FEDERAL TAXPAYERS are footing a multi-million dollar bill to send in the clowns. Heritage Canada doled out almost $1 million in the past two years to the Montreal-based National Circus School, according to documents obtained by Sun Media under Access to Information.
Sources also reveal that Iranian Air Force have failed shoot down even a single UFO and many in Iranian Air Force are complaining about lack of technical ability in shooting these UFOs down.I have heard rumours of wide-spread opium addiction among the ruling Mullahs of Iran but never gave it much credence until now.
A 150-member Israeli aid delegation canceled its mission to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, after the country - one of the hardest hit in the Asian tsunami disaster - refused to accept the Israeli team, Israel Defense Forces officials said.
However, Israel is sending supplies at Sri Lanka's request, including 10,000 blankets contributed by the IDF, tents, nylon sheeting and water containers. The IDF Home Front Command is organizing aid preparations.
[…]
The decision to send the Israeli delegation to Sri Lanka came despite the lack of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Sri Lanka said on Tuesday the death toll from the tsunami had risen to about 15,000 people, including at least 200 foreign tourists. Sri Lankan military spokesman Daya Ratnayake said more than 1.5 million people had been displaced from their homes - around 7.5 percent of Sri Lanka's population.
About 26,000 people were confirmed dead Tuesday in the wake of the tsunami that slammed into coasts from India to Indonesia two days before, with some estimates nearly doubling that toll.
The aid delegation that had been set to depart for Sri Lanka on Tuesday included medical teams and representatives of the IDF and Defense Ministry, who were planning to provide humanitarian assistance and participate in search-and-rescue operations.
The delegation was planning to assemble a medical facility comprised of specialist doctors, and set up emergency, internal medicine and pediatric departments, as well as laboratory and X-ray facilities in the southern part of Sri Lanka.
Two brands of artificial Christmas trees may be infested with a type of wood-eating insect, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned today. The trees, exported to Canada and the United States by China-based manufacturer Polytree Hong Kong, are sold under the brand name Dakota Alpine Christmas tree or Cascades Prelit Alpine Christmas tree, said agency spokesman Alain Charette. The trunks of the trees are made of natural wood from China that was "improperly treated," he said. In some cases, live bugs were found in trees exported to the United States. The brown fir longhorned beetle, which munches on evergreens in China, would have no natural predator in Canada and could cause "extensive damage," Charette said.
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran's decision to keep preparing raw uranium for enrichment, a step on the way to making nuclear weapons, breaks the spirit though not the letter of its pledge to freeze all such activity, diplomats said on Tuesday.
Under a deal Iran reached with three EU nations to freeze all enrichment activity as of Nov. 22, preparing "yellowcake" uranium for enrichment is strictly prohibited. But the accord allowed Iran to finish some limited uranium conversion work that it had already begun before the suspension took effect. But Iran will now continue enrichment-related work until February, Western diplomats told Reuters.
In Episode 1, Yitzhak Cohen lectures at a medical conference on the advances being made by Israeli medicine regarding organ transplants. Later in the episode, Israelis disguised as UN workers visit a Palestinian school, ostensibly to examine the children’s eyes for diseases, but in reality to select which children’s eyes to steal to be used for further transplants.
In Episode 2, the audience learns that the Israeli president is being kept alive by organs stolen from Palestinian children, and an Israeli military commander is seen kidnapping UN employees and Palestinians.
You scored as Luxurious Upper Class. As a member of the upper class, you will always have the satisfaction that there are many underneath you to slave for your every need and want. Live the high life.
What Social Status are you? created with QuizFarm.com |
"This is not Shariah law," said report author Marion Boyd, a former provincial attorney general. "This is using Muslim religious principles under Canadian law, within Canadian law, and that is the greatest protection that we think can be offered."
The 44 North Koreans who were holed up at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing have been released and taken to a safe third country, Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.Today, I can feel better about being a Canadian.
A spokesman for Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew confirmed the release.
"Mr. Pettigrew has confirmed the transfer of all 44 people from the Canadian Embassy," Sebastien Theberge said.
I've seen my country east to west, north to south; urban, rural, and wilderness. I've watched the salmon run in Goldstream Provincial Park in Victoria, BC, and hiked four days from Halifax to Greenwood, NS on a dare. I've served my country, briefly and certainly without the distinction of my grandfathers, in uniform, and saluted our flag with tears in my eyes. I've screamed myself hoarse at the annual incarnation of the oldest international hockey rivalry in the world: RMC vs. West Point. I've even sacrificed time, energy, and money in a political campaign in the firm belief we should all participate in the process of governing ourselves. I'm comfortable calling myself a Canadian patriot.But that doesn't mean I'm satisfied with a snapshot of Canada as it is now any more than my grandparents would have been with a freeze-frame of the Canada they inherited. It doesn't mean this great nation can't become greater. And it certainly doesn't mean today's Canadians can afford to sit back on our laurels and announce arrogantly that we're somehow fated to enjoy the freedom and prosperity we had such a small historical part in creating.Damian Brooks, Canadian Patriot
I've struggled to explain to friends and family curious about my foray into the blogosphere what binds the disparate blogs of the Red Ensign Brigade together. The closest answer I can give is that we share strong feelings about the importance of Canada's past in charting our nation's future. We share a conviction that Canadian freedom and prosperity are not a birthright bestowed upon a lucky citizenry, but rather a reward for action consistent with longstanding Canadian values.
"Premier Dalton McGuinty plans to put respect on the curriculum in Ontario schools in a bid to teach children "from the four corners of the world" a common set of values. McGuinty said the introduction of character education -- to teach respect, honesty, fairness and responsibility"
The Spirit of America helps Americans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan assist people in need. We fulfill requests from American personnel for goods that improve the lives of local people and thus help advance freedom and peace.
We have provided school and medical supplies, sewing machines, hand tools, water barrels, clothing, soccer gear and toys in response to needs identified by American personnel. We contributed equipment to Iraqi-owned television stations to establish a better alternative to Al Jazeera. We helped Iraqi men whose arms were amputated by Saddam Hussein get a new start on life.
We provide timely and effective assistance where it is needed most on the front lines. The Wall Street Journal says, "Spirit of America's organizational insight is to deploy the best practices of the modern U.S. economy - efficiency and speed - around the margins of the Iraq war effort." The Journal adds, "Spirit of America and the Marines are a coalition of the can-do."
Currently the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion is trying to raise funds to enable Yarmouk University and Baquba Technical Institute to buy computers, printers, copiers, video camera, DVD players, laboratory supplies, scientific instruments, library books, academic journals and textbooks.
Then there is the Library Book Fund for the children of Iraq. The Spirit of American is seeking to provide children's books identified by Iraqi's Ministry of Education. These books will be in children's libraries are located in community centres, hospitals and schools.
The 1st Marine Division has asked if the Spirit of America could help provide sewing machines in community centres being established by the Ramadi Province. These sewing centres include day care and help put economic power in women's hands by allowing them the opportunity to earn a living.
The Marines and SeaBees are busy training Iraqi men to be carpenters, electricians, plumbers and masons. Donations are needed to purchase tool kits to be presented to the Iraqi graduates from their trade school as a gift.
The Arabic Blogging Tool - Viral Freedom is an independent new media project seeking donations to support independent new media and free expression in Iraq. The Spirit of America is seeking funding for the development of Arabic blogging to help support independent media and free expression in Iraq. Your donations to this project allows Spirit of America to host blogs and it gives Iraqi's a voice and a say in their own lives.
I’ve successfully infiltrated the heart of deepest, darkest France and what do I find?
Under Saddam Hussein, hundred of thousands of Iraqis were killed and tortured. The signs of his brutal regime are being uncovered by our soldiers on a daily basis. There were torture chambers, slaughterhouses, and mass graves. Yes - the war has been difficult, but nothing on the scale of what the brutal dictator Saddam Hussein inflicted on his own people.
The Spirit of America is an effort to build hope and goodwill towards our country among the people of Iraq, to show them that we are not the imperialist thugs that parts of Europe would have them believe. America does not want Iraq as its 51st state - we want a free Iraq, a country without tyranny, free from fear. America wants an Iraq that is self-sufficient and able to work through the struggles of being a country coming out from under a dictatorship. It happened in Japan. It hap in Germany. Iraq can rise again as well.
In addition to helping the people of Iraq, donating to the Spirit of America is also a way to help our troops. The Spirit of America is a slap in the face to those terrorist insurgents who seek to undermine the will of the Iraqi people. By enabling Iraq to rebuild, educate its children, train its people, and foster improved relations between ourselves and Iraq,
U.S. ARMY deserter Jeremy Hinzman admits the idea of an American claiming refugee status in Canada sounds "preposterous." But the paratrooper remains convinced he and his family will be persecuted if he is sent home to face the music for going AWOL on the eve of his unit's deployment to Iraq.
The 26-year-old's three-day refugee hearing wrapped up in Toronto yesterday. Afterward, Hinzman said he believes his life would be at risk in a military prison -- and the danger likely wouldn't end once he had completed the estimated one- to five-year sentence he could end up serving.
"I think we all know the climate of the States right now is kind of hostile to any sort of dissent," Hinzman said, explaining he expects he would encounter "social persecution" that would make just finding a job difficult.
"I've been here almost a year and it feels like home. I love it here," he said, adding he would like to attend university in Toronto.
'Twas the night before Blogothon, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that John Donovan, our Beloved Leader soon would be there;
The letter arrived postmarked from El Paso, Texas. The first lines read, "Before you are rude to another telemarketer, you should keep in mind that he or she has your phone number and your address. Many of them live in your own state and most don't give a (expletive)!"That got me to pondering what should be my response to this email solicitation from KelvinRichard221@yahoo.com.au:
An American war dodger who willingly joined the U.S. army because it would pay for his university education testified Monday that the birth of his son was the final step in his realization that he didn't want to be a killer. Jeremy Hinzman, 26, fled his airborne regiment in January and has requested refugee status in Canada on the grounds he would be unfairly prosecuted if returned to the United States.
An elite U.S. soldier is applying for refugee status in Canada this week, arguing that he would be forced to commit war crimes if deployed to Iraq. Jeremy Hinzman, a ‘White Devil' with the 82nd Airborne, deserted from his unit only days before it was sent to Iraq.I first blogged about Jeremy Hinzman’s outrageous claim for refugee status in Canada back in July 2004.
I raised the Red Ensign before there was any formal association to go along with it, and I still stand by what I said at the time. It's good to see more and more have joined in since, those who - whatever disagreements we may have on every other topic - long for the days when Canada was actually a strong and capable world power, rather than an ineffectual and deluded grumbler. We used to sit with the United States and Britain on matters of global importance. But since those halcyon days, our largely Liberal leaders have decided it's better to throw tantrums and be relegated to the responsibility-free sanctuary of the kiddie table.
Me too, but what is even more incredulous is that the Toronto Star has a weekly paid circulation of 465,000.I assume that liberals don't actually believe the drivel they write. But what possesses them to write such nonsense with a straight face is beyond me.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes satellite photographs show that high explosives are being tested and that procurement records show equipment has been bought that can be used for making bomb-grade uranium, citing unnamed diplomats.
The intelligence came from several sources, including nations that are members of the IAEA, the Times reported. But the military sites the inspectors would like to inspect -- the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran and Lavizan II in northeastern Tehran -- are legally off limits to the IAEA, which only has the right to monitor civilian nuclear programmes. "The IAEA simply has no authority to go to sites that are not declared nuclear sites," a diplomat close to the IAEA inspection process told Reuters. He said that the IAEA had not asked to inspect Lavizan II, although they would like to.
{…}
Diplomats and weapons experts said that the IAEA inspection process had been dealt a severe blow this week when France, Britain and Germany gave in to Iranian demands that a clause demanding Iran grant the IAEA "unrestricted access" to sites in Iran be removed from a draft resolution. The resolution passed by the IAEA board only calls on Iran to grant access "in accordance with the Additional Protocol".
"It was a terrible blow to this effort to find these potential nuclear weapons sites," David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector and head of a Washington-based think-tank, told Reuters. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has asked Iran many times for access to another military site called Parchin, also suspected to be a location for nuclear weapons activity. But a November report by the IAEA said it had received no response from Tehran. ElBaradei has said that it could take at least two years to resolve all the issues surrounding Iran's nuclear programme
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A top Iranian cleric said Iran will soon join the international nuclear club, saying the suspension of uranium enrichment will last for four months only.Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the powerful Expediency Council, said at Friday sermon Iran "will be member of the club grouping countries that possess nuclear industry very soon," the Iranian News Agency, IRNA, reported.
[…]
"After that period is passed, Iran will discuss seriously the implementation of its uranium enrichment program and the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," he said."Tehran does not want to produce nuclear arms but will not give up its right."
EARTH must take precautions to avoid contamination from life forms that must now be presumed to exist on Mars, leading scientists gave warning yesterday. Potentially deadly microorganisms could be returned to Earth on a probe which is being planned to collect samples from the Martian surface.
The warning comes after a detailed scientific analysis of data sent back by the roving vehicle Opportunity which landed on Mars on January 25.
Jeffrey Kargel of the US Geological Survey said that protection of our own planet from alien forms of life requires the assumption that Martian life exists. 'Before proceeding with sample returns or human missions to Mars, we must review measures for planetary biological protection."
Some 200 masked young men and women gathered at a Tehran cemetery Thursday to pledge their willingness to carry out suicide bomb attacks against Americans in Iraq and Israelis.
The ceremony was organized by the Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement, a shadowy group that has since June been seeking volunteers for attacks in Iraq and Israel.
A spokesman, Ali Mohammadi, described Thursday's group as the "first suicide commando unit," though another official has claimed members already have carried out attacks in Israel. "Sooner or later we will bury all blasphemous occupiers of Islamic lands," Mohammadi said.
Sunday, Iran's deputy interior minister for security affairs told reporters the movement had no official sanction and said such groups could operate only "as long as their ideas are limited to theory." The group, though, has the backing of some prominent hard-line Iranian politicians.
Recent intelligence shows Iran has been working to produce a missile re-entry vehicle containing a small nuclear warhead for its Shahab missiles and has encountered problems developing a reliable centrifuge system for uranium enrichment, U.S. officials said.
Canada will close its ports to Denmark tomorrow, an escalation in a dispute between the two countries over shrimp caught just outside Canadian jurisdiction, federal sources say.There goes the beer, cheese, and cookies.
In a dramatic turnaround, imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti registered as a candidate for the Palestinian Authority election on January 9, running against Fatah nominee and PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, his wife announced shortly before the midnight Wednesday deadline.
Fadwa Barghouti submitted the registration despite her husband's announcement last Friday that he was stepping aside and throwing his support behind Abbas. He said at the time that his aim was to maintain unity within Fatah.
Barghouti said he is running "to protect the intifada," Barghouti associate Ahmed Ghanem told The Jerusalem Post. He and other Fatah leaders received a letter from Barghouti Wednesday in which he accused the Fatah leadership of trying to discredit the uprising and blame the late PA chairman, Yasser Arafat, for the misery of the Palestinian people. Talking about the possibility of achieving true peace now, after Arafat's death, is tantamount to discrediting his path, Barghouti wrote.
Canada will close its ports to Denmark tomorrow, an escalation in a dispute between the two countries over shrimp caught just outside Canadian jurisdiction, federal sources say.There goes the beer, cheese, and cookies.
Officials with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce believe the ATM dispensed 11 bills that were supposed to be real $20s but were instead Canadian Tire bills in denominations ranging from 10 cents to two dollars. It appears the Canadian Tire money came from a night deposit bag.
U.S. Marines and SeaBees are training Iraqi men as carpenters, electricians, plumbers and masons. Donated tools will be presented as gifts of friendship when they complete trade school. Your contribution will support Iraqis who are working with the Marines to rebuild their country.
The 1st Marine Division asked if we could help women in Ramadi by providing sewing machines for centers being established by the Province's director of economic development. The sewing centers, include day care, and provide women in the area with the opportunity to earn a living - some for the first time.
A few months back, we posted a request from Special Forces who wanted to help in Afghanistan. Donors responded so overwhelmingly that we received enough funds to implement a second project. This time, Sergeant Tredway is bringing school supplies and sports equipment to children in Afghanistan. His goal is "to increase the receptivity of Americans in Afghanistan to foster democratic ideals and to broaden the spectrum of activity for Afghan youth."
U.S. Army Special Forces request shoes, clothes and tools for villagers in remote Afghanistan. "We're currently working on a project for early spring time. We especially need shoes and shawls. Women usually get nothing in these areas. We'd like to help that."
We are providing children's books identified by Iraq's Ministry of Education. The books will be used to create children's libraries in community centers, hospitals and schools.
You cannot tell a man that saving him and his family from torture, humiliation and death was a mistake and it should have not been done because it is illegal. This is almost an insult to Iraqis to hear someone saying that this war was illegal. It means that our suffering for decades meant nothing and that formalities and the stupid rules of the UN (that rarely function) are more important than the lives of 25 million people.Now whatcha gonna say? Put your chains back on?
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Tehran was not worried about the threat of UN sanctions - a possible outcome if the deal falls through - telling reporters "referral to the UN Security Council would not be the end of the world."
"The issue of research and development is separate from discussions about suspension," Asefi said at a press conference. "We always had research and development in the past and we will continue that in the future. We will use the 20 centrifuges for research."
Iran insists using the 20 centrifuges purely for research is not banned by a Nov. 7 agreement worked out with Germany, France and Britain on behalf of the European Union to suspend all uranium enrichment and related activities. The European Union disagrees.
Backing down before a Monday deadline, Iran apparently has given up its demand to exempt some equipment from a deal freezing uranium enrichment programs that can make nuclear weapons, diplomats said Sunday.Except buried near the end of this article is this line:
Diplomats from the European Union and elsewhere said on condition of anonymity that the International Atomic Energy Agency received a letter from Iran containing a pledge not to test some centrifuges during the freeze it agreed to Nov. 7 during negotiations with Britain, France and Germany on behalf of the European Union.
The diplomats told The Associated Press on Sunday that the letter still needed close examination to determine what exactly the Iranians had agreed to.Let me get this straight. The Mullah’s sent a letter late Sunday night to the IAEA saying – well, that’s just it, no one really knows what the letter says because the IAEA has to study the letter to understand what the Mullah’s intentions are.
Why `Weenie' may start with a capital Dubya
A Palestinian man photographed with his bloody hands raised in triumph has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in killing one of two Israeli reserve soldiers lynched by an angry mob in 2000, the army said Monday.
The brutal killing of the two Israelis by the mob in the first weeks of the current violence became an iconic image of the hatred between Palestinians and Israelis.
A military court sentenced Aziz Tzalha, 24, to a life sentence plus one year on Sunday. Tzalha was "convicted of the murder of Cpl. Vadim Norjitz in the Ramallah lynch," the statement said.
This country has also been a force for liberty. The third largest navy in the world fed Britain through the dark days of the Blitz and Hitler's north Atlantic wolf packs. This is the country that took Vimy Ridge and that stormed Juno Beach. Let's bring back that Canada.
"It's not too much to ask for the Governor General to have to switch brands of caviar and find a more efficient way of running Rideau Hall," Martin said.I am all for budget cuts to stop the feeding frenzy of the federal purse but “slashing, dicing and paring” the annual budget from Cdn$19 million to Cdn$18, 683,000 is not what I had in mind when I think "slashed".
Canadians are smoking pot more than ever before and the majority want police and government to leave people to indulge in peace.
Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew announced in Ottawa yesterday that Gordon Venner will assume duties as Canada's ambassador to Iran. Ottawa recalled its ambassador in July to protest Iran's injustice in the Kazemi case.
Insisting Canada remains "deeply committed" to the case, Pettigrew said it's important to resume full diplomatic presence to press human rights concerns and Canada's views on Iran's nuclear program.
Jamal Akkal, 24, was arrested in Gaza on Nov. 1, 2003, and charged by the military with conspiracy to commit manslaughter. Prosecutors said Akkal planned to carry out attacks against Israeli officials traveling in the United States, as well as bombings against Jewish targets in North America.
Akkal had denied the charges, claiming a confession he gave was made under duress.
Under Wednesday's plea bargain, Akkal was found guilty of conspiracy to commit manslaughter and receiving paramilitary training, the army said. He was credited with time served since his arrest, and a second charge of receiving paramilitary training was dropped. Akkal, who was also fined 2,000 shekels (US$450), had faced up to 21 years in prison, the army said.
Akkal was born and raised in the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza and moved to Canada in 1999, where he received citizenship. He was arrested in Gaza after he fired eight shots in the air, his lawyer said.
During the trial, Akkal claimed he had come to Gaza to get engaged. The army said he met with militants from the violent Islamic group Hamas, received weapons training and planned attacks. According to the indictment, Akkal was to buy an M-16 rifle in Detroit and bomb materials to carry out the attacks in cities where many Jews live.
In a decision released to the National Post yesterday, an adjudicator ruled former U.S. soldier Jeremy Hinzman's claim that the Iraqi conflict was "condemned by the international community" is irrelevant to his refugee claim.
"Evidence with respect to the legality of the U.S. embarking on military action in Iraq will not be admitted into evidence at the hearing of these claims," wrote Brian Goodman, the chairman of the Immigration and Refugee Board panel hearing the case.
But is Canada's involvement in any peace process really in Israel's best interests? Although Canada claims to be a friend of Israel, an examination of Canada's actions both internationally and domestically should raise a few eyebrows and generate some hard questions.
Let's begin with the United Nations. Here Israel's friend, Canada, has voted against Israel 78 times, abstained 38 times, and voted in support of Israel, by its own admission, only once – although a phone call to Israel's UN delegation in New York was unable to confirm even that.
In spite of evidence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are on UNRWA's payroll and have taken full advantage of UNRWA funds and facilities to further their own unholy agenda, Canada continues to contribute $10 million annually to UNRWA. When asked directly whether he can state categorically that Canadian dollars are not being used to finance terror attacks against Israelis, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs was unable to do so. Canada has also given a quarter of a billion dollars to the Palestinian Authority, a goodly percentage of which, no doubt, has been used to subsidize Suha Arafat's opulent Paris lifestyle; or perhaps found its way into the coffers of the terror networks.
Yet, when pressured, Foreign Affairs refuses not only to produce an accounting of how its funds are being used, but also to demand an accounting from UNRWA and the PA.
While mouthing platitudes about Israel's right to defend itself, Canada has managed to condemn just about everything Israel does in its own defense.
Canada's porous refugee and immigration laws have allowed PFLP terrorist Mahmoud Mohammed Issa Mohammed, convicted in the hijacking of an El AL plane and subsequent killing of one person at Athens Airport in 1968, to live comfortably in Brantford, Ontario, while enjoying refugee status.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations is investigating about 150 allegations of sexual abuse by U.N. civilian staff and soldiers in the Congo, some of them recorded on videotape, a senior U.N. official said on Monday.Kofi Annan, in the best UN doublespeak makes his position crystal clear and is quoted at the end of this article:
The accusations include pedophilia, rape and prostitution, said Jane Holl Lute, an assistant secretary-general in the peacekeeping department.
Lute, an American, said there was photographic and video evidence for some of the allegations and most of the charges came to light since the spring.
"I have long made it clear that my attitude to sexual exploitation and abuse is one of zero tolerance, without exception, and I am determined to implement this policy in the most transparent manner," Annan said.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was embroiled in a new scandal yesterday after it emerged that he cleared a top official of sexual harassment despite an internal inquiry which backed the victim’s claims.Canada’s contribution to the United Nations General budget is approximately Cdn$53.1 million with an additional Cdn$77.8 million paid for peacekeeping contributions.
Annan cleared Ruud Lubbers in July after a woman on his staff claimed she had been groped by the ageing Dutch former foreign minister, who has been the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva since 2001.
But red-faced UN officials were forced to admit yesterday that an investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), an internal watchdog, had backed the unnamed woman’s allegations in a report to Annan.
Stockwell Day is pointing to a report that Yasser Arafat may have had AIDS in explaining why he didn't send condolences on the death of the Palestinian leader.
"Some of you have asked why I have not released a statement of condolence or sympathy," the Conservative party's foreign affairs critic wrote in a Nov. 16 e-mail to party colleagues.
"As you know, there are two sides to the Arafat story. You pick."
The e-mail then provides an article by conservative commentator David Frum in FrontPage Magazine which highlights Arafat's terrorist past and the possibility he had AIDS.
Embattled Immigration Minister Judy Sgro is fending off demands by opposition MPs to step aside while the ethics commissioner investigates allegations that her office helped a campaign volunteer get on the immigration fast track.
The volunteer, an exotic dancer from Romania, was given a temporary resident permit three days before the June 28 election.
All e-mails are presumed to be for publication on the site unless otherwise indicated. Please note that postings to the comments section may be edited or deleted for racism, defamatory content or just because I don’t like you.
Yasser Arafat's widow took possession of his much-sought medical dossier on Friday. She fled with the files after Palestinian TV broadcast a Friday sermon which threatened her life. She reportedly flew to Tunis in Arafat's jet, defying PA orders. Although the French defense ministry decided Nasser al Kidwa could access information on his uncle's mystery illness, Suha's lawyers claim only his widow can.
Suha Arafat obtained the file from the Percy military hospital in suburban Paris in mid-afternoon, attorney Jean-Marie Burguburu told The Associated Press by telephone.
Burguburu declined to give any details about the content of the file, but said the Palestinian leader's widow was considering whether to release the information to the public.
"The decision is in the process of being examined," he said. "The problem is, on the one hand, to try to stop all these false ideas about the death of President Arafat - these rumors."
"Secondly, it's to make sure that there is not any abnormal exploitation of this medical file," Burguburu said.
Earlier, Palestinian leaders dispatched an emissary to Paris to pick up the records and promised to make public the cause of Arafat's death.
It wasn't immediately clear how the latest development would affect the mission of the emissary -- Nasser al-Kidwa, Arafat's nephew and also the Palestinian representative to the United Nations. He had confirmed to the AP late Thursday that he would be traveling to France.
French defense ministry says al Kidwa is entitled to access medical information on Arafat’s never-publicly-diagnosed illness. But Suha’s lawyers say only children and widow
She took the files and ran after Palestinian TV broadcast Friday sermon threatening her life. She used Arafat’s plane, flouting Palestinian Authority’s demands for its return.
PA hoped to publish record and lay to rest rumors of foul play, including Israeli poison. DEBKAfile’s Paris sources convinced widow will hold onto medical files as collateral for agreed PA payments and as leverage to help radicals Kadoumi, Mussa Arafat and Force 17 commander foil Abbas’s bid for succession.
Canada is considering a request to provide military instructors to help the United States train Iraqi officers but would only do so if the training took place outside their wartorn homeland, officials say.Why do you think that is? It would not have anything to do with not being able to afford the cab ride from the Airport to downtown Baghdad would it?
A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Bill Graham and a military spokesman said officials are considering the request and may be willing to provide trainers to work in a third country, such as Jordan.
"It would have to be outside of Iraq," said Isabelle Savard, Graham's chief spokeswoman.
Canada's navy has hired a private contractor to fly civilian helicopters out to its ships at sea, as a way of reducing the flying pressures on the military's aging Sea Kings.
In a major naval training exercise this month, the navy hired an American civilian helicopter service to make transport flights to the four helicopter-carrying Canadian ships, sailing roughly 100 kilometres off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia.
Civilian helicopters and pilots have been ferrying people, mail and other supplies to and from the fleet -- creating the unusual spectacle of shiny, blue Bell helicopters landing on the decks of naval ships in the midst of military operations.
The head of Canada's East Coast fleet says it's the first case he knows of in which civilian helicopters have been hired to service the navy's ships. "I'm trying to save money," says Commodore Tyrone Pile, "and I'm trying to save Sea King flying hours, by contracting a helo-delivery service."
