CANADA
#1 — CNews | T.O. full-day kindergarten on chopping block
TORONTO – Parents love it. Critics call it free all-day babysitting.
Love it or hate it, the government’s costly new full-day kindergarten program is on the chopping block.
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#2 — Globe | Charest sweats on positive jobs and economy figures
The possibility of a spring provincial election is on the agenda of the Quebec Liberal caucus meeting this week, with the main obstacle appearing to be the government’s disapproval rating that continues to hover around 70 per cent in the latest public opinion polls.
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#3 — LFP | ISPs not covered by Broadcast Act: Court
OTTAWA – Canada’s top court has ruled that Internet service providers (ISPs) aren’t subject to the federal Broadcasting Act.
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#4 — NP | Liberals reach post-election high, but Tories rule the polls
The Liberals are polling at a post-election high and today run neck-and-neck alongside the NDP, according to a new Forum Research poll, which also found Justin Trudeau among the Liberal Party’s top picks for the permanent leadership next year — even though he has denied such ambitions.
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OTTAWA — Public servants and pensioners won’t be able to get at any of the $28-billion pension surplus even if they win their long legal battle and the Supreme Court of Canada orders the funds to be returned to their pension accounts, say federal lawyers.
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WORLD
#6 — LFP | US tribe sues beer makers for $500m over alcohol abuse
An American-Indian tribe in South Dakota has sued some of the world’s biggest beer firms over severe alcohol-related issues in the community.
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#7 — CNN | Mississippi pardons challenged at court hearing
(CNN) – Judges on Mississippi’s Supreme Court on Thursday heard challenges to the scores of controversial pardons issued by former Gov. Haley Barbour on his way out of office, peppering lawyers with questions but making no immediate ruling.
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#8 — Fox | Scientists say NASA cutting missions to Mars
WASHINGTON – Scientists say NASA is about to propose major cuts in its exploration of other planets, especially Mars. And NASA’s former science chief is calling it irrational.
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#9 — DM | Skin cancer drug ‘clears Alzheimer’s protein from the brain’
A skin cancer drug could prove to be a precious weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
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#10 — Telegraph | Syria: Tanks storm Homs amid fears of ground invasion
Tanks are storming the Syrian flashpoint city Homs this morning as soldiers loyal to Bashar al-Assad’s regime launch a house-to-house sweep of the area to crush opponents, activists said.
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#5. If the pension funds are that flush with money that they accumulate such a surplus ,
and if there is no legal right for the retired members to receive anything more than the legislated pension rates, then the contribution rates need to be adjusted lower. Other wise this is simply a tax on the Public Service, Military and RCMP members.
mid island mike