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Montreal mayor resigns, says will fight corruption charges

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:24:21 -0400

By David Ljunggren (Reuters) - Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum resigned on Tuesday, a day after he was charged with fraud and corruption in the latest major Canadian municipal scandal. "I am going to put my energies into my defense and into my family," said Applebaum, who had promised to clean up Canada's second-largest city when he was named to the post in November. Declaring his innocence, he added in a statement to reporters: "This is why I am resigning as mayor of Montreal - it is the responsible thing to do. ...

U.S. patent case climaxes with win for Canadian vibrator maker

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:07:23 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Couples in the United States looking to spice up their sex lives will have to do without certain adult toys after a U.S. trade panel ruled on Monday that some companies are violating a patent held by a Canadian company for a two-armed vibrator. The U.S. International Trade Commission found that vibrator maker Lelo Inc as well as distributors and a retailer infringe on Standard Innovation Corp's patent for a two-armed vibrator that couples can use during intercourse. ...

EU lawmaker to Canada asylum seeker: A Roma's long trek

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:48:55 -0400

By Mirjam Donath TORONTO (Reuters) - Less than four years ago, Viktoria Mohácsi enjoyed the life of an international politician, eating at pricey restaurants in Brussels and winning awards as a human rights activist. Today, the 38-year old mother of three sleeps on the floor of a one-room basement apartment in Toronto and faces deportation. As a political asylum seeker, she hopes to convince Canada that the life of a former member of the European Parliament could be in danger in a democratic country like Hungary. ...

Harper says won't be rushed into Canada-EU trade deal

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:13:14 -0400

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday his government would not be rushed into signing a free trade agreement with the European Union this week just to coincide with meetings he is holding with European leaders. Harper was speaking to reporters in London on the first leg of a European tour that will take him also to France and Ireland, which holds the European presidency, as well as to Northern Ireland, where he will attend a summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations and the European Union. ...

Canada names John Pecman to head competition watchdog

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:13:43 -0400

By Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada on Wednesday named internal candidate John Pecman to head its Competition Bureau, nearly one year after he stepped in as interim head of the watchdog agency. Pecman was named Commissioner of Competition for a five-year term. The bureau is an independent law enforcement agency Set up to ensure fair competition in Canada. It is responsible for the enforcement of the Competition Act and investigates price fixing, bid-rigging and mergers, among other matters. Last week, the bureau charged Nestle SA and Mars Inc with fixing chocolate prices in Canada. ...

Analysis: Bombardier gambles on big order payoff with new jet

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:13:06 -0400

By Susan Taylor and Solarina Ho TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Bombardier Inc is hoping to carve a new niche in the cutthroat airplane market with a fuel-efficient, medium-haul jet that makes its first flight this month, but its all-new CSeries needs an avalanche of orders to stave off bigger rivals. Bombardier's narrow-body CSeries, aimed at a gap in the market, offers a lightweight carbon-composite frame like Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner, and new, fuel-saving Pratt & Whitney engines. ...

Canada watchdog wants tougher safety rules for trains

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:10:06 -0400

By Peter N Henderson TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian railways should bring in automatic braking systems and video recording devices to help prevent accidents like a fatal 2012 passenger train derailment, the country's transportation watchdog said on Tuesday. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada's proposals would apply to both passenger and freight travel, bringing railways in line with air travel, where flight recorders and automatic pilot systems have long been required. ...

Canada to snuff out medical marijuana production in homes

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:53:26 -0400

By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canada, a pioneer in the use of medical marijuana, will take legal production out of private homes next year as it seeks to address more than a decade of neighborhood spats and criminal activity. Health Canada will also snuff out its own production, which has been another legal source of the drug, and leave supplies solely to licensed growers in the private sector. ...

Canada says not receiving information from U.S. spying program

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:57:36 -0400

By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has no access to data gathered by a top-secret U.S. government surveillance program, but the nation's secret signals intelligence agency is monitoring foreign phone and internet traffic, officials said on Monday. An ex-CIA employee working as a contractor for the U.S. National Security Agency says the NSA is running a massive effort called Prism that scoops up information from phone companies as well as internet data from companies such as Google and Facebook. ...

Canada to make nuclear operators pay more for accidents

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:55:10 -0400

By Peter N Henderson TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will make operators of nuclear power plants liable for the first C$1 billion ($980 million) of damages in the event of an accident, up from C$75 million under existing rules, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said on Monday. Oliver also told a nuclear conference that Canada's Conservative government intends to increase the period during which compensation claims can be made after a disaster to 30 years from 10 years. ...

Senate committee calls for 'zero tolerance' on harassment within RCMP

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:58:30 -0400

OTTAWA - A Senate committee recommends the RCMP amend its code of conduct to explicity define and prohibit harassment.

Fed optimism, Tim Hortons lift TSX to 1-week high

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:57:32 -0400

By John Tilak TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index climbed to a one-week high on Tuesday as positive economic data and hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve will stick to its supportive monetary policy drove gains in almost every major sector. Coffee chain Tim Hortons Inc also boosted Canada's main stock index rising 4 percent on news that it now faces pressure from U.S. hedge fund Scout Capital Management to make changes after recently outlining plans to address the concerns of activist investor Highfields Capital. Sentiment improved further after U.S. ...

Tornado spotted near Denver airport; Passengers take shelter in bathrooms, stairwells

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:52:23 -0400

LA JUNTA, Colo. - Denver International Airport passengers are taking shelter after a tornado was spotted in the area.

G-8 NOTEBOOK: Cameron Tweets about WWII bomb at G-8 site, Obama girls lunch with Bono

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:52:31 -0400

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland - Well, that was close. Or was it? Shortly after wrapping up one of the most peaceful Group of Eight summits in recent memory, Prime Minister David Cameron let a cat out of the bag.

Platoon of Canadian soldiers deploys with Brazilians for Haiti peacekeeping

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:44:15 -0400

OTTAWA - A handful of Canadian troops are about to take part in peacekeeping operations in Haiti under the command of Brazilian forces.

Chrysler relents, to recall 2.7 million Jeeps over fuel tanks

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:41:56 -0400

By Bernie Woodall DETROIT (Reuters) - Chrysler Group LLC said it would recall 2.7 million older Jeep models after initially fighting a recall request from U.S. regulators in a dispute over crash protection for their fuel tanks. The recall will affect Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs from model years 1993 to 2004 and Jeep Liberty SUVs from 2002 to 2007. While Chrysler stood by its assertion that the vehicles are not defective, the automaker acknowledged consumer concerns and said it may upgrade the rear structure of the vehicles, which have their fuel tanks situated behind the rear axle. ...

Ex-fund managers can remain free during U.S. insider trading appeal

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:39:48 -0400

By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two former hedge fund managers persuaded a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday to allow them to remain free on bail as they seek to have their insider-trading convictions thrown out. Todd Newman, a former portfolio manager at hedge fund Diamondback Capital Management, and Anthony Chiasson, co-founder of hedge fund Level Global Investors, had been set to begin prison sentences later this summer. The two were convicted in December of illegally trading in Dell Inc and Nvidia Corp stock based on non-public information supplied by research analysts. ...

Cluster bomb victims call on Canada to ratify convention to ban 'dirty' weapon

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:37:33 -0400

GENEVA - The last day of Ahmad Mokaled's short life dawned on a sunny spring February morning in the southern Lebanon town of Nabatieh.

Calif. city sues Major League Baseball, says it is dragging feet over Oakland A's plan to move

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:37:09 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO - Major League Baseball is dragging its feet on having team owners vote on the Oakland Athletics' proposed move to a new ballpark 40 miles south in San Jose, San Jose city officials said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Exclusive: Facebook reaches 1 million active advertisers

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:32:36 -0400

By Jennifer Saba (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it now has 1 million active advertisers globally who used the platform in the last 28 days, a milestone for the company that is seeking to revive its revenue growth. A vast majority of those advertisers are small business owners who have flocked to the world's No. 1 social network. Facebook executives are hoping to net even more small advertisers since 16 million local businesses, ranging from jewelry sellers to clothing stores, set up free pages on the network. ...

Battered in Boston: Hawks need to start scoring and kick-start their power play

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:31:15 -0400

BOSTON - There is no panic or frustration. But Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville acknowledges his team is in a tough spot going into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final.

Deloitte to pay $10 million to settle misconduct accusations

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:30:20 -0400

By Karen Freifeld NEW YORK (Reuters) - A financial advisory unit of Deloitte LLP has agreed to pay $10 million and accept other New York state penalties to settle accusations of misconduct related to an investigation of money laundering at Standard Chartered Bank. Deloitte Financial Advisory Services also agreed to a one-year ban on doing consulting work for financial institutions regulated by New York state, and to reforms designed to address conflicts of interest, the state Department of Financial Services said on Tuesday. ...

Google asks U.S. surveillance court permission to publish request data

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:27:51 -0400

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc said on Tuesday it has asked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to allow the Internet company to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including disclosures under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), separately from criminal requests. Google's move comes after other tech companies, including Microsoft Corp, Facebook Inc and Apple Inc released limited information about the number of surveillance requests they receive under an agreement they struck with the U.S. government last week. ...

Adobe Systems profit beats as Creative Cloud subscriptions grow

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:21:00 -0400

(Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc, which makes the Photoshop and Acrobat software, reported a higher-than-expected adjusted quarterly profit as demand rose for the subscription-based version of its flagship software package. Shares of the company rose 4.4 percent in after-market trading. Net income fell to $76.5 million, or 15 cents per share, in the second quarter, from $223.9 million, or 45 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, earnings were 36 cents per share. Revenue fell 10 percent to $1.01 billion. Analysts on average had expected earnings of 33 cents per share on revenue of $1. ...

Commons Speaker sends MP suspension question to committee

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:22:00 -0400

OTTAWA - Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer has handed a House committee the tricky question of whether two Tory MPs should be suspended over doubtful campaign spending.

Tim Hortons pressed by a second hedge fund, shares jump

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:17:07 -0400

By Susan Taylor TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Tim Hortons Inc is under mounting pressure from activist investors to boost shareholder value a few weeks before a new CEO takes over after a second hedge fund said it had amassed a big stake in the coffee and doughnut chain. Tim Hortons shares jumped more than 4 percent on Tuesday after New York-based Scout Capital Management said it boosted its investment to 5.5 percent and met with management to discuss issues such as capital structure. ...

Schallibaum back on sidelines as Impact look to rebound against Dynamo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:16:09 -0400

MONTREAL - Coach Marco Schallibaum was serving a one-game suspension when his Montreal Impact had perhaps their worst game of the Major League Soccer season last weekend in Columbus.

Huawei says has no plans to buy Nokia

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:09 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese network equipment and cellphone maker Huawei Technologies Co said it "has no plans to acquire Nokia", responding to a Financial Times report that it would consider buying the Finish phone maker. The denial came from Huawei's vice president for external affairs, Bill Plummer. The story on the FT website on Tuesday had quoted the head of Huawei's consumer business, Richard Yu, as saying: "We are considering these sorts of acquisitions; maybe the combination has some synergies but depends on the willingness of Nokia. We are open-minded." Nokia declined comment. ...

Fast and curious driver caught going 221 km/h loses car, nets double the fine

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:07:07 -0400

COURTENAY, B.C. - A fast and curious driver caught going 221 kilometres an hour in his new Subaru 20R through Vancouver Island traffic has lost his vehicle for seven days and netted a hefty fine.

Minn. woman, son accused of stealing nearly $5K in frozen gopher feet, selling them for bounty

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:07:07 -0400

PRESTON, Minn. - A mother and her 18-year-old son from southeastern Minnesota are accused of stealing nearly $5,000 in frozen gopher feet and selling them for a bounty.

Utah man shot by son-in-law during Catholic Mass upgraded to fair condition

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:59:00 -0400

OGDEN, Utah - It was a quiet part of the Father's Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion. A parishioner, known by many at the church as Ricky Jennings, entered through the glass doors in back, holding his wife Cheryl's hand.

Mistrial declared in Detroit police officer's manslaughter trial when jury can't reach verdict

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:52:24 -0400

DETROIT - A judge declared a mistrial Tuesday after jurors failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a Detroit police officer who fatally shot a 7-year-old girl during a chaotic search for a murder suspect that was recorded by a reality TV crew.

Canada's eavesdropping agency helped spy on G20, documents suggest

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:51:57 -0400

OTTAWA - Leaked documents suggest Canada helped the United States and Britain spy on participants at the London G20 summit four years ago.

EasyJet plane order rekindles Airbus-Boeing subsidy row

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:46:29 -0400

PARIS (Reuters) - An order for more than 100 Airbus passenger jets by UK low-cost carrier easyJet has re-ignited a long-running trade spat between the European planemaker and U.S. rival Boeing . EasyJet announced the $10 billion order for 100 A320neo medium-haul jets, together with 35 current-generation A320 aircraft worth $3 billion at list prices, on Tuesday, day two of the Paris Airshow. EasyJet began operation in 1995 with Boeing aircraft, but shifted to Airbus in 2002 with a 120-plane order that followed a bitter competition between the world's largest planemakers. ...