FILE PHOTO: This undated image taken from video released by Qatar's Al-Jazeera televison broadcast Oct. 5, 2001, purports to show al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, left, and his top lieutenant, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri. U.S. attempts to deliver a "knockout punch" to al-Qaida has been hamstrung by a breakdown in relations between the U.S. and Pakistan over the raid to get bin Laden. Now Al-Qaida leader Al-Zawahri is thought to be hiding in the Pakistani mountains.The Associated Press
A summary of what you need to know today, compiled by The Globe's news desk on Feb. 4, 2013
Osama bin Laden Land?
Abbottabad, best known for the city where Osama bin Laden hid in plain sight for years before American special forces caught up with him, is looking to change its image – with an amusement park. The 50-acre development will include a zoo, artificial waterfalls and paragliding clubs. Local officials insist the development has nothing to do with their past links to the infamous former resident, who lived quietly in a large compound with family before being killed in the raid by special forces in May 2011.
Canadian DNA confirms skeleton belongs to King Richard
Tests have confirmed that a skeleton found under a parking lot in Leicester belongs to Richard III. DNA recovered from the body were compared to DNA from Michael Ibsen, a Canadian and direct descendant of the king, and found to match. The tests solve a long – standing mystery of the whereabouts of the king, killed in battle in 1485.
Renown sniper gunned down at shooting range
The man considered one of the deadliest snipers to come out of the U.S. military was gunned down at a shooting range in Texas on the weekend. Chris Kyle and a friend were shot point-blank at the shooting range about 80 kilometres southwest of Fort Worth. An Iraq veteran, Eddie Ray Routh, has been charged in their deaths. According to one report, Mr. Routh was suffering from PTSD and was taken to the shooting range by Mr. Kyle to "try and help him." Mr. Kyle wrote a best-selling book "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History," in which he claimed to have killed more than 150 militants in four tours in Iraq.
Penny begins to fade
The penny is dead, or at least it is on life support. Canada's mint – which ceased producing the coin last year – will stop shipping pennies today to banks and retailers. Business across the country are working on plans to phase out pennies, rounding purchases up and reprogramming cash registers.
Canada gets 'B' for quality of life
The good news is we have a low murder rate, embrace diversity and are generally happy with our lot in life. The bad news is Canada lags in gender income gap, voter turnout and our gender income gap. Overall, Canada earned a "B" in a report card released today by the Conference Board of Canada, good enough for 7 th place out of 17 countries in the survey. We rank ahead of the US and Japan, but lag well behind the Scandinavian countries. Canada's ranking of a slew of key socio-economic indicators has not changed over the past 20 years.
Jill Mahoney