Nov 06

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08"><U><B>Sep/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1083.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aug 08"><U><B>Aug/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1078.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jul 08"><U><B>Jul/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1077.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jun 08"><U><B>Jun/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1072.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 08"><U><B>May/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 WIDTH="50"><div> <A HREF="id1071.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apr 08"><U><B>Apr/08</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1060.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mar 08"><U><B>Mar/08</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id1044.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feb 08"><U><B>Feb/08</B></U></A></div> 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BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC><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> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>These "Articles" are dated from November 1st, 2006 - November 30th, 2006.</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="508" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#president_bush_vows_to__complete__work_in_iraq" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  President Bush vows to 'complete' work in Iraq</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 30/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#nato_allies_offer_small_boost_to_afghanistan" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  NATO allies offer small boost to Afghanistan</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 29/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#dion_strong_2nd_choice_poll_of_delegates_shows" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Dion strong 2nd choice, poll of delegates shows</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 28/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#two_canadian_soldiers_killed_in_afghanistan" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 27/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#yoko_ono_calls_for_worldwide_day_of_healing" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Yoko Ono calls for worldwide day of healing</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 26/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#pm_to_limit_federal_spending_powers_in_provinces" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  PM to limit federal spending powers in provinces</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 25/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#vancouver_boil_water_advisory_reaches_one_week" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Vancouver boil-water advisory reaches one week</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 24/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#pm_says_quebecers_form_nation_within_canada" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  PM says Quebecers form nation within Canada</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 23/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#nickelback_winners_at_american_music_awards" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Nickelback winners at American Music Awards</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 22/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#painkiller_addictions_trump_heroin_use_study" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Painkiller addictions trump heroin use: study</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 21/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#harper_s_media_strategy_leaves_some_flummoxed" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Harper's media strategy leaves some flummoxed</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 20/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#layton_unveils_proposed_changes_to_clean_air_act" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Layton unveils proposed changes to Clean Air Act</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 19/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#boil_water_warning_lifted_for_1_million_in_greater_vancouver" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Boil-water warning lifted for 1 million in Greater Vancouver</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 18/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#nanaimo_joins_greater_vancouver" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Nanaimo joins Greater Vancouver area in boil-water warnings</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 17/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#storm_leaves_thousands_without_power_in_b_c_" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Storm leaves thousands without power in B.C.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 16/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#tsunami_warning_issued_for_japan_s_north_coast" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Tsunami warning issued for Japan's north coast</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 15/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#150_abducted_in_downtown_baghdad" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  150 abducted in downtown Baghdad</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 14/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#ambrose_in_kenya_to_defend_climate_change_policy" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Ambrose in Kenya to defend climate change policy</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 13/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#ban_organized_religion_says_elton_john" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Ban organized religion, says Elton John</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 12/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#canadians_honour_war_dead" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Canadians honour war dead</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 11/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#manitoba_girl_s_tip_leads_to_u_k__sexual_exploitation_conviction" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Manitoba girl's tip leads to U.K. sexual exploitation conviction</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 10/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#fewer_canadians" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Fewer Canadians 'strongly approve' of military presence in Afghanistan: survey</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 09/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#toronto_s_vincent_lam_wins_giller_prize" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Toronto's Vincent Lam wins Giller Prize</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 08/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#voters_to_decide_who_controls_congress_in_u_s__midterm_elections" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Voters to decide who controls Congress in U.S. midterm elections</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 07/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#iraqi_canadians_struggle_with_saddam_verdict" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Iraqi-Canadians struggle with Saddam verdict</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 06/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#saddam_hussein_sentenced_to_death" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Saddam Hussein sentenced to death</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 05/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#top_hamas_rocketmaker_killed_in_israeli_strike" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Top Hamas rocketmaker killed in Israeli strike</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 04/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#domestic_abuse_hidden_among_indo_canadians_forum" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Domestic abuse hidden among Indo-Canadians: forum</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 03/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#iran_fires_long_range_missile_as_part_of_new_manoeuvres" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Iran fires long-range missile as part of new manoeuvres</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 02/11/06</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="460"><div> <A HREF="#bell_canada_income_trust_conversion_under_review" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><B><IMG SRC="f1f0b0d0.png" border=0 width="11" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  Bell Canada income trust conversion under review</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> 01/11/06</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="president_bush_vows_to__complete__work_in_iraq"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>President Bush vows to 'complete' work in Iraq</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 30  2006  07:52 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 30th, 2006</div> <div> <B>U.S. President George Bush pledged Thursday that American troops will remain in Iraq until "the job is complete," but said the U.S. will work towards a speedy handover of security responsibility.</B></div> <bR> <div> Bush made the statement after a meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Jordan. He told him the U.S. isn't looking for a "graceful exit" from the violence-plagued nation teetering on the brink of civil war.</div> <bR> <div> He said troops will remain there as long as al-Maliki's government wants them there.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adf2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> U.S. President George W. Bush pauses during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan on Thursday. (AP / Evan Vucci)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 103 WIDTH="707"><div> The two leaders are both facing intense pressure over the ongoing violence, and met for a hastily-arranged summit to find ways to stop the largely-sectarian fighting.</div> <bR> <div> Bush has said the key to a successful U.S. withdrawal is to first train Iraqi security forces to keep the peace in their own country. He has moved to strengthen al-Maliki's government, and has met with him face-to-face on three occasions in the six months since al-Maliki took office.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 379 WIDTH="540"><div> "I appreciate the courage you show during these difficult times as you lead your country," Bush told al-Maliki after nearly two and a half hours of talks. "He's the right guy for Iraq."</div> <bR> <div> Bush said the PM made it clear he wasn't open to the possibility of splitting up the country along sectarian lines -- an option that has begun to look more realistic as violence has escalated.</div> <bR> <div> "The prime minister made clear that splitting his country into parts... is not what the Iraqi people want and that any partition of Iraq would only lead to an increase in sectarian violence. I agree.</div> <bR> <div> "In the long term, security in Iraq requires reconciliation."</div> <bR> <div> Bush also said al-Maliki should have more troops under his control in order to put down the insurgency.</div> <bR> <div> But he added that it is in the United States' interest "to help liberty prevail in the Middle East, starting with Iraq".</div> <bR> <div> "And that's why this business about graceful exit simply has no realism to it at all," Bush said.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adf3a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A Jordanian soldier sits atop his vehicle at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. Jordan. (AP / Mohammad Abu Ghosh)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="adf4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Air Force One with U.S. President Bush aboard departs from Amman airport after his Tmeeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki on Thursday. (AP / Nader Daoud)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 778 WIDTH="707"><div> Al-Maliki said the two leaders agreed on the need to speed up the handover of security responsibilities.</div> <bR> <div> "I believe that the Iraqi security forces are capable enough of protecting the country and its citizens against those who seek to undermine their safety," al-Maliki said, noting that he wanted to work with all law-abiding parties inside Iraq and sought a cooperative, respectful relationship with Iraq's neighbours.</div> <bR> <div> However, after meeting for over two hours the two leaders seemed to have few concrete plans on how to go about restoring peace or accelerating the security handover.</div> <bR> <div> Al-Maliki did hand Bush a blueprint for equipping and training Iraqi security forces, according to an aide who attended the meetings and spoke to <I>The Associated Press</I> on condition of anonymity.</div> <bR> <div> Bush acknowledged he wanted to start bringing some of the 140,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq home as soon as possible, but maintained that troops would stay until the job is done.</div> <bR> <div> Bush arrived in Jordan on Wednesday, when the talks were slated to begin. Those talks were called off.</div> <bR> <div> Neither of the leaders acknowledged why the meetings were cancelled, but it came after a White House memo that was critical of the prime minister.</div> <bR> <div> Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reportedly pressed al-Maliki to disband a heavily armed Shiite militia loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.</div> <bR> <div> Al-Sadr, who has been blamed for much of the violence plaguing Iraq, is a key al-Maliki supporter.</div> <bR> <div> The aide told AP the al-Maliki told Bush that controlling al-Sadr "is not a big problem and we will find a solution for it."</div> <bR> <div> Al-Maliki sent a stern message to those taking part in violence in Iraq.</div> <bR> <div> "Those who participate in this government need to bear responsibilities, and foremost upon those responsibilities is the protection of this government, the protection of the constitution, the protection of the law, not breaking the law," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Bush maintained his stance against allowing neighbouring Iran to help bring stability to Iraq.</div> <bR> <div> "I appreciate the prime minister's views that the Iraqis are plenty capable of running their own business and they don't need foreign interference from neighbors that will be destabilizing the country," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Al-Maliki, though, seemed open to the possibility of outside involvement from Tehran, and even Damascus.</div> <bR> <div> A U.S. bipartisan commission on Iraq that will unveil recommendations next week is expected to urge direct diplomacy with Iran and Syria, America's chief rivals in the Middle East.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="nato_allies_offer_small_boost_to_afghanistan"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>NATO allies offer small boost to Afghanistan</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Nov. 29  2006  08:07 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 29th, 2006</div> <div> <B>NATO leaders have consented to deploy a few hundred more soldiers to the war-torn country of Afghanistan, after talks at the summit in the Latvian capital of Riga.</B></div> <bR> <div> "We came here expecting to make real progress and I think we have done that," said NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the end of a two-day alliance summit in Latvia.</div> <bR> <div> But he conceded that the number of forces the alliance vowed to send totalled only "several infantry companies," which could mean as many as about 500 soldiers.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ade6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> French President Jacques Chirac gestures while speaking during a final media conference after a NATO summit in Riga on Wednesday. (AP / Virginia Mayo)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 124 WIDTH="707"><div> Meanwhile, Prime Minister Stephen Harper also touted the summit, saying that progress "had been made on Canadian objectives," according to <I>The Globe and Mail</I>.</div> <bR> <div> It's unclear whether the new soldiers will be helping Canadian soldiers battling the Taliban.</div> <bR> <div> But Harper told reporters he wasn't certain if any additional NATO soldiers would be sent to reinforce Canadian troops in Kandahar, where they are fighting Taliban insurgents.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 629 WIDTH="540"><div> Harper said it was near impossible to determine whether the summit could prevent Canadian troops from bearing the brunt of casualties, alongside Dutch and British soldiers, in the volatile region.</div> <bR> <div> "It's difficult to project future casualties and future battles based on this summit," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Harper admitted he was leaving the Latvian capital of Riga with fewer reinforcements than he had hoped for.</div> <bR> <div> "We still believe we are undermanned," he said. "We still need more."</div> <bR> <div> Alliance officials said earlier that three unnamed countries have agreed to send additional troops to the war-torn country to reinforce the NATO contingent.</div> <bR> <div> Reuters reported that Blair's official spokesman said Bulgaria, Spain and NATO aspirant Macedonia had offered more forces.</div> <bR> <div> But it's yet unclear how many soldiers will be involved and whether they will be combat troops.</div> <bR> <div> More than one-third of the 32,000-strong NATO contingent is troops from the United States, which also has another 10,000 operating outside the alliance's command.</div> <bR> <div> Canada, Britain and the Netherlands make up the bulk of the troops who are fighting in the perilous southern region.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile NATO leaders offered some concessions to improve the mobility of their troops.</div> <bR> <div> Unconfirmed reports say that those European countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy and France, will ease some of the so-called caveats that restrict the use of their troops.</div> <bR> <div> "After a fresh look and a new discussion we had here in Riga, a number of nations have diminished the caveats,'' said de Hoop Scheffer.</div> <bR> <div> He said 20,000 of the 32,000 NATO forces will be made available for combat and non-combat operations.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ade7a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures while speaking during a final media conference after a NATO summit in Riga on Wednesday. (AP / Kirsty Wigglesworth)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="ade8a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> U.S. President George W. Bush shares a word with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a round table meeting at a NATO summit in Riga on Wednesday. (AP / Virginia Mayo)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="ade9a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer shake hands at the start of a bilateral meeting in Riga, Latvia. (CP / Andrew Vaughan)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 290 WIDTH="707"><div> "There was a clear commitment by all 26 NATO allies that in an emergency . . . they will support each other,'' said de Hoop Scheffer. "That is the most fundamental demonstration of NATO's solidarity.''</div> <bR> <div> "Contributing to peace and stability in Afghanistan is NATO's key priority."</div> <bR> <div> All of them agreed that in "emergencies," NATO's commander in Afghanistan could order their soldiers south but that won't necessarily moving the contingents to the dangerous southern provinces.</div> <bR> <div> The NATO summit opened Tuesday, one day after two Canadian soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack near Kandahar.</div> <bR> <div> Since 2002, 44 Canadian soldiers have died fighting in Afghanistan.</div> <bR> <div> A total of 511 coalition soldiers have been killed since the Taliban was ousted in 2001.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="dion_strong_2nd_choice_poll_of_delegates_shows"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Dion strong 2nd choice, poll of delegates shows</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 28  2006  08:09 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 28th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Stephane Dion seems poised to become the favourite "second choice" for delegates to the Liberal leadership convention, if front-runner Michael Ignatieff falters, a new poll suggests.</B></div> <bR> <div> Pollster Allan Gregg of the Strategic Counsel says the numbers indicate Ignatieff could falter in his quest to win the Liberal Party's leadership.</div> <bR> <div> "It's going to be very, very difficult for Ignatieff to get to the finish line, but certainly not impossible," he told CTV News on Monday.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="addaa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Federal Liberal leadership candidate Stephane Dion gestures while he campaigns with Liberal London-North-Centre byelection in London, Ont. on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006. (CP /Dave Chidley)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 323 WIDTH="707"><div> The poll, conducted by the Strategic Counsel for CTV and<I> The Globe and Mail</I>, ranks the candidates closely to the percentage of elected delegate support they received during the "super weekend" process in October (the actual percentage is in brackets):</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ignatieff: 31 per cent (29.3 per cent) </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Rae: 19 per cent (20.1 per cent) </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Dion: 18 per cent (16.1 per cent) </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Kennedy: 17 per cent (17.5 per cent)</div> <bR> <div> While Ignatieff is the front-runner, he does poorly when delegates are asked whom they would support as a second choice. That could be an indicator of a candidate's growth potential on later ballots.</div> <bR> <div> Delegates have been selected to vote a certain candidate, but they are only required to vote for that candidate on the first ballot. They are free to vote as they choose on subsequent ballots.</div> <bR> <div> Balloting will continue until one candidate earns 50 per cent plus one.</div> <bR> <div> As the top second choice, it's former cabinet minister Dion who is showing the most momentum going into this week's convention.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 335 WIDTH="540"><div> Dion, a Quebec MP, has a substantial lead in that area over the other candidates, finds the poll of 1,622 delegates.</div> <bR> <div> Here are the rankings of the four top candidates on the second choice question (the percentage point change from a September poll of 1,000 Liberal party members is in brackets):</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Dion: 23 per cent (+10) </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Gerard Kennedy: 13 per cent (+5) </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Bob Rae: 10 per cent (-13) </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Michael Ignatieff: 6 per cent (-6)</div> <bR> <div> The Strategic Counsel's Tim Woolstencroft told CTV.ca that the differences aren't an apples-to-apples comparison, because one the earlier poll was of party members, not delegates. However, one can draw a general conclusion from about momentum from them, he said.</div> <bR> <div> "He (Dion) has got momentum, but it's a tortoise's momentum," Gregg said. "The others are stalled in the mud, and he's barely creeping along."</div> <bR> <div> Gregg said a lot can and will happen at the convention to change the race's dynamics.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="addda05f0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="95" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The poll ranks the candidates closely to the percentage of elected delegate support they received during the 'super weekend' process in October.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="addea0730.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="115" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Above are the rankings of the four top candidates on the second choice question.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 493 WIDTH="707"><div> He noted that 44 per cent of delegates polled say they are undecided on a second choice. Gregg thought that figure will start changing as soon as the convention starts, as most delegates are currently focused on their own candidates.</div> <bR> <div> Fifty-nine per cent of delegates said they would independently vote for their second choice as opposed to 29 per cent who would follow their candidate's lead if that candidate dropped out.</div> <bR> <div> As polarizing figures, Ignatieff and Rae, a former NDP premier of Ontario, face a hurdle with relatively high numbers of delegates saying they would never vote for either of them, especially relative to Dion and Kennedy:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ignatieff: 26 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Rae: 21 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Joe Volpe: 14 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Stephane Dion: 4 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Gerard Kennedy: 3 per cent</div> <bR> <div> Volpe had been hit with ethical controversies over the course of the Liberal leadership race, which officially started in April.</div> <bR> <div> Of Ignatieff, Gregg said: "He's going to have to do something at the convention itself to diffuse this sense that he's a polarizing figure."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Ignatieff's strengths</B></div> <div> While he has some significant problems to overcome, the poll reveals many strengths for Ignatieff too.</div> <bR> <div> On the question of which candidate is most likely to win the leadership, here is how the candidates rank:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ignatieff: 35 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Rae: 25 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Dion: 15 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Kennedy: 12 per cent</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 867 WIDTH="707"><div> On the question of who is most likely to win the next federal election, Ignatieff has a 10-point lead over his nearest competitor:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ignatieff: 33 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Rae: 23 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Dion: 17 per cent </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Kennedy: 14 per cent</div> <bR> <div> In general, Ignatieff is found by the respondents to be the most impressive individual, a result that has held throughout polling conducted during the campaign.</div> <bR> <div> Gregg said Ignatieff has the broadest base of support.</div> <bR> <div> "The thing that's going to be really interesting about this convention is you'd be hard-pressed to see any of these candidates winning easily," Gregg said. "Whoever wins is going to crawl to the finish line."</div> <bR> <div> There are plausible scenarios in which any one of the top four candidates could win, "but if you're a betting man, you have to say that Ignatieff will still be standing at the end," he said.</div> <bR> <div> The question is who will survive to be on the final ballot with him, he said.</div> <bR> <div> For those looking for a historical comparison to this leadership race, Gregg suggested people study the 1976 Progressive Conservative convention where a fellow named Joe Clark emerged as the winner.</div> <bR> <div> Brian Mulroney was the brash newcomer, Claude Wagner the political veteran and presumed front-runner. But Clark, then a little-known Alberta MP, finished a strong third on the first ballot and emerged the winner on the fourth ballot.</div> <bR> <div> <B>The Quebec resolution</B></div> <div> At an October meeting, the Quebec wing of the federal Liberals passed a resolution calling for Quebec to be recognized as a nation within Canada and for the Liberal party to explore ways to "officialize that historical and social reality."</div> <bR> <div> Ignatieff brought the matter up first. Critics immediately blasted him for it.</div> <bR> <div> Interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham was to bring all the candidates together to try and hash out a compromise resolution before the convention because of fears the motion could split the party.</div> <bR> <div> The poll finds there is a split. Forty-one per cent support recognizing Quebec as a nation within Canada, while 43 per cent oppose it. Another 16 per cent didn't know or refused to answer.</div> <bR> <div> "The opposition that exists towards that motion in the rank and file of the Liberal delegates is very, very real and splits the party right down the centre," Gregg said.</div> <bR> <div> In Quebec (the sample size was 316 with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 per cent), 55 per cent supported the motion while 37 per cent opposed it.</div> <bR> <div> Forty-four per cent of delegates in the Rest of Canada opposed the motion while 38 per cent supported it.</div> <bR> <div> Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper moved a motion to have Parliament recognize the Quebecois as a nation within a united Canada.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 565 WIDTH="707"><div> The vote took place Monday, passing 266-16.</div> <bR> <div> While Ignatieff supported the move, Dion and Rae were tepid about it, and Kennedy -- who doesn't hold a seat in Parliament -- came out on Monday against Harper's resolution.</div> <bR> <div> Dion voted for it, along with Ignatieff and leadership candidate Scott Brison. Candidate Ken Dryden voted against it, as did Volpe. Bob Rae and Martha Hall Findlay don't hold seats in Parliament.</div> <bR> <div> "This motion will not solve the problem of unity. We need to make sure it will not deteriorate the unity of Canada and it's why I am saying I will be in this debate, to put clarity in the debate," Dion said Monday before the vote.</div> <bR> <div> Gregg noted the most of the polling was done after Harper tabled his motion, but before Kennedy came out against it.</div> <div> Kennedy may have helped his campaign with his announcement, Gregg said.</div> <bR> <div> "What our research shows is that Ignatieff has done a very, very good job of consolidating the supporters of this resolution," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Those opposing the motion are split amongst the three other front-runners, he said.</div> <bR> <div> "Kennedy has a chance to consolidate some support behind him on this resolution by being the only candidate who is standing there steadfastly opposing it," Gregg said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Technical notes</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The polling was carried out between Nov. 21 to 27, 2006. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">There were 1,622 delegates interviewed. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Results are based on a proportionate national sample of Canadians 18 years old and older. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The poll's overall margin of error is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The sample size for Quebec is 316, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The sample size for the rest of Canada is 1,306, and the margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from CTV's Lisa LaFlamme</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="two_canadian_soldiers_killed_in_afghanistan"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 210 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Nov. 27  2006  08:26 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 27th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Two Canadian soldiers are dead following a suicide bomber's attack on a military convoy in southern Afghanistan, officials confirmed Monday.</B></div> <bR> <div> "I have to announce that two Canadian soldiers were killed just outside Kandahar City," said the Commander of Canadian Forces in Southern Afghanistan Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant on Monday.</div> <bR> <div> "At about 8:30 this morning a suicide bomber attacked a Canadian convoy, detonating his vehicle and killing two Canadian soldiers."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="add7a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A Canadian armoured military vehicle of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) blocks a main road after a suicide attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan on Monday. (AP / Allauddin Khan)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 669 WIDTH="707"><div> Grant said the attack took place about one kilometre outside Kandahar City.</div> <bR> <div> "The two soldiers that were killed were the only ones that were injured and there were no civilian casualties," said Grant, disputing reports that an Afghan civilian had died.</div> <bR> <div> The two Canadians killed are reported to be the crew commander and driver of a Bison armoured personnel carrier, said The Canadian Press.</div> <bR> <div> The names of the soldiers have not been released.</div> <bR> <div> "The next of kin have been notified but they have asked for additional time to notify family," said Grant.</div> <bR> <div> "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families back home and with the members of the battlegroup who have lost some very close friends." </div> <div> The soldiers had been helping with reconstruction projects outside Kandahar where heavy clashes had taken place over the past several months.</div> <bR> <div> Kandahar province has been relatively calm recently aside from some sporadic fighting.</div> <bR> <div> "There has not been a death of a Canadian soldier here for six weeks," reported CTV's Steve Chao in Kandahar. "There has been talk for a while of a relative peace, and a hope that peace would last through the winter. This obviously has not happened."</div> <bR> <div> The suicide bomber was reported to have been driving a small minivan.</div> <bR> <div> "I heard a powerful bomb explosion," Haji Abdullah, a mechanic in Kandahar City told The Canadian Press.</div> <bR> <div> "The atmosphere was very tense. Everybody was running here and there and screaming," he said.</div> <bR> <div> An ISAF soldier died almost three weeks ago when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Panjwai district west of Kandahar City. Two other soldiers were injured in that incident.</div> <bR> <div> Elsewhere in the country, a suicide bomber attacked a crowded restaurant in Paktika province of southeast Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 15 Afghans and wounding 24 more.</div> <bR> <div> Clashes with insurgents in the Tirin Kot district of Uruzgan province, just north of Kandahar, left one NATO soldier and estimated 57 insurgents dead on Saturday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 563 WIDTH="707"><div> For Canada, there have been no fatalities since Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson died in an ambush west of Kandahar City on Oct. 14.</div> <bR> <div> There are about 2,500 Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan. Including Monday's deaths, 44 have died since 2002, plus one diplomat.</div> <bR> <div> <B>NATO summit</B></div> <bR> <div> On Tuesday, NATO will hold a summit meeting that will bring together the leaders of 26 countries, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.</div> <bR> <div> Violence has surged in Afghanistan this year and the leaders are expected to talk about strategies to quell it. More than 3,700 have died in Afghanistan so far this year.</div> <bR> <div> One point of division is combat responsibilities.</div> <bR> <div> Canada and the Netherlands are expected to issue a joint call asking member countries to remove some of the restrictions they have placed on their troops.</div> <bR> <div> Canadian, U.S., British and Dutch soldiers are currently bearing a disproportionate share of the combat burden.</div> <bR> <div> German, French and Italian forces are operating in relatively quiet areas. Their governments have restricted them from combat roles.</div> <bR> <div> For example, some nations' troops aren't allowed to go on night patrols.</div> <bR> <div> However, the language in the resolution is expected to not "point fingers" at any country in particular.</div> <bR> <div> The Dutch and Canadians are also expected to ask for more resources in other areas, like helicopters and medical teams. </div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files The Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="yoko_ono_calls_for_worldwide_day_of_healing"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Yoko Ono calls for worldwide day of healing</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 26  2006  09:14 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 26th, 2006</div> <div> <B>NEW YORK -- Yoko Ono is calling for the anniversary of the death of her husband, John Lennon, to become a day of worldwide healing.</B></div> <bR> <div> In a full-page advertisement appearing in Sunday editions of The New York Times, Ono urges readers to mark the anniversary by apologizing to those who have suffered because of violence and war.</div> <bR> <div> "Every year, let's make December 8th the day to ask for forgiveness from those who suffered</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="add1a0730.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="115" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Japanese-born artist Yoko Ono's is seen as she repeats her 1960s performance 'Cut Piece', in Paris Monday Sept.15, 2003.(AP Photo/Michel Euler).</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 306 WIDTH="707"><div> the insufferable," writes the former Beatle's widow, who signs the letter Yoko Ono Lennon.</div> <bR> <div> Ono urges readers to take responsibility for failing to intervene on behalf of victims around the world.</div> <bR> <div> "Know that the physical and mental abuse you have endured will have a lingering effect on our society," she writes in a portion of the letter directed to victims. "Know that the burden is ours."</div> <bR> <div> Ono was with Lennon when he was gunned down as he returned home from a recording studio on Dec. 8, 1980. The shooter, Mark David Chapman, remains in New York's Attica state prison. His fourth request for parole was denied last month.</div> <bR> <div> Of her own loss, Ono says: "I don't know if I am ready yet to forgive the one who pulled the trigger. ... But healing is what is urgently needed now in the world."</div> <bR> <div> "Let's wish strongly that one day we will be able to say that we healed ourselves, and by healing ourselves, we healed the world."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="pm_to_limit_federal_spending_powers_in_provinces"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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= 169 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>PM to limit federal spending powers in provinces</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 25  2006  11:52 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 25th, 2006</div> <div> <B>OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper is poised to play a second national unity card by limiting federal spending powers in exclusive areas of provincial jurisdiction, CTV News has learned.</B></div> <bR> <div> One option to achieve this goal is a constitutional amendment that would require the support of seven provinces comprising 50 per cent of the population, insiders say.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adcea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks during a press conference in Montreal on Friday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 741 WIDTH="707"><div> Talks are underway with key provincial governments, including Quebec Premier Jean Charest.</div> <bR> <div> The plan is to prevent the federal government from launching new national programs without the consent of the provinces and any province could opt out with full compensation.</div> <bR> <div> Insiders say a constitutional amendment would only deal with federal spending powers and would not lead to wholesale constitutonal negotiations to get Quebec to sign on to the 1982 Constitution.</div> <bR> <div> An official in the Prime Minister's Office would not confirm or deny the constitutonal amendment proposal is under consideration.</div> <bR> <div> Dimitri Soudas said Harper has always expressed the view that federal spending power should be limited within areas of exclusive provincial responsibility.</div> <bR> <div> He said Harper would play the constututional card when the "ground was fertile" but stressed he had no plans to reopen the Constitution for wide ranging talks such as getting Quebec's signature on the Constitution.</div> <bR> <div> Insiders say the move to limit federal spending power would win favour in most of the provinces.</div> <bR> <div> It would also give a significant boost to Premier Charest as he prepares for a spring election and boost sagging Conservative fortunes in Quebec.</div> <bR> <div> Quebec has long argued that Ottawa cannot invade provincial jurisdiction without provincial approval and full compensation.</div> <bR> <div> Harper also plans to unveil how Ottawa will provide one-off money to the provinces to address the so-called fiscal imbalance.</div> <bR> <div> Insiders close to the federal-provincial talks say the Prime Minister may unveil his new unity proposals in a major speech on December 19th in Quebec City, the anniversary of his open federalism approach to Quebec that he delivered in the last election.</div> <bR> <div> These moves fall on the heels of Harper's stunning move this week to present a motion to recognize Quebec as a nation within Canada.</div> <bR> <div> The manoevre outfoxed Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe who had presented a motion to recognize Quebec as a nation.</div> <bR> <div> Duceppe was furious at Harper's motion and vowed to vote against it.</div> <bR> <div> He reversed himself a day later.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with Robert Fife, CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief , CTV News</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="vancouver_boil_water_advisory_reaches_one_week"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Vancouver boil-water advisory reaches one week</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 23  2006  21:30 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 24th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Almost a million people are still waiting for clean tap water in the Vancouver area, and officials have shut off supply from one of three reservoirs to speed up disinfection.</B></div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, health officials said it could take until Friday to confirm possible E. coli </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="adc9a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 376 WIDTH="707"><div> contamination. A water sample taken at the University of British Columbia tested positive for the harmful bacteria.</div> <bR> <div> Because the water had a high level of chlorine that would have killed E. coli, it's possible the sample was contaminated by the tester. One official believed a nearby compost site affected the water.</div> <bR> <div> "(The test water) was sitting low, and unfortunately some water run-off from a compost pile that was near it came over, and had been sitting around the water test station," the university's Gordon Apperley told CTV Vancouver.</div> <bR> <div> About 1,000 tests have been taken since the boil-water advisory came into effect last Thursday, and not a single person has become sick.</div> <bR> <div> High turbidity levels - the amount of cloudiness in the water, caused by silt - prompted the advisory after torrential rains. The turbidity makes it difficult for officials to effectively chlorinate the water.</div> <bR> <div> That advisory remains in effect for the City of Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby and parts of West Vancouver. In those communities, boiled water or bottled water should be used for drinking, brushing teeth and washing food.</div> <bR> <div> The advisory will end when Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) officials determine the turbidity levels are low enough.</div> <bR> <div> Most people in the Vancouver area get their water from the Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam reservoirs.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 339 WIDTH="707"><div> Turbidity levels in Capilano's water supply were dropping so slowly that officials took it off line, although the gradual addition of clean water is helping the situation.</div> <bR> <div> Levels are also changing slowly in Seymour's water, but the supply has more exposure to chlorine.</div> <bR> <div> "We have about 45 minutes in the Capilano system for the chlorine to work on those bugs before you hit the first customer, whereas in the Seymour system we have about three hours," Paul Archibald, water supply operations manager for the Greater Vancouver Regional District, told The Canadian Press.</div> <bR> <div> Vivianna Zanocco of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority said Seymour is also being helped by the gradual addition of fresh water.</div> <bR> <div> "What we're seeing in Seymour is that the turbidity at the lower levels is quite high, but at the upper levels, where there's new water coming in either from rain or from fresh streams, it's actually very clean," she told CTV Vancouver.</div> <bR> <div> Officials said it could take at least another week to clean the Seymour reservoir, and several weeks to clean the Capilano reservoir.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report by CTV Vancouver's Jill Bennett and files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="pm_says_quebecers_form_nation_within_canada"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>PM says Quebecers form nation within Canada</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Nov. 22  2006  23:28 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 23rd, 2006</div> <div> <B>Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced a motion on Wednesday that recognizes Quebecers constitute a nation within a united Canada, in a surprise move aimed at countering an imminent Bloc Quebecois motion.</B></div> <bR> <div> "Do Quebecers form a nation within a united Canada? The answer is yes. Do the Quebecois form an independent nation? The answer is no, and will always be no," Harper said in an address to the House of Commons following question period.</div> <bR> <div> "The Bloc Quebecois has asked us to define that, and perhaps that's a good thing, because</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adc2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper (centre) receives a standing ovation as he introduces the motion on Quebec in the House of Commons on Wednesday. (CP / Jonathan Hayward)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 356 WIDTH="707"><div> it reminds us all that Canadians have a stake in the future of this country."</div> <bR> <div> He called on his federalist colleagues, and also their separatist counterparts to, "do what we must to keep this country strong, independent, united and free."</div> <bR> <div> Harper had already sought the backing of Interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham and NDP Leader Jack Layton, reported CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.</div> <bR> <div> He then asked for his own party's support, reminding members of the combined francophone and anglophone influence that led to Canada's creation.</div> <bR> <div> "He said that this country was formed by (Jacques) Cartier and (Sir John A.) Macdonald, it's part of our historical legacy," reported Fife. "And they, I'm told, supported him -- including many Quebec MPs who were in that caucus, and who had tears in their eyes."</div> <bR> <div> The prime minister was forced to wade into the contentious waters by a Bloc Quebecois motion that will be tabled on Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Harper's motion effectively counters the imminent Bloc motion, which calls for recognition of Quebec as a nation, but not within Canada.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 702 WIDTH="540"><div> He said the Bloc motion was an "unusual request'' that could result in the potential for Quebec to separate following a referendum on independence.</div> <bR> <div> The Bloc motion, which will be debated in the House of Commons on Thursday, states simply: "That this House recognize(s) that Quebecers form a nation."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Duceppe responds</B></div> <div> Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe responded to Harper's statement by saying the government was refusing to recognize Quebec for what it was.</div> <bR> <div> "The refusal to recognize the Quebec nation, the refusal to acknowledge an obvious reality is something that we could call a blockage in Canada, that is, they want to refuse to recognize Quebec for what it is, and that is why Quebec has not signed the constitution," Duceppe said.</div> <bR> <div> "The refusal to recognize the Quebec nation explains why Quebec is considered as a province like any other and no more."</div> <bR> <div> Duceppe dismissed Harper's efforts, saying it wasn't up to him to decide the status of the province.</div> <bR> <div> "There are those who feel, as I do, that sovereignty will allow Quebec to develop fully and this House will be able to vote on the recognition of the Quebec nation and not on the other options that are federalism or sovereignty," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "Quebecers then will clearly see where everyone stands and where the future of Quebec lies."</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, Graham rose in the House to speak in support of the government motion.</div> <bR> <div> "How could we ever support a motion on Quebec by a party that has zero commitment to Canada, which is blind to the greatness available for Quebecers within Canada, a country in which they are at home from coast to coast to coast?" Graham asked.</div> <bR> <div> Graham said that the Liberals would be happy to debate any motion that comes before the House if it benefits Quebec and Quebecers.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Implications for Liberal party</B></div> <bR> <div> The debate on whether the mainly-French speaking province should be called a nation has implications both for Canadian unity and the future of the federal Liberals.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adc3a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper (far right) shakes hands with Interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham in the House of Commons on Wednesday.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="adc4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham speaks in the House of Commons Wednesday.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="adc5a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe speaks in the House of Commons on Wednesday.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="adc6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> NDP Leader Jack Layton speaks in the House of Commons on Wednesday.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 766 WIDTH="707"><div> The eight Liberal leadership candidates were unanimous in saying they couldn't support the Bloc motion because it doesn't mention the word Canada.</div> <bR> <div> But they remain divided over another controversial resolution adopted by the Quebec wing of their own party.</div> <bR> <div> It would recognize "the Quebec nation within Canada," which is meant to prevent against labelling Quebec as an independent nation.</div> <bR> <div> The motion calls on the party to set up a task force to advise the next leader on how best to "officialize'' that status.</div> <bR> <div> The eight leadership candidates met privately Wednesday morning with Graham, who is trying to find a compromise to defuse the issue before the resolution is put up for debate and a vote at next week's leadership convention.</div> <bR> <div> One contender, Ken Dryden, continued to argue afterward that the resolution should simply be shelved.</div> <bR> <div> "It was inappropriately divisive, inappropriately messy," Dryden said, appearing on CTV's <I>Mike Duffy Live</I>.</div> <bR> <div> He was cautious about the prime minister's motion when asked if he would support it.</div> <bR> <div> "I think so, I mean I think that again it's a matter of seeing it exactly but as I heard it, as I understand it, I believe I can," he said.</div> <bR> <div> But Dryden's opponent Michael Ignatieff, the only candidate to whole-heartedly embrace the motion, said the delegates should have a chance to weigh in on the resolution.</div> <bR> <div> "The bottom line for me is let the rank and file decide . . . I'm not in favour of any measure at the convention that buries this.''</div> <bR> <div> After Harper's declaration on Wednesday, Ignatieff said he was proud the Liberal party had prompted the divisive debate.</div> <bR> <div> Ignatieff told reporters he saluted the government motion because it re-emphasized that Quebec's future is in Canada.</div> <bR> <div> "All Canadians want Quebec to remain at the heart of our national life and so I will be voting for the resolution proposed by the prime minister," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Ignatieff turned the controversial debate on Quebec into a campaign issue in October when he declared that he embraced the idea of recognizing the province as a nation within Canada.</div> <bR> <div> His declaration prompted the lone Quebec leadership candidate Stephane Dion to take a shot at his opponent.</div> <bR> <div> Dion called Ignatieff a "trouble-maker," saying he didn't consider all the ramifications and complications of his statement.</div> <bR> <div> <B>A question of semantics?</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 554 WIDTH="707"><div> The resolution brings forward a whole host of issues among groups seeking nationhood status, CTV's Question Period co-host Jane Taber told CTV Newsnet.</div> <bR> <div> "What about recognizing Acadians as their own nation within Canada? You could take it down the line to different ethnic groups within Canada so it has become very controversial."</div> <bR> <div> The word "nation" is often used in Quebec to describe the province as a distinct cultural entity, even by anti-separatist politicians such as Premier Jean Charest.</div> <bR> <div> "It's a very popular concept in Quebec. It comes from the grass roots of the Liberal party. A lot of Quebecers have embraced this but it's very sensitive outside of Quebec," Taber said.</div> <bR> <div> New Brunswick Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc said that Duceppe's interpretation of the word "Quebec" was arguably different than the prime minister's.</div> <bR> <div> "That's why I think that the federalist leaders, led by the prime minister, did the correct thing in exposing what is the ultimate hypocrisy of the Bloc Quebecois, pretending that they could be a nation within Canada," LeBlanc said, appearing on CTV's <I>Mike Duffy Live</I>.</div> <bR> <div> Rather, their interests lie in forming an independent nation with its own seat at the United Nations, he argued.</div> <bR> <div> "I think we have averted another separatist game and another separatist plot. If we had voted for the Bloc Quebecois motion, then they would have said ... now that you have recognized us a nation, then why not become a country."</div> <bR> <div> B.C. Conservative MP James Moore trumpeted the prime minister's motion as a move that united the federalist parties in common cause.</div> <bR> <div> The motion sent Quebecers the message that "we want you in Canada, we want you to be a part of Canada, we recognize the fact that you have a different history," Moore said.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with files from The Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="nickelback_winners_at_american_music_awards"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Nickelback winners at American Music Awards</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Nov. 22  2006  6:55 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 22nd, 2006</div> <div> <B>LOS ANGELES -- The Black Eyed Peas were triple winners at the 2006 American Music Awards on Tuesday.</B></div> <bR> <div> The hip-hop quartet was named favourite group twice, in the rap/hip hop and soul/rhythm & blues categories. They also won favourite rap/hip-hop album for "Monkey Business.Expressing gratitude via satellite from Costa Rica, the band's frontman, will.i.am, thanked fans and artists "for keeping hip-hop progressive and pushing it forward."</div> <bR> <div> Joining the Peas in the winner's circle was Vancouver-based Nickelback, who took home</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adb6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Chad Kroeger of Vancouver-based Nickelback accepts the award for favorite pop/rock album at the 2006 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. (AP / Mark J. Terrill)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 652 WIDTH="707"><div> the trophy for best pop/rock album for "All the Right Reasons."</div> <bR> <div> "This is extremely unexpected," marvelled lead singer Chad Kroeger, referring to the tough category that also included veteran rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers.</div> <bR> <div> "We just kinda showed up because we were supposed to give one of these away tonight," Kroeger said of his band, originally from Hanna, Alta. "We thought for sure the Chilies were gonna just like clean house tonight."</div> <bR> <div> The Chili Peppers did clean up in two categories, taking the prizes for favourite alternative artist and favourite pop/rock group. </div> <div> They accepted their award via satellite from London, with bass player Flea beat-boxing as lead singer Anthony Kiedis thanked "the American people."</div> <bR> <div> Kelly Clarkson captured trophies for pop/rock female and adult contemporary artist, categories presented before the televised portion of the performance-filled show.</div> <bR> <div> Among those performing was Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, who debuted her new single "Say It Right" as smoke swirled around the stage.</div> <bR> <div> Rascal Flatts won favourite country group and the T-Mobile Text-In award, which is chosen by fans.</div> <bR> <div> Mary J. Blige accepted the female soul/rhythm & blues artist award from surprise presenter Britney Spears.</div> <bR> <div> The newly single Spears looked sleek in a knee-length cream-coloured frock and long blond hair.</div> <bR> <div> Oscar winner Jamie Foxx was named favourite male soul/rhythm & blues artist.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm like a rookie in this music thing," he said. "This means a lot more than you think, man."</div> <bR> <div> Foxx wore a white tuxedo and sat behind a grand piano to perform "Wish U Were Here" from his 2005 album, "Unpredictable."</div> <bR> <div> Dancehall singer Sean Paul was named favourite male pop/rock artist.</div> <bR> <div> Among country honours, favourite female artist went to Faith Hill, male artist went to Toby Keith, and Tim McGraw's "Greatest Hits Volume 2" was favourite album. Country singer and American Idol Carrie Underwood was named favourite breakthrough artist.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 566 WIDTH="707"><div> Eminem was favourite male rap/hip-hop artist. Shakira won favourite Latin artist and Kirk Franklin captured the award for contemporary inspirational music.</div> <bR> <div> "I know that a lot of people that say that they're Christians - you know, we don't always represent, and we don't always live it and we do sometimes some very stupid things, and you know we're not doing a good job," said Franklin, wearing blue jeans with a black velvet tuxedo jacket. "I want to make sure that when you see my life that it's a life that I'm gonna be proud of."</div> <bR> <div> Talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the three-hour ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium, televised live on ABC, with a skit that placed a ringer for Spears' ex, Kevin Federline, into a wooden crate dumped into the ocean. Kimmel cracked that Federline was the world's first "no-hit wonder."</div> <bR> <div> Beyonce began the show, belting out her single "Irreplaceable" while vamping around the stage in a sparkly sequined minidress. The Pussycat Dolls also chose sequins for their performance, while Furtado opted for a skin-tight white dress and stick-straight hair.</div> <bR> <div> Gwen Stefani made a stylish return to the music scene, performing the single "Wind It Up" from her forthcoming album, "The Sweet Escape." The new mom, wearing a skimpy sequined shift and a shoulder-length platinum bob, yodelled and rapped convincingly throughout the tune.</div> <bR> <div> Not to be outdone, rapper Jay-Z stepped out of retirement and back into the spotlight, accompanied by scantily clad dancers as he performed the single "Show Me What You Got" from his new record, "Kingdom Come."</div> <bR> <div> Lionel Richie made a festive return to the awards. Introduced by his diminutive daughter, Nicole Richie, the former Commodore performed a medley that included his '80s party anthem, "All Night Long."</div> <bR> <div> Barry Manilow performed a medley of favourites from his latest collection, "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties."</div> <bR> <div> The American Music Awards honour the best in pop/rock, country, soul/rhythm & blues, rap/hip hop, Latin, alternative, adult contemporary and contemporary inspirational music. Nominees were chosen based on record sales and winners were selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="painkiller_addictions_trump_heroin_use_study"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Painkiller addictions trump heroin use: study</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Nov. 20  2006  23:11 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 21st, 2006</div> <div> <B>A report's finding that opioid prescription painkillers like OxyContin are becoming Canada's leading street drugs has all sorts of implications, say the authors.</B></div> <bR> <div> "It is surprising because we assume the medical system is a safe and protected system</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="adb2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 232 WIDTH="707"><div> when the truth is that is not the case at all," said Dr. Benedikt Fischer, a researcher funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) who led the team.</div> <bR> <div> The CIHR report suggests the findings have implications for drug control policy and treatment programs, which primarily focus on heroin abuse and dependence -- and whose treatment methods don't work on painkiller addictions.</div> <bR> <div> "Our drug control policies ought to be targeting prescription opioid abuse more effectively," said Fischer, who is based at the Centre for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria.</div> <bR> <div> "But we also need to ensure we do not compromise legitimate access to and uses of prescription opioids."</div> <bR> <div> The human costs of not providing treatment are shown by the sad case of Chad Gardner, who was prescribed OxyContin after an injury and became addicted. After being unable to break the addiction, it broke him -- Chad committed suicide.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 285 WIDTH="540"><div> "He didn't deserve to die like that, to be tormented and broken," said his mother, Linda Gardiner. "He felt that there was no help and no way out."</div> <bR> <div> The study also says that prescription opioid control measures are lax and inconsistent across Canada, and calls for this approach to be reconsidered.</div> <bR> <div> "It is surprising because we assume the medical system is a safe and protected system the truth is that is not the case at all," said Fischer.</div> <bR> <div> Commonly prescription opioids in Canada include OxyContin, morphine, Demerol, Percodan and Tylenol 3 or 4.</div> <bR> <div> Many people get those drugs from legitimate medical sources by visiting walk-in medical clinics or hospital emergency rooms.</div> <bR> <div> Some also buy and sell the drugs on the Internet.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="adb3a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Dr. Benedikt Fischer</div> <div> <IMG SRC="adb4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> CIHS's Dr. Pierre Briere</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 559 WIDTH="707"><div> "However, such measures should not undermine access to adequate opioid-based pain treatment, which has taken a long time to accomplish," the report said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Heroin</B></div> <bR> <div> Heroin, another opium-based drug, used to be the drug of choice for addicts across Canada.</div> <bR> <div> "Our study suggests that heroin use has become an increasingly marginal form of drug use among illicit opioid users in Canada, especially outside Vancouver and Montreal," said Fischer.</div> <bR> <div> Heroin was the most commonly used opioid in Vancouver and Montreal, where about half of the local participants reported its use.</div> <bR> <div> For the majority of the participants in the other five study cities, prescription painkillers such as hydromorphone, morphine and oxycodone were the predominant opioids used.</div> <bR> <div> The study said that recent data from the United States has indicated similar patterns, including evidence that the rate of prescription opioid abuse has exceed the rate of heroin use in American household survey populations in recent years.</div> <bR> <div> Australia has noted a similar pattern emerging.</div> <bR> <div> This was the first systematic look at illicit drug usage among street drug users, said Dr. Rémi Quirion, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction.</div> <bR> <div> "Although there have been reports on the increased levels of prescription opioid abuse in Canada and other jurisdictions, there has until now not been a systematic documentation of usage patterns among street drug users," he said.</div> <bR> <div> The results reported in this study are based mainly on a follow-up sample of 585 participants from Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Fredericton and St. John, who were assessed most recently in 2005.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff <I>with a report from CTV's Avis Favaro and Elizabeth St. Philip</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="harper_s_media_strategy_leaves_some_flummoxed"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Harper's media strategy leaves some flummoxed</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Nov. 20  2006  07:08 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 20th, 2006</div> <div> <B>HANOI, Vietnam -- Canadians first learned one of their senior diplomats had been dispatched to the hermit kingdom of North Korea courtesy of the South Korean government.</B></div> <bR> <div> The diplomat had been in North Korea for three days.</div> <bR> <div> When officials travelling with Prime Minister Stephen Harper provided skimpy details of his first contentious meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Chinese officials were happy to fill the information void.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adaba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks during a press conference after the APEC summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. (AP / Vincent Thian)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 662 WIDTH="707"><div> Harper's staff sent out a vague e-mail on the meeting - a half-day after it occurred.</div> <bR> <div> Millions in British Columbia were forced to boil their water after storms pounded the province. But Canada's leader remained silent on the issue until his third day on the ground in Hanoi.</div> <bR> <div> The prime minister and his staff are determined to exercise message discipline. Veteran reporters who've covered other Canadian leaders and some members of Harper's own caucus and cabinet believe his attempts to control the message may end up suffocating the message.</div> <bR> <div> Harper dismissed the suggestion that he dodged reporters during a meeting of Pacific leaders in Vietnam.</div> <bR> <div> "If you run out of private discussions every 10 minutes and give a play-by-play of everything that was said, nobody will have a frank discussion with you," he said during a lengthy, session-ending news conference.</div> <bR> <div> The prime minister can be relatively loquacious when he leaves Ottawa, and most members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, behind.</div> <bR> <div> Harper and Ottawa reporters have been sparring for months over his attempts to restrict access to basic information and his cabinet ministers as well as his attempts to control who asks him questions.</div> <bR> <div> He takes questions at length from local reporters when he travels across Canada. He and his communications staff believe Ottawa reporters are biased against his Conservative government. As a result, the prime minister has taken to making major policy announcements outside Ottawa and taking questions from local reporters.</div> <bR> <div> But only national reporters accompany the prime minister when he attends international summits such as last week's Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum. That puts Harper's communications strategy in flux.</div> <bR> <div> So Harper's staff were forced to improvise in Hanoi. Those improvisations seemed to include preventing Canadian journalists from even casting their eyes on the prime minister for much of the summit.</div> <bR> <div> The contrasts with other countries were everywhere.</div> <bR> <div> On his first day in Hanoi, U.S. President George Bush provided the media gaggle travelling with him an emotional, off-the-cuff commentary on the poignancy of being in Vietnam while the war in Iraq rages on.</div> <bR> <div> Australian Prime Minister John Howard granted reporters covering him three or four opportunities a day to get his take on the proceedings.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 281 WIDTH="540"><div> The Chinese organized a special briefing for journalists immediately following an important meeting with Bush.</div> <bR> <div> Canadian reporters were compelled to hunt down details of Harper's activities and high-level discussions from foreign governments and their leaders, including the Chinese.</div> <bR> <div> Canadian officials offered the customary daily briefings with their account of Harper's agenda, but Harper took questions only on the final day of the APEC summit.</div> <bR> <div> The prime minister began the trip with strong remarks to reporters travelling on his plane about a on-again, off-again meeting with his Chinese counterpart by delivering the headline-grabbing line that Canada would not "sell out" its values for the "almighty dollar."</div> <bR> <div> But a dark curtain seem to descend after his first event on the ground in Hanoi, a photo opportunity with Vietnam's Nguyen Tan Dung. Harper later raised human rights - including press freedoms - with Nguyen at a private meeting.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="adaca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper, wearing a traditional Vietnamese garment, chats with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet while U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin (back row) look on during the official declaration of the APEC summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. (CP / Tom Hanson)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 610 WIDTH="707"><div> A reporter with Radio-Canada at the photo op asked Harper to respond to comments made about him by the Chinese government, as he posed for photos with Nguyen. Harper didn't answer - nothing unusual there for a prime minister.</div> <bR> <div> Asking questions at photo opportunities are par for the course for journalists from most democratic countries. But Harper's staff considers this age-old practice an unpardonable breach of etiquette.</div> <bR> <div> Harper's press secretary, Dmitri Soudas, forcefully reminded reporters that no questions were permitted. Strong words were exchanged between Soudas and a frustrated Marie-Paul Rouleau from Radio-Canada after Harper had left. Rouleau swore at Soudas, and then moments later apologized.</div> <bR> <div> Harper's office responded by promptly barring all access to the prime minister from there on in.</div> <bR> <div> Harper was "embarrassed" by media asking questions at such events, one of his staffers said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>All journalists, and sometimes even TV sound technicians, were told they were barred from:</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A gathering of Canadian business students attending APEC activities, organized by the Canadian government.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Harper's arrival at a meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Australian media, however, were told they were welcome to attend.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Harper's arrival at a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. When Kiwi officials allowed Canadian media to record the photo opportunity, Harper's staff was forced to acquiesce.</div> <bR> <div> Liberal prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin didn't always speak to reporters daily on foreign trips. But at least one journalist - called a pool reporter - would always be allowed into events to later share the details with the rest of the press corps.</div> <bR> <div> Whether it is Harper or his staff that is so determined to wall him off from questions has become an Ottawa guessing game.</div> <bR> <div> But the grumbling from within the party about the non-communicative communications strategy has been growing.</div> <bR> <div> MPs, and even cabinet ministers - particularly from Quebec - complain privately about how Harper's office handles the message on major files. The most common refrain is that critics are left to fill in the blanks when nobody in government is providing information.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff & Canadian Press</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="layton_unveils_proposed_changes_to_clean_air_act"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Layton unveils proposed changes to Clean Air Act</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 19  2006  13:37 ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 19th, 2006</div> <div> <B>NDP Leader Jack Layton has revealed the significant changes he wants to the Tories' Clean Air Act, a piece of legislation he says is "not honest."</B></div> <bR> <div> Layton unveiled his party's demands Sunday on CTV's <I>Question Period</I>. Prime Minister </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ada4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 585 WIDTH="707"><div> Stephen Harper recently invited the NDP to help refine the widely unpopular document which all three opposition parties slammed, saying it did little to tackle climate change.</div> <bR> <div> <B>NDP-proposed amendments include the following:</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">To rename the act the Healthy Air and Climate Act, indicating that Kyoto Protocol targets, which were absent from the original bill, would become a key priority of the revised act;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">To set targets that Canada must meet, such as the Kyoto Protocol 2008 to 2012 targets, an 80 per cent reduction in emissions below 1990 levels, by 2050;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">To set interim targets at five year intervals between 2015 and 2050;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">To give new authority to the environment minister that would allow him or her to designate significant areas under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">And a "just-transition fund" to help the automobile move from voluntary to mandatory targets.</div> <bR> <div> The proposed changes would effectively gut the Conservative legislation as it currently stands.</div> <bR> <div> "We think it needed to be completely rewritten and if I can borrow a football analogy today, the Conservatives really fumbled the ball here on the whole issue of air pollution and climate change, and we're going to pick it up and run with it," Layton told <I>The Globe and Mail's</I> Jane Taber, co-host of <I>Question Period</I>.</div> <bR> <div> The changes aim to establish "real targets" based on science, that address the growing climate change crisis facing Canada and the world, and to set firm timelines to begin controlling major polluters, such as the automobile sector, Layton said.</div> <bR> <div> The NDP is also calling for a fund to ease the financial stress on the auto industry as it -- under the new changes -- would transition from voluntary commitments to reduce pollution, to mandatory ones.</div> <bR> <div> Layton said the NDP wants incentives for industries that make efforts to green their processes -- that could come in the form of a $1 billion fund.</div> <bR> <div> "Industries need to know that if they pollute a lot they're going to pay, but if they clean up their act and bring in more energy efficiency and renewable energy, and then there will be financial help. And that's what the carbon trading system is all about and we want to legislate that so that we get going and follow the path that's been set out by Europe where they're meeting their targets and in some cases exceeding them," he said.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 480 WIDTH="707"><div> "It's time to get Canada on track on this whole question of cleaner air and climate change and that's what our amendments propose to do while helping industry to make that transition."</div> <bR> <div> Layton said he hopes the Conservatives will closely consider the amendments the NDP has put forward, and said Canadians want action, and "they're going to call on all members of parliament from all parties to get moving."</div> <bR> <div> "The problem is so vital and critical and more and more Canadians understand that, that we can't afford the luxury of delay or bickering."</div> <bR> <div> However, it seems unlikely the Conservatives will give into all, if any, of the changes. Doing so could amount to admitting that the Clean Air Act has failed, after months of promising the legislation would be the best solution to Canada's environmental concerns.</div> <bR> <div> All three opposition parties have said they would vote against the Tories' original Clean Air Act because it doesn't do enough to fight climate change.</div> <bR> <div> Layton underscored that notion, and denied rumours that he had struck a deal with the Tories to abstain from criticizing the government in exchange for a compromise on the legislation.</div> <bR> <div> "We feel the so-called Clean Air Act was frankly not honest with Canadians because it allows air to get dirtier rapidly," Layton said. "We felt a whole new approach was needed. There's no deal with Mr. Harper. We've said we want all the parties to bring forward their best ideas and lets see if we can't actually do something for the average Canadian."</div> <bR> <div> The Conservatives, while not withdrawing from Kyoto, have said Canada's target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012 are unachievable.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CTV.ca News Staff</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="boil_water_warning_lifted_for_1_million_in_greater_vancouver"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Boil-water warning lifted for 1 million in Greater Vancouver</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Nov. 17  2006  17:02 PT</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 18th, 2006</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= 264 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>The Greater Vancouver Regional District has lifted the boil-water advisory for about half the population of the Lower Mainland, but the other million residents of Vancouver, the North Shore and Burnaby are still being warned to avoid drinking tap water.</B></div> <bR> <div> Friday's announcement came just a day after the advisory was issued by the Greater Vancouver Regional District after brown, murky water showed up in the water supply in the aftermath of the powerful storm that hit B.C.'s south coast this week.</div> <bR> <div> In lifting the warning, the GVRD advised people to run their taps for several minutes to clear out the silty water before taking their first drink.</div> <bR> <div> Officials said it's not clear when people still affected by the advisory would be able to drink unboiled tap water again.</div> <bR> <div> They noted the turbidity at the Seymour and Capilano reservoirs was continuing to drop, but added that another major storm could again muddy the waters.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 211 WIDTH="540"><div> The City of Nanaimo and the town of Chemainus also issued boil-water advisories. Earlier, residents of Port Alberni, which suffered heavy flood damage during the storm, were told to boil their drinking water.</div> <bR> <div> Tap water in all the affected areas has been brown and cloudy since the storm and could cause gastrointestinal illness, medical health officers said.</div> <bR> <div> In communities still under the advisory, residents were being advised to use bottled water or to boil tap water for a full minute before drinking, brushing teeth or washing food. Water should be boiled and allowed to cool before being put in another container or refrigerated.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Precautionary measure</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad99a09d0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="157" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A shopper stocks up on bottled water earlier this week, before supplies became tight. (CBC)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 538 WIDTH="707"><div> Dr. Patricia Daly, medical health officer for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, had said earlier that the advisory serves as a precautionary measure. The storm affected local water reservoirs and stretched the capacity of the water treatment system.</div> <bR> <div> "It's precautionary because we have no evidence of contamination or illness from the water," Daly said.</div> <bR> <div> "We know that with turbidity levels this high, there is an increased risk of gastrointestinal illness. So people need to be aware of that, although it's their choice.</div> <bR> <div> "If I'm asked, I'm telling the public: Don't drink the water from the tap at this time. Drink bottled water or boil your water for a full minute."</div> <bR> <div> Daly said the advisory in affected areas is an order in nursing homes, hospitals and day cares, where people are at greatest risk.</div> <bR> <div> "What we're telling our hospitals, our residential care facilities, our schools, our day cares is identical to what we would do in a boil-water advisory," she said. "We are telling them that they must supply their patients, their children with bottled water or boiled water. We are not giving them an option."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Many stores sold out</B></div> <bR> <div> Residents have been snapping up bottled water from stores at a brisk pace. London Drugs says their supplies have been selling just as soon as water trucks arrive.</div> <bR> <div> The same has been true at supermarkets such as Stongs, in Vancouver. Manager Frank Deacon said people started showing up before the store opened Friday morning.</div> <bR> <div> He said it didn't take long to sell out all 500 cases — much more than they normally sell in a month.</div> <bR> <div> "We would probably sell about 10 or 15 cases of water a day, so there was a lot of liquid going out," he said.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 505 WIDTH="707"><div> Deacon said their second delivery of water on Friday didn't even make it into the store. He said customers simply jumped out of their cars and bought it by the caseload.</div> <bR> <div> Gary Thiessen of Shopper's Drug Mart in Vancouver, told CBC News on Friday that the store had posted a sign on its front door Thursday evening saying it was out of bottled water.</div> <bR> <div> He said customers are buying substitutes for water, including pop and juice, and the store has been inundated with calls asking whether bottled water is available.</div> <bR> <div> "We sold out of bottled water as of 6 p.m. yesterday [Thursday] night. Everything was just gone. There was nothing left. People were buying everything they could get their hands on.</div> <bR> <div> "I had one lady on the phone who was a little upset and said we should have more stock, but I explained that it's winter time and you don't expect a run on water," he said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Bottled water for hotel guests</B></div> <bR> <div> Jill Killeen of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver told CBC News on Friday the hotel has been offering bottled water to guests. She said hotel staff are paying close attention to the GVRD advisory and are checking the website for updates.</div> <bR> <div> "They weren't telling us not to drink the water. It was more of a precautionary measure," Killeen said.</div> <bR> <div> She said the hotel has put guest letters in all rooms, letting patrons know that bottled water is available.</div> <bR> <div> Its staff will continue to monitor water quality closely and the advisory is expected to remain in effect until medical staff members are satisfied water quality has returned to an acceptable standard.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="nanaimo_joins_greater_vancouver"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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= 145 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Nanaimo joins Greater Vancouver area in boil-water warnings</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Nov. 17  2006  05:00 PT</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 17th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Nanaimo has become the second B.C. area, joining Greater Vancouver, to issue a boil-water advisory as a result of a powerful storm that hit the province's south coast earlier this week.</B></div> <bR> <div> The warning for the 100,000 people in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, was issued Friday, a</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad9aa0890.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="137" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 161 WIDTH="707"><div> day after more than two million residents in Greater Vancouver were told to boil their water for a minute.</div> <bR> <div> Both advisories are said to be precautionary measures.</div> <bR> <div> Bottled water is expected to fly off the shelves in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island as residents begin to cope with murky tap water.</div> <bR> <div> The Greater Vancouver Regional District, a partnership of 21 municipalities, issued its advisory on Thursday. Tap water has been brown and cloudy since the storm and could cause gastrointestinal illness, medical health officers said.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 192 WIDTH="540"><div> Residents are being advised to use bottled water or boil tap water for a full minute before drinking, brushing teeth or washing food. Water should be boiled in a kettle and allowed to cool before being put in another container or refrigerated.</div> <bR> <div> Dr. Patricia Daly, medical health officer for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, told a news conference Thursday that the advisory is mainly a precautionary measure. The storm affected local water reservoirs and stretched the capacity of the water treatment system.</div> <bR> <div> "It's precautionary because we have no evidence of contamination or illness from the water," Daly said.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad99a09d0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="157" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Water shopping before the crunch. (CBC)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 484 WIDTH="707"><div> "We know that with turbidity levels this high, there is an increased risk of gastrointestinal illness. So people need to be aware of that, although it's their choice.</div> <bR> <div> "If I'm asked, I'm telling the public: Don't drink the water from the tap at this time. Drink bottled water or boil your water for a full minute."</div> <bR> <div> But Daly said the advisory is an order in nursing homes, hospitals and day cares, areas where people are most at risk.</div> <bR> <div> "What we're telling our hospitals, our residential care facilities, our schools, our day cares is identical to what we would do in a boil-water advisory," she said. "We are telling them that they must supply their patients, their children with bottled water or boiled water. We are not giving them an option."</div> <bR> <div> Jill Killeen, spokesperson for Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, told CBC News on Friday that the hotel has been offering bottled water to guests.</div> <bR> <div> "They [health officials] weren't telling us not to drink the water. It was more of a precautionary measure," Killeen said.</div> <bR> <div> She said the hotel has put guest letters in all rooms, letting patrons know that bottled water is available. Meanwhile, the hotel is checking the GVRD website for updates.</div> <bR> <div> According to the GVRD, heavy rain this week has increased turbidity in the Capilano and Seymour reservoirs on the North Shore.</div> <bR> <div> Its staff will continue to monitor water quality closely and the advisory is expected to remain in effect until medical staff members are satisfied water quality has returned to an acceptable standard.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="storm_leaves_thousands_without_power_in_b_c_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 183 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Storm leaves thousands without power in B.C.</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 16  2006  03:01 PT</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 16th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Thousands of people remained without power in B.C.'s Lower Mainland early Thursday after a powerful storm on Wednesday tossed trees onto power lines and dumped enough rain to push rivers near flood levels.</B></div> <bR> <div> The storm swept B.C.'s south coast on Wednesday, with winds of more than 100 kilometres an hour. A deluge of more than 100 millimetres of rain, meanwhile, had five rivers on Vancouver Island swollen to the verge of flooding.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad8c9f780.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Falling trees caused property damage and knocked power out to tens of thousands of homes in B.C.  (CBC)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 124 WIDTH="707"><div> More than 40 people were forced to leave their homes in West Vancouver because of flooding.</div> <bR> <div> Safety concerns kept B.C. Hydro crews from working through the night to restore power to as many as 200,000 people in the Lower Mainland. They stopped at about 10 p.m., and were to resume repairs early Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Elisha Moreno, spokesperson for B.C. Hydro, urged people without power late Wednesday to be patient because the repair work may take some time.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 210 WIDTH="540"><div> "We know this is challenging. It's never pleasant to be without power for a long period of time. But this is unfortunate and there are extenuating circumstances attached to this in terms of the storm. So we're asking customers to be patient and let us work as quickly and safely to get the power restored," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Among the areas hit the hardest were Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford and Maple Ridge.</div> <bR> <div> If all goes according to plan, Moreno said, power should be restored to most people by the end of Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Trees allowed to grow large in W. Vancouver</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad8d9f780.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A BC Hydro crew surveys damage caused when the steel frame of a building under construction in Vancouver collapsed during a storm Wednesday.  (ichard Lam/CP)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 339 WIDTH="707"><div> In West Vancouver, residents said late Wednesday they were not surprised that a huge windstorm would cause such damage. The winds caused trees to fall onto power lines and homes. Five trees fell on property belonging to Michael Evans, with one leaning on his roof.</div> <bR> <div> "You know, it's Mother Nature's way of dealing with the trees in West Van," Evans said. "We love our trees, we protect our trees but we allow them to grow ridiculously large, considering we string up all our power in trees. I mean, we can't have it both ways."</div> <bR> <div> Areas hit hardest on Vancouver Island included Port Alberni, where the town was cut off on Wednesday because highway closures to both the east and west as a result of flooding and fallen trees.</div> <bR> <div> Port Alberni Mayor Ken McRae said the town has organized emergency shelters for people forced to leave their homes because of flooding. He said he thinks the situation is a disaster.</div> <bR> <div> The storm is believed to have caused a four-storey building under construction in Vancouver to collapse.</div> <bR> <div> The forecast calls for more rain in the province until Sunday. Port Alberni alone was expecting up to 20 millimetres.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="tsunami_warning_issued_for_japan_s_north_coast"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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 warning issued for Japan's north coast</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Nov. 15  2006  07:41  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 15th, 2006</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= 435 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>A tsunami warning was issued on Wednesday after an earthquake with a magnitude of about 8 rocked the Kuril islands north of Japan.</B></div> <bR> <div> The tsunami warning was issued for the eastern coast of Japan's northern island, Hokkaido, and stretches down the Pacific coast of the main island to Tokyo. Officials later included southern parts of Russia in the warning.</div> <bR> <div> Waves from the tsunami could be one to two metres high and could strike within the next 30 minutes, said officials.</div> <bR> <div> Residents on the sparsely populated Hokkaido island have been urged to head for higher grounds.</div> <bR> <div> Various agencies have reported the quake's magnitude as high as 8.1.</div> <bR> <div> The Kuril islands stretch from the northern tip of Japan to Kamchatka, Russia. They separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean.</div> <bR> <div> Russia and Japan both lay claim to the southern islands, which are known in Japanese as the Chijima islands.</div> <bR> <div> Hawaii is under a tsunami advisory, while officials at the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center say there's no threat to the west coast of Canada or the U.S.</div> <bR> <div> The tsunami warning follows the earlier earthquake, which struck at around 6:15 a.m. local time off the eastern coast of the Kuriles, roughly 1,700 km northeast of Tokyo.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="150_abducted_in_downtown_baghdad"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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= 442 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>150 abducted in downtown Baghdad</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 14  2006  08:00  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 14th, 2006</div> <div> <B>In what is considered to the largest mass abduction in U.S.-occupied Iraq, gunmen wearing police commando uniforms rounded up as many as 150 people from a research institute in downtown Baghdad on Tuesday.</B></div> <bR> <div> Witnesses said the gunmen put the men and women in separate rooms, put handcuffs on the men and forced them into the backs of pickup trucks.</div> <bR> <div> Police spokesman Maj. Mahir Hamad said about 80 gunmen closed off surrounding streets before they went into the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Scholarships and Cultural Relations Directorate at about 9:30 a.m. local time.</div> <bR> <div> Four guards at the institute were not able to stop the attack and were not harmed, he said.</div> <bR> <div> "It was quick operation. It took about 10 to 15 minutes," said Iraq's higher education minister Abed Theyab. "It was a four-storey building and the gunmen went to the four storeys."</div> <bR> <div> Immediately following the kidnapping, Theyab ordered the country's universities to close until the security situation improves.</div> <bR> <div> "I am not ready to see more professors get killed," Theyab told parliament. "I have only one choice, which is to suspend classes at universities. We have no other choice."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad7fa00b0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="267" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Iraqi security officials inspect the reception area at the scientific research institute in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006. Gunmen in Iraqi police commando uniforms kidnapped up to 150 staff members from a government research institute in downtown Baghdad on Tuesday morning in the largest mass abduction since the start of the U.S. occupation. </div> <div> (Karim Kadim/AP)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 178 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>Academics often targets for attack</B></div> <bR> <div> Theyab said he asked the Interior and Defence ministries to increase security around universities in the wake of the kidnapping.</div> <bR> <div> Academics have often been targeted by insurgents. In recent weeks, a university dean and a prominent Sunni geologist were killed. At least 155 educators have been murdered since the war began.</div> <bR> <div> Alaa Makki, head of the parliament's education committee, demanded that the prime minister and ministers of interior and defence take immediate action on what he called a "national catastrophe."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 430 WIDTH="540"><div> Makki said the gunmen on Tuesday had a list of names of people to be kidnapped and claimed they were on a mission from the government's anti-corruption body.</div> <bR> <div> Among the kidnapped were the institute's deputy general directors, employees, and visitors, he said.</div> <bR> <div> The institute, located in the downtown neighbourhood Karradah, grants scholarships to Iraqi professors and students who want to study abroad.</div> <bR> <div> Louise Roug, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, told CBC News from Baghdad on Tuesday it may not be a sectarian attack given that both Sunnis and Shias were abducted.</div> <bR> <div> "It may be a drive to drive out academics from Iraq," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Thousands of professors and researchers have fled Iraq for neighbouring countries to escape the ongoing violence engulfing the country.</div> <bR> <div> Roug said other kidnappings in recent months include the abduction of national athletes and factory workers.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Lawmaker blames U.S. troops</B></div> <bR> <div> Ali al-Adib, a Shia lawmaker, blamed U.S. troops for a lapse in security that he said allowed the raid to happen.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad7ea0c60.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="198" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Iraqis women walk past the scientific research institute in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006. Gunmen in Iraqi police commando uniforms kidnapped up to 150 staff members from a government research institute in downtown Baghdad on Tuesday morning in the largest mass abduction since the start of the U.S. occupation. (K. Kadim/AP)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 161 WIDTH="707"><div> "There is a political goal behind this grave action," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq, said American troops were prepared to help in the search for the kidnappers.</div> <bR> <div> "If the reports are true, then this is a terrible crime, and we will support all efforts by the Iraqi government to bring these criminals to justice," Garver said.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="ambrose_in_kenya_to_defend_climate_change_policy"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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= 148 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Ambrose in Kenya to defend climate change policy</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Nov. 13  2006  08:17  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 13th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Environment Minister Rona Ambrose arrives in Kenya on Monday for an international conference where she is expected to defend Canada's position on climate change.</B></div> <bR> <div> Ambrose is scheduled to speak on Wednesday at the 165-country United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Nairobi.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad75a08f0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="143" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 662 WIDTH="707"><div> The conference's goal is to set world standards for greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2012, after which standards set by the Kyoto Protocol expire.</div> <bR> <div> Ambrose has said the Harper government plans to meet some of its obligations under Kyoto, and that the meeting in Kenya will be worthwhile.</div> <bR> <div> She has also said she plans to bring to the conference a copy of Canada's proposed clean-air legislation introduced in October. It commits Ottawa to cutting greenhouse gas emissions between 45 and 65 per cent from 2003 levels by 2050.</div> <bR> <div> "Climate change is truly a global issue and genuine progress is dependent on all major emitting countries playing a role in finding a solution," Ambrose said last week.</div> <bR> <div> "All nations need to work together, identifying common challenges and sharing ideas. But, as we all know, our individual circumstances are unique and finding shared solutions can be complex."</div> <bR> <div> Representatives of Canada's opposition parties are also expected to attend the Kenya conference, and to tell delegates that not all Canadians agree with the proposed legislation.</div> <bR> <div> Under Kyoto, Canada agreed to reduce emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012, but emissions rose under the previous Liberal government.</div> <bR> <div> Canada has indicated it won't able to meet its targets under Kyoto, and environmentalists and other critics have criticized the proposed act for being weak.</div> <bR> <div> CBC's David McGuffin, in a report from Nairobi, said Ambrose is not expected to receive a warm welcome.</div> <bR> <div> "Talking to the Europeans here, they are very upset," McGuffin said. "They had seen Canada as a key partner as far these climate change talks go. With the apparent step back by the Harper government in Canada now, they feel like they have lost a key partner. They are confused and disappointed."</div> <bR> <div> McGuffin said the European delegates hope they can put pressure on Ambrose to change the government's position on climate change.</div> <bR> <div> UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was also expected Monday in Kenya. The conference is the second meeting of the Kyoto partners, and the first UN climate summit in sub-Saharan Africa.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="ban_organized_religion_says_elton_john"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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= 274 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Ban organized religion, says Elton John</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 12  2006  10:31  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 12th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Organized religion fuels anti-gay discrimination and should be eliminated, pop star Elton John said in an interview published Saturday.</B></div> <bR> <div> "I think religion has always tried to turn hatred toward gay people," the musician, who is openly gay, said in the Observer newspaper's Music Monthly magazine. "Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays."</div> <bR> <div> John made the comments in an interview with Jake Shears, the openly gay frontman for the U.S. dance-rock group Scissor Sisters. Conducted in August from John's home in the south of France, the interview appears in a gay-themed issue of Music Monthly.</div> <bR> <div> "There are so many people I know who are gay and love their religion," John said.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad74a0d30.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="211" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Elton John is critical both of organized religion and politically passive musicians. (Evan Agostini/ Getty Images)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 290 WIDTH="707"><div> "From my point of view, I would ban religion completely. Organized religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Criticizes musicians</B></div> <div> John went on to question religious leaders for failing to put aside their differences to help solve conflicts around the world.</div> <div> "Why aren't they having a conclave? Why aren't they coming together?"</div> <bR> <div> John also turned a critical eye toward those in his own line of work, saying today's musical artists lack the political convictions of their predecessors.</div> <bR> <div> "It's like the peace movement in the Sixties. Musicians got through to people by getting out there and doing peace concerts, but we don't seem to do them any more," he said.</div> <bR> <div> "If John Lennon were alive today, he'd be leading it with a vengeance."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="canadians_honour_war_dead"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Canadians honour war dead</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 11 2006  09:22  CT</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 11th, 2006</div> <div> <B>People across Canada were pausing for a moment of silence on Saturday to mark Remembrance Day and honour the more than 100,000 Canadians killed in war and peacekeeping missions during the past century.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad709f780.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="707"><div> Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his wife and their two children attended the main ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa under rainy skies. Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean was also among the dignitaries.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 190 WIDTH="540"><div> Silver cross mother Alice Murphy of Conception Harbour, N.L., laid a wreath in Ottawa on behalf of mothers who have lost a child in the military or merchant navy. Murphy's son, Cpl. Jamie Murphy, was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan.</div> <bR> <div> Later, the Governor General walked into the crowd to shake hands with veterans and their families.</div> <bR> <div> In Kandahar, Afghanistan, about 500 Canadian soldiers marked Remembrance Day with a poignant ceremony. They gathered on the parade square at National Command Headquarters in front of a grey stone cenotaph bearing the names and photographs of Canadians who have been killed in Afghanistan.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad71a0760.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="118" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Many taking part in the ceremony in Kandahar have seen front-line combat in the campaign against Taliban insurgents. (CBC)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 335 WIDTH="707"><div> A lone bugle played the Last Post before those in attendance observed two minutes of silence.</div> <bR> <div> A smaller ceremony was held in the Panjwaii area of southern Afghanistan. About 100 Canadian soldiers laid a wreath at a wooden cross to honour 42 colleagues who have died in the wartorn country since 2002. Some soldiers wept as they knelt before the cross.</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="699" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER ROWSPAN=6 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="453"><div> At Bagram air base north of the Afghan capital Kabul, American forces held a Veterans Day ceremony to remember their war dead.</div> <bR> <div> "Our veterans' time was historic and we honour them," said U.S. Maj.-Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley. "Our time, your time, will be just as historic and the nation honours you."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="5" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD><NOBR><div> <B>Canadian military personnel killed</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="5" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD><NOBR><div>   First World War: 1914-1918.......</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD WIDTH="49"><div> 66,655</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="5" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD><NOBR><div>   Second World War: 1939-1945..</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD WIDTH="49"><div> 44,893</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="5" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD><NOBR><div>   Korean conflict: 1950-1953........</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD WIDTH="49"><div> 516</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="5" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD><NOBR><div>   Peacekeeping: 1956-2006.........</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD WIDTH="49"><div> 121</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="23" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="5" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD><NOBR><div>   Afghanistan: 2002-2006............</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD WIDTH="49"><div> 42</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> During a visit to Toronto on Friday, Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, said the day has sadly become more relevant because of the deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.</div> <bR> <div> Hillier said he's used to Remembrance Day sending a chill down his spine. "But this week, the chill down my spine and the emotion that I and all of us feel across this country is greater than it has ever been," he said during Ontario's first Tribute to the Fallen ceremony.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="manitoba_girl_s_tip_leads_to_u_k__sexual_exploitation_conviction"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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 COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 58 ><NOBR><div> <B>Manitoba girl's tip leads to U.K. sexual exploitation conviction</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 09 2006  22:01  CT</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 10th, 2006</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 468 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>A man in the U.K. was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for sexually exploiting young girls, including one teenage girl from Manitoba, through the internet.</B></div> <bR> <div> The Inner London Crown Court sentenced Adrian Ringland, 36, to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including blackmail, hacking, indecency with a child, and making indecent photographs of a child.</div> <bR> <div> Ringland, a father of two, posed as a chat room teenager to manipulate school-aged girls, hacking into their computers and blackmailing them into sending him explicit photographs of themselves.</div> <bR> <div> One of his three victims was a 14-year-old Manitoba girl, said Signy Arnason, director of Cybertip.ca, a national telephone tipline based in Winnipeg that receives tips about internet predators.</div> <bR> <div> "She had had an individual she was conversing with. He had opened her [computer's] CD tray and an image was sent," Arnason said Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> "And she was petrified, so she came into the tipline to ask if we could assist her with dealing with it."</div> <bR> <div> The other two girls Ringland targeted were in the U.K.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Girl praised for launching investigation</B></div> <bR> <div> Cybertip.ca passed along the information to the Manitoba Integrated Child Exploitation Unit, a joint effort of the RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service.</div> <bR> <div> Winnipeg police Const. John Siderius praised the young teen in Manitoba for having the courage to tell her parents and report the incident to Cybertip.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 488 WIDTH="707"><div> "It took a lot of courage; she's a young girl," Siderius said.</div> <bR> <div> "Not only was it a scary thing for her, but it was very embarrassing to have to admit what actually occurred and come forward and tell us — the police, strangers — her story," he said.</div> <bR> <div> In London, internet investigator Dan Haagman with 7Safe Information Security Services credited the Manitoba teen with making the tip that started the investigation. He helped build a forensic case that led to Ringland's conviction.</div> <bR> <div> "The child in Canada was the one who complained, she deserves credit," Haagman said Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> Haagman noted that it was scary how Ringland used his knowledge of technology the way he did.</div> <bR> <div> "The tools that he used are freely available on the internet, and it's pretty worrying that that is the case," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Ringland had allegedly used specialized software to take over his victims' computers. The software, called a "computer backdoor," allowed him to access their hard drives, move their cursors around the screen, open and close the computers' CD trays, and even take pictures on their webcams.</div> <bR> <div> "He basically took over their computer, and very scarily in this particular instance, their webcams, and took photographs of them after making them basically pose for them," Haagman said. "That's a very scary thing."</div> <bR> <div> Siderius said that the damage that predators like Ringland inflict on young victims can be enormous.</div> <bR> <div> "The girls definitely feel threatened by it, and they become very fearful," Siderius said.</div> <bR> <div> "They don't know where this individual is. This individual could be next door, he could be halfway across the world, as was in this case."</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 252 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>Victory for tipline, investigators</B></div> <bR> <div> Arnason said Ringland's conviction is a victory for Cybertip and child exploitation investigators.</div> <bR> <div> "I think it's outstanding news that someone has been held accountable for going out and clearly victimizing a number of children, both within Canada and around the world," she said.</div> <bR> <div> "I think anytime you're dealing with the internet, you're dealing with no borders. And as a result of that, it's not surprising to have suspects and victims in different areas around the world."</div> <bR> <div> Siderius said a family's best defence against internet predators is for parents to monitor their children's use of the home computer constantly, and to report suspicious behaviour to Cybertip.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="fewer_canadians"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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 COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 25 ><NOBR><div> <B>Fewer Canadians 'strongly approve' of military presence in Afghanistan: survey</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 121 WIDTH="540"><div> Regional, gender differences in level of support</div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 09 2006  06:57  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 9th, 2006</div> <div> <B>The number of Canadians who "strongly approve" of military participation in Afghanistan is at its lowest level yet, according to a new CBC News survey.</B></div> <bR> <div> In a survey of 2,005 Canadians conducted by Environics Research Group from Nov. 2 to Nov.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad5a9f6e0.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 827 WIDTH="707"><div> 6, 19 per cent said they strongly approved of Canadian military participation in Afghanistan. The poll is considered accurate within 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="710" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 286 WIDTH="470"><div> That represented a four percentage point drop from a similar poll in October, and the lowest level of support overall in four years. When the first survey was conducted in 2002, 38 per cent said they strongly approved of Canada's presence in Afghanistan.</div> <bR> <div> Canada now has more than 2,000 military personnel in Afghanistan and has had a presence in the country since 2002. Forty-two soldiers and one diplomat have died in the country since the mission began.</div> <bR> <div> Overall, 50 per cent of Canadians asked in November expressed some degree of approval, that is, they either "somewhat approve" or "strongly approve" of Canada's participation in Afghanistan. While that total was up slightly from the October survey, it is a six percentage point drop from June of this year.</div> <bR> <div> In 2002, 75 per cent of Canadians approved of the mission, while 61 per cent did in 2004.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad5be6180.gif" border=0 width="230" height="280" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> The survey also suggested support for the Afghanistan deployment varied among the regions.</div> <bR> <div> The greatest support for the mission was found in the Prairie provinces, while the most opposition was in Quebec.</div> <div> Ontario, British Columbia and Atlantic Canada were all nearly evenly split on the question of support.</div> <bR> <div> There was also a gender gap regarding the mission in Afghanistan. Among male respondents, 57 per cent expressed support for the mission, compared to only 43 per cent of women surveyed.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Thoughts on success</B></div> <bR> <div> Canadians were asked, "Do you think in the end the Canadian mission is likely to be successful?" to which only 34 per cent said they thought it would be successful, compared to 58 per cent who said it would not be successful. Seven per cent did not know or were undecided.</div> <bR> <div> That result suggested that many who support Canada's military presence in Afghanistan don't necessarily envision a successful outcome. Of those who approved the mission, 36 per cent responded that they ultimately didn't think it would be successful.</div> <bR> <div> The survey also asked Canadians about their overall opinion of the Armed Forces.</div> <bR> <div> Seventy-three per cent of Canadians had a favourable opinion, down six percentage points from four years earlier. However, there was actually a one percentage point gain of those who had a very favourable opinion of the Armed Forces, to 34 per cent.</div> <bR> <div> At the other end of the spectrum, 10 per cent of Canadians reported their opinion of the Armed Forces was not at all favourable. That was a six percentage point jump from 2002.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="toronto_s_vincent_lam_wins_giller_prize"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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= 297 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Toronto's Vincent Lam wins Giller Prize</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 07 2006  23:02  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 8th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Toronto-based author Vincent Lam has won the Giller Prize, Canada's richest and most prestigious literary award, for his book of linked short stories, </B><I><B>Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> The $40,000 Giller Prize was handed out at a gala hosted by Justin Trudeau in Toronto Tuesday evening.</div> <bR> <div> Lam, 32, who is an emergency room physician as well as a writer, said he was "astonished" by the win.</div> <bR> <div> "Luck is not what it seems and most of it falls into the category of divine blessing or people who have been kind to you," he said in an acceptance speech that honoured his publisher and writer Margaret Atwood.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad50a0cd0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="205" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Vincent Lam, author of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, says he wanted to be a writer but went into medicine so he would have some life experience. </div> <div> (Doubleday Books)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 849 WIDTH="707"><div> Atwood has been a mentor and advocate for Lam and introduced his book during the ceremony.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures</I> is about medical students and young doctors, a world Lam was immersed in when he started writing the book, a year after finishing his residency.</div> <bR> <div> Lam typically spends his mornings writing and his afternoons and evenings working in the emergency department at a Toronto hospital, he told CBC Radio in an interview earlier Tuesday.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm exhausted as a writer by the time I finish my writing day, but often that just makes me very pleased to go to the hospital because, after a frustrating day of facing the empty page, it's an immense relief, in fact, to go to the hospital and see real people with real problems with chest pain and cuts and fevers," he said.</div> <bR> <div> The son of Chinese immigrants from Vietnam, Lam said he wanted to be a writer before he decided on becoming a doctor.</div> <bR> <div> "I think I was about 14 or 15 years old and I sat down to write at that point and suddenly had the horrible realization that I had nothing whatsoever to write about ... so I thought I should probably go out into the world and learn something about it before trying to write about it," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Lam chose medicine, naively thinking it would give him flexibility and time to write.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures</I> is his first book of fiction. His debut novel is due out in 2007.</div> <bR> <div> This year's Giller nomination list was remarkable for steering clear of Canada's best-known writers and choosing relative unknowns published through small publishing houses.</div> <bR> <div> The other nominees were:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">- Gaétan Soucy of Montreal for <I>The Immaculate Conception</I>, a dark tale of arson and chance set in the city's east end in the 1920s. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">- Pascale Quiviger, a Montrealer now living in Italy, who won a Governor General's Award for French fiction for her love story, <I>The Perfect Circle.</I> </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">- Beirut-born Rawi Hage of Montreal for <I>De Niro's Game</I>, which follows two young men during the war in Lebanon. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">- Carol Windley of Nanaimo, B.C., for <I>Home Schooling</I>, a short story collection set on Vancouver Island and in the Pacific Northwest. </div> <bR> <div> Each of the nominees receives $2,500 in prize money.</div> <bR> <div> Both <I>The Immaculate Conception</I> and <I>The Perfect Circle</I> were translations from French.</div> <bR> <div> The jury members for this year's Giller Prize were former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, short story writer Alice Munro and novelist Michael Winter.</div> <bR> <div> The Giller prize was created in 1994 by businessman Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller.</div> <bR> <div> Last year, Scotiabank became a sponsor and boosted total prize money from $40,000 to $50,000.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="voters_to_decide_who_controls_congress_in_u_s__midterm_elections"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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 COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 26 ><NOBR><div> <B>Voters to decide who controls Congress in U.S. midterm elections</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 151 WIDTH="540"><div> Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Nov. 07 2006  07:58  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 7th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Republican control of Congress was on the line Tuesday in an election coloured by voters' dismay over the Iraq war and misbehaviour in Washington.</B></div> <bR> <div> At stake in the midterm election were all 435 House seats, 33 in the Senate, 36 races for governor, ballot measures on gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research, the minimum wage and more — plus the overarching fate of President Bush's agenda in the last two years of his presidency.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad45a08f0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="143" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 335 WIDTH="707"><div> In a climate inhospitable if not toxic for incumbents, Democrats hoped finally to answer the rout that drove them from legislative power in 1994. Even their opponents conceded Democrats were certain to make gains and, despite brave words for public consumption, Republicans worried that control of the House would slip from their hands.</div> <bR> <div> Even Senate control was up in the air, but a tougher climb for Democrats.</div> <bR> <div> Bush flew to his home state of Texas to vote Tuesday, finishing a restrained five-day round of campaigning mostly in GOP strongholds. His presence on the stump was a mixed blessing for candidates attracted to the attention and fundraising prowess generated by a president but nervous about being associated too closely — or even seen with — an unpopular leader.</div> <bR> <div> Charlie Crist, a Republican running to succeed Bush's brother Jeb as Florida governor, bailed from a planned appearance with Bush in a safely Republican section of the Panhandle, an embarrassing snub on the eve of voting.</div> <bR> <div> Bush gamely pressed on with lacerating attacks on Democrats at that Pensacola rally of 7,000 loud supporters. "The Democrat philosophy is this: If it breathes, tax it, and if it stops breathing, find its children and tax them," Bush shouted.</div> <bR> <div> Former president Bill Clinton responded sharply in kind: "They can't run anything right," he said, taunting Republicans about Iraq, Hurricane Katrina recovery and scandal in Washington.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 246 WIDTH="540"><div> Democrat Jim Webb, a former Navy secretary, author and less than smooth campaigner, invited Clinton to his side to close out a Virginia Senate campaign he was given little chance of winning at the outset.</div> <bR> <div> His tight race with Senator George Allen became emblematic of unexpected Democratic opportunities in state after state. "I have a strong feeling that on Wednesday morning the White House is going to wake up and look across at the Capitol dome and say, 'We got a problem,' " Webb told a crowd pressed into a Roanoke firehouse.</div> <bR> <div> White House press secretary Tony Snow, appearing Tuesday on Rush Limbaugh's radio show, argued that the Democrats' only stance is "literally running around and heckling the president rather than trying to think seriously about how to deal with Osama bin Laden or a global war on terror."</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad46a08c0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Texas Gov. Rick Perry, centre, reaches to greet supporters as President Bush and a Secret Service agent look on at the close of an election eve rally at Reunion Arena in Dallas on Monday. </div> <div> (LM Otero/Associated Press)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 798 WIDTH="707"><div> "You've got to wonder if they're a serious political party," Snow said. He also criticized a Democratic proposal for dealing with the Iraq war by saying, "We do, quote, phased redeployment, what we do is we invite a whole lot more September 11ths."</div> <bR> <div> Democrats needed to gain 15 House seats or six in the Senate to form a majority, a development that would give them a stronger voice against a war that has cost more than 2,800 U.S. lives and has come to be seen by most Americans as misbegotten.</div> <bR> <div> Sharply critical of Bush's prosecution of the war throughout the campaign, Democrats nevertheless lack a common position on how to get the U.S. out.</div> <bR> <div> Both parties sent thousands of volunteers to competitive districts to mobilize voters and assembled legal teams to watch for irregularities in balloting systems that continue to be error-prone six years after the hanging-chad debacle of 2000.</div> <bR> <div> The Justice Department sent a record 850 poll watchers to 69 cities and counties to safeguard against fraud, discrimination or system malfunctions in tight races.</div> <bR> <div> Republicans have been the acknowledged champions at getting supporters out to polling stations, a critical skill in midterm elections when turnout is typically low, about 40 per cent, and one that heightened suspense over which party would hold the levers of power at the end of the counting.</div> <bR> <div> Evangelical conservatives are the foundation of that mobilization and motivation drive, but their own enthusiasm was in question as they faced the prospect of a president too politically weak to take forward their agenda and looked back on a campaign tainted by the congressional page sex scandal and more.</div> <bR> <div> Even so, some final opinion polls indicated a tightening race; others suggested the Democrats were still far in front in national sentiment.</div> <bR> <div> At least two dozen Republican House seats were at risk. Among GOP-held open seats, those in Arizona, Colorado, New York, Ohio and Iowa seemed most vulnerable. Republican Reps. John Hostettler, Chris Chocola and Mike Sodrel of Indiana; Charles Taylor of North Carolina; Curt Weldon, Don Sherwood and Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania; and Charles Bass of New Hampshire were in particularly difficult re-election struggles.</div> <bR> <div> In Senate races, Republican incumbents Mike DeWine in Ohio and Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania appeared in deepest trouble; senators Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island and Conrad Burns in Montana somewhat less so.</div> <bR> <div> Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, in line to become the first woman speaker in history if Democrats win, was in Washington after a weekend of campaigning for candidates in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.</div> <bR> <div> The campaign's final hours brought fresh evidence of the enormous cost.</div> <bR> <div> Spending by the two national parties surged in the final week as Democrats and Republicans invested in television commercials designed to sway the outcome in more than 60 House races and 10 Senate contests. In all, the two parties have spent about $225 million US thus far in campaign activities independent of the candidates themselves.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="iraqi_canadians_struggle_with_saddam_verdict"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Iraqi-Canadians struggle with Saddam verdict</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 05 2006  21:18  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 6th, 2006</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= 465 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>As the world watched deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein being sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, Iraqi-Canadians struggled to determine what it meant for the future of their homeland.</B></div> <bR> <div> There are concerns the verdict, which was once hoped to serve as an end to a bloody period in Iraq's history, could push the embattled country into further division and sectarian violence between rival Shia and Sunni Muslims.</div> <bR> <div> Hani al-Ubeady left Iraq in 1980 and has lived in Winnipeg for the past decade. He said he was disappointed with the verdict and believes Saddam's trial was unfair.</div> <bR> <div> "When you go to a game, a soccer game, or any sport, and you know that the ref is not just and fair, from the beginning you know that you are losing, losing, no matter what," he told the CBC Sunday.</div> <bR> <div> Al-Ubeady also said he was skeptical of the timing of the verdict with the U.S. midterm elections happening on Tuesday.</div> <div> "It's because the nature of the trial, the implications of the trial, these are all factors that make a person like me be suspicious with every move that comes out of this trial," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Al-Ubeady added he would rather see a process like South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the end of apartheid, which allowed victims of the oppressive regime to come forward and be heard and perpetrators of crimes to request amnesty in exchange for their testimony.</div> <bR> <div> <B>'When is the time to put Bush on trial?'</B></div> <bR> <div> When Chro Zand turned on the news Sunday morning, first came the shock, she said, and then tears.</div> <bR> <div> Zand escaped from her native Kurdistan in 1996 with her children and only the clothes on their backs. Her family celebrated Saddam's capture three years ago, but she said she doesn't want him executed — at least not yet.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 633 WIDTH="707"><div> Tens of thousands of her people were massacred under Saddam's regime, but her people may never get their day in court.</div> <bR> <div> "If he dies, who is going to stand trial and speak about his guilt?" she told CBC News. "Kurdish people want him to stand trial and say what he did, [that] he killed over a million people."</div> <bR> <div> Others said the the guilt shouldn't fall entirely on the former dictator, but on Washington as well.</div> <bR> <div> Lucy Safarian said Saddam's execution wouldn't change anything. She viewed him as the Americans' puppet during his regime and blamed U.S. President George Bush for the current bloodshed.</div> <bR> <div> "In my eyes, they are both guilty of killing innocent Iraqis in Iraq, but we have Saddam Hussein sentenced to death and Bush just sitting there," she said Sunday. "When is the time to put Bush on trial and sentence him for what he did to the Iraqis?"</div> <bR> <div> <B>'Flood of memories'</B></div> <bR> <div> Ali Hesson lived in Iraq for nine years and left in 1995 when he was 13. He said he felt a "flood of memories" when he heard the verdict read, but also was able to look forward.</div> <bR> <div> "The first thing I felt was, 'Let's close this chapter and open a new page in Iraq's history,'" he told the CBC on Sunday. "The thing I'm hoping for is for this to bring the Iraqi people together."</div> <bR> <div> He described the "tough days" of living under UN sanctions after the first Gulf War, during which it has been estimated that more than a million Iraqis died as a result of short supplies of food and medicine.</div> <bR> <div> "It was very difficult," Hesson said. "The economy was very bad. People were leaving the country just to get jobs."</div> <bR> <div> "I have some good memories, but most of the memories are of violence."</div> <bR> <div> Despite his dreams of returning one day to Iraq, he said his relatives still living in the country have said life is worse since Saddam was captured.</div> <bR> <div> "People were hoping for this to be a new dawn … but violence has since gripped almost all parts of the country," he said. "What people are praying for is for this mess just to end."</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="saddam_hussein_sentenced_to_death"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Saddam Hussein sentenced to death</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Nov. 05 2006  09:00  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 5th, 2006</div> <div> <B>Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity on Sunday and sentenced to hang for the 1982 killing of 148 Shia Muslims in a town north of Baghdad.</B></div> <bR> <div> The former Iraqi president shouted "God is Great" and "You are servants of the occupiers — </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad3a9f780.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 232 WIDTH="707"><div> you are traitors," before Judge Rauf Abdel Rahman finished reading the verdict and sentence.</div> <bR> <div> "Life for us and death to our enemies, death to the enemies of the people. Long live this glorious nation and death to the enemies," Saddam said as four guards took him out of the courtroom.</div> <bR> <div> His chief lawyer later issued a statement, saying Saddam wanted Iraqis to reject the sectarian violence that could increase in the wake of the verdict.</div> <bR> <div> "The president said that 'Saddam Hussein won't be defeated," lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi told the Associated Press. "He said the people will remain strong and steadfast."</div> <bR> <div> The former dictator's trial had heard that he ordered the 148 executions in revenge for an assassination attempt in Dujail, 65 kilometres north of Baghdad.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Half-brother sentenced to death</B></div> <bR> <div> Two of Saddam's senior aides, including his half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the head of Iraq's former Revolutionary Court, were also sentenced to hang for what happened in Dujail.</div> <bR> <div> Iraq's former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.</div> <bR> <div> Three defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison for torture and premeditated murder. Abdullah Kazim Ruwayyid and his son Mizhar Abdullah Ruwayyid were party officials in Dujail, along with Ali Dayih Ali. They were believed responsible for the Dujail arrests.</div> <bR> <div> Another co-defendant, Baath party official Mohammed Azawi Ali, was acquitted.</div> <bR> <div> Some feared the verdicts could intensify Iraq's sectarian violence after a trial that stretched over nine months. Clashes immediately broke out Sunday in north Baghdad's heavily Sunni Azamiyah district.</div> <bR> <div> Elsewhere in the capital, celebratory gunfire rang out.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="165"><div> <IMG SRC="ad3ba0dd0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="221" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Iraqis celebrate as the death sentence verdict for former leader Saddam Hussein is announced, in Baghdad's Shia enclave of Sadr City. The poster shows cleric Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, who was killed by Saddam's regime. </div> <div> (Karim Kadim/Associated Press)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 412 WIDTH="707"><div> "This government will be responsible for the consequences, with the deaths of hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands, whose blood will be shed," Salih al-Mutlaq, a Sunni political leader, told the al-Arabiya satellite television station.</div> <bR> <div> In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, about 1,000 people defied the curfew that began on Saturday and carried pictures of the former leader through the streets. But many Iraqis cheered the verdict in the predominantly Shia district of east Baghdad, known as Sadr City.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Lawyers plan appeal</B></div> <div> Saddam's chief lawyer condemned Saddam's trial as a "farce," claiming the verdict handed down by the U.S.-sponsored panel of judges was planned. He said defence lawyers would appeal within 30 days.</div> <bR> <div> "Since day one, we said the trial was politically motivated 100 per cent and that it's completely illegal," Al-Dulaimi said. "The defence voice was not allowed to be heard at all."</div> <bR> <div> Al-Dulaimi also said that the security situation in Baghdad was "very dangerous."</div> <bR> <div> "Iranian intelligence and U.S. invaders are patrolling around. There's nobody else on the streets," he said. "Baghdad looks like a ghost town."</div> <bR> <div> On Saturday, Iraqi authorities ordered both cars and people off the streets of Baghdad and three surrounding provinces ahead of the verdict.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Associated Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="top_hamas_rocketmaker_killed_in_israeli_strike"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><U><IMG SRC="16243f0d0.png" border=0 width="63" height="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="540"><div> <B>Top Hamas rocketmaker killed in Israeli strike</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Nov. 04 2006  10:10  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 4th, 2006</div> <div> <B>An Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Saturday destroyed a minivan and killed a man identified as an expert in building homemade rockets.</B></div> <bR> <div> The missile strike wounded two people and instantly killed the 32-year-old driver, who was a</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad349f780.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 447 WIDTH="707"><div> local commander for the armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement, witnesses said.</div> <bR> <div> Four more Palestinians were killed in separate incidents, according to Palestinian reports, including a civilian whose house collapsed on him.</div> <bR> <div> The violence came a day after Israel killed 17 people, including two women acting as human shields, during a standoff between Israeli troops and Hamas militants at a mosque in Beit Hanoun. Israel's army said it only fired at armed Palestinians as they tried to flee the mosque.</div> <bR> <div> On Wednesday, Israeli troops took over the border town of 30,000, the suspected launching pad for rocket attacks on Israel. The offensive has resulted in the deaths of about 40 Palestinians, according to hospital officials in Gaza. One Israeli soldier has also been killed in the fighting.</div> <bR> <div> Residents say the town of Beit Hanoun has been under a virtual curfew since Israeli forces moved in. On Saturday, however, the army allowed women in the town to go out for two hours to buy food.</div> <bR> <div> Israeli soldiers have been conducting door-to-door searches in the town. On Saturday, bulldozers demolished five houses near the mosque that had been the scene of the 19-hour standoff.</div> <bR> <div> Israel says its offensive, one of the biggest since the army and Jewish settlers pulled out of Gaza a year ago after 38 years of occupation, was launched in a bid to halt rocket attacks.</div> <bR> <div> Palestinian militants have fired around 300 homemade missiles at Israel this year from Gaza, Israel says.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="domestic_abuse_hidden_among_indo_canadians_forum"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Domestic abuse hidden among Indo-Canadians: forum</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Nov. 03 2006  04:40  PT</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 3rd, 2006</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= 662 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>More than 1,500 people heard harrowing stories of domestic beatings of women in the Indo-Canadian community at a forum in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday night.</B></div> <bR> <div> They packed a banquet hall to talk about the problem, which has gained urgency in recent weeks after two killings and an attempted murder, all involving Canadian women of South Asian descent. Radio India, a Punjabi radio station based in Surrey, hosted the forum.</div> <bR> <div> Several women said isolation, shame and cultural barriers have hidden the problem of domestic violence in the community. Political leaders, including B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal, listened to their stories and promised to take action.</div> <bR> <div> A woman named Babita, who did not give her last name, said her six-year marriage started with high hopes but quickly became a nightmare.</div> <bR> <div> "My husband would spit on me, kick me, emotionally degrade me. I would go to work with bruises. Pieces of hair would be out of my head and I would cover it up because of the shame that is involved," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Kavinder Lehal said she was beaten and threatened with knives and a gun during her 11-year marriage. Lehail said many south Asian women stay in abusive relationships out of fear they will bring shame to their families.</div> <bR> <div> "You're not shaming your husband or his family. He shames his family when he raises his hand on you. He shames his family when he beats you up," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Oppal, who is Indo-Canadian, said the gathering shows the south Asian community is coming to terms with a problem that has been hushed up for years.</div> <bR> <div> "Most of this is acknowledging the fact this exists. There is denial in the community, face-saving," he said.</div> <bR> <div> Oppal said he hopes the forum, where so many women told their stories, will give others the courage to come forward.</div> <bR> <div> In the last two weeks, two married Indo-Canadian mothers have been found dead in the Lower Mainland. Navreet Kaur Waraich was stabbed to death in Surrey, and Manjit Panghali's burned body was found along a highway near a busy container terminal in Delta.</div> <bR> <div> In another incident, Gurjeet Kaur Ghuman was shot in the face by her estranged husband in Port Coquitlam. He died after turning the gun on himself. She remains in critical condition.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="iran_fires_long_range_missile_as_part_of_new_manoeuvres"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Iran fires long-range missile as part of new manoeuvres</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Nov. 02 2006  07:17  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 2nd, 2006</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= 552 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>Iranian state-run television in Tehran said Thursday the country had test-fired dozens of missiles, including the long-range Shahab-3, during the first hours of new military manoeuvres.</B></div> <bR> <div> The report said the elite Revolutionary Guards also had launched several kinds of short-range missiles in a central desert area of Iran.</div> <bR> <div> The newscaster did not elaborate about where the manoeuvres were located. But earlier Wednesday, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, said the 10-day manoeuvres, named "Great Prophet," would take place in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and several provinces of the country.</div> <bR> <div> The Shahab-3 missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and is believed to have a range of more than 2,000 kilometres. It can reach Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.</div> <bR> <div> Safavi said the war games are aimed at demonstrating the deterrent power of the Guards against possible threats.</div> <div> He stressed the drills were not a threat to neighbouring countries, but his announcement came two days after U.S.-led warships finished a two-day manoeuvre in the Gulf — an exercise that Iran described as "adventurist."</div> <bR> <div> The state-run television channel said that among the other weapons tested during the manoeuvres was the Shahab-2, which Iran says has a cluster warhead that can send 1,400 bomblets at the same time. Solid-fuel Zalzal missiles also were launched, as were guided missiles as well as Scud-B, Zolfaghar-73 and Z-3, it said.</div> <bR> <div> Iran has said that the U.S.-led six-nation drills this week in the region would not improve security in the Gulf waters, through which about 20 per cent of the world's oil passes. It also called on Gulf states to set up their own regional security arrangements.</div> <bR> <div> The U.S.-led manoeuvres focused on surveillance, with warships tracking a ship suspected of carrying components of illegal weapons. The countries that took part were Australia, Bahrain, Britain, France, Italy and the United States.</div> <bR> <div> Iran regularly holds large manoeuvres, often using them to test weapons developed by its arms industry.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff <I>with files from the Canadian Press</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="707"><div> =======================</div> <div>  <A NAME="bell_canada_income_trust_conversion_under_review"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>Bell Canada income trust conversion under review</B></div> <div> Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Nov. 01 2006  08:10  ET</div> <div> Giant Dwarf Posted: November 1st, 2006</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= 428 WIDTH="707"><div> <B>BCE Inc. said Wednesday it is reviewing its plans to convert Bell Canada into an income trust after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced a new tax on trust distributions.</B></div> <bR> <div> The company announced on Oct. 11 that it planned to convert the top phone company in Canada into a trust, a move that would save it $800 million in tax by 2008.</div> <bR> <div> However, Flaherty's new restrictions stipulate that trusts that begin trading as of Wednesday or later would face the new tax measures in 2007. Existing trusts would have a four-year transition period and would not face the new rules until 2011.</div> <bR> <div> That means the Bell Canada trust conversion would not qualify for the four-year grace period because it has not begun trading as a trust.</div> <bR> <div> "The minister's announcement clearly has a significant impact on our proposed conversion and the immediate benefits such a conversion would have delivered to our shareholders," said Michael Sabia, president and CEO of BCE and chief executive officer of Bell Canada.</div> <bR> <div> "We will assess the proposed changes over the coming days and evaluate our options. In any case, we will continue to build our business to create long-term, sustainable shareholder value. We will proceed with plans to eliminate BCE's holding company operations," he said.</div> <bR> <div> BCE announced plans for the conversion after its top competitor, Telus Corp., announced a similar plan in August 2006.</div> <bR> <div> Written by CBC News Staff </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="Nov 06"><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>