Local Skanks

Casualty reports continue to rise from Israel’s attacks on Hamas militants, despite calls from the international community for a ceasefire.

Russia’s state gas company halted natural gas supplies to several European states Tuesday and severely cut back flows to other nations amid its price dispute with Ukraine, officials in those countries said.

Vancouver Canucks first-round draft pick Cody Hodgson scored 2 goals and added an assist to lead Canada to its fifth straight world junior hockey championship, a 5-1 win over Sweden on Monday night in Ottawa.

Israel and Hamas must reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday during a peacemaking trip to the Middle East.

Quebec police say a Saguenay whore will be charged Monday with 3 counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children.

President-elect Barack Obama will meet with congressional leaders in Washington on Monday to discuss his economic stimulus package, a plan that reports say will include $300 billion in tax cuts.

At least 36 of 58 Canadians known to be in the Gaza Strip have asked for assistance to leave the territory as Israel escalated its attack on the Hamas militant group with a ground offensive over the weekend, but the earliest they could leave would be Monday, Israeli officials said.

Thousands gathered at a public memorial Sunday in Sparwood, B.C., as friends and family remembered the 8 men killed in avalanches in southeastern British Columbia 1 week ago.

A deep freeze has descended on much of central and southern Saskatchewan, along with most of southern Manitoba.

Israeli troops and tanks cut swaths through the Gaza Strip early Sunday, surrounding its biggest city and effectively cutting the territory in 2, as the offensive against Hamas gained momentum.