News Briefs

City in brief
by Kalina Laframboise

Laval woman will face charge of attempted murder
A 36-year-old woman who jumped off an overpass into oncoming traffic with her child in her arms will be charged with attempted murder. During the evening on Thursday, Aug. 30, the woman jumped from the Highway 20 overpass on Fenelon Boul. in Dorval with her three-year-old daughter. She did not land in oncoming traffic but suffered fractures to her legs and lower body. The child was unharmed. The woman was supposed to appear at the Montreal Courthouse on Friday but was still in hospital.

Labour day luck
Three suspects fled the scene of a taxi shooting Monday morning in Pointe-Aux-Trembles. Several shots were fired at the taxi when it was sitting at an intersection on Notre-Dame St. According to Montreal Police, the window of the taxi was shattered but no one was hurt and the three suspects were in a black car which took off eastbound after shots were fired. Police believe the passenger of the taxi had an argument with one of the three suspects.

You can make friends with salad
McGill University students won yet another award, and this time for a giant fruit salad. On Tuesday, Aug. 28, McGill broke the Guinness World Record for the largest fruit salad of all time. It was done as part of orientation week to promote a healthy lifestyle. The fruit salad weighed in at 5,038 kilograms and most of the fruit was produced at Macdonald Campus Farm. The salad was the size of a small swimming pool and officially beat Fresno State University by at least 700 pounds. Following the weigh-in, the students sent the food to different shelters in Montreal.

A kiss with a fist is better than none
On Labour Day, Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois and Premier Jean Charest were pranked on air in an impromptu interview. Radio station WKND 91,9 FM had Charest join Marois on air before being forced to answer questions about what they like about one another. Compliments were flying the day before the provincial election Sept. 4.

* * *

Nation in brief
by Cynthia Dupuis

Calling all animal lovers
An SPCA in Saint John, New Brunswick, has received over $10,000 in donations after announcing that they may have to close their doors due to financing. “Animals don’t have a voice of their own, they need somebody to speak for them. That’s what’s really got everybody’s attention,” said Margaret Cornfield, the president of another non-profit group which helped to raise funds. The community really seems to have rallied around the organization with most of the money coming in within the first few days of the news. A member of the Board of Directors for the shelter said recently that they hope to raise $200,000 by Saturday in order to keep the place open.

Call me, call me anytime mais seulement en français
The Quebec Liberal Party filed a complaint with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) on Monday, on the eve of the elections, regarding unethical robocalls. The party claims the calls were made in the party’s name to voters in the Quebec City region. The robocalls were allegedly made in English only in the largely francophone region. Allegations of unethical robocalls were also made following the last federal elections. On Monday, a spokeswoman for the SQ could not confirm an official complaint had been filed.

Phaneuf gets the girl now if only he could get the cup…
Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert, of Girl Next Door and Happy Endings fame, and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf are officially engaged. Over dinner in at New Glasgow Lobster restaurant in Prince Edward Island, the two announced the news to close family and friends. Once source reported that the glowing bride-to-be was sporting a massive diamond ring at the event. The engagement was kept a secret until that night, where screams and applause could be heard from the private dining room. Only 35 guests were in attendance at the New Glasgow Lobster restaurant. The Canadian couple have been dating since 2008.

Torso found in Niagara River
The search for more body parts after the discovery of a woman’s torso in the Niagara River ended this Saturday. The Niagara Regional Police claim they have completed their search of the whirlpool to the Niagara Falls. Experts believe the torso had been in the water for four to 10 days before passersby alerted the authorities on Wednesday. Preliminary post-mortem results show the torso belongs to a Caucasian woman between 20 and 40-years-old.

* * *

World in brief
by Cynthia Dupuis

What do you mean I can’t have my money back?
The Wall Street Journal reports that eBay will no longer be selling things like potions or magical spells to online customers. Yes, there’s a market for that. Metaphysical items are now banned from the online shopping and auctioning giant. Although it has made up a large portion of their market since 1995, eBay said it’s just too much trouble since shoppers will often purchase spells that fail to work and then complain about it.

That’s no spring chicken
A Nigerian man was arrested at the airport in Lagos, Nigeria, when the Nigerian police discovered he was smuggling $150,000 worth of cocaine stuffed in roasted chickens. The Nigerian authorities explained that the suspect, Vincent Chegini Chinweuwa, saw the 5.7 pounds of cocaine as an opportunity for retirement and a life of luxury in Nigeria, after struggling to make a living in Brazil. Nigeria is a major transit point for drugs coming from Latin America. The ways to smuggle drugs onto airplanes are endless. Authorities have found drugs hidden inside the fabric of suitcases, sewn into wigs, hidden phone chargers, and even in a stethoscope.

Facebook murder solved
A 15-year-old Dutch boy was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment in juvenile detention for the “Facebook murder” case in the Netherlands. The teenage boy was found guilty for the stabbing of a 15-year-old girl. The Arnhem District Court said the convicted teenager did not know the victim and that he had murdered her “at the request or instructions of others” on the social networking site Facebook. The Dutch media reported that the victim and two friends argued for weeks on the social networking site. They then allegedly asked the teenage boy to kill the girl. Reports also say he was offered a 1,000 euro ($1,250) payment.

Hurricane leaves 250,000 people without electricity
One week after Hurricane Isaac hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, the residents of the affected areas are still struggling with severe flooding and hundreds of thousands of people have no electricity. The hurricane caused the death of seven people in the United States – five in New Orleans and two in Mississippi. Thousands fled their homes and are currently staying in shelters or with friends and family. President Barack Obama visited Louisiana and the devastated parishes on Monday, while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney toured the state last Friday. Hurricane Isaac hit the coastal city of New Orleans seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the southern state.

Related Posts