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Harper accused of reviving abortion debate
The NDP claims Prime Minister Steven Harper is allowing Tories to reopen debates about abortion laws, The Globe and Mail reports.
Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth strongly opposes abortion and plans to address the matter in a national conversation next Monday.
He was prompted to re-raise the issue after the International Planned Parenthood Federation received $6 million to aid countries where abortion is illegal.
The NDP is criticizing the Prime Minister for his leniency.
Though he has no intention of revisiting the issue, Harper is not publicly protesting Woodworth’s proposal.
When questioned by the opposition, the Harper government stressed that they were not reintroducing the debate, but they were improving the health of women and children in third world countries.
Facebook is going public
Facebook filed an initial public offering yesterday. Mark Zuckerberg’s site, which has a whopping total of over eight hundred million users, is estimated to have a market value of a hundred billion American dollars.
This would be the biggest IPO yet, with the company expecting to rank in five billion dollars in the second quarter.
Zuckerberg released a statement along with the filing. He said Facebook’s mission is to make the world more open and connected.
In order to make money, the company sells advertisements based on the information that is shared by users.
he social media site is expected to make its way in the stock market by May, just in time for Zuckerberg’s birthday.
Egyptian soccer match leaves 74 dead
74 are dead after an Egyptian soccer match went awry. According to the BBC, fans in the bleachers flooded the field knives in hand.
The match took place in the city of Port Said. The home team al-Masry played against the team al-Ahly. The Port Said team won and that’s when its fans descended on the field and threw missiles and flares at the al-Ahly team. They also set fire to part of the stadium.
Security at the game was low as was police presence. It has been the pattern since Mubarak was ousted last year.
Surprisingly, it is the al-Ahly team’s fans that have a reputation for violence. They are also political and were involved in police confrontations and protests.
The Muslim brotherhood is currently the largest political party. It says the perpetrators were not fans but Mubarak supporters who want to keep state of emergency in Egypt.
Scheduled premier-league matches have all been cancelled.
February 1st 2012
Read by: Emily Brass
Stories By: Joel Ashak, Michael Lemieux and Joel Balsam
Produced by: Jamie-Lee Gordon
View from the Venue - Junior Battles
On this episode of View from the Venue, I caught up with Junior Battles. They're currently touring in continuous support of their first full length release, Idle Ages, which you really should be listening to if you like pop punk, because if you aren't already, you're totally missing out. Go on, do it. Their intricate song construction and pop sensibility makes them stand out amongst the punk crowed. Singer/guitarist Sam Sutherland talks to me about leaving the southern Ontario nest for more fertile grounds, why his voice sounds so pretty and the little things that make touring with a van that has a hole in the floor worth while.
-Filmed and edited by Julia Hoelscher
Mitt Romney pulls ahead in Republican Presidential leadership campaign
The Republican Presidential Leadership campaign now has a clear frontrunner. According to the BBC, Mitt Romney won Tuesday’s key Florida primary by a large margin.
This is Romney’s second major primary win after winning the Iowa Caucus that opened the campaign. But for the past few weeks Romney’s lead has been held under question. He lost to rival Newt Gingrich in the important North Carolina primary earlier this month.
Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are also still in the running. Romney will look to stretch his lead with the next primary being held in Nevada on Saturday.
Photo by Robert Huffstutter Flickr.
Disabled sue Montreal public transit
A group of disabled people who travel on wheelchairs is suing Montreal’s public transit for unequal access to public transportation.
The group argues their right is covered in the charter of rights and is claiming $20,000 for failure to provide adequate travel service.
According to CTV Montreal, the city has only seven metro stations accessible to wheelchairs out of 68.
In comparison, Toronto has 30 of 69 stations so equipped.
The transit authorities did not comment on the alleged accusations. But in the past they have cited as a reason a cost of $15 million of renovations for such developments.
Public transportations have previously promised to equip all stations with elevators by 2028.
Montreal woman gets sixteen years in prison for drugs
According to the CBC, a Montreal woman has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.
34-year-old Tara Hayes was caught trying to smuggle over seventy thousand ecstasy tablets in to the United States. She was convicted in August but only recently sentenced.
Border patrol officers found the drugs inside Hayes’ rental car’s gas tank. Her lawyer argued Hayes did not know the drugs were there. They had an estimated value of up to two million dollars.
January 31st, 2012
Read by: Aisha Samu
Stories by: Aisha Samu, Nikita Smith, Tara Brockwell, Jordie Yeager, and Esther Viragh
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Old Age Security will not be cut...yet
No threats to Old Age security yet.
According to the CBC Prime Minister Stephen Harper told parliament Monday that those currently receiving old age security will not see their benefits cut.
Without going into specifics he said adjustments will have to be made in the future to sustain costs. By 2030 the ratio of workers to retired people will be two to one leaving the government less tax dollars to work with.
Harper caused a stir with his speech announcing his government’s plans to transform the pension system at the World Economic Forum last week.
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