thursday, an Afghan army general who was present during the battle said he had not heard of any soldier engaging in "inappropriate conduct" in connection with death of the suspected insurgent.</div> <bR> <div> According to Gen. Sher Muhammad Zazai, so many Taliban militants were killed that it would be hard to say how each of them died.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from The Canadian Press</I></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="Jan 09"><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= 375 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Three men shot dead in Calgary restaurant attack</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Jan. 1 2009  20:58  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 1st, 2009</div> <div> <B>Calgary police are investigating the deaths of three men in a gang-style shooting at a restaurant in southeast part of the city on Thursday afternoon.</B></div> <bR> <div> Duty Inspector Dean LaGrange told CTV.ca that police responded to a call at 3:50 p.m. local time that indicated gunshots had been fired at the restaurant.</div> <bR> <div> "Upon arrival, three males were observed to be in medical distress. EMS responded as well and pronounced all three deceased," he said.</div> <bR> <div> At least ten people were in the Bolsa Restaurant at the time of the shooting. The three men were eating in the main part of the Vietnamese restaurant when they were shot.</div> <bR> <div> Investigators are looking at a number of suspects and it is believed they fled the scene in a silver vehicle.</div> <bR> <div> All three men were originally inside the restaurant, LaGrange said, but one of the men was found deceased outside the restaurant when police arrived.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="d979a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Police officers investigate the scene of a fatal shooting in southeast Calgary on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="d97aa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The shooting occurred at a Vietnamese eatery called Bolsa Restaurant, in Calgary on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 329 WIDTH="707"><div> LaGrange said police have no suspects in custody at present.</div> <bR> <div> "It is unknown to us right now, in this stage of the investigation, if this is gang- or drug-related, but we are comfortable saying that it doesn't appear to be random," he said.</div> <bR> <div> The organized crime unit is investigating the crime, the Calgary police said in a statement.</div> <bR> <div> CTV Calgary's Elissa Carpenter said police have yet to remove the bodies of the victims from the scene.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Police investigate separate death at northeast pub</B></div> <bR> <div> Earlier Thursday, the Calgary police major crime unit was investigating the death of a man in his early twenties who died after an apparent altercation at a pub in the northeast part of the city.</div> <bR> <div> Police say two other men were injured in that incident, who have since been released from hospital.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from CTV Calgary</I> </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 09"><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>