March 3, 2005

U.S. denies Canada minister on 'no-fly list' CNN - The U.S. embassy in Canada denied a newspaper story on Wednesday that said Canadian Defence Minister Bill Graham had trouble boarding a plane because his name was on a U.S. no-fly list designed to deter terrorists. The Globe and Mail article said Graham had to wait while his staff found ways to vouch for his identity and ensure he made it on to the scheduled flight to the United States in January. 3:50:07 PM

Khadr laptop seized at Pearson Toronto Star, Canada - Police have seized a laptop from the daughter of an accused terrorist financier because they believe it holds vital information about Al Qaeda's operations, court documents state. Canadian Zaynab Khadr is being investigated by an RCMP-led unit under anti-terrorism laws introduced in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The 25-year-old came to Canada from Pakistan two weeks ago, when her computer, cellphone and handwritten documents were seized at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. As part of the sworn information used to obtain a search warrant for her possessions, the lead investigator on Khadr's case wrote, "I believe that Zaynab Khadr has willingly participated and contributed both directly and indirectly towards enhancing the ability of Al Qaeda to facilitate its criminal activities." It's also alleged that she operated as an intermediary for her eldest brother Abdullah, who once trained at an Al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan and is now believed to be under arrest. While much is known about Khadr's family, mainly through interviews family members have given to the media, the 44-page document filed by police with the court provides the first record of how Canadian authorities see the family's alleged involvement in Al Qaeda. 3:42:09 PM

Acquittals in Pakistan gang rape Five men sentenced to death in a high-profile gang-rape case in the Pakistani province of Punjab have been acquitted on appeal. Judges in Lahore said there was insufficient evidence. A sixth man had his sentence commuted to life in jail. A Pakistani tribal council allegedly ordered the rape of Mukhtar Mai in February 2002 as punishment for a rape falsely attributed to her brother. The case shocked rights groups in Pakistan and overseas. 9:32:41 AM

Firms Make $3.5B Bid to Buyout Entire NHL Newsday, NY - An investment firm and a sports advisory company reportedly made a joint proposal to buy all 30 NHL teams for as much as $3.5 billion. Bain Capital Partners LLC and Game Plan International, both based in Boston, made the offer in a 30-minute presentation to NHL owners on Tuesday in New York, sources told the Toronto Star. The companies were invited to make their pitch by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. 9:11:27 AM

Darfur attacks 'led by Khartoum' Evidence that Sudan's government is backing Arab militias in Darfur has come from a leader of the forces, US-based Human Rights Watch has said. Musa Hilal, named by the US as a Janjaweed leader, told the group that militia attacks on ethnic Africans were directed by Sudanese army commanders. "These people get their orders... from Khartoum," he said in an interview transcript released by the group. The Sudanese government has strongly denied supporting the militias. The Janjaweed are alleged to have killed thousands and used mass rape against non-Arab groups. Sudan's government and the Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the United Nations has stopped short of terming it a genocide. More than two million people are estimated to have fled their homes and at least 100,000 are thought to have died during the crisis.  9:06:44 AM

Update: Appeals court reverses patent ruling against Microsoft in Eolas case. An appeals court on Wednesday threw out a $520.6 million patent infringement judgment against Microsoft Corp. and ordered a new trial in the dispute brought by Eolas Technologies. [InfoWorld] 8:03:29 AM

The teddy bear sitting in the corner of the child's room might look normal, until his head starts following the kid around using a face recognition program, perhaps also allowing a parent talk to the child through a special phone, or monitor the child via a camera and wireless Internet connection.  Spooky from Microsoft. 7:36:54 AM