Lokalne Vesti - Vancouver, BC

As sanctions loom, junta says they plan elections
BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's coup leader responded to the threat of sanctions Friday by saying he plans to hold elections and rapidly return the country to its established order but gave no timetable for immediate action, falling short of demands by West African countries.

UK murder suspect's extradition to SAfrica blocked
LONDON - A British businessman accused of hiring a hit man to kill his wife during their Cape Town honeymoon is too mentally fragile to be extradited to South Africa, the U.K.'s High Court ruled Friday.

Premier calls Arab summit 'turning point' for Iraq
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister on Friday praised this week's Arab League summit in Baghdad as a turning point in the emerging relationship between Iraq and the Arab world.

Chateau Laurier celebrates Titanic connection
When 100 rooms at the Chateau Laurier go up for grabs at $19.12 a night next week, the hotel is asking those looking to nab a spot not to camp out in front of the Ottawa landmark.

France detains 19 suspected Islamist extremists
PARIS - French police detained 19 people Friday as they launched a crackdown on suspected Islamist extremists in cities around the country, President Nicolas Sarkozy said, promising more raids to come.

Edmonton gearing up to make way for more cycling lanes
Cyclists are putting their two cents in on routes for two wheels, as Edmonton readies to install 15 kilometres of on-street bike lanes starting this spring.

Govs tour beef plant to see 'pink slime'
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. - Governors of three states donned coats, hair nets and goggles to tour a main production plant for "pink slime" Thursday, hoping to persuade grossed-out consumers and grocery stores to accept that the processed beef trimmings are as safe as the industry insists.

More autism reported, likely from better testing
ATLANTA - One child out of 88 is believed to have autism or a related disorder, an increase in the rate attributed largely to wider screening.

Latest buzz on bee decline: Maybe it's pesticides
WASHINGTON - A common class of pesticide is causing problems for honeybees and bumblebees, important species already in trouble, two studies suggest.

Is George Zimmerman's story crumbling?
WASHINGTON - A new police surveillance video showing the killer of an unarmed black teen sporting no obvious injuries despite claims of self-defence has heightened calls for the man's arrest, with Trayvon Martin's grief-stricken mother calling it "the icing on the cake."

Cowboy crooner to be Stampede parade marshal
CALGARY - Country singer-songwriter Ian Tyson has been named this year's Calgary Stampede parade marshal.

Civil War battles recalled via relics left behind
SHILOH, Tenn. - Every Civil War bullet, every sword and every musket tells a story. There's the .69 calibre musket made in 1831 by a company founded by cotton gin inventor Eli Whitney, the leaden bullet found at bloody Shiloh, the intricately crafted soldier's sword made by Tiffany and Co.

Barcelona complains to UEFA about AC Milan's pitch
BARCELONA, Spain - Barcelona has filed a complaint to UEFA about the state of the San Siro pitch in its 0-0 draw with AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

Prime season for Edmonton doggy doo-doo
When it comes to scooping poop, spring is the time when professionals are knee-deep.

Indonesian fires threaten Sumatran orangutan
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Hundreds of critically endangered orangutans in western Indonesia could be wiped out by the year's end if palm oil companies keep setting land-clearing fires in their peat swamp forests, conservationists warned Thursday.

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Testone, Ledet take on Zeppelin, Mariah on 'Idol'
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Elise Testone and Joshua Ledet successfully channeled icons of the opposite sex on "American Idol."

PBS' 'Masterpiece' gets $1 million gift from donor
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Even the landed gentry of "Downton Abbey" would be impressed: A philanthropist is giving $1 million to PBS' "Masterpiece," U.S. home of the British upstairs-downstairs drama series.

Pope urges greater openings in vast Cuban Mass
HAVANA - Pope Benedict XVI demanded more freedom for the Catholic Church in communist-run Cuba and preached against "fanaticism" in an unusually political sermon Wednesday before hundreds of thousands at Revolution Plaza, with President Raul Castro in the front row.

'Idol' runner-up Archuleta to start Mormon mission
SALT LAKE CITY - "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta has posted a farewell YouTube video to fans as he prepares for a two-year Mormon mission in South America.