Ontario NDP pour cold water on Tory efforts to force election over $1.1-billion cost of cancelled gas plants

TORONTO — Ontario’s New Democrats poured cold water Wednesday on efforts by the Progressive Conservatives to force a snap election over the $1.1-billion the Liberal government spent to cancel gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga.

The Liberals killed the gas plants to hang on to power in the 2011 election, and should be defeated in a non-confidence motion as quickly as possible, said Opposition Leader Tim Hudak.
Ontario NDP pour cold water on Tory efforts to force election over $1.1-billion cost of cancelled gas plants
“They have no moral authority to govern this province when they’re willing to use whatever it takes, $1.1-billion, to save a handful of Liberal seats,” he said.

Did Kanye West, Jimmy Kimmel Make Nice After Twitter Feud?

Funnyman Jimmy Kimmel, left, and singer Kanye West are shown in these file photos.

Randy Holmes/ABC | Francois Mori/AP Photo

Kanye West and Jimmy Kimmel quickly dispelled the idea their so-called rap feud was a publicity stunt during a sometimes uncomfortable appearance on the comedian's television show.

Speculation that the rapper's anger over a "Jimmy Kimmel Live" parody skit that mocked him was staged was immediate after West lashed out at Kimmel in late September. But both said that their beef was authentic during a 30-minute interview on Wednesday night's show in which West discussed a range of topics including his artistry, paparazzi, family, fashion and the idea of celebrity.

Kimmel said early in the interview that he knows West personally and always found him friendly, but that he seems misunderstood.

"I don't know if you know this, but a lot of people think you're a jerk," Kimmel said after West called himself a genius. West was objecting to the idea that he's "just a celebrity."

"When you said you think you're a genius, I think that upsets people," Kimmel said. "But the truth is a lot of people think they're geniuses, but nobody says it because it's weird to say it. But it is most certainly more honest to say, 'I am a genius.'"

"I'm totally weird and totally honest and I'm totally inappropriate sometimes, and the thing is for me not to say I'm not a genius I'd be lying to you and to myself."

The fight broke out the day after Kimmel hired a child actor to portray West in a recreation of an interview West gave on BBC Radio 1 in which he discussed the limitations he's faced as his fame has grown, among many other topics.

West told Kimmel he's often upset with his portrayal in the media but usually keeps his reaction to himself. This time, though, since he knew Kimmel, he felt he had a license to reach out by phone and discuss his disapproval man to man.

"That elevates sometimes," West said. "Jimmy does his thing, I do my thing, and at some point egos can flare up, and we kind of took it back to high school."

Kimmel showed the highlights from West's resulting Twitter rant — "You should have seen the second set of tweets," West joked — and admitted he'd just seen a few snippets of the BBC interview before approving the skit and didn't realize how personal it was.

"I really felt bad about all this stuff, I did," Kimmel said after West walked on stage. West responded: "Mmm huh," but smiled widely after watching a portion of the skit.

In a sometimes stream-of-consciousness delivery, West talked passionately about discrimination based on class, protecting his music publishing from covetous drug dealers, false humility and his thoughts on and experience with high fashion. He also ranted against the Hollywood Walk of Fame organization for denying his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, a star and reflected on his recent negative interactions with paparazzi.

"The way the paparazzi talk to me and my family is disrespectful also, you know what I'm saying?" West said. "We bring something of joy to the world. When people hear my music they have a good time, and I should be respected as such when I walk down the street. Don't ask me a question about something you saw on the tabloids. Don't try to antagonize me, because it's not safe for you in this zoo, you know? Never think that I'm not from Chicago for one second."

Though both denied it was a publicity stunt, they did take advantage of the opportunity. A commercial touting West's concert tour ran during the show and ABC's "Nightline" aired a segment on West in the wake of the appearance. West's appearance went long, pre-empting an appearances by Arctic Monkeys.

Dreamliner Flight Diverted Back to San Diego

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner headed to Tokyo was diverted back to San Diego because of a possible problem with the aircraft's deicing system.

NBC-7 in San Diego reports the Japan Airlines flight left Lindbergh Field shortly after 1:30 p.m. PDT Wednesday. But the plane turned around and landed back in San Diego by 3:10 p.m. PDT.

Airline officials told the television station the pilot received an error message for the deicing system. The pilot made the decision to go back to San Diego so repairs could be made.

The Dreamliner has suffered a few glitches, most notably overheating lithium-ion battery systems that caused the planes to be grounded worldwide for three months this year. Boeing redesigned the battery systems to the satisfaction of U.S. aviation regulators.

Canadian Alice Munro wins Nobel prize for literature

STOCKHOLM - Canadian Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize in Literature for being the "master of the contemporary short story," the award-giving body said on Thursday.

Munro was awarded a prize of 8 million crowns ($1.25 million).

The literature prize is the fourth of this year's crop of prizes, which were established in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and awarded for the first time in 1901.

Libyan PM says fine after former rebels free him

TRIPOLI - Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, freed by former rebels who seized him from a hotel at dawn, said on Thursday on Twitter that his captors had wanted him to step down.

"I am fine, thank God. If the aim of the kidnapping operation was for me to present my resignation, then I won't resign. We are taking small steps, but in the right direction."

Assange slams WikiLeaks film in letter to actor Benedict Cumberbatch

LOS ANGELES - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange penned an open letter to British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays Assange in an upcoming film, praising the actor's talents but slamming his involvement with the film and turning down the actor's invitation to meet in person.

Assange, who is currently holed up at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, wrote a letter to Cumberbatch dated Jan. 15, 2013, that was published on Wednesday on the anti-secrecy website ahead of the Oct. 18 theatrical release of Walt Disney Co's DreamWorks film The Fifth Estate.

In the letter, Assange tells Cumberbatch he is "fond" of the actor's previous work, and adds "I think I would enjoy meeting you," but urged the actor to drop his involvement in the film, saying "I do not believe it is going to be positive for me or the people I care about."

"I know the film intends to depict me and my work in a negative light. I believe it will distort events and subtract from public understanding. It does not seek to simplify, clarify or distil the truth, but rather it seeks to bury it. It will resurrect and amplify defamatory stories which were long ago shown to be false," Assange wrote.

The enigmatic WikiLeaks founder turned down Cumberbatch's invitation to meet ahead of shooting for the film, citing his issues with the film's angle of his own story.

"I believe you are well-intentioned, but surely you can see why it is a bad idea for me to meet with you. By meeting with you, I would validate this wretched film, and endorse the talented, but debauched, performance that the script will force you to give," Assange said.

Four Egyptian security personnel killed in Sinai suicide bombing

Four Egyptian security personnel were killed in a suicide bombing in the Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, the BBC reported.

Three of them were soldiers, and one was a policeman, security officials said.

'I don't deserve Nobel yet', says Malala

Mingora (Pakistan) (AFP) - Malala Yousafzai, the teenage activist nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, says she has not done enough to deserve the award, as her old school closed Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of her shooting by the Taliban.

The 16-year-old was shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban on October 9 last year for speaking out against them. She has gone on to become a global ambassador for the right of all children to go to school.
Feted by world leaders and celebrities for her courage, she has addressed the UN, this week published an autobiography, and on Friday will learn if she has won the Nobel Peace prize.

But in an interview with Pakistani radio station City89 FM, Malala spoke of her desire to do more to promote education, saying she felt she had not yet earned the Nobel accolade.

"There are many people who deserve the Nobel Peace Prize and I think that I still need to work a lot. In my opinion I have not done that much to win the Nobel Peace Prize," she said.

View gallery."

A bookstore sells copies of the memoirs of Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai in Islamabad on …

 

In Swat valley, in deeply conservative northwest Pakistan where women are often expected to stay at home to cook and rear children, officials say only around half of girls go to school -- though this is up from 34 percent in 2011.

Malala was taken to Britain for treatment in the wake of the attack and now goes to school in the central city of Birmingham.

On the first anniversary of the shooting that came within a whisker of ending her life, her old school in Mingora, the main town of Swat, was closed to mark the occasion.

"All sections of our school have been closed today to express solidarity with Malala on the anniversary of attack on her. The school will reopen as usual tomorrow," a teacher in Khushhal Public School told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Malala first rose to prominence with a blog for the BBC Urdu service chronicling the difficulties of life under the rule of the Taliban, who controlled Swat from 2007 until they were kicked out by the army in 2009.

View gallery."

Pakistani female students attend a class at a school in Mingora, the capital of Swat Valley, on Sept …

 

Though their brutal rule has ended, pockets of militancy remain, with schools regularly being destroyed by insurgents. Fear of the men of violence means there will be no public event to mark the anniversary.
"We did not organise any function in Swat on the anniversary of attack on Malala because people fear they can also be attacked like her," district education officer Dilshad Bibi told AFP.

"Many girls are scared that they can be attacked if they are attached with Malala."
While Malala has enjoyed acclamation around the world, in Pakistan the response to her rise to stardom has been more sceptical, with some accusing her of acting as a puppet of the West.

But with her message of hope and determination she has managed to inspire some of the youngsters in her home area.

"The incident of attack on her one year ago is unforgettable. Education is our life and Malala raised her voice for it, so we like her very much," said 12-year-old Humera Khan.
"I also aim to fight for education when I grow up."

Court imposes travel ban on former Olmert aide Zaken

The Tel Aviv District court issued a travel ban on Shula Zaken, former top aide to ex-prime minister Ehud Olmert, who was hospitalized on Wednesday night on the eve of her cross-examination in the Holyland case.

Zaken's cross-examination on Thursday was postponed to Sunday, but Judge David Rozen decided that the trial will continue on Sunday even if Zaken remains in the hospital.

Libyan PM freed after being seized over U.S. raid: officials

TRIPOLI  - Former rebel gunmen freed Libya's prime minister on Thursday after holding him for several hours in reprisal for the capture by U.S. forces at the weekend of a Libyan al Qaeda suspect in Tripoli, officials said.

A Reuters journalist at the scene said protesters had opened fire at the building where Ali Zeidan was being held to demand that the group, which is affiliated with the government, free the premier.

"The prime minister has been released," a government official said. A security source also said Zeidan was free.

Two years after a revolution ended Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, Libya is in turmoil, with its vulnerable central government and nascent armed forces struggling to contain rival tribal militias and Islamist militants who control parts of the country.

The militia, which had been hired by the government to provide security in Tripoli, said it "arrested" Zeidan after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Libya had a role in the weekend capture in the city of Abu Anas al-Liby.

"His arrest comes after ... (Kerry) said the Libyan government was aware of the operation," a spokesman for the group, known as the Operations Room of Libya's Revolutionaries, told Reuters.

Before his release, an official in the Interior Ministry anti-crime department told the state news agency that Zeidan, a former diplomat and exile opposition activist against Gaddafi, was being held there and was being treated well.

The Libyan government in a statement confirmed the premier was taken at dawn to "an unknown place for unknown reasons."

The prime minister was taken from the Corinthia Hotel, where many diplomats and top government officials live. It is regarded as one of the most secure places in Tripoli.

The kidnapping, however brief, raised the stakes in the unruly OPEC nation, where the regional factions are also seeking control over its oil wealth, which provides Libya with the vast bulk of government revenues.
Brent oil prices rose on the news.

"Everybody is watching this... We still haven't seen any disruption to supply from Libya, so we don't expect a spike in prices," said Ken Hasegawa, a commodity sales manager at Newedge Japan.

A mix of striking workers, militias and political activists have blocked Libya's oilfields and ports for more than two months, according to Oil Minister Abdelbari Arusi, resulting in over $5 billion of lost revenues.
He said on October 2 that oil exports could return to full capacity in days once the strikes ended.

Repsol and Eni, involved in western Libya, have seen output largely restored since fields reopened last month. But companies invested in eastern Libya are entering a third month of closures at several important export terminals.

Oil companies have become more wary of North Africa after an attack in January on the Amenas gas plant in neighboring Algeria, a top gas supplier to Europe and an oil-producing OPEC member.

UNKNOWN LOCATION
U.S. special forces on Saturday seized Nazih al-Ragye, known by his alias Abu Anas al-Liby - a Libyan suspected in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Liby is being held on a Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

After Zeidan was seized, the U.S. State Department said it was "in close touch with senior U.S. and Libyan officials on the ground."

The Operations Room of Libya's Revolutionaries had been affiliated with the Interior Ministry which assigned them to provide security in the capital as part of a program to reintegrate former fighters.
Guards at the hotel said there were no shots fired or clashes during the incident.

Al-Arabiya television channel quoted Libya's justice minister as saying that Zeidan had been "kidnapped" and showed what it said were video stills of Zeidan frowning and wearing a grey shirt undone at the collar surrounded by several men in civilian clothes pressing closely around him.

Zeidan said on Tuesday Libyans accused of crimes should be tried at home, but that the raid to capture Liby would not harm U.S. ties - trying preserve relations with a major ally without provoking a backlash from Islamist militants.

But the raid angered militant groups, including one blamed for the assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi in 2012, who called for revenge attacks on strategic targets including gas export pipelines, planes and ships, as well as for the kidnappings of Americans in the capital.