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The United Nation has authorised a no-fly zone over Libya. The security council said that it will do all that is necessary –including military action- to protect civilians.

The no-fly zone establishes a ban on all flights in the airspace. The United Nations has also demanded a ceasefire, calling out for Khadafy to meet his civilians basic needs.

The Libyan leader didn’t wait to voice his disagreement. In an interview broadcast right before the security council voted on the resolution, he dismissed the United Nations, saying that he does not acknowledge their resolutions.

No votes were recorded against it. Canada voted in favour of the no-fly zone and will contribute six fighter jets to help enforce it. The jets will be based out of Italy and could be in Libya as soon as Friday.

Quebec’s 2011-2012 budget will see hikes in consumer fees across the board and includes some bad news for students. Tuition is one of several fees slated to rise in the oncoming years 

Raymond Bachand is the province’s finance minister.He tabled the sixty-nine million dollar budget Thursday. Bachand says the user fees will cover the two and a half per cent increase in public spending.

Several of the user fees, like the $25 health care levy, were introduced in last year’s budget. Tuition will go up over 300 dollars a year for the next five years. That will start next September. Bachand says Quebec’s books will be balanced by the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

The Parti Québécois had some harsh words for that promise. PQ critic Nicholas Marceau says they’ll miss that objective by a billion dollars. Industry leaders are more optimistic, but say public spending could be reduced further.

A VIA rail train that killed three teenagers this fall had its principle headlight dimmed. On October 31, 2010, five Montreal teenagers were walking along the tracks beneath the Turcot interchange when three of them were struck and killed. The teenagers were walking away from the oncoming train and neither saw nor heard it.

It is normal procedure for trains to dim their lights when approaching highways with oncoming traffic, but this information regarding the teenagers’ death has only recently surfaced. The driver did not see the teens on the tracks until seconds before impact and so neither the whistle or bell were sounded to alert them.

The area where the teens were killed is known as a hangout for youth to walk on the tracks and spraypaint the concrete pillars under the highway. The mother of one of the surviving teenagers is petitioning for a change in the Railway Safety Act. The amendment would call for the Federal Government to appoint a Royal Commission into Railway Safety. This would lessen the number of railway accidents—especially fatal ones.

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