Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu described the situation in the Middle East as "moving backward" on Wednesday, recalling a Knesset speech earlier this year when he predicted the Arab Spring would result in an anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-democratic Islamist wave. Netanyahu says Israel must be careful giving up land because it is impossible to know who will control it next; addressing new laws, says "democracy will be healthier, stronger" when we're done. That moving reality, the prime minister said, is why he didn't heed calls to rush into a peace agreement with the Palestinians amid the Arab Spring, explaining that it is impossible to know who will eventually control any territory given up by Israel. "We want a peace treaty with the Palestinians that will stand the test of time and won't just crash immediately after it is signed," he explained. "We must design our own reality." Addressing the opposition, he quipped, "If you don't see it, your head is in the sand." But the prime minister also said that Israel must maintain its relations with the only two neighbors it has peace with - Egypt and Jordan. "It is important to keep peace with a stable Egypt," he said.
"We will also continue to act to strengthen Jordan," Netanyahu told the Knesset plenum. "We have an interest in our neighbor remaining strong and independent."

21°C Wed Thu Fri Sat Shower Wind: S at 11 km/h Humidity: 83% 29° 20° 25° 15° 24° 15° 26° 17°

Over his political career, Layton evolved from campus activist to rabble-rousing left-wing municipal councillor to the most electorally successful leader of the federal New Democrats in history, leading the party to a record 103 seats in the May election.

Jack Layton in state LIVE11:059:59  Olivia Chow struggled to keep her composure as dozens of cameras whirred. She was joined by Layton’s family and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.    to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.   My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.      All my very best, Jack Layton

 

FINALLY SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL TO SHARE...

Filipino Fiesta is here... The culinary and cultural delights of Philippines are yours for taking as the 2nd annual Filipino Fiesta comes to town at the Garden Square, Sunday, June 12.
The fiesta–to commemorate the 113th anniversary of the Philippine Independence –will be held from 12 noon to 9 p.m. Last year, the event attracted some to 1,800 people and 200 performers including some from the home country. “This year, the Federation promises to exceed last year's success,” said Rodriguez. “The full-day of family fun will start with a ceremonial parade, followed by opening ceremonies and feature seven hours of non-stop entertainment.” Some half-a-dozen food vendors will sell traditional delicacies such as: pancit, noodles cooked in a mixture of cabbage, chicken, shrimp and Chinese sausage, pork barbecue comprising of succulent pieces of pork marinated with soy sauce, garlic, vinegar and grilled over charcoal. Additionally, 25 vendors selling arts, artifacts and other traditional goods and items will also pitch their tents at the event, explained Rodriguez. The day will kick-off with a ceremonial parade featuring an array of people dressed in different and colourful costumes from different provinces of Philippines. Besides the parade, visitors can participate in a silent auction, face painting and other activities. “There is no excuse not to be part of this exciting day,” said Rodriguez. “Bring your family, bring all your friends and experience Filipino hospitality.”

Governor General David Johnston delivering the Speech from the Throne in the Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, June 2011The government has introduced Senate reform legislation, making good on one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's long-time political promises. The Act, which sets out a nine-year term limit for Senators as well as a means for voters to have a say in their appointment, was tabled in the House of Commons Tuesday morning. "After receiving a strong mandate from Canadians, our Government is taking action on our commitment to make the Senate more democratic, accountable, and representative of Canadians," Minister of State Tim Uppal said .

An Ontario Superior Court judge on Tuesday gave Jaggi Singh a 60-day suspended sentence and 12 months of probation, and ordered him to complete 75 hours of community service for urging followers to tear down a security fence. Jaggi Singh is a well-known Montreal activist. The suspended sentence was given because of the time Singh spent in pretrail custody and house arrest. It means he won't have to spend any time in jail, provided he fulfils the terms of the probation. Singh, who pleaded guilty to counselling to commit mischief over $5,000, was also facing conspiracy charges but that was withdrawn by the Crown. Singh is a community organizer with the Anti-Capitalist Convergence as well as the group No One Is Illegal-Montreal. 

This young Antarctic emperor penguin took a rare wrong turn, but will need to head back to Antarctica to survive. A young emperor penguin took a rare wrong turn from the Antarctic and ended up stranded in New Zealand. Its the first time in 44 years the aquatic bird has been sighted on the Paekakeriki beach. Local resident Christine Wilton was taking her miniature schnauzer dog Millie for a walk on Peka Peka Beach on the North Island's western coast when she discovered the bird Monday evening.

The Toronto Maple Leafs rank poorly when it comes to bang for the buck, fan relations, affordability, stadium experience, and overall franchise performance, says ESPN. Of the 122 North American pro sports teams, Toronto's top teams ranked among the lowest, with the Maple Leafs placing 120th, the Raptors placing 116th, and the Blue Jays placing 63rd. Significantly outscoring the Toronto Teams were the Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers (1) and the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning (2). The Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the most lucrative sports franchises in the world, placed 22nd in the 30-team NHL this year with 85 points, while the NBA's Raptors, also owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, placed 27th in the league out of 30 teams. Brian Burke, the president and general manager of the Maple Leafs, called the rankings "absurd." I don't think ESPN knows a whole hell of a lot about hockey!

MORE GOOD NEWS...

Vancouver Canucks  head into Stanely Cup final game 4.....ahead 2-1 in the series.Monday:  Still....Monday night was a nightmare and an embarrassment for Vancouver's supporters and players. Their game was ugly, of course. That’s bound to happen when a team lays an 8-1 beat-down on you in the Stanley Cup final.

 

 

Previously in Game 1....Former Brampton Battalion sniper Raffi Torres played the role of hero...Torres scored the lone goal of the game with less than 20 seconds remaining as his Vancouver Canucks took game one of the Stanley Cup final 1-0.

 

Indian superbug spreads to Canada  A superbug that is drug resistant has spread globally from New Delhi, India. Two Toronto-area people have contracted the infection known as NDM-1. A drug-resistant superbug that first emerged in New Delhi and is now spreading globally.

 SPRING ELECTION

Fukushima: As bad as Chernobyl?

The upgrading of Japan's Fukushima incident to a level seven - the maximum - on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) puts it on a par with Chernobyl.

And a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which runs the plant, suggested it could even end up being worse than Chernobyl.

World's worst nuclear incidents

• Level 7: Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986 - explosion and fire in operational reactor, fallout over thousands of square kilometres, possible 4,000 cancer cases
• Level 7: Fukushima, 2011 - tsunami and possibly earthquake damage from seismic activity beyond plant design. Long-term effects unknown
• Level 6: Kyshtym, Russia, 1957 - explosion in waste tank leading to hundreds of cancer cases, contamination over hundreds of square kilometres
• Level 5: Windscale, UK, 1957 - fire in operating reactor, release of contamination in local area, possible 240 cancer cases
• Level 5: Three Mile Island, US, 1979 - instrument fault leading to large-scale meltdown, severe damage to reactor core

F**K THE POOR....This year’s Ontario Liberal budget, unveiled on Tuesday, March 29th, reveals nothing but a continuation of Liberal policies on poverty, deepening the crisis of income inadequacy for 840 000 people on social assistance (OW and ODSP). In last year’s budget, the Liberals announced a cut to the Special Diet Allowance. Since that time, they have instead overhauled the program, and as of April 1st will be bringing in a ‘new’ program that’s key change is to greatly limit access to the vital benefit through the medical release of information and other intrusive measures. The City of Toronto, under Rob Ford, is anticipating ‘saving’ $10million dollars in 2011 alone in what was previously spent on Special Diet claims. All those no longer eligible will be cut off by July 31, 2011. In this years budget the Liberals announced a 1% raise to social assistance, and boasted at length about their upcoming ‘review’ of the system. What most people fail to realize, is that 1% does not even account for inflation (it will mean about an extra $6/month), let alone come anywhere near addressing the 55% that is needed to bring rates back to pre-Harris levels. A 1% ‘raise’, and the gutting of access to the Special Diet, comes at a time when the newest figures show an increase of food bank reliance up by 28% since the 2008 economic crisis. As well, food prices have risen a staggering 30% since 2000. Not surprisingly, McGuinty and his cronies are using their usual ‘poverty reduction’ language in building up the 18month long social assistance review as a clear distraction from the real issues at hand. There should be no question - the Liberal government is no friend or ally to the poor in this province. They have gutted the special diet, they have failed to reverse the Harris cuts and raise social assistance rates. The reality is that people are worse off today than they were in 1994. This is a matter of life and death; people are hungry, people are getting sick, people are being forced in to homelessness. We do not need another Provincial Review to tell us we are hungry. We demand: Raise OW/ODSP rates NOW to where people can live with health and dignity! On top of this, the 2011 Provincial budget includes a continued attack on Public Sector workers and the beginning of a ‘public sector review’ headed up by TD banker, Don Drummond – a man who’s clear objective will be moves towards privatization. At the same time, the Liberals re-affirmed their multi billion dollar tax break for corporations. A transfer of wealth from poor and working class communities to the hands of rich corporations. As is happening around the world, cuts are being made to the public sector as part of broader austerity measures. The ontario Coalition Against Poverty has called on citizens to challenge the extreme poverty of people living on social assistance in Ontario.  April 1 was the day when the McGuinty Government bring in the new, greatly reduced, Special Diet. It is a day on which the Liberals in Ontario impose a huge cut on tens of thousands of the poorest people in the Province.

TOKYO - The operator of Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant said on Tuesday it had found water with 5 million times the legal limit of radioactivity inside a reactor as it struggles for a fourth week to contain the world’s biggest nuclear disaster in quarter of a century.
Radioactive water five million times legal limit
Underlining the concern over spreading radiation, the government said it was considering imposing radioactivity restrictions on seafood for the first time in the crisis after contaminated fish were found in seas well south of the damaged nuclear reactors. The plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) offered token “condolence””money to those affected in the Fukushima region where the plant is based, but the local mayors who came to Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Naoto Kan made clear they expected far more help. “We have borne the risks, co-existed and flourished with TEPCO for more than 40 years, and all these years, we have fully trusted the myth that nuclear plants are absolutely safe,” said Katsuya Endo, the mayor of Tomioka town. He was one of eight Fukushima prefecture mayors who went to Kan to demand compensation and support for employment, housing and education for the tens of thousands of people evacuated as a result of the radiation crisis . In desperation, engineers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant have turned to what are little more than home remedies to stem the flow of contaminated water. On Tuesday, they used “liquid glass””in the hope of plugging cracks in a leaking concrete pit. “We tried pouring sawdust, newspaper and concrete mixtures into the side of the pit (leading to tunnels outside reactor No.2), but the mixture does not seem to be entering the cracks,” said Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director-general of Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA).

This picture taken on November 13, 2010 in Milan shows Karima El Mahroug.

ROME - In the dry wording of prosecution documents, sex parties at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s palatial villa followed a well scripted routine drawing in erotic dancers and underage prostitutes.

First, as judges will hear when Berlusconi faces trial on Wednesday, came dinner; a meal often composed of foods in the red, white and green of Italy’s tricolour flag. Then followed what has become known as the “bunga bunga“ session, “which took place in a disco-like room where the female participants engaged in dressing up, striptease and erotic dances, touching each other or touching and being touched in their intimate parts by Silvio Berlusconi.” Finally, at the end of the evening, 74-year-old Berlusconi would choose “one or more women with whom he spent the night in an intimate relationship,” in exchange for money, expensive gifts or rent-free apartments. The scandal has eaten away at the popularity of the media billionaire and cast a shadow on a political system dogged by corruption scandals throughout the post-war era. But he is in little danger of being forced from office before a verdict which may take years or may never come. Prosecution documents list the names of 33 young women, mostly would-be starlets hoping to break into showbusiness on one of Berlusconi’s television channels, who prosecutors say were paid to have sex

Tibetan monk burns to death in China protest
A Tibetan Buddhist monk burned himself to death in western China on Wednesday, triggering a street protest against government controls on the restive region, a group campaigning for Tibetan self-rule said. The monk “immolated himself today in protest against the crackdown”, said Kate Saunders of the International Campaign for Tibet, a London-based organization. “He shouted some slogans about freedom when he did it,” said Zorgyi, a researcher for the organization, who is based in northern India, where many exiled Tibetans live. “We’ve also received widespread information about a protest with nearly one thousand monks and lay people that came after,” Zorgyi said. Chinese police immediately arrived at the scene, doused the fire, and beat Phuntsok, said the source. As the police were trying to take him away in a waiting police van scores of Tibetans rushed to the scene and protected Phuntsok. The crowd later grew in numbers, and took Phuntsok to his monastery making sure the Chinese police did not take him away.
 According to unconfirmed information from Ngaba, Phuntsok has succumbed to his burns, and that his body is lying in a chapel of the monastery.
Hundreds of angry Tibetans immediately gathered at the main market and carried out protests against the Chinese government. They walked almost a mile from the main market chanting anti-government slogans before being dispersed by Chinese security forces. Troops have been brought in from neighboring areas to quell the protests. Hundreds of Tibetans were arrested, and several others sustained injuries from electric baton and iron rods used by Chinese soldiers on the protesters. Repeated calls to police and government offices in Aba were not answered. One officer who answered the phone said, “Nothing is wrong.” In March 2008, Tibetan protests led by monks in Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet proper, were suppressed by police and turned violent. Rioters torched shops and turned on residents, especially Han Chinese, who many Tibetans see as intruders threatening their culture.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' margin for error is down to zero. In order to qualify for the playoffs, they must win their three remaining games in regulation or overtime and have Buffalo fail to record a point in any of its three games. If either scenario fails to play out, Toronto's playoff drought will reach a franchise-record six seasons. The playoff push could end as soon as Tuesday night with the Maple Leafs hosting Washington at Air Canada Centre. Buffalo is home to Tampa Bay.

Toronto's playoff hopes took a big hit Monday night when the New York Rangers erased a three-goal deficit and beat the Boston Bruins 5-3. That put the Rangers out of reach for the Leafs and ensured the highest they can finish in the Eastern Conference is eighth. The team can't even afford to win another game in a shootout. The NHL's tiebreaking format was altered this season to include only wins in regulation and overtime and Toronto needs three more of those to match Buffalo in the standings.
 

The archive of Albert Einstein will be digitized and made accessible online within a year, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said on Monday. Einstein, who died in 1955, bequeathed his papers to the university, which he co-founded. The archive holds more than 80,000 documents of the Jewish, German-born scientist regarded as the father of modern physics. “It is the most important collection of his papers and an important collection for 20th century history,” said Roni Grosz, Hebrew University’s director of the Albert Einstein Archive. The university said the collection, which includes research notebooks, correspondence with colleagues and friends and papers Einstein wrote on science, philosophy and politics, would be available on a public website it is setting up.

  Canadian Forces Air Command CF-18 fighter jets
 A coalition air campaign over Libya is not aimed at removing Moammar Gadhafi from power, despite U.S. policy that the Libyan ruler "needs to go," U.S. President Barack Obama says ...Forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi attacked two Libyan towns on Tuesday after a third night of air raids on Tripoli, but the Western campaign faced questions over the future of its command structure. With anti-Gadhafi rebels struggling to create a command structure than can capitalize on the air strikes against Libyan tanks and air defences, Western nations have still to decide who will run the operation once Washington pulls back. The United States will cede control of the air assault in days, President Barack Obama said, even as divisions in Europe fuelled speculation that Washington would be forced to continue leadership of air patrols to replace the initial bombardment. “We anticipate this transition to take place in a matter of days and not in a matter of weeks,” Obama, facing questions at home about the U.S. military getting bogged down in a third Muslim country, told a news conference on a visit to Chile. A U.S. Air Force F-15E crashed in Libya overnight and one crewman had been recovered and the other was “in the process of recovery,” the U.S. military said. The crash was likely caused by mechancial failure and not hostile fire, it said. In the latest fighting on Tuesday, Gadhafi forces used tanks to shell the rebel-held western city of Misrata

Crisis at nuclear plant deepens in Japan Reactor on the Edge  Japan's crisis appeared to be spinning out of control on Wednesday after workers withdrew because of surging radiation levels. A helicopter failed to drop water on the most troubled reactor.  Police will try to cool spent nuclear fuel at one of the facility's reactors with water cannon.  Another fire broke out at the earthquake-crippled facility, which has sent radiation wafting into Tokyo in the past 24 hours, triggering fear in the capital and international alarm. Japan's government said radiation levels outside the plant's gates were stable but, in a sign of being overwhelmed, appealed to private companies to help deliver supplies to tens of thousands of people evacuated from around the complex.

The plant operator described No. 3 as the "priority." No more information was available, but that reactor is the only one at Daiichi which uses plutonium in its fuel mix. Plutonium is very toxic to humans and, once absorbed in the bloodstream, can linger for years in bone marrow or liver and can lead to cancer. The situation at No. 4 reactor, where the fire broke out, was "not so good," the plant operator added, while water was being poured into reactors No. 5 and 6, indicating the entire six-reactor facility was now at risk of overheating. Nuclear experts said the solutions being proposed to quell radiation leaks at the complex were last-ditch efforts to stem what could well be remembered as one of the world's worst industrial disasters. "This is a slow-moving nightmare," said Dr Thomas Neff, a physicist and uranium-industry analyst at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Japanese Emperor Akihito, delivering a rare video message to his people, said he was deeply worried by the country's nuclear crisis which was "unprecedented in scale." The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the overall situation remained serious at the Fukushima plant and that it was concerned it had not received some information from the Japanese authorities about one of the nuclear reactors. “We have not received validated information for some time related to the containment integrity of unit 1. So we are concerned that we do not know its exact status,” Graham Andrew, a senior official of the IAEA told a news conference in Vienna. The IAEA also lacks data on the temperatures of the spent fuel pools of reactors 1, 3 and 4, he said, though Japan was supplying other updates. Reuters earlier reported that the Fukushima plant was storing more uranium than it was originally designed to hold, and that it had repeatedly missed mandatory safety checks over the past decade, according to company documents and outside experts. Questions have also been raised about whether TEPCO officials waited too long to pump sea water into the reactors and abandon hope of saving the equipment in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

Emperor Akihito made an unprecedented televised address to his disaster-stricken nation on Wednesday, expressing deep worry about the crisis at damaged nuclear reactors and urging people to lend each other a helping hand in difficult times. Looking somber and stoic, the 77-year-old Akihito said the problems at Japan's nuclear-power reactors, where authorities are battling to prevent a catastrophe, were unpredictable after an earthquake he described as "unprecedented in scale."TV stations interrupted coverage to carry the emperor's first public appearance since last week's massive earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands of people."I am deeply hurt by the grievous situation in the affected areas. The number of deceased and missing increases by the day and we cannot know how many victims there will be. My hope is that as many people possible are found safe," Akihito said.

 Demonstrators take to streets in Libyan capital

The U.S. military is repositioning its naval and air forces around Libya to provide "flexibility once decisions are made," a Pentagon spokesman said. Col. David Lapan told Reuters also said there are "various contingency plans" in place for the North African country, where longtime leader Moammar Ghadafi's forces and rebels in the east remain locked in a tense standoff. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton kept up pressure for Gadhafi to step down, and told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday that "nothing is off the table" as long as Gadhafi threatens Libya's citizens."Gadhafi and those around him must be held accountable for these acts, which violate international legal obligations and common decency," Clinton said.

 

Heidi, Germany’s cross-eyed celebrity opossum, came up one pick short of perfectly predicting top awards at the Oscars, incorrectly tipping “127 Hours” to win best picture, which instead went to “The King’s Speech.”The 2-1/2-year-old opossum correctly predicted Natalie Portman (“Black Swan“) to win best actress and Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech“) as best actor       'The King's Speech' wins best-picture Oscar

  Egypt explodes in celebration after democracy protests bring down Mubarak Thousands of Egyptian state employees, from ambulance drivers to policemen and transport workers, protested Monday in Cairo to demand better pay and conditions in a wave of labour unrest unleashed by the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Outside the Nile-side TV and state radio building, hundreds of public transport workers demonstrated to demand better pay. Several hundred protesters from the state Youth and Sports Organization also protested Monday in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square with similar demands. Across the Nile River in the Giza district, hundreds of ambulance drivers staged a protest, also to demand better pay and permanent jobs. They parked at least 70 ambulances on a roadside along the river, but did not block the main road where they protested. In downtown Cairo, some 200 policemen demonstrated for better pay for a second day. They also want to clear the name of the hated police, further tarnished by the deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. Some carried portraits of policemen killed in the clashes.

THE GRAMMYS.......Album Of The Year
The Suburbs.... by Arcade Fire

Canada's Arcade Fire  claim the Album of the Year prize. There was an extended pause as presenter Barbra Streisand stuttered over the album title, "The Ssssss-uburbs!". The shocked Montrealers showed love to Quebec in a short and sweet acceptance speech and then picked up their instruments to triumphantly encore with "Ready To Start". EDITORS NOTE: saw this band in Quebec City in July 2010, they were awesome possibly the best live show I have ever seen. Whats odd is no-one except locals had heard of them, then they appeared on Saturday Night Live in October, then the nomination for the grammys and now wow album of the year ...Congrats kids, good job!   

           

HOLY HEAVENS BATMAN....A 10-year-old girl from New Brunswick has become the youngest person ever to discover a supernova. Kathryn Aurora Gray, an amateur astronomer from Fredericton, made the hallmark discovery Sunday night, under the watch of astronomers Paul Gray - her father- and David Lane, according to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Supernovas occur when stars more massive than the sun explode and die. The explosion releases chemicals that can spark the formation of entire planets. They also give astronomers a means by which to measure the size and age of the universe. They are a very rare phenomenon. The last one in this galaxy happened hundreds of years ago, before telescopes were even invented. Kathryn discovered hers in the constellation of Camelopardalis in galaxy UCG 3378.

Two British seniors landed in hospital in southern Germany after their car’s global positioning system directed them to drive into a church. While driving their Renault in the evening on a back road near the Austrian border, the navigation system instructed the couple to turn right where there was no road. “They were confused and didn’t notice that the navigation system was faulty,” a police spokeswoman said. The 76-year-old driver then ploughed into the side of the village church, writing off the car, knocking a picture off the wall and damaging the building’s foundations. Total damages were some 25,000 euros, police in the nearby town of Immenstadt said.

 

Homeless Vets....Dozens of largely middle-aged veterans in Southwestern Ontario are battling homelessness after years of valiantly fighting to stay off the streets, a first-of-its-kind study in Canada finds. Nationwide, the number of homeless vets may number in the hundreds or thousands. And despite improvements in care over the past decade, a London, Ont., researcher leading the study warns new veterans may face the same challenges. "Veterans Affairs is getting better, but many could still slip through the cracks," said Susan Ray, an assistant nursing professor at the University of Western Ontario (UWO). "A lot of the veterans I spoke to said, 'I don't know if anything can help me, but maybe it could help somebody now'." Her more immediate concern is the group of vets, average age 52, who find themselves homeless several years after leaving the military structure.

Myanmar soldiers on parade in Naypyidaw. Human Rights Watch (HRW), in its annual report, said the army was responsible for direct attacks and abuses against civilians in conflict areas, some of which have been wracked by civil war since independence in 1948. Among the abuses listed were widespread forced labour, extrajudicial killings, forced expulsion of the population, the widespread use of anti-personnel landmines and sexual violence against women and girls. The group also listed torture, beatings and the targeting of food production as well as confiscation of land and property in the ethnic areas where fighting continues. The report comes as Myanmar, military ruled since 1962, prepares to open a new parliament this month following an election in November, which was slammed by the West as a sham aimed at shoring up military power. "The Burmese military continues to direct attacks on civilians in ethnic areas, particularly in Karen, Karenni, and Shan states of eastern Burma, and parts of western Burma in China and Arakan states," the report said. It said about 500,000 were internally displaced owing to conflict in the east, while more than 140,000 refugees are in camps in Thailand.

 Shiite pilgrims Imam Abbas shrine in Karbala Defying fears of violence, Shiite pilgrims thronged an Iraqi holy city Tuesday for a final day of rituals to commemorate the seventh century death of one of the Islamic sect's most beloved saints. City officials said a total of more than 13 million pilgrims made the trek to observe the 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson whose death in battle near Karbala sealed Islam's historic Sunni-Shiite split. Men and women chanted and beat their chests as they packed the area surrounding the golden-domed mosques of Imam Hussein and his half brother Imam Abbas. Security was tight after a spate of bombings targeting the pilgrims killed more than 80 people, including 56 in a Jan. 20 triple suicide attack on highways leading to the shrine city.

..........SUPERBOWL!!! ...Christina Aguilera will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Texas on Feb. 6. The five-time Grammy award winning singer will be making an encore at the NFL championship. She was part of the halftime show during the 2000 Super Bowl. The NFL and Fox made the announcement Monday. Other stars to have sung the national anthem at the Super Bowl include Carrie Underwood, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Mariah Carey and Beyonce Knowles. The previously announced halftime show will feature The Black Eyed Peas. The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Green Bay Packers at Cowboys Stadium for the NFL title.

 The retractable roof at $1.3 billion Cowboys Stadium will be closed for the Super Bowl. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday the decision was made well in advance of the Feb. 6 game so the league could have a "singular focus" on logistics.The weather in Dallas-Fort Worth could be good enough for an open-air game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. But there's also a risk of freezing temperatures. The Cowboys opened the roof when they had 105,121 for the first regular season game at their new stadium in 2009. Attendance could surpass 100,000 for the Super Bowl, but only about 93,000 will be inside the stadium.... ARE AMERICANS FANATICS...A car salesman in suburban Chicago has been fired for refusing to remove a Green Bay Packers tie that he wore to work the day after the Packers beat the Chicago Bears to advance to the Super Bowl. John Stone says he wore the Packers tie to work Monday at Webb Chevrolet in Oak Lawn to honour his late grandmother, who was a big Green Bay fan. The sentimental gesture did not impress his boss, Jerry Roberts. Roberts says the dealership has done promotions involving the Bears and he was afraid the tie could alienate the team's fans and make it harder to sell cars. Roberts adds that Stone was offered five chances to take off the tie but he refused.

 Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin shakes hands with a victim of a bomb explosion at Domodedovo airport at a hospital in Moscow January 25, 2011.Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed revenge on Tuesday for a deadly suicide bomb attack at a Moscow airport that killed at least 35 people and injured more than 100. “This was an abominable crime in both its senselessness and its cruelty,” Putin told a meeting of ministers in Moscow. “I do not doubt that this crime will be solved and that retribution is inevitable. The task of the government is to extend support to the families of the dead and injured.” President Dmitry Medvedev ordered investigators on Tuesday to root out the culprits behind a deadly bombing at Russia’s busiest airport and threatened sackings over security lapses he said had aided the attack.

EDMONTON — Lead-footed motorists in the city have caught a $13-million break in a move officials fear could spell the death of the speed-on-green program. Steven Bilodeau, chief Crown prosecutor, said everyone who's paid an intersection safety camera speeding ticket since November 2009 in Edmonton is eligible for a refund. This comes on the heels of a previous announcement that all outstanding tickets would be cancelled. Bilodeau said "it's just a matter of fairness" that there also be full refunds to those who have already paid. It's the result of a technical glitch that saw tickets issued with ridiculously high speeds indicated. He said about 140,000 speed-on-green tickets have been issued since November 2009, worth about $13 million. "This is all about public confidence. This is about the reliability of the intersection safety cameras," Bilodeau said.

TORONTO -- A former principal and four other people face fraud charges for allegedly misappropriating $700,000 from a school for disabled children. Four of those charged are former employees of the Bloorview School Authority, located on Kilgour Rd. in the Bayview-Eglinton Aves. area. "In September 2008, the Bloorview School Authority hired a Toronto forensic audit firm to conduct a financial review on the school's finances between July 2006 and September 2008," said Det. Adkin Holder of the Toronto police fraud unit. The audit revealed that about $700,000 had been "misappropriated" from the school for children and youth with special needs, he added. Holder said the charges -- laid after a nine-month investigation -- have to do with over payments, the use of school credit cards, payments for work that was never done and expenditures on vacations. Linda LaRocque, 63, of Vernon, B.C. -- the former principal and director of the school -- is charged with fraud over $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of crime. She is also a former superintendent with the Toronto District School Board. Paula Gerolimon, 49, of Richmond Hill, Ont. -- the former business and finance manager at the school -- is charged with fraud over $5,000, falsification of books or documents and laundering proceeds of crime. Bo-Reum Han, 38, of Mississauga, Ont. -- a former administrative assistant at the school -- is charged with fraud over $5,000. Former school secretary Rose Hudson, 37, of Brampton, Ont., is charged with fraud over $5,000. Sandra Charles, 36, of Toronto, is charged with fraud over $5,000. All five will make an appearance Tuesday in a Toronto court

Toronto CEOs pocket the equivalent of the average Canadians annual wage by 2:30 pm on Jan. 3, the first working day of the year.