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Estimated deaths 50,000 in Sichuan alone
Aerial pictures of Yingxiu in Wenchuan County
CHENGDU - More than 50,000 people are feared dead in southwest China's Sichuan Province alone after Monday's earthquake, the rescue headquarters of the State Council said Thursday. Another 102,103 people were injured and 12,300 buried in the rubble, he said. Rescuers have pulled 13,400 people alive out of the debris. (Xinhua)
MORE: Death toll could hit 50,000 Earthquake dams pose risk
PREVIOUS: Earthquake jolts China 2008 Sichuan earthquake
JAIPUR - An unknown Islamist group said on Thursday it set off coordinated blasts that tore through a packed shopping area in a popular Indian tourist city this week, but police say they were still verifying the claim. Eight bombs, many strapped to bicycles, killed 61 people and injured 216 people in the western city of Jaipur on Tuesday. But police also said the attack bore some hallmarks of the Bangladeshi militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HuJI), and released a sketch of a man in his mid-20s seen near the scene of one bombing speaking Bengali, the main language of Bangladesh.
(Reuters)
PREVIOUS: 6 bombs in 15 minutes Terror strikes India bomb blasts Bomb attacks in western India Bombing rocks India
Junta tightens grip as Burma starves
MYANMAR - The junta, which has been condemned by aid agencies for stalling the relief effort, last night tightened roadblocks to prevent relief workers reaching the worst-hit area of the Irrawaddy delta. As countries tried to persuade Burma to accept desperately needed aid, the military, which has ruled the country since 1962, announced a new constitution enshrining its overarching power. (Guardian UK)
MORE: Forced labour camp fears 92.4% approval for junta's new constitution Deaths could exceed 100,000
PREVIOUS: Western navies wait off Burma Officials selling emergency aid supplies Why the junta steals foreign aid Cyclone Nargis 2007 anti-government protests Burmese constitutional referendum 2008
BRUSSELS - European antitrust investigators are expanding the scope of a major inquiry into the €484 billion ($942B) pharmaceutical market in a bid to determine whether companies are blocking generics makers from getting less-expensive medicines to market quickly. Investigators, who questioned about 100 companies early this year, are now turning to about 80 medical organizations, including associations of doctors, patients and pharmacies, and government agencies that set the prices of prescription drugs in Europe. (IHT)
MORE: Pharmaceuticals sector inquiry
RELATED: Canadian drug spending estimated at $27B in 2007
MANCHESTER - The city of Manchester today hastily abandoned all plans to put up big screens around the city for next week's all-English Champions League final after a "baying mob" of Scottish football thugs last night went on the rampage in the city, attacking police officers and civilians. Police released video footage of the attacks this morning, showing marauding mobs of Glasgow Rangers fans running through the streets and officers being pelted with bottles and chased. (Times online)
MORE: CCTV shows fans chasing police
Crimes committed by girls up 25%
LONDON - The number of crimes committed by girls has risen by a quarter in three years, a study revealed today. According to figures in the Youth Justice Board's Annual Workload Data report (.pdf) is aged between 10 and 17 committed 59,236 crimes in 2006-07, up 25% from 47,358 in 2003-04. This compared to a 2% drop in crimes committed by boys over the same period, although young men still committed the majority of crimes. (Guardian UK)
Man, daughter pushed off bus die
IBN
BHUBANESHWAR, India - Police say a poor Indian worker and his four-year-old daughter were crushed to death by a bus after the conductor pushed them off for not having the fare for the journey. Sanschar Toppo, 40, was 25 cents short of the fare when he got on the bus with his daughter. After the incident on Wednesday, angry passengers set the bus on fire near Jharsuguda. (AP)
MORE: Father, daughter thrown off bus
HANOI - Vietnamese authorities have seized marijuana worth $90 million in the country's biggest drugs haul, police said Thursday. The 8 tons of marijuana was believed to be in transit to Canada via China, said Col. Nguyen Anh Tuan, director of the Ministry of Public Security's Anti-Drug Department. (AP)
MORE: Hashish bust
CTV
TORONTO - A memorial to Ontario firefighters who died in the line of duty has been desecrated with anti-government graffiti. Authorities say the messages were spray-painted on the monuments at some point Monday night. (CTV)
DPA
VIENNA - A 39-year-old Austrian man is reported to have told detectives that after murdering his 42-year-old wife and their daughter by hitting them on the head with an iron axe, he then climbed into his car and drove for over two hours to the city of Linz, where he killed his father-in-law with the same axe, before heading to the nearby town of Ansfelden and murdering his own parents. He walked into a police station in Vienna covered in blood and in a "confused state" and confessed to the murders. (Times online)
MORE: Man kills his family Man kills family to spare them shame of financial ruin
Suspected wildfire arsonist arrested
Brian Crowder
PALM BAY - A man authorities believe may have set at least some of the wildfires in Florida is in custody on suspicion of arson. Brian Crowder, 30, was apprehended Wednesday after a foot chase leading to his residence, according to Palm Bay Police Chief Bill Berger. (Fox)
PREVIOUS: Arson suspected in wildfires Wildfires burn 7,000 acres Town battles wildfires
LOS ANGELES - A notorious "Spam King" and his partner now owe MySpace about $230 million in damages after a US federal judge awarded the popular online hangout what is believed to be the largest anti-spam judgment ever. The judgment is a big victory for MySpace, although service providers often have a tough time collecting such awards. But even if the News Corp.-owned site never collects, it hopes the judgment deters other spammers. (AP)
Auto giants living up to word: Pupatello
TORONTO - Despite thousands of assembly-line layoffs, such auto giants as General Motors that got millions in taxpayer help have not broken faith with the government, Ontario's trade minister insists. "Every one of our assemblers is in full compliance with their contract," Sandra Pupatello said yesterday. The government was coming under fire for a second day over $235 million in aid to General Motors Corp. The company has announced it will close its transmission plant in Windsor two years from now, eliminating 1,400 jobs. (Toronto Star)
MORE: Ontario will give GM more money
PREVIOUS: Ontario a 'have not’ province McGuinty wants Ottawa's aid McGunity sees new auto plant GM cuts 900 jobs in Oshawa
RELATED: Dutch move to limit big payouts for CEOs Government fat cats ignore pension slide
The Mounties have seized cash, cars, boats, homes, jewelry and livestock worth more than $227 million that was the bounty of big-time drug traffickers, prostitution rings and illicit arms dealers. Records obtained by Sun Media through Access to Information list major RCMP files on proceeds of crime cases across Canada, showing hundreds of hauls since new laws were instituted a decade ago. So far, only $65 million of that has been ordered forfeited by the courts, with the rest going to legal fees or the accused party's living expenses or being whittled down through plea bargains.
(Sun Media)
OTTAWA - Bell Canada can continue to slow down certain types of Internet traffic flowing on the wholesale networks it provides to smaller Canadian Internet service providers after federal regulators denied a request for interim relief from the Canadian Association of Internet Providers. (Globe & Mail)
TORONTO - The brokerage industry's self-regulatory body (Investment Dealers Association of Canada) (IDA) is conducting a compliance and enforcement sweep of its member firms in the wake of the $32-billion asset-backed commercial-paper debacle and has served notice that dealers that signed the Purdy Crawford restructuring will not be immune to regulatory action. (Financial Post)
PREVIOUS: Committee strikes tentative deal Asset Backed Commercial Paper (ABCP) Crawford Panel Subprime mortgage crisis Regulators
Privacy watchdog eyes telecoms
OTTAWA - The Privacy Commissioner is launching an investigation into whether Canada's telecommunications giants are breaking the law when they use technology that allows the companies to monitor the online activities of their Internet customers. (CanWest)
MORE: Bell accused of privacy invasion Telus customer still being billed unapproved long-distance fee
PREVIOUS: Copyright and regulated markets
OTTAWA - Executives at the crisis-prone Crown corporation AECL have run up bills on personal trainers, fishing trips, racquet club memberships and fine dining. Documents obtained through Access to Information show that in one case, Mike Burns, former chairman of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, spent as much as $8,000 on a two-day fishing trip. (Sun Media)
RELATED: Embattled workplace safety boss grilled
VANCOUVER - A homeowner who lost her occupancy after an inspection by Coquitlam's Public Safety Team is seeking to launch a class-action lawsuit against the city and BC Hydro for conducting what's alleged to be illegal searches for marijuana growing operations.
(Vancouver Sun)
PREVIOUS: Big Brother
LONDON - The special squad set up to take on the barons of organised crime has gone back to the drawing board after failing to prosecute only a handful of the 130 figures it aimed to bring to book. Experienced officers are leaving the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) “in droves” and the organisation’s original hitlist has been shelved. (Times online)
CBS
ALBANY - In a flash, a police officer draws a handgun from its holster. Less than two seconds later, a red laser and bright light shine at whatever is in the gun barrel's path while a mini-camera records it all. (AP)
More dentists are using crowns and bridges made in China. According to the United State Customs Office, the number of dental products coming into the United States from China has doubled in the last year. An investigation by WJLA-TV found that at least some of those dental products contain lead. (ABC)
PREVIOUS: Greed & Corruption China
“Taking all things together on a scale of one to 10, how happy would you say you are?” With that question and global surveys, the folks at the World Database of Happiness have ranked 95 nations on a happiness scale. (Forbes)
OTTAWA - Canada is laden so thick with business taxes it requires the average major company 11 employees working full-time, year-round simply to comply with them, says a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. That boils down to an annual cost of $2.1 million for each of those companies, but more significantly presents a complex and costly system that challenges the country's ability to compete internationally, according to the study released Monday. (CanWest)
REPORT: Total tax contribution survey
RELATED: Unions fight to get $54B EI surplus
HALIFAX - Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled a multi-billion plan for the Canadian Forces on Monday, and promised that the "Canada First" defence strategy will give the military the troop numbers and equipment it needs to do its job. Harper said the strategy is a long-term plan that will cost close to $30 billion over 20 years. (CanWest)
MORE: PM's plan will increase troops, update equipment DND top patch aging rescue planes until at least 2015
PREVIOUS: DND's cloak of secrecy covers would-be suppliers
ST. JOHN'S - The Newfoundland and Labrador government is questioning whether a public inquiry into botched breast-cancer tests has the right to cross-examine witnesses. (CBC)
PREVIOUS: Cameron inquiry Williams lashes inquiry for 'inquisitorial methods' Review of pathology results College defends 'problematic' testing The Entitled
High-stakes battle over mining rights
OMPAH, Ont. - Frank Morrison knew immediately what the red metal tag meant. He didn't understand why it was on his land. The tag was attached to a tree that had been chopped to just over a metre high. A straight row of pink ribbons ran from it into the bush. Other trees had been crudely blazed. All this meant that a prospector, without permission, had claimed the site for a potential mine. The race for resources has put the spotlight on the Mining Act, which, under a system known as free entry, allows prospectors and mine developers almost unhindered access to public lands and much private property as well. (Toronto Star)
BEIRUT - Lebanese officials said they expected a Qatari-led Arab mission, formed at an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Sunday, to arrive in Beirut on Wednesday. The high-level mission, which both camps in Lebanon have welcomed, is set to hold separate talks with rival leaders and seek an immediate end to the violence and direct talks between them. (Reuters)
MORE: Gunmen clash in Tripoli Lebanon part of regional conflict
PREVIOUS: Hezbollah 2007 Lebanon conflict 1975-1990 civil war
Sudan arrests opposition leader
KHARTOUM - Sudan on Monday arrested Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi and pressed its pursuit of Darfur rebels who threatened again to attack the capital as sporadic gunfire reverberated around Khartoum. (AFP)
PREVIOUS: Sudan cuts Chad ties Chad Darfur conflict
CTV
KANDAHAR - In Afghanistan, the poppy harvest is not unlike the autumn grape harvest in France, or tobacco season in southern Ontario. Large numbers of itinerant workers make their way to the fields where they can pick up a couple of weeks of steady employment. For many Afghan families, it's a vital part of their yearly income. The going rate of pay is about $10-a-day, and the work doesn't seem that difficult - if you discount the risk. (CTV)
AP
KATHMANDU, Nepal - Police have arrested some 560 Tibetan women, including many Buddhist nuns, after breaking up demonstrations against China's crackdown in Tibet. In the first example of all-women protests, three rallies in Kathmandu were quickly stopped by police. It was the biggest round-up since Tibetan exiles began near daily demonstrations in March. (BBC)
PREVIOUS: 2008 unrest in Tibet
AP
CIUDAD JUAREZ - The No. 2 police officer in a Mexican border city across from Texas was shot dead Saturday, the latest high-ranking official killed in an onslaught of attacks blamed on gangs resisting a crackdown. Gunman sprayed Juan Antonio Roman Garcia's car with bullets outside his home in Ciudad Juarez, officials said. The attack came months after his name appeared at the top of a hit list left at a monument for fallen police officers. (AP)
MORE: Intensifying the fight US role in assassination
PREVIOUS: Gunmen kill another top cop Mexico vows to continue war Another top law officer gunned down Sinaloa cartel suspected in Millan Gomez murder Organized Crime
HOUSTON - Neighbors bringing a loose bull back to a northeast Houston home discovered a gruesome scene that revealed a man and his family shot dead. Police on scene said it is possible the deaths are the result of a murder/suicide, but had not ruled out that all five people had been murdered. The bodies were found at a home in the 10100 block of Stonewood about 3:30 pm Saturday. (KHOU)
MORE: Family in dire financial straits
It was supposed to be a stress-free investment for Florence and Jim Langford. After all, the retired Saskatchewan couple was only looking for a little extra income to supplement their retirement savings. (W-Five)
Human rights abusers hijacking UN
Each year, the human rights watchdog Freedom House surveys all 193 countries in the world, plus 15 select territories, and assesses the state of freedom in each. During 2007, Freedom House determined that 90 countries (47%) were free. (Calgary Herald)
REPORT: How HRC members voted: 2007-2008 .pdf Evaluation of 2008-2011 HRC candidates .pdf
Reuters
OTTAWA - Drivers filling up for the May long weekend face fuel prices scraping up against their all-time highs, and some will pay for more gas than they actually put in their tanks. A Citizen investigation shows that between Jan. 1, 1999, and Aug. 28, 2007, nearly 5% of gas pumps tested in Canada - about one pump in 20 - failed government inspections by dispensing less fuel than they should. (Ottawa Citizen)
MORE: Feature report hosed at the pump
RCMP target three reserves for contraband tobacco
OTTAWA - The RCMP and the Conservative government are targeting three of the most volatile native reserves in the country as part of a new effort to battle contraband tobacco and organized crime. A report released Wednesday by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and RCMP Assistant Commissioner Raf Souccar singled out Kahnawake in Quebec and Tyendinaga and Six Nations in Ontario as the Canadian sources of illicitly manufactured tobacco. (Globe & Mail)
PREVIOUS: Native leader warns of confrontations over tobacco strategy Taxes are fueling Organized Crime RCMP sounds alarm over illegal smokes
BEIJING - China has recorded 27,499 hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) cases so far this year as of Friday, resulting in 34 deaths, according to a Xinhua tally of local official figures. The figure stood at 24,934 on Thursday. (Xinhua)
PREVIOUS: Virus infection nears 20,000 China issues alert Nationwide fight against fatal virus
BRUSSELS - Microsoft said on Friday it was appealing against a record 899 million euro ($1.39 billion) fine imposed by the European Commission for using high prices to discourage software competition. (Reuters)
IRVING - FBI agents have searched an Irving business with alleged ties to east coast Mafia families. On its website, First Plus Financial Group describes itself as a company that provides financial and management services to both consumer and commercial businesses. However, according to a search warrant the FBI is investigating if the Irving company has ties to the Mafia. (CBC 11)
Armed gangs spreading violence
THE PAS/HOBBEMA - In the past five years, aboriginal gangs (ABOC), as they are classified by the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, have surpassed outlaw motorcycle gangs and Italian organized crime syndicates as the largest single group held in federal prisons, with 536 members serving federal sentences. 90% of them are doing time on the Prairies, dominated by three established gangs: the Indian Posse, the Native Syndicate and the Warriors. (Globe & Mail)
PRISON GANG PROFILE: Alberta Warriors Indian Posse Manitoba Warriors Native Syndicate Redd Alert
PREVIOUS: Aboriginal gangs in 'crisis proportions' Gangs
Hate allegation made against Herald cartoon
HALIFAX - Police are investigating an allegation that an editorial cartoon in The Chronicle Herald promoted hatred. The cartoon by award-winning Herald staff cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon appeared on April 18 and depicted Cheryfa MacAulay Jamal, a former Nova Scotia woman now living in Ontario. She had told the Herald that she would seek millions of dollars in compensation from the federal government after terrorism-related charges against her husband, Qayyum Abdul Jamal, were stayed. (Halifax Chronicle Herald)
COMMENT: Why you should care about Muslims vs. Maclean's
MORE: Another Islamic group files a hate speech complaint Battle of Khartoon comes to Halifax
PREVIOUS: Big Brother
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Isaiah Otieno
CRANBROOK - Investigators looking into a fatal helicopter crash that killed four people in Cranbrook believe the pilot may have been trying to execute an emergency powerless landing called an autorotation.
(Vancouver Sun)
MORE: Family shocked Pilot hailed as hero
PREVIOUS: Officials probing crash 4 dead in crash
EDMONTON - A man in his mid-20s was shot dead this morning in a parking lot behind a northeast Edmonton strip mall. Witnesses heard gunfire at about 1:30 AM in the area of 26th Street and 139th Avenue. (Edmonton Journal)
MORE: Man gunned down
Killer's alleged profile subject of probe
SPECIAL HANDLING UNIT, Que. - Corrections Canada has launched an internal investigation to find out how prison pictures of notorious child killer Clifford Olson made their way onto the social networking website MySpace, (cache). (CP)
MORE: Ottawa investigates page on MySpace
PREVIOUS: Olson's web page shocker Correct Corrections Canada
EDMONTON - A schizophrenic man who attacked three schoolgirls was ruled not criminally responsible Wednesday after a psychiatrist said the man believed he had to commit the "evil actions" to keep the city safe from invading gangsters. Judge Donna Valgardson ruled Wednesday that Jonathan Quinn Lewis, 25, did not know that what he was doing was wrong when he snuck into the girls' bathrooms at two Edmonton elementary schools and assaulted the children.
(Edmonton Journal)
MORE: Molester deemed delusional
EDMONTON - The Alberta government will introduce new regulations next month to curb binge drinking, a problem Premier Ed Stelmach says is getting worse and threatening community safety. Stelmach was referring to a weekend incident in which as many as a dozen rowdy bar patrons beat a pair of cops in a downtown alley after they tried to break up a fight. One of the officers was knocked to the ground and stomped on. (Edmonton Journal)
PREVIOUS: Boyd buzzing mad Mob attacks officers Chief warns thugs following swarmings
Transit cops ordered to appear
VANCOUVER - Solicitor General John van Dongen has told Metro Vancouver's transit police force he expects them to appear before a provincial inquiry probing the use of Tasers. (Vancouver Sun)
PREVIOUS: Police are 'brainwashed' Transit police refuse to testify at Taser inquiry Braidwood (taser) inquiry Police
Suspended police chief faces discipline hearing
VICTORIA - At least some of the - still unknown - allegations against suspended Victoria police Chief Paul Battershill have been substantiated, but it does not necessarily mean he'll be disciplined. (Victoria Times Colonist)
PREVIOUS: BC police
Adviser had access to evidence
VICTORIA - The shocking 2003 raid on the legislature created a bizarre and unprecedented situation for the police, prosecutors, politicians and parliamentarians. In a system where parliament is supreme, a special process had to be worked out to ensure the evidence collected in the raid was preserved and the investigation allowed to proceed, all while the supremacy of parliament was respected. (Vancouver Province)
PREVIOUS: Dobell's prints now all over a very sticky pie Raid on BC Ministerial Offices
CALGARY - The police force has launched an internal investigation after a civilian staffer was charged in connection with a pair of marijuana grow operations raided this week. Supt. Ken Marchant said the force will conduct a review of the conduct of Lan Nguyen Dang, but does not believe its security was breached.
(CBC)