CBC News: The World This Weekend

Polls continue to put the Parti Quebecois in the lead as voters in Quebec prepare to go to the polls Tuesday. In the U.S., Democrats get ready for their big political convention, which kicks off in North Carolina later this week. And in South Africa, the government drops murder charges against 270 striking miners.

Fifty years after the drug Thalidomide caused severe birth defects in thousands of babies, the manufacturer Grunenthal apologizes. But many victims dismiss the statement, calling it inadequate. And ten people have now died died as a result of an outbreak of legionnaires' disease in Quebec City.

People in the southern U.S. prepare for impact as tropical storm Isaac comes ashore in Florida. Meanwhile, Republicans gather in Tampa to officially nominate Mitt Romney as their candidate along with Paul Ryan, his running mate

The man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, has died at age 82. A tropical storm sweeps through to Haiti, heading to Florida, where Republicans are meeting amid a storm of their own. Canadian medical volunteers return home after being caught up in violence in Zimbabwe.

Annalise Carr becomes the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario. It's a 52 kilometre swim that Carr did in 27 hours as a fundraiser for children with cancer. She climbs the ladder of the pier just seconds before our newscast begins. And across the Atlantic in Dieppe, veterans are honoured in a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the fateful operation that cost Canada so dearly. And in Syria, how do homosexuals view the conflict? We hear from individuals who are both hopeful and fearful of what the revolution may bring.

From a bordertown in Turkey, Syrians recall the changing character of the opposition -- from scattered secular demonstrators to an organized Islamic fighting force. They mourn the passing of the non-violent movement, and the destabilizing effect that sectarian forces may have on the future of Syrian society. Also a full report from Moscow on the jailing of Pussy Riot and how Putin has inadvertently overplayed his hand.

Paris draws many people with its charms. But for a group of Black American musicians, during the early part of the last century, the attraction was freedom. And the London games are over, but the analysis is just beginning. These stories plus all the news of the day.

An incident aboard a train in Northern Ontario revives memories of racism. After an elder is refused service the outcry from a First Nations community leads to a company apology. And Canada is sending millions of dollars to help Syrians fleeing the civil war. These stories plus all the news of the day.

"It's bleak... it's beautiful... it just takes you to Mars as soon as you go there..." That's a NASA scientist describing a location in Canada where he leads studies because it so closely resembles Mars. Simulations conducted in the area, including its large crater, contributed to the landing of the latest Mars rover Curiosity. And Canadian athletes are speaking about their injured colleague Paula Findlay, and how the system failed her. These stories plus all the news of the day...

A proud day at the Games in London as Canada wins gold, silver and bronze. Rosie MacLennan takes the gold in the women's trampoline event. Victoria swimmer Ryan Cochrane takes a silver medal in the men's 15-hundred metre freestyle. And the Canadians also earn a bronze in the women's team pursuit at the Olympic Velodrome. Also on the show -- rowing wraps up at the Olympics today, and Canada has netted two silvers. Behind this success is a controversial figure, who some call "the greatest rowing coach in the world". We meet him... and his critics.

Whatever happened to the Keystone XL? Its very much in the pipeline. On Friday TransCanada was issued the necessary permits for its re-named southern leg -- the Gulf Coast Pipeline. The northern half does not yet have a Presidential permit, which it must have in order to cross international borders. In the meantime -- to get to work on the southern portion -- TransCanada applied for a NATIONWIDE PERMIT TWELVE, which is a blanket water crossing permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Unlike permits issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps does not require a public comment period in which landowners and local governments can express opposition in public meetings. And in fact there is opposition from both landowners and municipalities -- in Texas three towns have filed lawsuits. Also: the story of the strange Olympic seat surplus, Romney's visit to Israel, the Canada Food Guide turns 70, and much more...

From the streets of London, summer has finally settled in, and this city is crammed with Olympic spectacle. We have the flavours and the sights. Also news from Aleppo where unfortunate citizens are bracing for a violent siege, and a report from a refugee transit point in Jordan, where that country is struggling with a destitute human tide.

Stories from the those caught in the terrifying melee at the theatre in Colorado -- stories about sacrifice, and stories of those lives now gone. In Toronto, a neighbourhood stages dance productions on the front porches of homes -- as children and parents collaborate with choreographers on home-made dance works. These and many more stories tonight.

Investigating the movie rampage suspect's home -- technicians from several agencies gain entrance to the dangerous lair of James Holmes. Holmes himself is placed in solitary confinement for his own protection. In Peru, the Shining Path is still a force, 20 years after their most devastating attack -- a car bomb that killed 25 people. We have a report from Lima. And... some myths about tall ships are debunked and others are embellished, in our story from Halifax harbour.

The Red Cross calls the situation in Syria a civil war. The declaration comes as United Nations monitors investigate allegations of a massacre in the village of Tremseh. Drought conditions hammer farmers across the US. Counties in 26 states have been declared natural disaster areas because of the drought. And the search for survivors in British Columbia continues.