LOCAL
York Regional Police are investigating after two large swastikas were carved into the green of a Richmond Hill country club. Also, in the same area in June, a Rabbi found swastikas scrawled above the side door of their Toronto house, and inside the garage, “watch your childen” was written along with more swastikas. [Globe and Mail]
Rob Ford visited a west-end jail off-hours to try and visit a then inmate named Bruno Bellissimo, who had numerous run-ins with the police and a history of drug-related activity. The mayor refused to explain his appearance at the jail while Doug Ford denied knowing who he is, though Bellissimo’s mother said Rob is a long-time friend of the family and that Rob has been friends with Bruno since age 7. [Globe and Mail]
Two separate shooting incidents in Toronto have left one dead and two others injured. The first shooting was in the Thorncliffe Park Dr. area, while the second, where a man was killed, took place near Albion Rd. and Weston Rd. [Toronto Star]
NATIONAL
Canada is likely to look favourably on claims of persecution by gay asylum-seekers from Russia. This is in response to Russia’s banning of gay “propoganda,” a catch all term that prohibits gay pride events and information to minors about “non-traditional” relationships and exposes those who express pro-gay views to persecution, even fines and jail time. [Globe and Mail]
A Yukon woman was on her way to work when she had a terrifying encounter with a grizzly bear. The woman managed to get her backpack up in defence as the bear swatted her, knocked her over and gashed her with its long claws, but she escaped relatively uninjured. [National Post]
Senator Pamela Wallin has promised to pay back every dollar of a senate committee audit she has called “flawed and unfair.” Wallin, who now has to pay as much as $140,000 in ineligible claims, says the rules were changed retroactively. [CBC]
INTERNATIONAL
The British Parliament will examine Prince Charles’ little-known veto over laws that affect his personal interest. The move follows a 2011 investigation into the secretive constitutional loophole that revealed how ministers have been forced to seek the Prince’s permission to pass at least a dozen government bills. [The Guardian]
The supporters of Mohamed Morsi have faced the threat of violent dispersal for two weeks but remain determined to stay in place. Tens of thousands of Morsi supporters have become increasingly organized and entrenched, with protests becoming more like tent cities. [The Guardian]
The Obama administration is pushing for major changes to the nation’s criminal justice system that would cut harsh sentences for drug-related crimes. The U.S. attorney general said, “we need to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, deter and rehabilitate–not merely to convict, warehouse, and forget.” [CBC]
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