Canadian leader to attend climate conference
Kidnapped Canadian reporter on way home
OTTAWA: GENERAL DENIES TORTURE ALLEGATIONS
The former head of Canada's military, Gen. Rick Hillier, says he never saw warnings or evidence that detainees in Afghanistan were tortured after Canadian soldiers handed them over to Afghan security forces. He made the comment to a special House of Commons committee investigating allegations by a Canadian diplomat that transferred prisoners were abused. Since then, a document by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission obtained by the Canadian media supported that claim.
OTTAWA: PM TO ATTEND COPENHAGEN
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will attend the Copenhagen climate change conference after all. His spokesman say that he changed his mind after U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao said they would attend. The conference runs Dec. 6-18. On Wednesday, Mr. Harper had said he wouldn't go to Copenhagen. Canada has come under criticism internationally for having reneged on its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change and for refusing to sign a new one to limit greenhouse gases unless developing nations are included.
OTTAWA: JOURNALIST KIDNAPPED IN SOMALIA HEADS HOME
Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout, who was kidnapped in Somalia more than a year ago, has been freed and is on her way back to Canada. She's now in Nairobi, Kenya, where she'll undergo a medical check. Miss Lindhout of the province of Alberta and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan were released by their captors and taken to a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The two vanished in the city in August 2008. The kidnappers had warned that she would be killed if a $2.5-million dollar ransom was not paid. Miss Lindhous confirms her family paid a ransom of $600,000. She says her captors kept her in dark rooms and beat and tortured her.
OTTAWA: BILL WOULD ALLOW VICTIMS TO SUE FOREIGN TORMENTORS
A Canadian opposition lawmaker has introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons allowing the victims of torture to sue the perpetrators, including foreign states and officials. The bill was presented by Liberal Party Member of Parliament Irwin Cotler. He points out that Canadian law criminalizes such offences as torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide but doesn't allow the victims to sue the victimizers. He says his bill addresses the evil of such international crimes and targets the immunity of states and their officials guilty of them. Canada's governing Conservative Party and the three opposition parties in the House haven't taken a position on the bill but individual MPs of all four parties have said they intend to vote for it. A dual Canadian-Syrian citizen, Maher Arar said he was deported to his native Syria by the U.S. om 2002 and was tortured there. A judicial inquiry in Canada found that he was likely arrested in New York as a terrorist suspect on the basis of erroneous information supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted police. The inquiry exonerated him of terrorism and the Canadian government awarded him $10 million in compensation.
OTTAWA: HIGH COURT TO HEAR SERIAL KILLER'S CASE
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear an appeal of the conviction of the country's worst serial killer. The high court says it will hear the appeal in the case of Robert Pickton and allow his lawyer to raise questions other than those connected to a ruling by the B.C. Court of Appeal. In 2007, a court in B.C. sentenced Pickton to life in prison after his conviction on six counts of second-degree murder of six prostitutes. He was charged but not tried in connection with 20 other deaths as well.
OTTAWA: NORTH FACES RISKS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE
The federal government has been warned that the phenomenon of global warming poses enormous risks to the environment of northern Canada. The warning comes from the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, a panel that provides Ottawa with information and advice on environmental issues. The experts warn that the northern permafrost layer of the ground has begun to melt, a development that can have disastrous results. Their report says that the melting of frozen ground undermines building foundations, roads, pipelines and communications infrastructure. The disappearing permafrost also affects the solidity of containment structures that hold toxic waste from mines, which risk seeping into the environment.
CHINA
China has announced its first targets for limiting carbon emissions that it will present at next month's climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. China says it will cut carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 by 40 to 45 percent from 2005 levels. The announcement marks the first time China has put specific numbers on a promise in September by President Hu Jintao to reduce the intensity of its carbon emissions as a percentage of economic growth by 2020. China's announcement came a day after the U.S. said it would cut emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Scientists have warned that without aggressive action, global temperatures could rise dramatically this century with dangerous consequences for world climate. China and the U.S. are two of the world's major polluters.
INDIA
People in India are marking the first anniversary of the terrorist attack in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed, including two Canadians. Nine terrorists were killed by police. One alleged terrorist survived and is standing trial. The terrorists laid siege to a luxury hotel and a railway station for two-and-a-half days. As part of the anniversary events, the military and police put on a public show of force to demonstrate their readiness against further attacks.
SAUDI ARABIA
The world's largest annual religious pilgrimage is into its third day at the holy city of Mecca for the four-day hajj. About two million foreigners are participating in this year's pilgrimage.
NIGERIA
Nigeria's president is in hospital in Saudi Arabia for treatment of a heart condition. Umaru Yar'adua is suffering from acute pericarditis. A presidential spokesman says that Mr. Yar'adua is responding well. It's not known when the president will be able to return to Nigeria. The illness typically requires treatment lasting six weeks.
MONTREAL: BOMBARDIER TO CARRY OUT MORE LAYOFFS
Bombardier Aerospace says it will lay off 715 more employees in the Montreal area due to fewer orders for its CRJ model regional jet. Bombardier says that tough conditions in the airline industry have made it more difficult to obtain new orders for the aircraft. The 715 layoffs come in addition for 4,360 layoffs in Bombardier's worldwide operations in the current fiscal year.
TORONTO: ROGERS LAYS OFF 900
Media giant Rogers Communications Inc. says it will lay off about 900 employees across the country, mostly of them executive and management positions. The layoffs represent about three per cent of the company's present workforce. In September, Rogers announced a greater integration of its cable and wireless divisions. The firm owns Canada's biggest wireless phone service, a cable service, numerous publications and broadcast outlets and the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.
OTTAWA: AL-JAZEERA COMES TO CANADA
Canada's telecom watchdog has granted an operating licence of the English-language news service of the Qatar-based al-Jazeera. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the service to be offered by digital cable and satellite providers. The Commission has in the past been reluctant to allow non-Canadian channels that competed with domestic services, but said in this case it wants to promote a diversity of editorial points of view. Al-Jazeera English is broadcast in 110 countries on television and the Internet and employs, 1,200 journalists.
MARKETS
TMX on Thursday: 11,438, down 199. Canadian dollar: US94. Euro: C$1.59. Oil: $76.23, down$1.73.
BASEBALL
The Toronto Blue Jays appear to be set at the shortstop position. Alex Gonzalez has signed a one-year deal worth US$2.75 million. Backup John McDonald signed a day earlier. The moves appear to end Marco Scutaro's days with the club.
Weather
British Columbia: rain south, cloud north, high C8 Vancouver. Yukon: mix sun cloud. Northwest Territories: mix sun cloud snow. Nunavut: sun. Whitehorse -1, Yellowknife -5, Iqaluit -22. Alberta: snow south sun north. Saskatchewan: snow north cloud south. Manitoba: rain. Edmonton 1, Regina 4, Winnipeg 3. Ontario: rain south, mix sun cloud north. Quebec: rain. Toronto 7, Ottawa 6, Montreal 8. Atlantic Canada: rain. Fredericton 8, Halifax 13, Charlottetown 15, St. John's 7.
