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Top News Advisory as of 12 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013(Canadian Press DataFile Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOP NEWS ADVISORY 12 p.m. Here are the latest Top News stories from The Canadian Press. All times are Eastern unless otherwise stated. Coverage plans are included when available. Entries are subject to change as news develops. Contact the National Desk at 416-507-2150. TOP NEWS AT THIS HOUR Spence recovering in hospital after protest Aboriginals-Spence OTTAWA _ Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence remains in hospital on an intravenous line as she recovers following six weeks without solid food. Her spokesman Danny Metatawabin says Spence went to the hospital Wednesday evening for a checkup after agreeing to end her 44-day hunger protest. PHOTO. AUDIO. VIDEO. ___ Bad weather hampers Antarctic search for Cdns Antarctica-Missing-Plane Severe winds and heavy snow continued to hamper the search for three Canadians aboard an airplane missing in Antarctica as rescue crews on standby braced for hours of more bad weather. No information was available on the fate of the three men aboard the ski-equipped Twin Otter, which is owned by Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air. AUDIO. ___ Ottawa cutting services, not back office: PBO PBO-Federal-Spending OTTAWA _ A new report from the Parliamentary Budget Office finds that the Conservative government's spending restraint program is focusing on front line services, while back office spending continues to rise. That's exactly the opposite of promises made by Treasury Board President Tony Clement, who said last year that the majority of the spending cuts would target administrative and support costs and wouldn't affect service to the public. ___ Feds offer new visa to woo start-ups StartUp-Visa TORONTO _ A new program designed to lure start-up companies and entrepreneurs to Canada will launch in April. The start-up visa will be limited to those who already have the backing of a venture capital firm in Canada. ___ High court rejects Air India perjury case SCOC-Air-India OTTAWA _ Air India bomb-maker Inderjit Singh Reyat has lost his bid to have the Supreme Court of Canada hear his appeal against a perjury conviction. The high court has dismissed Reyat's request and, as usual, gave no reasons for its decision. PHOTO. ___ Top court won't hear Jane Creba murder case SCOC-Boxing-Day-Shooting OTTAWA _ Canada's top court won't hear the case of a man convicted in the Toronto shooting death of teenager Jane Creba. Jorrell Simpson-Rowe was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Creba, 15, who was shopping with family on Yonge Street when she was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs on Boxing Day 2005. ___ Supreme Court rejects Sosa leave to appeal SCOC-Guatemala-War-Crimes CALGARY _ An accused Guatemalan war criminal has lost his bid to have the Supreme Court of Canada hear an appeal of his extradition to the United States.The high court gave no reasons and simply dismissed the request without costs. ___ High court to hear cable-cutting case SCOC-Fisherman OTTAWA _ The Supreme Court of Canada says it will hear the appeal of a Quebec crab fisherman who was hit with a bill for more than $1.2 million after he deliberately cut an underwater cable. Real Vallee snagged his fishing gear on the cable in the waters off Baie Comeau several times before he finally hauled it up and cut it with an electric saw in June 2006. ___ Atleo to speak in B.C. after medical leave Aboriginals-Atleo VANCOUVER _ The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is expected to talk today about justice, fairness, as well as political, social and economic development for aboriginals in Vancouver. Shawn Atleo is returning to work after taking a doctor-ordered sick leave and will be joining other First Nations leaders at a special chiefs assembly at the Musqueam Community Recreation Centre. VIDEO. ___ CRTC: 911 texts for hearing, speech impaired CRTC-911-Texts GATINEAU _ The CRTC says wireless carriers must make changes to their networks and systems to support 911 emergency text messages for hearing or speech-impaired persons within 12 months. The service would only be provided to the hearing or speech-impaired who have pre-registered for it with their wireless carrier. ___ Canadians defaulting less on loans: report Credit-Delinquency TORONTO _ Canadians are paying off their debts faster, with the number of those more than three months behind on loan payments dropping to a record low, according to a report Thursday from Equifax Canada. The latest National Credits Trends study by the credit monitoring firm found that the percentage of unpaid non-mortgage debt past-due more than 90 days was 1.19 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2012, a slight decrease from 1.22 per cent in the third quarter. Moves National and Business. AUDIO. ___ More money needed for infrastructure: study Cda-Infrastructure-Study OTTAWA _ A new study suggests that on top of current spending as much as an additional $30 billion a year for 10 years would be needed to return infrastructure spending in Canada to historic levels.The study, from the left-leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, says underinvestment in infrastructure is a chronic problem in Canada. ___ Workers treated for carbon monoxide NB-Plant-Evacuation MIRAMICHI _ Health and workplace safety officials are investigating a possible case of carbon monoxide poisoning at a fabrication plant in eastern New Brunswick.About three dozen employees at Sunny Corner Enterprises Inc. in Miramichi were taken to hospital Wednesday after some reported headaches and feeling nauseous. ___ Top white-collar crime prosecutor getting SEC job US-Obama-SEC WASHINGTON _ President Barack Obama will nominate former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White, who built a reputation prosecuting white-collar crimes, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, an agency that has a central role in implementing Wall Street reform. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama would announce White's nomination during a ceremony in the State Dining Room Thursday afternoon. PHOTO. AUDIO. ___ Under French pressure, key Mali rebel group splits AF-Mali-Fighting SAN _ Mali's rebel movement showed new signs of discord on Thursday in the wake of punishing French air strikes, with one wing of the Ansar Dine group now pledging to negotiate an end to the country's crisis and possibly even fight against its former comrades-in-arms. France's air and land campaign that began two weeks ago to save Mali's embattled interim government has shaken up the military landscape and put the international spotlight on the former French colony. Mali's government was on a new political defensive, urging its soldiers to "strict respect" of human rights after new allegations that they had carried out summary executions in zones of battle against the radical Islamists. PHOTO. ___ Warning: Threat against westerners in Libya EU-Libya LONDON _ Britain's Foreign Office is urging U.K. nationals to immediately leave the Libyan city of Benghazi in response to an imminent threat against westerners.The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Benghazi since September. AUDIO. ___ Trial in India gang rape case begins in New Delhi AS-India-Gang-Rape NEW DELHI _ The trial of five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus began in a closed courtroom Thursday with opening arguments by the prosecution lawyers in a special fast-track court set up just weeks ago to handle sexual assault cases.The brutal attack last month set off protests across India and opened a national debate about the epidemic of violence against women. A government committee established in the wake of the attack has called for a complete overhaul of the way the criminal justice system deals with rape, sexual assaults and crimes against women in general. PHOTO. AUDIO. ___ NKorea warns of nuke test, more rocket launches AS-NKorea-Nuclear SEOUL _ North Korea's top governing body warned Thursday that the regime will conduct its third nuclear test in defiance of UN punishment, and made clear that its long-range rockets are designed to carry not only satellites but also warheads aimed at striking the United States. The National Defence Commission, headed by the country's young leader, Kim Jong Un, denounced Tuesday's UN Security Council resolution condemning North Korea's long-range rocket launch in December as a banned missile activity and expanding sanctions against the regime. The commission reaffirmed in its declaration that the launch was a peaceful bid to send a satellite into space, but also clearly indicated the country's rocket launches have a military purpose: to strike and attack the United States. PHOTO. ___ BUZZ Canada's Novakovich a finalist for fiction prize BOOKS-Booker-Prize-Cda TORONTO _ Canada's Josip Novakovich is among 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize. The Croatian-born Novakovich lives in Montreal and teaches creative writing at Concordia University. PHOTO. ___ Cop helps deliver roadside baby Roadside-Birth BRAMPTON _ An Ontario cop helped deliver a baby in a car on the side of busy highway early this morning.Halton Region police say they got a call just after 3:30 a.m. from a couple who had pulled over onto the shoulder of Highway 401, just east of Highway 25. ___ Apple shares plunge as growth appears to stall US-Earns-Apple NEW YORK _ Apple shares are plunging after the company reported quarterly results that point to growth slowing after five blowout years. The stock was down $50.68, or 9.9 per cent, at $463.32 in late morning trading. ___ Seyfried delves into dark material in 'Lovelace' US-Film-Sundance-Amanda-Seyfried PARK CITY _ It took the French Revolution to pull Amanda Seyfried away from her role as '70s porn star Linda Lovelace. Seyfried delved deep into her character in the biopic "Lovelace," which premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival. The 27-year-old actress says she was only able to shed the dark role by playing Cosette in the Oscar-nominated "Les Miserables." PHOTO. ___ Sony fined in UK over PlayStation cyberattack EU-Britain-Sony-Hack LONDON _ British regulators have fined Sony 250,000 pounds ($396,100) for failing to prevent a 2011 cyberattack on its PlayStation Network which put millions of users' personal information _ including names, addresses, birth dates and account passwords _ at risk. Britain's Information Commissioner's Office said Thursday that security measures in place at the time "were simply not good enough." It said the attack could have been prevented if software had been up to date, while passwords were also not secure. PHOTO. AUDIO. (c) 2013 The Canadian Press |