| Former BC finance minister at centre of BC Rail allegations:lawyer
VANCOUVER (CP) - The RCMP told a "big lie" by saying that former B.C. finance minister Gary Collins wasn't being investigated for his role in the sale of Crown-owned B.C. Rail, a lawyer said Thursday. Kevin McCullough, who is representing former government aide Bobby Virk, said his client, Collins and Dave Basi, who was Collins's aide, were the subject of a probe that led to a raid on the provincial legislature on Dec. 28, 2003. But the Mounties targeted Basi and Virk though Collins had been investigated for allegedly offering a consolation prize so that one of the three companies would stay in the bidding process for what was a highly political deal, McCullough told B.C. Supreme Court. The court is hearing disclosure arguments at the trial of Basi and Virk, who are charged with fraud and breach of trust in the sale of B.C.
Glanmor bids to be WRU president
FORMER WRU chairman Glanmor Griffiths has launched a bid to return to the top of Welsh rugby by standing for president. Nominations for the prestigious post, which was left vacant by the death of Keith Rowlands last November, had to be in by yesterday. And the Western Mail can reveal that Griffiths has decided to enter the race. If he is successful, it would mark a return to the corridors of power for a man who was a dominant figure in Welsh rugby for the best part of two decades. Griffiths was WRU treasurer from 1985 to 2003 and then chairman from 1997 to 2003, during which time he was arguably the most powerful man in the game. .
Frontier bids for blanket Open Skies access
Frontier Airlines could receive blanket access to each of the countries involved in any Open Skies agreement with the US, after applying for automatic admittance. The Denver-based carrier currently flies to Canada and Mexico, but Jeff Potter, Chief Executive, is eyeing a wider international reach, according to reports. Since the European Union agreed an "historic" Open Skies pact with the US last month, the prospect of unlimited transatlantic connections has moved closer to reality. Federal decision-makers are also involved in negotiations with China with a view to a similar accord. .
Retired priest auctions fine wines, gifts from parishioners
Perigueux, France - Hundreds of bottles of fine Bordeaux wine given to a former parish priest by parishioners were put up for auction on Saturday in a move that raised eyebrows in the region. Auctioneers said the sale of the cellar accounted for some 80 per cent of the 700 lots being sold, and included some of the best labels, such as Cheval-Blanc, Angelus and Figeac. The current priest in the wine town of Saint Emilion, Emeric de Rozieres, whose predecessor, named as Father Bonnet, retired in 2006, told AFP that some parishioners had been astonished by the sale. He said that Bonnet had received wine from his flock, as many priests did, but had also given a lot away. Wine expert Didier Guerin also praised Bonnet, saying that if he was selling off his wine, it was in order to live, not to take a holiday or buy a new car.
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