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By: The Canadian Press

23/06/2012 8:58 PM | Comments: 0

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A woman checks out the damage after a roof collapsed at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., Saturday, June 23, 2012. The partial collapse prompted a local state of emergency and a search for anyone who might have been injured in the cave-in. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cora Richer

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. - Emergency crews were scrutinizing mounds of debris for possible victims after part of a roof collapsed at a busy mall in the northern Ontario city of Elliot Lake Saturday.

It's still unclear if anyone was seriously injured or killed after concrete and metal came crashing down at the Algo Centre Mall, but one community member said some residents appeared to be unaccounted for after the roof gave way a little before 2:30 p.m.

"Some of these families are concerned that they haven't heard from their loved ones," said NDP MPP Michael Mantha, whose constituency office was located above the mall.

"You see a lot of people holding hands right now, there's a lot of hugging going on. There are going to be many, many prayers that are being held tomorrow morning in many of the churches and tonight."

Mantha said he knew of a few people being injured, but couldn't say how badly they had been hurt.

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Roof caves in at Elliot Lake mall, prompting evacuation; no word on injuries

SANAA, Yemen Yemen's army recaptured a new al-Qaida stronghold in the south on Saturday, officials said, the latest success in a two-month government offensive aiming at uprooting the militant group from large swaths of lands captured during last year's political turmoil.

Three days of shelling of al-Qaida positions and warnings to local tribal leaders of further escalation drove the militants out of Azzan town, Ali al-Ahmadi, governor of the province of Shabwa said. He said the militants fled into the mountains and to camps in the deserts of two nearby provinces, taking captured armored vehicles with them. He had no word on casualties.

Azzan had been used by the militant group as a media headquarters, producing audiovisual material for distribution on militant websites.

The army's offensive against what is seen as the international network's most dangerous branch which is known as Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has seen the recapture of several towns that the militants seized in the security vacuum that accompanied 2011's mass uprisings against longtime authoritarian leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The city of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, and the town of Jaar were the first two strongholds that were recaptured by the military.

Al-Qaida has struck back using suicide bombers and assassinations of top military officials.

On June 18, a top army commander who was leading the fight in the south, Maj. Gen. Salem al-Quton, was assassinated while traveling in a three-car convoy in the city of Aden when a bomber threw himself on the general's pickup and detonated his explosives.

The United States is throwing its support behind the country's new president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who took power after Saleh stepped down in February.

Hadi has tried to restructure the military by purging it of Saleh loyalists, replacing and demoting commanders.

Meanwhile, residents of several cities in western Yemen say days of fuel and electricity shortages have sparked protests.

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Yemen says it regains control over new al-Qaida stronghold in the south

With each passing moment this off-season, the itch to watch Philadelphia 76ers basketball has been there. That may be a crazy sentence to read for a lot of Philadelphia sports fans, but it's the truth. With the Phillies mired in a difficult season and the Flyers coming up short in the second round against New Jersey in the playoffs, and an Eagles season still a bit off in the distance, the focus over the coming weeks will turn to the Philadelphia 76ers. Yes, the same 76ers that have had little chance to win anything since Allen Iverson was here have been brought back to relevancy, mostly due in part to the work of coach Doug Collins.

Now, the Sixers are faced with an interesting situation: how will they re-organize the front office? I think the choice has become clear over recent weeks. The Sixers, by all accounts, are trying to find the nicest way for Rod Thorn to have the door hit him on the way out, which can be tough for someone with the pride of Thorn to take. However, when Ed Snider sold the 76ers to Adam Aron, Josh Harris, and the rest of the new ownership group, Thorn was fortunate enough to keep his title as president and general manager. In their first season as Sixers owners, Aron and Harris were able to reinvigorate a fanbase that has been non-existent for the past decade or so. Yes, there were some exciting times in the middle part of the 2000s, particularly the day the team acquired Chris Webber, but we all know how that one panned out. Iverson moved on, and the team was left in shambles. They hired a coach in Eddie Jordan who had no business being near an NBA basketball court, and everyone was about ready to give up on this franchise.

That leaves us with this. Doug Collins has brought the 76ers to the playoffs for the past two seasons, and while the team does not appear ready to compete with the Miami Heat, they can be a force in the Eastern Conference for years to come with the right tinkering here and there. Hey, they even pushed the Boston Celtics to 7 games in the Eastern Conference Semis before being eliminated. Yes, the Chicago Bulls were the Sixers' first round victim, and yes, they were without the services of Derrick Rose for the last five games of the series, but the Celtics are getting older, and the 76ers appear ready to hit their stride, alongside the Indiana Pacers. It wouldn't shock anybody if the top four teams in the East next year were Miami, Chicago, Indiana, and Philadelphia, in some sort of order.

What the Sixers need now is a clear vision of how to move forward. They appear to be moving towards something, although nobody seems to know what it is, besides the rumors and reports we have heard.

Here is what we do know. Danny Ferry has interviewed with the 76ers and may become the team's general manager. Ferry was last a general manager with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and may be best known now for not being able to get LeBron James a championship, but that's not entirely Ferry's fault. He has made some good moves. Harris and Aron believe deeply in Collins, and trust him on a lot of subjects. Collins is still the team's coach, but wants more power, according to sources. So, where do the 76ers proceed from here?

They should give Collins the power he wants. He seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the game, and that will likely be on display when he broadcasts for the 2012 Olympics. It's always evident when he is in his happy place, which is the post-game press conference, breaking down the game for everyone in a fresh and new way each and every night out. Getting back into coaching has allowed him to see the game he has seen in the past with Chicago, Washington, and Detroit. People have also said that Collins seems to wear out his welcome quickly, and leaves a mess behind after players turn on him. I truly believe that's why Collins needs to be in control of both the team on the court and the team off the court. It may be rare, but Collins can do it. Ferry can be hired as general manager, but Collins will have plenty of say. That's the way it should be. Collins has earned my trust and respect, and he deserves a chance to lead the team that drafted him all the way back to the top of the mountain.

It may not be popular to some fans, but it really seems like the right thing to do. In the next few days, we should know more about where the 76ers are going with their future. Right now, at best guess, it appears Collins will be the head coach, Ferry will be the GM, and Thorn will be the president. After this season, Collins may move to the president position and the team may look for a new head man, who very likely could be Michael Curry, the team's defensive guru and current associate head coach. Plenty of rumors are out there, but Sixers fans just want some answers.

It's very hard to see from here where this team is going right now, but Collins needs some more power. After all, he's earned it. He brought the team back to the spotlight in Philadelphia, and with one of the biggest off-seasons in franchise history ahead, he will have plenty of input on what moves the team will make.

Sure, Collins could run this team into the ground. He could also help lead them to a title. Either way, Doug Collins will play an integral part in this team's future.

Sources: Yahoo! Sports/Adrian Wojnarowski, CSNPhilly.com

Continued here:
Philadelphia 76ers Must Give Doug Collins Control: Fan's View

A new Louisiana law requires sex offenders and child predators to state their criminal status on their Facebook or other social networking page, with the law's author saying the bill is the first of its kind in the nation.

State Rep. Jeff Thompson, a Republican from Bossier City, Louisiana, says his new law, effective August 1, will stand up to constitutional challenge because it expands sex offender registration requirements, common in many states, to include a disclosure on the convicted criminal's social networking sites as well.

Thompson, an attorney and a father of a 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, said he hopes other states will follow Louisiana.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have been removing sex offenders from their web pages for years, but Thompson said the law is designed to cover any possible lapses by social networking sites.

"I don't want to leave in the hands of social network or Facebook administrators, 'Gee, I hope someone is telling the truth,'" Thompson said Tuesday. "This is another tool for prosecutors."

The new law, signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal earlier this month, builds upon existing sex offender registration laws, in which the offender must notify immediate neighbors and a school district of his or her residency near them, Thompson said.

The law states that sex offenders and child predators "shall includes in his profile for the networking website an indication that he is a sex offender or child predator and shall include notice of the crime for which he was convicted, the jurisdiction of conviction, a description of his physical characteristics... and his residential address."

Several states now require sex offenders and child predators to register with authorities their e-mail accounts, Internet addresses or profile names to social network and other web sites, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. A few states such as Illinois and Texas even outright prohibit sex offenders, as a condition of parole, from accessing social networking websites, the group said.

The Louisiana law is the latest addition to statutes requiring public notice and registrations by sex offenders, Thompson said.

"It provides the same notice to persons in whose home you are injecting yourself via the Internet," Thompson said. "I challenge you today to walk down the street to see how many people and children are checking Pinterest, Instagram and other social networking sites. If you look at how common it is, that's 24 hour a day, seven days a week for somebody to interact with your children and your grandchildren."

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New Louisiana law: Sex offenders must list status on Facebook, other social media

Arsenal vice-captain Thomas Vermaelen's agent has remained coy over the defender's meeting with Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol and has refrained from dismissing speculation linking the Belgian with a move to the Spanish club.

Vermaelan has been linkedwith a potential move to the Catalan giants and though the 26 year old recently statedhe would stay at Arsenal forever, talks of a possible move gained pace after he was picturedwith Puyol at a restaurant in Ibiza.

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The meeting between the two players has left the Gunners faithful worried and Vermalen's agent, Kees Vos, has not done much to reassure them that the centre-back will remain at the Emirates.

"It is two world-class defenders in the same restaurant," ESPN quotedVos as saying.

Meanwhile, Barcelona midfielder Ibrahim Afellay claims he will fight for a starting place at the Camp Nou, playing down speculation over his future. The Dutchman has been touted as a possible transfer target for several clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United but the player insists he is staying with the Catalans.

"I can't wait for the new season to begin, so I can get back on the pitch, and prove my worth for Barcelona," Metro quotesthe 26 year old as saying.

The former PSV Eindhoven star only made five appearances for the Spanish club last season as he struggled with injury problems.

Finally, Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta has stated he finds similarities between their Euro 2012 quarter final opponents France and his club Barcelona.

"France have a very strong team. With Laurent Blanc, they try to play a bit like us [Spain]. In some phases of play, they even remind me of Barca, especially in the way they carry the game to their opponents. It is clear they will try to fight for control of the ball because they have strong and technically gifted players. It will take a very strong Spain to prevail over them," Goal.com quotedIniesta as saying.

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Arsenal Star's Agent Coy over Barcelona Talks