Papua New Guinea has proposed death by firing squad as part of stringent new measures to combat rampant violent crime that Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said was destroying the country. The impoverished Pacific nation's government agreed on Wednesday to bring a series of bills aimed at toughening PNG's criminal code to parliament when it meets in two weeks. Central to the law and order push is reviving the death penalty, which is currently in place for treason, piracy and wilful murder but has not been used since 1954.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has announced a renewed push for the death penalty, and life sentences for rape, saying that "draconian" penalties were needed to tackle violent crime. O'Neill said the impoverished Pacific nation would also repeal its controversial Sorcery Act, meaning any black magic killing would be treated as murder, while unveiling tough new punishments for drug and alcohol offences.

OTTAWA - During her seven years as a cabinet minister, some of them difficult, Rona Ambrose has rarely been anything but cool and detached. But the public works minister briefly set aside her professional poise Tuesday when she was asked why she was taking such a personal interest in the heart-wrenching issue of cyberbullying. "I've met a lot of people that have been impacted by this,"Ambrose said, choking back tears. "We've worked very hard to make this happen, and we're just thrilled to be a part of it."

OTTAWA - The complexity of including the perspective of victims in Canada's criminal justice system was encapsulated nicely Thursday in a single, 24-minute news conference on Parliament Hill. And it highlighted a question that too often goes unasked in official Ottawa: When does justice for victims become Old Testament vengeance on criminals? "It's taken years for victims to try to get the message out that we are not these angry, vengeful people," said Sharon Rosenfeldt, whose 16-year-old son Daryn was one of the victims of serial killer Clifford Olsen in 1981.