Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 11, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page a7 Winnipeg repress. Com Canada / world Winnipeg free press sunday january 11, 2009 a 7 w go no Purchase necessary. Deadline for entries is noon thursday january 15, 2009. Winners will be published in paper on Friday january 16, 2009 and must pick up their passes by noon on january 19, 2009. Opens in theatres january 23rd wow. . Com for your Chance to win go to wow. Winnipeg repress. Com contests monday january 19, 2009, 7 00 pm Silversity Polo Park win movie passes to subject to classification plus 5 Lucky winners will receive an in heart Book from Scholastic and a Nintendo is video game in heart w Ashington Barack Obama will make his first foreign trip As president of the United states to Canada restoring a Long standing tradition abandoned eight years ago by George w. Bush. Officials in prime minister Stephen harpers office confirmed Obama has accepted an offer to visit Canada soon after his Jan. 20 inauguration As americans 44th president. We have been in close Contact with president elect of amass transition team said Dimitri Soudas a spokesman for the prime ministers office. We can confirm that the president elect has accepted the prime ministers invitation to visit Canada soon after he is inaugurated. This will be president of amass first foreign visit. New u. S. Presidents dating to Warren Harding in 1923 and Franklin d. Roosevelt 1933, have typically made Canada their first International visit following their election. But Bush deviated from that historical pattern after his inauguration in 2001, travelling to Mexico to meet with then president Vicente Fox in a bid to improve ties and strike an immigration Deal with americans Southern Neighbour. The disclosure of of amass trip to Canada came after word that the president elect planned to meet monday in Washington with mexican president Felipe Calderon the first foreign Leader he will meet since the nov. 4 election. Soudas did not announce a Date for the Obama visit or disclose its location or specifics of the Agenda. Brooke Anderson an official in of amass transition team said she could confirm that is True. President elect Obama looks Forward to his visit to Canada. It will be the first foreign visit in his presidency underscoring the importance of the relationship Between the United states and Canada said Anderson of amass chief National Security spokesman. Peter Kent Canadas Junior foreign affairs minister said the move was great news for Canada. Its a Long tradition and its a tradition that Canada is very proud of he told global news. With very few exceptions Canada is the first visit made by an american president and our government is proud and delighted that president Obama will follow that tradition. Harper does not plan to attend of amass inauguration. The Canadian government will be represented by Kent and Jason Kenney the citizenship and immigration minister. Stephen Clarkson a political Economy professor at the University of Toronto said of amass decision to make Canada the first country he visits As u. S. President shows that he wants to work closely with Harper. This is symbolically a great move for Canada said Clarkson. Canada is losing its importance to the world and to the United states in general. This visit will show that the u. S. Thinks that Canada is important to us. Clarkson said the amount of time Obama spends in Canada during his visit will set the schedule for what he and the prime minister will discuss. The meeting Between Harper and Obama is certain to focus heavily on several key topics the War in Afghanistan climate change and the Impact the global recession is having on the North american Auto Industry and Canada u. S. Bilateral Trade. Since the u. S. Presidential election Obama has made Clear his immediate foreign policy priority is to beef up the u. S. Military presence in Afghanistan. Its expected Between 20,000 to 30,000 additional u. S. Troops will be deployed to Afghanistan Over the next year. During the presidential Campaign Obama said he would not ask americans nato allies to Send More troops to Afghanistan until the u. S. First increased the size of its Force. But since the election u. S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates who will remain in that Post under Obama hinted the new administration would like to see Canada keep troops in Afghanistan past the 2011 withdrawal deadline. Obama is planning an ambitious climate change Agenda focusing on reducing u. S. Reliance on foreign Oil from sources like the Middle East and Venezuela and plans billions in spending on developing alternative Energy sources. Theress been concern in Ottawa however Over the new u. S. Administrations policy toward Oil from Alberta after an Obama aide referred to opposing dirty Oil from Canada during the Campaign. The conservative government has signalled a potential Canada u. S. Climate change pact would protect Oil Sands exports and include a Carbon emissions trading system. The Obama Harper meeting will also be an Opportunity to put relations Between the two men on solid footing after a strained beginning. Of amass Campaign was furious last March Over the leak of a diplomatic memo that claimed the democratic candidates Tough primary Campaign talk about unilaterally withdrawing from the North american free Trade agreement was Little More than political rhetoric. The memo confided to Consul general Georges Rioux that the candidates anti Naftal words should not be taken out of context and should be viewed As More about political positioning than a Clear articulation of policy. Can West news service Canada tops of amass foreign visit list revives Long standing tradition for newly elected u. S. Presidents by Sheldon Alberts Canada Post raises rates Ottawa sending a letter by Snail mail is going to Cost a few More pennies starting monday. Canada Post has raised the Price of Domestic Stamps by two cents from 52 to 54 cents. The Price of the u. S. Stamp will also go up two cents from 96 cents to 98 cents. Stamps for mail sent internationally Are increasing from five cents from $ 1.60 to $ 1.65. Quake death toll rises Vara Blanca de Ala Juela Costa rican searchers have found More bodies in a restaurant buried under fallen Earth bringing the death toll to 16. The 6.1 magnitude earthquake caused a Hillside to collapse near the town of Vara Blanca de Ala Juela on thursday. It damaged 10 Kilometres of Road and sending rocks and Earth tumbling Down on passing cars. Chretien confidant Dies Jean Pelletier a close confidant of Jean Chretien who was dubbed the elegant executioner died of cancer on saturday. He was 73. Chretien said he visited his close Friend for a final time on wednesday. He knew that it was the last time he told me Chretien told the Canadian press in an interview saturday. We talked about life and we talked about death. He was very Calm and dignified in the face of the inevitable. And very courageous. He said i will die standing Jean. Prince Harry in hot water London a British newspaper says it has video footage of Prince Harry allegedly using racist language. The news of the world reports that Harry third in line to the throne used offensive terms to refer to people from pakistani and people of Arab descent. Bri taints st. Jamess Palace the office of Harry and his elder brother Prince William said Harry was sorry for any offence caused. The newspaper said the video was recorded three years ago. It alleged he called one person a Paki and referred to others As rag Heads. From the news service the world Gaza City Gaza strip Israel dropped bombs and leaflets on Gaza on saturday pounding suspected rocket Sites and tunnels used by Hamas militants and warning of a wider offensive despite frantic diplomacy to end the bloodshed. Egypt hosted talks aimed at defusing the crisis but War had the momentum on a Day on which More than 30 palestinians Many of them noncombatants were killed according to medics. At hospitals distraught relatives sobbed and shrieked at the loss of family. Flames and smoke Rose Over Gaza City amid heavy fighting. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas predicted a Waterfall of blood unless All parties adhere to a United nations Call for a ceasefire. Israel has said the Security Council Resolution passed thursday was unworkable and Hamas the islamic group whose government controls Gaza but is not recognized internationally was angry that it was not consulted. A top Hamas Leader said saturday the Gaza War has ended chances of settlement and negotiations with Israel though Hamas has opposed both. Damascus based Hamas Leader Khaled Mashaal made a fiery speech on Arab news Channel al Nazeera describing the assault As a holocaust. We Are living the hardest moments of the resistance now we want another Intifada uprising in Palestine and on the Arab Street he said. Still Hamas teams were in Cairo to discuss a ceasefire proposed by Egypt. At least 814 palestinians roughly half of them civilians have died since War broke out on dec. 27, according to palestinian medical officials. Thirteen israelis including 10 soldiers have been killed. The associated press talks fail to halt bloodshed in Gaza Gerald Herbert / the associated press u. S. President elect Barack Obama stops for lunch at a Jam packed bends Chili bowl in Washington on saturday. Vancouver eleven Avalanche deaths in the b. C. Bac country Over the past several weeks have served As a Stark reminder of the risks of enjoying Western Canadas vast and stunning outdoors. With the risk of More avalanches High ski resorts Are scrambling to keep people inside their boundaries and the province is pondering fines for those who jump the ropes and venture out of Bounds. Now a researcher at Simon Fraser University is trying to profile the thrill seekers who Duck under resort ropes and head out into the wild country. Pascal Haegeli says understanding thrill seekers is key to cutting out of Bounds activity. Haegeli who is conducting research for the Canadian Avalanche Centre says that for Many being different is crucial. Were hoping to get a better perspective on How out of Bounds skiers actually think about risk he says. The Avalanche risk in b. C. Remains High. An american snowboarder who was caught in an Avalanche last thursday in Northern b. C. Later died in Hospital. Last week three skiers and a snowboarder were banned for life from North Vancouver res grouse Mountain after they knowingly ventured out of Bounds and entered a dangerous Avalanche prone spot. On Jan. 1, 26 year old Aaron Fauchon was snowboarding on Whistler Mountain in an area marked out of Bounds when he was killed in an Avalanche. The Day before Steven Clark died after he ventured out of Bounds on Blac comb Mountain in Whistler and was also caught by an Avalanche. On dec. 28, eight snowmobiles were killed near Fernie by a series of avalanches. These fatalities Are very tragic events that probably could have been prevented if people were just More aware of what they were getting themselves into Haegeli says. The Canadian press threat of deadly avalanches fails to contain thrill seekers Jonathan Hayward / the Canadian press archives despite warnings thrill seekers continue to ski out of Bounds. A 07_ Jan 11 09. Ind a7 1 / 10/ 09 10 40 01 pm ;