TMCnet News
--Tenth NewsWatch--(Canadian Press Broadcast Wire (Canada) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) (US-Bridge-Collapse-Cdn) (Audio: 107) An Edmonton-area trucker was at the wheel of a semi that struck a bridge on a busy interstate between Seattle and Canada, sending part of the span thundering into a river below. The Washington State Patrol confirms 41-year-old William Scott of Spruce Grove, Alberta was hauling a large load last night and hit a girder of the bridge over the Skagit (SKA'-jiht) River north of Seattle on Interstate 5. Sergeant Kirk Rudeen says the collision appears to have led to the collapse of the span just seconds later and two vehicles plunged into the cold, swift-flowing river. Three people were rescued and treated in hospital. (10) (Toronto-Ford-Video) (Audio: 113) Toronto's deputy mayor says he's concerned about the pressure facing Mayor Rob Ford over an alleged cellphone video showing him smoking crack cocaine. Doug Holyday says Ford has to do something to resolve the situation and that sitting back and hoping the problem goes away isn't the answer. Holyday says members of the executive committee of council are drafting a letter urging the mayor to speak to the public about the allegations. Despite calls from friends and rivals to confront the allegations head on, Ford has said little about them except for calling them ``ridiculous.'' (10) (Cda-Qatar-ICAO) The headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization will stay in Montreal. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced on Twitter this morning that Qatar has abandoned its effort to lure I-C-A-O's head office to the Gulf state. Qatar had wanted to move the headquarters starting in 2016. The organization has been in Montreal since it was founded in 1947. (10) (Manitoba-Tel-Allstream) Manitoba Telecom Services has agreed to sell its Allstream business telecommunications arm to an Egyptian investment group. M-T-S says it will use about half of the proceeds from the sale to reduce its pension obligations and debt. The deal values Allstream at 520-million dollars but Manitoba Tel says it expects to realize 405-million from the sale. The buyer is Accelero Capital Holdings, a Cairo-based investment group focused on telecommunications, digital media and technology companies. (10) (Britain-Attack) British authorities are bracing for possible copycat terror attacks, after Wednesday's brutal slaying of a young soldier. They're also preparing for clashes with right-wing extremists in response to the killing. Police say more than one-thousand officers will be sent to potential trouble spots with armed response units. (10) (Italy-Trains-No-Tracks) (Audio: 120) Palermo, Italy has a 30-million-dollar fleet of new state-of-the-art streetcars. Problem is there are no tracks for them to run on. The company hired to lay them went bankrupt. Palermo ran out of money to pay the company but not before it shelled out 200-million dollars of public funds toward the project -- leaving 300 people jobless and 17 streetcars named -- ``Retired.'' (10) (NewsWatch by Rose Kingdon) (The Canadian Press) (c) 2013 The Canadian Press |