S yy Shis thsue: (¥ Former Israeli prime minster passses away And more! (Y Plans for public school of traditional Chinese medicine moving forward (¥Y DSU to hold annual general meeting in February Suicide bomber lays waste to popular Kabul restaurant » Attack left 21 people dead, including two Canadians Patrick Vailancourt ~~ News Editor , Minews _ &) @theotherpress.ca fghan security forces have confirmed that 21 people have been killed after a suicide bomber struck a busy restaurant in the heart of the capital, Kabul. The restaurant, La Taverna du Liban, which offered up Lebanese cuisine, was popular among tourists and foreigners working in Afghanistan and was in an area of the capital which was home to foreign embassies, government offices, and international aid agencies working in the country. Among the dead are 13 foreigners, including two Canadian men who were working for the Quebec accounting firm Samson & Associates. They are Martin Glazer of Gatineau and Peter McSheffrey of Ottawa. Both men had received training prior to going to Afghanistan, which included strategies for what to do and what to avoid in a war zone. The attack also killed three United Nations staffers, a member of the European Police : Mission in Afghanistan, two : American University employees, : : and the representative from the : : International Monetary Fund in : : Afghanistan. The Taliban—which was : the governing regime in the : country until an American-led : coalition invaded Afghanistan : in 2001 in the first leg of the : War on Terrorism—has claimed : responsibility for the bombing. The bombing has sparked : condemnation from the : international community, with : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- : moon calling on the parties : involved in the ongoing Afghan : conflict to halt hostilities. “Such targeted attacks : against civilians are completely : unacceptable and are in : flagrant breach of international : humanitarian law,” said Ban : ina statement released from : his office. “They must stop : immediately.” Canadian Foreign Affairs : Minister John Baird also : condemned the attack and : offered condolences to the : families of the Canadians killed. : : : training role, but they are : expected to return home in : March. No further Canadian : missions to Afghanistan are : planned at this time. “Canada condemns in the : strongest possible terms the : targeted, cowardly terrorist : attack today ona restaurant : in Kabul,” said Baird ina : statement January 17, the day the attack occurred. International development and humanitarian agencies, : along with the assistance of the : international community, have : madea long-term commitment : to stabilizing Afghanistan, : a country which has not : experienced relative peace in : the last four decades. Agencies : are focussed on such things as : rebuilding infrastructure, and : assisting in bringing stability : to the country’s economic, : legal, and political systems. : The Taliban, with the support : of Al-Qaeda’s network of : militants, are making the work : for these agencies difficult and : dangerous. In claiming responsibility : for the attack, a Taliban : spokesperson revealed in : an emailed statement to the : Associated Press that they : targeted a place “where the : invaders used to dine with : booze and liquor in the plenty.” Asmall contingent of : Canadian Forces personnel remain in Afghanistan ina Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Patrick Vaillancourt, News Editor Mnews@theotherpress.ca www. theotherpress.ca Afghan police forces assist an injured man at the site of an explosion in Kabul // By Massoud Hossaini Trudeau's Liberals pull ahead in national polls » Justin Trudeau seen as ‘more likeable’ than other federal party leaders Patrick Vailancourt » ~~ News Editor ; Minews _ \&) @theotherpress.ca he federal political landscape could experience a wave of Liberal red come the next federal election as polls show Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party pulling ahead of the Conservatives. Surveys conducted by Nanos Research, which takes a rolling sample of 1,000 Canadians who have been interviewed over a four-week period, have consistently shown that Justin Trudeau is : not only the more favourable : choice of Canadians to be prime : minister, but that his Liberal : Party deserves another crack at : forming government. The Liberals have not : formed a government since : Paul Martin won a minority : government in 2003, a : government which went down : in defeat to Stephen Harper's : Conservatives in 2006. Since : then, the Liberals have had : a series of different leaders, : including Stéphane Dion, : Michael Ignatieff, and finally : Justin Trudeau. On the question of who : Canadians prefer as their prime : minister, 29 per cent favoured : Justin Trudeau, while Stephen : Harper garnered 27 per cent. : Official opposition leader Tom : Mulcair was the choice of 19 per : cent of Canadians. While the gap between : Trudeau and Harper may be : close, the polls are done on : a weekly basis and reported : ona rolling 1,000 responses. : The consistency of Trudeau’s : numbers suggests that his : two-point lead over the prime : minister is a significant one. The effects of the ongoing : scandal in the Senate has : played a role in Canadians’ : perceptions of their leaders. : The prime minister has seen : dwindling personal popularity : numbers while the NDP’s Tom : Mulcair is on the rise. Mulcair’s : performance in the House of : Commons, particularly during : Question Period, has won him : some support as well. On the question of who has : the qualities to be a good leader, : Trudeau and Harper both have : 52 per cent. While Trudeau’s : numbers have been relatively : stable, Harper’s numbers are : down five points. Mulcair : scored 48 per cent on the : leadership question, up from 43 : per cent. Much of Mulcair’s polling troubles lie in the : notion that his grilling of the : Prime Minister in the House : of Commons is not being : translated into support for : his party or for his own quest : to succeed Harper as prime : minister. His leadership : numbers are rising, but his : overall popular support remains : well below that of Trudeau and : Harper. While the polls have not : been very good indicators of : election results in recent years : (as was demonstrated in the : British Columbia provincial : elections last year), Canadians : appear to be wary of the : prime minister’s leadership. : The one certainty is that the : Conservatives cannot afford : another scandal.