Today's Story Line

Global warming may chill Canada's international relations. In the next decade or so, a thawing Arctic could open up the fabled Northwest Passage to oil tankers. Canada wants its environmental and shipping laws to govern any traffic.

The leaders of Pakistan, India, and Kashmir say they all want peace talks. But who's sincere? A summer of mixed signals.

Who's backing Islamic extremists attacking Christians in eastern Indonesia? Some top officials are pointing at the military.

David Clark Scott World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB..

THE BEAR FACTS: While working on today's story about the thawing Arctic ice cap, the Monitor's Ruth Walker was struck by the personal stories that came tumbling forth from Nunavut residents. "They were forced by Canadian Mounties to move north and weren't allowed to move back when the promised jobs didn't materialize." And Canada's northernmost residents weren't particularly interested in sovereignty issues raised by the prospect of a new shipping lane through their backyard. "They're worried about whether it's getting too warm for the polar bears. They hunt them as a food source. A significant loss of habitat for the seals and polar bears could upset the Arctic ecosystem."

PRESS CLIPPING...

You Play, You pay: British universities may soon charge students for their online time, reports The Independent, a London daily. The move is prompted by the amount of time spent downloading music files from Napster, in the United States. British universities have to pay a fee for files downloaded from the US. Universities are paying thousands of dollars to provide high-speed internet access - which is often used to download MP3 files (containing music in compressed form) from US Web sites. Some universities now block students from accessing Napster.

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