A ship built in Gaza will sail next year carrying Palestinian exports to international customers, and to challenge Israel's blockade from the inside out, Canadian activists said Wednesday.

The Gaza's Ark project is building a boat using existing resources in the tiny Palestinian enclave to carry Palestinian goods to the outside world, former Canadian Member of Parliament Jim Manly.

The last Westerner held in the U.S. prison for terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay, who was arrested as a teen in Afghanistan, returned to his native Canada on Saturday, a Canadian cabinet minister and the Pentagon said.

Omar Khadr, now 26, left the prison in Cuba on a U.S. military plane and arrived at a Canadian air base in Trenton in Ontario province at 1140 GMT, said Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.

More Western nations called on their citizens to be cautious in the Philippine capital on Saturday following a U.S. embassy warning a day earlier of an unspecified threat against Americans.

The warnings issued by the British, Canadian and Australian governments called on their citizens to be cautious amid fears they could get caught up in an attempted attack against Americans.

Canadian and U.S. authorities have busted a cross-border cheese smuggling ring that brought Can$200,000 worth of mozzarella into Canada undeclared and without paying duties.

Four men, including two Canadian policemen, were foiled in the caper to also distribute the dairy products -- as well as chicken wings and pickles -- to pizzerias and other restaurants in southern Ontario for an estimated profit of Can$165,000, Niagara Regional Police said.

Canada and Turkey's foreign ministers unveiled a monument to fallen diplomats Thursday, a week after U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens was killed in Libya.

The monument in Ottawa stands on the very spot where a Turkish diplomat was assassinated on his way to work 30 years ago, allegedly by Armenian gunmen.

The world's first flight powered entirely by bio jet fuel will take off next month from Ottawa, the fuel makers announced Thursday.

Applied Research Associates and Agrisoma Biosciences partnered with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to develop a "sustainable source of renewable energy" for the commercial airline industry.

The Canadian Auto Workers union will focus on reaching an agreement with Ford as negotiations continue with all of Detroit's Big Three automakers with a strike deadline looming Monday night, the head of the union said.

CAW President Ken Lewenza said Sunday that Ford has shown a willingness to reach an agreement. He said talks with Chrysler and General Motors will continue but high level talks will be focused on Ford. A strike at all three automakers would affect about 20,000 workers and about 16 percent of North American auto production.

Canada closed its embassies in Cairo, Tripoli and Khartoum for the day Sunday as a safety precaution for staff and the buildings, in the wake of attacks on several diplomatic premises.

"We take the safety of our personnel and our missions overseas very seriously," Foreign Ministry official Rick Roth told Agence France Presse.

Canada dropped Friday its longtime opposition to global restrictions on asbestos, dealing a blow to the country's dying mining industry of the fire-resistant substance.

Canada has long led efforts against listing chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous material under the United Nations Rotterdam Convention, which requires exporters to warn importing countries of any dangers and allows them to ban its import.

Diplomats in Iran enjoy the "highest level" of security, the foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday in rejection of the main reason Canada gave for abruptly closing its Tehran embassy and evacuating staff.

"We have provided the best conditions for all the diplomats. Security in our country is at its highest level compared to the rest of the regional countries," spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in a weekly briefing.