Shimla DC summons principal on turban row

A missionary school, St Edwards School, has been caught in a religious row for allegedly banning Sikh students from wearing turban during school hours.
Parents of a Class XII student, Gurleen Singh, complained to the district administration that their son was not allowed to wear turban within the school premises. Instead, the school authorities asked him to put on a patka- a small headgear. The alleged incident as per the family occurred on March 2.
Deputy Commissioner Shimla, Onkar Singh, has summoned the school principal, John Bosco, and members of Gurdwara Singh Sabha (GSS) on Saturday to sort out the issue. Besides, Singh said necessary action would be taken against any one found guilty for hurting religious sentiments of a particular community.
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal also condemned the alleged order and said no one was allowed to hurt the religious sentiments of any particular community.
He said that district administration will look into the matter. The school’s move led the parents of the Sikh students of the school to approach the district administration demanding action against school authorities.
The student’s father, Jaspal Singh, said, “My son came home crying and told us he was not allowed to wear a turban in the school.”
However, Bosco, denied the charges. He claimed that he never ordered a ban but just asked the boy to wear patka instead of turban like other Sikh school boys were doing.
“Sikh students in the school wear patka and not turban, so the boy in question was asked why he was doing so. There is no blanket ban on turban,” Bosco said.
On the first day of session the boy was asked about the turban but the matter ended on March 5. His parents came to the school on same day and the boy was later allowed to wear whatever he wished as per the religion, he said.
The principal’s clarification had, however, failed to satisfy the people of the community. The GSS of Shimla is now up in arms over the alleged ban order on turban.
The Sabha had requested Deputy Commissioner to take suitable action against the principal. Members even threatened to launch protest if such a draconian order was not “revoked.”
GSS chief Jaswinder Singh said Sikh community would not tolerate such an order by any school. It hurts the sentiments of Sikhs and would not be tolerated at any cost, he said.

New immigration policy of Canada draws flak

Chandigarh (India), April 29
More than one lakh Punjabis are likely to be affected by a controversial decision of the Canadian government to close the files of candidates who had applied for immigration under the federal skilled workers (FSW) category before February 28, 2008.
A protest will be launched against the move in Chandigarh on April 30.
The Conservative government in Canada has decided to create, what it terms, a fast and flexible immigration system and which will eliminate backlog in the federal economic immigration programme. The new policy aims at recruiting skilled labour that addresses the country’s immediate labour market needs.
The proposal, which was put in the Canadian budget on March 29, will be implemented soon. The government plans to refund fees and return applications of all those who applied before February 28, 2008.
The Conservative government feels that it should not be bogged down with the backlog created by the erstwhile Labour government. The move will affect three lakh people worldwide, most of whom are Indian and Chinese. Thousands of Punjabis have been waiting for immigration for the past eight years and will now stand no chance of immigration under the new format, which will fast-track immigration of 29 categories of skilled workers.
Advocate Rakesh Garg, who is also an applicant for permanent immigration and heads the Pre-2008 Canadian Back-loggers Association, said candidates from across the state would hold a rally in Chandigarh on April 30.
Garg said the association would also take up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and urge him to seek Prime Minister’s intervention in the matter as more than one lakh Punjabis would be affected by the move. Other aggrieved applicants, including Lajwant Bains and Jagminder Singh, claimed the decision was a repetition of the Komagata Maru incident and against the Continuous Journey Act, 2008, as it “goes against the first come, first serve principle. They said family reunification cases would also be delayed under the new policy.
The immigration hopefuls have established a prospective Canadian immigrations Facebook page. Garg said he was also in coordination with prospective immigrants from China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to launch a worldwide protest against the move.

Mr. B.S.Ghuman, President of the NRI Association of Canada and NRI Law Group, a Canada based law group, assured them of the full support, of any kind, to fight for their cause and press the Canadian government to give a second thought to it's decision.

B.C. Gangster Gunned Down In Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

SURREY, B.C. - A British Columbia gangster who police say had criminal connections across Canada and the world has been shot dead in Mexico.
RCMP Chief Supt. Dan Malo said Thomas Gisby was killed in a Starbucks in Nuevo Vallarta on Friday night.
He said police are now concerned about retaliation against enemies of the 50-year-old man who was from the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver.
"We wanted to get our message to the community that this wasn't an individual who was simply on holidays," Malo said Saturday. "This is a well-known target, a well-known organized crime figure here in British Columbia."
Gisby led what police called the Gisby Crime Group, which was well connected to other criminal organizations, although Malo declined to name them.
"He has networks internationally to be able to bring illegal commodities into Canada for distribution," Malo said, adding guns and drugs were among the goods Gisby traded.
Mounties were aware that Gisby had travelled to Mexico, said Malo, who is in charge of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
"Even though Thomas Gisby, in his own right, thought that he was at a high-enough level in organized crime that he would be isolated from violence, it's clearly not the case."

THE WORLD'S 10 MOST DANGEROUS DESTINATIONS

Number of homicides per 100,000 people. Based on UNODC's Global Study of Homicide.

Human Smuggling Canada: Tamils In Limbo After Canadian Crackdown On Human Smugglers In Thailand

BANGKOK - All wars cause collateral damage. Vashni is collateral damage in Canada's war on human smugglers.
The soft-spoken Tamil woman in her 30s lives one step ahead of the law in Thailand and longs to be reunited with her elderly parents in Toronto. But she would never consider resorting to using one of the notorious smugglers who operate out of Bangkok to make that happen.
"I don't want to take that risk to myself," she explains. "Why? It's too dangerous and not safe."
Vashni, whose identity is not being revealed to protect her safety, exists in stateless limbo. She and hundreds of other Sri Lankan Tamils are languishing in a shadowy netherworld within this teeming south Asian metropolis.
For the last two years, she's struggled to stay one step ahead of a Thai government that considers her an illegal migrant. If she's sent back to her native Sri Lanka, she faces torture, imprisonment and perhaps death.
Vashni has been swept up by the bitter aftermath of her homeland's 26-year-civil war that ended three years ago with the Singhalese majority crushing Tamil separatists. In the 1990s, she was conscripted — against her will she maintains —into the rebel Tamil Tigers, a group Canada considers a terrorist group.
She and hundreds of her fellow Sri Lankan Tamil migrants here in Thailand have also been swept up in another Canadian-led battle: the major international law enforcement offensive targeting Thailand-based human trafficking crime rings.
Canada launched the ambitious international effort to prevent smugglers from reaching our shores. In 2009, the MV Ocean Lady brought 76 Tamil migrants to British Columbia, and the MV Sun Sea brought 492 a year later. Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave Thailand another $12 million to combat the smugglers during a visit here last month and his government introduced a tough new immigration bill that targets the gangs.
The much-touted legislation passed in the House of Commons on Friday and now goes to the Senate for quick, final approval.
The co-ordinated policing and political effort involving Canadians, Thais, Australians and others across the globe appears to have prevented another Ocean Lady or Sun Sea from reaching Canada's west coast. Earlier this month, a Sri Lankan ringleader of the Bangkok smuggling network was arrested in France.
But there is a human cost associated with these law enforcement successes. Thailand doesn't recognize international refugee law — it considers people like Vashni to be illegal migrants.
So they must apply to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for refugee status. If they are successful, then they wait for a third country to grant them residency — a process that can take years. If they are like Vashni, and have had their claims rejected by UNHCR, the waiting becomes interminable.
"Every month we go to the UNHCR to see the consultant. They say, you wait, you wait. How long do we have to wait without an answer?"
The latest UNHCR figures from March, obtained through a third party by The Canadian Press, show that 275 Sri Lankan Tamils have been granted refugee status, while another 142 have not. Aid agencies say more Tamils — nobody knows how many — haven't bothered approaching UNHCR.
Phil Robertson, the Bangkok-based deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, says many Tamils are being sent back to Sri Lanka where they face grave harm from the predominantly Singhalese government.
"That's what we're seeing now in Sri Lanka. People have been sent back from the U.K. and have been detained, interrogated and tortured," says Robertson, whose organization issued a public plea to Britain late last year to stop sending Tamils back to Sri Lanka.
"It's not as simple as: stop the boats from coming and that's that. There are consequences on the ground here in Thailand."
Alan Keenan, Sri Lanka analyst with the International Crisis Group, has documented abuses towards Tamils in the post-civil war period.
"There's some sufficient evidence that people who are failed asylum seekers are at significant risk of detention and torture."
Sri Lanka has been a politically charged issue for the Harper government. An estimated 300,000 Tamils in Canada represent their largest diaspora. They took to the streets in massive numbers in major cities to protest the government silence at what they saw as the slaughter of their people by Sri Lankan government forces in 2009.
The Conservatives recently changed course with a much harder stance towards the Sri Lankan government, criticizing the slow pace of reconciliation and the reluctance to address allegations of war crimes.
The Conservatives also moved to prevent more boatloads of Tamils from arriving on Canada's western shores, dispatching RCMP officers to Thailand. The RCMP declined interview requests in Bangkok.
Harper pressed his then ambassador to Thailand Ron Hoffman to tackle the smuggling problem. Thai officials say Hoffman worked tirelessly in the last year-and-a-half on the issue. Harper also appointed Ward Elcock, the former CSIS spy master, to be his special adviser on human smuggling. Elcock, who has travelled widely throughout South Asia, declined to be interviewed.
Thai officials are effusive about their deepened co-operation with Canada.
Gen. Wichean Potephosree, now the Secretary General of Thailand's National Security Council, headed the Thai national police last year at the height of the crackdown.
"Sharing information and intelligence is the key," Wichean says. "We have discussed about, first, how to prevent Sri Lankans (from leaving) the country."
A Western diplomat, broadly experienced with the issue, says Canadians have been providing good training to their Thai counterparts in policing, border control and immigration.
That has created an inhospitable environment for the leaders of the human trafficking rings, making Thailand "a less attractive departure point" for their operations.
"The fact that there hasn't been another boat is evidence that something worked," the diplomat said.
Others see inadvertent damage to human rights.
Robertson, of Human Rights Watch, says Canada complained loudly to the Thais after the Sun Sea incident, and "marching orders went out from the prime minister" to locate and prevent the smugglers' from launching another ship.
"Within a week or so, you had major arrests of Sri Lankans. The problem has been that when you have that kind of order that comes from the top in Thailand, the police and the immigration snap-to," says Robertson.
Vashni, who shares a small apartment in Bangkok, has avoided arrest.
"In the last year, they arrested a lot of people because we don't have a visa. Last year, this government is very tough."
Vashni's parents arrived in Canada as refugees about a decade ago and settled in the Toronto area after gaining their citizenship. They live on social assistance and are not eligible to sponsor her.
Vashni has another big strike against her — she was once a member of the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan rebel group that Canada considers a terrorist organization.
Vashni says she was forced to join the Tigers as a teenager because her older brother fled the country; in northern Sri Lanka, the Tigers had a rule that each family had to supply at least one member.
She says she was never trained as a fighter, and worked as a runner and intelligence gatherer. She managed to flee Sri Lanka in the 1990s. She returned a few years ago, hoping for a fresh start in the capital of Colombo.
But the army eventually caught up with her in the months following their May 2009 rout of the Tigers. She fled, eventually reaching Thailand 25 months ago.
She is certain she will be killed if she returns to Sri Lanka.
"Definitely when I reach the airport, they're going to arrest me. The first question they're going to ask me is: how you went out of this country? I have no answer."
Keenan says judging the validity of each Tamil refugee claimant is tricky.
It is true that the Tigers, also known as the LTTE, have "a long history of forced conscription. There was a requirement that one member of every family join the LTTE."
But Keenan says that can also be a story that an asylum seeker tells to win freedom in another country.
"I don't envy the job of immigration tribunals or departments around the world."
In the future, Thailand wants Canada to focus more on the root causes of migrant woes within Sri Lanka itself.
"The best way to solve this problem is to help the origin country to take care of their people," says Boinchart Bunnang, director of international strategy at the Thai National Security Council.
Wichean wants Canada to "assist Sri Lanka in social and economic development to lift up the standard of living of the people… Cracking down on the smuggling network is necessary. However, Canada should consider solving the problem at the root cause as well."
Keenan applauds the Canadian government's hard line towards Sri Lanka to clean up its rights record and resolve long-standing ethnic differences.
"Governments with lots of diasporas need to really be doing all they can to pressure Colombo to clean up its act."

Fight Against Breast Cancer

UK based NGO to provide special gloves to doctors, nurses
Moga,(India) April 29
Roko Cancer, a UK-based social organisation, has announced to launch an awareness drive among women in Punjab in the second week of May to help them detect breast cancer at an early stage.
Talking to The Tribune from Manchester (UK) on the phone, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, global ambassador of the organisation, said the growing number of breast cancer cases in the state was a matter of concern. The issue needed to be addressed by roping in the support of the Centre, the state government and social organisations.
Maintaining that early detection of breast cancer could help cure the disease, he said Roko Cancer had decided to distribute 10,000 specially designed gloves among women doctors and nurses for detecting breast lumps. “The glove costs around Rs 800 a pair but we will provide these free of cost to help save women in Punjab from this deadly disease,” he said.
“The gloves provide a safe and effective way for every woman to carry out breast self-examination.The gloves magnify the sense of human fingers allowing lumps of the size of a grain to be detected, which is not possible with bare hands,” Dhaliwal explained.
He said clinical trials of these gloves in several countries in Europe had proved its efficacy and these were widely used by women in the UK at home for self-examination.
He said Roko Cancer, which had been conducting mammography tests free of cost in collaboration with NRIs and the state Health Department for the past few years, had performed over 20,000 such tests in the state. “More than 1,000 cases of breast cancer have been confirmed. in the state and the results of another 2,000 are awaited”.
He said in the past couple of years, 200 women had been found suffering from breast cancer in Moga and Muktsar districts, 175 in Ferozepur district and 135 in Faridkot. There were hundreds of suspected cases in the Malwa belt.Stressing the need to make concerted efforts to spread awareness about breast cancer in Punjab, Dhaliwal said breast cancer was one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women.
Roko (Stop) Cancer says...

200 women found suffering from breast cancer in Moga amd Muktsar districts

• 175 in Ferozepur district
• 135 in Faridkot district

U.S. Special Forces Assist In Hunt For Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army during a meeting with a delegation of 160 officials and lawmakers from northern Uganda and representatives of non-governmental organizations in this Monday, July 31, 2006 file picture in the Democratic Republic of Congo near the Sudan border.

Central African Republic -- Deep in the jungle, this small, remote Central African village is farther from the coast than any point on the continent. It's also where three international armies have zeroed in on Joseph Kony, one of the world's most wanted warlords.
Obo was the first place in the Central African Republic that Kony's Lord's Resistance Army attacked in 2008; today, it's one of four forward operating locations where U.S. special forces have paired up with local troops and Ugandan soldiers to seek out Kony, who is believed likely to be hiding out in the rugged terrain northwest of the town. For seven years he has been wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity after his forces cut a wide and bloody swath across several central African nations with rapes, abductions and killings.
Part of the LRA's success in eluding government forces has been its ability to slip back and forth over the porous borders of the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Congo. But since late last year, U.S. forces have been providing intelligence, looking at patterns of movement, and setting up better communications to link the countries' forces together so that they can better track the guerrilla force.
Sent by President Barack Obama at the end of 2011, the 100 U.S. soldiers are split up about 15 to 30 per base, bringing in American technology and experience to assist local forces.
Exact details on specific improvements that the American forces have brought to the table, however, are classified, to avoid giving Kony the ability to take countermeasures.
"We don't necessarily go and track into the bush but what we do is we incorporate our experiences with the partner nation's experiences to come up with the right solution to go out and hopefully solve this LRA problem," said Gregory, a 29-year-old captain from Texas, who would only give his first name in accordance with security guidelines.
The U.S. troops also receive reports from local hunters and others that they help analyze together with surveillance information.
"It's very easy to blame everything on the LRA but there are other players in the region – there are poachers, there are bandits, and we have to sift that to filter what is LRA," he said.
Central African Republic soldiers largely conduct security operations in and around the town, while Ugandan soldiers, who have been in the country since 2010, conduct longer-range patrols looking for Kony and his men.
Since January, they have killed seven LRA fighters in the area and captured one, while rescuing 15 people abducted by the group including five children, said their local commander, Col. Joseph Balikuddembe.
There has been no contact with the LRA since March, however, according to Ugandan Army spokesman Col. Felix Kulayigye, who said the LRA now is in survival mode. The LRA is thought to today number only around 150 to 300 die-hard fighters.
"They're hiding," he said. "They are not capable of doing."
But with Kony still around, there are wide ranging-fears that the LRA will be able to rebuild.
"There's periods of time when the LRA will lie low when the military pressure is too high or where there's a threat that they don't understand such as the American intervention," said Matthew Brubacher, a political affairs officer with the U.N.'s mission in Congo, who was also an International Criminal Court investigator on the Kony case for five years.
"But then after a while after they figure it out, if they have the opportunity they'll try to come back, so it's just a matter of time they'll try to come back. Kony always said `if I have only 10 men, I can always rebuild the force."
Right now, expectations are high of the Americans serving in Obo and Djema in the Central African Republic, as well as those in Dungu in Congo and Nzara in South Sudan.
"For all the communities, the U.S. bases in Obo and Djema means one, Kony will be arrested, and two, there will be a lot of money for programs, humanitarian programs," said Sabine Jiekak of the Italian humanitarian aid agency Coopi.
Central African Republic Deputy Defense Minister Jean Francis Bozize said it's been difficult for the poor country's small military to deal with Kony in the southeast as well as several other militant groups in the north.
An African Union mission expected to begin later this year should help expedite the cross-border pursuit of the LRA.
In the meantime, Bozize said the American forces could make a big difference.
"The involvement of U.S. forces with their assistance in providing information and intelligence will allow for all forces to operate from the same base-level of intelligence ... (giving) better coordination with better results," he told reporters in the capital, Bangui.
But the military mission is not a simple one.
How do you find small groups of seasoned fighters hidden deep in the jungle, who have eluded authorities for decades? How do you prevent brutal reprisal attacks on civilians? How can you bring together several countries' troops to cooperate on cross-border pursuits?
The LRA usually attacks late at night, then melts back away into the jungle. Seasoned bush fighters, they employ many techniques to elude pursuit – walking along rocks or along streams to avoid leaving tracks, for example, and sometimes even marching backward to fool trackers.
Kony has reportedly stopped using radios and satellite phones for communications, instead relying on an elaborate system involving runners and multiple rendezvous points.
Key to his capture is good information from local residents – which they will only give when they can be sure of their own safety, according to American commanders.
"The population have to believe that they are secure and once they believe they are secure from the LRA, you start to deny the LRA the opportunity to attack villages to get people, to get food, to get medicine," Gen. Carter Ham, the head of U.S. Africa Command, told reporters in Stuttgart.
That may take some time in Obo, a town of some 15,000 where around 3,500 people have sought refuge to escape LRA violence in the area.
Rural farmers and others stick to within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the village for safety – originally the area that Central African Republic soldiers were able to patrol but now more a rule of thumb followed by the locals.
They've started recently to venture out farther, emboldened by the presence of the Ugandans and Americans to help the government forces, but are too nervous to stray too wide from the safety of the village.
"They're still scared, they're still wary because Joseph Kony is still out there," said Mayor Joseph Kpioyssrani, looking at the jungle behind him.
Kony's LRA sprung up in 1986 as a rebel movement among the Acholi people in northern Uganda to fight against the Kampala government, but has for decades been leading its violent campaign without any clear political ideology.
Emmanuel Daba, 33, was one of 76 people abducted in the first LRA raid on Obo in 2008 and forced to fight for the guerrillas for two years before managing to escape.
"We were trained to kill – forced to kill – otherwise we'd be killed ourselves," he said outside the tiny radio station where he now works broadcasting messages to try and encourage others with the LRA to defect or escape. "I still have dreams – nightmares."
This year, the U.S. Defense Department is committing $35 million to efforts to find and fight Kony.
Since 2008, the U.S. State Department has sent some $50 million in funds to support the Ugandan military's logistics and non-lethal operations against the LRA, including contracting two transport helicopters to ferry troops and supplies. Another $500 million has been given over that time for the broader northern Uganda recovery effort in the aftermath of Kony's presence there.
In Stuttgart, Ham keeps a "Kony 2012" poster hanging on his office door.
Though he isn't committing to the goal of the viral YouTube campaign to see Kony neutralized by the end of the year, he does define success as either capturing or killing the LRA leader eventually.
"I'm confident that the mission will be successful, but I can't give you a timeline when that's going to occur..." Ham said. "It is one of those organizations that if you remove the senior leader and the small number of those who surround him, I believe this is one of those organizations that will not be able to regenerate."

Ronald Smith: Canadian On Death Row Expected To Plead For His Life In Montana

CALGARY - The lone Canadian on death row in the United States is expected to make a plea for his life at his clemency hearing in Montana this week.
Ronald Smith, 54, has been on death row since 1982 after he and an accomplice, both high on drugs, marched Thomas Running Rabbit and Harvey Mad Man Jr. into the woods near East Glacier, Mont., and shot both of them in the head.
It was a cold-blooded crime. They wanted to steal the men's car, but Smith also said he wanted to know what it was like to kill someone.
His is the final name on the list of 16 witnesses put forward by his attorneys for the two-day clemency hearing before the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole beginning Wednesday in Deer Lodge, Mont.
The hearing is being held near the federal penitentiary where Smith, originally from Red Deer, Alta., has spent the last three decades locked up.
"I've always wanted an opportunity to step outside of all of this and to be able to apologize to the family and explain to them just everything about me at that point in time. I was a completely different person," Smith said in an interview last month with The Canadian Press. "It's who I am, who I've become and what I've got going into the future."
The decision to speak at the hearing before the three-member panel was entirely up to Smith, said Don Vernay, co-counsel for Smith who works out of Albuquerque, N.M.
"What we want to do is wait until everything is done and then have the last word," he said. "He's got to speak to the board. These are the people who are going to decide if he lives or dies. He's going to express his remorse and his desire to live."
A flood of support has been flowing into the office of the Board of Pardons and Parole asking it to spare Smith's life.
"Our office has received and continues to receive a colossal amount of support for the commutation from around the world based on individuals' moral beliefs against the death penalty rather than a personal investment or opinion with this particular case," writes a board staffer in a leaked report obtained by The Canadian Press last month.
That report angered Smith's lawyers. It recommended that the panel deny the request clemency, leading his legal team to suggest that the decision might already be made.
One of the letters is from the Secretary-General of The Council of Europe, a 47-country organization that focuses on human rights and the protection of individuals. The letter argues Smith has expressed regret for his "deplorable" actions, has reformed his life and developed strong relationships with family members.
There is also a letter from the Canadian government, but it has been criticized for publicly lacking determination on the Smith file.
The Harper government initially refused to back Smith's calls for clemency, saying he was convicted in a democratic country. But the Federal Court ruled it must follow the long-standing practice of lobbying on behalf of Canadians sentenced to death in other countries and the letter was sent.
"The government of Canada does not sympathize with violent crime and this letter should not be construed as reflecting a judgment on Mr. Smith's conduct,'' says the Dec. 5 letter from Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. "The government of Canada ... requests that you grant clemency to Mr. Smith on humanitarian grounds.''
Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae has sent his own letter to the board and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer requesting clemency.
"It's well known that the Government of Canada right now is enormously ambivalent about this," Rae said in a telephone interview. "It's a case that calls out for clemency.
"There's no question he's accepted his responsibility for what happened and has shown a great deal of contrition and remorse about it."
Smith's daughter, who is now 35, will appear in person at the hearing.
"He did something bad. He screwed plenty of stuff up. But he didn't sit in there and let himself waste away, continue with the drugs and all that stuff," Carmen Blackburn told The Canadian Press. "He's a good man."
"How do you tell someone how much you love them and how much they mean to your family? It's a hard thing to describe because it's your heart and that's what he is — he's my heart," she added softly.
Jessica Crawford, Running Rabbit's daughter and Mad Man's cousin, could not be reached for comment.
But last December she told The Canadian Press that while her late grandparents wanted to see Smith put to death, she would rather see Smith spend the rest of his days behind bars.
Mark Warren, a spokesman for Amnesty International and a legal researcher specializing in the cases of foreign nationals sentenced to death in the United States, is also requesting clemency.
"I think at the very least this flood of letters tells the board that people worldwide are watching and waiting for a fair decision in Mr. Smith's case," Warren said.
"Montana is not exactly Texas when it comes to the death penalty. They've only carried out three executions in the past 40 years and they commuted one death sentence. There are only two prisoners on death row in Montana."
Once the parole board delivers its recommendation, Smith's fate will ultimately end up in the hands of Schweitzer, a Democrat whose term in office will run out in November.
Schweitzer won't comment during the clemency process, but talked about death penalty cases in an interview last year.
"You're not talking to a governor who is jubilant about these things,'' he said from his office in Helena. "It feels like you're carrying more than the weight of an Angus bull on your shoulders.''

Montreal Cab Hit-And-Run

A 23-year-old man was hospitalized after a cab struck him on Montreal's

on St. Laurent Blvd. early Sunday morning, the Montreal Gazette

reported.

MONTREAL - Disturbing images are circulating on the Internet, showing a man apparently being run over by a taxi cab in Montreal.
A 23-year-old man was rushed to hospital pre-dawn Sunday with serious but non life-threatening injuries.
A 47-year-old taxi driver and some of his clients were being investigated, police said, with the possibility of criminal charges being laid. The incident occurred in a lively downtown district, filled with night stops and restaurants.
Const. Yannick Ouimet said it appeared the taxi driver was having an argument with three clients when he told them to get out. Things quickly degenerated at that point, Ouimet said.
"People were actually kicking the vehicle, causing some (damage) on the vehicle."
Images circulating on the Internet showed a taxi nearly hitting one man and then, moments later, rolling over him. Ouimet said police are aware of several videos circulating online and he said they are being used in the investigation.
"All those videos were looked at by investigators and should help them lay down accusations," he said.
One video posted to YouTube shows the conflict escalating, with a group of men kicking at a car and one man jumping on its roof. Moments later, the vehicle drives right over one of the men. The car then darts away, down the street.
"I told you guys to get out of there!" a man is heard in the video, yelling at the pedestrians involved in the altercation.

Edmonton City Bus service now links airport to LRT

This is one of the buses used on the new ETS route to Edmonton International Airport (EIA) at the Century Park Transit Centre in Edmonton on April 27, 2012.

EDMONTON -  Edmonton finally has a direct bus route to the airport.

The aptly named Route 747 will begin running on Sunday, offering service seven days a week between the Edmonton International Airport and the Century Park LRT station.

“Its time has come,” Mayor Stephen Mandel said of the route. 

The plan to start a three-year trial run of the route was recommended for funding by city council last fall. Sunday’s ferrying of the first passengers on the route will be a victory for the city, Mandel said.

Edmonton was the only city in Canada with a major airport that wasn’t served by public transit.

“It’s important for the future, to how our city’s perceived and the movement of people,” said Mandel.

Passengers can board at Century Park every half-hour during peak flying times from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Service will run every hour during the rest of the day. 

A one-way trip on the bus will cost $5 and take about 17 minutes. The fare is non-transferable, and those looking to take the LRT to Century Park to catch the bus or go elsewhere in the city will have to pay a regular ETS fare of $2.75 on top of it.

The majority of the route’s passengers are expected to be some of the nearly 5,000 people who work at the airport. ETS has partnered with the airport to offer employees a $100-monthly bus pass, said Myron Keehn of EIA.

“It’s a critical link for us,” Keehn said.

Tiffany Fuhr, who drives herself and two other airport workers to the airport every day, won’t be using the new service. Though the 5 a.m. start time is earlier than other city routes, it’s not early enough for her and her co-workers. “To be here by 4:30 a.m. to open, it doesn’t really work,” Fuhr said.

There are no plans to make the service start earlier, says Coun. Bill Henderson, but that is exactly the kind of information the three-year trial is intended to collect.

“If our system was running a little bit earlier, they could go earlier, but we’ll see, we’ve got to get this going,” Henderson said.

The same data could help extend the LRT further south, bypassing the need for a connecting bus.

“When we finish with the LRT to the west end and the north, I think we have to look at moving it south and then out to the airport,” Mandel said.

“Cities need to have transit out to the airport and this is the first step in the long term of getting real transit out there.”

ETS has allocated five buses to the route. The buses, which are postered with images of travel destinations such as Cancun and Houston, have added luggage racks.

Dalai Lama thanks Stephen Harper for meeting

The Dalai Lama on Saturday commended Prime Minister Stephen Harper for holding a private meeting with him one day earlier despite regular pressure from China on world leaders not to associate with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

"He had the courage to meet me, so I very much appreciate that," the Dalai Lama said at a news conference following a speaking engagement in Ottawa attended by a reported 7,000 people.

Relations with the Dalai Lama is a touchy subject with China, a country the Harper government is eager to expand economic relationships with and which sees the Dalai Lama as a threat by encouraging the independence of Tibet from China.

The Dalai Lama has said before he is simply calling for enough au-tonomy for Tibet to allow its culture to survive, rather than outright independence.

At Saturday's news conference, he encouraged Canada to maintain its relationship with China.

The Dalai Lama hearkened back to the honorary Canadian citizenship given to him by Parliament in 2006, and he referred to Harper as "my prime minister."

The Dalai Lama said one of the things he did during the meeting with Harper was thank him for an agreement more than a year ago to accept 1,000 Tibetans into Canada from India over a five-year period.

Uttarakhand’s Golu Devta temple where devotees seek solution of legal problems

Ghorakhal (Uttarakhand, INDIA), Nov. 23 : It is a common experience that usually decades get wasted fighting court cases in search of justice. But at the Golu Devta temple at Ghorakhal of Kumaon region, people come to seek justice in their cases at the earliest.
Golu Devta is believed to have been an incarnation of Gaur Bhairav (Shiva). He is worshipped all over the region and regarded as the dispenser of justice by devotees.
It is believed that the temple was built in 12th century. It gained popularity over the centuries for proving helpful to anyone visitng this temple.
It fascinates the way devotees make their offerings at this temple, as they use stamp papers to seek desired decree in litigations before the idol of Golu Devta.
"This is Golu Devta''s temple. He is incarnation of Bhatook Bhairav. According to mythology, he would sit here and listen to the problems of people. If a person is innocent then Golu Baba surely blesses him and provides him justice," said Pradeep Joshi, the priest at the Golu Devta Temple in Ghorakhal.
As per Joshi, the temple priest, hundreds of thousands of such stamp papers are offered at the temple.
Besides their legal problems, people at times also request the deity for solving their personal problems.
On fulfillment of the prayers, Golu Devta is thanked by hanging bells or through animal sacrifice. The temple receives many ‘petitions’ on daily basis.
People of this area have incredible belief in the mystic power of Golu Devta.
Devotees say that unlike civil courts, where the litigation lingers on for years, the temple offers them instant solace.
"This temple is very famous. People from different parts of the country visit this temple seeking solution of their problems. And, all devotees of Golu Devta get justice. As one can see, so many bells are hanging over here. These bells are tied here by those who have got justice from Golu Baba," said Nisha, a devotee.
"Golu Devta’s temple is very famous. People write their problems on a stamp paper and soon Golu Baba blesses them and they get justice in their life," said Pankaj Verma, a resident.

The Chipko Movement - India’s Call to Save Their Forests

In India there is an ancient legend about a girl, Amrita Devi, who died trying to protect the trees that surrounded her village. The story recounts a time when the local Maharajah’s tree cutters arrived to cut the villager’s trees for wood for his new fortress. Amrita, with others, jumped in front of the trees and hugged them. In some versions of the tale their dramatic efforts prevented the forest’s destruction; in others Amrita dies in her valiant attempt.

It is this tale that inspired the actions of a group of mostly rural women who in the 1970s launched similar spectacular protest movements in India. For rural women, saving the environment is crucial to their economic survival. As primary food, fuel, and water gatherers, women have strong interests in reversing deforestation, desertification, and water pollution. The women who eke out a living in the Himalayan foothills, using its forests as sources of food, fuel, and forage for their animals, face a particularly severe challenge. The Himalayas, a young range subject to erosion, need forests on this steep slopes to allow the absorption of water and prevent flooding. Disintegration of Himalayan forests started over a century ago. In the 1960s, India’s push for national economic development cleared even more trees to export the wood to earn foreign exchange.The hill soil washed away, causing landslides, floods and silting in the rivers below the hills. Crops and houses too were destroyed, and women had to trudge further and further for their fuel, fodder and water. All in all, it was the women who were the main victims of India’s deforestation policies.

Against these harmful deforestation policies a movement called Chipko was born. “Chipko” in Hindi means to cling, reflecting the protesters main technique of throwing their arms around the tree trunks designated to be cut, and refusing to move. Women’s participation in the movement can be traced to a remote hill town where a contractor in 1973 had been given the right by the state to fell 3000 of trees for a sporting goods store. The area already was dangerously denuded. When the woodcutters were scheduled to appear, the men were enticed away from the village leaving the women at home busy with household chores. As soon as the woodcutters appeared, the alarm was sounded and the village’s female leader, a widow in her 50s, collected twenty-seven women and rushed into the forest. The women pleaded with the woodcutter calling the forest their “maternal home,” and explaining the consequences of felling the trees. The woodcutters, shouting and abusing the women, threatened them with guns. The women in turn threatened to hug the earmarked trees and die with them And it worked! The unnerved laborers left, the contractor backed off. In 1974, women in a nearby area used the same tree hugging technique in order to protest the clearing of their forest lands. And in 1977, in another area, women tied a sacred threads around trees fated for death.....a symbolic gesture in Hindu custom confirming the bond of brother-sister relationships. They declared that their trees would be saved even if it cost them their lives.

Women in the Chipko Movemnet in India discussing deforestation

In the 1980s the ideas of the Chipko movement spread, often by women talking about them at water places, on village paths, and in markets. Women decided they were not powerless; there were actions they could take and a movement which would support them. Songs and slogans were created.

In one the contractor says:

“You foolish village women, do you know what these forest bear?
Resin, timber, and therefore foreign exchange!”

The women answer:

“Yes, we know. What do the forests bear?
Soil, water, and pure air,
Soil, water, and pure air.”

As an organized effort, the Chipko movement has had some success. Sometimes it won moratoriums through government bans or court battles; sometimes it managed to replant trees in areas close to village homes. In 1987 Chipko was chosen for a “Right to Livelihood Award,” known as the “alternate Nobel” prize honor. The honor was rightly deserved for this small movement dominated by women which had became a national call to save forests.

Courtesy:Women in World History Curriculum

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Dangerous - Do not drink Coka-Cola and eat MENTOS together...!!! Seeing is believing ?don't you think ?!!! Last week a little boy died in Brazil after eating MENTOS and drinking Coka-Cola together. One year before the same accident happened with another boy in Brazil .. Please check the experiment that has been done by mixing Coka-Cola (or Coka-Cola light are the same) with MENTOS........ So be careful !!

 
 
 

Chen Guangcheng 'safe' in US embassy

Blind campaigner evades about 100 guards to escape from six-year detention but fears grow for family and supporters

Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng and friend and fellow activist Hu Jia taken at an undisclosed location this month. Chen, an inspirational figure in China's rights movement, slipped away from his well-guarded village this week. Photograph: AP

A blind Chinese rights activist who made a daring escape from extrajudicial detention was on Friday under the protection of the US embassy in Beijing, according to a friend, as concerns were growing about possible retribution against his family and supporters.
After more than six years of jail and house arrest, Chen Guangcheng was said to have fled under cover of darkness, evading eight checkpoints and close to 100 guards who have been watching his home in the Shandong province countryside.
A photograph released on Friday night shows him with a friend and fellow activist, Hu Jia, who said Chen was under US protection. "It is my understanding that Chen is in the safest place in China. That is the US embassy," said Hu.
If confirmed, the incident could overshadow a planned trip to Beijing next week by the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner.
It would be the second case this year of a high-profile figure seeking refuge at a US diplomatic office in China. In February, Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun fled to the US consulate in Chengdu claiming his life was threatened because of his investigation into the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.
That incident led to a 36-hour standoff during which Chinese security personnel surrounded the consulate until Wang was turned over to an official from Beijing.
The US government neither confirmed nor denied claims that Chen was seeking asylum. An embassy spokesman, Richard Buangan, told reporters that "he did not have any information at this time."The British embassy also said Chen's whereabouts were a mystery. "We have followed Chen Guangcheng's case over a long period of time and have made representations publicly and privately to Chinese authorities. We have seen today's reports and will be following events closely," said a spokesman.The mainstream Chinese media had not reported the escape, but in a video recording apparently made after his release, Chen issued an open call for the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, to investigate his case.
He said between 90 and 100 people were involved in his illegal detention, which included savage beatings that left his wife with broken bones and the harassment of his children. Those who tried to visit him – including lawyers, journalists and the actor Christian Bale – had been either roughed up or driven away.
The accusations throw a harsh light on a Chinese government already reeling from a corruption and wire-tapping scandal sparked by the death of Heywood.
Chen blamed his treatment on local officials and the Chinese state's obsession with maintaining stability at all costs. He said his greatest concern was that the authorities would carry out "insane retribution" on his family, several of whom have already been placed under arrest.
Chen confirmed reports about his maltreatment that have appeared online over the years. "The truth was even worse," he said."
Human rights campaigners expressed delight that Chen – whose case has drawn international attention – was no longer in the hands of the authorities, but concern about revenge attacks on his wife, child, brother and human rights activists who helped him gain liberty.
According to the US-based human rights group China Aid, Chen was "100% safe" in Beijing. But it said the activist He Peirong, one of the people who helped Chen flee, had been arrested at her home in Nanjing on Friday morning.
He, who is said to have been in close contact with the Chen family, had earlier told CNN that Chen's hands were trembling, but his spirits were high. She said he was injured in the escape.
It was not clear how Chen evaded the officials, police and plainclothes thugs who have been camped in and around his home in Linyi since his release from prison in 2010. But activists said it was not an individual, opportunistic bid for freedom.
"To escape from a place with so many guards must have taken a great deal of planning," said Phelim Kine, of Human Rights Watch.
Chen was believed to have used the cover of darkness, in which his blindness – he lost his sight at the age of five – gave him an advantage over his captors. He previously attempted to dig a tunnel.
"I would say the fact that he successfully escaped is a miracle," said Hu. "It's like a real Chinese version of The Shawshank Redemption. I heard he got through eight security checks."
If Chen is caught, he faces the risk of severe extra-legal punishment from his guards. Several people close to Chen have already been rounded up, prompting fears of retribution.
According to the NGO Human Rights in China, Chen's brother Chen Guangfu was taken away from Dongshigu village on Thursday. His nephew, Chen Kegui, was also in hiding after using a kitchen knife to defend his mother from intruders led by the village chief.
Local public-security bureaux were not picking up their phones.
"The wife [Yuan Weijing], children and mother are on the extreme edge of vulnerability," said Kine. "They have already been brutally victimised for merely trying to get outside the compound for food or medical attention, so it is quite likely that the plainclothes thugs will react quite brutally to his escape. It is our hope that all diplomatic missions will make strong representations for their safety."
Chen has suffered the wrath of officials in Shandong since 2005, when he exposed a programme of forced abortions to reach targets linked to China's one-child policy. Although he was released from a four-year jail term in September 2010, he and his family continued to suffer detention and beatings.
Associates say they fear for his health, which has deteriorated during his detention."I don't know if he is safe now and I am worried about him," said lawyer Teng Biao. "Chen was not given freedom after being released from prison and he was sick and did not have a chance to see a proper doctor. I am worried about him."

Chinese activist fears 'insane retribution' on family after escape

Blind rights activist Chen Guangcheng flees detention but expresses concern as authorities round up people who helped him

The blind Chinese rights activist, Chen Guangcheng has made a daring escape from his captors and put out a video exposing the abuse and beatings that his family suffered under house arrest.
Evading almost 90 guards who have surrounded his village home for more than a year, Chen is said to have found refuge in a "safe" location in Beijing.
His revelations about the illegal detention – which included savage beatings that left family members with broken bones and harrassment of his children – throw a harsh light on a Chinese government that is already reeling from a corruption and wire-tapping scandal sparked by the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Looking gaunt, Chen blamed his treatment on local officials and the Chinese state's obsession with maintaining stability at all costs. He said his greatest concern was that the authorities would carry out "insane retribution" on his family, several of whom have already been placed under arrest.
Human rights campaigners expressed delight that Chen – whose protracted, illegal detention has drawn international attention – is no longer in the hands of the authorities, but there are concerns about revenge attacks on his wife, children, brother and human rights activists who helped him gain liberty.
"I have confirmed that Chen is now in Beijing. I would say the fact that he successfully escaped is a miracle," said Hu Jia, a prominent rights activist. "It's like a real Chinese version of The Shawshank Redemption. I heard he got through eight security checks."
In a video message, Chen confirmed he was beaten and said 90 to 100 local officials were involved in his detention. He expressed "extreme concern" about retaliation against his family. Chen confirmed reports about his maltreatment that have appeared over the years. "The truth was even worse," he said. "I formally made three requests to Premier Wen Jiabao. First, severely punish criminals. Second, look into this yourself, and third, send a special investigation team to find out the truth."
Chen is believed to have used the cover of darkness in which his blindness – he lost his sight at the age of five – gave him an advantage over his captors. He previously attempted to dig a tunnel without success.
It is not yet clear how Chen evaded the officials, police and plainclothes thugs who have been permanently camped in and around his home in Linyi since his release from prison in 2010. But activists said it was not an individual, opportunistic bid for freedom.
"This wasn't a sudden thing. In order to escape from a place with so many guards must have taken a great deal of planning," said Phelim Kine of Human Rights Watch.
Chen's exact whereabouts are unknown. Several sources said he was in a place that was safe from the scrutiny of security agencies, prompting speculation that he may have taken refuge in a foreign embassy or consulate. The US embassy has declined to comment on the case.
According to the US-based group China Aid, Chen was "100% safe" in Beijing. But the group said that the activist He Peirong, one of the people who helped Chen flee, was arrested at her home in Nanjing on Friday morning.
He, who is said to have been in close contact with the Chen family, had earlier told CNN that Chen's hands were trembling, but his spirits were high. She said he was injured in the escape.
If Chen is caught, he faces the risk of severe extra-legal punishment from his guards. Several people close to Chen have already been rounded up, prompting fears of retribution.
According to Human Rights in China, Chen's brother Chen Guangfu was taken away from Dongshigu village on Thursday evening. His nephew, Chen Kegui, is also in hiding after a bloody battle with a kitchen knife when he tried to defend his mother from intruders led by the village chief.
Local public security bureaus were not picking up their phones.
"The wife [Yuan Weijing], children and mother are on the extreme edge of vulnerability. They have already been brutally victimised for merely trying to get outside the compound for food or medical attention, so it is quite likely that the plainclothes thugs will react quite brutally to his escape. It is our hope that all diplomatic missions will make strong representations for their safety," said Kine.
Chen has suffered the wrath of Shandong officials since 2005, when he exposed a programme of forced abortions to reach targets linked to China's one-child policy. Although he was released from a four-year jail term in September 2010, he and his family have continued to suffer detention and beatings.
Until his safety and liberty are confirmed, associates say they fear for his health, which deteriorated during his detention.
"I don't know if he is safe now and I am worried about him," said the lawyer Teng Biao. "Chen was not given freedom after being released from prison and he was sick and did not have a chance to see a proper doctor. I am worried about him."

Pakistan deports Osama family to Saudi Arabia

Pakistani policemen escort a minivan carrying family members of slain Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, in Islamabad, as they leave for the airport before their departure to Saudia Arabia, on April 26, 2012.

ISLAMABAD
Pakistan early Friday deported slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s three widows and 11 other family members to Saudi Arabia.
They had been in custody since the US special forces killed the Al Qaeda chief in a raid on his hideout in Pakistan‘s Abbotabad town in May last year.
The family members, including the widows – two Saudi Arabians and a Yemeni – were handed over to Saudi officials prior to their departure, Xinhua reported.
The Yemeni widow and her five children will be later sent to Yemen from Saudi Arabia.
A large contingent of police were deployed minutes before they left for the Benazir Bhutto International Airport from a house here where they had been held.
A Pakistani court April 2 had sentenced the widows to 45 days in prison on charges of illegally entering Pakistan. They had already served a month of their sentence prior to the verdict and a judge ordered their deportation on completion of the sentence.
The government had delayed their deportation due to incomplete travel documents.

Egypt’s ‘Farewell Intercourse’ law allowing sex with dead wives sparks fury

Egypt’s new Islamist-dominated parliament is preparing to introduce a controversial law that would allow husbands to have sex with their deceased wives up to six hours after death. Known as the "farewell Intercourse" law, the measure is being championed as part of a raft of reforms introduced by the parliament that will also see the minimum age of marriage lowered to 14 for girls.


Egypt’s National Council for Women is campaigning against the changes, saying that ‘marginalising and undermining the status of women would negatively affect the country’s human development'.

Dr Mervat al-Talawi, head of the NCW, wrote to the Egyptian People’s assembly speaker Dr Saad al-Katatni addressing her concerns.

Egyptian journalist Amro Abdul Samea reported in the al Ahram newspaper that Talawi complained about the legislations, which are being introduced under ‘alleged religious interpretations’.

The subject of a husband having sex with his dead wife arose in May 2011 when Moroccan cleric Zamzami Abdul Bari said marriage remains valid even after death.

He also said that women have the right to have sex with her dead husband, alarabiya.net reported.

It seems the topic, which has sparked outrage, has now been picked up on by Egypt’s politicians.

TV anchor Jaber al Qarmouty slammed the notion of letting a husband have sex with his wife after her death under the so-called ‘Farewell Intercourse’ draft law.

“This is very serious. Could the panel that will draft the Egyptian constitution possibly discuss such issues? Did Abdul Samea see by his own eyes the text of the message sent by Talawi to Katatni?,” the Daily Mail quoted him as telling the website.

“This is unbelievable. It is a catastrophe to give the husband such a right! Has the Islamic trend reached that far? Is there really a draft law in this regard? Are there people thinking in this manner?” he added.

City launches new bus route to International Airport

Edmonton - As of this Sunday, a cab or shuttle won’t be your only travel options to and from the Edmonton International Airport. A new bus route connecting the city to the airport will begin this weekend. 

“It’s a critical link for us,” says Edmonton International Airport’s Myron Keehn. “Connectivity to the world means everything to local economy.”

The new 747 route runs between the Century Park transit centre and the airport, and will operate from 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. During the peak hours in the morning and afternoon, buses will run every 30 minutes.

“It’s great! Direct connectivity with transit is an important step for the airport,” explains Keehn. “We’re one of the few airports in Canada left to get transit, and it really is important for us to have choices for our customers to get to and from the airport.”

“I give a lot of credit to the mayor and council and to city administration and ETS for making this happen.” 

City council is very pleased, but thinks it’s about time a transit service to the airport came through. “Our citizens have been asking for it for a long time,” says Mayor Stephen Mandel. “It’s a far more cost-effective way for two parts: for tourists, and second: for our citizens.” Mandel says there are also thousands of Edmontonians who work at the airport, and will now have another option to get to and from work.

Air travelers are pleased with the new service. Tony Hendrix doesn’t mind Edmonton is one of the last Canadian airport to get public transit service, “I’m just happy to see it here,” he says. Taxi driver Guldar Nirman doesn’t agree. “I think it’s an extra burden on the taxpayers,” but he doesn’t think the bus service will threaten the taxi business at all. 

Transit passes and transfers won’t be accepted on the route, so riders will have to pay a $5.00 fare each way. The trip will be a direct route. ETS expects about 80% of passengers will be airport staff, with the remainder being business travelers. The 747 buses are fitted with racks to hold luggage. 

Keehn hopes Edmontonians will make good use of the new bus route. “People like to drive their cars in Edmonton and Alberta, but the more people riding transit the better it is for the environment,” he explains, before adding “and, there are lots of people that don’t have a car.”

His message to citizens and visitors is simple. “Please come out and fly a lot, and take the bus when you come out.”
 

Gary Mar cleared of any wrongdoing, headed back to Hong Kong

An investigation into a fundraiser held by Alberta’s Envoy to Asia Gary Mar has cleared Mar of all wrongdoing. 

In early March, a concern was raised that Mar may have used his position with the Government of Alberta to raise money to pay off debt incurred by Mar during his run for PC leadership. Financial statements showed he incurred a $262,000 deficit from the campaign. 

On March 1, Mar held a fundraiser at the Edmonton Petroleum Club. Tickets were $400 each, and guests heard Mar speak about conducting business in Hong Kong. A trip to Hong Kong was also auctioned off. 

Premier Alison Redford asked Peter Watson, Deputy Minister of Executive Council to look into the allegations. Watson is responsible for investigations regarding the Code of Conduct and Ethics for the Public Service, which applies to senior officials in the Government of Alberta. 

Watson hired an independent investigator to help examine the allegations, and also used outside legal counsel for the review. 

In the findings, released Friday afternoon, the review has cleared Mar of wrong-doing. The report determined Mar was not involved in the direct solicitation of funds from the dinner, none of the funds raised from the dinner would be paid to him, and no special access was provided to or expected by the winner of the Hong Kong trip. 

Based on those results, Watson found there was no conflict of interest under the Code of Conduct and Ethics for the Public Service, and he’s directed Mar return to his position. 

Mar will be returning to Hong Kong next week.

Highway 63 crash toll reaches 7

WANDERING RIVER, Alta. - Seven people were killed and two injured in "horrific" head-on collision on one of Alberta's deadliest highways.

The crash between happened Friday afternoon when a pickup truck going north on Highway 63 pulled out to pass another vehicle, colliding with another pickup travelling south.

"There was a significant fire as a result of the impact," said Const. Christina Wilkins of Fort McMurray RCMP.

Passing motorists pulled a teenaged girl from the pickup that had been passing, say police. She was airlifted to a hospital in Edmonton, but died a few hours later from her injuries.


The highway is a busy route stretching north of Edmonton to Fort McMurray and north to the oilsands, where thousands of people work and tonnes of material and equipment moves daily.

Between 2001 and 2005, more than 1,000 crashes killed 25 people and injured 257 others on the highway.

In 2006, after years of public pressure, the Alberta government announced that it would twin a 240-kilometre stretch of the road. As of October 2009, 16 kilometres had been twinned.


In 2011, the provincial government and Athabasca County invested $1.3 million to hire more emergency responders to cover the route. 


Pastor, two children identified among seven victims in deadly Highway 63 crash

APRIL 29, 2012 

EDMONTON - A Fort McMurray pastor, his wife and their young son have been identified as victims of the fiery, head-on crash on Highway 63 that killed seven people on Friday afternoon.

Shannon Wheaton was a family ministries pastor at the Family Christian Centre in Fort McMurray. A family member said Wheaton, his wife Trena, and two young sons were all in the same vehicle when it crashed. His two-year-old son died in the crash while a three-year-old son remains in hospital, a family member said.

Friends of the Wheaton family, Mark and Courtney Penney of Fort McMurray, were riding with them in the southbound truck that collided head-on with another vehicle that pulled into their lane. Courtney Penney, who was pregnant, died in the crash, a friend said, while her 28-year-old husband is hospitalized in serious but stable condition.

All three occupants of the northbound vehicle died.

The Family Christian Centre is providing grief counselling for families that were affected, said Rev. Edwin Rideout, the centre’s lead pastor. Rideout said Wheaton had served with him for five years in Springdale, Nfld, before joining him in Fort McMurray in 2010.

“He was one of the most and generous individuals I have ever known,” Rideout said. “His passion for God, the church and the community was exceptional. I considered him my son on ministry.”

The Family Christian Centre where Wheaton worked, a Pentecostal Assembly, has scheduled a service on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

Wheaton also spent three years as a children’s pastor at the Windsor Pentecostal Church in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, the province he was originally from.

“Pastor Shannon was very family-oriented and did his ministry with children from the depths of his heart,” said Pastor Robert Parsons. “He loved the kids ... and the kids loved him.”

Parsons said he heard about the accident early Saturday morning, and word spread quickly through the church community in that province.

“Many, many calls are coming in from our congregation,” Parsons said, adding that the sorrow if bring felt throughout the Pentecostal ministry. “Because he was associated with our fellowship it affects the Pentecostal Church in the entire province of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

The small community of Frederickton, N.L., where Wheaton is from, is reeling from the tragedy, said his childhood friend.

“The reality has slowly set in,” said Robin Wheaton, who is not related to the pastor. “He was a good guy, an honest guy. Everybody is in shock.”

The pastor’s parents still live in Frederickton and were always deeply religious, he said.

April Anstey, a friend of Courtney Penney, remembered her as “a quiet soul, but her heart was huge.”

Anstey had met the Penney’s through church only in the past year.

“When you meet them, you fall in love with them,” Anstey said. “My heart goes out to Mark. I hope he pulls through this. He is there to help whoever and whenever in whatever way he can. I guess it is our turn to help him.”

A neighbour of Courtney Penney said she was pregnant. Ultrasound pictures were recently posted on her Facebook page.

RCMP confirmed ages and genders of five of the deceased on Saturday afternoon, but did not officially release their identities. Police said a two year-old-boy, an 11 year-old-girl and an 28-year-old woman were killed in the crash. A man and a woman, both 34, were also killed.

Two other people died in the crash, but have not yet been positively identified by police.

Around 1 p.m., a northbound pickup truck carrying three people pulled into the oncoming lane of Highway 63 to pass and collided head-on into a southbound pickup carrying six passengers, police said. There was an intense fire as a result of the crash on the stretch of highway about 50 kilometres north of Wandering River.

All three occupants of the northbound truck died, along with four from the truck the Wheatons and Penneys were riding in.

The seventh victim, a teenage girl, was pulled from the northbound truck by passing motorists before emergency crews arrived. She was flown to Edmonton and died at the Stollery Children’s Hospital later Friday.

The Plamondon Fire Department was called to the scene minutes after the crash, said Chief Hal Pressling. Responsible for all accidents and fires along that particular stretch of Highway 63, about eight Plamondon volunteers went to the scene with a rescue truck and a pumper truck.

“It was a very horrific accident and a very tough one for the guys to handle,” Pressling said. “We try to train the guys for just about everything, but you really can’t train for something like that. You react to it, you deal with it, and then you deal with it after.”

The crash occurred on a stretch of highway where serious accidents are common. Fort McMurray residents and travelers have clamoured for it to be widened and twinned for years. Construction is already underway near the accident scene.

Most of the debris had been cleared by Saturday afternoon. There was a pieces of plastic and electrical panels there, soda cans, an unopened bag of marshmallows. A short distance away, a cardboard wrapper that had contained an emergency blanket laid by the roadside.

Melcor CEO new University of Alberta chancellor

EDMONTON - It was the University of Alberta that first brought Ralph Young to Edmonton in 1969, drawing him to the city for a master’s degree in business administration.

On Friday, the U of A board of governors elected the highly respected 66-year-old businessman and community volunteer as the university’s next chancellor, the honourary head of the university.

Young, CEO of Melcor Developments, a long-established and successful Edmonton property development company, had less than an hour to get used to the new title before it was announced. He officially assumes the post on July 1st.

“I’ve always been incredibly appreciative of the education I received at this university and I’m very, very honoured to have the opportunity now to serve it in this new manner,” said Young, who sported two U of A pins on his lapel Friday.

Young’s relationship with the U of A has continued over the decades. He has served in myriad alumni and philanthropic roles.

U of A president Indira Samarasekera said Young, a civil engineer, will be a tremendous asset given his commitment to Edmonton and his ability to work with a wide range of people across the city.

Samarasekera described Young as someone who “absolutely cares deeply about the university, is passionate about western Canadian history and brings to us that breadth of perspective.”

Young is the university’s 20th chancellor. He will chair the university senate, serve on the board of governors and represent the university at ceremonies.

Samaraskera said the chancellor also fills an important role as counsellor to the president, offering advice and serving as a sounding board.

“This is an important role that I have valued as president with Eric Newell and Linda Hughes,” Samaraskera said, referring to the last two chancellors, who were the former CEO of Syncrude and former publisher of the Edmonton Journal respectively.

“Ralph Young is absolutely in that league and we have great expectations for him in that position.”

Ceremony commemorates workers killed or hurt on the job

AUPE president Guy Smith speaks at the commemoration the International Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job. Since 1977, 64 AUPE members have died on the job. Held at AUPE headquaters in Edmonton. April 27, 2012.

EDMONTON - Workers killed or injured on the job were commemorated as part of an international Day of Mourning on Friday.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees held a memorial ceremony to mark the day of remembrance, which was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984 and is now recognized around the world.

“On this Day of Mourning, we recommit ourselves to fighting as hard as we can for improved health and safety for all workers,” said AUPE president Guy Smith. A moment of silence honoured workers killed on the job, including 64 AUPE members since 1977.

Larry Womack, director of workplace health and safety services at Alberta Health Services, spoke at the ceremony about two AHS employees, an emergency medical services worker and a hospital groundskeeper, who died on the job.

“These are not only staff members or colleagues, they’re friends and family who we care about deeply,” he said.

On Saturday, the Edmonton and District Labour Council will unveil a monument to fallen workers in Grant Notley Park, at 11603 100th Ave. The obelisk, called Broken Families, is made of concrete, stainless steel and granite and features images on each of its four sides of families missing one member.

“We’ve been working at this for five years and raised over $200,000 to construct it,” said Brian Henderson, labour council president.

While Henderson is pleased to unveil the monument, he said workplace safety in Alberta must improve.

There were 123 work-related deaths in Alberta in 2011 and there have been 10 deaths so far in 2012.

“When you have 123 deaths in one year, there’s always more that can be done,” Henderson said.

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, is concerned the number of workplace injuries and fatalities will rise as development in the oilsands picks up.

“We’re heading into another boom not as prepared as we should be to deal with the inevitable rise in safety concerns,” McGowan said.

Human Services Minister Dave Hancock said Day of Mourning is an important recognition of the workers who have died on the job and the families they have left behind.

Hancock said the government continues to make sure workplace safety is the top priority for employers and employees.

“We’re educating people coming on to the job site to know and understand their first order of business is to make it home safe and we’re beefing up enforcement, so we drive home the fact that the regulations are there for a reason,” he said.