Ontario gas plants scandal: Speaker shrugs off Liberal 'intimidation' - Toronto Star

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The Speaker of Ontario's legislature has shrugged off opposition charges former premier Dalton McGuinty's office tried to "bully" him into changing a gas plant scandal ruling that rattled the governing Liberals.

Dave Levac responded Tuesday to concerns that top McGuinty operatives improperly attempted to force a reversal of his bombshell finding in September 2012.

It concluded that then-energy minister Chris Bentley breached parliamentary privilege by withholding documents on the cost of scrapping power plants in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election to save Liberal seats.

"I have never felt unable to make an informed, objective and procedurally sound decision, free of political interference," Levac said in a statement.

"The fact that the ruling did stand should also speak for itself."

Levac's decision put Bentley and the Liberals on the precipice of a rare contempt of parliament charge that McGuinty strategists feared would set the stage for another election with the minority government under fire for the cost of closing the plants — a tab that has now hit $585 million.

Concerned that the Liberal attempts to influence Levac set a dangerous precedent, the Progressive Conservatives called on Ontario Integrity Commissioner Lynn Morrison to investigate Tuesday.

Tory energy critic Fedeli dubbed the Liberal effort "an act of intimidation" and a good reason to vote against Premier Kathleen Wynne's party in five byelections Thursday.

The approach to Levac — who is the Liberal MPP for Brant but elected by all parties as neutral referee in the legislature — was made by former McGuinty staffer Dave Gene, after concerns were raised by former McGuinty adviser Laura Miller and Liberal campaign chairman Don Guy.

In an email exchange on Sept. 21, 2012, after the Levac ruling, Guy wrote, "Speaker needs to follow up on his prima facie finding and change his mind." Miller wrote that Gene "is putting the member from Brant on notice that we need better here."

That language raised alarm bells with the opposition parties, with NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson calling it "pretty serious stuff."

"Which incentives were offered or punishments were threatened is unclear," Fedeli said. "These actions threaten and undermine the institutions we value in our democracy.

Fedeli said he would rather have Morrison investigate than call Levac to testify before a legislative committee probing the gas plants scandal, but later told reporters that remains an option when hearings resume.

Bisson said the NDP will call Miller and Guy.

"Who ordered them to do this . . . was it the (former) premier?"

Miller told the Star no threats were made by the premier's office or the Liberal party against Levac.

"There is really no way to strong-arm the Speaker. You can't remove him. And as to threatening his nomination, that would just be silly because we need(ed) him to keep the seat."

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Police shooting of TO man a 'tragedy for all involved' - Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

By: Allison Jones

Posted: 1:00 AM | Comments:

TORONTO -- The family of a young man who died after being shot by police on a Toronto streetcar called it a "tragedy for all involved" and said they hold no ill will against the thousands of officers who protect the public every day.

Sammy Yatim, 18, died early Saturday morning in what the Special Investigations Unit called an "interaction" with police, which was captured on surveillance and cellphone video. Yatim can be seen on video pacing the empty streetcar as shouts of "drop the knife" are heard.

Nine shots can be heard on the bystander video, first three shots in succession then six more after a pause of about six seconds. Yatim was shot multiple times, the SIU has said.

Yatim's family released a statement Tuesday thanking Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair for reaching out to them and vowing to co-operate with the SIU's probe.

"We expect that this matter will be investigated with the fullest measure of the law, so that incidents like this can be better managed and de-escalated before such extreme use of force is ever exercised again," the family said.

"We want to be clear that we do not hold any ill will against the thousands of police officers who work to protect us each day. This is a tragedy for all involved."

Yatim, wearing what appears to be white pants, can be seen in security-camera footage -- obtained by Global News -- dropping to the ground after the initial volley of shots.

The security video has no audio, but when synced with a cellphone video taken by a bystander, it appears to show Yatim is still on the ground, his leg moving slightly, as six more shots are fired.

Police are then seen boarding the streetcar and the sound of a stun gun can be heard. The SIU confirmed a conducted energy weapon was also used.

The SIU has designated one subject officer and 22 witness officers. The Toronto Police Association's president has said the officer involved in the incident is "devastated."

Mike McCormack said the public shouldn't jump to conclusions before investigators collect all the facts surrounding the shooting.

The officer was identified late Tuesday as Const. James Forcillo by his lawyer, Peter Brauti, who often defends police.

Brauti said he is reviewing the case and has not decided whether to recommend Forcillo submit to an SIU interview.

Police designated as subject officers in SIU investigations can exercise a right not to be interviewed. In addition to the SIU investigation, Blair has said his office will do a review.

Ontario's ombudsman also weighed in on the case, saying his office would be reviewing the incident to determine if it could trigger a wider investigation.

The family, meanwhile, said they are "living a nightmare" from which they can't seem to wake up.

"The next few months will be very trying for us as our family adjusts to life without Sammy and wades through all the details and decisions that led to this senseless tragedy," they said in their statement.

They are just trying to "bury this poor kid in peace," said family friend Joseph Nazar.

Both of Yatim's parents were out of town when he died: his father on business in Atlanta and his mother visiting Montreal from Syria, where she is a doctor at a children's hospital, Nazar said.

Yatim's sister, believed to be about 17 years old, was left to identify her brother's body, Nazar said.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford briefly addressed the death Tuesday saying it was "unfortunate," but he cautioned against a rush to judgment.

"My heart goes out to the family," he said. "But none of us know the facts."

Hundreds of people took to the streets Monday with cries of "shame" and brandishing posters that read "protect us from our protectors" as public outrage grew over Yatim's death.

That mobilization likely wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the videos, said Abby Deshman, director of the public safety program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

"That kind of community outrage, I think, can be directly related to how closely people understand what happened," she said.

Canadians in general are very trusting of police officers, so when someone involved with police is hurt the public usually assumes police acted rightfully unless there is evidence to the contrary, Deshman said.

"I think what video really does is provide a direct account of what happened that a person can see and really judge for themselves without having to primarily rely on the police officer's word about what was necessary."

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 31, 2013 A1

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Bradley Manning faces 136-year jail sentence for leaking files - Telegraph.co.uk

Dressed in his dark blue military uniform, Manning showed no emotion as the verdict was read and his supporters in the sparse military courtroom remained silent throughout the five-minute hearing.

Manning's family said in a statement that he "never intended to help America's enemies in any way".

"Brad loves his country and was proud to wear its uniform," they said.

The soldier waived his right to a jury trial and his fate was decided by Col Denise Lind, the military judge who presided over his court martial at Fort Meade, a military base outside Washington.

^{Bradley Manning, third from left, stands with attorney David Coombs, center, while Denise Lind, right, reads her verdict (William Hennessy)}

She cleared Manning of aiding the enemy, but convicted him of six counts of violating the Espionage Act, five counts of theft and several other minor counts. The 20 charges of which he was convicted or pleaded guilty could result in a total of up to 136 years in prison. The court will begin sentencing today and it could be weeks before Manning learns his fate.

"It's a relief that Bradley Manning wasn't convicted of aiding the enemy for his sake and for our country's because it doesn't set a dangerous precedent," said Nathan Fuller, a spokesman for the Bradley Manning support network.

"But it's outrageous that he was convicted of any espionage counts and he faces potential decades in prison." Kristinn Hrafnsson, a spokesman for WikiLeaks, said: "There is no room for optimism that the sentence may be lenient".

Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, on Tuesday night said he took no solace from the one acquittal. The only victim in the case had been the US government's "wounded pride", he told a news briefing inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has been holed up for over a year to avoid extradition to Sweden.

"This was never a fair trial," Mr Assange said. He criticised the treatment of Manning in custody, saying he had been stripped, caged and kept in isolation to "break him".

Mr Assange said Manning, with the backing of Wikileaks, would appeal the conviction, taking the case to the Supreme Court if necessary.

"WikiLeaks will not rest until he is free," he said.

Over eight weeks of testimony, prosecutors claimed Manning used his position as a junior intelligence analyst in Iraq to harvest 700,000 classified military and diplomatic files that he then turned over to the anti-secrecy website.

The court heard how he used blank CDs, including one labelled "Lady Gaga", to systematically download videos, diplomatic files and military documents which he then passed on to WikiLeaks.

He was arrested in Iraq in May 2010 after confiding in Adrian Lamo, a hacker he met online, who turned him in to the FBI. "[Manning] was a determined soldier with a knowledge, ability, and desire to harm the United States in its war effort," said Maj Ashden Fein, for the prosecution. "He was not a whistle-blower; he was a traitor." Manning's defence team argued that the soldier, who was 22 at the time of the leaks, was "young, naive, but good-intentioned". They said he was deeply disturbed by what he saw in Iraq.

Manning did not dispute that he was responsible for the leaks and in February he pleaded guilty to 10 lesser charges. In a previous hearing, he cast himself as a whistle-blower who wanted to expose the "bloodlust" of US forces in the Middle East. "I felt I had accomplished something that allowed me to have a clear conscience," he said.

The sentencing will not bring an end to legal proceedings that first began at Fort Meade in 2011. The case will almost certainly be appealed to a higher military court and reach the US Supreme Court. "This is going to go on for years. We have not seen the last of Manning," said Eugene R Fidell, an expert in military law at Yale Law School. The proceedings in Maryland have been closely watched by Assaange, who is fighting extradition to Sweden on sex charges, from London.

"We call those people — who are prepared to risk being a martyr for all of the rest of us — we call those people heroes," Mr Assange said on CNN before the verdict. "Bradley Manning is a hero."

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Zimbabwe election: Robert Mugabe faces Morgan Tsvangirai - BBC News

31 July 2013 Last updated at 03:15 ET

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People have been forming long queues at one polling station in Harare, as Nomsa Maseko reports.

Zimbabweans are voting in fiercely contested presidential and parliamentary elections which have already been hit by fraud allegations.

President Robert Mugabe, 89, has said he will step down after 33 years in power if he and his Zanu-PF party lose.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have accused Zanu-PF of doctoring the electoral roll, a charge it has denied.

Campaigning was mostly peaceful, with few reports of intimidation.

Zanu-PF and the MDC have shared an uneasy coalition government since 2009 under a deal brokered to end the deadly violence that erupted after a disputed presidential poll the previous year.

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The BBC's Nomsa Maseko asks Robert Mugabe if he would step down if he lost

Mr Tsvangirai won the most votes in the first round, but pulled out of the run-off with Mr Mugabe because of attacks on his supporters.

'Determined to vote'

The government has barred Western observers from monitoring Wednesday's elections, but the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), as well as local organisations, have been accredited.

Polls opened at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and are due to close at 17:00 GMT.

The turnout is expected to be high among the 6.4 million people registered to vote, with tens of thousands of people attending rallies in recent weeks. Results are expected within five days.

Continue reading the main story

• About 6.4 million registered voters
• Polls open at 05:00 GMT and close at 17:00 GMT
• Vote for president and parliament
• Zanu-PF's Robert Mugabe and MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai are the main presidential contenders
• Mr Mugabe, 89, is seeking to extend his 33-year rule
• Mr Tsvangirai, 61, hopes to become president after three failed attempts
• The poll ends the fractious coalition between Zanu-PF and MDC, which was brokered by regional mediators after disputed elections in 2008 that were marred by violence

Wednesday has been declared a national holiday to ensure people can vote. Despite this, voters queued for several hours outside polling stations across the country before they opened, reports the BBC's Nomsa Maseko in Harare.

"I got up at four but still couldn't get the first position in the line," Clifford Chasakara, a voter in the western province of Manicaland, told the Reuters news agency.

"My fingers are numb, but I'm sure I can mark the ballot all the same. I'm determined to vote and have my vote counted."

At a news conference at State House on Tuesday, Mr Mugabe was asked if he and Zanu-PF would accept defeat.

"If you go into a process and join a competition where there are only two outcomes, win or lose, you can't be both. You either win or lose. If you lose, you must surrender," he said.

But Mr Tsvangirai dismissed the president's remarks.

"He does not believe in the right of the people to choose. He does not believe he can be voted out of office," he told the BBC.

The 61 year old has vowed to push Mr Mugabe into retirement; it is his third attempt to unseat him.

An MDC spokesman said separately that the party was only prepared to accept the results of the elections if they were "free and fair".

'Anomalies'

On Tuesday, the MDC accused Zanu-PF of doctoring the roll of registered voters, which was released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) only on the eve of the polls after weeks of delay.

The MDC claimed the roll dated back to 1985 and was full of anomalies.

A BBC correspondent has seen the document and says it features the names of thousands of dead people. He says many names with the same address appear two or three times.

A Zanu-PF spokesman denied the allegations and pointed out that appointees from both parties were on the ZEC. He also accused Finance Minister Tendai Biti, a member of the MDC, of not funding the commission properly. The ZEC has not commented.

In addition to Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, there are three other candidates standing for the presidency - Welshman Ncube, leader of the breakaway MDC-Mutambara; Dumiso Dabengwa of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu), and Kisinoti Munodei Mukwazhe, who represents the small Zimbabwe Development Party (ZDP).

To be declared a winner, a presidential candidate must win more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate reaches this mark, a run-off will be held on 11 September.

The elections will be the first to be held under the new constitution approved in a referendum in March this year.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Mountie in Dziekanski Taser death not guilty of lying to inquiry - CBC.ca

One of the Mounties accused of lying during testimony at a public inquiry into the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski has been found not guilty of perjury.

Const. Bill Bentley was one of four RCMP officers who confronted Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport in October 2007, stunning him several times with a Taser, before Dziekanski died on the floor of the terminal.

Robert Dziekanski died on Oct. 14, 2007, shortly after he was jolted several times with a police Taser. (Paul Pritchard)

After the judge handed down the decision on Monday afternoon in Vancouver Supreme Court, Bentley doubled over in tears.

Bentley's legal troubles began when he tried to explain during the 2009 Braidwood Inquiry the differences between what could be seen on amateur video and what he initially told homicide investigators.

He and Const. Kwesi Millington, Const. Gerry Rundel, and former corporal Benjamin (Monty) Robinson were charged with perjury in 2011.

Crown failed to prove collusion

In his ruling Justice Mark McEwan wrote that the Crown prosecutors "advanced a suspicion based largely on circumstantial evidence," but failed to prove that Bentley had colluded with the other officers to knowingly make a false statement intended to mislead the inquiry.

McEwan concluded that although Bentley and the other officers made similar statements in their testimony that were ultimately shown to be wrong by a bystander's video of the incident, other independent witnesses also made similar mistakes in their statements.

Clockwise from top left, Const. Gerry Rundel, Const. Bill Bentley, Cpl. Monty Robinson and Const. Kwesi Millington were not charged in the death of Robert Dziekanski. (CBC)

"The [officers'] statements are not 'uniform' as the Crown submits, and some are more detailed and emphatic and touch on different things.… Three describe aspects of the event for which there is some basis in the facts, and similarity might be expected," wrote the judge.

During the trial the Crown alleged Bentley and the other officers colluded on their stories to homicide investigators and then lied at the inquiry to cover up the deception.

Bentley told investigators and wrote in his notes that the Polish immigrant grabbed a stapler and came at the officers screaming, was stunned and wrestled to the ground.

But a video, taken by a traveller, emerged one month later and contradicted some of Bentley's notes and statements.

At Bentley's trial, his lawyer, Peter Wilson, did not call any evidence. Instead, Wilson denied Bentley colluded with the other officers and argued his client's initial errors were honest mistakes and a product of a fast-paced incident and involvement in an in-custody death.

Bentley was the officer who called for an ambulance and alerted dispatchers about Dziekanski's worsening condition, the defence said.

"Here's the youngest officer there with the least involvement — what on Earth did he have to cover up?" asked Wilson.

The remaining three officers are standing trial separately.

Those trials, scheduled to be heard by juries, are set for November of this year and February 2014.

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Montreal woman, 67, dies after savage attack by 'aggressive' stranger - National Post

A 67-year-old woman died Monday after being attacked — apparently at random — on a downtown Montreal street, police said.

Montreal police say the victim was carrying a bag of groceries and walking alone after midnight when she was set upon.

Police say they have arrested a 38-year-old man, who is expected to appear in court Tuesday to face criminal charges.

Before the fatal assault, the suspect had been thrown out of a downtown bar for behaving in a "very aggressive" manner, said Constable Daniel Lacoursière.

He was yelling at the top of his lungs, running up to people and acting like he was going to hit them

Rafael Mayor-Mora, who was in the area, described seeing a man approaching pedestrians in an aggressive manner about 10 minutes before the attack on the woman.

The disruptive man, speaking in French, was wearing a light blue T-shirt and a baseball cap, was of medium build and appeared to be in his early 40s.

"He was yelling at the top of his lungs, running up to people and acting like he was going to hit them, especially women … but not actually doing it," Mr. Mayor-Mora said.

The man would then withdraw and move on.

The witness said he was part of a large crowd that had been attending a comedy festival when he encountered the man.

He described the man's behaviour as "obviously super-aggressive" and he "came off as completely crazy, and/or drunk."

Mr. Mayor-Mora asked why a festival security guard, identifiable by his red T-shirt, did nothing to intervene and did not appear to call 911.

The guard "came off as indifferent; he wasn't going toward the guy or calling on his walkie-talkie," he said.

It appeared to him "this security guard didn't approach the guy, or at the very least call the cops.

"He just let someone who was obviously super-aggressive walk away when it was his job to prevent these kinds of things."

She fell to the ground and the man continued to hit her

This is Montreal Island's 16th homicide of the year, on a par for the same period last year.

Investigators are eager to speak to any witnesses of the crime or anyone who may have come into contact with the aggressor during the evening.

Describing the attack, Const. Lacoursière said it took place soon after the suspect had was ejected from the bar.

After trying to hit passersby and cars on the street, "according to witnesses, the man struck the woman in the upper body for no apparent reason. She fell to the ground and the man continued to hit her."

The victim was hit several times on the head, before "a Good Samaritan decided to intervene," halting the violent assault.

Her identity has not been disclosed and will not be made public until the suspect appears in court.

The man is known to police, Cont. Lacoursière said, and was being questioned.

"It will be up to the autopsy to determine exactly what she died of," the policeman added.

However, he confirmed the woman had been hit repeatedly on her head.

Postmedia News

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Sammy Yatim shooting: Officer who shot teen suspended with pay - Canada.com

Photo 1 of 27

Sahar Bahadi, mother of Sammy Yatim (in white) is hugged as a crowd assembles at Yonge-Dundas Square for a vigil and march in Toronto on Monday, July 29, 2013 to protest the shooting death of Sammy Yatim. Yatim was shot by Toronto Police Service while wielding a knife on a streetcar early Saturday, July 27, 2013.MATTHEW SHERWOOD FOR NATIONAL POST

Photo 2 of 27

Family friend Joseph Nazar talks on his mobile phone at the home of Sammy Yatim's parents in Toronto Monday, July 29, 2013. Yatim, 18, was shot and killed by police while allegedly holding a knife on a stopped streetcar early Saturday morning. Darren Calabrese/National Post

Photo 3 of 27

Flowers are left as a vigil for Sammy Yatim at Dundas Street West and Grace Street in Toronto Monday, July 29, 2013. Yatim was shot and killed by police while allegedly holding a knife on a stopped streetcar early Saturday morning.Darren Calabrese/National Post

Photo 4 of 27

Sahar Bahadi, mother of Sammy Yatim (in white) wipes an eye, as a crowd assembles at Yonge-Dundas Square for a vigil and march in Toronto on Monday, July 29, 2013 to protest the shooting death of Sammy Yatim. Yatim was shot by Toronto Police Service while wielding a knife on a streetcar early Saturday, July 27, 2013.MATTHEW SHERWOOD FOR NATIONAL POST

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Demonstrators march along Dundas Street during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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A demonstrator yells at police at 14 Division in Toronto during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Demonstrators protest outside at 14 Division in Toronto during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Demonstrators protest outside at 14 Division in Toronto during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Bianca Brown, a friend of Sammy Yatim, the 18-year-old who was shot and killed by police early Saturday morning, cries during a vigil and protest against his death.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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A demonstrator spray paints the number nine on Dundas Street at Bellwoods Avenue during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto. Nine shots were fired at Yatim. Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Demonstrators march along Dundas Street during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto. Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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A demonstrator sits on Dundas Street at Bellwoods Avenue during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Demonstrators march along Dundas Street during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Sarah Yatim breaks down in the arms of her mother Sahar Bahadi at a vigil on Monday, July 29, 2013 at the spot where her brother Sammy Yatim, 18, was shot nine times and killed by Toronto Police early Saturday morning when he was alone with a knife on a street car. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michelle Siu

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Sahar Bahadi, mother of Sammy Yatim, left, and Sarah Yatim, sister of the 18-year-old who was shot by police early Saturday morning, react at the site of the incident on Dundas Street at Bellwoods Avenue, during a vigil and protest in Toronto on Monday, July 27, 2013.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Demonstrators march along Dundas Street during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

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Sahar Bahadi, mother of Sammy Yatim, the 18-year-old who was shot by police early Saturday morning, kisses a photo of her son at the site of the incident on Dundas Street at Bellwoods Avenue, during a vigil and protest in Toronto on Monday, July 27, 2013.Matthew Sherwood for National Post

Photo 18 of 27

Mother Sahar Bahadi breaks down at a vigil on Monday, July 29, 2013 at the spot where her son Sammy Yatim, 18, was shot nine times and killed by Toronto Police early Saturday morning when he was alone with a knife on a street car. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michelle Siu

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Demonstrators march along Dundas Street during a protest against the shooting of Sammy Yatim by police early Saturday morning in Toronto. Matthew Sherwood for National Post

Photo 20 of 27

Mother Sahar Bahadi breaks down at a vigil on Monday, July 29, 2013 at the spot where her son Sammy Yatim, 18, was shot nine times and killed by Toronto Police early Saturday morning when he was alone with a knife on a street car. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michelle Siu

Photo 21 of 27

A crowd assembles at Yonge-Dundas Square for a vigil and march in Toronto on Monday, July 29, 2013 to protest the shooting death of Sammy Yatim. Yatim was shot by Toronto Police Service while wielding a knife on a streetcar early Saturday, July 27, 2013. MATTHEW SHERWOOD FOR NATIONAL POST

Photo 22 of 27

A crowd assembles at Yonge-Dundas Square for a vigil and march in Toronto on Monday, July 29, 2013 to protest the shooting death of Sammy Yatim. Yatim was shot by Toronto Police Service while wielding a knife on a streetcar early Saturday, July 27, 2013. PHOTO: MATTHEW SHERWOOD FOR NATIONAL POST

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Flyer posted on a pole where Sammy Yatim was shot during a clash with police just after midnight on July 28,2013 at Dundas Street West and Bellwoods Avenue, west of Bathurst Street. Peter Peter Kuitenbrouwer

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Flyer posted on a pole where Sammy Yatim was shot during a clash with police just after midnight on July 28,2013 at Dundas Street West and Bellwoods Avenue, west of Bathurst Street. Peter Peter Kuitenbrouwer

Photo 25 of 27

Flowers are left as a vigil for Sammy Yatim at Dundas Street West and Grace Street in Toronto Monday, July 29, 2013. Yatim was shot and killed by police while allegedly holding a knife on a stopped streetcar early Saturday morning. Darren Calabrese/National Post

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Sammy Yatim, who was identified by friends and family, died in hospital after he was shot during a clash with police just after midnight on July 28,2013 at Dundas Street West and Bellwoods Avenue, west of Bathurst Street.Facebook

Photo 27 of 27

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7 hurt in Florida propane plant explosion - CBC.ca

All 15 workers briefly reported missing in explosions that rocked a propane tank servicing plant in central Florida late on Monday have turned up safe, a spokesman for the local sheriff's office said.

At least seven other workers were injured by the fiery blasts, which began at about 10:30 p.m. local time at the Blue Rhino propane gas filling station in the town of Tavares, about 64 kilometres northwest of Orlando, said John Herrell, Lake County sheriff's spokesman.

He said the 15 workers who initially were reported by the plant manager to be unaccounted for had merely "scattered" when the explosions began and have since been contacted and they "are OK."

Tavares, Florida (Google)

Homeowners who live miles away told local media they could feel the multiple explosions that shook the area every couple of minutes and sent tall columns of flame into the night sky.

Aerial views of the facility from footage shot by a local television station about 90 minutes after the first explosions showed what appeared to be a large fire, possibly fed by continuing explosions, surrounded by smaller blazes.

After another 30 minutes, the main fire appeared to be dying down. The wreckage of what appeared to be burned-out trucks could be seen.

Speaking by telephone to local NBC affiliate WESH-TV, former plant supervisor Don Ingram said the company takes in propane tanks used for home gas grills, clean them, checks the valves and refills them. He said that tanks were stacked on plastic pallets four and five high behind the filling station.

He said a late crew typically refills 4,000 to 5,000 tanks overnight. The nearest residential neighbourhood is located about half a kilometre from the facility behind a row of trees, Ingram said.

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EU's Ashton meets ousted Egypt leader Mohammed Morsi - BBC News

30 July 2013 Last updated at 04:21 ET

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COMING UP: EU foreign policy chief news conference in Cairo

The European Union's foreign policy chief has met Egypt's ousted President, Mohammed Morsi, her spokeswoman says.

Catherine Ashton visited Mr Morsi on Monday evening and held two hours of "in-depth" discussions with him.

The location of the meeting was not given, but Mr Morsi has been detained since he was overthrown by the military on 3 July after days of mass protests.

Baroness Ashton's visit comes after more than 70 Morsi supporters were killed in clashes with security forces.

The ousted leader's allies have said they are planning a major protest in Cairo on Tuesday, and the interim government has warned that any violation of the law will be dealt with "firmly".

Security officials have also threatened to dismantle the main protest sit-in at a square near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the capital's north-east, where the deadly clashes erupted on Saturday.

Helicopter

Baroness Ashton's spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic revealed on Twitter early on Tuesday that the EU's high representative for foreign affairs had become the first outside official to meet Mr Morsi since he was deposed.

Baroness Ashton had asked to see him earlier this month during her first visit to Cairo in the present crisis, but it did not happen.

Some reports said that she was taken to the meeting on Monday night by military helicopter, suggesting that Mr Morsi may be being held somewhere outside the capital.

The content of the discussions is not yet known.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Cairo says people will want to know if it revealed any flexibility that might create some common ground to explore, in search of a way out of this explosive crisis.

On the face of it, there is little room for manoeuvre, our correspondent adds.

The Brotherhood and its allies in the Anti-Coup National Alliance insist that Mr Morsi must be restored to the presidency, and that they will continue their protests until that happens.

The interim presidency has said clearly that the hands of the clock cannot be turned back.

Baroness Ashton also met the head of Egypt's armed forces, Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, and government ministers on Monday.

She did not speak to reporters afterwards, but before arriving in the country on Sunday said she would be calling for a "fully inclusive transition process, taking in all political groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood", the Islamist movement to which Mr Morsi belongs.

Egypt's interim Vice-President, Mohamed ElBaradei, told Baroness Ashton that the government was doing all it could "to reach a peaceful exit to the current crisis", according to Ahram Online.

He also reportedly stressed that any solution would have to be in accordance with the law and not pose a threat to national security.

A US state department spokeswoman said Secretary of State John Kerry had told Baroness Ashton by telephone that he fully supported and appreciated "her efforts to calm tensions, prevent further violence, bridge political divides, and help lay the basis for a peaceful, inclusive process".

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Teen boy shot near Jane-Finch - Toronto Sun

A 16-year-old arrives at Sunnybrook hospital after being shot in the abdomen at Yorkwoods Plaza Sunday, July 28, 2013. (Victor Biro photo)

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TORONTO - 

A 16-year-old male was rushed to hospital Sunday night after a shooting in the city's north end.

Toronto Police were called for shots fired at Yorkwoods Plaza, 2845 Jane St., south of Finch Ave., around 10 p.m.

The victim was taken to Sunnybrook hospital in life-threatening condition with two bullet wounds to the abdomen, EMS said.

There was no immediate word on suspects.

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Spanish train driver charged with 79 counts of homicide, but questions remain - CNN

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

Deadly train crash in Spain

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Garzon is charged with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness
• The 79 killed will be memorialized at a cathedral in Santiago de Compostela on Monday evening
• They were killed after the train derailed Wednesday near the northwestern Spanish town

Santiago de Compostela, Spain (CNN) -- The 79 passengers who perished in last week's train crash in Spain will be memorialized together Monday night at a cathedral not far from where they were killed.

They came from near and far -- Europe, Latin America, the United States -- and had almost reached their destination of Ferrol on the northwestern coast when the train careened around a curve and derailed, hurling carriages into a concrete bridge support structure.

Five days have passed since the disaster, but many questions remain: What caused the train to derail? Was the train going too fast? And what did the conductor do in the moments before the crash?

The driver

The driver of the train, Francisco Jose Garzon, was charged Sunday with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness and an undetermined number of counts of causing injury by professional recklessness.

A court granted Garzon conditional release, but his license to operate a train has been suspended for six months. He also surrendered his passport and must report to court weekly.

Many have questioned how fast the train was traveling when its wheels left the track near Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday evening.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz told reporters Saturday there are "rational indications" that the crash was the fault of the driver. But pressed on what those are, he declined to provide details.

Police now have the data recorders from the train.

A somber task

Over the weekend, relatives of victims embarked on the grim but necessary task of picking up the luggage left behind.

A solemn parade of mourners wheeled bags away from the police station in Santiago de Compostela. The suitcases had been recovered from the wreckage scene, their owners either dead or badly injured.

About 70 people injured in the crash remained hospitalized Sunday, including 22 in serious condition, a representative for the regional health department said.

Identifying the bodies

At least 75 bodies have been identified, but it's unclear whether dozens of body parts belong to those accounted for or those yet to be identified.

The dead include at least 63 from Spain, said Maria Pardo Rios, spokewoman for the Galicia regional supreme court. Some of the other victims came from the United States, Latin America and Europe.

Myrta Fariza was one of the two Americans killed. She and her husband were on their way to a Catholic festival; He was injured and later released from the hospital.

"Myrta was our loving wife, mother, sister, mother-in-law, aunt and friend, and words cannot express our sense of loss," her family said in a statement. "To all who knew her, Myrta provided irreplaceable love, compassion, courage, friendship and support. We will miss her dearly."

The other American was Ana-Maria Cordoba of Arlington, Virginia.

Forensic experts said Saturday there are 37 body parts that must still be tested to see whether they belong to bodies that have already been identified, or to others not yet known.

Going too fast?

The driver of the train has said it was traveling about 190 kilometers per hour (120 mph), the Spanish news agency Efe and the national daily El Pais reported, citing sources within the investigation

But a spokeswoman for the national railway Renfe did not disclose the speed the train was traveling on an express track, where cars can go as fast as 250 kph. But she said the speed limit for the bend of track where the crash occurred is 80 kph.

Rafael Catala, secretary of state for transport and housing, told Spanish radio network Cadena SER that the "tragedy appears to be linked to the train going too fast" -- but that the reasons it was going so fast are not yet known.

The express passenger service was nearing the end of a six-hour trip from Madrid to the town of Ferrol, on the Atlantic coast, when the crash occurred, the state railway said.

Firefighter Miguel Angel Bello said the first four minutes after he arrived on the scene were a desperate race against time.

He and fellow firefighters smashed windows and kicked in doors to pull out the passengers trapped inside as rail cars went up in flames.

A young girl in the wreckage called out to him.

"She was under wreckage she said she wanted to get out and go home," he said. "But she died."

'It felt like a roller coaster'

Elder Stephen Ward of Utah was headed to the coastal Spanish town, ready to start a two-year Mormon religious mission.

The last thing he remembers from the train was flying sideways out of his seat.

"We had been going around some pretty sharp turns. We finally came to one more sharp turn, and the train, like, completely lifted up," he said. "It was leaning sideways. It felt like a roller coaster."

Ward, 18, blacked out when his car slammed on to its side, regaining consciousness only as he was being helped out of the train.

"I've got staples all over my scalp, I was covered in blood," he said. "They've scrubbed most of it off me now, but everyone was just covered in their own blood and occasionally the blood of others. It was gruesome to say the least."

Ward was discharged from the hospital Thursday, wearing a neck brace because of a cracked vertebra he suffered in the crash. Lacerations on his face are stapled shut, and there's a huge bruise on his leg.

Once he recovers, he plans to return to his missionary service.

CNN's Karl Penhaul reported from Santiago de Compostela and Holly Yan from Atlanta. CNN's Laura Perez Maestro, Catherine E. Shoichet, Mariano Castillo, Laura Smith-Spark, Al Goodman, Bob Hand and Jonathan Helman contributed to this report.

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Police shoot man on streetcar near Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto - Canada.com

Early Saturday morning Toronto police shot a man on a streetcar near Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto.

A news release from the SIU, an agency that deals with the incidents involving police and civilians that cause serious injuries, stated the streetcar was located on Dundas St. W. west of Bathhurst street.

The specifics surrounding the incident haven't been released but some sort of altercation between police and the man who was eventually shot, apparently occured. The man was taken to St. Michael's hospital with life-threatening injuries and no vital signs.

But he is being identified as Sammy Yatim, 18, by friends, according to a story in the Toronto Star. Many have taken to Twitter to express their feelings on the loss of a friend.

As the National Post is reporting, many are criticizing the police and the way they have handled the incident. And there is a vigil planned for Monday at the site of the shooting, as a Facebook page has been created.

According to the SIU he later died in hospital from his wounds. As reported by the Star, a TTC spokesman stated there was no one else on board during the time of the incident.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Owen Melville said, "We heard these popping noises and we were like 'Whoah those were gunshots.'"

An eyewitness told CP24, ""I think it was only one of them shooting and I think he shot, maybe, 10 times."

Check out the YouTube video of the incident above. You can clearly hear numerous gunshots (approximately 9) and there are numerous bystanders watching. It also sounds like a taser is used at some point during the altercation.

Some YouTube/Twitter commenters believe that given the number of shots fired, police could possible have used excessive force to subdue the man. Others think the use of force was justified given how dangerous it was for the man to be allegedly brandishing a weapon on an active streetcar line.

Anyone who may have information regarding this case is asked to contact the lead investigator at 416-622-1965 or 1-800-787-8529 ext. 1965.

Follow me on Twitter: @Patrick_ORourke.

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Italy coach crash: At least 38 dead near Avellino - BBC News

29 July 2013 Last updated at 02:44 ET

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The BBC's Alan Johnston says the coach "ripped through the guard rail" when it plunged off the flyover

A coach has plunged off a flyover in southern Italy leaving at least 38 people dead, rescue services say.

The coach hit several vehicles before smashing through a parapet and toppling down a steep slope near the town of Avellino, in the Campania region.

At least 10 people have been injured, some of them seriously, Italian media report.

The coach was taking about 50 people, including children, back to Naples following a pilgrimage, reports say.

The cause of the accident is not clear.

TV footage showed smashed vehicles on the flyover and shrouded bodies lined up by the side of a road.

The driver of the coach is said to be among the dead.

"The situation is critical," leading fireman Pellegrino Iandolo told Italian television.

"Our men are working to save as many lives as possible."

A police spokesman told the French news agency AFP that the number of victims could not yet be confirmed.

"We are still pulling people from the vehicle," he said.

He added that the Naples-Bari motorway had been closed to traffic because of the accident.

Reports say the bus smashed through a guardrail on the flyover and dropped 30m (98ft), coming to rest in heavy undergrowth.

The injured have been taken to hospitals in Avellino, Salerno and Nola, Ansa said.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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5-woman Lake Ontario Because Girls Can relay ends early, swimmers proud - Toronto Star

Flanked by two zodiacs, the swimmers pulled their weary bodies through the lake until their feet finally touched shore.

Five heads in pink bathing caps popped out of the water, and it was all over. The waiting crowd whistled and cheered.

It wasn't exactly the end the swimmers wanted, but it was still a record-setting lake crossing, and for that they are proud.

"We did 242 kilometres, and as far as I'm concerned, that's flippin' awesome," said Nicole Mallette, 47, after the women, shivering in wet swimsuits, pulled on their white team hoodies.

Four and a half days after they began an unprecedented attempt to swim Lake Ontario lengthwise from Kingston to Burlington, the swimmers ended early in Whitby, falling about 60 kilometres shy of their goal.

"Mother Nature was not on our side. Lake Ontario threw everything she had at us," said swimmer Samantha Whiteside, 23.

The decision to end the Because Girls Can swim came after a gruelling 80 hours on the lake, soon after 18-year-old Mona Sharari, the team's youngest member, was pulled from the water and taken to shore because she was unwell. Sharari, feeling much better Saturday, rejoined the team for the last few hours of the swim.

Ending early was a difficult decision to make. They all cried. But the water, they ultimately decided, was too cold and unsafe to continue swimming in for two more days — which, given the early delays caused by storms, was how much longer it probably would have taken them to get to Burlington.

"We got some really horrendous weather," Whiteside said. "Nothing ever seemed to work out for us. It was either really warm water and ridiculous waves or it was really calm and absolutely freezing."

"Not balmy!" her teammates chorus, and they all laugh. The swimmers weren't allowed to use words like freezing or cold during the swim, so "not balmy" was their go-to description. Now they can say what they want.

"It's a little bit discouraging that we didn't get to Burlington, but you can't win against Mother Nature," said Colleen Shields, 61, who holds the record for oldest female to complete a traditional 52-kilometre Lake Ontario crossing.

The members of the relay team, aged 18 to 61 and all from southern Ontario, are experienced long-distance swimmers. Four have crossed Lake Ontario the traditional way, from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto — a swim first tackled by Marilyn Bell in 1954. Mona Sharari, the fifth, has crossed the English Channel.

They were expecting this swim to be easier than the solo journey, since they would share the work. It was not.

"Our coaches had told us numerous times that if this had been a solo swim they would have called it (off) within the first two hours," Whiteside said.

Near Toronto on Saturday, veteran long-distance swimmer Kim Lumsden had to call off her solo south-north crossing about 19 hours in and 10 kilometres from shore, due to weather.

The Because Girls Can journey began in Kingston Tuesday morning.All five women jumped off the dock at Confederation Park and swam the first kilometre together, then began rotating — one at a time, two hours each.

Before the swim, they were confident they would make it to Burlington in about five days, no matter what."There is no not making it," Mallette told the Star a few days before they left. "That is not in our vocabulary."

They set off with sun shining down on them, but it didn't last. A few hours in, the swimmers were struggling to kick through two-metre waves and choking on fumes from the power boats in their flotilla, which were blown in their direction by strong winds. They had to take a break that night, heading to shore for safety after they saw lightning in the distance, which delayed the swimmers by at least half a day.

The waves continued into day two and sea sickness became a problem for the swimmers, who needed to keep food down and strength up.As the flotilla approached Cobourg on Thursday, the lake finally calmed and the sky was clear. But then the water temperature began to dip, sinking to about 14 C, with a forecast of 12 C for Toronto-area waters.

The team had been updating the public on their progress throughout the journey via social media and their website, but they went silent for much of the day Friday. Then at about 1:30 p.m., Whiteside posted a one-word Facebook status: "Alive." Things were not good.

Soon after, a Durham Region marine rescue crew announced in a tweet that Sharari had been taken to hospital with hypothermia. The Because Girls Can team has since clarified that Sharari did not have hypothermia but was likely experiencing exhaustion and dehydration.

Word from the swimmers and crew as of 4 p.m. Friday was that the relay would go on as planned. But an hour later, after the swimmers took some time to reflect, they announced their decision to continue on but end early at Heydenshore Park in Whitby.

The team was trying to raise $300,000 for the global girls' rights group Because I Am a Girl, but fell short of their fundraising goal, reaching about $19,000 by Saturday. They had planned to raise $1,000 for every kilometre they swam, and will now continue their efforts to reach $242,000 by September through their website, www.becausegirlscan.com .

On Saturday, the swimmers finished the relay as they began, with all five women completing the last kilometre together.

How many of you, they were asked on shore, would attempt to do the swim again? They answer without hesitation.

Mallette: "None of us."

Four of the five swimmers said they're done with Lake Ontario altogether; they'll never swim it again. Even Shields, who a week ago said she would keep trying until she completed one more solo crossing, has decided that's it for her. Rebekah Boscariol, who turns 19 Sunday, isn't ruling out the possibility of attempting another 52-kilometre solo swim someday, but said she won't do an end-to-end relay again.

After saying goodbye to family, friends and supporters on the beach in Whitby, the women went home with a simple mission for the rest of the day: Big Macs for some, and hot showers for all.

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Egypt unrest: 'Scores killed' in Cairo protest - BBC News

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Man dead after police shooting on Dundas streetcar - Toronto Star

Warning: Video contains graphic content

The SIU is investigating after a man died following a police-involved shooting on a streetcar near Trinity Bellwoods Park early Saturday morning.

Police investigated a man on a streetcar on Dundas St. W. near Grace St., west of Bathurst St., just after midnight, the SIU said in a news release.

There was some sort of an interaction between police and the man and he was shot. The man was then taken to St. Michael's hospital trauma centre with life-threatening injuries after suffering multiple gunshot wounds in his upper torso and no vital signs, Toronto Emergency Medical Services said.

Rosemary Pimentel, who lives on Bellwoods Ave. a few houses down from Dundas St. W, witnessed the shooting. She said that she heard what sounded like a taser being used after the shots had been fired.

He died at the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound, the SIU said.

The SIU is a civilian agency that looks into incidents involving the police and civilians that have resulted in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault.

It has assigned eight investigators, including two forensic investigators, to probe the circumstances of the shooting.

A TTC spokesman confirmed there was no one else on board the streetcar at the time of the incident.

Owen Melville, 25, was in Trinity Bellwoods throwing a football around with his friends when he heard the shots.

"We heard these popping noises and we were like 'Whoah those were gunshots,'" said Melville.

Janna Kale, 29, came home and saw the police tape and cars lining the corner of her familiar street.

"I love this neighbourhood," she said. "This scares the crap out of me. It really does."

Kale lives on Gore Vale Ave. just steps from where the shooting occurred.

Police cars lined the streets and a lone streetcar sat in the centre of the police tape. Several restaurant workers finishing their shifts on the busy strip declined to comment.

Dundas St. W. between Montrose Ave. and Claremont St., which had been closed for the investigation, has reopened and all streetcars and buses in the area will be operating normally.

With files from Arshy Mann and Robin Levison

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Six teens dead in crash near Lloydminster, Sask. - Toronto Sun

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The scene where a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

The scene where a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

Workers remove a tanker truck that collided with a car near Lloydminster, Sask. on July 27, 2013. (Jeff Peters/QMI Agency)

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MARSHALL, SASK. - 

Six teens were killed after a horrific crash between a small car and an oil tanker at a rural intersection near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

Maidstone RCMP were dispatched to a semi-truck rollover about six km south of Lloydminster Saturday at about 4:20 a.m., arriving to find it had been involved in a collision with a four-door car that became submerged in a slough, RCMP Cpl. Rob King said.

The deceased — all of whom were riding in the car — have been identified as three girls and three boys between the ages of 13 and 17. One person found outside the car was rushed to hospital where they were pronounced dead.

The male driver of the rig suffered undetermined injuries but is the sole survivor of the deadly collision, King said.

King said he doesn't know who called in the crash and isn't certain if there are any witnesses other than the driver of the semi, which was hauling crude oil at the time.

"We have yet to speak to witnesses," King said Saturday afternoon. "We have yet to determine exactly when the accident happened."

Emergency crews were called to the scene at the two-lane Hwy. 17 and gravel Township Rd. 490 just after daylight broke.

King said the car, which would have had a stop sign, was travelling eastbound along the township road and somehow collided with the northbound rig.

RCMP have identified the deceased and notified their families. No names have been released.

It's believed several of the teens lived in rural areas, including the small town of Marshall just southeast of Lloydminster, where many residents were left reeling at news of the tragedy.

Brent Underwood, owner of Marshall Hotel, choked up as he described seeing RCMP at the local Legion hall speaking with relatives of victims of the crash.

Marshall, home to many oil workers, is a small community of about 600 with a convenience store, hotel and library.

"I know them all," Underwood said.

He said seeing the pain in the faces of fellow residents in the bedroom community is difficult, especially while waiting to learn more about what happened.

"It's just knowing all these people, seeing all the sadness and still not knowing the facts," Underwood said.

"It's a pretty close-knit community — when it comes to kids, everyone knows everyone."

Lloydminster is about 250 km east of Edmonton.

nadia.moharib@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @SUNNadiaMoharib

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1200 inmates escape from Benghazi prison with help of neighbors - CNN International

By Hamdi Alkhshali and Holly Yan, CNN

July 28, 2013 -- Updated 0833 GMT (1633 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Of the 1,200 who escaped, 18 have been captured and a few have surrendered
• Prime minister: Residents stormed the prison because they didn't want it in their area
• Authorities couldn't draw their arms on the residents, allowing them to help the prisoners
• City official: Benghazi's security apparatus "suffers from the lack of manpower and equipment"

(CNN) -- Libyan authorities are trying to round up 1,200 inmates who spilled out of a Benghazi prison.

The prisoners escaped the al-Kwyfah facility in Benghazi early Friday, but only 18 have been captured, city security spokesman Mohammed Hujazi told Libya News TV on Saturday. A few others have surrendered, Hujazi said.

Residents living next to the prison stormed the facility because they didn't want a prison in their neighborhood, said Ali Zaidan, prime minister of Libya's transitional government.

Authorities rushed to the scene, but were instructed "not to draw arms against citizens," Zaidan said.

So the al-Kwyfah residents were able to open the floodgates for the prisoners.

Zaidan said the country's border posts have lists of the escaped prisoners. He also ordered the closure of Libya's border with Egypt, to the east.

"Nobody will be allowed to cross, but we will allow the goods only to enter in the month of Ramadan," Zaidan said.

Hujazi, the city's security spokesman, said the security apparatus in Benghazi "suffers from the lack of manpower and equipment."

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Morsi's brother stands by Egyptian army in home village - Haaretz

Even though they ousted his brother from office, Sayed Morsi does not have a bad word to say about Egypt's military.

"I have boundless confidence in the army," Sayed said, sitting in his sparse, drafty house, a picture of deposed president Mohammed Morsi hanging on the wall next to a framed verse from the Quran.

"I have patience. He does too," he told Reuters, referring to his elder brother. "He taught me that when someone makes you mad, don't antagonize them, you don't respond with anger."

Views in the Morsi family's home village of al-Adwa reflect how many Egyptians feel about their military: its generals are fallible but as an institution it can bring a degree of stability and security to a country weary of political chaos.

The rice paddies, corn fields and dirt roads of al-Adwa feel a world away from the clogged, polluted streets of Cairo. But the Nile Delta village where the Morsi brothers grew up is less than two hours' drive from the capital.

Mohammed Morsi, the talented son of a peasant farmer, studied in Cairo and Los Angeles before rising through the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood to become Egypt's first freely-elected president last year - until the army removed him on July 3.

Two of his brothers, Saeed and Sayed, still live in al-Adwa. While Saeed went straight to Cairo to join thousands of Islamists staging a round-the-clock vigil to demand the president's return, Sayed has stayed in his sleepy village.

Sporting the same haircut and close-cropped beard as the ousted Islamist leader, Sayed distinguishes between the generals he blames for his brother's downfall and the army itself that remains a source of enormous pride.

"The most important thing in this country is the army. It's a red line for Egyptians. If someone in the army makes mistakes, that's a problem. But we are humans and we make mistakes," he said, sitting on a cushion on the plastic mat-covered floor.

General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who ordered Morsi's removal after huge street protests against the president, has called for more rallies on Friday, challenging the Muslim Brotherhood which is planning its own marches.

The Brotherhood has accused Sisi of staging a coup and say they fear the return of a "police state."

Morsi himself has not been seen in public since July 3 and has been held at an undisclosed location.

Even the family has not heard from him, but asked if he feared for his brother's safety, Sayed said: "I've never been afraid in my life. I only fear God. He is protecting Egypt."

Outside the village's main mosque, men in long robes emerged from midday prayers and offered similar sentiments. "The army is not Sisi," said Ali Ibrahim, a farmer. "The army is my son, my brother, my uncle. The army belongs to us, it is made up of us."

Mohammed Morsi's life was shaped by his membership of the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement he joined while studying in California more than three decades ago.

Sayed credits the army with instilling the values that are helping him through this difficult time, speaking fondly of his mandatory military service in 1983 and 1984 and saying the army gives Egyptian men their sense of "manhood."

"The army teaches Egypt's sons how to work, how to think. You learn what to do when you are in a hard place, when you face a difficult situation."

Al-Adwa's roughly 5,000 people voted overwhelmingly for Morsi in last year's elections, breaking with the rest of the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya, who chose his opponent.

While there was still much sympathy for their local hero, who visited the village twice during his short-lived presidency, there is also lively criticism of his Muslim Brotherhood.

"He is a man of our village. We know he's a good person," said Ismail Mohamed al-Saddiq, 43, a farmer and a father of three who also does construction work to make ends meet.

"His problem was that he brought the Muslim Brotherhood into all of the seats of power. That made people mad," said Saddiq as he sat under a tree next to rows of tall corn stalks with his eldest son Mohamed, while his brother Ehab shovelled cow manure.

"Morsi or no Morsi, we all wanted someone to fix the country: to make it better, not worse," he added, voicing a demand of the original 2011 uprising, when Egyptians of all colors united to topple the autocratic Hosni Mubarak.

Down the street from the mosque, a woman selling olives and pickled lemons and onions said she feared for Egypt at a time when nearly 200 people have died in violence since Morsi's overthrow.

"The Muslim Brotherhood should have mercy upon us and let the army do its work. They had their chance and didn't know what to do," said Sahar Ibrahim, 38, as she bounced her toddler on her lap. "People are dying every day. The army needs to be in charge to protect the country, to stabilize things, so people can live in security." 

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Calgary gang member agrees to 16 year sentence for turning on former associates - Globe and Mail

One of the players in Calgary's gang skirmishes over the past decade is turning on his former associates in exchange for a sentence of 16 years.

Michael Roberto pleaded guilty Thursday to five charges of conspiring to commit murder and committing murder for the benefit or at the direction of a criminal organization.

He admitted to walking into Calgary's Bolsa restaurant on New Year's Day 2009 and fatally shooting rival gang member Sanjeev Mann.

Another gang member, Aaron Bendle, and innocent bystander Keni S'ua were also killed in the Bolsa shooting, one of many involving the criminal gang FOB and its sworn enemies, the FOB Killers.

Last week, Calgary police said that after a five-year investigation, they had charged five men with the slayings of six people, including the three at the Bolsa restaurant.

Crown prosecutor Brian Holby characterized the plea bargain with Mr. Roberto as "a deal with a devil" but said there was no choice.

"We did not have a reasonable likelihood of conviction for many of the charges that were laid last week until he cooperated," said Holby.

"He was not prepared to cooperate with the Crown or with the police if he was forced to plead to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole for 25 years. So as a compromise, he agreed to plead guilty to a criminal organization charge, admitting the murder, because we thought it was important the truth come out."

Mr. Roberto and Nathan Zuccherato had previously been convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in the Bolsa shooting, but those were overturned and new trials were ordered after new evidence came to light.

Defence lawyer Paul Stern confirmed his client has agreed to testify against the others. With credit for time served, Mr. Roberto will have just eight years left to serve.

"It's, of course, always difficult when you have somebody who's admitting ... to very serious crimes, receiving a sentence that could be viewed as being on the lower end, where some people would think a very harsh sentence should be imposed," said Mr. Stern.

Mr. Zuccherato, 26, Nicholas Cypui Chan, 35, his brother Timothy Chan, 32, and Dustin Duke Darby, 30, are also charged in the 2008 shooting of Kevin Steven Anaya, 21, who was the victim of a drive-by shooting while walking to a home.

Mr. Zuccerato and Van Thoai Luc, 25, are also charged in the deaths of Tina Kong and Kevin Ses, who were shot at a restaurant while eating with two friends that same year.

Police say Mr. Ses was a loose associate of a gang member but Ms. Kong had no connection to illegal activity.

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Prince George given Canadian kids' books, blanket - Toronto Star

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OTTAWA—Kady MacDonald Denton, a renowned children's-book illustrator who lives in Peterborough, Ont., was thrilled when the royal baby was born on her 72nd birthday this week.

She was doubly thrilled on Thursday, however, to learn that one of her books, A Child's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes, was among 11 books chosen to be Canada's official gift to Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, born on Monday to Prince William and Kate.

"That's a very good choice because it's a tiny baby, and I couldn't be happier," Denton said when she learned of the honour.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor-General David Johnston announced on Thursday the array of gifts that Canada was sending to the royal baby.

A cream-coloured, muskox-wool blanket, embroidered with Canada's coat of arms and the royal birthdate, is currently being made for the little prince. A Canadian children's charity — yet to be named — will also receive $100,000 in honour of the birth.

As well, the Harpers and the Johnstons assembled a selection of children's books by Canadian authors and illustrators to send to the young prince. Roch Carrier's classic, The Hockey Sweater, is of course included in the package, as well as Robert Munsch's Love You Forever.

Nine other books, all recipients of the Governor-General's prize for children's literature over the years, were also chosen.

In addition to Denton's book, here are the titles that will grace the royal baby's library, courtesy of Canada:

Alphabeasts, by Wallace Edwards; Amos's Sweater, by Janet Lunn and Kim LaFave; Cats' Night Out, by Jon Klassen and Caroline Stutson; Le gros monstre qui aimait trop lire, by Lili Chartrand and Roger Girard; Imagine a Day, by Sarah L. Thomson and Rob Gonsalves; Lili et les poilus, by Caroline Merola, The Party by Barbara Reid; and Virginia Wolf, by Kyo Maclear and Isabelle Arsenault.

LaFave, who is based in British Columbia, was pleasantly surprised to hear that the book he illustrated back in the 1980s, Amos's Sweater, was one of the chosen titles.

"I'm not a huge royalist," LaFave confessed, "but I feel very honoured."

Amos, in the book, is a chilly, grumpy sheep who is tired of having his wool shorn and turned into sweaters, so he makes it his mission to get his wool back.

"It's a wonderful, wonderful story," LaFave said, though when asked whether there was a lesson in it for the young prince, he laughed and said: "I'm not sure."

Edwards, author of Alphabeasts, was also surprised and honoured. His late mother was a big follower of the monarchy, a member of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE), and she no doubt would have been delighted to know that her son had provided reading material to the newest member of the Royal Family.

Alphabeasts, like many of the books on the list, is one that is best read aloud to children. Edwards said it didn't even start as a book; it was originally just a series of animal drawings to correspond to letters of the alphabet — a project that just kept growing. By the time he got to the letter "L," he realized he might have a book on his hands. A copy of it was also given to U.S. President Barack Obama's children a few years ago, he said — also an official gift from Canada.

In the book, "G" doesn't stand for George, but it does stand for "giraffe," pictured with an array of drinks on its head. Edwards' favourite drawing in the book is "L" for lion, who is pictured combing tresses that resemble those on an old French king.

Denton, for her part, said her favourite rhyme in the book — the one she'd love to imagine being read to Prince George by his parents — is "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose."

"That's the one I would choose, but there are lots of others too," she said.

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RCMP probe Harb's expense claims on 'uninhabitable' home - Globe and Mail

A rural Ontario house that Senator Mac Harb designated as his primary residence so he could claim living expenses in Ottawa was "largely uninhabitable" for three years due to demolition and renovation, and later was only 0.01 per cent owned by him, an RCMP investigator alleges.

A sworn RCMP affidavit made public on Thursday reveals the Mounties are investigating the senator for alleged breach of trust over travel and expense claims he submitted for nearly 10 years between 2003 and 2013.

More Related to this Story

The RCMP provided the information to an Ontario judge to obtain documents and data from the Senate on Mr. Harb's travel and expense submission during the time that he was claiming a home in Cobden, Ont., and then later, one in Westmeath, Ont., as his primary residence.

Senators whose primary residences are more than 100 kilometres from Parliament Hill are allowed to claim living expenses to help cover the cost of staying in Ottawa for work.

"While he has owned homes in both Cobden and Westmeath, the investigation has shown that neither of those homes was his primary residence," RCMP Corporal Greg Horton wrote in the affidavit. "I believe he resides primarily in the [National Capital Region] and as such is not entitled to collect a housing allowance claiming that residence as 'secondary.' "

Cpl. Horton said in his affidavit that he thinks it was unlikely Mr. Harb or his family used the Cobden, house during the first three years after he purchased it in 2003.

"By all accounts, that house was largely uninhabitable for the first three years that he owned it due to demolition and reconstruction," the RCMP officer said.

Mr. Harb has not been charged, and the RCMP's allegations have not been proven in court.

Earlier this year, a Senate committee ordered Mr. Harb to repay about $51,000 in expense claims he had made over the past two years. He was told to return the money in May after independent auditors found that he spent more time in Ottawa than at the home he claimed at the time as his primary residence.

Mr. Harb agreed "under protest," but maintained the Senate's decision was illegal. He did not admit liability and has asked a court to quash the decision. Mr. Harb, a Liberal appointee to the Senate, has resigned from the Liberal caucus for the time being.

Cpl. Horton said in his affidavit that he thinks it was unlikely Mr. Harb or his family used a Cobden, Ont. house during the first three years after he purchased it in 2003.

"By all accounts, that house was largely uninhabitable for the first three years that he owned it due to demolition and reconstruction," the RCMP officer said.

He said a neighbour who kept cattle on the property "seldom saw Harb at the house and often had to reset the electrical breaker in the basement so that his cattle could receive water from the well."

The RCMP officer alleged a well that could provide enough water to support a family was only installed at the residence in May, 2006.

"If the well couldn't support a family, it is unlikely that Harb used it as a primary residence up to that time."

The affidavit said Mr. Harb sold the house in 2007 to Magdalene Teo, who served as Brunei's high commissioner to Canada at the time.

"[He] retained a .01 per cent interest in the house and continued to claim it as his primary residence until 2011, while collecting an allowance for his home in Ottawa."

Cpl. Horton said he's been unable to get a satisfactory explanation for the arrangement from Ms. Teo, who is "currently the Brunei ambassador to China."

Ms. Teo, he said, "has refused to speak to investigators about this situation and states that Harb paid the mortgage for her as 'rent' between 2007 and 2011."

"Without further details, this explanation lacks credibility," the Mountie said.

Mr. Harb later claimed a Westmeath, Ont. home as his primary residence. While one neighbour told RCMP that she does not believe the senator lives at the residence, another, the son of the woman who sold it to Mr. Harb, defended the senator. Leroy Behm told the Mounties that "people likely just don't see him because he arrives later in the evenings, and leaves early in the morning."

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Spain train driver to be questioned by police - CBC.ca

The driver of a Spanish train that derailed, killing at least 80 people, was under police guard in hospital on Friday after the accident, which an official source said was caused by excessive speed.

The eight-carriage train came off the tracks, hit a wall and caught fire just outside the pilgrimage destination Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain on Wednesday night. It was one of Europe's worst rail disasters.

In total, 178 people were taken to hospital after the crash near Santiago de Compostela, Spain. (CBC/Google)

The source had knowledge of the official investigation into a crash which brought misery to Santiago on Thursday, the day when it should have celebrated one of Europe's biggest Christian festivals.

A judge in Santiago de Compostela, capital of the northern Spanish region of Galicia, was assigned to investigate the accident. The judge ordered police to question the train's driver, named as 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon.

It was not clear what kind of injuries the driver had suffered. He was not arrested, but he was under a police guard at the hospital and was expected to be questioned on Friday.

State train company Renfe said the driver was a 30-year veteran of the firm with more than a decade of train driving experience. He had been driving trains on this line for about a year, the firm said.

The regional government said 95 people were still in hospital, 32 of them, including four children, in a serious condition. Medical experts were still trying to identify 13 of the bodies early on Friday, leaving distraught families to wait for definitive news.

With the festivities in Santiago cancelled on Thursday, hundreds of people went to the site of the wreck instead, where they watched cranes picking the mangled train carriages off the tracks.

"My brother-in-law lives close by and was helping pull out people, dead and alive, all night. He's very shaken. I've come now with some friends just to see how it all ends," said Manuel Garcia, one of the onlookers.

Video footage from a security camera showed the train, with 247 people on board, hurtling into a concrete wall at the side of the track as carriages jack-knifed and the engine overturned.

The train entered the bend at 190 km/h, according to local media reports. The speed limit on the curve was 80 km/h.

Investigators were trying to find out why the train was going so fast and why security devices to keep speed within permitted limits had not slowed it down.

The impact was so huge one carriage flew several metres into the air and landed on the other side of a concrete barrier. Bodies were strewn next to the tracks in the aftermath.

The dead included a U.S. citizen and a Mexican, and at least one British citizen was injured.

National mourning

Train traffic resumed on Friday morning on the tracks parallel to the where the accident took place.

Spain's rail safety record is better than the European average, ranking 18th out of 27 countries in terms of railway deaths per kilometre travelled, the European Railway Agency said. There were 218 train accidents in Spain between 2008 and 2011, well below the EU average of 426 for the same period.

The disaster happened at 8:41 p.m. local time on the eve of a festival dedicated to St. James, one of Jesus's 12 disciples, whose remains are said to rest in Santiago's centuries-old cathedral.

The apostle's shrine is the destination of the famous El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across the Pyrenees, which has been followed by Christians since the Middle Ages and has had a resurgence in popularity in recent decades.

Even though the festival was cancelled, pilgrims and tourists formed long lines to see the cathedral on Thursday.

"It's hard to make sense of a tragedy like this, especially on an occasion that is supposed to be joyous," said Jan Roser, a Catholic priest from Germany who had made the pilgrimage and was in Santiago for the festival.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a native of Galicia, visited the accident site and the main hospital on Thursday. He declared three days of official national mourning.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia also visited the injured in hospital.

"All of Spain is united in grief with the bereaved families," the king said.

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Lac Megantic: Mayor says town stuck with $4 million in unpaid bills for cleanup - Toronto Star

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LAC-MÉGANTIC, QUE—The American rail company behind the deadly explosion that destroyed a swath of this picturesque Quebec town has ignited a fury by failing to pay more than $4-million in cleanup bills and forcing Lac-Mégantic and the provincial government to pick up the tab.

"This situation is highly deplorable on the part of MM&A and completely unacceptable," said Lac-Mégantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche. "The town of Lac-Mégantic can no longer tolerate this situation at a time when efforts are multiplying to deal with this tragedy."

There was no clarification Tuesday from the office of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic's president and chief executive Robert Grindrod other than a "no comment" from his secretary.

The mayor's comments came within hours of the federal government on Tuesday imposing a series of nation-wide safety directives that set more rigorous standards for brake application and procedures for leaving trains unattended. The regulations also outlaw one-person crews, the likes of which were standard with Montreal, Maine & Atlantic at the time of the accident.

"The disaster brought to light several industry practices which have caused some concern," said Gerard McDonald, assistant deputy minister of safety and security at Transport Canada. "Given that, and with an abundance of precaution, we thought it would be prudent to implement these measures now."

Among Transport Canada's other recommendations, rail companies must:

• Ensure that all unattended locomotives on a main track and sidings are protected from unauthorized entry into the cab.
• Ensure the directional controls, commonly known as reversers, are removed from any unattended locomotives to prevent them from moving forward or backward.
• Ensure that hand brakes and automatic brakes are properly applied to trains left unattended.

Changes to rail-safety practices are the likely legacy of the deadliest train disaster in Quebec's modern history. But the dispute over who will pay MM&A's bills is the most immediate concern for the 6,000 residents of this town and the Quebec government, whose lawyers are trying to determine the most effective methods, other than a possibly protracted legal battle, to recoup the funds.

The money — $4,149,187.48 — was paid out to three companies under contract to MM&A to deal with the effects of the 5.7-million litres of crude oil that was spilled into the soil, lake, river and spewed into the air. At one point last week, the companies threatened to quit their work and take their vital equipment with them because they had not been paid 18 days after the July 6 train derailment and explosion.

Ed Burkhardt, the chairman of MM&A's parent company, Railworld, had vowed in the days after the accident that the company would do right by the town and victims of accident. That included paying compensation, helping in the cleanup and rebuilding the tracks.

But there was only silence on Tuesday in response to Roy-Laroche's revelation. No response from Burkhardt's Chicago offices, nor from the company's lawyer in Montreal.

Jim Carson, president of the Ottawa-based Eastern Canada Response Corporation, which goes by the French acronym SIMEC, said the rail company signed a contract for services in the event of an oil spill before the July 6 accident occurred. There was never any attempt or explanation for its failure to pay its $1,399,187.48 bill.

Another company, MD-UN, which is based in the Richelieu valley, south of Montreal, would have been out $2 million had the Quebec government not stepped in to pay the bill. The third firm, Arkansas-based Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH), approached city officials when its $750,000 bill went unpaid, according to a lawyer's letter sent to MM&A demanding that the city be reimbursed for the costs.

An official with CTEH, which works in the area of environmental monitoring, confirmed that the city stepped in to pay the bill, but could offer no reasons why the rail company could not, or would not, pay its bill.

Radio-Canada reported earlier this week that MM&A had reported to Canadian authorities a primary insurance plan that would cover the rail company for up to $25 million in damages. The expectation is that the final bill for the Lac-Mégantic clean up and recovery will work out to many multiples of that amount.

"I hope that MM&A will respect its responsibilities and act like a good corporate citizen," Roy-Laroche said.

Town lawyers are now demanding that, within the next 48 hours, the rail company provide it with a list of officials it has tasked with overseeing the cleanup effort; a daily update on how that work is proceeding; a complete list of the contractors it has hired; and a comprehensive plan to ensure better coordination.

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