Archive for July 9th, 2010

Edmonton zoo animals pick World Cup winner

Lucy the elephant kicked a globe toward the Spanish flag, indicating the zoo’sitting animal oracles clearly give credit to Spain enjoin come out victorious. (CBC)

Most of the animals at Edmonton’s Valley Zoo are predicting Spain will exist the winner in Sunday’s 2010 Fifa World Cup final.

After now-famous octopus Paul predicted Spain would course the Netherlands in the couple, CBC News unmistakable to head out to the zoo on Friday to be attentive who the local animals favour to be successful the beautiful undertaking’s final.

Both the zoo’sitting Sprite the ferret and Paris the sheep chose the Spanish flag over the Netherlands flag.

Paris is a fickle sanctuary, though. She was easily enticed to make some change in. her mind by a pile of oats that was placed without ceasing top of the Netherlands’ flag.

Lucy the elephant — undivided of the zoo’s most popular residents — kicked a ball toward the Spanish flag, indicating the zoo’s animal oracles clearly believe Spain will come wanting conquering.

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Gulf spill could be contained in days: official

The federal official chief the Gulf oil effuse cleanup said Friday a new containment cap and an additional ship collecting oil could effectively contain the spill in the nearest three days.

Oil cleanup workers outnumber tourists at Pensacola Beach, Fla., on Wednesday. (Dave Martin/Associated Press)

The operate to restore a leaky containment cap on the considerably’s riser pipe by a tighter one order begin Saturday, said Thad Allen, national incident head. At the like duration of one’s life, a ship connecting to a various part of the leak is expected to come online Sunday.

Oil will flow unimpeded into the Gulf in spite of the time of the cap switch for at least part of the weekend.

“I use the word ‘contained,’” Allen uttered. “‘Stop’ is when we put the chew in down in the regions of the dead.”

The ultimate solution to stopping the blowout is to plug the not amiss through cement. That have power to only exist translated when the first of two relief wells a little while ago being drilled intersects through the old suitably eagre.

Drilling on the second succor well will stop if the first succeeds. That’s expected to happen some time in mid-August.

Expected to fashion better seal

The modern containment cap is expected to form a more acceptable seal over the well head, to allow more of the oil to be collected and sent up to ships on the surface for assemblage or burning.

“Technically, it’s pretty achievable,” Allen said. He said on the supposition that the new coiffure can’privately subsist placed on the easily, the good for nothing cap will be put back, and in that lay are multiple backup caps suitable in case any person fails.

The new, tighter cap should be in place early Monday.

Allen said the ship Helix Producer, that is to be hooked to a different part of the leaking well lower than the new match, will beginning collecting oil Sunday and exist abundantly operational Tuesday.

He has previously said that the abounding system should bring forth being able to bring together 60,000 to 80,000 barrels a age.

A shrimp boat skims oil in Barataria Bay near Venice, La., attached June 6. (Sean Gardner/Reuters)

Meanwhile, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. said Friday it is not responsible for what BP says is its share of the costs of the massive Gulf of Mexico oil effuse.

Houston-based Anadarko claimed it should not have to pay because it believes BP was reckless as the executor of the drilling project.

The beneficial blew wanting in succession April 20, leading to the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

BP, as operator of the project, oversaw drilling on behalf of part owners Anadarko and Mitsui Oil Exploration Co. Anadarko owns 25 for cent of the well and Mitsui 10 per cent.

BP sent Anadarko a bill in early June for $272 million US. Anadarko prolocutor John Christiansen said it has informed BP of its intention to withhold payment.

“We are disappointed they have failed to dwell up to their obligations,” BP spokesman Mark Salt related in a statement.

“Anadarko’s choice of accepting to allowance their share will in no way affect BP’sitting commitment to stop the leak, adroit up the effuse, and make discharge of a debt to wholly genuine claims as quickly as potential.”

Mitsui hasn’t responded to BP’session request to help pay for the spill, Salt said. The BP speaker said Mitsui has until July 12 to pay.

So far, BP has paid more than $3 billion US to bestow through the spill. According to a joint-operating agreement, Anadarko is on the cutter for a quarter of the costs, so BP could exist sending greater quantity bills.

With files from The Associated Press

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Lost dog makes six-week trek home

This delineate shows Laser’sitting journey home. (Google)It took him six weeks after slipping his thong, but Laser the hare-hound has made a remarkable 80-kilometre fare back to his home in Winnipeg.

Parry LePage and his house were at their cottage in Winnipeg Beach on May 22 when Laser got free from his leash after being spooked by a fireworks extend. The cottagers, who active in the Winnipeg suburb of Transcona, searched the strand communities north of the Manitoba capital in favor of their dog, but Laser was not to be form in a mould.

Laser has been reunited with the LePage family after six weeks on the run. (CBC)The family had adopted the three-year-old beagle from Winnipeg’s humane society about a month earlier, and the dog swiftly bonded through the LePage group of genera.

On July 5, something strange happened: Laser was spotted in a schoolyard conscientious brace kilometres from the LePage home and taken to each animal shelter, eventually to have being reunited with his adoptive family.

Parry LePage considers Laser’sitting journey exceptional, given he was only with the lineage a deficient time before disappearing.

After travelling more than 80 kilometres, Laser was spotted in a schoolyard happy two kilometres from the LePage home. (CBC)“I blamed myself when he took off — everyone was to such a degree fluster,” LePage said. “But we formed wholly a bond with him over a pithy period of delivery.”

The LePage family had plastered the Winnipeg Beach area with posters of Laser and every few days they’d receive a phone call from someone who had seen the dog. The sightings eventually got closer to Winnipeg, if it be not that no one was able to catch the dog. LePage figures Laser was finding food in the garbage and animal cherish on farms betwixt the incorporated town and the sandy shore.

“I felt really, really excited. I couldn’face to face be persuaded … he in the long run came back after six weeks of running,” before-mentioned Adara LePage, 10.

The family doesn’t know who finally managed to pick Laser up and took him to the fowl of the air shelter, but maxim they are thankful the person.

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Former Colombian hostage wants $6.7M

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt wants the Colombian government to discharge one’s obligation to her $6.7 million in damages. (CBC)

Former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt is asking the Colombian government to pay her $6.7 million despite indemnity she suffered as a hostage.

Betancourt was kidnapped in 2002 by leftist rebels while campaigning with respect to president in Colombia’sitting toward the south, a longtime guerrilla stronghold.

She was among 15 rebel captives, including three Americans, rescued six years later by the agency of Colombia’s body of soldiers.

Colombia’s Defence Ministry issued a statement Friday saying Betancourt has no grounds to gripe the state responsible. It recalled that Betancourt called the rescue “pure.”

Betancourt’s request is not a action. But that option productions lay open to her.

© The Canadian Press, 2010

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Jobs report pushes dollar, TSX up

The Canadian dollar gained toward a cent and the Toronto stock market advanced as being a fourth session Friday hind a positive employment report.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 112.4 points, or one through cent, to cease at 11,547.9.

S&P/TSX composite index 3-month chart

The Canadian dollar gained 0.95 cents, closing at 96.74 cents US upon augmenting conviction the Bank of Canada will raise rates for the approve allotted period this year on July 20.

Statistics Canada reported that the economy created 93,200 jobs last month, many greater degree of than the 20,000 that economists had expected. The unemployment value dropped to 7.9 for cent from 8.1 per cent in May.

“There’s no arguing with this strong report,” reported BMO Capital Markets economist Benjamin Reitzes.

“The jobs picture clearly shows that the Canadian recovery hasn’t stalled yet, despite signs of slowing momentum in the U.S. and other economies.”

The TSX has gained about 450 points in the remain four days as investors felt last week’s selloff of more than four per cent was overdone.

“Having a week at what place we have had a bit of a turnaround to the upside not unavoidably gets us out of the woods to this time,” said Blair Falconer, portfolio manager at HSBC Securities.

Gold, oil too higher

The August gold pact in New York ended the day higher by $13.80 at $1,209.60 US an ounce.

Oil moved higher for a third part light of day on indications of falling inventories in the U.S. The August rude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 65 cents to $76.09 US a barrel.

New York markets were also higher. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 58.73 points, or 0.6 per cent, at 10,197.72.

The Nasdaq composite pointer gained 21.05 points, or individual through cent, to 2,196.45 at the same time that the S&P 500 rose 7.68 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 1,077.93.

With files from The Canadian Press

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