France warms to plea for help from Canada

BRUSSELS–As NATO builds momentum toward a “renewal of vows” for Afghanistan, Canada and France yesterday revealed their foreign ministers will embark on a joint mission to Kabul next month in a move that could presage the announcement of badly needed reinforcements for Kandahar province.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, speaking after what he termed “a rich exchange of views” with his NATO counterparts, hinted anew that France is poised to assume a more robust role in Afghanistan in such a way that, either directly or indirectly, will ease the burden on Canadian soldiers.

Harper widens NAFTA probe

OTTAWA–Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expanding the investigation into the government leaks that rocked the U.S. presidential race, a decision that could put the future of his own senior aide in jeopardy.

Harper announced the broader probe by an internal security team yesterday after The Canadian Press said it was unguarded comments by Ian Brodie, his chief of staff, that set the controversy in motion and eventually undermined presidential hopeful Barack Obama in a key race this week.

ShatnerVision Interviews Bill Shatner on the Bridge of the Enterprise

ShatnerVision Interviews Bill Shatner on the Bridge of the Enterprise

Advice for Apple iPhone start-ups

High-flying venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers placed a $100 million bet on Apple’s iPhone on Thursday by creating the iFund.

KPCB partner Matt Murphy will manage that gamble, by heading up a team that will invest in game-changing applications for the mobile Internet. His group will include KCPB co-founder John Doerr and Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy, along with high-ranking advisers from Apple.

CNET News.com talked to Murphy late Thursday about his new charge and the significance of the iFund. Following is a brief excerpt of the interview, but the entire Q&A will be posted here Friday.

A Canyon-Size Age Difference

Visitors to the Grand Canyon always want to know: How old is it?

Park rangers are instructed to tell them that the canyon has been carved by the Colorado River for the past 5 or 6 million years. The park’s Web site, under Frequently Asked Questions, notes that the rocks exposed by the canyon are up to 2 billion years old, and then adds: “The Canyon itself — an erosional feature — has formed only in the past five or six million years. Geologically speaking, Grand Canyon is very young.”

That might need revision. The canyon is more like 17 million years old, according to a study published today in the journal Science.

Liberals demand hearing into Cadman affair

OTTAWA – Liberal Leader Stephane Dion branded Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s defence in the Cadman affair “ridiculous” Thursday as his party and the Bloc Quebecois proposed Commons justice committee hearings into the allegations of a vote-buying attempt in 2005.

A motion that Liberal justice critic Dominic Leblanc worked out with the Bloc proposes “an immediate study into allegations that Chuck Cadman was offered financial inducements in exchange for voting with the Conservatives in the House of Commons.”

Brooke Burke’s Sonny Day

There’s a new man in Brooke Burke’s life.

The TV host and former E! personality welcomed a baby boy Wednesday—her second child with fiancé David Charvet.

The tyke weighed in at six pounds, eight ounces and measured 20 1/4 inches long. The couple had not yet announced his name.

Mother and son were “doing well,” according to Burke’s rep, Nancy Iannios.