Six stories in the news today, Feb. 25, from The Canadian Press:

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NEIL BANTLEMAN ACQUITTAL OVERTURNED IN INDONESIA

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion says the Canadian government “is deeply dismayed and shocked” by an Indonesian supreme court decision to overturn the acquittal of Canadian schoolteacher Neil Bantleman. In its decision, the high court also ordered both Bantleman and an Indonesian teacher to serve 11 years in prison instead of 10 for sexually abusing three young children at a prestigious international school in Jakarta.

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LIBERALS TO REVEAL CHANGES TO CITIZENSHIP ACT

The federal Liberals are to reveal today how they’ll undo the previous Conservative government’s controversial changes to the Citizenship Act. The most hotly debated element of the Conservative amendments was a provision to strip people of citizenship if they were convicted of crimes such as treason or terrorism and also held citizenship in another country.

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ONTARIO DEBT EXPECTED TO HIT $300B IN BUDGET

Ontario’s Liberal government will outline a plan to eliminate its deficit and stem the growth of its massive debt in today’s provincial budget, the ninth in a row to be awash in red ink. Low oil prices and a weaker loonie have helped Ontario lead the country in economic growth, but the province has the largest debt of any sub-national government in the world.

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SENATORS GRILL MINISTERS ON SENATE PLANS

Senators hoping for details of the Trudeau government’s plans to transform their much-maligned parliamentary chamber have been told effectively that it’s a work in progress. Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef and government House leader Dominic LeBlanc were grilled by senators late Wednesday at a meeting of the Senate’s rules committee. Both acknowledged some matters have not yet been worked out.

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LANDSCAPE SHIFTS FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS IN CANADA

The federal government will have to mull a new system to distribute medical marijuana after a judge ruled patients can grow their pot at home. Federal Court Judge Michael Phelan struck down a law that required patients to buy cannabis through the mail from licensed producers, writing it was an “arbitrary and overbroad” violation of charter rights. He suspended his decision for six months to allow the Liberal government time to craft new legislation. The federal government has 30 days to appeal.

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STORMY WEATHER CUTS POWER TO THOUSANDS IN QUEBEC AND ONTARIO

Freezing rain and strong winds caused numerous power outages in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario late Wednesday. Hydro-Quebec was reporting almost 240,000 customers were without electricity while Hydro-One in Ontario was showing about 26,000 outages. Many customers were not expected to have their electricity restored until late today or tonight.

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