Torture allegations in Kandahar denied
Canadian governor of Afghan province survives assassination attempt
PORT-OF-SPAIN: CLIMATE AT TOP OF COMMONWEALTH AGENDA
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had a private meeting with the Queen before she officially opened the Commonwealth summit in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. In her opening remarks, the Queen told the 53 heads of state that the Commonwealth has an opportunity to regain its relevance by leading the battle against global warming. The event is the last main international conference before next month's UN conference on the issue. Leaders including Mr. Harper have the task of drawing up a draft treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. A number of the states attending the Commonweath summit, such as the Maldive Islands, are serious worried about the effect of rising sea waters caused by global warming on their geography.
OTTAWA: TORTURE ALLEGATIONS DENIED
The man who headed the Canadian government's Afghanistan Task Force is denying allegations about Afghan prisoner abuse made by a senior diplomat last week. David Mulroney says diplomat Richard Colvin never produced any report alleging mistreatment of a prisoner transferred to Afghan authorities by Canadian forces. Mr. Colvin told a special parliamentary committee last week that reports he filed in 2006 and 2007 warned that prisoners handed over to Afghan prisons were almost certain to face torture.
KANDAHAR: CANADIAN GOVERNOR OF PROVINCE ESCAPES ASSASSINATION
The governor of Afghanistan's province of Kandahar, Tooryalai Wesa, narrowly escaped assassination Friday when a bomb exploded near his car as he was being driven to a mosque. He was on his way to prayers marking the Eid al-Adha festival when a roadside bomb detonated. Such bombs are often used by the Taliban who are trying to force foreign forces out of the country.
Mr. Wesa is a Canadian citizen of Afghan origin who fled Afghanistan in 1991. He was personally invited by President Hamid Karzai, a childhood friend, to assume the governorship. He had been working as an agricultural specialist at the University of British Columbia.
PORT-OF-SPAIN: CANADA SAYS NO TO SRI LANKA SUMMIT
In related news, Canada won't support Sri Lanka's bid to host the Commonwealth summit in 2011. A government official in Port-of-Spain says the Canadian government is concerned about the fate of Sri Lankans displaced by the civil war concluded earlier this year. Thousands of ethnic Tamils remain in refugee camps. The official said Canada supports their early, safe and voluntary return home.
OTTAWA: GOVT. HEADED TOWARD RECORD DEFICIT
The Canadian government reports that it is on track to record its biggest budget deficit in the country's history. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the deficit for the first six months of the fiscal year amounted to $28.6 billion. At that rate, the figure on March 31 would be $56.2 billion, a record. The minister's department says one-half of the total is due to lower tax revenues because of the recession and additional spending aimed at ending it.
AUSTRIA
The governing body of the International Atomic Energy Agency has voted unanimously to censure Iran for developing a uranium enrichment site in secret. It also demanded that Iran freeze the project immediately. The resolution by the 35-nation governing board had the rare support of China and Russia. But it's not clear whether the measure, sponsored by six world powers, would mean eventual Russian and Chinese support for further western sanctions against Iran if it does not reduce its nuclear program. Uranium is needed to produce nuclear bombs. The West and Israel have repeatedly accused Iran of using its nuclear program eventually to build an atomic bomb, a charge Tehran denies.
FRANCE
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says the Russian government still hasn't made a decision on whether to buy Mistral warships from France. However, his French counterpart François Fillon says the French government is examining an official request from Russia for the purchase of the helicopter-carrier assault vessel. Mr. Putin is in Paris for talks on a variety of subjects with Mr. Fillon. The possibility of the sale of the Mistral to Russia has aroused worry in Georgia and the Baltic states. Latvia joined its neighbours Lithuania and Estonia Friday in pressing Paris for an explanation. A Latvian foreign ministry spokesman noted that France is Latvia's EU partner and that Latvia hopes France will make the right decision. Speaking on another matter, Mr. Putin said French carmaker Renault will commit 300 million euros to sagging Russia automaker Avtovaz through a technology transfer. Renault already has a 25-per cent stake in the Russian company.
OTTAWA: RETAILER WINS LABOUR CASE
The Supreme Court of Canada has supported the right of the world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., to close a store after its workers had unionized in a 6-3 ruling. Wal-Mart opened a store in Jonquière, QC, in 2001 and closed four years later after a union was certified. The store was the first Wal-Mart outlet in Canada or the U.S. to unionize. The high court's majority decision found that no legislation obliges an employer to remain in business but that the closure of a store doesn't immunize an employer from financial consequences. The court didn't, however, order Wal-Mart to pay compensation. The ruling doesn't have automatic application in the other provinces.
TORONTO: GM DEALERS SUE
The Globe and Mail newspaper reports that 12 General Motors dealers who have received termination notices are suing the company to keep their dealerships open. They are among the 240 dealers to whom GM sent termination notices in May. The company is making huge cuts to its dealership network to get rid of four of the eight car models it was marketing in Canada and the U.S. The dealers are seeking $1.5 million each from GM, an injunction to prevent the company from closing their dealership and an unspecified amount of compensation for losses of profit, goodwill and market share.
MARKETS
TMX on Friday: 11,456, up 12. Canadian dollar: US94. Euro: C$1.58. Oil: $76.05, down $1.91.
FOOTBALL
It's a big weekend in Canadian football. The Queen's Golden Gaels and Calgary Dinos kick things off Saturday afternoon in the Vanier Cup at Laval. On Sunday in Calgary, the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders play for the Grey Cup.
AUTO RACING
Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and federal and provincial politicians said Friday that a deal has been struck for the Formula One race to be held in the city every year through 2014. The race had been held at Montreal's Gilles-Villeneuve racetrack every year since 1978 before being dropped in 2009. The Formula One event draws wealthy tourists from all over the world and has provided an annual boost to business-owners and hotels. This year's race was scrubbed after a financial dispute between local authorities and racing impresario Bernie Ecclestone.
Weather
British Columbia on Saturday: rain south, snow north, high C10 Vancouver. Yukon, Northwest Territories: snow. Whitehorse -4, Yellowknife -6, Iqaluit -18. Alberta: mix sun cloud. Saskatchewan: snow south, mix sun cloud north. Manitoba: cloud. Edmonton 0, Regina -1, Winnipeg 1. Ontario: cloud. Quebec: mostly cloud. Toronto 8, Ottawa 1, Montreal 3. Atlantic Canada: rain. Fredericton 7, Halifax 8, Charlottetown 10, St. John's 1.
