NATO security forum discusses Afghanistan.
Severe flooding on Vancouver Island.
Government sends message to arts groups.
HALIFAX: NATO SECURITY FORUM DISCUSSES AFGHANISTAN
A retired Canadian general says that NATO forces in Afghanistan have just one chance in the next year-and-a-half to gain the upper hand against Taliban militants. Rick Hillier spoke at a NATO security forum in Halifax. At the same forum, U.S. Senator John McCain said that NATO should begin discussing its withdrawal from Afghanistan only after it defeats the Taliban.
DUNCAN: SEVERE FLOODING ON VANCOUVER ISLAND
Floodwaters in the community of Duncan on Vancouver Island have begun to recede in some areas. Heavy rains, combined with an unusually high tide, caused the Cowichan and Koksilah Rivers to breach their banks on Friday morning. About 300 homes were evacuated and hundreds more remain under evacuation alert. Even though the waters are dropping, relief officials are continuing sandbagging efforts because more rain is in the forecast.
QUEBEC: GOVERNMENT SENDS MESSAGE TO ARTS GROUPS
Canada's Heritage Minister, James Moore, is urging arts groups to look beyond government funding for support. Mr. Moore told an arts funding conference that arts groups need to diversify their sources of funding to survive. The federal government was widely criticized in Quebec last year when Prime Minister Stephen Harper implied that average Canadians have no sympathy for artists who gather at galas to whine about their government grants.
OTTAWA: WAR RESISTER TO MAKE NEW PLEA
A federal court has ruled that an American war resister may get another chance to plead her case for refugee status. Bethany Smith crossed the border into Canada just days before her deployment to Iraq in 2007. She feared for her life after fellow soldiers found out that she's a lesbian. She claims to have received handwritten notes threatening her with beatings and death. The judge ruled that the refugee board must look at her case because it unfairly dismissed evidence suggesting that homosexuals in the military face harrassment.
KANDAHAR: CANADIAN TROOPS STAGE ADVANCE
Canadian soldiers say that they met little resistance while performing a new counter-insurgency operation in southern Afghanistan. Troops moved into the northern limits of Nakhonay, a town in Panjwaii district that is thought to be an insurgent stronghold. The military says that by controlling Nakhonay, it can limit Taliban access to roads into Kandahar City.
OTTAWA: PRISON SENTENCE IN SPONSORSHIP SCANDAL CASE
One of the key figures in a scandal that rocked Canada's government several years ago has been sentenced to two years in jail plus one day. Gilles-Andre Gosselin pleaded guilty to several fraud charges in connection with the so-called sponsorship scandal. Gosselin was an executive with Gosselin Strategic Communications, a firm that billed the federal government CDN$655,000 for 3,700 hours of work in 1997. It was determined that little or no work was performed. The sponsorship scandal undermined the Liberal Party government that formed the federal government at the time.
OTTAWA: WARSHIP ARRIVES IN GULF OF ADEN
The Canadian warship, HMCS Fredericton, has begun patrolling for pirates off the coast of east Africa. For the next six months, the ship will patrol in the
Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa. Piracy attacks on merchant shipping have been a problem in recent years. Two other Canadian warships, Winnipeg and Ville de Quebec, conducted similar patrols in 2008 and 2009.
OTTAWA: PLASKETT WINS AT FOLK MUSIC AWARDS
Singer/songwriter Joel Plaskett won prizes for contemporary album of the year and producer of the year at the fifth annual Canadian Folk Music Awards on Saturday. Susan Crowe was named English songwriter of the year. Ukulele player James Hill won traditional album of the year for his collaboration with Anne Davison. Catherine MacLellan was named solo artist of the year and Colette Cheverie won traditional singer of the year. Karim Saada won for world solo artist of the year while Mansa Sissoko and banjo player Jayme Stone took the world group prize. Catherine Durand was named French songwriter of the year.
CHINA
A gas explosion in a state-run coal mine in northern China killed 42 people and left 66 others trapped underground on Saturday. A rescue operation was under way. More than 500 people were working in the mine at the time of the blast. China's mines are the world's deadliest.
IRELAND
The worst flooding in Ireland in hundreds of years has caused rivers to burst in the area around Cork. The government is rushing soldiers to provide shelter and drinking water to those affected. Coastal towns are threatened by sea
flooding, Forecasters warn of more heavy rain to come. Prime Minister Brian Cowen says that the main concern is to help people who fled their homes and to maintain water supplies. The worst hit areas were Cork and towns in the south, midlands and west of the republic.
SAUDI ARABIA
The Saudi Health Ministry has announced the first four deaths from swine flu among pilgrims who have made the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. None of the victims had been vaccinated. All became sick within two to three days of arriving in Saudi Arabia. The hajj pilgrimage is required of all able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime. It attracts about three million people from 160 countries annually.
IRAN
The United Nations General Assembly's human rights committee has condemned Iran for a violent crackdown on protesters after presidential elections earlier this year. The Canadian-drafted resolution was adopted by a vote of 74 to 48, with 59 abstentions. Iran's ambassador to the U.N., Mohammad Khazaee said that the reslution is the sort that creates an atmosphere of confrontation and polarization. The resolution condemned what it called numerous deaths and injuries during protests that broke out after the vote which returned President Mahmoud Amidinajad to power. It also condemned reports of forced confessions and abuse of prisoners, including rape and torture.
RUSSIA
President Dmitri Medvedev has harshly criticized government officials in the ruling United Russia party for abusing their positions to win elections. Speaking at a major party meeting in St. Petersburg, Mr. Medvedev said that United Russia must learn to win fairly. It was his strongest criticism yet of the party which is led by his predecessor and mentor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Mr. Medvedev's statement appeared to respond to public criticism rather than to mount a challenge to Mr. Putin.
IRAN
Iran will stage large-scale air defence war games next week to help protect its nuclear facilities against any attack. A senior commander, Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani, suggested that Iran could produce an advanced missile defence system. which Russia has so far failed to deliver. He said that Russia's delay in supplying missiles is due to pressure by Israel, not by technical problems as Russia said.
WINDSOR: AUTO WORKERS AGREE TO TENTATIVE CONTRACT
Workers at a Canadian auto parts supplier in southern Ontario have agreed to a tentative three-year deal. The Chrsyler plant employs 125 people. They agreed on a deal a few hours past the initial midnight strike deadline on Saturday. A labour union leader called the deal fair in tough economic times. A ratification vote is set for Sunday.
SPEED SKATING
Canadian Lucas Makowsky won a silver medal in the men's 1,500-metre competition at a World Cup long-track speedskating event in Hamar, Norway, on Saturday. American Shani Davis won the race and Havard Bokko of Norway was third. In the women's 5,000, Canadian Clara Hughes was fourth while her compatriot Kristina Groves was fifth. Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic took gold.
FIGURE SKATING
Canadians Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison won the bronze medal in pairs on Saturday at HomeSense Canada International in Kitchener, Ontario. World champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy won the gold, and Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov of Russia were third. Canadians Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay finished fourth in their first Grand Prix appearance in two seasons. In the men's competition, Canadian Patrick Chan finished sixth. American Jeremy Abbott won the gold.
TRAMPOLINE
Canadian Samantha Smith won the bronze medal in women's trampoline in the 17-18-year age group at the ag- group championships in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday. Canadian Alexandria Giesbrecht was third in double mini trampoline in the 13-14-year age group.
BOBSLED
Canadians Pierre Lueders and brakeman David Bissett finished fourth at a World Cup competition in Lake Placid, New York, on Saturday. Americans John Napier and Charles Berkeley won the gold medal. Canadians Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse were third in the women's bobsled race at Mount Van Hoevenberg near Lake Placid.
TENNIS
Canadian Stephanie Dubois lost to Italy's Camila Giorgi in semifinal play at the Tevlin Challenger event in Toronto on Saturday. Giorgi will meet Hungary's Aniko Kapros for the title.
Weather
Here is Canada's weather on Sunday. British Columbia will have sunny periods. The high temperature in Vancouver will be nine degrees Celsius. The Yukon: variable cloudiness. Whitehorse, minus 14. Northwest Territories: snow flurries. Yellowknife, minus 11. Nunavut: cloudy periods. Iqaluit, minus 17. Alberta: variable cloudiness. Edmonton, zero. Saskatchewan: sunny. Regina, four. Manitoba: sunny. Winnipeg, seven. Ontario: sunny. Toronto, ten. Ottawa, eight. Quebec: sunny. Montreal, eight. New Brunswick: sunny. Fredericton, four. Nova Scotia: sunny. Halifax, seven. Prince Edward Island: mainly cloudy. Charlottetown, five. Newfoundland: snow flurries. St. John's, three.
