Honda Launches Brio Hatchback in India

NEW DELHI -- Honda Motor Co. Tuesday introduced its second hatchback and cheapest car yet in India, as the auto maker seeks to challenge the dominance of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and Hyundai Motor Co. in the country's most popular vehicle segment.
Priced between 395,000 rupees ($8000) and 510,000 rupees at showrooms in New Delhi, the Brio--powered by a 1.2-liter gasoline engine--would compete with Maruti's Swift and Ritz, Hyundai's i10 as well as Toyota Motor Corp.'s Etios Liva and Ford Motor Co.'s ...

New Brunswick's Ferguson is Canada's next AG

The Harper government is set to appoint New Brunswick's former auditor general, Michael Ferguson, as the country's top spending watchdog, according to a news report.

OTTAWA — The Harper government is set to appoint the country's new top spending watchdog — launching a 10-year period during which one person will assume critical responsibility for overseeing the public till.

Michael Ferguson, New Brunswick's former auditor general and a member of that province's legislative assembly, will be named the next federal auditor general, sources said Wednesday.

The Prime Minister's Office declined comment, saying an appointment will be announced in "due course."

Ferguson would replace John Wiersema, who has been the interim auditor general since Sheila Fraser left the post in May after 10 years in the job.

Ferguson didn't return calls on Wednesday.

Experts have said it will be one of the most important appointments of the Tories' first few months as a majority government.

The AG's office was established in 1878 and audits federal government departments and agencies, most Crown corporations and several other federal organizations. The office reports to the House of Commons on matters that the auditor general believes should be brought to its attention.

During her term, Fraser earned a reputation as a fearless and no-nonsense spending watchdog whose credibility was strengthened by her non-partisanship.

Political critics say the choice of her successor, with another 10-year term in the job, will speak volumes about whether Harper's Conservatives are truly interested in accountability.

A year ago, the government provided a clue of what it was seeking when it published a job notice for the position. It said the next auditor general must have "integrity, tact, and sound judgment," and be a "team player."

Moreover, it said the person must "possess a constructive approach" and have the capacity to anticipate the "implications" of their actions.

Increasingly, the role of an auditor general is central to the political system in Ottawa. Among the examples of high-profile and politically sensitive probes are audits of the Liberal sponsorship program several years ago, and more recently, the Tory government's expenditures at the G8 Summit in 2010.

Ferguson has a long history in public service and financial oversight, having served as New Brunswick's comptroller from 2000 to 2005.

He was appointed auditor general in 2005 by former Tory premier Bernard Lord's government and remained in the job until 2010, when he became deputy finance minister in the New Brunswick government, a position he still holds.

Ferguson also has a history of speaking his mind.

It was during his tenure as auditor general that he highlighted how New Brunswick's budget deficit had deep structural roots.

His reports questioned whether the government could meet its commitment to balance the books within a timeline of four years.

Ferguson was a vocal critic of the former provincial Liberal government for failing to draft a clear plan for pulling the province out of debt. He targeted former New Brunswick Liberal premier Shawn Graham (who followed Lord) for his government's proposal to sell NB Power to Hydro-Quebec to help solve the province's debt problem.

He said the plan wouldn't fix the debt crisis and was possibly counterproductive because it would eliminate a stable source of government revenue and potentially undermine the province's financial position even further.

Former New Brunswick Tory finance minister Norman Betts — who managed the province's purse strings while Ferguson was comptroller and dealt with him when he was AG — said his longtime friend would make a great auditor general because he's no government lapdog.

Betts describes Ferguson's time as AG like a "dog with a bone" that kept on digging until he got to the bottom of an item the office was investigating.

"Being popular will be the last of his concerns. His concerns will be doing a good job for the citizens of Canada," Betts said. "I don't know what the opposite of a lapdog is, but if you Google it, Mike's picture will come up."

The auditor general is appointed by the prime minister but must be approved by the House of Commons and Senate.

The government launched a "thorough national selection process" to select the next AG. Under the Auditor General Act, the government is required to consult with the leaders of all recognized parties in the House of Commons and the Senate on its nominee. The nomination is then introduced in Parliament for consideration and approval.

Auroras light up the night in both hemispheres

September 28, 2011 — Many Canadians were able to see the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, this week. Meanwhile, astronauts aboard the International Space Station caught rare footage of the Aurora Australis, or the Southern Lights.

The Northern Lights over Fort McMurray, AB on Sept. 26

If the skies were clear and your location was right, you may have been treated to quite the scene this week.

The Aurora Borealis was visible in many populated parts of Canada on Monday night, including Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. That had many people rushing to grab their cameras and heading to the window.

The impressive light show came courtesy of a coronal mass ejection (CME) -- a massive burst of solar wind that struck the Earth's magnetic field, generating a strong geomagnetic storm.

The source of the CME was a sun spot on the surface of the sun that measured 150,000 km across.

The best places for seeing the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, were in communities away from city lights and with a good view of the northern sky.

Anyone north of Churchill, Manitoba could continue to have a good view of the Northern Lights this week.

The Space Weather Prediction Centre of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers tips for spotting aurora borealis.

The weather plays a big role in the visibility of auroras; find out what's in store for your area after dark.

Meanwhile, astronauts aboard the International Space Station were able to capture some rare footage of the Aurora Australis, or the Southern Lights, on Monday. Click the video above for a look at what they saw.

If you have photos of the Aurora Borealis that you'd like to share, feel free to upload them to our Your Weather Gallery.

With files from Alexandra Pope

3 new districts in UP; total 75

Lucknow, September 28
Chief Minister Mayawati today formally announced the creation of three new districts in western Uttar Pradesh and reiterated a number of populist demands targeted at her vote bank kickstarting her election campaign 2012.
The new districts are Prabudh Nagar, Panchsheel Nagar and Bhim Nagar. With this, the total number of districts has now gone up to 75 in the state.
Addressing a public meeting at Shamli, the new district headquarters of Prabudh Nagar, carved out of two tehsils (Shamli and Kairana) of Muzzafarnagar district on Day 1 of her inspection tour, Mayawati repeated her commitment to reservation for Muslims, the poor among the upper castes and inclusion of Jats in the OBC quota.
While Hapur and Garh Mukteshwar have been re-christened as Panchsheel Nagar, Moradabad’s Sambhal and Chandausi tehsils have been made into a new district called Bhim Nagar. Incidentally, this is the second district in the state named after Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. Already, an Ambedkar Nagar district was carved out of Faizabad.
Mayawati hit out at the Congress-led Central government as well as the previous BJP-led NDA government for not addressing the popular demand of trifurcation of Uttar Pradesh by creating Bundelkhand, Harit Pradesh and Purvanchal.
Underlining her commitment for creation of smaller and more manageable administrative units, including districts and tehsils, Mayawati said that she had, in fact, repeatedly written to the Centre for creation of the new states of Harit Pradesh, Purvanchal and Bundelkhand but had not received any response.

Potential for waterspouts on the Great Lakes

September 28, 2011 — Environment Canada says there's an increased risk of waterspouts forming on the Great Lakes this week.

a waterspout on Lake Erie

Anyone living in the Great Lakes basin should stay off the water for the next couple of days. Environment Canada says there's an increased risk of waterspouts forming.

A waterspout watch was issued for Lake Erie and part of Lake Huron Wednesday afternoon.

“There's an indication of turbulence in the lower levels of the atmosphere caused by the cut-off low that's been spinning for days,” says Brian Dillon, a meteorologist at The Weather Network. “That could lead to some waterspouts on the Great Lakes. So it's not a good idea to be out boating this week.”

By definition, a waterspout is a rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped column of vapour and water between a cloud and the earth's surface. They usually form over the water.

While waterspouts are often much weaker than the land counterparts, there have been instances where waterspouts become tornadoes. Last month, as many as five waterspouts formed off the coast of North Carolina and one came ashore, transitioning into a tornado.

“It's rare, but the threat is there for this to happen,” warns Dayna Vettese, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.

If you see a waterspout in your area, tell us on The Weather Network's Facebook page. You can also help us tell this story by sharing your photos.

With files from Andrea Stockton

Funnel clouds  in southern Ontario in August

Waterspout

A waterspout is a rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped column of vapour and water between a cloud and the earth's surface. They look like tornadoes over water but they're really just first cousins. Waterspouts come in a variety of sizes and strengths and arise from different mechanisms. They can start over land as true tornadoes and drift out to sea or over a lake or large river. Much more common are the fair-weather spouts in which small whirlwinds start from the water surface. They climb skyward, but rarely extend to the cloud level. They are similar to the little dust whirls that form over dry roads and fields. Larger waterspouts may also grow down from above in a manner similar to a tornado with the circulation beginning in the cloud and working its way down to the water.

Spouts formed over water are much smaller, less destructive, live shorter lives and move more slowly than land-based tornadoes. Waterspouts have been known to pick up small fish and frogs and other water creatures and carry them inland, where they are suddenly dropped on startled residents.

Tallying Canada's confirmed tornadoes

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=tallying_canadas_confirmed__250711

If wishes were horses, Chandigarh Tourism would stand first

What tourists say about City Beautiful

Chandigarh is a very beautiful city. I specially like the people here, whom I find to be very nice and friendly. Though the weather is a matter of concern for us, we are very happy to be here.
— Eshly and her mother-in-law Zehava from Israel
This city is different from other cities of India. It has clean and pollution-free surroundings and wide roads, which are impressive. It is fun to walk here. People are helpful and they go out of the way to help. I want to come again and again.~
— Sabina and Rolaud Blass from Austria
We are happy to be here. Though everything is fine, the local administration needs to ensure safety of the tourists from private transport operators and small-time hoteliers. I had a bad experience as an auto-rickshaw driver charged me Rs 500 from a hotel near the Chandigarh railway station to the Kalka railway station.
— S Kashyap and his wife J Dean from Ranchi in Jharkhand
We are surprised to see swanky cars here. The local people are very warm, civilised and friendly and they live in style. We are impressed. Wide roads and green belts are other attractions here. We want to come here again and again.

— Shankar and his friends, students of VIT Bhimavaram Institute at Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh

Election Petition Against Capt

Arguments lead to spat between lawyers in HC
Chandigarh, September 28
Arguments on the election petition against Punjab’s former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today resulted in a spat between two senior lawyers.
As the petition came up for resumed hearing before Justice Rajive Bhalla of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, heated arguments were witnessed between the petitioner’s lawyer Satya Pal Jain and Capt Amarinder Singh’s lawyer ML Saggar.
The spat had its genesis in an objection raised by Jain to repeated interruptions by Saggar during Amarinder Singh’s cross-examination.
Saggar retorted by saying Jain had not conducted any trial according to the Evidence Act. Jain took exception to the remark. Mincing no words, Jain reacted by saying: "I do not want any certificate from you. I am hurt".
The situation was defused after Justice Rajive Bhalla intervened and asked the lawyers to calm down. In a lighter vein, Jain said Amarinder Singh had a tendency to forget his supporters. The former CM quipped that the supporters were on the wrong side.
Amarinder Singh was cross-examined for nearly two hours on the petition filed by Sukhbir Badal, challenging his election to the assembly in 2007 from the Patiala city constituency.
The proceedings began a little before 2 pm. As undertaken, the former Chief Minister appeared before the court at 1.45 pm.
Though he was offered a chair, he chose to stand throughout the cross-examination. The case will come up for resumed hearing on October 3.

6 HC judges to be sworn in tomorrow

Chandigarh, September 28
The Punjab and Haryana High Court is all set to wear a new look, with Justice Mohinder Pal being transferred out and six advocates being elevated.
Available information suggests the warrants of appointment of the six advocates as the Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court have been signed. The designated Judges are expected to be administered oath on Friday morning.
The High Court has already received a fax message on the clearing of their names for elevation. The lawyers being elevated are RN Raina, NK Sanghi, Rameshwar Malik, TS Dhindsa, PS Dhaliwal and Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia.
The oath is expected to be administered by Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar, as Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi is currently on a long leave following illness.
It is also believed that Justice Mohinder Pal stands transferred out to the Gujarat High Court. He was elevated as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on October 8, 2007. Born on December 30, 1956, Justice Mohinder Pal is a Panjab University alumnus.
This is the first time in the recent past that just one Judge has been transferred out of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Prior to this, three judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court were transferred out in October last. In fact, the transfer orders of Justice Ashutosh Mohunta, Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma and Justice HS Bhalla were received by the High Court on October 13, 2010.
With the elevation of the six advocates, the number of judges will go up to 48 against the current strength of 42. But it will drop to 47 after Justice Mohinder Pal joins the new place of posting.
Even after the elevation of the additional Judges, the vacancies of Judges in the High Court will continue, as their sanctioned strength is 68. The result of the shortage of Judges is there for all to see. As of now, the High Court has approximately two lakh pending cases.
The New Judges
RN Raina
NK Sanghi
Rameshwar Malik
TS Dhindsa
PS Dhaliwal
Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia 

Little Master moves into big Mumbai home

Mumbai, September 28
Sachin Tendulkar today fulfilled his long cherished dream of living in a house of his own as he moved into a sprawling, five-storey bungalow on the coveted Perry Cross Road in suburban Bandra here. Tendulkar has shifted his residence from La Mer Housing Society, also in Bandra west, to the villa spread over 6,000 square feet.
"Everyone has a dream of owning a house. I, too, had this dream. I am happy that I was able to fulfill it. The flat where I earlier lived was given to me under the sports quota. I have now vacated that place so that some other sportsman can live there," he told reporters outside his new home.
A battery of mediapersons clicked away furiously as Sachin, clad in a simple striped T-shirt and trousers, took his first step into the bungalow, a glow of happiness on his face. His family members, mother, wife and children followed him into the house.
"We had done the 'gruha shanti' and 'vastu-puja' on June 11 before I left for England. I could not visit Mumbai after that, but now that I am in the city, I brought my mother to show the place," the Master Blaster said.
While three of the bungalow’s storeys are above ground level, it has two levels of basement parking with a capacity of around 50 vehicles. One of the floors will be dedicated to storing and displaying the hundreds of medals, cups, honours and citations that the batsman has received during his two-decades-plus glorious cricket career.Sachin spent his early childhood in Sahitya Sahawas Colony in Bandra east and later honed his batting skills in the famous Shivaji Park grounds when he lived in Dadar.
After scouting around Mumbai, he had zeroed in on and purchased this Bandra west property to construct his ‘dream home’ some years ago for a whopping Rs 39 crore. He then got it rebuilt from scratch.The villa has been secured with high-walled fencing to avoid curious onlookers

One held for occupation of NRI’s property

Hoshiarpur - The NRI police station, Hoshiarpur, has booked Varinder Kumar under Sections 447 and 506 of the IPC on the basis of a complaint made by Sunita Rani, an NRI.

She alleged the accused forcibly took possession of her plot.
According to the police, Sunita Rani alleged that the accused threatened to kill her when she demanded her plot to be returned to her from the accused.

Fake Immigration agents’ racket busted

Hoshiarpur, September 26
Fake travel agents have duped Rs 18 lakh from a gullible person in the name of sending his sons to a foreign country.
The Bulhowal police has booked Vishal Kumar and his brother Deepak Kumar from Batala, Ravi Kumar, his brother Sanjiv Kumar, and Rakesh Kumar under Sections 406, 420 and 120B of the IPC and Section 10 of the Immigration Act.
Surjit Singh, the victim, alleged that the aforesaid accused took
Rs 18 lakh from him with a promise to send his sons abroad. But neither did they send the boy abroad nor did they return the money.

Kapurthala, Nawanshahr land records to go online

NRIs can check their land records online now
The land mutations of Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts goes online now. The Punjab Land Records Society (PLRS) will run the data of these two districts on a trial basis and then gradually upload the data of other districts. The land records for the two districts would be available in public domain on a government portal www.plrs.org.in
Being NRI centric districts, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr have been selected for the trial run.
“A large number of people from these pockets reside abroad and need to keep a track of their landholdings. Based on the feedback from these people, the database of other districts would also be uploaded,” said Anurag Verma, former secretary, Revenue, Government of Punjab.
While people would be able to see their land records, copies of the record downloaded from the portal will not be valid for legal purposes.
For a legal document, people would have to visit the Farad Kendra concerned and deposit a fee of Rs 20 per page of the record, with the duty patwari. The record would be made available within 15 to 20 minutes. This is a first of its kind project wherein people can see their land record with a click of mouse.
Meanwhile, at Bathinda, the data of 201 villages out of a total of 292 is being updated under the first phase. Of these, record of 39 villages is in the validation stage, says Sandhya Birla, district in-charge, PLRS.
“The records of sub-tehsil Sangat, Maur and four villages of Bhagta have already been validated,” she added.
Bathinda district has three tehsils and four sub-tehsils. All these have Farad Kendras running from their own buildings while that of Bathinda tehsil is operating from a makeshift office.
Started in July 2007, the PLRS, Bathinda, has faced many odds in preparing the database. Sources in the PLRS said many records have been running with blunders since 1947. Software was designed in such a way that it picked every anomaly.
Patwaris resisted the move thinking that their role would be completely wiped off, as before the online era, patwaris had the sole prerogative of issuing copies of land records. Over the last five years, things are falling into place, the sources said.



Related Acts
http://www.plrs.org.in/acts.htm

Pakistan to use bowler Akhtar book in court case

Pakistan cricket authorities said on Wednesday they would use confessions made by retired paceman Shoaib Akhtar in his autobiography in court to justify disciplining the former international.

In the book, launched last week in India, Akhtar confessed to ball-tampering and other violations of conduct during a 14-year career that was marred by injury and discipline problems before his retirement in April this year.

The book, "Controversially Yours", has riled Indian fans and media alike with harsh comments on batting greats Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, claiming the duo were not "match winners."

Akhtar's appeal against a record seven million rupee (then $82,400) disciplinary fine imposed three years ago is pending in the Lahore high court.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) legal adviser Taffzul Rizvi said excerpts of the book will now be used in court against the one-time world's fastest bowler.

"In a writ case it is important for someone to have clean conduct and in his autobiography Akhtar has confessed to breach of discipline and has not come out clean, so we will use them in the court case," Rizvi told AFP.

Akhtar was banned for five years after he criticised the PCB for axing him from the central contracts in early 2008.

His suspension was later reduced to 18 months, and although the fine was imposed, he was allowed to play international cricket.

In October 2007, Akhtar was banned for 13 matches and fined 3.4 million rupees for hitting teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat just days before the Twenty20 World Cup in September in South Africa.

"Akhtar has confessed to all breaches of contract which justifies PCB's action of 2008," said Rizvi. "He has also violated his central contract which remains intact until year after a player's retirement," said Rizvi.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt also took a swipe at Akhtar.

"Akhtar is talking nonsense and we will take action officially once we get the book," Butt said earlier this week. "His comments can hamper our efforts of reviving cricket series with India."

Former captain Shoaib Malik, who Akhtar described as "a stooge of former PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf," said no one should take the book seriously.

"We should not take him seriously and his allegations are not worthy of response," said Malik.

UN council hands Palestinian statehood bid to review panel

Council takes first step on Palestinian U.N. bid

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday took its first step on the Palestinian application to join the United Nations by handing it to a committee that will review and assess it in the coming weeks.

The standing committee on the admission of new members to the world body is comprised of all 15 council members. Normally, the review period for a membership application is a maximum of 35 days, but Western diplomats say this limit can be waived and the process could theoretically drag on.

Western diplomats on the council say the Palestinian U.N. bid is doomed to failure due to U.S. opposition. But the chief Palestinian delegate to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, welcomed the council's move as a first step toward eventual U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood.

"We are grateful to the Security Council for moving decisively and clearly on our application," he told reporters after the council meeting. "The process is moving forward step by step, and we hope that the Security Council will shoulder its responsibility and approve our application."

He reiterated that the Palestinians hoped the process would not take too long. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who delivered the Palestinian application to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, has said he wants the review over within weeks.

The standing committee will hold its first meeting on Friday.

'NO SHORTCUTS'

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor repeated the Israeli position that the only way the Palestinians will get U.N. membership and statehood is through direct negotiations with the Israelis on a comprehensive peace agreement.

"A Palestinian state, a real Palestinian state, a viable Palestinian state, will not be achieved (by) imposing things from the outside but only in direct negotiations," he said. "There are no shortcuts."

Israel vehemently opposes the Palestinian U.N. bid, saying it is an attempt to delegitimize it. The Palestinian application calls for recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Palestinians pulled out of moribund peace talks a year ago after Israel refused to extend a moratorium on Israeli settlements on territory the Palestinians want for a future state.

Israel has occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since the 1967 Middle East war.

Israel on Tuesday announced plans to build 1,100 settlement homes in the West Bank, eliciting condemnations from the United States and European Union.

Mansour also condemned the Israeli announcement.

The United States has pledged to veto the Palestinian bid, which needs council approval in order to go to the U.N. General Assembly for confirmation. So far, Western diplomats say, the Palestinians have only six certain votes on their side in the 15-member council.

Security Council resolutions need nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the five permanent members in order to pass.

Some Western envoys said they were unclear what the council's seldom-convoked membership committee would be able to do with the Palestinian application, given that the council's divisions will be replicated on the committee.

Most Security Council committees work on the basis of consensus. When the committee last convened in July to consider South Sudan's membership application it was able to wrap up its work in two days as no country was opposed.

The bitterly contested Palestinian issue will be very different. One envoy suggested the committee might ultimately have to pass it back to the full council.

Baby Joseph dies at Ont. home

CBC – 1 hour 39 minutes ago

Joseph Maraachli, the terminally ill baby at the centre of a legal and ethical battle, has died at his Windsor, Ont., home.

Baby Joseph, as he affectionately became known, suffered from a degenerative brain disease. He was 20 months old when he died late Tuesday afternoon.

“We want to thank God and everyone else for the support. I don’t think he would have made it that long if there [weren’t] those prayers from all over the world,” Maraachli’s aunt Faith Nader said.

Nader said Joseph was having a hard time breathing during the last two days. He took his last breath just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Joseph died with his mother Sana Nader, father Moe Maraachli and an aunt in the family home.

“It seemed like a relaxing breath, like he was OK. It didn’t seem like he struggled,” Nader said. “It was God’s way of telling us his last breath was OK.”

Maraachli became the centre of a right-to-life legal battle in Canada before receiving treatment in the United States.

While in a London hospital, Maraachli breathed with the help of a machine and received nourishment through a feeding tube in his abdominal wall.

London Health Sciences Centre in southwestern Ontario refused to perform a tracheotomy after Maraachli's condition deteriorated, calling it medically unnecessary. The family took legal action against the hospital so Maraachli could receive the operation, breathe on his own and die peacefully at home.

The Maraachli family lost a provincial court battle, but still refused to consent to removing Joseph's breathing tube. American right-to-life groups took up the cause. The group Priests for Life flew him to a hospital in St. Louis, Mo., where he received the tracheotomy.

Brother Paul O'Donnell, who grew close to the family, posted the news on the Save Baby Joseph Facebook page around midnight Wednesday.

"It is with great sadness that I report to you the passing of our dear Baby Joseph Maraachli. He passed away peacefully at home with his parents and family at his side. Praise God he had seven precious months with his family to be surrounded by love and was not put to death at the hands of doctors. May Joseph rest in the loving arms of his Heavenly Father surrounded by all the angels."

In an interview, O'Donnell called it "a victory for life."

"I've seen him the last six [to] seven months being surrounded by love, being cared for at his home. We'll never know on this earth how much it meant for that child, but I can tell you this, it meant the world to the parents to be able to love their child as long as that child was here on earth," O'Donnell said.

The Terri Schiavo Foundation also worked closely with Maraachli's family.

Terri Schiavo was the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman who was at the centre of a national right-to-life battle in the U.S. On its website, the foundation praised the fact that Maraachli was able to die at home.

"He spent his last seven months being loving cared for by his parents. He died peacefully at home with his family at his side. This is all the family ever wanted, let God decide when their child should leave this Earth, not doctors or the civil courts."

"We accepted death a long time ago,” Nader said. “We just wanted it to be at home and that’s what we got.”

A private funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday morning. Maraachli will then be buried beside his sister Zina at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Oldcastle, Ont.

Zina died of a neurological disorder.