LOCAL
Heavy rains caused flooding in downtown Toronto. Fire crews helped pedestrians and vehicles out of a flooded underpass at Lower Simcoe Street, the second time it flooded this year, and there have been isolated reports of flash flooding across Toronto. [National Post]
A 26-year-old is facing a charge of dangerous operation of an aircraft after a stunt flying incident over Richmond Hill. Out of concern the plane was having a mechanical problem, police cleared roads for an emergency landing, but now police allege the pilot said he intended to stunt fly over a friend’s house. [Globe and Mail]
A 70-year-old man accused of defrauding numerous Yorkville residents of $600,000 remains in jail after being denied bail. Albert Allan Rosenberg, who pretended to be a prominent Swiss investment broker and convinced people to invest in his company, was denied bail because he was deemed a flight risk. [CBC]
NATIONAL
Stephen Harper is facing pressure to recall MPs to debate potentially intervening in Syria. He planned to prorogue Parliament until mid-October, but opposition leaders want any potential mission in Syria to be discussed in the House of Commons first. [Globe and Mail]
Stephen Harper is shuffling the ranks of his own office as he tries to move past the Senate spending scandal and begin preparations for the 2015 federal election. Staffing changes announced internally paint a picture of relying on old staff to fill vacant positions, but not all roles have been filled. [Globe and Mail]
The English media are to blame for the unfair coverage of the Parti Quebecois’ controversial minorities plan, according to prominent Pequistes. Ex-Premier Bernard Landry predicted that the rest of Canada will one day “deeply regret” having embraced the doctrine of multiculturalism. [National Post]
INTERNATIONAL
Prime Minister Harper and President Obama agreed that Syria’s recent actions calls for a “firm response from the international community.” Both leaders also agreed that Bashar al-Assad tried to obscure the evidence of the attack. [CBC]
A hacker group calling itself the “Syrian Electronic Army” hacked the website of the New York Times, showing visitors nothing but error messages. “Media is going down…” warned the group before taking down the New York Times’ website, adding that it had also taken over Twitter and the Huffington Post UK, but, thankfully, left the Toronto Standard website undisturbed. [CBS News]
After 221 days of captivity at the hands of Columbian rebels, Canadian mining executive Gernot Wober is free. Mr. Wober was a bargaining chip in a long-standing battle over mining rights between leftist guerillas and its government. [Globe and Mail]
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