international
Marc Emery turns himself in; Justice Minister signs off on extradition
Jill Drews / Dean RecksiedlerVANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Marc Emery, Vancouver's so-called "Prince of Pot" has surrendered at B.C. Supreme Court to await his extradition to the United States. Canada's Justice Minister has signed off on the extradition, ending much chance of any more delays.
Emery held a short demonstration earlier today, hoping strong public support would convince Canada's justice minister to keep him in this country. He has pleaded guilty to U.S. drug charges surrounding his online seed-selling business and he has agreed to a five-year prison term in the States.
Unhappy Mother's Day for Calgary mom of child held by Oregon foster system
By: Shannon Montgomery, The Canadian Press Published: Winnipeg Free PressCALGARY - A Calgary mom is pleading with Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a fellow parent to help her bring her 12-year-old son home to Canada after almost two years in a series of U.S. foster homes.
Lisa Kirkman held a Mother's Day rally to bring attention to the fact her son, Noah, has been in foster care in Oregon since September 2008. She told Harper from the steps of Calgary's federal government building to think of his own son and daughter, who are close to Noah in age.
Bittersweet Mother's Day for Calgary woman
ctvcalgary.caA peaceful protest for the return of a Canadian boy being held in the U.S. took place on Sunday.
The protest, which was organized by the boy's mother, Lisa Kirkman, started outside the Harry Hays building and ended outside of the U.S. Consulate.
Kirkman has been fighting for two years to get her 12-year-old son back from Oregon authorities.
The family and supporters are pleading with both Canada and the U.S. for her son's safe return.
This is Kirkman's second Mother's Day without her son Noah.
"It's very difficult for me to describe how painful it is," commented Kirkman. Read more »
Calgary woman fights seizure of her son by American officials
Canadian PressCALGARY - A Calgary woman is spearheading a Mother’s Day Rally to bring attention to her fight to be reunited with her 12-year-old son.
Lisa Kirkman says that in 2008, her son Noah was visiting his stepfather in Oregon when he was taken into the custody of the Department of Human Services because he was in the United States without a legal guardian.
She says the boy is still in a foster home nearly two years later and she is not allowed to visit him or even have supervised phone conversations.
Kirkman has said she thinks U.S. justice officials might be hung up on the fact she has edited marijuana-related magazines and has a criminal record for growing medical marijuana for her husband.
Calgarians rally to back mother's attempt to get her son back
By: Pete Curtis, Lisa Grant and Ryan Vanderwal 660NewsA Mother's Day rally is planned for 2pm in front of the Harry Hays building for a Calgary mother, whose 12-year-old son is being held in foster care in Oregon.
When Lisa Kirkman travelled to Oregon in the summer of 2008, she was planning to bring her son Noah back home following a visit with his stepfather.
However, local authorities seized Noah claiming he was abandoned by his mother.
The special needs youngster was picked up when local police stopped him for not wearing a helmet while riding his bike.
Mom longs for son's return
By Michael Platt, Calgary SunIf you’re a mom today, eating soggy cereal and blackened toast in bed, count yourself lucky.
Lisa Kirkman would trade everything she owns to be in your place, her son Noah serving up a Mother’s Day breakfast made with love and good intentions, if not exactly digestible food.
“I’d trade anything to get the awful smelling perfume he’d probably give to me, or the burnt waffles he’d serve to me in bed for Mother’s Day,” says Lisa.
“I’d trade anything I have — I can barely even think about it, it gets me so upset.”
Refugees from Mexico's drug war get chilly reception in Canada
By: Adrian Humphreys, National PostGuillermo Marquez Alvarez, a businessman in the city of Morelia in central Mexico, cherished his 13-year friendship with the brother of Mexico's President, Felipe Calderon, until a man slid beside him in a taxi and demanded he act as a messenger between the President and Los Zetas, a notoriously savage drug cartel.
If he helped the gangsters he would be well paid, he was told that morning. If he refused, he and his family would be killed.
Energy firm allegedly promoted by Rahim Jaffer named
Daniel Leblanc Ottawa, Globe and MailThe company that former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer is alleged to have promoted to the government in his wife’s parliamentary office last year is a U.S.-Canadian firm that is developing technology to reduce mercury emissions in coal plants, sources say.
The office of Environment Minister Jim Prentice forwarded documents Tuesday to a parliamentary committee that is looking into allegations of unregistered lobbying by Mr. Jaffer and Patrick Glémaud, the co-owners of Green Power Generation.
The new documents relate to Mr. Prentice’s statement last Friday that Mr. Jaffer had discussions with one of his ministerial aides, Scott Wenger, on behalf of an unspecified company last year. Read more »
HIV drugs rationed: global report
CBC NewsAIDS programs are being starved of funds worldwide, and if the trends continue, millions of people may die indirectly, a new report says.
The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition released the report, Rationing Funds, Risking Lives: World Backtracks on HIV Treatment, on Monday in Delhi, India, and Kampala, Uganda.
In a foreword to the report, Peter Mugyenyi, head of the Joint Clinical Research Center in Kampala, said he was seeing people there being denied treatment because funds were not coming through as promised.
Drug users must be helped to halt AIDS spread: U.N.
Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent, Reuters Published: National PostLONDON (Reuters) - Countries in eastern Europe and central Asia face spiralling AIDS epidemics if they fail to help people who inject drugs and stop the spread of infection, the head of the United Nations agency for HIV/AIDS said on Friday.
Michel Sidibe told Reuters countries such as Russia, Ukraine and others could halt or buck the global downward trend in new HIV infections if they ignored the threat posed by drug users and failed to introduce effective "harm reduction" steps.
