Jan 05

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=60 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="5c8746483.png"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="747" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC80" BORDERCOLORDARK="#CC9900" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#000000 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 52 WIDTH="37"><div> <A HREF="id766.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 05"><U><IMG SRC="31ce11160.png" border=0 width="17" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> PREV</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="37"><div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Giant Dwarf"><U><IMG SRC="31ce11160.png" border=0 width="17" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> HOME</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="37"><div> <IMG SRC="31ce11160.png" border=0 width="17" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" 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BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="5e4a5c200.png" border=0 width="92" height="32" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <B>Past Articles:</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="626" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC80" BORDERCOLORDARK="#CC9900" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="50" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><IMG 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08"><U><B>Nov/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1086.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 08"><U><B>Oct/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1084.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 08"><U><B>Sep/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1083.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 08"><U><B>Aug/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1078.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 08"><U><B>Jul/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1077.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 08"><U><B>Jun/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1072.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 08"><U><B>May/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1071.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 08"><U><B>Apr/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> 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BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1025.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 07"><U><B>Aug/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1020.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 07"><U><B>Jul/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1015.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 07"><U><B>Jun/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 07"><U><B>May/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 07"><U><B>Apr/07</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id986.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 07"><U><B>Mar/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id979.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 07"><U><B>Feb/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id978.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 07"><U><B>Jan/07</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id973.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 06"><U><B>Dec/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id968.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B>Nov/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id963.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oct 06"><U><B>Oct/06</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id957.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sep 06"><U><B>Sep/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id951.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 06"><U><B>Aug/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id945.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 06"><U><B>Jul/06</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id940.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 06"><U><B>Jun/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id934.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 06"><U><B>May/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id929.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 06"><U><B>Apr/06</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id924.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 06"><U><B>Mar/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id910.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 06"><U><B>Feb/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id908.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan 06"><U><B>Jan/06</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id898.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dec 05"><U><B>Dec/05</B></U></A></div> </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=#FFFFCC><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, 2005 - January 31st, 2005.</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="404" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#iraqis_sifting_through_ballots" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Iraqis sifting through ballots</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 31/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#canadian_stars_raise_tsunami_relief_aid" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadian stars raise tsunami relief aid</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 30/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#multi_billion_dollar_revenue_deal_struck" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Multi-billion dollar revenue deal struck</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 29/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#martin_williams_hopeful_offshore_deal_near" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Martin, Williams hopeful offshore deal near</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 28/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#survivors_world_leaders_gather_at_auschwitz" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Survivors, world leaders gather at Auschwitz</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 27/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#new_funding_rules_jeopardizing_social_programs_critics_say" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  New funding rules jeopardizing social programs, critics say</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 26/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#atlantic_canada_begins_shovelling_out_from_storm" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Atlantic Canada begins shovelling out from storm</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 25/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#tributes_pour_in_for_tv_legend_johnny_carson" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Tributes pour in for TV legend Johnny Carson</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 24/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#labrador_s_inuit_cheer_land_agreement" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Labrador's Inuit cheer land agreement</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 23/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#iraq_tightens_pre_election_security" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Iraq tightens pre-election security</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 22/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#canadian_mp_visits_home_of_purged_chinese_leader" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadian MP visits home of purged Chinese leader</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 21/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#north_vancouver_on_alert_for_more_mudslides" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  North Vancouver on alert for more mudslides</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 20/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#saskatchewan_tobacco_law_goes_to_supreme_court" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Saskatchewan tobacco law goes to Supreme Court</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 19/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#superjumbo_jet_unveiled_in_france" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Superjumbo jet unveiled in France</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 18/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#tsunami_devastation__beyond_human_comprehension__pm" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Tsunami devastation 'beyond human comprehension': PM</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 17/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#u_s__soldier_who_abused_iraqi_prisoners_sentenced" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  U.S. soldier who abused Iraqi prisoners sentenced</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 16/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#angelil_accuser_sentenced_to_prison" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Angelil accuser sentenced to prison</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 15/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#cbc_tsunami_benefit_delivers_poignant_moments_humour" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  CBC tsunami benefit delivers poignant moments, humour</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 14/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#klein_urges_cull_of_1_76_million_cows" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Klein urges cull of 1.76 million cows</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 13/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#u_s__sending_team_to_canada_over_new_bse_case" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  U.S. sending team to Canada over new BSE case</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 12/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#un_s_oil_for_food_program_wasted_millions_audits" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  UN's oil-for-food program wasted millions: audits</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 11/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#dead_cows_found_on_alberta_feedlot" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Dead cows found on Alberta feedlot</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 10/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#tsunami_death_toll_surpasses_156000" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Tsunami death toll surpasses 156,000</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 09/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#cbc_to_broadcast_tsunami_relief_concert" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  CBC to broadcast tsunami relief concert</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 08/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#that_s_the_way_the_b_c__cookie_case_crumbles" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  That's the way the B.C. cookie case crumbles</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 07/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#cun_s_annan_pleads_for__1_2b_right_away" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  UN's Annan pleads for $1.2B right away</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 06/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#canada_crowned_world_junior_champs" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canada crowned world junior champs</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 05/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#aid_flights_to_aceh_temporarily_halted" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Aid flights to Aceh temporarily halted</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 04/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#tsunami_relief_efforts_gather_steam" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Tsunami relief efforts gather steam</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 03/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#cabinet_increases_canada_s_aid" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Cabinet increases Canada's aid</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 02/01/05</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="354"><div> <A HREF="#tsunami_aid_pledges_at__2_billion_us" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Tsunami aid pledges at $2 billion US</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 01/01/05</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="iraqis_sifting_through_ballots"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Iraqis sifting through ballots</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 31 Jan 2005 08:03:04 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 31st, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d5f9f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>BAGHDAD - Iraqi interim prime minister Ayad Allawi called on Iraqis to set aside their differences and work toward peace as election workers sifted though the ballots at polling centres Monday, a day after the country's historic vote.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 318 WIDTH="540"><div> Preliminary results could come Monday but the Electoral Commission says it will be at least 10 days before a definitive official outcome is provided. Figures are being transmitted to a central clearing house in Baghdad, where they will be compiled and later released.</div> <bR> <div> Iraqis should "stand side by side to build their future," said Allawi in his first speech since the election. "Now is a suitable time for us to work together so that the whole world can watch the capabilities of this great country."</div> <bR> <div> "The terrorists now know that they cannot win," he added.</div> <bR> <div> Despite threats from insurgents warning about voting, turnout among the estimated 14 million eligible voters appeared higher than the predicted 57 per cent, the commission said.</div> <bR> <div> But many of the Sunni Muslim minority apparently stayed away from the vote, which was dominated by majority Shias and Kurds.</div> <bR> <div> Violence did mar the elections, as nine suicide attackers targeted polling stations. A total of 44 Iraqis died during voting Sunday.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7dcda0f30.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="243" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Iraqi police and a British soldier celebrate a day after the Iraqi elections in southern city of Basra, Monday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 273 WIDTH="707"><div> Voters chose a 275-member National Assembly and 18 provincial legislatures.</div> <bR> <div> The National Assembly, elected for an 11-month term, will then draft a permanent constitution. If it is approved, Iraqis will vote for a permanent government in December.</div> <bR> <div> U.S. President George W. Bush described Iraq's elections as a "resounding success" and a "great and historic achievement."</div> <bR> <div> France and Germany, two of the strongest critics of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, praised the strong voter turnout.</div> <bR> <div> French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said the Iraqis had taken an important first step to ending the cycle of violence.</div> <bR> <div> "We won't get out of this tragedy other than by democracy and elections," he told Europe-1 radio on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="canadian_stars_raise_tsunami_relief_aid"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 184 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canadian stars raise tsunami relief aid</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun, 30 Jan 2005 10:45:24 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 30th, 2005</div> <div> <B>VANCOUVER - More than 18,000 people packed a Vancouver arena for a sold-out tsunami relief concert that's expected to raise as much as $3 million.</B></div> <bR> <div> The four-hour show at GM Place Saturday night featured such performers as Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida and Sum 41.</div> <bR> <div> The Barenaked Ladies were introduced by a surprise guest, comedian Robin Williams.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7dc6a06f0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="111" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Sarah McLachlan (right) sings with Delerium in the opening song of the Tsunami Relief concert in Vancouver.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 236 WIDTH="707"><div> He tried to cheer hockey fans missing the game because of the NHL lockout.</div> <bR> <div> "Hockey will happen in our lifetime. In the meantime, there are a lot of people walking around with sticks, saying, "What do I do, eh?"</div> <bR> <div> Host Rick Mercer applauded all who donated their time, talent and money, saying "We've shown the world how generous Canadians are."</div> <bR> <div> Proceeds from the show will go to OXFAM, Care Canada, Doctors Without Borders and War Child.</div> <bR> <div> The Dec. 26 earthquake and the giant waves it spawned killed more than 178,000 people in 11 countries.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="multi_billion_dollar_revenue_deal_struck"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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>Multi-billion dollar revenue deal struck</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 28 Jan 2005 23:23:10 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 29th, 2005</div> <div> <B>OTTAWA - The federal government reached an agreement in principle with Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador Friday night over offshore resource revenue sharing.</B></div> <bR> <div> The deal, struck after 10 hours of meetings, promises Nova Scotia a minimum of $830 million and Newfoundland and Labrador $2.6 billion, over an eight-year period.</div> <bR> <div> Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams, who had earlier stated he wanted his province to keep all federalization payments, told a news conference, that this deal gives him everything he wanted.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7dbda0b20.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="178" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Paul Martin speaks to reporters about offshore talks Thursday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 994 WIDTH="707"><div> "I'm very, very proud to be a Canadian this evening," Williams boasted. "What happened today for Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed for Canada, is a monumental event."</div> <bR> <div> "After four years and 11 days, I'm very very happy that it's over," said Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm.</div> <bR> <div> Under this deal, the two provinces keep all their energy revenues and continue to receive equalization payments until they reach the average standard.</div> <bR> <div> If that standard isn't reached by 2012, the deal can be extended another eight years.</div> <bR> <div> During the second eight-year period, if the provinces no longer qualify for equalization, they will receive transitional payments for two years.</div> <bR> <div> Going into the meeting, the two provinces had pressed to keep 100 per cent of the offshore energy income they get without losing any of the equalization payments they receive from Ottawa.</div> <bR> <div> The federal government currently claws back up to 70 per cent of energy royalties by adjusting equalization funds.</div> <bR> <div> Three months of public accusations and counter-accusations, as well as steady work behind the scenes, could come to an end if Friday's meeting results in a deal.</div> <bR> <div> The standoff has at times turned bitter, with Williams walking out of a federal-provincial meeting and accusing Martin of betraying his province.</div> <bR> <div> He said the prime minister broke a promise he made during the spring federal election campaign to let Newfoundland and Labrador keep every cent of its offshore oil and gas revenues without losing equalization payments.</div> <bR> <div> Nova Scotia had obtained a similar promise from Martin, who was struggling to hold onto key Liberal seats in Atlantic Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Williams said Martin and Finance Minister Ralph Goodale were imposing conditions and time limits that would significantly reduce the benefits to the two Atlantic provinces.</div> <bR> <div> In December, Williams temporarily removed the Canadian flag from provincial government buildings to protest what he called the latest "insulting" offer from Ottawa.</div> <bR> <div> All the while, Nova Scotia was continuing to negotiate behind the scenes in the hunt for its own deal. Hamm said at one point that Newfoundland and Labrador would be able to take advantage of the progress his team had made.</div> <bR> <div> On Thursday, Martin told reporters he was ready to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm coming to this table because I really want an agreement," he said. "I want a deal."</div> <bR> <div> For his part, Williams has spent the last week in near-daily phone contact with Alex Himelfarb, the clerk of the Privy Council and the country's top-ranking civil servant.</div> <bR> <div> As he boarded a plane to Ottawa at St. John's International Airport in the midst of a snowstorm Thursday, he told a crowd of about 200 supporters that he wanted to give Martin "the benefit of the doubt" heading into Friday's meeting.</div> <bR> <div> "I believe that this prime minister wants to give us a deal and he wants to do a deal," he said.</div> <bR> <div> He also ordered his provincial cabinet to cancel all appointments this weekend, and stay on standby to discuss a possible offshore oil deal.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="martin_williams_hopeful_offshore_deal_near"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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>Martin, Williams hopeful offshore deal near</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 28 Jan 2005 08:44:23 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 28th, 2005</div> <div> <B>OTTAWA - Despite months of tense negotiations and public feuding, Prime Minister Paul Martin and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams are optimistic that a deal can be reached on offshore oil and gas revenues when the two leaders meet in Ottawa Friday.</B></div> <bR> <div> "I'm coming to this table because I really want an agreement. I want a deal," Martin said Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> As Williams boarded a plane to Ottawa, he told a crowd of about 200 supporters that although it has been a long fight, they should give Martin "the benefit of the doubt."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7dbda0b20.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="178" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Paul Martin, Thursday.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 521 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> "I believe that this prime minister wants to give us a deal and he wants to do a deal," he said.</div> <bR> <div> The standoff has at times turned bitter, with Williams accusing Martin of betraying the province. In December, Williams temporarily removed the Canadian flag from provincial government buildings to protest what he called an "insulting" offer from Ottawa.</div> <bR> <div> But Martin said he hopes all of that is in the past.</div> <bR> <div> "I would expect to have a very good discussion," he said Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Williams has kept a low-profile this week and has refused to answer questions about this meeting.</div> <bR> <div> But he ordered the provincial cabinet to cancel all appointments this weekend, and be on standby to discuss a possible offshore oil deal.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm plans to join Williams in Ottawa.</div> <bR> <div> Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have been pressing to keep 100 per cent of offshore energy revenues without losing existing equalization payments. Ottawa currently claws back up to 70 per cent of energy revenue in the form of reduced equalization payments.</div> <bR> <div> Williams has accused Martin of reneging on a deal permitting the province to keep all of its oil and gas revenues by attaching a number of conditions.</div> <bR> <div> Hamm's meetings with Ottawa have been less hostile. He left offshore revenue talks two weeks ago hoping a final deal can be reached by the end of January.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="survivors_world_leaders_gather_at_auschwitz"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>Survivors, world leaders gather at Auschwitz</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 27 Jan 2005 09:30:45 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 27th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7db59f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 103 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>KRAKOW, POLAND - The sound of a train opened the 60th anniversary commemoration ceremony of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a symbol of the more than a million people who were transported to the camp to be murdered.</B></div> <bR> <div> Under heavy snowfall, world leaders, dignitaries and survivors of the former Nazi death camp gathered at the site to remember one and a half million people, most of them Jews, who were killed at the camp.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 160 WIDTH="540"><div> "For a former Polish inmate of Auschwitz, it is an unimaginable and overwhelming emotion to be able to speak to this cemetery without graves, the largest one in the history of Europe," said Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, a survivor of the camp.</div> <bR> <div> "It was here that absolute evil was perpetrated," said Simone Veil, another camp survivor.</div> <bR> <div> "We are on the site of the most gigantic cemetery in the world," said Poland's Minister of Culture Waldemar Dabrowski.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7db6a07d0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Standing guard at the former Nazi death camp in Poland, Thursday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 393 WIDTH="707"><div> The camp was was liberated by Soviet troops on Jan. 27, 1945. Some of the Russian soldiers who found about 7,000 prisoners at the camp, many of them barely alive, have also gathered for the ceremony.</div> <bR> <div> Maj. Anatoly Shapiro, who commanded the unit that captured the camp, greeted leaders and survivors at a Holocaust forum in Krakow ahead of the main ceremony.</div> <bR> <div> "I would like to say to all the people on the Earth: Unite and do not permit this evil that was committed," the elderly Shapiro said in a recorded video greeting played in Krakow's Slovacki theatre. "This should never be repeated, ever."</div> <bR> <div> Initially set up as a prison camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau later became the largest of the Nazi death camps set up as part of Adolf Hitler's "final solution" to exterminate Europe's Jewish population.</div> <bR> <div> Prisoners were killed in gas chambers or died from disease, abuse and exhaustion.</div> <bR> <div> Thirty heads of state or government are to light candles and hear interfaith prayers at the site. Joining Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson will be U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney, German President Horst Koehler, French President Jacques Chirac and Israeli President Moshe Katsav.</div> <bR> <div> Six million Jews died in the Nazi camps, along with several million others, including Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, homosexuals and political opponents of the Nazis.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="new_funding_rules_jeopardizing_social_programs_critics_say"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>New funding rules jeopardizing social programs, critics say</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed, 26 Jan 2005 07:35:45 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 26th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 559 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>OTTAWA - New federal policies for awarding money to social programs are forcing the closure of several smaller groups that counsel youth, immigrants and the disabled, politicians say.</B></div> <bR> <div> Former human resources and skills development minister Joe Volpe said he introduced the new rules in order to bring more rigour into the funding process. The new process requires open bidding for contracts worth $500,000 or more.</div> <bR> <div> The new system is drawing complaints that smaller, well-qualified groups are losing funding to bigger groups that can write better proposals but have fewer community ties.</div> <bR> <div> "[Human Resources and Skills Development Canada] is acting like a wrecking ball, going through the social agencies that have been providing services," NDP Leader Jack Layton said.</div> <bR> <div> "It's mixing them all up. It's throwing them out of work who've been providing excellent community service."</div> <bR> <div> Gateway, a job placement group for youth in Layton's Toronto riding, recently lost in a bidding process to a larger for-profit company called Vocational Pathways.</div> <bR> <div> "This is shocking, it's cavalier. It's playing with people's lives and communities," Layton said.</div> <bR> <div> "This is an area which as recently experienced some really troubling youth violence. And Gateway was one of the really positive options for youth."</div> <bR> <div> In Toronto, 34 per cent of organizations have lost their funding to new bidders, and three groups say they will have to close down.</div> <bR> <div> Toronto Mayor David Miller sent a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin late last month calling for a moratorium on the new system and a review of its impact. He says the entire non-profit sector has been destabilized.</div> <bR> <div> Lucienne Robillard, the new minister of Human Resources and Skills Development was not available for comment.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="atlantic_canada_begins_shovelling_out_from_storm"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>Atlantic Canada begins shovelling out from storm</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 25 Jan 2005 07:49:25 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 25th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7dab9f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>HALIFAX - Much of Atlantic Canada has begun to dig its way out Tuesday from the third winter storm to pound the region in the space of seven days. Some parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, however, are braced for more snow.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 178 WIDTH="540"><bR> <div> The latest storm, which began Sunday, dumped between 30 and 70 centimetres of snow by late Monday, the most falling on Yarmouth, N.S. Similar storms hit the region on Jan. 17 and Jan. 20.</div> <bR> <div> Winds of up to 128 km/h whipped the snow into three-metre-high drifts in places.</div> <bR> <div> After the snowfall, eastern Newfoundland was deluged on Monday with rain, leaving the St. John's area coated with ice.</div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7daca09d0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="157" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> St. John's digs out, Monday.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 105 WIDTH="707"><div> More than 40 millimetres of rain and freezing rain fell in the St. John's area Monday, only to be trapped by the 60 centimetres of snow that came down earlier.</div> <bR> <div> Many schools across the Atlantic provinces remain closed on Tuesday, although airports were operating with only minor delays.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 194 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Plows pulled off highways </B></div> <bR> <div> Plows had stayed off the road for much of Monday in parts of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, though the Confederation Bridge remained open to cars and other low-sided vehicles that could reach the on-ramps.</div> <bR> <div> RCMP sent out teams Sunday to rescue drivers stranded in their cars on the Trans-Canada Highway in northwestern Nova Scotia, and dozens more vehicles were trapped in snowdrifts between Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7dada08e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="142" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Getting around Halifax on</div> <div> Sunday, Jan. 23.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="tributes_pour_in_for_tv_legend_johnny_carson"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 271 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Tributes pour in for TV legend Johnny Carson</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 24 Jan 2005 07:47:24 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 24th, 2005</div> <div> <B>LOS ANGELES - Many of Hollywood's top entertainers who credit TV legend Johnny Carson for launching their careers paid trubute to the former late-night talk show host, who died Sunday of emphysema.</B></div> <bR> <div> Carson, who hosted the <I>Tonight Show</I> from 1962 to 1992, was 79.</div> <bR> <div> "All of us who came after are pretenders. We will not see the likes of him again," said David Letterman, host of CBS's <I>Late Show.</I></div> <bR> <div> Carson was credited for launching the careers of a number of comedians, including Letterman, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and Joan Rivers, many of whom paid tribute to the former king of late night.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d68a0c30.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="195" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Johnny Carson watching clips from past shows on his last day with the "The Tonight Show,"</div> <div>  May 22nd, 1992.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 849 WIDTH="707"><div> "He gave me a shot on his show and in doing so, gave me a career," Letterman said. "A night doesn't go by that I don't ask myself, 'What would Johnny have done?'''</div> <bR> <div> "Johnny was responsible for the beginning and the rise of success for more performers than anyone," Cosby said in a statement. "I doubt if those numbers will ever be surpassed."</div> <bR> <div> Rivers, who for a time was Carson's permanent guest host, said he made her the first woman to host a late-night talk show.</div> <bR> <div> "A lot of us who couldn't get on television, Johnny brought us on,'' said Rivers, whose relationship with Carson soured after she went on to host her own talk show.</div> <bR> <div> Carson put Americans to bed for 30 years with his jokes, comedy skits and interviews with guests.</div> <bR> <div> He skewered politicians with his monologues, but his private life – four marriages and three divorces – was also fodder for his wit.</div> <bR> <div> U.S. President George W. Bush described Carson as "a steady and reassuring presence in homes across America for three decades" who "had a profound influence on American life and entertainment."</div> <bR> <div> His former sidekick Ed McMahon said Sunday that Carson was "like a brother to me."</div> <bR> <div> "When we ended our run on <I>The Tonight Show</I> and my professional life continued, whenever a big career decision needed to be made, I always got the OK from 'The Boss,"' McMahon said.</div> <bR> <div> Carson left the show when it was high in the ratings in May 1992. "I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it," he said in his last show.</div> <bR> <div> Comedian Jay Leno, who took over the reins, said "no single individual has had as great an impact on television as Johnny. He was the gold standard."</div> <bR> <div> Many other comics had tried to displace him as America's favourite late-night host, but none succeeded.</div> <bR> <div> Carson made a fortune as a TV host, being paid a reported $5 million US a year in the 1980s.</div> <bR> <div> He retired quietly, sailing, travelling and writing occasional humour pieces for the New Yorker magazine. He never went back to TV, and was satisfied to let the <I>Tonight Show</I> stand as the peak of his career.</div> <bR> <div> But it was recently revealed that he continued to send in the odd joke to Letterman, who would incorporate them into his monologue.</div> <bR> <div> Carson was born in Iowa and grew up in Nebraska. After military service, he worked as a broadcaster in Nebraska, moving to Los Angeles in 1950. He had a series of Hollywood on-air jobs, including hosting a game show, and sitting in occasionally for <I>Tonight Show</I> host Jack Paar. When Paar left in 1962, NBC picked Carson to replace him.</div> <bR> <div> There will not be a memorial service.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="labrador_s_inuit_cheer_land_agreement"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 217 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Labrador's Inuit cheer land agreement</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 22 Jan 2005 22:28:11 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 23rd, 2005</div> <div> <B>NAIN - Labrador's 5,000 Inuit people made their largest step ever toward self-government Saturday, in a signing ceremony that included an apology for a forced relocation program half a century ago.</B></div> <bR> <div> The Labrador Inuit Association signed a land claims agreement in Nain with officials of the federal and provincial government.</div> <bR> <div> The signing ceremony – which was delayed a day because of stormy weather – paves the way for an autonomous government in Nunatsiavut, the Inuit word for "beautiful land."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d61a09c0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="156" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Premier Danny Williams makes a formal apology to the Inuit people.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 451 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> The agreement, which has yet to be formally approved by the House of Commons, covers 72,520 square kilometres of northern Labrador.</div> <bR> <div> The Inuit will become the owners of 15,800 square kilometres of land – two per cent of Labrador's land mass – and they will co-manage the remaining area.</div> <bR> <div> The Inuit also will have special rights along the coast to 44,030 square kilometres of sea. "It certainly is a step forward. It is a step in the right direction," says Nain resident Gary Baikie. "It will give us a chance now to control our own destiny."</div> <bR> <div> Premier Danny Williams says it is a chance to make amends for the past.</div> <bR> <div> "History has not always been kind to our aboriginal peoples, and today with the signing of this agreement we have an opportunity to right that wrong."</div> <bR> <div> Williams also tried to right another wrong by formally apologizing for the forced resettlement of some Inuit during the 1950s.</div> <bR> <div> Wally Andersen, the member of the provincial legislature for the region, found the experience overwhelming.</div> <bR> <div> "This is our land, our culture, and this is our home," Andersen told a cheering crowd. "God bless you, Inuit."</div> <bR> <div> The LIA filed a land claim in 1977.</div> <bR> <div> The ceremony marks the end of the last Inuit land claims agreement in Canada.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 194 WIDTH="540"><div> Andy Scott, the federal minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, represented the federal government. Under the agreement, the LIA will automatically receive $5 million to continue its works until Parliament ratifies the agreement.</div> <bR> <div> The House of Assembly ratified the agreement in its fall sitting.</div> <bR> <div> More than three quarters of Labrador's eligible Inuit voted to ratify the agreement in a referendum held last spring.</div> <bR> <div> The land claim agreement gives members of the Labrador Inuit Association land, mineral and marine rights, and the means to establish their own government.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d62a09c0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="156" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Inuit youth celebrate the land agreement on Nunatsiavut.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 161 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> The package involves $130 million in compensation, provincial royalties from resource development, and another $120 million to establish self-government.</div> <bR> <div> The agreement includes benefits for the more than 2,000 Inuit living in Labrador, but outside the settlement area.</div> <bR> <div> The Inuit also will gain the right to control health, education and justice in five communities.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="iraq_tightens_pre_election_security"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Iraq tightens pre-election security</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 22 Jan 2005 14:27:15 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 22nd, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d5f9f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>BAGHDAD - Travel restrictions and a curfew were among security measures announced Saturday as Iraq prepared for more violence ahead of national elections.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 146 WIDTH="540"><div> A U.S. military official based north of Baghdad reiterated that U.S.-led troops will stay clear of polling stations on Jan. 30.</div> <bR> <div> Iraqi forces will be calling the shots, while American rapid-action forces will only intervene if necessary, said Maj.-Gen. John Batiste, head of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division.</div> <bR> <div> Polling centres will be ringed by Iraqi police and Iraqi National Guard troops.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d60a06f0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="111" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Nakib at a news conference Saturday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 400 WIDTH="707"><div> Jan. 29, 30 and 31 have been declared holidays, Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Nakib said.</div> <bR> <div> Many cities will have an expanded nighttime curfew on those days and the carrying weapons by ordinary citizens will be banned.</div> <bR> <div> Non-official vehicles will be prevented from travelling between Iraq's 18 provinces, al-Nakib said.</div> <bR> <div> Driving on the streets will be restricted to election supervisors and other officials. Instead, the interior and transportation ministries will provide transportation for voters needing help to get to the polls.</div> <bR> <div> Baghdad's airport will be closed on Jan. 29 and 30.</div> <bR> <div> Maj.-Gen. Batiste said U.S. forces have trained a group of Iraqis to be expert marksmen and have provided security forces with new AK-47 assault rifles and other equipment.</div> <bR> <div> Al-Nakib said security forces are bracing for insurgents to step up their attacks as the election approaches. </div> <div> "They're putting all their efforts into disturbing the elections," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Meantime, the deadline for Iraqis overseas to register to vote has been extended by two days to Tuesday because of a lower than expected turnout.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="canadian_mp_visits_home_of_purged_chinese_leader"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>Canadian MP visits home of purged Chinese leader</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:29:01 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 21st, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d5a9f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>BEIJING - A Canadian member of Parliament has apparently become the first Western politician to visit the home of former Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang, who died this week after 15 years of house arrest.</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 264 WIDTH="540"><div> Conservative MP Jason Kenney, one of a number of Canadian politicians accompanying Prime Minister Paul Martin on his Asian tour, said he wanted to pay his respects personally.</div> <bR> <div> Zhao was chief of the Chinese Communist Party in 1989, but was purged when he opposed the deadly military crackdown of students at Tiananmen Square. News of his death was suppressed in the Chinese media.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm proud to have been the first Westerner here," Kenney said. "I hope that other foreigners do something symbolic to show the underground democracy movement here [that] there is support for them outside of China."</div> <bR> <div> "I think it's important for these people to know that."</div> <bR> <div> Government agents stationed near the house initially blocked Kenney's attempts to visit the home and ordered him to the other side of the street. They told him he was the first foreign </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d5ba0b30.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="179" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Wang Yannan, left, daughter of Zhao Ziyang, greets mourners at the residence where Zhao lived under house arrest for 15 years in Beijing.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 526 WIDTH="707"><div> dignitary to come this close to the house. But a man who identified himself as Zhao's former assistant led Kenney down the road to the house.</div> <bR> <div> With the assistance of an interpreter, Kenney left a note in Chinese, expressing condolences.</div> <bR> <div> "It's a testament to Zhao Ziyang that 15 years after his opposition to the massacre, the authorities are still afraid of him, that they won't permit open public expression of his death."</div> <bR> <div> TV crews travelling with the prime minister have been stopped by police from filming across the street from Zhao's home.</div> <bR> <div> Internet searches of Zhao's name were also blocked in the Canadian media hotel Thursday, the Canadian Press reported.</div> <bR> <div> Kenney had challenged Martin to also visit the home.</div> <bR> <div> "I think it would be an elegant way for the prime minister to express Canada's solidarity with human rights in the world's largest country by paying his respects to a former premier," said Kenney.</div> <bR> <div> But Martin said it was not on his schedule.</div> <bR> <div> "I suppose, but that's not on the schedule at the present time," Martin said when asked by a reporter if a Zhao visit would be a good idea.</div> <bR> <div> "I'll talk to those who control my life, but I can just tell you it's not on the schedule at the present time."</div> <bR> <div> In a speech Friday, Martin spoke about how Canada's expert technical services could be exported to China. But he also raised human rights concerns, telling investors that as China's economy booms and grows, human rights should evolve at the same pace.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="north_vancouver_on_alert_for_more_mudslides"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>North Vancouver on alert for more mudslides</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:41:27 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 20th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 66 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>NORTH VANCOUVER - Emergency response teams continue to be on alert for further mudslides, a day after one woman was killed when her home was swept down a North Vancouver hillside triggered by four days of heavy rain.</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 557 WIDTH="540"><div> Torrential rains are expected to continue in British Columbia Thursday. A state of emergency has been declared in the area after a huge chunk of the mountain gave way, causing a mudslide that swept away two homes early Wednesday.</div> <bR> <div> Immediately after the houses were washed away, neighbours found one man buried in mud and pulled him to safety. He's listed in critical condition. But rescuers pulled the body of his wife from the mud mid-afternoon.</div> <bR> <div> Another woman was rescued from the second home after phoning for help from her cellphone. Crews found her because she described the debris she was buried in.</div> <bR> <div> The people in the second destroyed home managed to crawl out after the mudslide swept into their bedroom, picking up the bed and pushing it across the room.</div> <bR> <div> Despite the warning, people living in 80 homes have been allowed to return, after being forced to leave. But people living in another 20 houses are still waiting to return.</div> <bR> <div> Vancouver geoscientist Mattias Jakob said Wednesday's mudslide in North Vancouver comes as no surprise, and warned that more could occur within days.</div> <bR> <div> "With more rain and high intensity rain, I think we can expect more landslides in Greater Vancouver and the ... Fraser lowlands," said Jakob, who completed a landslide study for the municipality several years ago.</div> <bR> <div> Wednesday's slide occurred because of a mixture of weather conditions in recent days.</div> <bR> <div> Last week, snow and cold temperatures froze the ground. Then, 200 millimetres of rain fell in less than 48 hours. With the ground frozen, it has nowhere to go.</div> <bR> <div> Environment Canada has warned that as much as 300 millimetres – twice the rain that would normally fall during the entire month of January – might fall over the next three days.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d51a0820.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="130" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Remains of one of two homes hit, North Vancouver, B.C., Wedneday</div> <div> <IMG SRC="7d4fa0810.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="129" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> North Vancouver house, on the edge.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="7d50a0df0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="223" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 54 ><NOBR><div> The province has announced it will provide financial aid through its disaster relief program to anyone affected.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="saskatchewan_tobacco_law_goes_to_supreme_court"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>Saskatchewan tobacco law goes to Supreme Court</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:41:57 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 19th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 627 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada will begin hearing arguments Wednesday for and against Saskatchewan's so-called "shower curtain law," which forces storeowners to keep tobacco products behind curtains or doors.</B></div> <bR> <div> The law, meant to hide cigarettes from children, has been at the centre of a legal tug-of-war ever since the province passed it in 2002.</div> <bR> <div> The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal struck down the legislation in 2003, ruling that it conflicted with a federal law that permits tobacco displays. When provincial and federal laws conflict, federal law prevails.</div> <bR> <div> But the province is now asking the Supreme Court to overturn that decision.</div> <bR> <div> It's a case that has sparked interest across the country. The Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Lung Society, the Canadian Medical Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada are interveners, as are six provinces and the federal government.</div> <bR> <div> University of Saskatchewan law professor Doug Schmeiser says the Supreme Court's decision will apply across Canada. </div> <div> "There's a strong movement afoot in Canada to curb the use of tobacco and tobacco products. And that's why every province is very interested," said Schmeiser.</div> <bR> <div> He says that even if Saskatchewan loses at the Supreme Court, the fight still may not be over – Schmeiser foresees a campaign for a change in federal law.</div> <bR> <div> The appeal court ruling was a victory for the tobacco company Rothmans Benson and Hedges. Company spokesperson John McDonald says stopping the sale of cigarettes to children is one thing – hiding cigarettes is quite another.</div> <bR> <div> "This is a legal product. It's a product that adults would already have made up their mind [to buy] before they go into retail," said McDonald.</div> <bR> <div> But the Canadian Cancer Society says cigarettes should be kept out of children's sight, not just out of their reach.</div> <bR> <div> "They should not be exposed to tobacco products every time they walk into a store to buy bubblegum or candy," said the society's Donna Pasiechnik.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="superjumbo_jet_unveiled_in_france"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 125 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Superjumbo jet unveiled in France</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 18 Jan 2005 05:59:21 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 18th, 2005</div> <div> <B>TOULOUSE, FRANCE - European leaders have gathered for the official unveiling of the world's largest passenger plane in France, a jetliner that some analysts say will transform international air travel.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d47a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 823 WIDTH="707"><div> The Airbus A380 double-decker plane, with a 262-foot wingspan, a tail as tall as a seven-storey building, cost $13 billion US to develop. It can fly more than 15,000 kilometres without refueling.</div> <bR> <div> The jet seats at least 555 passengers, 33 per cent more than Boeing's 747 and offers 49 percent more floor space. But can carry as many as 840 people, depending on the seat configuration.</div> <bR> <div> Featuring a three-class cabin layout, the "superjumbo" will have space for features such as on-board shops, bars, casinos or nurseries.</div> <bR> <div> British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero – whose governments poured billions of dollars into the project – attended the unveiling at company headquarters in Toulouse, southern France.</div> <bR> <div> The A-380 replaces the Boeing 747 jumbo as the world's biggest passenger plane. Joe D'Cruz, a business professor at the University of Toronto, says it will forever change air travel.</div> <bR> <div> "Transformative, transformative, but it will only transform global travel. That means people travelling very very long distances," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Airbus has taken 149 orders for the $280 million US planes. The company expects to sell 700 to 750 aircraft. So far, Air Canada has not ordered any of the planes.</div> <bR> <div> Airlines will decide how the plane's extra space is used. Virgin company chief Richard Branson said his airline, which has ordered six A380s, will offer casinos and private double beds for first class passengers.</div> <bR> <div> Sheikh Ahmed bin Saee Al Maktoum, the chairman of Dubai-based carrier Emirates, which is so far the largest A380 customer with 45 orders, said the advantages of the aircraft is that it provides lower seat-mile costs, carries more passengers further and consumes less fuel than its competitors.</div> <bR> <div> D'Cruz said the carrier may fly some jets into Toronto's Pearson international airport.</div> <bR> <div> "There's a reason why Emirates might target Toronto because of all the security problems in the U.S. So Toronto could well become for Emirates a hub for people who want to travel from other parts of the world to Latin America," he said.</div> <bR> <div> But Boeing predicted there will only be demand for 400 jets over the next two decades, saying passengers are being drawn to direct flights on smaller, long-range jets like the company's planned 7E7.</div> <bR> <div> The introduction of the superjumbo also presents challenges for airports, which will have to upgrade its infrastructure to accommodate the plane.</div> <bR> <div> For example, London's Heathrow airport says it is spending over $800 million US for double-decker passenger ramps to enlarged baggage conveyors capable of processing 555 passengers on one flight.</div> <bR> <div> The A-380 still must be certified as air worthy. It could be flying passengers by next year.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="tsunami_devastation__beyond_human_comprehension__pm"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>Tsunami devastation 'beyond human comprehension': PM</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 17 Jan 2005 07:09:08 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 17th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d3f9f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 571 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - Prime Minister Paul Martin spent his second day in Asia visiting the tsunami-stricken areas in eastern Sri Lanka, saying he's been overwhelmed by the experience of seeing the destruction first-hand.</B></div> <bR> <div> "This is sheer devastation. It's really beyond human comprehension," Martin said as he toured a village in the Ampara region, where more than 10,000 people died – a third of all the dead in Sri Lanka.</div> <bR> <div> Martin, who was also joined by members of all opposition parties, said the tour puts a human face on what he's only seen on television.</div> <bR> <div> "When you see these young kids, what they've gone through...When you go to those graves and see the numbers of people who were buried, it was impossible not to be deeply affected," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Martin also met with troops from Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team, touring one of its medical clinics and a water purification site that is pulling water from a lagoon and pumping out thousands of litres of fresh drinking water for tsunami survivors.</div> <bR> <div> The prime minister praised their work, saying Canadian aid is going exactly where it's needed.</div> <bR> <div> After his one and a half hour stop in eastern Sri Lanka, Martin returned to Colombo, to meet with the country's president and prime minister.</div> <bR> <div> He spoke with several MPs who are members of the Tamil National Alliance, which speaks for the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka's parliament, about reports that Tamil militants are recruiting children who have been orphaned by the disaster.</div> <bR> <div> The prime minister has promised Canada's community of 250,000 Tamils that he'll verify that humanitarian aid is getting through to areas in Sri Lanka's northeast, an area controlled by the insurgent Tamil Tigers.</div> <bR> <div> Martin's tour began in Thailand where more than 5,000 died, including four of the six Canadian confirmed killed in the disaster. Thousands are still missing from the Thai coast, including at least 28 Canadians.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="u_s__soldier_who_abused_iraqi_prisoners_sentenced"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 190 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>U.S. soldier who abused Iraqi prisoners sentenced</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 15 Jan 2005 22:47:55 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 16th, 2005</div> <div> <B>FORT HOOD, TEXAS - A military jury sentenced Army Spc. Charles Graner Jr. to 10 years in prison for Abu Ghraib abuses on Saturday.</B></div> <bR> <div> He was also demoted to private and ordered to forfeit all pay and benefits. When his prison sentence is completed, he will be dishonorably discharged.</div> <bR> <div> Asked to react to his sentence, Graner simply said: "There's a war on. Bad things happen."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d3ea0a90.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> U.S. Army Spc. Charles Graner</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 505 WIDTH="707"><div> Graner is the first U.S. soldier to be tried in connection with the prisoner abuse scandal at the Iraqi prison.</div> <bR> <div> He was convicted Friday on five charges related to abusing Iraqi detainees.</div> <bR> <div> Graner faced 10 counts under five separate charges: assault, conspiracy, maltreatment of detainees, committing indecent acts and dereliction of duty.</div> <bR> <div> He was found guilty on all counts, except that one assault count was downgraded to battery.</div> <bR> <div> During the five-day trial, the 36-year-old Pennsylvania reservist was accused of stacking naked prisoners in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate while other soldiers took photographs.</div> <bR> <div> He also allegedly punched one man in the head hard enough to knock him out, and struck an injured prisoner with a collapsible metal stick.</div> <bR> <div> One Syrian prisoner characterized Graner as the "primary torturer," who whistled, sang and laughed while brutalizing him. He said he was forced to eat pork and drink alcohol in violation of his Muslim faith.</div> <bR> <div> An Iraqi detainee said he was stripped by Graner and other Abu Ghraib guards, stacked up naked in a human pyramid while female soldiers watched, and later told to masturbate.</div> <bR> <div> The defence had argued that Graner and other guards were following orders from intelligence agents at the prison and were told to use physical violence to prepare detainees for questioning.</div> <bR> <div> Photos from the prison showing naked detainees posed in sexual positions, hooked to electrodes and tethered to a leash sparked international outrage.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="angelil_accuser_sentenced_to_prison"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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>Angelil accuser sentenced to prison</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 14 Jan 2005 20:28:50 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 15th, 2005</div> <div> <B>LAS VEGAS - The California woman who accused René Angelil – the husband of Quebec singer Céline Dion – of sexual assault has been sentenced to prison for trying to extort money from the couple.</B></div> <bR> <div> On Thursday, a judge sentenced Yun Kyeong Kwon Sung to a term of 28 months to five years.</div> <bR> <div> The case was "all about greed," Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass said when she announced the sentence Thursday.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d3da0a50.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="165" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Angelil and Dion in 2004.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 619 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> "You got $2 million and you wanted more," Glass said. "That's why you are standing here today."</div> <bR> <div> In 2000, Angelil paid Sung and her husband $2 million US after Sung accused him of fondling her in a Las Vegas hotel.</div> <bR> <div> Angelil's legal team has always argued that the money she was paid does not amount to an admission of guilt.</div> <bR> <div> They say he settled with the woman because he feared for his health and did not want negative publicity.</div> <bR> <div> Last year, Angelil's lawyers successfully argued that Sung was trying to squeeze him for more cash in order to pay off her mounting gambling debts.</div> <bR> <div> A jury convicted her in October after hearing evidence that Sung had threatened to go back on her confidentiality agreement with Angelil by going to the police with the rape allegation.</div> <bR> <div> During a meeting with the lawyers for both sides, she was secretly recorded demanding $13.5 million US to continue to keep quiet.</div> <bR> <div> The woman insisted on Thursday that the sexual assault allegation is true.</div> <bR> <div> "He used despicable attorneys and turned it around to make me the assailant instead of the victim," she told the judge. </div> <div> Sung's three-day trial did not determine the validity of the rape allegation.</div> <bR> <div> Robert Langford, her lawyer, has said he will appeal the conviction.</div> <bR> <div> He said the judge should have let him submit a dress with DNA evidence on it that Sung says proves the two had sexual contact.</div> <bR> <div> But Glass ruled Angelil could not be compelled to provide a DNA sample for comparison.</div> <bR> <div> Known for songs like <I>The Power Of Love</I>, Dion is currently playing an extended engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="cbc_tsunami_benefit_delivers_poignant_moments_humour"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>CBC tsunami benefit delivers poignant moments, humour</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 14 Jan 2005 06:13:19 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 14th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 122 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>TORONTO - Everyone from Prime Minister Paul Martin to budding R 'n' B star Keisha Chanté to Bubbles from </B><I><B>Trailer Park Boys</B></I><B> showed up on the CBC's tsunami benefit show Thursday, making good on the broadcaster's pledge to deliver big names from all walks of life.</B></div> <bR> <div> The three-hour program – dubbed <I>Canada For Asia</I> – included several poignant moments, like the Halifax band MIR's powerful rendition of their song <I>Homeless</I>.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 232 WIDTH="540"><div> Two members of the band – brothers Asif and Shehab Illyas – were born in Sri Lanka, one of the countries hit hardest by the Dec. 26 disaster.</div> <bR> <div> The quickly arranged benefit also had its share of lighter interludes.</div> <bR> <div> Soon after the show began, for instance, Rick Mercer – the <I>Monday Report</I> host who served as the evening's backstage correspondent – said that there were so many celebrities who wanted to appear, there wasn't room for them all.</div> <bR> <div> "The Kids in the Hall are actually out in the hall," he quipped.</div> <bR> <div> This was a few minutes after <I>Hockey Night In Canada</I> personality Ron MacLean, the show's host, had said that things could get confusing with so many artists scheduled to perform.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d38a0a10.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="161" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> MIR lead singer Asif Illyas, who was born in Sri Lanka, one of the countries hit hard by the Dec. 26 tsunami.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 625 WIDTH="707"><div> "It'll be like Don Cherry's line changes," MacLean said by way of an analogy.</div> <bR> <div> Later on, Cherry himself took to the stage alongside MacLean, right before a performance by the Tragically Hip. The two used the opportunity to reprise their Coach's Corner schtick, with MacLean commending Canadians for their philanthropic impulses.</div> <bR> <div> "Phil Anthropic? Who's he play for?" Cherry shot back.</div> <bR> <div> But the bulk of <I>Canada For Asia</I> was given over to performances by the likes of Bryan Adams, Anne Murray, Barenaked Ladies, Jann Arden, Sam Roberts, Sloan, Bruce Cockburn and Oscar Peterson.</div> <bR> <div> An ensemble made up of artists including Marc Jordan, Emm Gryner, Kalan Porter, Tom Cochrane, and the members of Shaye kicked off the evening with an ensemble version of Jordan's <I>Waiting For A Miracle</I>.</div> <bR> <div> Rush recorded a new version of their hit <I>Closer To The Heart</I> for the occasion, aided by Bubbles and by Ed Robertson from Barenaked Ladies. A video, which was introduced by Mike Myers, was shown of the recording session.</div> <bR> <div> Interspersed throughout the evening were reports that have been filed from South Asia by CBC reporters, including Stephen Puddicombe, Adrienne Arsenault and Brian Stewart.</div> <bR> <div> A montage featuring taped messages from the likes of comedienne Mary Walsh, <I>Jeopardy!</I> host Alex Trebek, actress Polly Shannon and CBS correspondent John Roberts came about two hours into the event.</div> <bR> <div> Many who spoke to television viewers emphasized the need for continuing assistance. "The need grows larger every day," noted hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. "The people of South Asia will need our support for years to come," echoed Céline Dion.</div> <bR> <div> In his own taped message, Martin said he had spoken with many of the leaders of the countries that were affected by the tsunami.</div> <bR> <div> "They are grateful. They are moved," he said. The Prime Minister also encouraged Canadians to keep giving, lauding them for their generosity of spirit.</div> <bR> <div> However, some of the acts featured didn't mention the disaster, using their time on stage to keep the tone of the benefit from becoming maudlin.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 168 WIDTH="540"><div> Scott Thompson and Mark McKinney, the two former stars of <I>Kids In The Hall</I>, riffed on the CBC's recently concluded series <I>The Greatest Canadian</I>. McKinney explained to his erstwhile castmate that Tommy Douglas had won the competition.</div> <bR> <div> "Tommy Douglas? Who the hell is Tommy Douglas?" Thompson exclaimed, saying that the name sounded suitable for a dog in an Adam Sandler movie.</div> <bR> <div> What followed was McKinney's attempt to enlighten Thompson by using Kiefer Sutherland, the grandson of Douglas, as a reference point for the history of universal health care in this country.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d39a0850.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="133" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Scott Thompson and Mark McKinney.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 339 WIDTH="707"><div> Margaret Atwood, accompanied by fellow scribes June Callwood and Austin Clark also took to the stage to talk with MacLean.</div> <bR> <div> "If they could, every writer in the country would be here tonight," said the author of <I>The Handmaid's Tale</I>.</div> <bR> <div> For his part, Maple Leaf bruiser Tie Domi called on all Canadians to contribute, not just Toronto fans. "Even the [Ottawa] Senators fans, pick up the phones," he said.</div> <bR> <div> When Bubbles and the other two members of the trio from <I>Trailer Park Boys</I> appeared, they said they were considering selling some of their precious drugs to help the effort.</div> <bR> <div> Simulcast on CBC and a number of other TV and radio outlets, the proceeds from <I>Canada For Asia</I> will go to benefit World Vision, the Canadian Red Cross, UNICEF, Oxfam Canada, Care Canada, Save the Children Canada, Development and Peace, and Oxfam Quebec.</div> <bR> <div> Although MacLean said people were calling in to offer donations, there was no word during the benefit on how much money had been raised. He urged people to keep giving after the benefit went off the air.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="klein_urges_cull_of_1_76_million_cows"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Klein urges cull of 1.76 million cows</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 13 Jan 2005 10:37:01 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 13th, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d2f9f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>CALGARY - Alberta Premier Ralph Klein is calling for a massive cull of older cattle to allay the fears of consumers and Canada's trading partners after the discovery of a third case of mad cow disease.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 199 WIDTH="540"><div> The radical move would kill 1.76 million animals born before August 1997, when Canada banned the practice of giving cattle feed that includes the body parts of other cattle.</div> <bR> <div> Once rejected as an extreme reaction, a cull of older cows has been discussed in the industry since another Alberta cow born after the feed ban tested positive this week for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, according to Klein.</div> <bR> <div> The step would destroy animals worth upwards of $350 million. But some believe it could counter a small number of U.S. critics who don't want the country to reopen its border to young Canadian cattle imports, now scheduled for March.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d31a0b20.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="178" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ralph Klein</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 252 WIDTH="707"><div> "Is a cull necessary? Yes," Klein said Wednesday in Toronto after giving a speech at a business club.</div> <bR> <div> "I think the ranching industry will come to that conclusion and will devise a way to achieve that cull."</div> <bR> <div> Officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned that a mass slaughter would be an overreaction, stressing that the human food supply isn't at risk and that the positive tests show the increased surveillance is working.</div> <bR> <div> "I don't see any sort of culling would be an appropriate response to what's going on," said Gary Little, a senior veterinarian with the agency.</div> <bR> <div> "Certainly, all indications are that the feed ban is effective and it's going to become more effective."</div> <bR> <div> The Canadian Cattlemen's Association admitted that a cull is being discussed within the industry and will likely be on the agenda when officials meet in Ottawa on Thursday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 242 WIDTH="540"><div> U.S. Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman has said the border will reopen as planned, but she's monitoring the latest BSE investigation very closely and has sent an American team to join the probe.</div> <bR> <div> Washington has come under increasing pressure from a protectionist lobby, as some U.S. producers and politicians pounced on the new case.</div> <bR> <div> On Tuesday, the CFIA confirmed the latest BSE case and said the cow became infected by eating feed produced before the ban.</div> <bR> <div> It is the second Canadian case of mad cow confirmed in the last 10 days, both following the long-awaited U.S. announcement that it would end the 20-month border closure.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d32a0c10.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="193" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> U.S. Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman has said the border will reopen as planned.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 70 WIDTH="707"><div> On Dec. 29, the U.S. announced it was going to accept live cattle under the age of 30 months, saying Canada was a "minimal-risk region" for BSE, in part because of measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="u_s__sending_team_to_canada_over_new_bse_case"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 173 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>U.S. sending team to Canada over new BSE case</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed, 12 Jan 2005 07:33:00 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 12th, 2005</div> <div> <B>OTTAWA - U.S. agriculture officials will send a team to Canada to evaluate the third case of mad cow disease found in Alberta to determine whether the discovery will halt plans to reopen the border to the import of Canadian cattle.</B></div> <bR> <div> "As always, protection of public and animal health is our top priority," said Ron DeHaven, administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, in a statement.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d29a07c0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="124" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Canadians have been banned from exporting live cattle to the U.S. since May 2003.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 762 WIDTH="707"><div> "The result of our investigation and analysis will be used to evaluate appropriate next steps in regard to the minimal risk rule published last week," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell told an evening news conference he has been assured by U.S. officials that no change in plan to open the border will be contemplated until the investigation.</div> <bR> <div> "The U.S. undersecretary (Jim Moseley) indicated that he believed that there was no need to change the rule that they had put forward a couple of weeks ago."</div> <bR> <div> The latest discovery involves an animal that was born after the 1997 ban on feeding animal remains to cattle.</div> <bR> <div> But the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's chief veterinarian, Brian Evans, says, "This was most likely an exposure to feed produced before the fall of 1997."</div> <bR> <div> The Canadian ban on putting cattle remains into cattle feed came into effect in August 1997. This latest animal was born in March 1998.</div> <bR> <div> The disease spreads when cattle eat the remains of infected animals.</div> <bR> <div> The CFIA says the animal did not enter the human or animal food chain.</div> <bR> <div> Mitchell has ordered the CFIA to find out what the cow may have been fed in the first few months of its life.</div> <bR> <div> Canada's two previous cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy were both born before the August 1997 ban was put in place.</div> <bR> <div> News that an animal was infected after the ban could call into question the country's feed supply and whether the regulations are being followed.</div> <bR> <div> This is the second case of BSE in Canada since the U.S. announced it would reopen its border to live Canadian cattle on March 7.</div> <bR> <div> Canadian offiicals confirmed a positive test on Jan. 3, three days after the U.S. said it was lifting the ban.</div> <bR> <div> The U.S. closed its border to live cattle and beef imports in May 2003, when the first case of BSE was discovered. The move devastated the Canadian industry.</div> <bR> <div> The first two cases were both born on Alberta farms, as was the lone cow that has tested positive in the U.S.</div> <bR> <div> The American ban has cost the Canadian beef industry an estimated $5 billion.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="un_s_oil_for_food_program_wasted_millions_audits"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>UN's oil-for-food program wasted millions: audits</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 11 Jan 2005 07:07:17 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 11th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 554 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>WASHINGTON - Officials running the UN's oil-for-food program for Iraq failed to monitor it adequately and let contractors skim millions of dollars, auditors found.</B></div> <bR> <div> An independent probe into allegations of corruption and fraud published more than 50 internal UN audits of the $73-million program on Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> Internal auditors found UN officials repeatedly overpaid contractors and inadequately monitored the program, set up to let Iraq export oil despite economic sanctions and use the proceeds to buy food, medicine and other supplies.</div> <bR> <div> However, they didn't find any clear evidence of corruption, payoffs to UN staffers or kickbacks to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, all of which have been alleged in U.S. congressional hearings.</div> <bR> <div> The UN ran the program from 1996 to 2003 while Iraq was under international economic sanctions imposed after it invaded Kuwait in 1990.</div> <bR> <div> The program is credited with preventing starvation in Iraq, but some people – especially Republicans in the U.S. Congress – allege that Saddam manipulated it to rake billions of dollars into his own pockets.</div> <bR> <div> The allegations prompted UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to form an investigation team, led by former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker.</div> <bR> <div> Volcker's group is close to finishing an interim report, and released the audits by the UN's Office of International Oversight Services on its website Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> In an accompanying report, Volcker said the audits were done well, but had a limited scope that "deprived the UN of a potentially powerful agent in helping to ensure accountability."</div> <bR> <div> White House spokesman Scott McLellan said Volcker's report was at best a good start. "I think we've made our views very clear. ...This is a matter that raises very serious questions."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="dead_cows_found_on_alberta_feedlot"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 167 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Dead cows found on Alberta feedlot</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun, 09 Jan 2005 22:07:53 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 10th, 2005</div> <div> <B>PONOKA, ALTA. - Cold weather and a bad mixture of feed are being blamed for the deaths of more than 150 beef cattle on a feedlot that went into receivership in central Alberta.</B></div> <bR> <div> Those who were in charge of feeding the cattle after the receiver took over didn't know what they were doing, according to a rancher who spoke to a local veterinarian.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7d21a0a20.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="162" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 268 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> Rancher Jim McNall, who has 1,600 head of cattle at the feedlot, says it was too strong a mixture, which can cause a buildup of gas in a cow's stomach.</div> <bR> <div> Dead and dying animals were found only a few days after a receiver took over the feedlot operation from owner Rick Bonnett.</div> <bR> <div> Rancher Jessie Quast, who visited the farm on the weekend, said he noticed a lack of straw for bedding.</div> <bR> <div> Bonnett told the Edmonton Journal the cattle were healthy when they were seized Jan. 5. The paper said the receivers Deloitte and Touche in Calgary have been unavailable for comment.</div> <bR> <div> Bonnett said the farm had been in his family for three generations and was struggling after the BSE crisis ravaged the beef market.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="tsunami_death_toll_surpasses_156000"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Tsunami death toll surpasses 156,000</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun, 09 Jan 2005 10:22:41 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 9th, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 577 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>JAKARTA, INDONESIA - The official number of dead from last month's earthquake and tsunami in south Asia grew to more than 156,000 Sunday with the discovery of thousands of corpses in debris along the western coast of Sumatra.</B></div> <bR> <div> More than two thirds of the victims from the Dec. 26 disaster were from Indonesia.</div> <bR> <div> Relief efforts continue to pour into the region, but aid groups fear some of the most desperate and isolated communities may not yet have been reached.</div> <bR> <div> A spokesman for the UN World Food program says many communities remain inaccessible by land and are dependent on food aid dropped by helicopter.</div> <bR> <div> Aid group Oxfam says there are over 100,000 people in 200 makeshift settlements across Aceh province. But it claims a lack of co-ordination between aid groups and the Indonesian government mean there is no way of knowing how regularly some of the settlements are receiving help.</div> <bR> <div> Aid officials plan to feed as many as two million survivors each day for the next six months.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Security concerns</B></div> <bR> <div> Meantime, there are signs ethnic tensions in the province are re-emerging.</div> <bR> <div> Shots rang out near the main UN relief compound in Banda Aceh Sunday morning. Rebels from the Free Aceh Movement are being accused of firing shots at the home of a senior police officer.</div> <bR> <div> The rebels had promised to stop their attacks after the tsunami hit the region two weeks ago.</div> <bR> <div> Joel Boutroue, head of UN aid efforts in Aceh province, says the operation's security was not threatened by the incident and workers were not slowing the delivery of aid.</div> <bR> <div> <I>With files from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation</I></div> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="cbc_to_broadcast_tsunami_relief_concert"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>CBC to broadcast tsunami relief concert</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 08 Jan 2005  09:30:09 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 8th, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 420 WIDTH="540"><div> <I><B>CBC Arts</B></I> </div> <div> <B>TORONTO - The CBC announced plans Friday to broadcast a benefit concert for the victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami in South Asia.</B></div> <bR> <div> The event, dubbed <I>Canada for Asia</I>, will air Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. in every time zone, except in Newfoundland, where it will be seen half an hour later.</div> <bR> <div> Lasting three hours, the show will feature performances by the likes of Céline Dion, Bryan Adams, Rush, Blue Rodeo, Jann Arden and Oscar Peterson.</div> <bR> <div> The show will air on CBC television, as well as on CBC Radio One.</div> <bR> <div> The public broadcaster is also offering the show as a simulcast to all other TV and radio outlets in Canada.</div> <bR> <div> "I think we all watched in shock and horror and sadness as this horrible natural disaster occurred," said singer Tom Cochrane, who is helping to organize the event.</div> <bR> <div> Cochrane promised to put on a "very moving show."</div> <bR> <div> Fellow organizer Denise Donlon said the acts that appear on the benefit will represent a "metaphor for the Canadian response" to the disaster, by which she means they will be drawn from all walks of life.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7d1ca0ba0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="186" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Tom Cochrane</div> <div> <IMG SRC="7d1da0a40.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="164" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> An unidentified man is about to be swept away by the tsunami in Khao Lak, Thailand.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 488 WIDTH="707"><div> She said author Margaret Atwood, <I>Hockey Night in Canada</I> personality Don Cherry and Bubbles, the simple-minded alter ego of <I>Trailer Park Boys</I> star Mike Smith, have all agreed to make appearances. She expects there will be more names to announce in the coming days.</div> <bR> <div> "We won't be able to fit everybody on this show but we're going to try to fit a lot," added Cochrane.</div> <bR> <div> Tragically Hip vocalist Gord Downie, Barenaked Ladies, Anne Murray, Sloan, Molly Johnson and Daniel Lanois are also on the bill.</div> <bR> <div> "This thing has come together with lightning speed," Donlon said. Plans to broadcast the show apparently started to come together only on Thursday morning.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Canada for Asia</I> will be beamed out of the CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. It's not known if the public will be allowed to take part as members of a studio audience.</div> <bR> <div> Among the groups that will receive the proceeds are World Vision, the Canadian Red Cross, and UNICEF.</div> <bR> <div> The CBC announcement comes one day after CTV announced plans to broadcast a star-studded relief concert on Jan. 29.</div> <bR> <div> Also on Friday, the Toronto Star reported that Robbie Rae, a disco singer who co-hosted a variety show for the CBC during the 1970s, is known to be among those still missing after the tsunami struck.</div> <bR> <div> Rae, whose real name is Robert Bevan, had moved to Thailand from Canada and had opened up a bar in Phuket.</div> <bR> <div> Along with his ex-wife, Cherrill, Rae is best known for the 1978 hit <I>A Little Lovin' (Keeps the Doctor Away)</I>.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="that_s_the_way_the_b_c__cookie_case_crumbles"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>That's the way the B.C. cookie case crumbles</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 07 Jan 2005  07:12:42 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 7th, 2005</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 613 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>VANCOUVER - A British Columbia woman who makes and sells ginger snaps laced with marijuana has been acquitted of trafficking for a second time, after prosecutors failed to prove the treats contain cannabis resin.</B></div> <bR> <div> Mary Jean Dunstan, also known as Watermelon, was arrested twice and charged with possession of cannabis resin for the purposes of trafficking.</div> <bR> <div> But analysts who used samples of the resin police seized to mix and bake the same kind of batter Dunstan uses for her ginger snaps have not been able to prove the extract is still present in the finished product.</div> <bR> <div> "The judge found a reasonable doubt at the end of the Crown's case as to what was in the cookie," said Dunstan's lawyer, John Conroy.</div> <bR> <div> "If the cookies or the brownies or whatever ... have been made in a batter so nobody can identify leaves, sticks or stems through a microscope, then the only way the Crown can get a conviction for possessing a prohibited thing would be if they charged her with possession or trafficking of cannabis [alone], without adding resin or marijuana," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Analysts are able to chemically detect cannabis in Dunstan's cookies.</div> <bR> <div> Trafficking in cannabis is a more serious drug offence that could lead to a jury trial and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and Conroy doubts the authorities would choose that route over a few ginger snaps.</div> <bR> <div> The resin-trafficking charge is a lesser offence that carries a lighter sentence.</div> <bR> <div> "My lawyer and I are saying, like, if you can't prove it's there, how can you measure it?" said Dunstan, who hosts a Pot TV internet show when she's not selling the cookies at places like Vancouver's Wreck Beach.</div> <bR> <div> She too doubts the Crown would opt for a more serious charge, given the kind of reaction she said she has gotten from her fans and drug opponents alike.</div> <bR> <div> "The court of public opinion is not interested in paying their tax dollars any more, it's quite clear," she said.</div> <bR> <div> The Crown is appealing her acquittal on the resin charge, however.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="cun_s_annan_pleads_for__1_2b_right_away"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>UN's Annan pleads for $1.2B right away</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 06 Jan 2005  08:17:48 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 6th, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7cd49f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>JAKARTA, INDONESIA - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made an appeal for $1.2 billion in immediate emergency aid for countries stricken by the Asian tsunami disaster as he addressed a summit of world leaders in Indonesia Thursday.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 446 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> Annan described the Dec. 26 disaster as the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the history of the world body. He said it's "a race against time" if global partners don't want to see the 150,000 death toll double from the effects of disease.</div> <bR> <div> He said $977 million US (or $1.2 billion Cdn) is needed immediately, in the form of cash, to help five million survivors.</div> <bR> <div> While more than 30 governments, as well as corporations and private individuals, have already pledged more than $3.6 billion in assistance, Annan said the promises need to be quickly converted into cash.</div> <bR> <div> After previous disasters, including the Iranian earthquake in December of 2003, only a fraction of promised aid actually showed up in the affected region.</div> <bR> <div> Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew, who was in Jakarta for the summit, echoed Annan's concern abut the money having to be sent right away.</div> <bR> <div> "Countries can pledge but it is very important to disburse, and I am very proud of the fact that Canada is among the countries that has always disbursed fast," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Canada has pledged at least $80 million in short and medium-term aid.</div> <bR> <div> The tsunami aid summit has brought together leaders or top bureaucrats from 26 nations, as well as international organizations including the European Union, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.</div> <bR> <div> Canada sent Pettigrew and International Co-operation Minister Aileen Carroll as its representatives.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 482 WIDTH="707"><div> "The Canadian initiative of a debt moratorium for the affected countries was extremely welcome here today," Pettigrew said in an interview with CBC Newsworld after the summit. "In my opinion, when the Paris Club meets on the 12th of January, we will see a number of other countries going in that direction."</div> <bR> <div> Summit participants ended the one-day Jakarta summit by issuing a declaration in which they agreed to co-operate to help the 11 stricken countries recover.</div> <bR> <div> "This unprecedented devastation needs unprecedented global response in assisting the national governments to cope with such disaster," the declaration said.</div> <bR> <div> They also promised to set up a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean, similar to the one that has been in place in the Pacific Ocean for five decades.</div> <bR> <div> "No longer must we leave ourselves so vulnerable and so exposed," said Surakiart Sathirathaim, Thailand's foreign minister. "It is well-proven that 10 minutes advance warning can save hundreds of lives."</div> <bR> <div> Leaders from the 11 Indian Ocean nations hit by the tsunamis used the summit to brief their counterparts on the destruction and loss of life in their countries.</div> <bR> <div> The waves destroyed virtually everything along vast coastal stretches of Indonesia's Sumatra island, Sri Lanka, Thailand and several Indian islands.</div> <bR> <div> They wiped out whole communities in some areas, and left other regions to cope with large numbers of orphans and the loss of doctors, teachers and local leaders.</div> <bR> <div> <I>With files from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation</I></div> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="canada_crowned_world_junior_champs"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Canada crowned world junior champs</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 04 Jan 2005  20:46:02 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 5th, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="58" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="165" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Call it a Canadian sweep. Team Canada crushed Russia 6-1 Tuesday night to win the world junior men's hockey championship, the lone international title to elude the national program – until now.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 206 WIDTH="540"><div> Canada now has no peer in international hockey, having won the men's, women's and junior men's world championships as well as both the men's and women's Olympic tournaments over the past year.</div> <bR> <div> Canada simply overwhelmed the Russians from the outset, scoring in the opening minute and later breaking open a close contest with four goals in the second period of Tuesday's gold-medal game before a pro-Canadian, sellout crowd of 11,862 at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.</div> <bR> <div> Ryan Getzlaf and Jeff Carter had one goal and two assists apiece for Canada, which was marking its fourth straight appearance in the championship final yet seeking its first gold medal since 1997 – the last in a five-year reign as world champion.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7cd0a0a00.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="160" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Team Canada celebrates</div> <div> in a 6-1 win.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 616 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> "It's an unbelievable feeling," Carter said. "This is what we were going for and we got it now."</div> <bR> <div> Patrice Bergeron provided a goal and an assist, while Danny Syvret, Andrew Stewart and Dion Phaneuf also scored.</div> <bR> <div> Andrew Ladd contributed a pair of assists.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm so happy for the kids," Canadian head coach Brent Sutter said.</div> <bR> <div> Canada settled for silver medals in each of the past three years, dropping one-goal decisions to Russia in 2002 and 2003 and, again, to the United States in 2004.</div> <bR> <div> "We were the team on the other side last year," Getzlaf said. "This is our time now."</div> <bR> <div> Twelve members of this year's squad skated in that heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the U.S., and several of them were major factors in what some will consider the most overpowering performance in the history of the tournament.</div> <bR> <div> "They played a hell of a tournament right from the get-go," Sutter said. "They were truly professionals every day, every step of the way."</div> <bR> <div> "You hate to say it but we dominated the tournament," Canadian forward Sidney Crosby said. "Everyone played so good."</div> <bR> <div> Canada not only posted a perfect 6-0 record, but outscored the opposition 41-7 and never trailed for a single minute.</div> <bR> <div> Moreover, Bergeron took the scoring title (five goals, 13 points) and most valuable player honours and was named a tournament all-star along with Carter and Phaneuf.</div> <bR> <div> "It was the experience of my life because it was with guys my age," Bergeron said.</div> <bR> <div> Goaltender Jeff Glass, who turned aside 19 shots on Tuesday night, topped all puckstoppers with a 1.50 goals-against average.</div> <bR> <div> "We came in here with one goal and one goal only," he said.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 710 WIDTH="707"><div> Getzlaf opened the scoring 51 seconds into the game as he stepped into Carter's drop pass and ripped a slap shot past Russian netminder Anton Khudobin.</div> <bR> <div> It marked Getzlaf's third goal of the tournament.</div> <bR> <div> "You get that first goal out of the way and it sets the tone for the whole team," he explained.</div> <bR> <div> Glass looked sharp in the early going too, making consecutive pad saves as the Russians enjoyed a two-man advantage for 1:12.</div> <bR> <div> Syvret upped it to 2-0 at the eight-minute mark during Canada's first power play, redirecting a carom off the end boards into the net for his first.</div> <bR> <div> Alexei Emelin halved the deficit during Russia's fourth power play of the period, counting his first on a screen shot with 32 seconds left.</div> <bR> <div> Carter put ahead 3-1 when he whisked a nifty bank-pass from Ladd by a startled Khudobin at 3:33 of the second period.</div> <bR> <div> It was Carter's seventh goal of the tournament and 12th overall, matching the Canadian junior record held by Eric Lindros.</div> <bR> <div> Canada continued to press offensively and was rewarded with two goals in a 1:01 span.</div> <bR> <div> First, Bergeron finished off a 3-on-1 break with his fifth, a power-play marker at 7.53.</div> <bR> <div> Stewart then re-directed Nigel Dawes' centring pass by Andrei Kuznetsov for his third.</div> <bR> <div> Moments after Phaneuf counted his first on a slap shot from the point to make it 6-1, Russian defenceman Dimitri Vorobiev was penalized five minutes for high-sticking Dawes and handed a game misconduct.</div> <bR> <div> "We wanted to play our game all tournament and we did that," Phaneuf said.</div> <bR> <div> "I think the Canadian people must be proud of this team," added Russian forward Alexander Ovechkin, who injured his shoulder.</div> <bR> <div> Of note, International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel was joined by Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky in presenting the championship trophy to Canadian captain Mike Richards.</div> <bR> <div> <I>With files from CP Online</I> </div> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="aid_flights_to_aceh_temporarily_halted"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Aid flights to Aceh temporarily halted</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 04 Jan 2005  07:53:51 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 4th, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7cc79f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>UNITED NATIONS - Aid flights to Sumatra stopped for several hours Tuesday because of a minor accident at the Banda Aceh airport – a day after the United Nations warned tens of thousands of Indonesians will likely die before aid workers can reach them.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 246 WIDTH="540"><bR> <div> A Boeing 737 cargo plane loaded with relief supplies hit a herd of cows that had wandered onto the Banda Aceh airport's main runway.</div> <bR> <div> Nobody was hurt in the incident, but the plane's engine and landing gear were damaged and it took officials hours to find equipment capable of removing it from the runway.</div> <bR> <div> "For the rest of the day, aid flights will be prevented from flying here," Adri Gunawan, the airport's head of air traffic control, told the Associated Press wire agency early Tuesday. "It's really bad."</div> <bR> <div> Helicopter flights were able to continue throughout the day, leaving the airport to drop food parcels to Indonesians in cut-off areas of Sumatra.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7cc8a0b70.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="183" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> U.S. navy personnel from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln load relief supplies onto helicopters at Banda Aceh airport.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 507 WIDTH="707"><div> With the Banda Aceh airport closed, the nearest airport capable of accepting large planes was a 16-hour drive away from the troubled zone.</div> <bR> <div> On Monday, Jan Egeland, UN emergency relief co-ordinator, warned that tens of thousands of residents of northern Sumatra are almost sure to perish before aid reaches them.</div> <bR> <div> Egeland says Aceh province and other regions were barely accessible before the earthquake and tsunami pummelled Sumatra on Dec. 26. Now, he said, it's virtually impossible to reach them.</div> <bR> <div> More than 270,000 people are in refugee camps in Aceh, but aid workers believe many more people are isolated with no fresh water, food or access to medical care.</div> <bR> <div> The United Nations and aid groups warn that the threat of a major outbreak of disease such as cholera or diarrhea could claim tens of thousands of lives.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Death toll now stands at 145,000</B></div> <bR> <div> More than 145,000 deaths have been confirmed in 11 countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand worst hit.</div> <bR> <div> Indonesia says more than 94,000 of its residents died in the disaster, while 30,190 are confirmed to have died in Sri Lanka.</div> <bR> <div> The number of people in India either confirmed dead or listed as missing and presumed dead has risen to 15,275.</div> <bR> <div> Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra says his country's death toll could rise to 6,000.</div> <bR> <div> Officials with the World Food Program say 30,000 people in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, are in need of assistance. </div> <div> Myanmar's military rulers say 53 people were killed by the earthquake-triggered waves, but the UN estimates up to 90 people died.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 689 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> That's because computer models say Myanmar may have suffered as much damage as southern Thailand.</div> <bR> <div> Simon Pluess of the World Food Program says the government in Yangon thought at first it could deal with the problem on its own but has since revised its position and is now accepting aid.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Elder Bush, Clinton named to lead U.S. relief drive</B></div> <bR> <div> U.S. President George W. Bush is urging Americans to contribute whatever they can to help victims of the Asian disaster and he's announced a nationwide campaign to raise money.</div> <bR> <div> Bush has asked two former presidents to lead the effort: his father, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.</div> <bR> <div> "I ask every American to contribute as they are able to do so," Bush said.</div> <bR> <div> "In the coming days, presidents Clinton and Bush will ask Americans to donate directly to reliable charities already providing help to tsunami victims."</div> <bR> <div> The United States has faced criticism for being slower than other countries to donate large amounts to the relief effort.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the biggest problem at the moment is not money, but how to distribute it.</div> <bR> <div> Powell is in Thailand to assess what the United States should do next.</div> <bR> <div> He will also attend Thursday's regional summit and donors conference in Jakarta being organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.</div> <bR> <div> Overall, internationally, donors have promised about $2 billion in disaster assistance. The money has come from wealthy nations like the U.S., Japan and Canada, as well as two of the world's poorest nations, Nepal and East Timor.</div> <bR> <div> However, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged caution about the $2-billion figure.</div> <bR> <div> "We've got over $2 billion [in pledges] but it is quite likely that at the end of the day we will not receive all of it. I think you heard about the example of the Bam earthquake in Iran, we got lots of pledges but we did not receive all the money."</div> <bR> <div> <I>With files from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation</I> </div> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="tsunami_relief_efforts_gather_steam"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Tsunami relief efforts gather steam</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 03 Jan 2005  09:25:33 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 3rd, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7cb99f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 66 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA - Aid workers used everything from elephants to helicopters to ferry supplies to tsunami survivors Monday, as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand said they're close to giving up the search for the 15,000 people still missing there.</B></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 260 WIDTH="540"><div> In the Thai resort area of Kao Lak, which was the hardest-hit area of the country, elephants were being used to move debris and sometimes even bodies in areas that vehicles couldn't reach.</div> <bR> <div> U.S. warships carrying 2,200 marines arrived in the Malacca Straits to begin ferrying supplies, while international teams on planes, helicopters and military vessels continued to drop food and other essentials to survivors elsewhere.</div> <bR> <div> A U.S. delegation that includes Secretary of State Colin Powell and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush arrives in Indonesia on Monday, as part of a trip to inspect the damage in the most affected countries.</div> <bR> <div> The United Nations emergency relief office says vital food and water supplies are starting to reach some of the most desperate people who survived the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami disaster around the Indian Ocean.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7cbaa0b10.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="177" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> An Australian soldier hands a water bladder to an Indonesian girl in Banda Aceh on the island of Sumatra on Jan. 3rd, 2005.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 533 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> <B>Indonesia to set up disaster warning system</B></div> <bR> <div> Indonesia's president promised Monday to set up an early-warning system for disasters, which experts say could have prevented tens of thousands of deaths last week.</div> <bR> <div> President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Indonesia will raise the idea at a conference Thursday in Jakarta, which will be attended officials from the affected countries, the United Nations and aid agencies.</div> <bR> <div> Thailand has also promised to establish a tsunami warning system for the country's tourist resorts. The announcement came after government weather officials conceded they had time to issue an alert after the Indonesian earthquake but chose not to, for fear of damaging confidence in the country's tourism industry.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Aid workers struggling in Indonesia, UN says</B></div> <bR> <div> Jan Egeland, the UN's humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator, said the huge global aid effort to reach all those hardest-hit is picking up speed.</div> <bR> <div> Aid supplies for about 700,000 people in Sri Lanka, devastated by last week's massive tsunami, should be delivered by Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> But, Egeland warned that it will take "much longer" to get food to the one million people who need it in Indonesia, where the death toll climbed by more than 13,000 to 94,081 on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> The United States has sent an aircraft carrier with 12 helicopters on board to air-drop aid to tsunami victims, while Australia already has four Hercules aircraft, an Antonov plane and several Iroquois helicopters on the ground in Aceh.</div> <bR> <div> Other military aircraft have come from New Zealand, France and Singapore. India is sending a separate ship with a fully equipped mobile hospital on board.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 227 WIDTH="540"><div> But Egeland said relief efforts are falling behind there because of the remoteness and heavy damage in affected areas.</div> <bR> <div> Heavy rains in Aceh have increased the risk of an outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery. Thousands of people need treatment for injuries and many will need limbs amputated, doctors say.</div> <bR> <div> Egeland also said the death toll from the tsunami, which struck the coastlines of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives and even Somalia, is now expected to surpass 150,000. It stood at about 140,000 on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> Another UN agency, the World Health Organization, says up to five million people made homeless in last week's disaster continue to be at risk of disease from contaminated water.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7cbba0a20.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="162" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A woman comes out of an aid centre with rice and other essentials in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 214 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> The United Nations says it could take 10 years for the regions hit by the tsunami to fully recover.</div> <bR> <div> In other developments on Monday: </div> <div> - Governments have now pledged more than $2 billion US in aid for the tsunami victims across the Indian Ocean region. </div> <div> - Thai officials said forensic experts had started to exhume 300 tsunami victims after discovering their bodies had been misidentified n the rush to bury the dead before they decomposed. The victims are all Thai and Asian. </div> <div> - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said another 159 Britons are thought to have died in the tsunami disaster, in addition to the 40 citizens whose deaths had already been announced. Most likely died in Thailand, he said. </div> <bR> <div> <I>With files from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation </I></div> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="cabinet_increases_canada_s_aid"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 59 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Cabinet increases Canada's aid</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun, 02 Jan 2005  15:48:59 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 2nd, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7cb69f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="707"><div> OTTAWA - The federal cabinet has decided to double Canada's potential aid to tsunami victims "to at least" $80 million from $40 million, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Sunday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 164 WIDTH="540"><div> "Canada stands ready to do more," he told reporters after a meeting with senior ministers.</div> <bR> <div> Canada will also deploy the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Ampara, on the east coast of Sri Lanka, the region in that country hardest hit by the giant waves on December  26th, 2004.</div> <bR> <div> A preliminary report from a reconnaissance team in Sri Lanka indicates DART should be used, Martin said.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7cb7a08f0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="143" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Paul Martin</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 863 WIDTH="707"><div> He also said:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ottawa will release blankets, mobile kitchens and water purification equipment from emergency stockpiles for use in the disaster area;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">10 forensic experts with the RCMP will join other Canadian forensic experts in Thailand to help identify victims;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Three senior cabinet ministers will travel to India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia to visit disaster sites and talk about relief efforts;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Canadians will be allowed to claim donations made until Jan. 11 on their 2004 income tax;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">There will be a national memorial in Ottawa on Jan. 8, and all Canadian flags on federal buildings will fly at half-mast until then.</div> <bR> <div> The government had earlier agreed to contribute $15 million for specific aid projects in southeast Asia, and $25 million to match donations made by individual Canadians, for a total of $40 million.</div> <bR> <div> Martin called a special cabinet meeting to consider Canada's response to the disaster that has killed at least 124,000 people in 11 countries in southern Asia and East Africa, and left many more in desperate condition.</div> <bR> <div> The meeting included Defence Minister Bill Graham, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and International Co-operation Minister Aileen Carroll, among others.</div> <bR> <div> Martin returned to Ottawa Saturday night after spending the holidays in Morocco. He'll also meet with ambassadors of countries affected by the tsunami.</div> <bR> <div> Canada initially offered up to $40 million in disaster aid, promising to match contributions collected by aid agencies. It has sent planeloads of supplies and a team to survey the damage.</div> <bR> <div> The government has faced criticism it was slow to respond to the Dec. 26 disaster, with the first Canadian supply plane landing in the region on Dec. 31.</div> <bR> <div> Martin told reporters he didn't need to come home to respond to the tradegy, that he was in contact with world leaders immediately after he heard about the disaster. "I was doing it from there."</div> <bR> <div> Questions have also been raised as to why DART hasn't been sent to the region. The 200-member Canadian Forces team can operate a mobile command centre, a medical facility, and water purification equipment.</div> <bR> <div> Ottawa has said the team is not usually deployed within the first 72 hours following a disaster, and hasn't decided whether it will be sent.</div> <bR> <div> Canadian survivors of the disaster have also criticized Canadian embassy staff in the affected regions as not giving enough help and being understaffed.</div> <bR> <div> Five Canadians have been confirmed dead following the disaster, and as many as 150 could be missing.</div> <bR> <div> The prime minister sent a statement of condolence from Africa on the day of the disaster and has been working with cabinet ministers by telephone since Boxing Day, say his staff.</div> <bR> <div> A number of senior cabinet ministers cut short their vacations after the scope of the disaster became clear.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="tsunami_aid_pledges_at__2_billion_us"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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= 58 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Tsunami aid pledges at $2 billion US</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 01 Jan 2005  17:16:39 EST</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: January 1st, 2005</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="7cb49f350.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 87 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>NEW YORK - Worldwide donations to help those battered by the huge waves that slammed into Asian and African coastlines totalled $2 billion US Saturday.</B></div> <bR> <div> Japan increased its pledge of aid from $30 million to $500 million, the largest single donations from a single country.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 215 WIDTH="540"><div> On Friday, the United States raised its promise of aid tenfold to $350 million.</div> <bR> <div> At a news conference Saturday, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, said there's a "race against the clock" to help five million people at "severe risk" of dying of hunger and disease.</div> <bR> <div> One million in Indonesia and 700,000 in Sri Lanka need to be fed, he said.</div> <bR> <div> But given the international aid relief effort, he said he's confident clean water and food will reach a "vast majority" of the affected.</div> <bR> <div> Still, there's no distribution network in place on the ground in some of the hardest hit regions.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="7cb5a0af0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="175" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, Jan Egeland.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 123 WIDTH="707"><bR> <div> Much of the aid has not reached people in Indonesia because of a bottleneck of aircraft and supplies at air strips, he said.</div> <bR> <div> Asked whether the U.S. should be doing more to help, Egeland said it's "doing a phenomenal job during this unprecedented challenge."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Online staff</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="Jan 05"><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>