National News

With a bow and a hand-shake, Canada welcomes Japanese emperor
OTTAWA - Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon and International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda were prepared to bow as the 125th holder of Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne disembarked from his plane Friday afternoon. But in a modern, non-assuming manner that has become a trademark for Emperor Akihito, he offered the uncertain Canadian ministers a royal palm to be pumped for a handshake.
      

Daughter had keys to car night it plunged into Ontario lock, killing four: father
MONTREAL - As he scanned an album packed with photos of his seven children enjoying family vacations of the past, Mohammed Shafee broke down while pondering the present. Three of Shafee's daughters, and the woman who helped raise all of his kids, died Tuesday when their vehicle tumbled into a canal in eastern Ontario.
      

Soldier killed when Canadian commander's convoy hits IED in Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A Canadian soldier travelling through a hotbed of Taliban activity was killed Friday when his armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb seconds after it was narrowly missed by the senior commander of coalition forces in Kandahar province. Cpl. Nick Bulger, a 30-year-old father of two and member of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, was in the vehicle directly behind that of Canadian Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance when the blast occurred.
      

Romeo LeBlanc remembered as 'great gentleman of Acadia' by ex-PM Jean Chretien
MEMRAMCOOK, N.B. - Romeo LeBlanc's son gently rested his hand on his father's flag-draped casket and said goodbye to a man remembered by many for his abiding humility despite a life of lofty political successes. Dominic LeBlanc told hundreds of mourners who filled Saint-Thomas Church on Friday that his father was deeply proud to serve as a federal cabinet minister, senator and as Canada's 25th governor general.
      

Head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan says Taliban a dangerous, resilient enemy
CALGARY - The officer in charge of the United States Central Command is warning against premature optimism as thousands of American troops surge into Afghanistan's Helmand province. Gen. David Petraeus is best known for co-ordinating the troop surge in Iraq that is credited with significantly reducing violence there.
      

Obama enjoying lingering honeymoon with Canadians: poll
OTTAWA - Canadians remain smitten with Barack Obama. That's the conclusion drawn from a new poll published just in time for the Fourth of July that suggests the U.S. president is more popular with Canadians than any domestic politician.
      

Family, friends rush to Ont. home of mother of soldier killed in Afghanistan
BUCKHORN, Ont. - The latest soldier killed in Afghanistan was a gentle family man who had planned to return home to his wife and two young daughters at the end of the month, his uncle said Friday. Cpl. Nick Bulger of Buckhorn, Ont., was killed when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province on Friday.
      

Startling, often unusual testimony wraps up at Manitoba child custody hearing
WINNIPEG - A young girl with skin covered in racist markings. A mother testifying in shackles. A father talking about interracial breeding and Norse gods. Weeks of often startling, sometimes strange testimony at a child custody hearing involving two alleged white supremacists ended Friday.
      

Unemployment to rise into 2010 despite economic recovery: Flaherty
OTTAWA - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty now expects Canada's economic recovery to be modest and for job losses to mount into 2010 even after growth has begun. Flaherty gave his most recent and sobering assessment of economic prospects in a conference call from Chile on Friday, after a meeting with finance ministers from the Americas.
      

Australian man, 24, dies after falling while climbing Alberta mountain
KANANASKIS, Alta. - An Australian man has died after falling from a peak in the Rocky Mountains west of Calgary. RCMP say the 24-year-old was scrambling up Mount Kidd when he fell about 50 metres. A second man was safely lifted off of the mountain by helicopter.
      

Winnipeg fighting to avoid what could be the city's worst year for mosquitoes
WINNIPEG - Winnipeg is stepping up measures to avoid what could be the city's worst year ever for mosquitoes. The city says the spring flood coupled with a recent deluge of rain have created ideal breeding conditions for the buzzing bloodsuckers. Monitoring sites are already reporting high levels of mosquito larvae in standing water within a 10 kilometre radius of the city.
      

33 Canadian deaths associated with swine flu as Ontario up to 12
Ontario is now reporting 12 deaths associated with the swine flu for a national total of 33. A 37-year-old Toronto man who had underlying medical conditions tested positive for the virus. Ontario now has more than 3,150 confirmed cases of H1N1. Quebec is also reporting another death related to swine flu today, although that province's health department gave no information about its 14th victim.
      

Sask. appeal court asked whether commissioners can opt out of same-sex marriages
REGINA - The Saskatchewan government wants the province's highest court to weigh in on proposed legislation that would allow marriage commissioners to not perform same-sex marriages if it is contrary to their religious beliefs. Justice Minister Don Morgan said Friday that the government is referring legislative options to the Court of Appeal for its opinion on whether the proposals meet the requirements of the Charter of Rights.
      

Nobel Prize winning author criticizes Quebec's new hydro project
PARIS - Critics of a new hydroelectric project in Quebec now have a prominent ally - Nobel Prize-winning author Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio. In an opinion piece published Wednesday in French-language daily Le Monde, Le Clezio denounces the Romaine River hydro project launched by the Quebec government last May.
      

Bright, sunny skies as Calgarians line streets for Stampede parade
CALGARY - The streets of downtown Calgary are lined with wannabe cowboys and cowgirls for the kickoff to the Calgary Stampede. About 350,000 people are jammed along the downtown route under bright and sunny skies for the Stampede parade.
      

Quebec court fines ex-boyfriend $40,000 for publishing sex videos on Internet
LAVAL, Que. - A Quebec judge has fined a man more than $40,000 for publishing photos and videos online of himself and his ex-girlfriend engaging in sexual acts. Superior Court Justice Sylviane Borenstein says in her ruling the man's actions were vile and the court was outraged.
      

Saskatchewan government to ask courts for ruling on same-sex marriage
REGINA - Saskatchewan's justice minister says the government will ask the Court of Appeal for its opinion on proposed legislation dealing with same-sex marriage. Don Morgan says the legislation would allow marriage commissioners with contrary religious beliefs to opt out of performing same-sex ceremonies. The law would also ensure that there were still be enough commissioners available willing to perform the marriages.
      

Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to arrive in Canada on Friday
TOKYO - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko hope to reach out to Americans and Canadians of Japanese ancestry during a two-week tour that began Friday, but they won't be going to Pearl Harbor. "Both Canada and the state of Hawaii are home to many people of Japanese ancestry," Akihito said in a statement ahead of the trip. "We are looking forward to meeting these people in various places during our trip and further deepen our understanding of the paths they have taken to this day."
      

Cyprus court orders 2 Poles detained after Canadian tourist found strangled in gorge
NICOSIA, Cyprus - Cypriot police say two Polish men have been detained on suspicion of killing a Canadian tourist who was found strangled in a gorge near a southern coastal resort. Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos says a district court on Friday ordered both suspects, aged 30 and 34, held for eight days to assist investigators. They have not been formally charged.
      

Mounties say B.C. teen suspect Tasered 'in lieu of lethal force'
SURREY, B.C. - Surrey RCMP say they used a Taser on a 15-year-old teen because he was brandishing a knife and making threats. Sgt. Roger Morrow says Mounties were called to a park Thursday night with reports of an intoxicated man armed with a knife.