Ten pro-Taliban militants and four Pakistan Army soldiers are killed in a clash in North Waziristan near the Afghanistan border. In another incident, a suicide car bomber kills six in Parachinar, North West Frontier Province in Pakistan. (AndhraNews.net) (BBC)
The Pakistani army said the deaths occurred at an army checkpoint in the North Waziristan region, and that four soldiers were also wounded. But there is no independent confirmation of the claims. Pakistan has seen increased attacks on the security services since a bloody battle with radical Islamists last month at the Red Mosque in Islamabad.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown holds an emergency COBRA cabinet meeting to discuss an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a farm in Surrey, England. (Reuters)
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD, Latin name Aphtae epizooticae), sometimes called hoof-and-mouth disease, is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease of cattle and pigs. It can also infect deer, goats, sheep, and other bovids with cloven hooves, as well as elephants, rats, and hedgehogs. Humans are affected only very rarely. The cause of FMD was first shown to be viral in 1897 by Friedrich Loeffler. He passed the blood of an infected animal through a fine porcelain-glass filter and found that the fluid that was collected could still cause the disease in healthy animals.
The 2007 South Asian floods are a series of floods in India, southern Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. According to UNICEF, 1,103 people were killed, although it is uncertain whether this includes numbers for the injured. In addition, approximately twenty million were displaced.[1] The United Nations called the flooding the worst in living memory.[2]
2007 South Asian floods: The Ganges River system will come under further strain from monsoon floods as 20 million are homeless in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Almost 200 people have died. (ABC News Australia), (BBC)
NASA launches the Phoenix Mars Lander which is due to land on Mars northern ice cap Plan
Social networking goes beyond MySpace and Facebook
Updated Mon. Jul. 30 2007 1:23 PM ET
Canada AM
We all know about Facebook and MySpace. But now social networking on the web just got a little more sophisticated. There are new sites that respond to the needs of special interest groups; from pet lovers to philosophers. Tech Expert Kris Abel tells us more.
Bakespace.com (www.bakespace.com)
- It's a "MySpace" for those who live to cook.
- You can exchange recipes, get baking tips, and create your own virtual kitchen.
- It's exactly like "Myspace" in terms of functionality, such as instant messaging and blogging. In this case you are in a virtual kitchen and exchange recipes with others. For example, you can find someone online who has expertise dealing with lemon zest or even how to tackle cake design.
Fuzzster com. (www.fuzzster.com)
- It's for pets and their owners.
- Here you can create a profile for your pet, upload photos and videos of their adventures, and relate stories and tales of their lives.
- This site caters to all things furry or not so furry; from dogs to snakes.
- Pet owners can also set up blogs on behalf of their pets and recount daily activities.
Sciencehack.com (www.sciencehack.com)
- It's a "YouTube" for science-related videos.
- Based in Halifax, the site is devoted to fun, educational videos of science experiments and lessons.
- A team of scientists review the videos for legitimacy before posting online.
- Some examples of videos include "how ballet slippers are made" to demonstrating the explosive results of dropping a Gummy Bear in molten potassium chlorate.
- It covers physics, biology, space, green energy, and math.
Fora.tv (http://fora.tv)
- It's the YouTube for intellectual discussion and discourse.
- Institutions, educational establishments, as well as anyone with a camcorder can upload footage of a debate, talk, or presentation on philosophy, science, business, etc.
- YouTube can often post mind-numbing videos For example, pandas sneezing. This site prompts discussion of topics on political, social and cultural issues. Some examples: Will China democratize? Why Can't We Be Good?
- Speeches from high-profile people posted include the founder of Wikipedia and UN head Ban Ki-moon
Teachertube.com (www.teachertube.com)
- TeacherTube.com is a "YouTube" for educators, students, and school librarians.
- Individual teachers or schools can create their own channel and upload videos of lessons, class projects, school events, etc.
- Kids can show off their artwork and science projects and teachers can put their favorite lessons online for the world to view
- Some lessons available: Mrs. Burke rapping about "perimeters" and "probability," the causes of World War I and "Pepe and Petunia Pug Learn the Prepositions."
um Boreum next year. (AP via Washington Post)
Vancouver to meet with striking
unions over weekendThe city of Vancouver will head back to the bargaining table this weekend with all three unions representing striking city workers. more...
Que. cops look for man who spoke with missing girl
Quebec police are still treating the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl as a missing person case, but say it's likely she was kidnapped by a man who asked her to help find a dog. more...
Family learns B.C. twins can't be separated
The family of twins joined at the head has decided against separation surgery after learning Friday the process would cause severe mental damage to both girls. more...
Woman mistakenly detained in Calgary train death
Calgary police say a woman taken into custody Friday afternoon was not the same suspect believed to have pushed a teenager into an oncoming train. more...
Judge sets aside Mulroney ruling on $470,000
An Ontario judge has set aside a ruling that ordered Brian Mulroney to pay $470,000 to Karlheinz Schreiber, a former business associate. more...
N.S. town council votes against raising pride flag
A Nova Scotia mayor has refused to fly the gay pride flag for a pride event, saying it promotes a lifestyle that conflicts with his religious views -- and most of the town's council backed him. more...
CN Rail faces charges in 2005 toxic spill in B.C.
CN Rail is facing federal and provincial charges as a result of a derailment and toxic spill that sent chemicals into a river north of Vancouver, The Canadian Press has learned. more...
N.L. premier fuming over Harper's visit to province
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in flood-ravaged Newfoundland to see the damage first-hand. But N.L. Premier Danny Williams is fuming the PMO failed to inform him of the visit in advance. more...
Parts of secret Arar report to be made public
The federal government has called off the fight to keep some portions of the Maher Arar report secret, after a Federal Court judge ruled that some of the material withheld from the public would not endanger national security. more...
More Stories
Ford recalling 3.6 million vehicles in Canada, U.S.
Ignatieff says supporting Iraq war was a mistake
Premier
issues climate warning
Canada.com -
Ed Stelmach fired warning shots Friday at
provincial leaders in advance of next week's premiers'
conference, cautioning them not to "mess with
Alberta" on climate change because it could
devastate economies across Canada.
Premier set for
climate battle
'Don't mess with
Alberta'
Vancouver
to meet with striking unions over weekend
CTV.ca -
The city of Vancouver will head back to
the bargaining table this weekend with all three unions
representing striking city workers.
Strikers, city
back at table
North Vancouver
District reaches deal with civic workers
Cougar
'kind of felt like a woolly mammoth'
Globe and Mail -
VANCOUVER -- A cougar attack has left
Colton Reeb with strange memories, but little fear of the
big cats that roam rural areas such as the BC Interior
region where the 12-year-old was scratched and bitten
this week.
Cougar attack
victim coping
Boy remains in hospital
after surviving cougar attack
Suspect
arrested in mugging at Vancouver cathedral
CTV.ca -
Vancouver police have made an arrest in
the vicious mugging of an elderly man after he handed $5
over to a panhandler for the fifth consecutive day.
'A heartless,
violent, shocking assault'
Police arrest
'professional panhandler' in cathedral mugging
Mulroney's
order to pay $470000 set aside
Toronto Star -
A judge has set aside a court order
forcing former prime minister Brian Mulroney to pay a
"default judgment" of $470000 to
German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber.
Canada judge
stays Mulroney payment to arms dealer
Judge quashes
Mulroney order
Teen charged in
air rage
Fort Frances
Times -
A 19-year-old Las Vegas man whose one-way
trip to France took a bizarre detour to Winnipeg denied
accusations of air rage yesterday and blamed the British,
bad teeth, and beer for his arrest.
Air-rage suspect
accused of pre-flight trouble
Air rage guy
faces more charges
