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The European Union has voted to ban three pesticides linked to bee deaths for two years, in a world’s first continent-wide ban on the chemicals. The insecticides are used to treat seeds, and applied to soil or sprayed on bee-attractive plants and cereals.

15 nations voted in favor of the ban, while 8 voted against, with 4 abstaining. The European Commission said the ban would apply from December 1^st.

EU health commissioner Tonio Borg emphasized the importance of protecting the bees, as they “contribute over 22 billion euros annually to European agriculture.” Bees account for 80% of plant pollination by insects, rendering them indispensible to stable global food production.

Marco Contiero of Greenpeace stated, “Today's vote makes it crystal clear that there is overwhelming scientific, political and public support for a ban,” in light of heavy opposition from pharmaceutical groups and farmers lobbying against the ban.

Flickr Photo by: rjmyint

STORY WRITTEN BY: SPOON JUNG

WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA Announces Band Line Up, One Canadian Band To Rule Them All!

FREE DOWNLOAD - Wacken Metal Battle Canada Compilation Vol. 1

The world's most prestigious metal festival, Wacken Open Air, known for its elite line up of the globe's best metal bands is bringing the largest metal contest on the planet Wacken Metal Battle to Canada. Recruiting 39 independent Canadian bands after hundreds of submissions to compete, Wacken Metal Battle Canada will select one true champion to represent the nation with highest honour at this summer's 2013 edition of Wacken Open Air Festival in Wacken, Germany.

Being held in Toronto, ON and Montreal, QC during the months of May and June, Canadian metal bands from across the country will challenge one another to join a list of Canadian heavyweights such as Voivod, Exciter, Razor, Annihilator, Anvil, Kataklysm, Cryptopsy, 3 Inches of Bloods, Despised Icon and Danko Jones who have performed at the festival in years past.

The Wacken Metal Battle Canada line up for the qualifying rounds in Montreal is as follows and will be judged by a panel of local music industry representatives.

QUALIFYING ROUNDS - MONTREAL

May 9th @ Katacombes
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/269499079852535/
8:30PM / 20H30 - 18+
10$ - 12$ door
Tickets available at: http://www.admission.com/event/wacken-metal-battle-canada-mtl-ronde-1-billets/716409 

Dissension
Website: http://www.facebook.com/DissensionMTL
Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/DissensionOfficial

Warcall
Website: https://www.facebook.com/warcallband
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z-xAyTOk0Y

Virulys
Website: https://www.facebook.com/VirulysBand
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYlydeyRj-Y

Bookakee
Website: http://bookakee.bandcamp.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1RDey3NCdk

May 15th @ Katacombes
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/349373411841013/
8:30PM / 20H30 - 18+
10$ - 12$ door
Tickets available at: link coming soon

Trainwreck Architect
Website: http://www.trainwreckarchitect.net/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgA4_Pulj8c

Venomenon
Website: http://venomenon.bandcamp.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/venomenonband

Demise of the Crown
Website: http://www.demiseofthecrown.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPHOWEz1sG4

Fallstaf
Website: http://www.reverbnation.com/fallstaf
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBpyygUzRko

May 22nd @ Katacombes
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/398000663640115/
8:30PM / 20H30 - 18+
10$ - 12$ door
Tickets available at: link coming soon

Through Death
Website: http://www.throughdeath.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/throughdeathofficial

Crosstitution
Website: http://www.reverbnation.com/crosstitution
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBwuu55c3GE

Murtenscythe
Website: http://www.murtenscythe.bandcamp.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGvnEIBppr4

Powered by Death
Website: http://www.reverbnation.com/poweredbydeath
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWKPaqa72go

May 31st @ Katacombes
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/311701678957238/
8:30PM / 20H30 - 18+
10$ - 12$ door
Tickets available at: link coming soon

Valfreya
Website: http://www.valfreyametal.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACJJrLSy4_Y

Sanguine Glacialis
Website: http://sanguineglacialis.bandcamp.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/sanguineglacialis

Karkaos
Website: http://www.karkaos.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl_pDPnqC_o

Hollow
Website: http://www.hollowofficial.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZioYfY0nbbQ

SEMI-FINALS - MONTREAL

June 7 - Katacombes – Montreal, QC*
* 2 MONTREAL BANDS MOVE TO FINALS - June 22 at Opera House, Toronto, ON

FINALS - WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA

June 22 - Opera House, Toronto, ON

The W:O:A Metal Battle was founded by in Wacken Open Air 2004 to encourage future generations of heavy metal and rock as the festival believes in supporting the future of metal music and its musicians.

Promo Video - Wacken Metal Battle Canada 

RULES

All bands that wish to participate in the Metal Battle must read the following rules and guidelines. Bands who send in an application automatically agree to the rules and terms.

• Your band doesn't have a record deal and isn't about to sign to a record label in the near future.
• Your band must be able to play a 30 minute set consisting of your own original material.
• PA, lighting, and sound engineer will be provided for all bands by Metal Battle Canada.
• Backline arrangements TBA.
• The bands must bring their own instruments such as guitars, bass, drum breakables, keyboards and effect pedals and may also bring and use their own guitar amps.
• To keep the changeover times as short as possible, bands with left handed drummers will play as first or last band. All bands have to follow the directions given by the promoters or stage manager.
• Jury of respected music industry folk will decide the winners each night.

If a band overruns its allotted performance time, then the band-members should be aware of the fact that in this case their sound will be faded out. The running order for the concert will be released a few days before the event takes place.

ABOUT WACKEN

Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) is a summer open air heavy metal music festival that takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. With 80,000 festival visitors, and including personnel a total of roughly 86,000 attendees in 2011, it attracts all kinds of metal music fans, such as fans of black metal, death metal, power metal, thrash metal, gothic metal, folk metal, and even metalcore, nu metal and hard rock from around the world.

The festival was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and Australia. W:O:A is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts three days, during which the festival-goers camp on several large camping grounds surrounding the actual festival area. The 70 or more bands perform across four separate stages over the course of the event.

Since 2002, the Wacken Firefighters, the local volunteer fire department band, opens the festival.

The 2009 edition set a sales record when it sold out its 70,000 tickets by December 30, 2008, just 200 days prior to the festival. However, the 2012 edition broke this record; when it sold out on November 29th, 2011, 8 months before the opening of the festival with 75,000 tickets sold. The W:O:A 2012 took place with 137 bands, performing on seven stages.

For more info on Metal Battle Canada, please visit these links:

Official Website: http://www.metalbattle.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetalBattleCanada
Twitter: @MetalBattleCAN
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WackenMetalBattleCAN

Hosted & Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi

Stories by: Saturn De Los Angeles, Catlin Spencer, Spoon Jung & Natasha Taggart

Striking corrections workers have begun returning to work, according to a statement released by Alberta Justice. In addition, “picketing activities have substantially declined throughout the province.” However, Alberta Justice also reports that there are some workers who want to return, but feel “intimidated” by their own union.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees said that corrections workers at remand centers in Medicine Hat and Red Deer have decided to return to work. However, CBC’s Briar Stewart reports that around 70 corrections officers are still picketing outside the Edmonton Remand Centre.

Robin Southcombe, an inmate at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre, described the mood as “tense” on the women’s side, but even worse on the men’s side, where inmates have been acting out and attempting to start riots.

She points to the delays in the delivery of meals and medicine as the source of discontent. “Right now I feel, really, it's like on eggshells right now, it's very on edge,” said Southcombe.

The guards union has stated that the strike will continue until their concerns have been properly addressed.

Flickr Photo by: sarah_poo

STORY WRITTEN BY: SPOON JUNG