Prime Minister still on course for early election.
Green Party introduces first member of federal parliament.
Listeriosis claims tenth victim.
OTTAWA: PRIME MINISTER STILL ON COURSE FOR EARLY ELECTION
Prime Minister Stephen Harper could find no common ground with the leader of the opposition New Democratic Party, Jack Layton, at a meeting on Saturday. Mr. Harper is meeting with opposition leaders to see whether he can delay holding an early election. On Friday, he met with the Bloc Quebecois leader, Gilles Duceppe. After his meeting, Mr. Layton said that his party continued to have no confidence in Mr. Harper's Conservative Party government. Mr. Harper won a minority government in 2006. In recent weeks, he's described the minority parliament as dysfunctional. Mr. Harper has suggested that he might call an election on October 14 to seek a fresh mandate. The Liberal Party leader, Stephane Dion, continues to decline Mr. Harper's invitation to meet until federal byelections are held in two ridings in September.
OTTAWA: GREEN PARTY INTRODUCES FIRST MEMBER OF FEDERAL PARLIAMENT
A former Liberal Party member of Canada's parliament was introduced on Saturday as the first parliamentarian of the Green Party. Blair Wilson was ejected from the Liberal caucus last year after it was revealed that his 2006 campaign had spending irregularities. He had been sitting as an Independent. Green Party leader Elizabeth May presented Mr. Wilson at a news conference this morning in Ottawa. Miass May characterized his switch to her party as an historic moment.
OTTAWA: LISTERIOSIS CLAIMS TENTH VICTIM
The number of deaths in Canada from an outbreak of listeriosis increased to ten on Saturday after health officials announced another victim in Alberta, the first reported in that province. An advertising campaign has begun in newspapers across Canada to warn the public about the dangers associated with the outbreak. The ads warn that babies, the elderly, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are at particular risk. Advice is given on how to handle food to avoid listeriosis---a type of food poisoning. Officials have linked the outbreak to meat products made by a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto.
KANDAHAR: CANADIAN TROOPS GET HELP IN AFGHANISTAN
Canadian troops in Afghanistan will get help from 800 American soldiers. The U.S. forces are set to assume operations in Maywand district of Kandahar province, where Canada has 2,500 troops. The U.S. infantry unit will be responsible for conducting counter-insurgency operations in co-operation with Afghan forces under Canadian command. Earlier this week, the Canadian military said that securing Kandahar could not be done without more troops.
TORONTO: ARTS PROGRAM IS CANCELLED
Canada's government is reported to be planning to end another program aimed at the arts industry. The Globe & Mail reports that the government will stop the Canada New Media Fund, a CDN$14.5-million annual program. The development program was introduced ten years ago to create and distribute Canadian interactive new media at home and abroad. Telefilm Canada, an agency funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage, operated the grants. Stakeholders have been advised by Telefilm that the program will not be extended after its latest two-year mandate expires on March 31. New media includes the creation of innovative games, television Web sites, social networking tools, mobile applications and films. Opposition politicians and artists have criticized the federal government for weeks over previous cuts of CDN$44.8 million to arts and culture.
MONTREAL: SALMONELLA OUTBREAK CONTINUES IN QUEBEC
Health officials in Quebec predict that a Salmonella outbreak that was discovered this week in the province is not yet over. The outbreak is blamed for one death and has infected 87 others. Officials have recalled three cheese products after tainted cheese was discovered by inspectors at stores. There is no connection with the listeriosis outbreak in Canada that is blamed for nine deaths.
JAKARTA: CANADIAN IS DETAINED IN INDONESIA
An Indonesian newspaper reports that a Canadian citizen has been detained in Indonesia in connection with the death of five workers after a maintenance platform plunged 50 metres from a television tower. The Kompas newspaper says that Wesley Ernest Stabner was declared a suspect in the incident on Thursday in Jakarta. Mr. Stabner could face criminal negligence charges after allegedly advising workers that the platform could safely hold five people. Mr. Stabner works for a U.S.-based company, Rohn Products International.
INDIA
At least 20 people were feared dead on Saturday after an overloaded rescue boat capsized in eastern India. Meanwhile, more than 300,000 people trapped in India's worst floods in 50 years have been rescued hundreds of thousands of others remained stranded without food or water. About 60 people have died and three million people have been affected since the Kosi river breached its banks earlier this month on the border with Nepal, swamping hundreds of villages in eastern Bihar state. Another 300,000 people are living in government relief shelters, temples and high-rise government buildings. The government says that the situation is unlikely to return to normal for months.
UNITED STATES
Hurricane Gustav increased force on Saturday afternoon and was expected to turn into a highly dangerous Category 4 storm near the U.S. Gulf Coast. Gustav moved across Cuba's low-lying Isle of Youth, where 200,000 people live, and threatened to inundate Havana. It was expected to reach the United States somewhere near New Orleans. Meterologists predicted that the storm could reach 125 knots an hour, making it a Category 4 storm on the five-category Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.
LIBYA
Italy has agreed to compensate Libya for 30 years of occupation. Italian occupation ended in 1943. Italy will pay Libya $5 billion. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi signed a memorandum on the agreement at a meeting on Saturday in Benghazi. The compensation will go to construction projects, student grants and pensions for Libyan soldiers who served with the Italians during the Second World War. In return, Italy wants Libya to crack down on illegal migrants trying to enter Italy. Italy will pay for $500 million worth of electronic monitoring devices on Libya's coastline. But an association representing thousands of Italians expelled from Libya in 1970 has condemned the compensation. The association denounced the government for giving funds to Libya rather than to repatriated Italians.
ZIMBABWE
Talks aimed at resolving Zimbabwe's political crisis have struck a new obstacle. The talks resumed in South Africa on Friday. But President Robert Mugabe's party has rejected the opposition's new demand. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai proposed that he and President Mugabe co-chair the cabinet jointly. A spokseman for the president called the proposal absurd. Mr. Tsvangirai has repeatedly said that he would refuse any power-sharing deal that did not give him real political power. South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki is acting as mediator between the two rivals.
INDIA
A landmine has killed at least 12 police officers in eastern India. The explosion blew up a police van that was participating in a mine-clearing operation in a densely forested area about 160 kilometres south of
Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state. Local rebels say that they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. They have been fighting for more than three decades in several Indian states, demanding land and jobs for agricultural labourers and the poor.
CHINA
A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 struck southwest Sichuan province on Saturday, killing 22 people and injuring more than 100 others. The earthquake hit about 50 kilometres southeast of Panzhihua city, near the border with Yunnan province. On May 12, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province killed nearly 70,000 people and left five million people homeless.
SRI LANKA
A powerful bomb ripped through a busy commercial area of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo,,on Saturday, wounding up to 50 people. A package left near a fruit vendor exploded in Pettah, the main commercial hub of the capital. The blast was a short distance away from the main bus station.
MOUNTAIN BIKE
Canadians Catharine Pendrel and Geoff Kabush each won a bronze medal in cross-country races on the World Cup mountain bike circuit on Saturday. In the women's race, Irina Kalentieva of Russia took the gold medal in the 31.6 kilometre race. Rosara Joseph of New Zealand was second and Pendrel, the sole Canadian entry, was third. Pendrel has had third consecutive podium finishs on the World Cup circuit.
BASEBALL
The Toronto Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees on Friday, 2-1. The Yankees are trying to keep pace with Boston for the American League wild card. A-J Burnett allowed only seven hits in a complete game for Toronto.
FOOTBALL
In a thrilling finish, the Montreal Alouettes beat the B.C. Lions on Friday, 30-25. The Lions were unable to score from the one-yard line in three tries with less than two seconds left to play. Twice Montreal players were off-side. Montreal won its fourth in a row, and first against the West Division.
Weather
Here is Canada's weather on Sunday. British Columbia will have variable cloudiness. The high temperature in Vancouver will be 18 degrees Celsius. The Yukon: sunny. Whitehorse, 17. Northwest Territories: overcast. Yellowknife, six. Nunavut: sunny. Iqaluit, 11. Alberta: cloudy. Edmonton, 14. Saskatchewan: overcast. Regina, 19. Manitoba: rain showers. Winnipeg, 34. Ontario: sunny. Toronto, 27. Ottawa, 26. Quebec: sunny. Montreal, 26. New Brunswick: variable cloudiness. Fredericton, 23. Nova Scotia: variable cloudiness. Halifax, 22. Prince Edward Island: sunny periods. Charlottetown, 20. Newfoundland: mainly cloudy. St. John's, 22.
