Canada adds jobs for second straight month - The Telegram

In doing so, Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate also dropped for the second month in a row to 6.5 per cent, its lowest level since November 2008. The rate had stood at 6.8 per cent in September.

The agency's October report found the economy added 43,100 net new jobs, which followed an increase of 74,100 positions for September.

Until October, the monthly survey had alternated between job losses and gains every month since late 2012.

The second strong performance in a row was unexpected.

Economists had predicted the economy to lose 5,000 jobs in October and for the jobless rate to remain unchanged, according to Thomson Reuters.

But for National Bank senior economist Krishen Rangasamy, the number that really jumped out wasn't just the overall labour figure. It was the continuation of employment growth in the private sector.

The private sector also grew for the second month in a row, this time by 70,600 jobs. In September, Statistics Canada data said the private sector added 123,600 positions.

Rangasamy described the combined increase of 194,200 private-sector jobs as the most-positive nugget in the survey.

"You've never seen such a big number on record going back to (1976)," he said of the two-month gain.

"Something is happening and I think you shouldn't underestimate the impact of the U.S. resurgence on the Canadian economy."

Manufacturing, which added 33,200 more jobs in October, was one area of the private sector that saw an increase. It was a two per cent boost from a year earlier, the jobs report said.

The data also listed gains in retail and wholesale trade, finance, insurance, real estate and leasing.

Provincially, the survey listed job gains in Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, while employment decreased in New Brunswick. Other provinces saw only marginal changes in employment.

Statistics Canada also found the youth unemployment rate for October fell 0.9 percentage points to 12.6 per cent, as fewer young people searched for work. However, the report said on a year-over-year basis, youth employment increased by 39,000 positions, or 1.6 per cent.

Mark Hopkins, senior economist at Moody's Analytics, was surprised by the overall survey results, which he believes could signal the Canadian economy has turned a corner.

"I'm always reluctant to read too much into the last two data points, but clearly we're seeing a different pattern in terms of the job-market performance that we've seen over the previous year," Hopkins said.

He added, however, he doesn't expect the unemployment rate to fall again in November, predicting it might even climb back up a tick or two.

But that wouldn't mean a reversal in the promising trend, he added.

"I think there has been a shift and a strengthening now," Hopkins said.

He believes the momentum, which shows the economy is approaching its potential, will make it increasingly difficult for Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz to maintain the trendsetting interest rate at its low level for an extended period.

Last month, the central bank kept its overnight-rate target at one per cent, where it's been for more than four years, because of pressures on inflation like the lower dollar, cheap oil prices and lacklustre global economic growth.

The bank projected the Canadian economy to gradually return to its full production capacity in the latter half of 2016.

"I think that the Bank of Canada is going to be put in a bit of a tighter spot after this morning's release in terms of defending its position," Hopkins said.

The job numbers came as Finance Minister Joe Oliver prepared to unveil the federal government's fall fiscal and economic update on Nov. 12 in Toronto. Oliver's office has said it will not contain any new fiscal measures.

In the past, the minister has downplayed the significance of the month-to-month results in Statistics Canada's labour force survey, but on Friday he took the unusual step of holding a news conference to discuss them.

"As I said before, we don't rely on one single month but when we have two months ... then of course you start to see a trend, which is very positive," he told reporters.

"Our plan for jobs and growth is working in spite of a fragile international economic environment."

Rangasamy said he usually recommends people examine the 12-month moving average to ensure the volatile monthly jobs data is smoothed out.

Looking at that figure, he said Canada is adding jobs at a "decent pace" of roughly 15,000 per month. Before the recession, he estimated the economy was gaining about 20,000-25,000 jobs each month.

"Things are not that bad," Rangasamy said.

— With files from Linda Nguyen in Toronto

FAST FACTS

A quick look at October unemployment from Statistics Canada (previous month in brackets):

•   Unemployment rate: 6.5 per cent (6.8)

•    Employment rate: 61.6 per cent (61.5)

•    Labour force participation rate: 66.0 per cent (66.0)

•    Number unemployed: 1,258,800 (1,297,700)

•    Number working: 17,968,600 (17,925,500)

•    Youth (15-24 years) unemployment: 12.6 per cent (13.5)

•    Men (25 plus) unemployment: 5.8 per cent (5.9)

•    Women (25 plus) unemployment: 5.1 per cent (5.1)

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Terrorist plot to assassinate the Queen stopped by U.K. police (Breaking News) - DigitalJournal.com

Details are still coming to light but the report in the Sun said that the four, described only as "Islamist terrorists," intended to carry out their attack at the Royal British Legion Festival on Saturday. However, there was at least one report that said the attack was to have taken place on Friday. It is not known how the British police discovered that the plot existed. The Sun also said that the four plotters were planning to attack the 88-year-old Queen at the Royal Albert Hall during a celebration to mark the end of the first World War. They were, the Sun said, planning to stab her. The four arrested also had access to firearms and bombs, though the veracity of those reports could not be confirmed. Further reports say that the police went to four separate addresses to make the arrests. This news involving comes on the heels of better news about her that came the day before when the Royal Mint announced that a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth will be adorning U.K. coins next year. The Royal Mint said that there will be a closed competition to win the design of it. Despite having been told by the police that a plot had existed to take her life, the Queen will be appearing at her regularly scheduled events on Saturday and beyond.

16.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ghomeshi case not about "you" - Toronto Sun

So it's come to this. The national conversation about sexual harassment has delved into full-on meaningless mania.

That shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Remember when everyone was obsessed with bullying for about 18 months?

The conversation started legitimately enough. A couple teens had committed suicide in reaction to very aggressive forms of bullying that weren't even really bullying – they were assault. Full stop. They were criminal actions and at the time they happened people downplayed them or looked the other way. Clearly the system had failed these young people and their families.

Yet the narrative quickly spun out of control. Suddenly, we were told, there was bullying everywhere. It was happening all the time. We were all victims. Laws needed to be toughened, committees formed, hundreds of support workers hired.

Everyone wanted their shot at glory so came forward with stories about how someone had once been mean to them or how they had a grumpy boss who didn't say please and thank you every time she wanted a report handed in on time. The answer to these grievances was obvious: Get in line and grow a pair.

It was amazing how low the barriers for entry were for people trying to claim victimhood status alongside deceased youth who had been exposed to horrific treatment. Shameless, really.

But that's the "me first" social media culture we live in. Let's make everything about "me"!

That's where we're at now in the Jian Ghomeshi narrative. It was going well for a while. There were the initial allegations, very serious ones. Then more came forward. Then there was the worry that nothing would be done because the police hadn't been called in yet. That would have been a shame and a lost opportunity for justice to run its course. Then it happened and the police received complaints. So an investigation began. That's a good thing – because serious allegations of a criminal nature need to enter the legal system and anyone found guilty must be held to account.

At that point the public should have cooled down and let the system do its thing. The only genuine way to send a message to people that we won't tolerate this behaviour is to punish the wrongdoers. But instead things sped up at a breakneck pace.

It looks like we're at a point where we're all supposed to think really hard about our past so the next time we're at a dinner party we can lament that we too have been victims of sexual harassment.

OK, fine. Here's mine: Yes, I've had people say inappropriate things to me both at work and in social circles.

Yes, over the years I've been touched by older women and men and I didn't want to be and it pissed me off. Sometimes I told them off for it and sometimes I didn't.

But here's the thing: I'm not crying about it. I'm not a victim. And I'm not about to imply, as some bloggers and tweeters and at least one national TV commentator has done, that having your junk grabbed puts you in the same conversation as someone who has been beaten or raped.

(And let's be honest: People are only coming forward to lament about unwanted attention. Nobody is kvetching about the surprise squeeze from the guy they've had their eye on. I'd like to take this opportunity to brag that I've been unexpectedly touched by a few hotties over the years too. Does that make me a victim of rape culture?)

Some people have come forward to say they were raped by someone they knew. How brave (no sarcasm). Some people have come forward to say there's a guy a few cubicles down who tells dirty jokes. How brave (heavy sarcasm).

That the latter can even think they have something to add to the conversation shows how mind-bogglingly self-centred our culture has become.

What we're actually doing by lumping everything in together like this is making a mockery of the women who have made serious allegations against Ghomeshi.

Just like public discourse did during the bullying mania.

This is why most conversations about bullying and rape culture are a sham. Because it becomes a party and everyone's invited. No grievance is too small.

So while a couple attention seekers dominate the public square with their ridiculous blathering, the real victims are pushed into the corner and forgotten.

If you've been assaulted, call the cops. Please. It matters. You matter. Everyone else? Back off. It's not about you.

16.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada, China ink an array of commercial deals worth more than $1 billion - Winnipeg Free Press

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: The Canadian Press

Posted: 11/8/2014 12:36 AM | Comments:

BEIJING, China - Prime Minister Stephen Harper was surrounded by Chinese business representatives clamouring to have their photo taken with him today after he announced an array of commercial deals with China.

At a Canada-China business luncheon in Beijing, Harper witnessed the signing of more than 20 deals between Canadian and Chinese organizations valued at more than $1 billion.

They include an investment deal in the sustainable technologies sectors to combat air pollution in China.

Harper then made a speech to the conference, telling the audience that Canada hopes to narrow the significant trade imbalance between Canada and China, creating Canadian jobs as a result.

Following the speech, the crowd was told the prime minister would pose for photos with anyone interested. Within minutes, dozens of Chinese business people flooded to the front of the room to pose beside the smiling Harper.

Later today, Harper is expected to announce that Canada and China have signed a deal to make Canada the first Chinese currency hub in the Americas.

The deal will foster far easier trade between the Canadian dollar and the Chinese yuan, also known as the renminbi.

Follow Lee-Anne Goodman on Twitter @leeanne25

16.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vision Vancouver list reveals $2.2-million in campaign donations - The Globe and Mail

Vancouver's ruling civic party has already raised $2.2-million this year alone, with corporations – especially those in the local development industry – accounting for two-thirds of that.

Vision Vancouver has also received $320,000 from unions so far. About 4,500 individual supporters have contributed nearly $500,000 through small donations.

More Related to this Story

It is unusual for Vancouver residents voting in the civic election have that kind of information prior to election day.

But the two major parties, which raised $5-million between them in the year prior to the 2011 election, have come under increasing pressure to be open about who is funding their campaigns.

Under B.C. law, parties don't have to file campaign finance disclosures for 90 days after the Nov. 15 election.

The Non-Partisan Association's Kirk LaPointe was the first to promise to release the information, after a meeting with The Globe's Vancouver reporting team last week. He had said the campaign-finance list would be ready by Thursday, but his team is now saying it won't come out until Friday morning.

Vision had originally said no to the idea, but then said it would produce a list by Monday, and then delayed it, claiming it had to add in a lot of new donors from a fundraising dinner last week.

The Green Party, OneCity and the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) have all released their contribution information, although none has raised anything near the Vision and expected NPA amounts.

COPE, the city's long-established left-wing party, had raised the most of the three minor parties, with $60,000 in 2014. About $18,000 came from unions and $5,000 from one of the party's stalwarts, lawyer Tim Louis.

The biggest donor to Vision Vancouver in its 119-page list appears to be a local restaurant magnate and his chain. David Aisenstat is recorded as having given $100,000, while his Keg Restaurant donated $40,000, and the Charles F. White Corporation, which is affiliated with it, gave $75,000. (Totals for corporations may change, as the list includes some numbered companies and some companies whose connections can only be ascertained by a check of corporate records.)

Mr. Aisenstat had been on the board of the Vancouver Art Gallery for many years, as it pressed to get city support for building a new facility. The gallery has been given tentative permission to build on a city block, if it can raise enough money without city help.

Another prominent donor is Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, who gave $75,000 through a combination of an individual donation and one through his company Low Tide Properties. He has repeatedly said he supports Mayor Gregor Robertson's green vision for the city.

Critics have claimed that the new Point Grey bike lane, which runs in front of his $54-million house, was created for him, a charge he has laughed at. Other non-development-related donors include MCL Motors ($50,000), the Vancouver Taxi Association ($53,000), Busters Towing ($10,000), Cactus Restaurants ($25,000), mining financier Russ Beaty of Lumina Group ($30,000) and Great Canadian Gaming Corporation ($10,000).

But the city's development industry is by far the biggest contributor. Among the many development, construction, marketing, and architecture companies that donated were:

• PCI Group and Andrew Grant, who got a rezoning from the city for the Marine Gateway tower, now under construction at the foot of Cambie Street: $35,000 through his company Faith Hope Investments Corporation and $1,000 through PCI
• Magnum Projects, a major marketing company currently handling the new Telus Garden and Trump Vancouver projects: $75,000
• Aquilini Investment Group, the Aquilini family company that is currently building office towers around the stadium where the Aquilini-owned Canucks play: $60,000
• Holborn Holdings, the Malaysia-based company that is redeveloping the former Little Mountain social housing site and building the Trump hotel on Georgia Street: $75,000
• Rennie Marketing, the company owned by Bob Rennie, who marketed the Olympic Village: $26,000
• RPMG Holdings, a company affiliated with the development company Onni: $50,000.
• Wall Development, which gave nearly a quarter million for the 2011 election: $15,000
• Gordon Nelson, a Vancouver rental apartment owner who has been in the news on occasion because of renovictions at a couple of his properties: $25,000.

Follow Frances Bula on Twitter: @fabulavancouver

More Related to this Story

Topics:

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Soldier dies after training incident at CFB Wainwright, Alta. - CBC.ca

A Canadian soldier has died after a training incident at CFB Wainwright, Alta., on Monday.

Pte. Steven Allen, 20, from Victoria was injured when a lookout post collapsed. 

He died at the University of Alberta hospital in Edmonton on Wednesday. 

Another soldier who was not named received minor injuries in the same structure collapse.

Public affairs officer Fraser Logan said these lookout posts are usually wooden structures built on a shipping container and surrounded by sandbags. 

"While it's open to the elements, open to the environment, it would provide a bit of protection from rain and wind," he said. 

Logan said the collapse occurred during a normal exercise in the field. He said people taking part in the exercise were training to become regular members of the infantry. 

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is looking into the incident. Defence officials will not release any additional details at this time about what happened. 

"We are deeply saddened by this incident," said Lt.-Col. Sean Trenholm, commanding officer of 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, in a news release.

"Our immediate focus is to provide support to the family of Pte. Allen and ensure members of the unit are provided the assistance they need to deal with the loss of their comrade."

In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences to Allen's family. 

"On behalf of all Canadians, Laureen and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Pte. Steven Allen," he said. "We also offer our prayers for the quick recovery of the other injured member of the Canadian Armed Forces."

Norma Chantler, an aunt from Windsor, Ont., told CBC News on Thursday that Allen is survived in his immediate family by his parents and a younger brother.

"It's such a trauma for us, this 20-year-old man who had realized his childhood dream should die in this manner," said Chantler.

Allen grew up in Windsor, and then moved with his family to Victoria when he was around 16 years old, she said.

Chantler added that, "it just was such a terrible shock for us that this would hit our own family," as they had grieved along with other Canadians after two soldiers were killed in in violent attacks in late October in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Ottawa.

Chantler said it was her understanding that Allen was kept on life support until Wednesday evening, and that a funeral will be held in Victoria on Nov. 11.

Allen joined the Canadian Forces in October 2013 and completed his basic training in February.

He was training to join the infantry at the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre in Wainwright.

This is the second time this year that a soldier has died during a training exercise at the base, which is located about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.  

In May, Lt.-Col. Daniel Bobbitt was killed when a​ light-armoured vehicle overturned during a training exercise.

Four others were injured in that incident. 

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Being a German born in 1989 - Deutsche Welle

The Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago. Germany has since grown up, and a whole generation that never knew divided Germany has grown up with unity. People like DW's Greta Hamann.

I've never been very good at remembering historical dates. Except one: 1989. The year when the Wall between East and West fell. The year I was born. I was barely six months old when the first border crossing opened for the people of East Germany, and my mother says I was asleep in her arms as she watched the news on TV.

The first time I consciously encountered the Wall was in the garden of a house in Recklinghausen, a town in the Ruhr region of western Germany. There it stood, but this slab of wall did not stir any feelings in me - except perhaps for bafflement about why people would put an old hunk of concrete in their garden rather than plant some nice flowers.

DW's Greta Hamann

'Is the Wall still standing?'

At 16, I went to Brazil as an exchange student, and the questions began on my first day at the school: "Is the Wall still standing?" or, "What's life like in Alemanha oriental [East Germany]?" I didn't speak Portuguese, so I just gave them a confused look and wondered what Germany had to do with the Orient. And what wall were they talking about anyway? The students kept asking, and at some point I realized - they're talking about the GDR. No, I told them, the Wall was gone. But because of my lack of both Portuguese and knowledge of the history of my country I couldn't tell them much more than that.

A few years later I went to university. Another student, who I had made friends with, came from a village on the Baltic coast in the region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. "Oh great! The beach!" I thought. "Yes, I come from the East," she said. I stopped. She was right. I hadn't thought of that. The categories of East and West just didn't exist for me. Germany - that had always been clear to me - was one country. When I meet someone from eastern Germany it's the same as meeting someone who grew up in Bavaria or Lower Saxony. Of course there are regional differences - we speak in different accents, experienced different things in our childhoods and at our schools. But still, we have more in common than things that set us apart.

'Stop pretending everything is fine'

Unfortunately, not all Germans share this point of view, especially those that come from the East: "Stop pretending everything is fine," one headline in the current edition of German news weekly Die Zeit read. It made me feel guilty. So everything isn't fine?

The headline belonged to a series of articles in Die Zeit in which young East Germans explained what they think is still wrong with reunified Germany. Or what annoys them about the West Germans, or "Wessis." "So, are you back in dark Germany?" one of them gets asked by a western friend when he returns home. Another complains about arrogant Wessis who barely know eastern Germany and think they know everything. Another says that the process of reunification is just a one-way street: "What was East Germany allowed to contribute? Not much."

It's time to celebrate again, and not be stuck in old prejudices, says Hamann

I call Professor Klaus Schröder, director of a GDR research association at the Free University in Berlin, who addresses these questions every day. "A lot of East Germans say that West Germans - especially those from North Rhine-Westphalia - 'aren't interested in us. They're not interested in our history or our stories.' And it's true." It seems that I belong to a particularly ignorant group of Germans.

Young people's minds changing

Cologne central railway station. I weave my way through the kiosks. There's the current edition of Neon, Germany's biggest young people's magazine. "Seventy-eight percent of young adults believe in true love," the cover page screams at me in garish colors. "Half of them consider social justice as the most important aim of politics. One in five women shave their arm-pits. This is who we are!" The magazine is advertising a poll it conducted, among 1,000 Germans aged between 18 and 35, on a variety of subjects.

One of these was German unity. Fourteen percent, it said, believe that eastern and western Germany are substantially different. It was more than twice as many in 2005. Next question: "How do you judge German reunification?" Forty-seven percent think that it was successful - an opinion that only 14 percent had six years ago. And only a very small proportion (four percent) believes that reunification has been a complete disaster.

It can't be so bad then, I think to myself in relief. The tendency that this poll shows is unambiguous: We're getting somewhere. And only the fewest people will deny that Germany is one country today. We just have to wait a few more years, get to know each other a little better, undo the lingering injustices between East and West, and at some point we can consign the "Arrogant Westerners" to the history books, and put them next to the pictures of our peaceful revolution. We'll be glad for the fall of the Wall, and laugh about the strange prejudices we once had.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Harper's focuses on economic ties in China - Globalnews.ca

HANGZHOU, China – Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the pitch for Canadian exporters on Friday while also extolling Canada as an excellent place to do business during his third visit to China.

Harper attended a China-Canada business conference where he said that a half-million Canadian jobs depend upon Canadian-Chinese trade.

He added to chuckles from the crowd that while the number might not seem significant to the most populous country on the planet, it is to Canada.

Harper also announced that Canada will open new trade offices in Hangzhou, Xi'an, Xiamen and Tianjin — some of China's fastest growing areas.

The Prime Minister's Office said the locations were selected because their needs match Canadian strengths, particularly in the areas of information technology, electronics, automotive, aerospace, medicine, energy and finance sectors.

Following his brief remarks, Harper took a morning stroll through the bustling downtown shopping district, making his way to a traditional medicine museum.

Curious onlookers gathered on the colourful sidelines, waving at Harper and his wife, Laureen, and snapping photos on their smartphones.

Inside the museum, the prime minister held up some Canadian ginseng, declaring: "Canadian ginseng … The most expensive here, the best … That is why we're here."

He also travelled to the stately lakeside Zheijian state guest house, where he was greeted by Chinese officials, including the party secretary of the Zheijiang province.

Later Friday, he met with Jack Ma, the executive chairman of Alibaba Group, the world's largest mobile commerce company, to discuss how Canadian businesses can leverage e-commerce platforms like Alibaba to grow their businesses internationally.

Harper lauded Canada's low corporate tax rate and debt levels during a question-and-answer session at Alibaba, portraying Canada as an exceedingly attractive place to do business for Chinese investors.

"We have a pretty important relationship here and pretty important opportunities," Harper said.

Alibaba sells Canadian goods on its site, ranging from Atlantic lobsters to Roots apparel and Niagara ice wines. Chairman Jack Ma says 100 million people are online shopping on Alibaba at any given moment, adding that his company wants to help Canadian small- and medium-sized companies get established.

He added Alibaba might set up a Canadian operation.

Harper travels to Beijing on Saturday, where he'll meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has called for a more open form of government since taking office in 2012.

Harper has been urged by human rights activists to bring up China's human rights record while in the country. The PMO says human rights will indeed be on Harper's agenda.

The prime minister's latest visit to China was almost scrubbed entirely due to tense relations between the two countries in recent months.

Harper accused China of cyber espionage over the summer, while China accused a Canadian couple living in China of being spies.

Some Conservative cabinet ministers, including Jason Kenney, are uneasy about forging closer ties to China, in part due to human rights concerns.

But with China's middle class exploding, business groups have urged the government to strengthen the relationship.

Harper is leading a delegation of Canadian business representatives during his China trip. Industry Minister James Moore and International Trade Minister Ed Fast are also along for the visit.

Perrin Beatty, head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, moderated the session at Alibaba.

Follow Lee-Anne Goodman on Twitter @leeanne25

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Remembrance Day through the years - CBC.ca

It began as a visceral response to the terrible death toll of the First World War, but for Canadians, Remembrance Day has evolved into a tribute to all military dead and a celebration of the Canadian Forces in general.

The victory of 1918 came at a heavy cost. From a population of about 7.8 million, Canada had put about 620,000 men and women into uniform during the war. Almost 10 per cent were lost.

"With some 60,000 Canadians killed, the war produced a profound sense of loss in a country whose greatest military tragedy to date had been 267 dead in the South African War of 1899-1902," the Veterans Affairs Department says.

In 1919, there were calls for some sort of commemoration to mourn the dead and pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands who fought.

That year, King George V urged that people observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. local time across the Commonwealth and Empire.

It was first called Armistice Day, recalling the ceasefire agreement of Nov. 11, 1918, that silenced the guns after more than four years of carnage.

In Canada, from 1921 to 1930, Armistice Day was observed on the Monday of the week in which Nov. 11 fell. But that Monday was also Thanksgiving and many veterans were upset at the combination of a solemn commemoration and a harvest celebration.

As memorials and cenotaphs were built in cities, towns and villages across the country, many gathered there for Nov. 11 commemorations, holiday or not.

At its founding convention in Winnipeg, the Canadian Legion passed a resolution affirming that Armistice Day should be Nov. 11 and began lobbying Parliament to enshrine the date in law.

In 1931, a British Columbia MP, Alan Neill, introduced a bill to fix the date as Nov. 11 and rename it Remembrance Day.

Poppy popularity spurred by American woman

Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday for the Canadian federal government as well as in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

New Democrat MP Dan Harris has a private member's bill before the House of Commons which would make Remembrance Day a national statutory holiday. The bill received second reading, or approval in principle, on Wednesday.

The red poppy, the ubiquitous symbol of remembrance which blossoms on Canadian lapels every November, was forever linked to the First World War and its casualties through John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Fields.

But its use was first championed by an American woman, Moina Michael who was entranced by McCrae's poem and led a successful campaign to have the American Legion adopt the poppy as an official symbol of remembrance in 1920. It soon spread to France and by the following year it had also been adopted in Canada, Britain and Australia.

After its formation in 1925, the Canadian Legion, which became the Royal Canadian Legion in 1959, ran the annual poppy campaign.

In 1939, the towering National War Memorial in Ottawa was officially opened by King George VI. The cenotaph to commemorate the dead of the First World War was unveiled just months before the outbreak of the Second World War.

It now bears the dates of both those wars, as well as the Korean War. The Conservative government has said it wants to add the dates of the Afghanistan War as well.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier added in 2000

In May 2000, the bronze and granite Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to the foot of the memorial. The remains of an unidentified Canadian were taken from a military cemetery near Vimy Ridge in France and re-interred in the tomb in a solemn service.

The centrepiece of Remembrance Day now is the main service held at the national memorial in Ottawa. The televised ceremony includes the Governor General and the prime minister, as well as the Silver Cross mother. She is selected by the Legion each year to represent all parents mourning the loss of a child in uniform.

Crowds at the service can run into the thousands and the ceremony has become as much a tribute to those in uniform as it is to their dead. As the ranks of Second World War vets dwindle — the youngest are approaching 90 — men and women from decades of peacekeeping missions and Afghanistan step up.

The war memorial came into sharp focus last month when a ceremonial guard at the Tomb was shot and killed by an assailant who attacked Parliament moments later.

In the aftermath, hundreds of people went to pay their respects to the murdered soldier and left the Tomb piled with bouquets, poppies, photos, poems and mementos, including a can of beer.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd murder plot charge dropped - Irish Times

New Zealand prosecutors have dropped a murder-for-hire charge against AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, saying there was not enough evidence to proceed.

The 60-year-old member of the Australian band still faces charges of possessing methamphetamine and marijuana and making threats to kill.

Tauranga Crown Solicitor Greg Hollister-Jones said his office became responsible for prosecuting Mr Rudd after he had been charged by police and had appeared in court.

"The file was obtained today and reviewed," Mr Hollister-Jones said, adding he "made the decision that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the charge of attempting to procure murder".

Mr Rudd's lawyer Paul Mabey said the decision to charge him was made by police without consulting prosecutors.

"The charge alleging an attempt to procure murder should never have been laid," Mr Mabey said.

"Mr Rudd has suffered unnecessary and extremely damaging publicity as a result of widespread and sensational reporting of a very serious allegation, which on any basis was never justified. The damage to Mr Rudd is incalculable."

He said the drug charges were minor offences. Rudd has lived in the seaside city, about 200 kms (125 miles) southeast of New Zealand's biggest city Auckland, since he was sacked from the band in 1983. He rejoined AC/DC in 1994, but has remained in New Zealand, where he owns a restaurant.

Attempting to procure murder carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

AC/DC said the arrest of its drummer would not affect its upcoming tour or album release. The band released a statement through publicist Benny Tarantini, saying band members had "only become aware of Phil's arrest as the news was breaking".

"We have no further comment. Phil's absence will not affect the release of our new album Rock Or Bust and upcoming tour next year," the statement said.

The band has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

The chart-topping hard-rock group was formed in Sydney by Malcolm Young and brother Angus, famous for his school-boy outfits, who had moved to Australia from Scotland in 1963. Their international hits include Shoot to Thrill, Thunderstruck, Highway to Hell and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

Rock Or Bust is due to be released on December 2nd and will be the band's first new studio album in six years. AC/DC plans to promote it during a world tour next year.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Energy East is truly in the national interest - The Globe and Mail

Frank McKenna is a former premier of New Brunswick and former Canadian ambassador to the United States.

TransCanada's filing with the National Energy Board for approval of its $12-billion Energy East project marks a significant milestone in the evolution of our country's economic landscape.

At its core, Energy East intends to transport up to 1.1 million barrels of Western Canadian crude to Eastern Canada per day. It means the conversion of 3,000 kilometres of underutilized natural gas pipe and the construction of 1,600 kilometres of new oil pipeline, primarily in Quebec and New Brunswick.

More Related to this Story

But in reality, Energy East represents far more than that.

With more than 175 billion barrels of oil, Canada ranks third in the world in proven crude oil reserves – the largest oil reserve in the world that is open for private investment. And while Canada is already reaping huge economic benefits from development of the oil sands, the economic potential is even more staggering.

In fact, according to a report by Deloitte, it's estimated that the oil sands will create $2.1-trillion in economic benefits across Canada in the next 25 years, including more than $780-billion in taxes paid to the federal and provincial governments.

Alas, even with this huge economic impact on the country, there is much money lost by being captive to a single market. Ninety-eight per cent of our oil production goes to the United States. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce recently estimated that we have been losing as much as $50-million a day because of the lack of a competitive market for our production. Imagine what Canadians could do with that extra money. A pipeline to tidal water and global markets will help mitigate these losses.

There are other benefits to the country as well.

In Western Canada, we have large reserves of oil and yet in Eastern Canada, we have three refineries (two in Quebec and one in New Brunswick) that import about 80 per cent of their feedstock. These are oil imports of about 700,000 barrels a day that Eastern Canadians rely on, coming from countries such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Angola and Venezuela.

Energy East is not only capable of displacing 100 per cent of this foreign oil, it can also help provide an element of energy security and stability that Eastern Canadians have never enjoyed. That is to say nothing of the forecasted cost of oil supplied to eastern refineries, which some estimate could decline by more than $10 a barrel, leading to lower gasoline prices at the pump.

In addition to serving as a much-needed outlet to bring Western Canada's oil to new markets, and providing a greater measure of energy self-sufficiency for Eastern Canada, Energy East has even more allure.

With the International Energy Agency projecting a global demand for energy products to expand by 35 per cent in the next 25 years, the Energy East export terminals in Quebec and Saint John will pave the way for our oil and gas exports to increase substantially beyond their current total of 18 per cent of Canada's total exports. And all along the way, from exploration and recovery to transportation and use, Energy East will deliver thousands upon thousands of jobs for Canadians from coast to coast.

In fact, Energy East changes the game for the entire oil-and-gas sector in Canada. It's good for Alberta, opening up access to domestic and world markets. It helps Eastern Canada rid itself of its dependency on foreign supplies of oil that often come from countries with considerable instability and values that are not ours. In addition, there are significant benefits for all provinces in terms of job creation and badly needed tax revenues. Along with tremendous short-term benefits, it presents intriguing downstream development opportunities for the East Coast, providing a glimmer of hope to a perpetually struggling regional economy. Access to lower price labour and materials as well as tidal water capable of importing lower cost inputs represent very interesting opportunities for future mutually beneficial collaboration.

Our country has always had its regional differences, and the Energy East pipeline is not going to change that by itself. That said, following the National Energy Board's due diligence and further input from various parties (including First Nations and environmental organizations), I would hope that one thing becomes abundantly clear. The Energy East project represents one of those rare opportunities to bring all provinces and regions of this country together to support a project that will benefit us all, and that is truly in the national interest.

In fact, it's being suggested more and more, that Energy East, much like the Canadian railway, is a true representation of nation-building at its very best. And, as we approach the country's 150th anniversary in 2017, it is my fervent hope that by the time we're celebrating that historic moment, Energy East will be well on its way to becoming reality.

Follow us on Twitter: @GlobeDebate

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kids belong in school on Remembrance Day - Welland Tribune

The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions.

It's also littered with half-baked, ill-thought-out private member's bills put forward by politicians looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

Scarborough NDP MP Dan Harris's private member's bill to make Remembrance Day a statutory holiday is a good example.

It passed second reading Wednesday and now goes to the Senate, where I hope they give it some serious sober second thought.

The provinces will have to enact their own legislation to make the day a statutory holiday across the country.

I say no.

If we give everyone a day off on Nov. 11, it will become just another day off. Families will turn it into a long weekend and head south. Kids will head to the mall instead of the war memorial.

School children belong in the classroom on Remembrance Day.

When my sons were young, their schools did a terrific job honouring the day and teaching kids about Canada's proud military history.

Occasionally, a veteran would be invited into the classroom to talk about his experiences.

One of my sons attended Courcelette School — ironically in Harris's Scarborough Southwest riding.

The school and the street it's on are named for the Battle of Courcelette — part of the First World War Somme campaign in which Canadians played a vital role.

This country's military has a proud and storied history. Every town, every city, every village has their war memorial where generations of young people have remembered the ultimate sacrifice so many young people made in far-off fields.

In recent years, the crowds at various Remembrance ceremonies have grown and that, I believe, is largely because we've taught our children well when it comes to remembering those who've served and those who've died for this country.

The act of remembering is not something we do on an individual basis. It is a collective activity where many congregate as one to keep the faith with those who died — as we pledged we would.

Some of the most moving ceremonies I've attended have been at schools, where teachers have often put remarkable creativity and sensitivity into passing along to young people the importance of what those young men and women died for — and why we must always remember their sacrifice.

Once upon a time, it was routine for workplaces to observe the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. At the old Toronto Telegram, the lights would flicker at that time, and the newsroom clatter would suddenly hush as everyone stood to remember those who had fallen.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has made no formal statement about the Nov. 11 statutory holiday and Finance Minister Charles Sousa didn't know enough about it to comment on Wednesday.

He "wouldn't speculate" on the economic impact to business of another stat holiday — although you'd think his government would have a fairly good idea, since they instituted February's Family Day. Did they do that on a wing and a prayer, or did they do economic impact studies?

"A lot of our students, a lot of the school kids are out on the curbs recognizing that day and it's important for all of us to remember our history and more importantly to support our troops," Sousa told reporters.

Well, thank you for that platitude.

Tory leader Jim Wilson said he'd trade Family Day for Nov. 11 as a stat holiday, but wants to see what veterans think.

"I think it's something we should look at, but I know the Legions are split," he said.

"I'd worry about the impact on business."

Remembrance Day is far from broke. There's no need to fix it. What's important is that we keep alive the values and the history that made this country great. We need to do that in the classroom.

On Nov. 11.

Lest we forget.

christina.blizzard@sunmedia.ca

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard blasted for speaking English at conference ... - National Post

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard is being criticized for not speaking French in a speech at a recent conference in Iceland.

But Mr. Couillard snapped back that those taunting him should go to London or New York and see how far speaking French gets them.

There are times, especially on the international scene, when speaking English is required to be understood, he said. That's especially important when one is pitching a plan on the economic development of Quebec.

In the case of the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland last week, where Mr. Couillard spoke in English only, no simultaneous translation was available.

The former prime minister of France delivered his remarks in English as did the president of Iceland and a Norwegian minister, Mr. Couillard noted.

"With all due respect, I think my colleague is exaggerating," Mr. Couillard told the National Assembly in response to a question from Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault, who was on the attack, saying the premier "failed to live up to his responsibilities as a representative of the Quebec nation."

"There are two angles when it comes to language: expression and comprehension. Here's a little challenge for him; go to the London and New York financial circles and pitch your remarkable economic plan … in French only.

"Let's see how that goes."

It was Mr. Legault's second blast at Mr. Couillard on the subject. The first was Saturday at a CAQ policy convention.

Wednesday, Mr. Legault went at it again, saying in Question Period that it's the duty of every politician in the legislature to promote French in their official functions.

He said Mr. Couillard's initial explanation that everyone in the world already knows Quebecers speak French is not good enough and shows Mr. Couillard is "naive or, worse, oblivious to his responsibilities to the Quebec nation."

He called on Mr. Couillard to recognize his mistake and promise not to do it again.

But Mr. Couillard countered by saying he hopes Mr. Legault does not consider himself somehow "superior" in the business of defending French.

He said what Mr. Legault is neglecting to mention is that when Mr. Couillard was in China, he delivered all his speeches in French because translation was available and that numerous former premiers, including Parti Québécois ones, stuck to English on certain occasions.

"I submit the following hypothesis," Mr. Couillard said,"when we make important remarks, especially those involving the economic development of Quebec, it's usually a good thing to make sure everyone understands what we are saying."

Postmedia News

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Today on the Hill: Amnesty to Harper: don't forget about human rights - Brandon Sun

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Terry Pedwell, The Canadian Press

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014 at 3:01 AM | Comments: 0

OTTAWA - He may be a day late, but Alex Neve is hoping the prime minister gets a message from Amnesty International Canada as Stephen Harper travels around China.

Neve, who is Amnesty's secretary general, will ask Harper today to advance a number of important recommendations for human rights reform in China.

Harper left for China yesterday, where he'll attend the opening of the APEC Summit in Beijing before returning to Canada for Remembrance Day.

The prime minister's office has already said Harper will raise human rights issues at every opportunity as he meets with government and business leaders in the Communist nation.

But rights advocates are worried that their concerns will take a back seat to the push by the Conservative government to improve business ties between China and Canada.

Here are some other developments expected today on and around Parliament Hill:

— Treasury Board President Tony Clement will unveil the government's latest plan for making Ottawa more open and transparent in an announcement about Open Government 2.0;

— New Democrat MPs Matthew Kellway and Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet will unveil their party's urban agenda and detail how the NDP plans to implement it. Assuming of course that the NDP wins power in the next federal election;

— A news conference will be held to talk about the legal challenges faced by Tanzanian villagers as they pursue a legal fight against Barrick Gold over violence at the North Mara mine;

— And the Canadian War Museum will hold a media preview of their latest exhibition, entitled "Fighting in Flanders. Gas. Mud. Memory."

Follow @tpedwell on Twitter

Error

The following error(s) occurred:

• You forgot to fill in the comment box.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Residents Evacuated as North Vancouver Neighbourhood Floods - KelownaNow

Heavy rain in North Vancouver caused creeks in the Lynn Valley area to overflow resulting flooding and the evacuation of homes.

Both Fromme and Kilmer roads flooded late Monday night with residents in 17 homes being evacuated. District and Rescue Crews along with engineering crews were out in full force.

The District of North Vancouver is reporting that a blocked culvert or a small landslide up the creek may have caused it to overflow. Crews will be investigating on Tuesday.

Crews will continue with clean-up throughout the day. Argyle Secondary School will be closed due to damages it sustained from the rain and flooding.

A rainfall warning was issued for Metro Vancouver as well as areas in the Fraser Valley and Howe Sound on Monday with up to 50 millimetres of rain expected to fall.

View just some of the flooding photos that were posted to social media.

Photo Credit: Twitter/Shane Nelson

Photo Credit: Twitter/Shane Nelson

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bridge debate pits NHL legend against explorer - BlackburnNews.com

OTTAWA - A massive faceoff is possibly looming in the naming of Montreal's new bridge: Canadiens legend Maurice (Rocket) Richard against famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel said in the Commons on Tuesday that no final decision has been made on whose name it will bear.

The bridge is federal jurisdiction and would replace the current Champlain Bridge, one of the busiest in the country and a key route for motorists between Montreal and its populous south shore.

Montreal La Presse reported a few days ago that Lebel has decided to pay tribute to Richard, who had a glorious career before eventually dying in 2000 at the age of 78.

That possibility has angered Opposition politicians in Ottawa.

The Conservatives are trying to create "a diversion around the debate on tolls," said Liberal MP Stephane Dion.

They also want to give the impression it will be a new bridge when it opens in 2018 to make it easier for them to ram through the notion of tolls, he added.

"They hope the Liberals will be criticized for our position but, no, I believe the majority of Quebecers and Montrealers will agree with us," he said in a telephone interview.

Dion hailed the crucial role de Champlain played in founding Quebec and Canada, saying the father of New France shouldn't be elbowed aside by the hockey giant.

"There are different ways to honour Maurice Richard and everything he represents — all his determination and spirit. Samuel de Champlain is at the very core of our history."

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair echoed a similar sentiment and said de Champlain's name shouldn't disappear from any new bridge.

He said the name debate amounts to a Conservative smokescreen so the Tories "don't have to talk about real business."

The issue also surfaced at a news conference French President Francois Hollande and Premier Philippe Couillard held on Tuesday.

After mentioning de Champlain in his Commons speech on Monday as the founder of "a new country, your country," Hollande refused to get involved on Tuesday other than to say "France is not putting pressure in naming bridges, streets or avenues or in taking away names."

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Conservatives say they'll support motion to suspend convicted MP Dean Del ... - Hamilton Spectator

OTTAWA — The Conservative government says it will back an NDP motion to suspend MP Dean Del Mastro from the House of Commons without pay after the former Tory was found guilty of violating the Canada Elections Act.

The issue of whether to expel Del Mastro, as well as the fate of his pension, would be sent to a Commons committee for further study. Debate on the matter stretched on for three hours Tuesday, and will resume later this week.

Del Mastro, a former parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, was convicted last week of exceeding spending limits during the 2008 election, failing to report a personal contribution of $21,000 to his own campaign and knowingly submitting a falsified document.

The Peterborough MP was booted from the Conservative caucus on the day he was charged in September 2013, and currently sits as an Independent.

"There is no doubt this is a serious violation of the Elections Act and should be treated seriously," said NDP House leader Peter Julian.

The Liberals pushed for immediate expulsion, but other MPs argued that went too far since Del Mastro has said he plans to ask a judge to reopen his defence to allow new evidence to be introduced.

"A decision on expulsion should await such time as the legal avenues available to the member are exhausted," said Conservative House leader Peter Van Loan, noting Del Mastro would have a chance to address the Commons committee.

Del Mastro was not in the Commons on Tuesday. His wife gave birth to their first child, a girl, on Sunday. Del Mastro stands to lose an annual salary of $163,700 if he is suspended. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 21.

The Canada Elections Act states that those convicted of an illegal offence cannot sit as an MP for five years. But Speaker Andrew Scheer has noted only members of Parliament can decide on the fate of fellow members.

Last year, the Senate voted to suspend former Conservative senators Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin over alleged irregularities in their living and travel expenses.

None was facing charges at the time, although Brazeau has since been charged with fraud and breach of trust. Duffy faces 31 charges, including fraud, breach of trust and bribery. Wallin has not been charged.

In the history of the Commons, there have been only four other cases of expulsion — two of them involving Manitoba MP and Metis leader Louis Riel.

The opposition has sought to frame the Del Mastro conviction as part of a pattern of Conservative indifference towards electoral laws. They point to the so-called "in-and-out" scandal, settled out of court in 2012, in which several Conservative officials were charged in connection with a scheme that allegedly helped the party exceed spending limits.

Former Conservative Peter Penashue resigned his seat last year over ineligible campaign donations, and was defeated in the ensuing byelection in 2013.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Local authors have the write stuff - Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

By: Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson

Posted: 11/5/2014 1:00 AM | Comments:

TWO writers with Manitoba ties each won $25,000 prizes at the Writer's Trust Awards in Toronto Tuesday night.

Former Winnipegger Miriam Toews was awarded the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for her novel All My Puny Sorrows, which was released in April. The novel closely parallels Toews' own life as it pertains to the mental-health struggles and eventual suicide of her sister.

Toews' novel is shortlisted for the $100,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize, which will be awarded on Nov. 10 in Toronto.

Winnipeg author Joan Thomas, meanwhile, was awarded the Writers' Trust of Canada's Engel/Findley Award. The award is given annually to "a mid-career writer in recognition of a remarkable body of work, and in anticipation of future contributions to Canadian literature," according the Writers' Trust website.

In order for a writer to be eligible for the Engel/Findley Award, they must have published "no less than three works of literary merit which are predominantly fiction." Thomas' third novel, The Opening Sky, was released in September by McLelland & Stewart.

Thomas's Oct. 7 Winnipeg book launch came the same day as the announcement she had been shortlisted for the $25,000 Governor General's Award for Fiction, which will be awarded Nov. 18. The following day she got the call about the Engel/Findley Award.

"I was so thrilled," said Thomas by phone from Toronto, where she received the award. "I didn't think I'd be eligible -- my books had come out so close together."

Toews won the same award in 2009; Winnipeg author David Bergen was awarded the same prize the following year.

Thomas's first novel, 2008's Reading by Lightning, won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book and the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, and was a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year. Her followup, 2010's Curiosity, was also a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year and was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

The Opening Sky, the story of a Wolseley-based family faced with an unexpected pregnancy which brings to light past traumatic events, has been lauded by critics as some of Thomas's best work.

For Thomas, the Engel/Findley Award offers the chance to look ahead to future writing projects.

"I have a book idea that would involve research travel, so if I decide to go with that idea, this award will allow me to do that research and travel," she said.

And while the prize and recognition is certainly welcomed by Thomas, she acknowledged writers still face immense challenges.

"Writers are all struggling these days. We struggle to create literature that shapes a complex world, but we're also struggling financially.

"This award is given in anticipation of future work -- it says 'stick with it.'"

The Engel/Findley Award jury -- composed of writers Frances Itani, Lisa Moore and Nino Ricci, the latter two former winners themselves -- praised Thomas's "profound understanding of the human condition," calling her prose "limpid and sensual" in a jury citation.

Concluded the jurors, "We, as readers, anticipate the richness of her future endeavours."

ben.macphee-sigurdson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 5, 2014 C3

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clashes briefly shut key Jerusalem holy site to visitors - BBC News

5 November 2014 Last updated at 08:19

Clashes have erupted between dozens of stone-throwing Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at a key holy site in Jerusalem, police say.

The Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif compound was briefly closed to visitors, but has since reopened.

Police said they used tear gas to disperse the crowd, which later fled.

The site was temporarily closed last week amid an escalation of tension over the shooting of a prominent right-wing Jewish activist.

Rabbi Yehuda Glick, who was seriously wounded in the attack, was a well-known campaigner for the right of Jews to pray at the site, which is currently prohibited.

The compound - known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif - is the holiest site in Judaism, and contains the al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site in Islam.

Dozens of masked protesters hurled rocks and launched fireworks at police near the non-Muslim visitors' entrance to the site on Wednesday morning, Israeli police said.

They said they managed to disperse the crowd using stun grenades, but no arrests were made. Several police officers were injured in the incident, they added.

A Palestinian manager at the compound said some 20 people were wounded in the clashes, Reuters reports.

There has been an escalation in tension in the city since the Gaza conflict last summer, with nightly clashes seen in some East Jerusalem districts between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

Last week, a Palestinian man suspected of attacking Rabbi Glick was shot after opening fire when Israeli police surrounded his home last week.

Hundreds of people turned out for the funeral of 31-year-old Moataz Hejazi.

Crowds of Palestinians also took to the streets to protest against the rare closure of Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif last Thursday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the decision to close the site was tantamount to a declaration of war.

Jerusalem's holiest site

• Known as the Temple Mount to Jews and al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims, it comprises the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and is next to the Western Wall
• The Western Wall, from the time of the second Jewish Biblical temple, is the holiest site where Jews can pray; the Dome of the Rock, where according to Jewish tradition the Ark of the Covenant rested in the first temple, is the holiest site in Judaism
• The al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam; the Dome of the Rock is revered by Muslims because of its connections to the Prophet Muhammad
• Christians also venerate the site because of its Biblical links to Jesus
• A Muslim committee has managed the compound since the time of the Crusades, while Israel, which has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967, controls access
• Israel maintains a ban on prayer by non-Muslims at the compound as a security measure
• Rabbi Yehuda Glick campaigns for allowing Jews to pray at the site

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

US midterm election: Republicans roll to Senate victory - CBC.ca

Republicans claimed the Senate majority Tuesday for the first time in eight years, riding President Barack Obama's unpopularity to victories in every part of the country.

Republican challengers ousted Democratic senators in Arkansas, Colorado and North Carolina, and took seats from retiring Democrats in four other states. Equally important, Republicans held off spirited challengers in Kentucky, Georgia and Kansas, guaranteeing they will control both chambers of Congress for Obama's final two years in office.

With Republicans retaining their majority in the House of Representatives, Obama will spend his final two years as president contending with a Congress fully controlled by opponents who have been determined to block his policies.

Democrats failed to pick up a single Republican seat, assuring the Republicans of at least 52 votes in the 100-member chamber.

The Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, dispatched Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky after a $78 million US campaign of unrelieved negativity. Voters are "hungry for new leadership. They want a reason to be hopeful," said the man in line to become majority leader and set the Senate agenda if his party gains control.

Two-term incumbent Mark Pryor of Arkansas was the first Democrat to fall, defeated by freshman Rep. Tom Cotton. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito was the GOP winner for a Senate seat in West Virginia, the first of her party to make that claim since 1956.

Former Gov. Mike Rounds triumphed in South Dakota for still another seat currently in Democratic hands, Republican Rep. Cory Gardner defeated Sen. Mark Udall in Colorado, and Rep. Steve Daines was victorious in Montana.

Republican state lawmaker Joni Ernst was the winner over Democrat Bruce Braley in Iowa, in the battle for the seat held by longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who is retiring. She is the first ever female senator from the state.

Ernst ran a TV ad in which she talked about castrating hogs as a farm girl. She promised to "cut pork" in Washington.

Thom Tillis, a state senator in North Carolina, defeated Democrat incumbent Kay Hagan.
 
A rare bright spot for Democrats was Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's victory in New Hampshire over Scott Brown, a former senator from Massachusetts.

Shelley Moore Capito applauds and sings "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas after becoming the first Republican from West Virginia to win a Senate seat since the 1940s. (Tyler Evert/The Associated Press)

The total Senate count will be incomplete until Dec. 6, when a runoff takes place in Louisiana between Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy.

Obama was at the White House as voters remade Congress for the final two years of his tenure. With lawmakers set to convene next week for a post-election session, he invited the leadership to a meeting on Friday.

Nearly two-thirds of voters interviewed after casting ballots said the country was seriously on the wrong track. Only about 30 per cent said it was generally going in the right direction.

More than four in ten voters disapproved of both Obama and Congress, according to the exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.

The shift in control of the Senate, coupled with a GOP-led House, probably means a strong GOP assault on budget deficits, additional pressure on Democrats to accept sweeping changes to the health care law that stands as Obama's signal domestic accomplishment and a bid to reduce federal regulations.

Obama's ability to win confirmation for lifetime judicial appointments could also suffer, including any Supreme Court vacancies.

House of Representatives runs red

Republicans claimed a commanding majority in the House on Tuesday, pushing their dominance to near-historic levels.

The GOP easily won the 218 seats required and was on track to match or surpass the 246 seats they held in President Harry S. Truman's administration more than 60 years ago. President Barack Obama will face an all-GOP Congress in his final two years as Republicans regained control of the Senate.

"We are humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us, but this is not a time for celebration," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement. "It's time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country, starting with our still-struggling economy."

Overall, the GOP gained 11 seats and counting; Democrats just one.

U.S. President Barack Obama, shown Monday at a campaign event in Philadelphia for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, will likely face a final two years in office marked by staunch opposition and compromise. (Larry Downing/Reuters)

Obama's low approval ratings, around 40 per cent, were a drag on Democrats, as was the electorate's unease with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) threat, Ebola outbreak and job losses. Promising economic signs of a drop in the unemployment rate and cheaper gasoline failed to help the president's party, which typically loses seats in midterm elections.

Boehner raised $102 million to ensure that Republicans would tighten their grip on the House.

For Obama, a dozen House losses would be an ignominious distinction. The president, whose party lost 63 seats in 2010, would become the two-term president with the most midterm defeats, surpassing Truman's 74.

Walker, Kasich, Scott win gubernatorial races

Republicans swept the vast majority of 36 governor races across the U.S. Tuesday, holding on to control of key swing states in presidential elections and scoring upsets in several Democratic bastions.. Among the victors was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a conservative favourite who won his third election in four years.

The victories boosted the presidential prospects of several likely Republican contenders, none more so than Walker, who became a hero to conservatives for taking on public sector unions, stripping them of nearly all collective bargaining authority. Opponents responded by trying to boot him from office, and he became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election in 2012.

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker speaks at his campaign party on Tuesday in West Allis, Wis. Walker defeated Democratic gubernatorial challenger Mary Burke. ( (Morry Gash/The Associated Press)

Walker's victory Tuesday was a blow to national Democrats and labor unions, which dumped millions of dollars into the race in an effort to derail the governor's national ambitions.

Walker told The Associated Press that any decision about a presidential run in 2016 "will have to wait" while he pursues his agenda in Wisconsin.

"The bottom line is people elected me to get the job done in Wisconsin," said Walker, who defeated Democratic businesswoman Mary Burke. "We're going to spend the next couple months putting together our legislative agenda."

In another hotly contested election, Florida's Republican Gov. Rick Scott held on to his office in the country's largest battleground state despite a strong challenge from Democrat Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who changed parties to run for his old job.

In Florida, Scott won nearly 49 per cent of the vote compared to about 47 per cent for Crist. The close outcome underlined Florida's status as an unpredictable battleground state that will be hard-fought in the 2016 presidential election.

Another governor who has figured in the 2016 discussion, John Kasich of Ohio, sailed to victory against Democrat Ed FitzGerald to win a second term largely on a record of economic growth and shrinking unemployment. Kasich's state is also major presidential battleground, its voters neither reliably Republican nor Democrat.

In South Carolina, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley handily beat Democratic challenger Vincent Sheheen to win a second term. The victory boosts the national image of the 42-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants, who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate in 2016.

In a significant upset in Maryland, Republican businessman Larry Hogan beat the state's Democratic lieutenant governor, Anthony Brown. In Democratic-leaning Massachusetts, Republican Charlie Baker became the state's first Republican governor since Mitt Romney left office in 2007, defeating the state's attorney general, Martha Coakley, who was seeking to become the state's first female governor.

In Illinois, Obama's adopted home state, wealthy businessman Bruce Rauner, who poured $26 million of his fortune into the race, ousted Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, reclaiming the governor's office for Republicans for the first time in more than a decade.

In Vermont, the state's Democratically controlled legislature will pick its next governor, after the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, Gov. Peter Shumlin, led Republican Scott Milne but failed to top 50 per cent of the vote. State law requires governor's races to go to the Legislature if no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Democrats' only significant victory came in Pennsylvania, where businessman Tom Wolf ousted Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. Pennsylvania is a state long coveted by Republican presidential candidates, but a last-minute push there by Mitt Romney failed in 2012.

Former Republican Rep. Asa Hutchinson was elected governor of Arkansas more than a decade after playing a prominent role in President Bill Clinton's impeachment and trial, while Democrat Andrew Cuomo unsurprisingly got another term in New York.

Still too close to call: Alaska, Colorado and Connecticut.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police probe shooting outside busy Richmond Hill restaurant - CTV News

Police continue to investigate an execution-style shooting outside a busy Richmond Hill restaurant that left a 22-year-old man dead.

The fatal shooting happened Sunday night at approximately 7:30 p.m. outside of a Keg Steakhouse and Bar in the Highway 7 and East Beaver Creek Road area.

Police say the victim, Jerry Tuan Thanh Phan, was sitting in a parked BMW when a suspect walked up and fired three shots into the driver-side window. Phan was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

It is unclear if Phan was alone in the car or if he knew the shooter.

Sources told CTV Toronto that Phan was known to police.

After he was shot, police say Phan attempted to leave the area. He drove the BMW out of the Keg's parking lot and onto the road, but was unable to turn. The BMW eventually came to a stop on a sidewalk, outside of a nearby Korean barbecue restaurant.

Police say the suspect fled the area on foot.

"The suspect ran in a northeast direction from the victim's vehicle past the Keg restaurant and travelled north of there on foot," Const. Andy Pattenden said.

The Keg reopened at 5 p.m. on Monday.

Police are reviewing security surveillance video from the night of the shooting.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Ashley Rowe

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

'No one should be able to patent human DNA': Ontario hospital asks court to ... - National Post

Patents taken out on disease-linked genes should be ruled invalid, an Ontario hospital argues in a fascinating new lawsuit that highlights the growing collision between free enterprise and human biology.

The legal action launched Monday specifically targets patents on genes associated with long-QT Syndrome, a rare heart condition that is often behind the sudden death of seemingly healthy young athletes.

Protecting the discovery of those genes as intellectual property forces patients to purchase genetic testing at inflated prices in the U.S. – and seriously hinders research, complained the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), which is spearheading the case.

The suit's implications, though, extend much further than one condition, as genetic science leads to increasing numbers of new DNA-related tests and treatments for serious disease. If the Federal Court suit succeeds, it could invalidate numerous other patents, too.

"Our position is very straightforward," Alex Munter, the hospital's CEO, told a news conference. "No one should be able to patent human DNA, it would be like patenting air or water."

In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has already made a similar ruling, declaring last year that a naturally occurring DNA segment "is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated." A related court action is also in the works in Australia.

The gene for Long-QT — which occurs in one of every 2,500 newborns — is affected by five patents, held by the University of Utah, Genzyme Genetics and Yale University.

CHEO was set to become one of Ontario's testing centres for the syndrome but the province received a cease-and-desist order from the holders of the patents that are linked to the disease.

That means genetic testing must be done in the U.S. at a cost of about $4,500 to $4,800 a patient, said Dr. Gail Graham, who heads the hospital's department of genetics, compared to between $1,500 and $2,000 if it could be done here. Being able to test here, she said, would save the Ontario health-care system $200,000 a year. If genes continue to be patented, she said, the cost to taxpayers will rise into the millions every year.

Long QT itself can lead to life-threatening arrhythmias and is the cause of a significant number of sudden deaths in young adults. It is treatable with medications, but can be tricky to diagnose using electrocardiogram alone, Dr. Graham said. Genetic testing along with ECG can come up with a conclusive diagnosis.

CHEO said is taking on the first Canadian case because it is a major centre for genetics research and clinical applications.

The hospital is in the final stages of verifying a new genetic test that would simultaneously sequence all of the thousands of genes in an individual that have been linked by scientists to diseases. But the existence of patents on some of that DNA could pose major ethical conundrums, said Dr. Graham.

If the test incidentally turned up the genetic mutations for Long-QT syndrome, lab technicians would now be legally barred from passing the information along to the physician treating the patient, meaning a potentially fatal condition would go untreated, she said.

And Long QT is just one of about 7,000 conditions already linked to specific genetic material.

"We feel there is a huge moral imperative to try to clarify [this situation]," said Dr. Graham. "We are worried about the potential for new patents to cause this problem for increasing numbers of genes."

The impact is not just on treatment and testing of patients. Researchers face being sued if they study a gene patented by someone else, a risk that has limited work done by almost half the members of the American Society of Human Genetics, wrote Lori Andrews of the Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Law last year.

In the wake of such concerns, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down patents held by Myriad Genetics Inc. on two genes — BRCA1 and BRCA2 — linked to higher rates of breast and ovarian cancer. The company had been able to effectively control all uses of those genes — outside the body — including for testing and treatment.

Officials at CHEO said that is a danger in Canada as well. "It will stifle rather than help innovation," said Dr. Graham.

Richard Gold, a McGill law professor and world authority on the topic, is heading an international team that will offer its assistance to the court. Toronto law firm Gilberts LLP is taking on the case for CHEO pro bono.

"CHEO is an excellent research institution and they treat the most vulnerable population," said Prof. Gold, who is not part of the firm. "It is a dream for any lawyer to say 'I was part of this.'"

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Food-bank use continues to rise, nearly a million users every month - The Globe and Mail

Nearly a million Canadians are using food banks each month, a level that has stayed stubbornly high since the recession.

More than 841,000 people in Canada visited a food bank during the month of March this year, a 1-per-cent increase from a year earlier and almost 25 per cent higher than before the 2008 economic downturn, an annual HungerCount tally to be released on Tuesday shows.

More Related to this Story

The number reflects several currents in the economy, from disability and social assistance payments that have not kept pace with inflation to the prevalence of lower-wage work, a lack of affordable housing and the delayed effects of the recession.

"For those who can't work – government supports are extremely low and have not evolved with a changing economy. And many Canadians aren't able to access the training they need to qualify for well-paying jobs," said Katharine Schmidt, executive director of Food Banks Canada, which produced the national count.

Full-time jobs are increasingly hard to come by, while many new positions are "low-paying, precarious jobs" that are temporary or part-time, she added.

Food-bank clients are increasingly single people, at 43 per cent of the total, up from 29 per cent in 2001. Several factors may explain this trend, among them that recent social policy has focused more on lone parents than people who are single.

Diana Foch is one of them. She worked as a quality control supervisor until about three years ago, when her father was diagnosed with dementia. She quit, sold her house and car and moved to Toronto to help take care of him. Ms. Foch, 48, does laundry, buys groceries, bathes and cooks for her father. Now without a salary, she has had to rely on a food bank this year. "There's no way possible for me to swing both" a job and caring for her dad, she said. "

She has learned the art of frugal shopping, combing through flyers, buying items such as cream cheese or laundry detergent in bulk on sale. She has learned to cook with cheaper staples. But meat – like roast chicken or ground beef – she can no longer afford. (Statistics Canada inflation data show meat prices have climbed 11.5 per cent in the past year, the fastest increase since June, 1987).

The report shows one in six people at food banks is holding a job, while another 5 per cent are receiving jobless benefits. Newcomers to Canada are also using food banks. Twelve per cent of those helped are immigrants or refugees, a level that rises to 20 per cent in larger cities.

The ranks of single men in particular have been growing, a trend partly explained by the loss of traditional "male" jobs in manufacturing, forestry, farming and fishing.

"There's a lag effect" after an economic downturn, said John Stapleton, social policy expert and fellow at the Metcalf Foundation. "People go through ... their savings and family and friends, and finally there's a point at which you can't go to those wells any more."

It is difficult to pinpoint current low-income trends. The most recent Statistics Canada data on poverty trends were in 2011, which showed three million Canadians, or 8.8 per cent of the population, were considered low income. There are no complete statistics on social assistance trends.

The food bank report recommends greater investment in affordable housing. It also says policy makers should look at remedying the high levels of "food insecurity" in Canada's North (where access to affordable, healthy food is a pressing challenge) and replacing "stigmatizing" social assistance bureaucracy with the introduction of a basic income model.

Follow Tavia Grant on Twitter: @taviagrant

More Related to this Story

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syrian rebels defect to Al-Qaeda after receiving weapons from US to fight ISIS ... - Saskatoon StarPhoenix

 The previous page is sending you to http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Syrian%20rebels%20defect%20Qaeda%20after%20receiving%20weapons%20from%20fight%20ISIS/10347639/story.html.

 If you do not want to visit that page, you can return to the previous page.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Renewed clashes grip Burkina Faso amid calls for calm - CNN International

By Anna-Maja Rappard and Mariano Castillo, CNN

November 2, 2014 -- Updated 2141 GMT (0541 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Protesters clashed with security forces in Burkina Faso's capital on Sunday
• The protesters want the military government to step aside
• The AU and ECOWAS call for peace and a transition to elections

(CNN) -- Protesters demanding that the newly installed military government step aside clashed with security forces in Burkina Faso's capital on Sunday as regional leaders pleaded for calm.

After the resignation of President Blaise Compaore -- who himself faced violent protests over his desire to extend his 27-year rule -- Burkina Faso's military took power.

On Sunday, a huge crowd gathered in Ouagadougou, protesting the military government and demanding the return to constitutional rule.

Gunfire erupted during clashes between the protesters and security forces near the location of the state news television channel, local journalist Ouezen Louis Oulon told CNN.

On Saturday, the military consolidated its support behind Lt. Col. Isaac Yacouba Zida, who will serve as interim President until elections can be held.

On Sunday, as the protests renewed, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States called for peace and an orderly transition to democracy.

Compaore resigned as President after initially vowing to stay until elections could be held, despite violent protests to his desire to extend his lengthy rule.

His decision to step down "opens the necessary political space for all the stakeholders to work together to find a lasting resolution to the crisis facing the country," the head of the African Union, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said in a statement.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the crisis in Burkina Faso.

Dlamini-Zuma said she prefers an agreement that will lead to a civilian-led transition toward elections for a new government.

She called on Burkina Faso's military to place themselves at the disposal of civilian authorities.

ECOWAS Chairman John Dramani Mahama offered a more general assessment, calling for all parties to "work in the overall interest of the people of Burkina Faso in order to guarantee peace and stability in the region."

Demonstrators last week stormed Parliament, setting fire to the building. The protests came amid rising discontent about the high cost of living and Compaore's attempts to amend the country's constitution to help him extend his term.

Compaore had been in office since he took power after a bloody coup in 1987.

The country was formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta when it was established in 1958 as a self-governing colony under France.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Elderly man, woman killed in deadly house fire - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News

Joshua Freeman, CP24.com
Published Sunday, November 2, 2014 6:47AM EST
Last Updated Sunday, November 2, 2014 11:13PM EST

An elderly couple is dead after an overnight fire tore through a duplex in the Dixon and martin Grove roads area.

Firefighters and paramedics were called to the home on Abigail Place around 3:30 a.m. to find the front of the home completely engulfed in flames.

Twelve fire trucks and 45 firefighters worked to put out the blaze.

When they got inside, firefighters found an 80-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman without vital signs in the bedroom.

It's believed the two were asleep when the fire broke out.

"Unfortunately the couple that was VSA was probably VSA by the time we arrived," Toronto Fire Division Commander Bob O'Hallarn told CP24.

The exact cause of death has not yet been determined.

The fire was put out shortly after 4 a.m.

Neighbour Manpreet Farwaha said he came out of his house when he heard other neighbours banging at his door.

"My wife said there was someone banging our door like crazy. I came out and people said there's a fire beside your home," Farwaha said. "I got my whole family out and within five minutes I saw the fire was everywhere."

He described the couple, who would often take care of his home while he was away, as good people and great neighbours.

"They were a very nice couple, old people – a husband and wife. They were very, very nice and gentle people," Farwaha said.

The brother of the man who died said the deaths are a big loss for his family.

"They were great people," the man told reporters.

O'Hallarn said damage is estimated at about $500,000.

He said a car in the driveway was also damaged by the intense heat.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. However O'Hallarn said it comes at a time of year when fire officials are reminding people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office is attending the scene.

@Josh_F is on Twitter. Remember for instant breaking news follow @cp24 on Twitter.

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada should be training resistance, not bombing Islamic State, Free Syrian ... - The Globe and Mail

A senior member of the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime says Canada's time, effort and money would be better spent training ground forces to retake territory from the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria, rather than on a bombing campaign.

Brig.-Gen. Hussam Alawak, who heads up intelligence for the Free Officers Movement — one arm of the Free Syrian Army — also warned in an interview with The Canadian Press that new anti-aircraft weapons threatening coalition jets come from looted stockpiles in Libya and more potent weapons may be on the way.

More Related to this Story

Alawak, who defected prior to the Arab Spring uprising, says the current U.S.-led bombing campaign will not dislodge the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and may drive up recruitment to the group.

Operations involving Canadian fighter-bombers continued over the weekend with two CF-18s dropping bombs on ISIL targets near Fallujah, west of Baghdad, but the air force refused to provide updated details on the mission other than to say all aircraft returned safely to base.

Chinese-made FN-6 heat-seeking missiles — known as Manpads — have begun appearing in Iraq. Alawak claims they come from a cache of thousands weapons provided by Qatar to anti-Gaddafi fighters, which fell into the hands of Libya's top extremists following NATO's 2011 bombing campaign.

They were transferred to Syria through a warehouse belonging to extremists in Turkey, he said.

Alawak, who was a senior intelligence officer in the Syrian air force before opposing the Assad regime, says the air campaign will be "almost useless" in grand scheme of things and that the main effort should be put towards forming armies of liberation.

"If Canada wants to continue in a useless thing, then it's up to them," said Alawak, who spoke through a translator after returning to Cario.

He praised the Harper government's strident anti-Assad rhetoric and Canada's efforts to accept Syrian refugees, but pointed to the recently concluded military training mission in Afghanistan as an example of something more effective that Canadian forces could be doing.

Prior to the departure of Canadian warplanes, the country's top military commanders acknowledged that Washington had sounded out its partners about contributing to such a program in Iraq only, but underlined it was something the Harper government had not considered.

There is a need "to get Iraqi security forces on their feet and be able to conduct ground operations" against enemy militants, Lt.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, the country's domestic and overseas operations commander, said on Oct. 17.

"This indeed will take an effort — a training effort. That the U.S. is looking to trusted partners — amongst whom are NATO — to consider this is not unexpected."

There were published reports in the U.S. that NATO had been approached by Washington to organize it, but a spokesman for the military alliance's senior commander said the formal request would have to come from the Iraqi government.

Lt.-Col. Jay Janzen said the allies agreed at the leader's summit in Wales that if the new government of Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad asked for capacity-building help, "including building more effective security forces," the alliance would consider it.

"To date a request has not been received, but our offer stands," he said in an email last week.

The U.S. policy in Syria is to recruit and train opposition force to defend territory, rather than to seize it back from the Islamic State, according to administration officials who spoke to the Washington Post on Oct. 23.

Characterizing it as a defensive posture seems aimed at not provoking a wider conflict involving Iran and Russia, which both back Assad.

Alawak says his group recently held talks in Jordan with the U.S., France and Britain and made it clear they will not participate unless they get to choose who is trained because they know better who is and who is not an extremist.

U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said they want to build an "effective opposition force, not just a hit-and-run group of rebels," but Alawak says he doesn't see that happening in the near future.

He is also suspicious of who the Americans are courting as potential partners in the region.

"I hope the American intelligence — the CIA — should be more selective in choosing opposition figures, and (should not) choose just anyone. They should choose reliable persons," Alawak said.

"What will make Assad survive is the divide of the American administration and he is depending on such division."

Follow us on Twitter: @globeandmail

More Related to this Story

Topics:

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Banker charged with murder of two women in Hong Kong - Irish Times

A 29-year-old British banker appeared in a Hong Kong court today charged with two counts of murder after police found the bodies of two women in his apartment, including one inside a suitcase on a balcony.

A court document said Rurik George Caton Jutting worked for Bank of America Corp. The US bank said that it had, until recently, an employee with the same name, but it declined to give further details.

Looking stony-faced and unshaven and wearing a black T-shirt and dark-rimmed glasses, Jutting told the court he understood both charges. The brief hearing was adjourned until November 10th, without Jutting entering a plea.

Jutting was arrested in the early hours of Saturday at his apartment in Wan Chai, a central city district known for its vibrant night life.

The charge sheet identified the woman in the suitcase as Sumarti Ningsih and said she had been killed on October 27th. The second woman, who was not identified, was killed on November 1st, the document said. It did not say how they were killed.

Local media described the two victims as prostitutes and said both had neck injuries, adding one was nearly decapitated. One of the women was Indonesian, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported.

The grisly murders have shocked Hong Kong, a city with a low homicide rate.

One of the victims was found in the suitcase, the other lying inside the apartment with wounds to her neck and buttocks, police have said.

Jutting had called police and asked them to investigate the case, police have also said.

Martyn Richmond, Jutting's duty lawyer, said his client had been denied contact with the British consulate and access to a solicitor of his choice prior to being interviewed.

Jutting had done up to seven police interviews over many hours, Richmond added.

Police declined to comment on Richmond's accusations. The British consulate did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Britain's Foreign Office in London said on Saturday a British national had been arrested in Hong Kong, without specifying the nature of any suspected crime.

A Linkedin account under Jutting's name said he had worked in structured equity finance and trading at Bank of America in Hong Kong since July 2013. Before that, he had worked in the same department but in London.

The profile also said Jutting had worked in structured capital markets at Barclays between June 2008 and July 2010 and had studied at Cambridge University.

Agencies

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Virgin Galactic crash: Slowing device 'deployed early' - BBC News

3 November 2014 Last updated at 08:53

A safety device on the Virgin Galactic spacecraft that crashed on Friday killing a test pilot had been deployed early, US investigators say.

Air safety chief Christopher Hart said the "feathering" device, designed to slow the craft on re-entry, activated without a command from the pilots.

But he said it was too soon to confirm any possible cause of the crash.

Media reports had focused on the fuel tanks and the engine, but Mr Hart said both were found intact.

Earlier, Virgin Galactic rebuffed criticism of its safety practices.

The company said any suggestion that safety had not been its top priority was "categorically untrue".

Virgin Galactic had aimed to send tourists into space early next year, and has already taken more than 700 flight bookings at $250,000 (£156,000) each.

Mr Hart, from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), told reporters that the feathering device was supposed to be activated at Mach 1.4 (1,065mph; 1,715km/h), but had been deployed at Mach 1 during the test flight.

He said one of the pilots had enabled the device, but the second stage of its deployment had happened "without being commanded".

"Shortly after the feathering occurred, the telemetry data terminated and the video data terminated," he said.

The feathering device lifts and rotates the tail to create drag, slowing the craft on its descent.

He said SpaceShipTwo's fuel tanks and engine were found intact, without any sign of being breached.

NTSB investigators have now found almost all of the parts of the crashed spacecraft as part of an inquiry they say could take many months to complete.

The pilots

Michael Alsbury

• Aged 39
• Married with two children
• 15 years of flying experience
• First flew in SpaceShipTwo in 2010
• Flew craft's first rocket-powered run in April 2013

Peter Siebold

• Aged 43
• Married with two children
• Received pilot's licence when just 16
• Started working for Scaled Composites in 1996
• Had spent 2,000 hours in 35 different fixed-wing aircraft

Will crash set back space tourism?

SpaceShipTwo was flying its first test flight for nine months when it crashed near the town of Bakersfield.

Virgin Galactic said the craft experienced "a serious anomaly" after it separated from launch vehicle WhiteKnightTwo.

The spacecraft was using a new type of rocket fuel never before used in flight, although officials said it had undergone extensive ground testing.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Virgin Galactic founding astronaut Per Wimmer: "Space is difficult"

The project has been subject to numerous delays, and its commercial launch has been pushed back several times.

The Financial Times reported that the venture is facing financial difficulties - with $400m in funding from Abu Dhabi now dried up and Virgin Group covering the day-to-day expenses.

The co-pilot who died when SpaceShipTwo disintegrated shortly after take-off was 39-year-old Michael Alsbury.

Scaled Composites, the company employing both pilots, said surviving pilot Peter Siebold, 43, was "alert and talking with his family and doctors".

16.14 | 0 komentar | Read More