TORONTO

Opposition parties oust prime minister, force vote

Canadian opposition parties brought down the Conservative government in a no confidence vote Friday, triggering an election that polls show the Conservatives will win.

The opposition parties held Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government in contempt of Parliament in a 156-145 vote for failing to disclose the full financial details of his tougher crime legislation, corporate tax cuts and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets.

Opinion polls expect Harper’s Conservative Party to win re-election but not a majority, meaning he likely will continue to govern with a minority in Parliament, dependent on opposition votes to stay afloat.

The expected election date is May 2.

SANAA, Yemen

Opposing sides hold rallies in different parts of capital

Yemenis gathered for competing rallies in different parts of the capital Friday as the opposition demanded President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s immediate departure and tribesmen marched in his support.

Army defectors fired weapons into the air to keep the pro-Saleh crowd from reaching Sanaa’s Taghyeer Square, where the protesters were assembling. Loudspeakers broadcast appeals to the tribesmen to disobey orders to attack the opposition.

Saleh spoke to his supporters, who filled another square, telling them he is willing to quit if he finds “safe hands” for a transfer of power. Until then, “we will remain steadfast, with all the power that we have,” he said.

The protest movement has gained momentum since March 18, when police and snipers killed 46 protesters in the capital in the worst violence since the unrest began two months ago.

WASHINGTON

First late-stage skin cancer drug to extend life gets OK

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a cancer medication from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. that researchers have heralded as the first drug shown to prolong the lives of patients with advanced skin cancer.

The FDA approved the injectable drug, called Yervoy, for late-stage or metastatic melanoma. Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer, but the FDA has approved only two other drugs for advanced melanoma. Neither drug has been shown to significantly extend patient lives.

Known chemically as ipilimumab, the biotech drug only worked in a small segment of patients studied, and on average they lived just four months longer than patients given older medications. But experts say the drug is an important milestone in treating melanoma, which is often unresponsive to therapy.

 

 

 

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