June 26 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
* Canadian police have charged Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a fugitive al-Qaeda-aligned bandit based in the Sahara Desert, with the kidnapping of two Canadian diplomats almost five years ago. ()
* A group of South American health professionals is looking to follow Vancouver's lead in reducing harm when it comes to injection-drug use. The South American delegation, which arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday, will spend three days meeting local health-care providers and researchers, including managers at Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection-drug clinic. ()
* Millions of Canadians living in many parts of the country could find their homes declared uninsurable, as the insurance industry grapples with skyrocketing water damage claims. That is the grim future predicted by Blair Feltmate, chair of the Climate Change Adaptation Project at the University of Waterloo. ()
Reports in the business section:
* Ice Wireless Inc plans to launch its 3G wireless phone and Internet services in 10 communities across the three territories this September, with six more markets to be added next year. It's a direct challenge to BCE Inc subsidiary NorthwesTel Inc, which is the dominant provider of telecommunications services in the North. ()
* Keystone XL, the contentious pipeline project intended to funnel Alberta's oil sands crude, will be rejected unless it is clear that it won't exacerbate global warming, President Barack Obama said Tuesday in a major speech outlining sweeping and tougher measures to curb carbon emissions. ()
* Goldman Sachs Group Inc has topped Mergermarket's list of financial advisers for the value of announced transactions so far this year in Canada. The New York-based giant chalked up a total value of $20.1 billion in deals between Jan. 1, 2013, and June 19, 2013, according to the ranking.()
NATIONAL POST
* Of all the places Iran might have expected an ultimatum from - the UN, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Washington, Jerusalem - Canada's foreign ministry was probably not high on the list. On a recent trip to Israel, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said he was giving Iran three months to set aside its presumed nuclear ambitions. ()
* A Canadian Muslim convert imprisoned in Mauritania since 2011 has told Amnesty International he was tortured into signing a confession that said he intended to join al-Qaeda in Mali. ()
* Canadian diplomats and military officers posted abroad were encouraged to downplay a scathing report by the auditor general on the F-35 stealth fighter in discussions with their foreign counterparts last year, emails show. ()
FINANCIAL POST
* BlackBerry is joining forces with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment in a deal that will see Canada's smartphone maker partner with the country's largest sports conglomerate to create new mobile applications and services that will enable Toronto sports fans to interact with their favourite teams. ()
* Two of Canada's largest medical diagnostics laboratory operators - LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services and CML Healthcare Inc - are joining forces in a friendly C$1.22 billion ($1.16 billion) takeover deal, a move that would make the new company the dominant player in Ontario. ()
* Canada's broadcast regulator is poised to issue its decision on BCE Inc's friendly bid to buy Astral Media Inc this Thursday. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said Tuesday that is when it plans to release its decision on the $3.4 billion deal. ()
* Bombardier Inc has submitted its paperwork to Transport Canada to get a flight permit for the first flight of its new CSeries aircraft. The Montreal-based manufacturer is expected to provide an update on the new aircraft program Wednesday, including the date of its first flight. ()
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
