North America News

“When I am alone at night, at about 2 a.m., it starts to glow, it emits light, and it stays like that for about a minute”

There is a legend that the ancient Maya possessed 13 crystal skulls which, when united, hold the power of saving the Earth _ a tale so strange and fantastic that it inspired the latest Indiana Jones movie.

Experts dismiss the hundreds of existing crystal skulls as fakes that were probably made by colorful antiquities traders in the 19th century. But Mayan priests worship the skulls, even today, and real-life skull hunters still search for them.

The true story of the skulls stretches over continents and hundreds of years, and may be even more extraordinary than the tale portrayed in this fourth installment of the Harrison Ford franchise. Read more

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“That way, the sicker people actually get seen faster and it reduces overall wait times.”

- After they spend about 10 minutes with him in the emergency room, Jack Buchanan's patients often end up calling him doctor.

He wears a big name tag with his title - physician assistant - and always explains that he's there to help the doctor, not take over. But some people don't immediately understand the difference.

"After about five hours of waiting, they just want to be seen."

Physician assistants are one way that governments across Canada could stretch the dwindling number of family doctors and specialists to tend to a growing population. Read more

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“We didn't ask those who died here what region (of Canada) they were from. We knew what country they were from. We didn't even ask them what language they spoke. Those buried here, even if they didn't speak our language, saved us and helped us.”

- Nicolas Sarkozy's stirring declaration of love for Canada this week surprised Quebec separatists who saw it as an abrupt about-face from France's longtime neutrality on the issue of Canadian unity.

But sources in the Canadian government say the French president made it abundantly clear where he stood in his first meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper a year ago.

That encounter at the Elysee Palace made news only for the images it produced of the two leaders strolling the streets of Paris afterward and shaking hands with passersby on their way to lunch. Read more

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“There are also over 3,000 descendants, and they really need symbolic compensation”

- The federal government worked to redress an era of legislated racism Thursday with the announcement of a $5-million grant to create educational programs commemorating the Chinese head tax and other prejudicial immigration policies.

"Whatever redress we deliver is ultimately symbolic," said Jason Kenney, secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity.

"Our government believes it is important to ensure that Canadians have opportunities to learn about our history, including - and especially - the difficult periods." Read more

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“We're in a very curious time, when people want to know about a lot of (stuff), so they YouTube, and they've found us that way. It wasn't intentional on our part. We just made our show and people came to it, and YouTube has really facilitated that.”

- George Stroumboulopoulos has been quietly amassing a devout Internet following that reaches beyond Canada's borders with his low-key CBC talk show, "The Hour."

The show has been getting millions of hits on YouTube since the public broadcaster started showcasing its content on the video-sharing site last fall. A Facebook group devoted to "The Hour" has members from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.

"The Hour" is also the most popular show on CBC.ca, is routinely in the top 5 most popular video podcasts on iTunes.ca and was recently voted the top video podcast of the year in Canada by iTunes. Read more

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“We're asking a higher standard of disclosure for normal employees within the federal government. Why shouldn't we ask our elected officials - particularly when they hold (ministerial) office - to do so?”

- The link between Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier's ex-girlfriend and the Hells Angels is more than enough to warrant a national security probe, says the Bloc Quebecois, noting that organized crime gangs use "infiltration tactics."

The Conservative government continues to dismiss security concerns over Bernier's relationship with Julie Couillard, and accuse the opposition of unfairly opening up his private life.

But even the RCMP has warned about criminal infiltration of politics. As long as eight years ago, then-RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli shocked MPs by publicly stating that organized crime was targeting Parliament and other national institutions. Read more

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“We are certainly looking at it but we haven't made any decisions at the present time”

The cost of air travel for many Canadians surged Friday after Air Canada quietly imposed domestic fuel charges for the first time in four years that could, for example, add an extra $120 for a round-trip ticket ... via Winnipeg Sun

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Canada confirmed Friday its decision to block a foreign takeover of the space and satellite division of MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, the country's leading space technology firm.

Industry Minister Jim Prentice first turned down the $1.3 billion takeover bid last month for Vancouver-based MDA's space division by Alliant Techsystems Inc., a U.S.-based munitions and rocket component maker.

Alliant Techsystems had 30 days to appeal the decision and the deadline passed Thursday.

It is the first time Canada has rejected a foreign takeover outright in the 19 years since the Canada Investment Act took effect in 1989. Read more

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“This means the last known soldier to serve Canada in the First World War will forever be a Canadian.”

- The last surviving Canadian veteran of the First World War will become a Canadian again, just in time for his 108th birthday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed Friday.

John Babcock, who has been living in Spokane, Wa., is to be granted Canadian citizenship in recognition of his military service to Canada and his expressed desire, Harper announced.

"We are proud to welcome Mr. Babcock back into the Canadian family and to honour the service he gave our country," Harper said in a prepared statement. Read more

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“The inhabitants of 531 towns and villages were forcibly evicted from their homes by the Zionist forces”

- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada has stood by Israel even when it wasn't popular to do so and will continue to support Jewish people in the future.

Harper was speaking in Toronto on Thursday night at a celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary and pledged to stand with the nation as a friend and ally.

Harper says any groups that threaten Israel also threaten Canada.

He says those groups spout thinly-veiled rationalizations based on hatred and bigotry.

Harper told the crowd of about seven thousand that he hopes one day Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace. Read more

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