Abbey Westbury
Premier McGuinty accuses opposition of ‘gutting’ budget; threatens election
TORONTO – Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is threatening to call an election after the Conservatives and NDP combined to force changes to the government’s budget.
Quebec students make their protest permanent by getting red square tattoos
MONTREAL – A park named for a beatified nun turned into a makeshift tattoo parlour Thursday night as protesting students sought to make their mark— on themselves.
Canadian online pharmacy pioneer arrested in Miami; to be arraigned next week
NEW YORK, N.Y. – A report says authorities in Miami have arrested a pioneer of the Canadian Internet pharmacy industry on charges of selling counterfeit medicines.
Tories fear voting showdown may exhaust more than just their MPs
OTTAWA – After almost 24 hours of bobbing up and down in their seats for votes on the government’s budget bill, there’s no doubt Conservatives MPs are tired.
Four PTSD claims made up most of the money paid out in riot compensation
VANCOUVER – Damage done to the psyche of those unwillingly caught up in last year’s Stanley Cup riot was the most expensive part of workers compensation claims related to the mayhem.
Home sales, price data for May will provide portrait of housing market health
TORONTO – The latest data on Canadian homes sales and what the average home was worth in May will be released later this morning, providing a clearer picture on the health of the country’s important real estate market during the busy spring season.
Flying Wallendas have rich daredevil history, though not without tragedy
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – A daredevil from the Wallenda family of circus performers is ready to add yet another amazing feat to the storied and sometimes tragic family history with his walk across Niagara Falls.
Government and opposition both look forward as marathon budget votes wrap up
OTTAWA – “Deux mille quinze! Deux mille quinze!”
15 countries in Afghanistan’s region join forces to tackle security, economic problems
KABUL – Afghanistan and regional heavyweights have agreed to work together to fight terrorism and drug-trafficking and pursue economic development — a formidable agenda in a neighbourhood fraught with power struggles and rivalries.
Bob Seger, Jim Steinman, others joins this year’s inductees to the Songwriters Hall of Fame
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Multi-platinum recording artist Bob Seeger led off this years’ Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony with a rousing version of his 1973 classic, “Turn the Page.”
China suspends officials in forced abortion case after photo uproar
BEIJING, China – China suspended three officials and apologized to a woman who was forced to undergo an abortion seven months into her pregnancy in a case that sparked an uproar after graphic photos of the mother and her dead baby were circulated online.
Bill would protect Israeli authors’ royalties from book chains’ discounts
JERUSALEM – In the land of the People of the Book, the discounted book may soon be a thing of the past.
Veteran Middle East TV reporter, 2 Filipino crew missing in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines – A veteran Middle Eastern TV reporter who had interviewed Osama bin Laden months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has disappeared with four other people on a restive southern Philippine island where Muslim militants are active, officials said Friday.
Burned buildings, smell of death greet UN monitors in deserted town overrun by Syrian troops
BEIRUT – Smouldering buildings, looted shops, smashed cars and a strong stench of death greeted U.N. observers who entered the nearly deserted Syrian town of Haffa a day after President Bashar Assad’s forces overran it as part of a major offensive to recover rebel-controlled territories.
Australia says 294 of its biggest polluters will pay a $23 a metric ton carbon tax from July
CANBERRA, Australia – The government announced Friday that 294 of Australia’s biggest polluters will pay a carbon tax when it comes into force next month in a bid to curb the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.