Warning issued about asbestos.
Third swine flu death in Newfoundland.
EDMONTON: ALBERTA PREMIER GETS STRONG VOTE OF PARTY SUPPORT
The leadership of Premier Ed Stelmach was re-affirmed on Saturday. At a Conservative Party leadership convention in Edmonton, 77 percent of delegates gave him their support---an unexpectedly high vote of favour. Mr. Stelmach faced the mandatory review after the economy in the western province slipped during the recent downturn and he came under attack from several party members. The premier said that he is re-energized following the leadership vote.
MONTREAL: WARNING ISSUED ABOUT ASBESTOS
Canada's government has released statistics that suggest that asbestos is behind an aggressive cancer that is killing more Canadians than ever before. The number of new cases of mesothelioma increased by 67 per cent over the last 15 years. People diagnosed with mesothelioma often have less than two years to live. Asbestos was long used in constructing Canadian houses, but its use was outlawed when concerns were raised about its danger to health. But Canada continues to export 175,000 tonnes of a form of asbestos each year, mostly to poorer countries.
ST. JOHN'S: THIRD SWINE FLU DEATH IN NEWFOUNDLAND
Newfoundland confirmed on Sunday that a third local person has died of complications linked to the H1N1 swine flu. The 63-year-old female victim died overnight. She already had underlying medical conditions. Two people in the Central region died last week. A nationwide vaccination campaign against the flu virus continues.
EL SALVADOR
Floods and mudslides triggered by Hurricane Iea have killed at least 91 people in El Salvador. Sixty other people are missing. Ida struck the Central American country with relentless rain this week. The hurricane has sustained winds of 120 kilometres an hour. It was expected to pass between Mexico and Cuba on Sunday. Forecasters predict Ida will weaken again once it moves into the Gulf of Mexico.
EGYPT
China's premier has pledged US$10 billion in low-interest loans to African nations over the next three years. Wen Jiabao made the announcement at a two-day China-Africa Summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He also said that China would cancel the debts of some of the poorest African nations. China is one of the largest investors in Africa, along with the United States and Europe.
PAKISTAN
A suicide bomber killed at least nine people in an attack on a market south of Peshawar on Sunday. Dozens of others were wounded. The attacker appeared to target a local mayor who was among those who died. On the same day in the capital, Islamabad, police shot and killed another suicide bomber before he was able to detonate his explosives at a checkpoint. Islamist militants have carried out a number of bombings in recent weeks, killing more than 300 cilivians and members of the security services.
JORDAN
Police fired teargas at an angry crowd in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday, that was protesting the alleged death of a man at the hands of police. The crowd of a few hundred was burning cars and damaging property. Six police officers were injured. People became angry after hearing news that Sadem Saud had died one month after being pronounced clinically dead. He had allegedly been beaten up and detained by police following a brawl. His family has demanded an investigation and the resignation of Interior Minister Nayef Qadi.
INDIA
The Dalai Lama was greeted by thousands of Buddhist monks and supporters on Sunday as he arrived in a remote region of India that is also claimed by China. The Dalai Lama arrived by helicopter in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, where he had passed through after fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Hundreds of exiled Tibetans arrived for the event from all over India. Welcome gates with colourful Buddhist paintings were erected. China vigorously opposed the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit. But after opening a museum at a 400-year-old monastery in Tawang, the Dalai Lama said that it was usual for China to increase its campaign against him wherever he goes. He added that his visit was non-political. Despite several rounds of talks, China and India have failed to resolve their dispute over the region.
IRAQ
Iraq's parliament on Sunday passed an election law to prepare the way for a national election in January. The law came after legislators resolved disagreements over the disputed city of Kirkuk. On hearing the news, U.S. President Barrack Obama said that approval of the law opens the way for the eventual withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
SAUDI ARABIA
Three soldiers have died, four are missing and 15 were injured as a result of clashes with rebels trying to retake land on the border with Yemen. Shia rebels had crossed the Saudi border earlier in the week and taken an area called Jabal Dukhan. The rebels known as Houthis have been engaged in an intense wave of fighting with the Yemeni army since the government launched a major new offensive in August.
UNITED STATES
In a historic move, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a healthcare reform bill on Saturday despite strong opposition. The Democratic Health Care Reform Act is designed to extend medical insurance to more than 36 million Americans who have none. U.S. President Barrack Obama's Democratic Party members had enough votes to pass the bill. Only one Republican voted in favour. The bill must next get approved by the Senate.
FIGURE SKATING
Canadians Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier won a bronze medal on Sunday at the NHK Trophy competition in Nagano, Japan. It was their second career ISU Grand Prix medal. Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the gold while Sinead Kerr and John Kerr of Britain were second.
SPEED SKATING
Canadian Christine Nesbitt won her second gold medal in as many days at a World Cup meet in Berlin, winning the 1,500 metres on Sunday. Czech Martina Sablikova was second. Canadian Brittany Schussler was third and another Canadian, Kristina Groves, was fourth. Canadian Denny Morrison finished third in the men's 1,500. At a World Cup short-track event in Montreal on Sunday, Canadian Charles Hamelin picked up his third medal by winning the bronze medal in the men's 1,000 metres. Si-Bak Sung won gold and Jung-su Lee, also of South Korea, took silver.
TENNIS
Canadian Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia won the men's double's title at the ATP Tour's Davidoff Swiss Indoors hardcourt event in Basel on Sunday, beating Americans Bob and Mike Bryan, 6-2, 6-3.
HOCKEY
In the National Hockey League on Saturday, New Jersey beat Ottawa, 3-2, Tampa Bay defeated Montreal, 3-1, Toronto defeated Detroit, 5-1, and Calgary beat the N.Y. Rangers, 3-1.
BASKETBALL
In the National Basketball Association on Saturday, Dallas beat Toronto, 129-101.
FOOTBALL
The Hamilton Tiger Cats beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, 39-17. On Saturday, the Montreal Alouettes beat the Toronto Argonauts, 42-17, and Saskatchewan defeated Calgary, 30-14.
Weather
Here is Canada's weather on Monday. British Columbia will have rain. The high temperature in Vancouver will be ten degrees Celsius. The Yukon: variable cloudiness. Whitehorse, minus six. Northwest Territories: overcast. Yellowknife, minus six. Nunavut: mainly sunny. Iqaluit, minus 15. Alberta: sunny. Edmonton, eight. Saskatchewan: sunny. Regina, seven. Manitoba: sunny. Winnipeg, eight. Ontario: variable cloudiness. Toronto, 18. Ottawa, 16. Quebec: increasing cloudiness. Montreal, 14. New Brunswick: mainly sunny. Fredericton, 13. Nova Scotia: mainly sunny. Halifax, 12. Prince Edward Island: increasing cloudiness. Charlottetown, nine. Newfoundland: mainly cloudy. St. John's, six.
