Tag: world in brief

City in Brief

by Matthew Guité

→ Moving forward
The first meeting of Montreal’s new executive committee has been hailed as a collaborative success by its members following the signing of a major contract which would see a reduction in the amount the city pays into blue collar worker pensions. The contract was deemed a “historic agreement” by interim Mayor Michael Applebaum, who hopes to sign similar agreements with other employees, potentially saving Montreal up to $50 million annually. The committee includes members from all of Montreal’s major municipal parties and several independents, a factor which was a source of friction for the members of Applebaum’s previous party, Union Montréal, after he rejected their demand for five seats on the council and the position of chair.

→ Hide your iPhone, hide your Android
Five minors were arrested last week as part of an ongoing operation by Montreal Police to crack down on cellphone theft. The minors were suspected to be involved in as many as 10 robberies and were between 15 and 17 years old. Operation Match has been in effect since October. Cellphone theft is often a violent crime according to a statement released by the Montreal Police. It is hoped that new measures will help deter smartphone theft, as stolen phones will soon be tracked by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association in order to prevent them from being reactivated on a different network.

→ That’s your cue
The Parti Québécois’ Environment Minister Daniel Breton has announced he will be stepping down following a number of minor but embarrassing incidents from his past coming to light. Some of the charges against Breton from before he became involved in politics include speeding tickets, a ticket for driving with a suspended license, lying on employment insurance forms, not paying his rent and filing his taxes late. Though he at first denied the claims, Breton has since admitted that all the charges are accurate. Until recently, most of his traffic violation tickets were also unpaid. Breton will remain as a Member of the National Assembly for the Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques riding and will keep his seat in the legislature.

→ More taxes!?
English public school boards in Quebec may be raising taxes to make up for a shortfall of up to $12 million in the Parti Québécois’ recent budget. At a meeting last week held to discuss the new budget and its potential impact on schools, the idea of raising school taxes was suggested as one way of making up for the deep cuts the new provincial government has made in order to eliminate the deficit. “Boards have to look somewhere to keep their funds up and the school taxes are their discretionary fund,” said Richard Goldfinch, president of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers. Officials suggested that the increase could take place off-island, as regions within the city are already at their maximum taxation.

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Nation in Brief
by Robin Della Corte

→ Shark on the lam
The ban on the sale of shark fins in Toronto has been nullified by Ontario Superior Court Judge James Spence. In September, the ban was passed by city council as a bylaw by a vote of 38 to four for environmental and health reasons which members of the Chinese business community questioned. Often used in soup at traditional Chinese weddings, shark fins are considered a delicacy. Those who supported the bylaw stated that the notion of killing sharks only for their fins is inhumane. Spence said that it is not in the city’s mandate to impose bans of such a nature.

→ Don’t honk at me
A bus driver is in trouble after a heated argument with a pedestrian who refused to move out of the way from the front of his bus. The Saskatoon, B.C. employee was caught on film hurling colourful insults. “I think he did it just to prove a point,” Josh Swejda, a student who filmed the incident told CBC News. “I don’t think he liked the fact that he was honked at, so that’s what started the whole thing.” The bus driver, who asked others to intervene during the incident, has been suspended after the video made an appearance on YouTube due to his behaviour. Three individuals tried to step in with one caught pushing the pedestrian down after the bus drove off. Saskatoon police are now investigating the incident.

→ A first for everything
In an oddly green move Saskatchewan is the first province to approve a new procedure of dealing with bodies that involves liquifying the remains. The process, called alkaline hydrolysis, uses a pressurized chamber to reduce the body to liquid and bone. It has been used for medical cadavers and animal remains for years but is now being accepted as an alternative to cremation in Canada, whereas it’s been common practice in certain states for some time. It is similar to cremation but more environmentally friendly since it doesn’t produce smoke.

→ Who let the cat out?
The first feline rabies case since 2001 was reported by the New Brunswick Public Health Department last week. According to CBC News, the unvaccinated pet bit its owner after returning to the house and died the following day. Rabies in felines is extremely rare but is often seen in bats, raccoons and skunks. Since it is the first case in a decade, there is no need for panic, according to the president of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Mary-Ellen Themens. She did emphasize, however, that it is should serve as a reminder that the disease still exists and that precautionary measures are mandatory.

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World in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ Rock ‘em, sock ‘em, eliminate ‘em
Researchers in England are planning to evaluate the possibility of technology rising up to wipe out the human race. Though the concept is often thought of as science fiction, researchers at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk say that the subject must be analyzed with a mature attitude. “The seriousness of these risks is difficult to assess, but that in itself seems a cause for concern, given how much is at stake,” the researchers said in a statement on their website. The theory is that robots will outsmart individuals and the world will find itself at the mercy of them. Subjects of study will include nanotechnology and artificial life.

→ A new status
The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to approve an upgrade of Palestine’s status in order to grant it state recognition. The voting finished 138-9 in favour with 41 abstentions, with Canada and the United States both opposed. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the vote was the “last chance to save the two-state solution” with Israel, while Israel’s envoy to the UN said he believes that the move was a step backwards. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird explained before the vote why Canada would vote against the move, saying “We cannot support an initiative that we are firmly convinced will undermine the objective of reaching a comprehensive, lasting and just settlement for both sides.”

→ A game of chance
A town in Spain called Alameda has settled on an interesting way to combat their crippling unemployment: a job lottery. A handful of jobs as builders, street sweepers and cleaners are made available every few months to a pool of hundreds who put their names in for a chance to work for a short time. With 34 per cent unemployment in a town of just over 5,500, Mayor Juan Lorenzo Pinera has come up with the lottery as a way of sharing what little work his town hall is able to assign. The national unemployment rate in Spain is 25 per cent, rising to 52 per cent for those younger than 25.

→ Cut your losses and rob a bank
A 33-year-old inmate released for budgetary reasons was arrested less than an hour later for trying to rob a bank in Oregon. Christopher Franklin Weaver was released from prison Thursday morning at 11a.m. and police were called to the nearby bank robbery about an hour later. Weaver was in jail for parole violations relating to a sexual abuse conviction but was released along with approximately 30 inmates due to budget cuts. Earlier this year the jail was forced to close 96 beds also for budgetary reasons and since then dozens of inmates have been released on a weekly basis to make room for more dangerous individuals.

City in Brief
by Robin Della Corte

→ Old quarrels
Prime Minister Stephen Harper threw up his hands and said, “What can I say?” after being asked about the situation with the Canadian flag being removed from Quebec’s National Assembly. Le Soleil reported that the Parti Québécois has asked for the Canadian flag to be removed from the national assembly. Quebec Liberals believe it is “shocking and totally unacceptable,” CBC reported. When Harper made an appearance in Quebec City last Friday, he stated that he didn’t want to get involved with old quarrels and would rather focus on the economy.

→ A McDonalds stabbing
Police discovered a double-stabbing inside a McDonald’s restaurant on the corner of Villeray St. and St-Michel Blvd. at 4 a.m. Sunday that lead to the hospitalization of two men in their 20s, with one in critical condition. “[There are] many witnesses to meet with, and also in this case investigators will try to understand a little more about this conflict that degenerated between these three men,” Anie Lemieux, spokeswoman for the Montreal Police told CBC. The suspect, also believed to be in his 20s, fled the scene before police had arrived. Earlier that night, police were also called to a shooting near the intersection of Fleury St. and J. J. Gagnier St. in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

→ Lawyer up, Quebec
The provincial government is being taken to Quebec Superior Court this Thursday by several large retailers for the requirement to adopt French versions of their commercial trademarked names. The Office Québécois de la Langue Française want retailers to change their names to a generic French name or provide slogans explaining what their products are. While the law requires companies to have French names, this usually does not apply to brand names. Gap, Best Buy, Costco, Old Navy, Walmart and Guess will be represented by two law firms.

→ A lucky break
On Sunday afternoon, a resident of Laval was able to walk away from a helicopter crash northeast of Ottawa with little injuries. While police state that the 48-year-old man crashed into Lac Britannique before 1 p.m., the reasons for the crash are still unclear and he was the only person inside the helicopter. After the crash, the man was able to escape the helicopter and swim to shore. Lac Britannique is located approximately 70 kilometres northeast of downtown Ottawa, close to the small town of Saint-Sixte, Quebec. An investigation is now taking place from the transportation Safety Board.

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Nation in Brief
by Robin Della Corte

→ Mo’ money mo’ problems
There have been reported problems with ticket machines in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton. Individuals across Canada are discovering that the new $20 bills aren’t accepted everywhere. The new bill that was released earlier this month can’t process in certain machines. Both TransLink and Toronto’s GO Transit don’t accept the new bill. GO Transit discovered the problem while testing the bills and will need to upgrade their software in order for the machines to accept the new bills. New five and $10 bills are scheduled to be released by the end of 2013.

→ I beliebe
Thanks to a special gift from a generous young man, six-year-old Aleisha Hunter from Toronto will get to see Justin Bieber, her idol. Hunter, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at three years old, told CBC that listening to Bieber helped her endure her treatments. Thanks to five-year-old fellow Bieber fan, Jacob Leon, Hunter will get to see her idol perform on stage when he comes to Toronto. Leon said he gave his tickets away because he wanted to make somebody else happy. “Jacob is a different kind of five-year-old,” said his mother Devon. “He is the most giving, caring, helpful child.” It began when Jacob raised money for Pencils of Promise, a charity Bieber supports and led Leon to the idea.

→ Energy high
After a scare in the U.S. in relation to health problems associated with the 5-Hour Energy drink brand, Canada wants to renew calls for strengthened supervision on energy drinks. The American Food and Drug Administration has categorized many situations potentially linked to the 5-Hour Energy drinks (and others) associated with death and cardiac arrest since 2009. “We’ve been quite concerned about overuse or abuse of these seemingly natural products that are not as regulated as we want them to be. We want some regulation,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, the CEO for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. Health Canada has already started regulating new standards and energy drinks, reporting that as of this year, caffeine content will be mandatory.

→ Some constructive criticism
Marisol Simoes, the owner of an Ottawa restaurant, was sentenced to three months in jail and a two-year probation after she was declared guilty of libel against a food critic. Simoes was found guilty in September for sending offensive emails to the boss of Elayna Katz after Katz had published bad reviews of Simoes’ restaurant, Mambo Nuevo Latino, in 2009. Following the verdict, Katz told CBC that cyberbullying doesn’t only affect adolescents. Simoes has to take an anger management course, receive counseling and perform 200 hours of community service.

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World in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ Tensions mounting
Renewed attacks between Israel and Gaza have left dozens dead and the death toll mounting each day. Israel began bombarding Gaza and has prepared troops for a possible ground invasion, and Gaza has continued to fire short-range rockets into Israel. Israel claims to have hit over 200 targets in Gaza, including political offices, rocket sites and military bases. The United Kingdom and Egypt have both warned Israel against a ground invasion, but U.S. President Barack Obama said that his government is “fully supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself.”

→ Like giving crack to a baby
Don’t throw the cocaine out with the trick-or-treaters. That may not be how the saying goes but it is the reality of one man in the United Kingdom who was arrested for accidentally giving out bags of cocaine to children on Halloween. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the children’s father was an off-duty policeman. Talk about bad luck. The 23-year-old defendant was ordered to complete 130 hours of community service as well as paying a fine of 145 pounds.

→ Adopt a gargoyle
A cathedral in Milan has put its gargoyles up for adoption in the hopes of raising much-needed funds for renovations. Anyone who wishes to ‘adopt’ a gargoyle will have their name engraved underneath for a donation of at least 100,000 euros. The cathedral’s management are hoping to raise 25 million euros after the government cut its funding to the cathedral as part of ongoing austerity measures. Eight donations have already been made.

→ A deadly collision
Up to 50 children died in Egypt after a school bus taking them to kindergarten was hit by a speeding train. Barriers had not been lowered when the train was about to pass, resulting in the bus driving through just as the train arrived. The crossing guard who was allegedly asleep at the time has been arrested and Egypt’s transport minister has resigned along with the head of the railway authority. Eyewitnesses said that the force of the crash tore the bus in two. Families of the victims have begun searching for their children’s remains, but reports from the crash site indicate that many of the victims are unrecognizable.

City in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ Some friendly competition
Montreal will soon have a second English-language AM talk radio station once again, as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved an application on Friday for such a station at 600 AM. The application, filed by a trio of local businessmen who had a French-language AM station approved last year, will have a commitment to fill its programming with 100 per cent local content. The businessmen, Nicolas Tétrault, Rajiv Pancholy and Paul Tietolman, said that both stations are expected to open next spring and will create roughly 150 jobs. According to Tietolman, the English station will be run by Steve Kowch, a former program director at CJAD.

→ A Sherbrooke explosion
An enormous explosion at an industrial plant in Sherbrooke that killed three workers and injured 18 others is still being investigated as its cause remains unknown. The explosion was big enough to be heard for kilometres, and left a large black cloud of smoke hanging over the processing plant for hours. Mayor Bernard Sévigny of Sherbrooke told CBC that it was a tragedy, and that their flag was being flown at half-mast in memory of those injured and killed by the explosion. The hospital director of Sherbrooke University Hospital Centre, where most of those injured were treated, has said that almost all the workers who were brought in have now been released.

→ A new way to remember
A collection of notes, letters and photographs documenting the movements and activities of McGill University staff and graduates involved in World War II was unveiled Sunday for Remembrance Day. The collection was originally compiled by R. C. Fetherstonhaugh, who took on the job for the McGill War Records Office, and was packed away after his death in 1946. Over the past several years, volunteers scanned and uploaded all the information to a digital archive to preserve it. The collection includes article clippings, photographs, and letters and is available online as part of the ‘McGill Remembers’ project.

→ Fire in the Old Port
A massive fire in Old Montreal destroyed the upper levels of a St-Jacques St. building on Thursday, and forced the offices of La Presse across the street to evacuate. The building, located at 31 St. Jacques St. W., was undergoing renovations when the fire started just after 6 p.m., and was therefore vacant. Approximately 70 firefighters dealt with the blaze which started on the sixth floor for unknown reasons. Although asked to investigate, the Montreal Police stressed that this does not necessarily mean the fire is criminal in nature.

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Nation in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ A phishy nation
The Public Safety Department is worried that Canada is becoming a launching pad for malicious cyber attacks according documents obtained by The Canadian Press. The notes say that the origin place for cyber attacks is shifting to more developed countries “with good reputations.” The notes, which were written by Brett Kubicek, manager of research and academic relations of the department, stress that Canada may be moving from being a target to becoming a host. Last spring, Websense ranked Canada as the number two place in the world for hosting phishing sites, with the United States as number one.

→ That’s not what it’s for
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating an incident at a New Brunswick high school after a teacher allegedly used hockey tape to tape together the arms of two girls who were not getting along. The incident, which left both girls bruised, sparked outrage from their parents. The father of one girl has filed a complaint with the police. The teacher in question declined to comment but Heather Smith, president of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association, told CBC that she was disturbed by the fact that people were considering the teacher guilty before an investigation.

→ A more thoughtful Canada
More Canadians planned to observe Remembrance Day this year, including attending ceremonies and holding two minutes of silence, according to an Ipsos Reid poll. Apparently 30 per cent of respondents made formal plans to attend a Remembrance Day event, compared to 22 per cent in 2010, and 80 per cent planned to observe two minutes of silence compared to 75 per cent in 2010. Anthony Wilson-Smith, president of the Historica-Dominion Institute, told The Canadian Press that the poll reflected the fact that Canadians were paying more attention than before and that a new generation of veterans from Afghanistan also influenced the increase.

→ A breach of trust
A former psychiatrist has had his license revoked by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Dr. Bolarinwa Olutosin Oluwole was a staff psychiatrist for two years at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital until he was fired in 2010 after three of his patients alleged that he had engaged in acts of sexual misconduct with them, two citing sexual intercourse. Oluwole was accused of keeping inappropriate sexual items in his office, such as condoms and sexually explicit photographs. The college has removed his name from their register.

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World in Brief
by Robin Della Corte

→ The end of the banana war
A twenty-year long trade dispute over the international trade of bananas has finally been resolved. The agreement was reached after the European Union agreed to slowly reduce the tariffs on Latin American bananas. Pascal Lamy, the director-general of the World Trade Organization, claims it was a “truly historic moment” in the battle. The EU and 10 Latin American countries signed the agreement to end eight separate WTO cases. “After so many twists and turns, these complicated and politically contentious disputes can finally be put to bed,” Lamy told BBC.

→ Above and beyond
China plans to launch a manned space mission with a crew consisting of a woman and two men, according to state media. The announcement comes a few months after a Chinese space shuttle took part in the country’s first space docking mission. The shuttle also carried China’s first female astronaut, Liu Yang. The launch could take place as early as next June according the deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space program. China became the third country to send a person into space in 2003.

→ What about BlackBerry?
The Samsung Galaxy S3 outsold Apple’s iPhone 4S for the first time ever in South Korea becoming the world’s best-selling smartphone according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Samsung sold 18 million models in comparison with Apple’s 16.2 million in the third quarter of 2012. While the S3 is popular for now, the iPhone 5 will likely reclaim the throne of the worlds most sought-after phone. Meanwhile, the two companies are locked in contentious legal battles over software and infringement claims.

→ No more Tobacco
It has been confirmed by Sainsbury’s that tobacco will be removed from sales at another six of its supermarkets in Scotland following the government implementing a supplementary tax on stores selling cigarettes and alcohol. The company already had four stores that do not sell these products before the policy came into force on Monday, Nov. 12. Approximately 240 stores in Scotland are going to be affected by the government’s aim to reduce alcohol and tobacco related harm. The charge only applies to stores that are valued at over $475,000.

City in Brief
by Kalina Laframboise

→ Zero tolerance for corruption, collusion and construct
In her inaugural speech on Oct. 31, Premier Pauline Marois emphasized the need to end the misconduct plaguing the provincial government with an anti-corruption bill. The following day, the Parti Quebecois tabled a bill that will impose a rigorous screening process for companies vying for contracts. The bill aims to ensure the integrity of potential contractors and keep tabs on them throughout the construction process. Marois emphasized that the first few weeks of her time as Quebec’s premier would be devoted to ending corruption and condemning dishone

→ I’m never eating there again
Last week, the neurology clinic at the Jewish General Hospital closed due to an outbreak of the norovirus. The infection sprouted from the coffee shop, where hundreds of staff members, patients and visitors eat on a daily basis. Approximately 45 people from the hospital fell ill with flu-like symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, and fever. After several staff members from the neurology clinic became sick, the clinic was closed for half of Thursday and all of Friday. The coffee shop will remain closed until the specific reason for the outbreak can be determined.

→ Let there be light
Most people working in the theatre don’t choose that path to strike it rich. Usually, it’s the exact opposite. Not for Robert Thomson though. According to CBC, Thomson has been named the recipient of the 2012 Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, which is reportedly the largest theatre award of its kind in Canada. In its 12th year, the prize awarded the lucky lighting designer $75,000 and an additional $25,000 for two young designers he works with. Thomson is working on a production of Red at Montreal’s Segal Centre right now, which premieres Nov. 2

→ But Quebec is where the party’s at
New Democratic Party members were split on forming a provincial party for Quebec in a meeting in Montreal this Saturday. Those in favour of the formation argued that it would provide left leaning voters with an alternative to the sovereign parties while other members emphasized the need to focus on dominating the federal election in 2015. The priority for the federal party members is to oust the Conservative Party from power. Party Leader Thomas Mulcair announced the possible creation of a provincial wing but backtracked when the Parti Quebecois won a minority provincial government on Sept. 4 opting for resources to be spent on the federal initiatives instead.

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Nation in Brief
by Robin Della Corte

→ 18 and legal
The Saskatchewan Party is considering changing the province’s liquor laws by lowering the legal drinking age from 19 to 18. Members of the party voted in favour of the new drinking age at the party’s annual convention in Saskatoon last weekend. The main arguments rose from issues of fairness where provinces like Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec have a legal drinking age of 18. Saskatchewan Party MLA Donna Harpauer is not a fan of the idea because she believes teen drinking is a problem and because the majority of 18-year-olds are still in high school. This issue still needs to be voted on in the legislature to become law, CBC News reported

→ Cat city
Toronto’s animal shelters are overcrowded and more cats than ever are roaming the streets of the city due to a warm spring. An estimated 300,000 cats are on Toronto’s streets, Barbara Steinhoff of the Toronto Humane Society told CBC. In a year, there are between 100,00 and 300,000 cats without homes. This year it’s at its extreme high and although shelters are full, dozens of cats arrive each day. Two Toronto shelters are lowering adoption fees to help encourage giving cats a home.

→ Girl look at this body
Sam, a six-year-old lab in Windsor, Ont. shed half of his weight from sticking to a workout regime. Arriving at the Humane Society in January, Sam was overweight at a whopping 174 pounds. A lack of exercise and excessive eating led to Sam’s appearance. Following a vet’s conclusion that there was no medical reason behind his excessive weight gain, Sam was then sent to a foster home where he started an exercise program and ate special food. Sam is now 96 pounds and is active and is able to run and play with other dogs.

→ Halloween horror
She made a vow when she put them on and now, she’s made a vow to never take them off. A woman in Nova Scotia said she will never take off her wedding ring again. While Bonnie Pick-Melanson carved pumpkins with her son, she took off her rings so they wouldn’t get sticky. When they were done, she wrapped up all the newspapers and put them into the garbage, not realizing she was throwing out her rings as well. When she noticed her jewelry was missing, she called Valley Waste Resource Management Hotline and Dale Roberts, the curbside inspector, was able to contact the driver and stop him in the middle of his route. After many staff members were searching frantically for the rings valued at $15,000, they found it with the description Pick-Melanson gave.

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World in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ Worst building ever
North Korea’s ‘Hotel of Doom’, the multi-storey hotel that dominates Pyonyang’s skyline, may finally open its doors next year after 25 years of construction. The hotel, which began construction in 1987 and slated for completion in 1989, has been a source of embarrassment for the regime following numerous problems with the building. In 2008 Esquire dubbed it “hideously ugly, even by communist standards.” Despite original plans for more than 3,000 hotel rooms and three revolving restaurants, the hotel is now expected to open for about 150 rooms, all of them on the top floor of the building. The group which will be managing the hotel has also stated it expects to house shops and restaurants on the lower levels.

→ Pin-up coffins
A Polish coffin maker has stirred up controversy by putting together a pin-up calendar to help sell more coffins. The calendar features topless models in and around coffins, with one shot featuring a model lounging in a coffin and another with a model pulling out a dead man’s heart. The calendar is intended to highlight “the beauty of Polish girls and the beauty of our coffins” according to Zbigniew Lindner, the owner of the business, who also said that the calendar was his son’s idea. “We wanted to show that a coffin isn’t a religious symbol. Its a product,” he told Reuters. “Why are people afraid of coffins and not of business suits, cosmetics or jewelry?”

→ Where’s the humour in that?
A pair of newspaper reporters are facing criminal charges in Kyrgyzstan after they kidnapped and threatened to kill a popular television presenter as part of a practical joke. They kidnapped Nazira Aytbekova at gunpoint and drove her out to a wasteland where they forced her to strip to her underwear. According to BBC, Aytbekova was ordered to sing and refused. The men then told her they were going to kill her, and told her to say her last words. They used a mobile phone to record the ordeal before finally revealing themselves as journalists. Aytbekova has described herself as being “shaken and humiliated” by the incident. Both journalists have apologized for their actions and have been fired.

→ The price to pay for not paying
A court in Illinois sentenced a man to pay a $1.5-million fine for pirating and torrenting 10 gay porn films, the largest ever fine for such a crime. Kywan Fisher, the man accused of sharing the films, did not defend himself in court, which is believed to be the reason for the steep fine. The studio Flava Works also pursued 14 others for file sharing but the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. During the trial the lawyer for Flava Works explained that each copy of their movies that is purchased has a secret digital code embedded in it, and that the code in the torrented films all match the codes of the copies that Fisher purchased on their website. The films were downloaded from torrent sites 3,449 times and the damages awarded to Flava Works are for $150,000 for each film that Fisher shared.

City in Brief
by Kalina Laframboise

→ Watch out, white collar criminals
Premier Pauline Marois will address corruption when the Quebec National Assembly opens a new session this Wednesday. As one of its top priorities, the provincial government plans to close loopholes in Bill 35 following the revelations of corruption and collusion with the construction industry during the ongoing Charbonneau Commission. A new bill could be presented as early as this week, in order to fight corruption and force contractors to be more honest by implementing stricter rules and mechanisms in order to win a contract from municipal authorities.

→ Time to invest in a train pass
Commuters, prepare for more traffic headaches. The Honoré-Mercier bridge, which connects Châteauguay and the Island of Montreal, will undergo more construction for an undetermined amount of time. The Gazette reported that while work continues on the federally owned side of the bridge and is slated for completion in 2014, the provincial side expects an additional five years of work and has no target date for completion. Construction started in 2008 to fix the decrepit bridge that is used by 80,000 commuters daily. Repeated lane closures often snarl traffic on the bridge, extending to the west and downtown.

→ …Or not
Public transit users will see their monthly passes rise from $75.50 to $77.75 in January 2012. The Societé de Transport de Montréal will increase the costs of a three-day pass to $18 from $16, and offer a new option for a weekend unlimited pass for $12 that will cover commuters from Friday evening until Monday morning. The express bus to Montreal’s Pierre-Elliot Trudeau airport will cost nine dollars as will the unlimited day pass. The STM has steadily increased monthly rates since 2002, when a pass was $50.

→ Say goodbye to your employee discount
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced it will cut 300 jobs nationwide, but mostly in Montreal. The company’s headquarters, located west of Montreal in Kirkland, will see a large number of employees dismissed due to restructuring process. The layoffs account for nearly 11 per cent of the company’s total number of employees. Pfizer has 2,700 employees in Canada and approximately 1,800 in Quebec. The company recently underwent a multimillion dollar renovation, with a $2.7-million contribution from the provincial government.

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Nation in Brief
by Robin Della Corte

→ Losers in Canada
After its fourth draw, no one has claimed the winning ticket for the $50-million Lotto Max jackpot in Canada. “Fifty MaxMillions prizes of $1-million each were up for grabs in Friday night’s draw, and there are winning tickets for 24 of them,” the Canadian Press reported. There were nine winning tickets sold in western Canada, six in Ontario, four in Quebec, and one in Atlantic Canada. The next jackpot for Lotto Max on Nov. 2 will remain at $50 million and, again, there will be 50 MaxMillions prizes for the taking.

→ Bar refuses to serve black customers
A group of individuals claim they were refused entrance at a bar in Gatineau, QC because they were black. According to a video posted online, the bouncer at Le Fou du Roi can be heard telling the group that black people who were not regulars could not be admitted inside. Brigit Vanhoutte, co-owner of the bar, apologized for the incident and told CBC that the bouncer has been suspended due to the situation that occurred and that the bar does not ban black customers from the premises.

→ I’m stealin’ it
Investigators in Moncton, N.B. said a man walked into a McDonald’s at around 3 a.m. last Saturday morning claiming he had a weapon and demanded money. Eyewitnesses claim no weapon was seen, but saw the accused leaving with food and an unknown amount of money. Police reported that the description of the suspect was vague and confirmed no one was hurt at the scene of the robbery.

→ Punch drunk love
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called to the Halifax Stanfield International Airport last Friday night after a passenger punched a flight attendant. Police reported that a 24-year-old male passenger became aggressive during the plane’s descent. According to Sgt. Mike Lidstone, several passengers stepped in and subdued the individual until police were able to detain him allowing the plane to land without further incident. The accused will undergo a psychiatric assessment.

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World in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ A different kind of Woodstock
A New Zealand woman has admitted to feeding her three-month-old baby cannabis through her breast milk. The mother, 29, plead guilty to giving a controlled substance to an individual under the age of 18. She was sentenced to six months supervision, and her partner was also sentenced for crimes related to the same police raid. The Whanganui District Court said her actions amounted to child abuse. “People often believe drug-related activities are victimless,” Acting Senior Sergeant Andrew McDonald said, “But it affects the people around them.”

→ Can I have some more, sir?
Undergraduate students of Magdalen College, a member of the Oxford University group, are boycotting their dining hall’s services over new plans that would see students paying more than £150, or $241, annually to eat there. Students would pay the fee to use the canteen and would be required to buy a food card for another £150 which, if not spent by the end of the year, would not be refunded. Students have set up food kitchens and organized home cooking sessions to help feed other students.

→ To serve and protect?
A New York city police officer has been charged with conspiring to kidnap, cook and eat women. Gilberto Valle III kept the names, locations and personal information of women he had been surveilling on his computer including pictures as well as the locations and personal details of some of them. The accused officer had begun surveillance of the homes and places of employment of some of the women, and compiled a document titled “Abduction and Cooking: A Blueprint”. In an online conversation, reported by Reuters, with an unknown conspirator, Valle described how he was “thinking of tying [his victim’s] body onto some kind of apparatus … cook her over a low heat, keep her alive as long as possible.” The maximum sentence could be life in prison.

→ Killer lit
An employee at the Porter County Public Library in Valparaiso, IL, opened a book to find an interesting story inside. The book, Outbridge Reach by Robert Stone, was hollowed out and a handgun was tucked neatly away inside. Valparaiso police said the old weapon was a gold, A.S.M. brand black powder gun with a wooden handle . As the the library receives several donations, employees were unable to identify who gave the handgun and book. However, police said the gun wasn’t reported as stolen.

City in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ Construction, collusion and city engineers
Gilles Surprenant, a former engineer for the City of Montreal, corroborated testimony by former construction boss Lino Zambito and admitted to accepting upwards of $600,000 in kickbacks throughout an almost 20-year period. About $130,000 was handed in to the Charbonneau Commission as evidence, and Suprenant admitted that he gambled away more than half the remaining amount during the years out of guilt. Zambito had previously testified that he, alone, had given upwards of $100,000 to Surprenant over the years from construction contracts.

→ Je n’en ai aucune idée
Contradictory statements have been made by the Parti Québécois’ cabinet ministers on whether or not Bill 101 is to be extended to cover daycare centres. Family Minister Nicole Léger originally told reporters that Bill 101 was going to change and that the extension would have plenty of support. However, Diane De Courcy, the provincial Minister of Language, Immigration and Cultural Communities rejected the idea the next day. De Courcy said there are currently no plans to extend Bill 101 to daycares as they are viewed as an extension of the home and a person’s mother tongue. According to De Courcy, while it is important that children are exposed to French, they should not be restricted from using their mother tongue.

→ Slapshot to the ego
Bell Canada Enterprises Inc.’s $3.4-billion deal was rejected by Canada’s federal broadcast regulator on the grounds that it is not beneficial to Canadians. Newly installed Commissioner Jean-Pierre Blais made clear his opinion of the deal, which would have transferred TSN 690, CHOM and other Astral Media radio and television stations into the hands of Bell. Blais also said that had the deal gone forward, BCE would have controlled 45 per cent of English television and 35 per cent of French programming, while becoming the largest radio operator in Canada. Another factor in the decision was that BCE provided no commitment to local programming or helping emerging local artists.

→ Bylaw bites back
The City of Montreal proposed a new bylaw that would grant owners of pets deemed dangerous 72 hours to contest the decision. Currently, pet owners are only allotted 24 hours to contest. An animal behaviour expert would need to examine and clear the animal within the 72 hours in order to avoid euthanizing the animal. The bylaw is one new measure in an attempt to reduce the number of euthanized animals, which is approximately 14,000 annually in Montreal. The city has also announced it will spend $23 million to build a new animal shelter in order to reduce the number of animals sent to the widely criticized Berger Blanc.

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Nation in Brief
by Robin Della Corte

→ Heeere’s Stephen!
High school students were shocked to see horror expert Stephen King in their school library last Friday for a pre-Halloween surprise in Sussex, N.B.. King’s visit followed after the students’ year-long campaign to have the novelist visit their school by Halloween 2012. King, the author of many horror novels such as The Shining and Carrie sat with 18 students in the school’s library and provided words of wisdom to aspiring writers. He later spoke to 80 students in the auditorium about his experience as a high school teacher and the inspirations behind his work.

→ Step up
Participants climbed 1,776 steps last Saturday for The 2012 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way. The goal was to raise $2.5 million to improve social conditions and health agencies. In its 35th year, the unconventional fundraiser is the United Way’s biggest annual event. The entire event included 11,000 climbers for a trip that usually takes 58 seconds by elevator. “The money is all going back into the community,” United Way Toronto vice-president of marketing Louise Bellingham told the Toronto Star. “It funds a vital network of social services and community agencies.”

→ Fat and stupid!?
According to research done by University of California, sugar doesn’t just make you fat, but now may make you stupid. A high-fructose diet disrupts the brain’s cognitive abilities, which evidently leads to poor learning and memory retention. The study, done by Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a neurosurgery professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In an interview with the Toronto Star, Gomez-Pinilla said that “our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think.”

→ Give her a break
Hélène Campbell, an Ottawa woman known for her campaigns promoting organ donations now says she is experiencing complications while recovering from her double lung transplant. Campbell wrote in a blog post that although her lungs are working well, her blood “isn’t doing a good job of carrying the oxygen.” Campbell was diagnosed a year ago with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable and degenerative lung disease. She underwent transplant surgery last April and gained publicity with her campaign to raise awareness for the high need for organ donations in Canada. Campbell intends to continue with her organ advocacy work, which aided in the spike in organ donations.

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World in Brief
by Matthew Guité

→ No more bloody Sundays
Scotland and England agreed to the terms of a Scottish referendum on independence, including when the vote will be held. British Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond met in Edinburgh to hash out the details of the upcoming vote, which would see Scots heading to the polls in autumn 2014 to answer a simple yes or no question: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?” If a majority agree, it would mark the beginnings of independence for Scotland, and though negotiations with the British government would be necessary, it would be difficult for the Cameron to deny the Scottish people their demands for their own country.

→ It’s a sword, it’s a weapon…it’s a cane?
British police have been forced to apologize to a blind man for tasing him after they mistook his white cane for a samurai sword. Colin Farmer was walking around the northern English town of Chorley when he heard voices calling out for him to stop. Farmer continued walking, as he was worried that they may have been hooligans. It was then that police shot him with a 50,000 volt stun gun, held him down and handcuffed his hands behind his back. After doing so, the officers finally realized that Farmer was blind and he was not carrying a samurai sword as had been reported to them. Farmer was taken to hospital for treatment and the incident has been reported to a police watchdog organization for further investigation.

→ A slippery suspect
An Atlantic Spanish Mackerel was taken into custody by Florida police after it fell from the sky and hit a teacher on the head. Presumably dropped by a passing bird, the fish apparently hit the woman. The incident also prompted a humorous police report, titled “Fishy incident at Naples High School,” which was posted to Facebook. The report refers to the fish as “Mack” and includes such excerpts as “[Mack] was found lying on the ground possibly attempting to conceal himself out in the open. I took control of the suspect without incident and escorted him to the clinic where he was positively identified by the victim,” and “Suspect “Mack” was escorted back to my office, where I advised him of Miranda warning. He “clammed up” (being from the ocean) and refused to answer any questions or make any statements.” The report mentions that the suspect may be charged with battery on a school employee, and that officers will keep an eye out for flying pigs as well.

→ I bet it tastes like victory
Mort Bank, who used to own several McDonald’s restaurants in North Dakota, sold a 20-year-old Michael Jordan BBQ sauce container for $10,000 to a buyer.The promotional item was used on McJordan burgers, named for basketball icon, Michael Jordan. It was sold in limited markets in the 1990s due to Jordan’s six National Basketball Association championships with the Chicago Bulls.“It was in my basement and I would look at it occasionally,” Bank told The Bismarck Tribune. “I thought it would be worth something someday.” Bank advertised the item on eBay. The buyer of the item has not been revealed by Bank.

City in Brief
by Kalina Laframboise

→ Ici, on parle en français
In a controversial move, the Parti Québécois aims to cut back English classes in elementary schools and provide a more developed curriculum on the province’s history, with a special focus on sovereignty. Education Minister Marie Malavoy wants to eliminate mandatory English courses for grades one and two, earning backlash from the opposition for trying to politicize the education system in Quebec. Malavoy argued that secondary students need a greater understanding of Quebec nationalism. Furthermore, the PQ government plans to delay intensive English courses in grade six implemented by the former Charest government.

→ What the hell was that?
A small earthquake hit the Montreal region just after midnight Wednesday, forcing residents awake and a mass influx of calls to local police. The tremor lasted a few seconds and while no damage was reported, a few sleepy civilians bolted from their dwellings. The earthquake was measured at 4.5 magnitude on the Richter scale and could even be felt as far as Ottawa. Surprisingly, no damage was done to Montreal’s crumbling infrastructures such as the Champlain Bridge, the Turcot Interchange and the Jacques Cartier Bridge according to The Gazette. No injuries were reported.

→ A different kind of protest
Approximately 80 people marched in support of privatized daycare following the announcement of additional funding promised by the Parti Québécois government to the public daycare system. Protesters said they wanted more funding for private childcare instead of the plan to open more public daycare centres. Premier Pauline Marois promised to provide 15,000 extra spots in the public system. Those in attendance, including parents and private daycare owners, said that the provincial government should help them fill space. The plan is expected to cost the PQ $177,000,000.

→ Mental health awareness
Thousands gathered at the Walk for Mental Health to raise awareness, funding for health services, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness. Supporters gathered at Phillips Square at 11 a.m. Sunday, to kick off the fourth annual event before heading west. The honorary president of the walk, Margaret Trudeau, the wife of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, encouraged those in attendance to seek help if they, or someone they knew, were battling mental illness. Trudeau suffered a long and widely publicized bout of depression. It’s estimated that 20 per cent of Canadians are afflicted with mental illness.

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Nation in Brief
by Kalina Laframboise

→ What’s in a name?
Ontario community colleges are hoping to rebrand three-year diplomas as degrees and create new three-year programs in order to attract more international students and provide more credibility for college graduates. The call for the name change was proposed by Linda Franklin, president of Colleges Ontario, in response to Ontario’s discussion paper to potential provincial reforms to the post-secondary education system. Certain four-year programs completed at the college level are currently called degrees while two and three-year programs remain diplomas.

→ Make a decision already
XL Foods, Canada’s second largest meat processing plant, temporarily laid off 2,000 employees Saturday only to recall 800 the next day so that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency can continue its review. The largest beef recall in Canada has led to an estimated 15 cases of E.coli after approximately 1,800 products were recalled. The Alberta plant’s license was immediately suspended on Sept. 27 after several Canadians reported being ill from the tainted beef. CFIA announced that the plant could be fully functional in the upcoming week and shipping meat across North America in the next 10 days.

→ Don’t get any ideas, Mom
In a weird social experiment, a Calgary mom abandoned her household duties for six days to teach her children a lesson. Jessica Stilwell let the dishes pile up and the laundry go unwashed until her messy daughters accepted responsibility for their actions and apologized for being disorderly. The parenting experiment was documented on Stilwell’s blog, garnering national and international attention and kudos, in an effort to have her children clean up after themselves. Stilwell and her husband helped their daughters wash and scrub the house after they apologized for being messy.

→ Baiting the opposition
Alice Wong, a Conservative Party member of parliament, is facing scrutiny after throwing her support behind serving shark fin soup in Richmond, B.C.. Activists consider shark fin soup as an act of animal cruelty and a threat to the world’s shark population. They were upset following Wong’s decision to back restaurant owner David Chung for serving the delicacy. In a press conference with Asian media, Wong vowed to fight the ban of shark fin and went on to eat some of soup. Numerous cities in Vancouver have already banned the delicacy.
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World in Brief
by Kalina Laframboise

→ A bad judgment call
Following a national outbreak of meningitis, Florida Governor Rick Scott inadvertently provided the phone number for a sex hotline instead of the correct number for information on the disease. During a cabinet meeting last week, Scott announced the toll-free number that was later revealed to be the wrong number by a concerned caller. A woman’s voice on a message recording thanked callers for their thoughtfulness on her anniversary. The mix up led to several confused civilians reaching very different services. The phone number was quickly corrected.

→ I hope that squirrel was worth it
A Michigan resident allegedly using a propane torch to cook a squirrel on his balcony in Holland Township may be responsible for burning down eight units of an apartment complex. The individual was supposedly trying to remove the fur on the deck of his third-floor apartment when the entire deck caught fire. Flames spread to the roof, destroying eight units and damaging 24 additional units at the Clearview Apartments with smoke and water damage. Although the identity of the man remains unknown, the fire department believes he was preparing to eat the squirrel.

→ Good things come in small packages
A contest in Denmark is calling for men with small appendages to send their photos for an online competition to win a free iPhone. Men are asked to submit a photo of their erect penis with measuring tape beside it. The contest has already gathered six applicants and is slated to finish at the end of January 2013. The online contest is sponsored by erotica website Singlesex.dk in an effort to prove that men with small penises have nothing to be ashamed of. Members of the female sex will determine the winners and judge the photos. The second and third place winners will take home an iPad.

→ The trouble with quadrillions
A phone company issued a $15-quadrillion phone bill to a woman in the Bordeaux region of France following the cancellation of her contract in late September. Solenne San Jose was informed that what she owed would be automatically withdrawn from her account. Bouygues Telecom service representatives told San Jose there was nothing they could do, and one agent even told her to pay the amount in million-dollar installments. San Jose spent several hours on the phone trying to convince the representatives that there must be an error before her actual bill revealed that she owed $149.

City in Brief
by Cynthia Dupuis

→ Bachand throws his hat into the race
Former Finance Minister Raymond Bachand officially announced on Friday his candidacy for the Liberal leadership race to replace Jean Charest. Before an audience of about 50 people, Bachand argued that he is the most suitable person to become leader. “We have to listen to Quebecers, put ourselves in listening mode, meet them, build consensus. We have to unite and not divide,” argued Bachand, quoted in the Montreal Gazette. Two other candidates are expected to throw their hats into the ring: former Health Minister Philippe Couillard and former Transport Minister Pierre Moreau. In a recent poll conducted by Léger Marketing, results showed that 27 per cent of Quebecers think Couillard would be the best leader for the party.

→ Death possibly linked to car defect
The Sûreté du Québec is looking into whether there was something wrong with the car an officer was driving the night she was killed in a car accident. The 23-year-old police officer, Katia Hadouchi, died after her cruiser crashed on Kildare Road last Thursday in Sainte-Ambroise-de-Kildare, north of Joliette. Police now say the Chevrolet Impala was part of a recall by General Motors that has now pulled about 100 vehicles off the road since last Wednesday. SQ collision investigators remain unsure as to whether or not speed had been a factor in the incident.

→ To pay the increase or to not pay the increase?
Concordia University sent out an email to students last Friday afternoon regarding tuition fee payments. The university announced that students who do not pay the tuition fee increase will not be charged a penalty of $75. The accounts will be adjusted only once the university is officially notified by the Government of Quebec. For now, the administration urged students to pay their tuition fees as indicated on their current student account by the deadline of Oct. 1.

→ It takes village to build a playground
Two-hundred and fifty volunteers came together Saturday to help build a playground in Little Burgundy’s Jesse Maxwell-Smith Park. Kaboom, an American-based non-profit group helped with the day-long project, which will be one among many public playgrounds in the province, built with community input and donated materials. Many hope the volunteering initiative will become a trend to redeem public parks in Quebec. The estimated cost for the new playground is $135,000. The project is predominantly funded by Foresters, a multinational insurance company with a philanthropic bent brought in by Kaboom.

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Nation in Brief
by Cynthia Dupuis

→ Khadr returns home
Nearly a decade after he was pulled from the rubble of a bombed compound in Afghanistan, Canadian Omar Khadr, now 26, arrived on Canadian soil this Saturday after an American military flight from Guantanamo Bay. Khadr was detained for nearly ten years in the notorious prison for allegedly committing war crimes and terrorism. Under a plea agreement, Khadr was eligible a year ago to serve the remainder of his sentence in Canada. He was transferred to a maximum-security facility in eastern Ontario. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told the National Post that the parole board will determine how many more of the six years remaining on his sentence Khadr will have to serve in Canadian custody.

→ I’ll stick to veggies
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency expanded its recall of beef packed at a plant in Brooks, Alberta after nine cases of E. coli in the province were linked to the meat. The warning is now extended to all beef products from XL Foods sold in Co-op, Metro and Wal-Mart stores across Canada. The beef processed at the plant represents a third of all the beef processed in Canada. While only four of the nine cases were linked to beef from XL Foods Inc., Alberta Health services’ investigators are still unclear about where the contamination originated from.

→ Man bites dog (yes, that’s right)
A partially nude young man was taken into custody for supposedly biting a dog in the eastern Ontario town of Pembroke. Witnesses reported the incident early last Wednesday morning, when police apprehended the man clad only in underwear and Pembroke animal control obtained the dog. The dog suffered minimal injuries and the alleged suspect was detained and later brought to a hospital under the Mental Health Act. Constable Dillon Gerundin said the reasons behind the act remain unknown but drug use may have possibly played a role.

→ September 2012 driest for Vancouver
Vancouver set a record for its driest September in 116 years, according to Environment Canada. With a total of 7.9 millimetres of precipitation for the entire month, the lowest amount since then was in 1907 when 9.4 millimetres of rain was fell during September of that year. Rainfall has been recorded in the province since 1896. According to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, the dry conditions were consistent throughout most of the province. Wagstaffe noted weather has changed to match fall conditions, with rain and wind hitting the south coast more often.

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World in Brief
by Elizabeth Tomaras

→ A gay ol’ time
A new method claiming to turn gay children straight is soon to be banned in the state of California. The state Senate passed the legislation earlier in May, disallowing any non-scientific therapy from being used on anyone aged younger than 18. However, supporters of the method are firing back with a lawsuit against the ruling, as they believe that governor Jerry Brown and gay rights advocates’ arguments are “just are not true.” The American Psychiatric Association studied the types of shock treatment being used and reported it causes health risks such as depression, anxiety and self-destructive behaviour.

→ Pussy on trial
After stating “she no longer wants to work with an attorney who doesn’t share her views on the case,” Yekaterina Samutsevich and fellow Pussy Riot band members’ appeal hearing will resume on Oct. 10. The women were convicted of hooliganism in August after showing their extreme opposition of Vladimir Putin and his politics publically. The Russian Prime Minister has called for the women’s release noting their jail time is unproductive. Still, the PM said he was “sickened” by the band’s acts.

→ Kids these days
Students at the University of Tennessee have created a new way to get drunk – alcohol enemas – and it’s exactly what it sounds like. The drinker places a small tube in his or her rectum while alcohol is poured into the colon allowing it to be quickly absorb into the bloodstream. Besides sounding unpleasant and unhygienic, our stomachs and livers produce an enzyme able to break down ethanol in alcohol but our gastrointestinal tract does not and could lead to eventual poisoning. This is only one of the many dangerous drinking trends popping up worldwide.

→ Out of this world
Seated in the same position since the 11th century, carved out of a meteor and once in the hands of Nazis, the “Iron Man” Buddhist god sculpture is currently the subject of study for Elmar Buchner of the Planetology Institute at Stuttgart University in Germany. Buchner has analyzed the statue, figuring it is made out of a meteorite that landed between Mongolia and Siberia approximately 15,000 years ago. It is the only known man-made creation crafted out of intergalactic material which places its value at $20,000 however if Buchner’s age estimate is correct, it may be “invaluable.”

City in Brief
by Cynthia Dupuis

→ Innocent until proven guilty
West Island man Jacques Attalla and Toronto native Nader Fawzy spoke out against accusations of blasphemy against Islam, and against the Prophet Muhammad this week. The two Egyptian-born Canadians maintain they were wrongly accused of playing a role in the making of a 14-minute anti-Islam film which caused outrage in the Middle East earlier this month. Attalla is a Coptic Christian rights activist who says his name wrongly appeared in Egyptian media on a list of people who have helped in the making of this contentious video, and is now receiving death threats.

→Nuclear meltdowns
Quebecers had divided opinions about Premier Pauline Marois’ announcement that one of her government’s first moves will be to shut down Gentilly-2, Quebec’s only nuclear plant. For the anti-nuclear activists, this announcement was welcomed. The 750 people working at the plant were not as pleased. At a news conference on Friday morning, Canadian Union of Public Employees-Quebec President Lucie Levasseur said the announcement surprised them. Levasseur, quoted in the Montreal Gazette, explained that “during the election campaign, Marois promised to consult with the unions and all the economic stakeholders in the region before coming to a decision.”

→ Stuck in limbo
This week was a busy one for the newly-elected Parti Québécois government. In addition to canceling the tuition hike, it has also cancelled most of the sections of Bill 78 by decree. It is still unclear what will legally happen to the protesters arrested under the law. In all, Montreal Police arrested 30 people in late August at Université de Montréal in accordance with the controversial law. Last Friday, Quebec’s prosecutor’s office said it has yet to receive any files regarding the cases and, since the law no longer exists, the outcome for the protestors is unclear.

→ Deadly shooting in Beaconsfield
A 29-year-old man was found unconscious Sunday night in Beaconsfield at a train station parking lot on the corner of Beaurepaire Dr. and Woodland Ave. after a passerby found him around 9:30 p.m. The man was rushed to hospital with critical injuries and was pronounced dead at 1 a.m. Officials from the Montreal Police later confirmed he died from a gunshot wound. Police also said the man, whose identity has not been released yet, was a known member of a street gang. This brings the number of homicides to 23 this year, according to Montreal Police.

Nation in Brief
by Cynthia Dupuis

→ Cutting the cheese is prosperous
Niagara Regional Police officers have been visiting restaurants and pizzerias in the area in relation with a large internal investigation about cheese smuggling. Sources say people approached restaurant owners about supplying their establishments with numerous cases of contraband U.S. cheese. CBC news has learned from numerous police sources that charges are expected soon against a few officers who are alleged to have been involved in the movement of caseloads of cheese from the U.S. in their cars across the border.

→ Thanks for serving our country?
Documents tabled in Parliament last week by Justice Minister Rob Nicholson show that Harper’s Conservative government spent $750,462 in legal fees since 2007 fighting veterans over the recovery of military pensions. The Liberals demanded to see a breakdown of Ottawa’s legal costs in the class-action lawsuit launched by veterans advocate Dennis Manuge. Unable to release the detailed document, the Justice Minister released the total amount spent so far. The government appointed Stephen Toope, the president of the University of British Columbia, to lead the negotiations and arrive at a settlement, including retroactive payment, which could run as high as $600 million.

→ Canadians missing in avalanche
Officials have confirmed that at least nine people are dead while others remain missing after an avalanche smashed into a climbing expedition on a Himalayan peak in Nepal this past Sunday at 4 a.m.. The missing people include 48-year-old Quebec cardiologist Dominique Ouimet. Another Canadian, a well-known skier from British Columbia, Greg Hill survived the avalanche. Ottawa Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Chrystiane Roy said officials had been in contact with authorities in Nepal. Ouimet was using the Himalayan expedition to raise money for the St-Jérôme Regional Hospital.

→ The apple doesn’t fall from the mother country
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and British Foreign Secretary William Hague met Monday in Ottawa to sign an agreement to open joint Canada-U.K. diplomatic missions abroad in an effort to extend Canada and the United Kingdom’s diplomatic reach while cutting costs. CBC News reported that this agreement would include sharing embassies or high commissions in countries where one has a diplomatic presence while the other does not. New Democratic Party foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar expressed he had some issues with the agreement. For one, he raised that this deal will compromise Canada’s independence and its foreign policy.

World in Brief
by A.J. Cordeiro

→ A healthy dose of green
Uruguayans may see more green, both in cash and haze. The South American nation is moving forward with plans to create a state monopoly, which will manage the agriculture and distribution of marijuana. The move was spearheaded by the country’s coalition government The Broad Front. The hope is that it will weaken organized crime elements, thus reducing the violent crimes inherent with the trade. However, some marijuana activists have condemned the proposed policy, seeking rather further protection of home-cultivated plants. The policy is in stark contrast to the U.S’s. ‘war on drugs’ policy initiated by President Richard Nixon in the ‘70s.

→ Getting fresh with the fresco
You too can be a great artist! A Spanish woman took it upon herself to restore a fresco of Christ in her town’s church. Her result was what one BBC correspondent described as “a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic.” The botched job went viral in August, resulting in an estimated 30,000 visitors flocking to the church. According to Spanish newspaper El Correro, the church began charging a small fee to see the ‘oeuvre’, which provoked the artist’s family to sue for royalties.

→ Foxconn fight
A massive brawl broke out on Sept. 23 at a Foxconn plant in China, involving more than 2,000 employees. Some 5,000 police officers were called to the scene, and an estimated 40 people were taken to hospital. The actual cause of the fracas has not yet been determined. Work is expected to resume on Sept. 25. Foxconn is well known for producing mass electronics for several major technology companies including Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft. The company (and the companies which use their services) has been criticized for its labour practices in the past.

→ Synchronized toilet flush
The Bulawayo City Council, located in Zimbabwe, has asked residents for a synchronized toilet flush following water rationing. Homeowners are being asked to flush their toilets at 7:30 p.m. in order to unclog pipes and wash away any leftover sewage. The measures also stem from the drying up of the city’s main supply dams, following droughts in the southwestern part of the nation. The second-largest city in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo has more than 1 million residents.