British Airways strike begins

The union representing British Airways cabin crew has begun a five-day strike. However, the airline says it will be able to carry 70 per cent of passengers who have booked flights. Thousands of in-flight workers walked of the job this Monday to protest a cost cutting plan. This plan is going to be responsible for the elimination of roughly 1,700 jobs. The airline has a contingency plan in place that will allow it to move 7o per cent of its normal traffic using leased planes and other workers while putting customers on other airlines. However, even though the airline company has a contingency plan in place, more than half of the airline's flights out of London, Heathrow were cancelled Monday. This leaves many of the customers unsatisfied with British Airways, "I think the strikers are greedy, the way the econmy is. They should be happy to have a job", London traveller Maureen Lonergan said. The strike was supposed to begin on May 17 but was ruled invalid by Britain's High Court because the union did not follow the procedures when announcing the results of the vote to members. One of the union's key issues is the demand that the airline restore employee travel benefits that the airline suspended. The unions leader, Tony Woodley, said the dispute has turned personal because he believes the airline dislikes the cabin crew union. British Airways said it has accepted an invitation for more negotiations, and said it believes the union will also accept.


I believe that the cabin crew employees are taking their job for granted. During the economic times that we are in at the moment, they have to understand that British Airways has to start making cut backs. The first thing they would look into reducing is the cabin crew employees, because the airline itself does not need as many of them to operate efficiently. Also, by walking out like the cabin crew did, it hurt the reputation of British Airways. I believe it will make people think twice before flying with this airline company. I predict that this strike will come to a conclusion soon, because British Airways cannot go on with cancelling and postponing flights. If they let the strike go on for more than 2 weeks the will loose a great amount of money, and their reputation of being a major and reliable airline company will take a huge hit.


http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/05/24/british-airways-strike.html

Canada imposes sanctions on N. Korea

Canada and the United States both have agreed to offer their full support to South Korea. South Korea's president has cut all trade to North Korea as of Monday. This is all in retaliation for a torpedo attack that killed 46 sailors. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that Canada's sanctions will include enhanced restrictions on trade, investment and other bilateral relations with North Korea. Also, the Canadian government has agreed to suspend high-level visits to Canada by North Korean officials. "Canada has condemned the reckless North Korean regime for this egregious violation of international law and its blatant disregard of its international obligations," Harper had said in his statement. Harper also said in his statement that Canada has pledged full support towards South Korean President Lee Myung-baks decision to respond decisively to the "act of aggression." The South Korean President said his country has "always tolerated North Korea's brutality, time and again". Lee said that they did this because they "had a genuine longing for peace on the Korean Peninsula". "But now things are different, North Korea will pay a price corresponding to its provocative acts," he said. Three experts from the Canadian Navy joined the multinational team that investigated the incident, and concluded the warship was sunk by a torpedo on March 25 near the western maritime border. In conclusion, Harper's statement adds that Canada is committed to a co-ordinated international response, including through the United Nations Security Council.


I feel as though that Canada is being a responsible ally to South Korea. Canada really has no choice other than to say "yes", we will support the South Korean government. If Canada were to say "no", they are no going to help South Korea, many of the population would feel betrayed or feel that Canada is not being a responsible ally. However, this is a very serious issue, as I believe that this torpedo incident could be the cause for a war between South and North Korea. The reason I think this could occur is because of the long lasting feud between the two countries. South and North Korea are two very different countries, they are governed in complete different ways, and their way of life differs dramatically. Also, there is no evidence yet that the torpedo attack on the warship is to be blamed on North Korea. Personally I do believe that North Korea is responsible, but they have not come forth and taken responsibility for it yet. In conclusion, Canada is doing the ethical and responsible action in this situation, and is contributing to its reputation of being a friendly ally.


http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/05/24/south-korea024.html

N. Korea fired deadly torpedo at ship: probe

Evidence overwhelmingly proves a North Korea torpedoed and sank a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors. The Ssouth Korean President, Lee Myung-Bak vowed"stern action" for the missile attack and called an emergency security meeting for Friday."We will take resolute countermeasures against North Korea and make them admit its wrong doings through strong international co-operation," Lee told Australian Prime minister Kevin Rudd. The White Hhouse called the sinking an act of aggression that constitutes a challenge to international peace and security. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, Lawrence Cannon, has stated that "evidence points conclusively to a North Korean torpedo having been responsible" and continues to say that "there is no other plausible explanation". Lawrence had also told the press that Canada is in full support of South Korea, as it is our ally and friend. However, North Korea warned that it will wage "all out war" if they are punished for the sinking of the warship. The North Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman from the National Defence Commission as rejecting the findings as a "fabrication".





I agree with both the White House and South Korea. I believe that North Korea is responsible for this attack. There was no apparent reason for the attack, however North Korea just wanted to show power and seek revenge towards South Korea. The feud between North and South Korea has been going on for years, and even though there has not been much in terms of actual attacks between the two countries, it does not mean they are still not feuding. One of the reasons that causes me to blame North Korea for this attack, is because of there previous violent history. I would advise the president of South Korea not to engage in attacks against North Korea. I think this is what North Korea wants as they do not want to start the war as it would look bad on their country. If South Korea where to engage in attacks then this would give a reason for North Korea to attack back. Also, North Korea has the advantage if they were to engage in war, because they have the latest technology in military equipment. In conclusion, I believe North Korea is to blame for the torpedo attack, but I would not advise South Korea to engage in war.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/05/19/north-korea-torpedo.html

Teen babysitter sued over fire

A 14 year old who lives in northern Alberta, is being sued $350,000 after a fire burned down the home she was babysitting. This incident occurred back in 2007, when the babysitter Aaliyah Braybook was 12. She was looking after 2 little boys in a trailer in Clairmont, which is located just outside of Grand Prairie. When Aaliyah had noticed the fire, she quickly rescued the two little boys and brought them outside to safety, and then called 911. Earlier this week Aliyah and Douglas Mills, the father of the two boys were served with a statement of claim. They are being sued my Mills parents, Kendall and Diana Mills, who live in the damaged home. In their statement they wrote that Douglas Mills's five year old son Damien was playing with a cigarette when the fire broke out. They also said the Aaliyah was too young to be a responsible babysitter. Both Aaliyah and her father are shocked by this recent news, because they think that Aaliyah should be viewed as a hero for saving the two little boys from the fire. Aaliyah's father defended his daughter by saying that she had all of the qualifications to be a babysitter, and was well prepared to look after the children. Both the Braybrook and the Mills families are expected to hire a lawyer. The lawyer from the Mills family, said the lawsuit looks like a father is suing his son and the babysitter, but it is actually a dispute between the insurance companies.

I think that Aaliyah should not be sued. I agree with her father, saying that she should be thanked for saving the two boys lives, not be blamed. Also, I think that this is all about money for the insurance companies. If it weren't for the insurance companies I don't think their would be any type of financial arguments taking place. I feel sorry for the babysitter as she saved both of the kids lives and is being blamed for the fire. However, I do feel as though that she was too young to be babysitting. A 12 year old is too young to be responsible for two kids and a house. I am not saying she is to be blamed for the fire, I just feel that the government should make the minimum babysitting age older.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/05/05/teen-sued.html

Victim slams police in Col. Williams case

The victim of a sexual assault case from Tweed,Ontario, spoke out about the police actions. She said she felt "totally betrayed" by the police when she learned Col. Russel Williams had been charged with dozens of other crimes dating back to 2007. The police kept telling the victim that it was just a one time occurrence, and the the sex-pervert just wanted to take pictures. The victim was sexuality assaulted and photographed during a home invasion on September 30,2009. In February, 47 year old Williams, then commander of the Canadian Forces Base Trenton, was charged in that attack, along with an earlier home invasion and sexual assault. He was also charged with first degree murder in the deaths of Jessica Lylod, 27 and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 37. The victim of the Sept. 30 attack believes that the assailant may have visited her house a year earlier, when an article of her clothing went missing. She thinks that the police should have warned the people in the community about the sex offender. The police responded by saying " They were tyring to solve this investigation without scaring people". The Sept. 30 victim isn't the only Tweed resident who is shocked about the findings, and is questioning the police to why they didn't inform the town earlier.


I agree with the victim. The police should have informed the town about Williams past crime history. This could have prevented many cases of sexual assault, home invasion, and breaking and entry. I believe the only reason why the police didn't inform the Tweed residences is because of who Williams is. Williams is the commander of the Canadian forces, based in Trenton and was supposed to be a very well respected individual. People have now lost total respect for the police force and segments of the military as a result. It is fortunate that the situation did not become a violent one.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/04/29/ottawa-russell-williams-police-tweed.html

Pilot in Polish crash may be to blame: officials

Pilot error may be to blame for a plane crash in western Russia on Saturday, that killed the Polish president and 95 others. The passengers on the plane consisted of the Polish President Lach Kaczynski, and his wife, along with dozens of high-ranking government and defence officials. The TU-154 plane crashed while in heavy fog near Smolensk, Russia. The investigator who was assigned this case, is Russia's chief investigator Alexander Bastrykin. Bastrykin said on Monday, that the investigators have almost finished reading the flight recorders. "The readings confirm that there were no problems with the plane, and that the pilot was informed about the difficult weather conditions , but never the less decided to land" Bastrykin said during a briefing with the Russian Prime Minister. The pilot was identified as Capt. Arkadiuz Protasiuk, 36, and the co-pilot as Maj. Robert Grzywna, 36. The Polish delegation was traveling to Russia to attend a memorial for more than 20,000 Polish soldiers, police, and others executed by the soviet secret police and buried in graves in the Katyn forest near Smolensk in 1940.

This is truly a tragic event. These people died because of one mistake. I believe that the pilot is responsible as he should have not taken the risk in trying to fly in heavy fog. Since there were such high profile passengers on board all precautions should have been taken into consideration. The plane was in perfect shape, so a faulty plane could not have been responsible for the crash. This leads us to believe that the pilot flying was responsible and simply made a bad judgement call. He must have believed he could fly and not realized the severity of the fog. Pure and simple pilot error is the result in this tragic event.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/04/12/poland-plane-crash-warsaw.html

Canada may fast-track Haitian immigration

The Canadian government recently stated that they are looking into a plan to help fast track immigration from Haiti. This is all because of the earthquake that crippled the Caribbean country, leaving thousands homeless. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that he and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, have been discussing ways to ease immigration and refugee rules to allow more Haitian people to come into our country. Early Friday morning three military air transports arrived in Montreal carrying 272 evacuees. These people were selected by the staff at the Canadian Embassy. A total of 6 Canadians have been reported dead, 13 injured, and 550 have been located in Haiti. There are approximately 1,415 Canadians still missing in Haiti. The Canadian Embassy is continuously acting as a refuge for Canadian citizens, unfortunately many people are being sent to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for transport back to Canada. The government wants to create a plan that would allow Haitian citizens with Canadian relatives to also come to Canada. The difficult task for the government will be deciding who to bring stated Chantal Barratteau-Haitian community in Montreal.



I believe that there a pros and cons of fast-tracking Haitian immigration. The government is doing the right thing by allowing them to come into Canada, because back in Haiti most of the population has nothing left after the earthquake. However, by allowing the citizens in without need is also unacceptable. Most of the individuals who come from Haiti will bring nothing to Canada's economy. The majority have little education, and posess no trades that Canada needs. By allowing too many of these type of people into Canada might reduce the economy in some areas. On the other hand, I do believe that the government is doing the most ethical thing by allowing them entry. Most Haitians have nothing back home, and will most likely live a horrible life for the next 2-3 years until the country gets back on their feet. By allowing them into our country, they will be provided with a much better life.



http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/15/haiti-canada-immigration.html