The head of a group that represents independent fuel retailers says that gas stations are actually making less money as high gas prices reduce their margins. Gasoline averaged $1.37 a litre across Canada last week, a more than six per cent increase over the previous week. A barrel of crude oil – the main ingredient in gasoline – was worth
about US$131.46, or around double what it was a year ago.
In testimony to a House of Commons commons committee the RCMP revealed for the first time that Julie Couillard was “known” to them before she became romantically involved with then Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier, but would not say much more. Meanwhile, the Harper government is promoting a bill that would allow candidates a longer time to repay loans, even though the government has called the situation illegal when it comes to Liberal leadership debts. Since there are currently no limits on the amount of money an individual can loan a federal candidate or leadership contestant, and since an individual is only permitted to donate up to $1100 to a single campaign, the government has said that if a loan above $1100 isn’t repaid in time it constitutes an illegal donation.
The federal government has also announced plans to make the refurbishment and expansion of a dam in northern Kandahar the jewel of Canada’s
development effort in the war-torn region. Canada will also build, expand or renovate 50 schools in Kandahar
province and finance an ambitious project to immunize seven million
children across Afghanistan against polio. Outgoing Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier defended the right of a father whose son died in Afghanistan last weekend to call war “stupid.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai would like to see the more than 60 countries meeting in Paris on Thursday pledge some
US$15 billion to help rebuild his nation. Experts began assessing the needs of Myanmar and its cyclone victims in the face of reports that the isolationist government had arrested 18 cyclone refugees
who were on their way to a United Nations office to plead for help.
A report said that India’s equivalent of the “the butler did it” cliché was causing household servants to be “labelled criminals before the blood dries” in the wake of a violent crime. After a nine-month hiatus, Texas planned to resume executions today. The suspect in a knifing rampage that left seven dead in Tokyo, Japan cried during interrogation.
The new video game Metal Gear Solid 4 made a woman from the Japanese ratings board cry. Metro movie buff Steve Gow explores the Incredible Hulk movie and how it contributes to “the summer of the anti-hero.” At the Euro 2008, Spain routed Russia 4-1 while Greece faced a 2-0 loss to Sweden.
