The all clear is far from being given

THREE radioactive rockets capable of contaminating a city centre were offered for sale last week to a Sunday Times reporter posing as a middleman for Islamic terrorists.

The Alazan rockets, which have a range of eight miles, were among 50,000 tons of weapons left behind at an arms dump in the breakaway eastern European republic of Transdniester when the Russian army withdrew after the cold war.

V E DAY -To those who served -we owe you our freedom

VE Day Toronto

VE Day Canada

German surrender document

War's end

60% of respondents believe Canada would benefit from a new ruling party

Many Canadians believe their country might benefit from a new federal administration, according to a poll by Ekos Research Associates published in the Toronto Star. 60 per cent of respondents believe Canada needs a new ruling party in Ottawa.

No receipts? Would that happen in a public company?

"I want Parliament to be able to pursue what is clear the Martin government doesn't want to pursue -- which is the truth behind what happened to this $2 million," said Conservative MP Brian Pallister, who pressed to hold Ouellet to account.

"He has escaped scrutiny, and I think it's most unfair."

The former longtime Grit cabinet minister was suspended with pay last February after Auditor General Sheila Fraser found spending discrepancies in the sponsorship program, including Canada Post.

Another audit by Deloitte Touche found Ouellet interfered with hiring and the awarding of contracts and billed $2 million travel and hospitality expenses, mostly without supplying receipts.

Ouellet is to appear at the government operations committee Thursday.

Bringing the cash out from underneath the mattresses in Iraq

Iraq's cash economy will get a jolt of modernity in the coming weeks -- automated teller machines and credit cards, the president of the Trade Bank of Iraq said yesterday.

Cutting off oil to North Korea too tame?

The last time North Korea acted up, the Chinese cut off the oil supply for 3 days and then they quieted down. This time they are suggesting cutting off the food supply to get their attention? The regular North Koreans are already starving.


Chinese officials suggested that cutting off food deliveries would have the biggest impact and indicated Beijing was considering expanding a ban on certain imports to North Korea, it added.

Hosed at the pumps- back-ended by the feds

Forget Gomery -- back the Grits, they plead, while the populace hands a few percentage points back to the Liberals who look like they may pull off a comeback not seen since Lazarus.

Bronco still bucks for the bucks with no strings attached, the way democracy works in the school social studies textbooks.

"At the end of the day, putting dollars from the fuel tax in the hands of cities is good social policy. So what's the holdup?" asks the mayor, knowing full well the answer.

Holdup. Such an appropriate image when dealing with the arrogant yet amazingly effective outfit of uglies now operating out of Ottawa.

Good for Tony on his victory

When forced to admit that prewar intelligence estimates of Iraq's WMD capabilities turned out to be wrong, Blair refused to kowtow to his enemies' insistence that he renounce the war effort.

"I can apologize for the information that turned out to be wrong," he said, "but I can't — sincerely, at least — apologize for removing Saddam. The world is a better place with Saddam in prison, not in power."

UNSCAM-this doesn't pass the smell test

They could have it in camera if they were concerned,but it appears the UN doesn't want the dirty linen in public. His commission had no subpoena powers so how thorough could it be?


Paul Volcker, the head of the U.N.-appointed panel probing the oil-for-food scandal, yesterday asked Congress to drop its efforts to force an investigator who resigned from the panel to testify about any top-level corruption at the world body.
Mr. Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman, warned the integrity of his investigation and the safety of witnesses interviewed by the committee both could be at stake if U.S. lawmakers follow through on subpoenas for Robert Parton's appearance.