Top Weekly Canadian News: 22/02/09
Posted by brent on 22/02/2009
1. The Canadian Flag turned 44 years old on February 15th!
2. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is re-opening the issue of New Media licensing. They first looked into the issue in 1999 but decided licensing would not contribute to its development and exempting it would not make it difficult for licensed broadcasters to follow the rules. But in 1999 few households had high-speed internet, and now that 93% of Canadian homes have broadband access they are revisiting the issue. They are seeking public consultation on this issue. You can go here to read the Notice of Public Hearing, and here to participate by leaving a comment for the CRTC (Notice # 2008-11-1). Stories at the Toronto Star, the Globe & Mail, and the CBC.
3. A North African branch of al-Qaeda claimed it is holding hostage the United Nations envoy for Niger, Robert Fowler, and his aide Louis Guay, both Canadian diplomats who were kidnapped on December 14th. Known as al-Qaeda in Islamic North Africa (or the French acronym AQMI), it is an Algeria-based group that conducts dozens of bombings and ambushes every month. Canwest News Service reported they demanded a ‘prisoner exchange’ for the hostages’ release. More at the Globe & Mail and Yahoo Canada News.
