NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 08-2009

OTTAWA - A Canadian departure from Kandahar in 2011 would seriously undermine NATO's war in Afghanistan, said a U.S. counter-insurgency expert, who served as a special adviser to the alliance's new ground commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.

One of the men convicted and fined $5,000 for illegally shooting ducks and then posting video of the carnage on YouTube lashed out after being sentenced Monday, insisting the matter had been blown out of proportion.

Several recent incidents have highlighted the thorny subject of police investigating police, including the case of Robert Dziekanski, who died at the Vancouver Airport in 2007 after being hit with an RCMP Taser, and that of Ian Bush, shot and killed by a

Click here to find out more! Decrease Text SizeIncrease Text Size Text Size CHICAGO - It's been one thing after another for the Chicago Blackhawks this off-season after a trip to the Western Conference finals. They signed one star forward in Marian H

The head of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan has pledged to do �whatever we got to do� to back war-weary Canadian troops fighting to stop the Taliban from strengthening control over Kandahar city. Signalling a significant change in battle strate

BERLIN -- Michael Schumacher has called off his much-anticipated Formula One comeback because of lingering injuries from a motorcycling crash earlier this year.

Canadian online archive helps British regiment use sketchy historical details to finally pinpoint the site of battle on Halloween, 1914

OTTAWA -- Canadian clinics are still waiting for medical isotopes from Down Under. A fledgling Australian nuclear reactor isn't yet making enough isotopes to cover for a downed Canadian reactor that used to produce a third of the world's supply.

A Nova Scotia woman who travelled home from an AC/DC concert in Moncton last Thursday night on a Saint John-based charter bus says passengers feared for their safety because their driver kept nodding off at the wheel.

The lawyer for a Canadian woman stranded in Kenya said he will file a motion in Federal Court on Tuesday, asking the federal government to issue an emergency passport so she can return home after a DNA test confirmed her identity.

OWEN SOUND, Ont. - It's not a good idea to ignore police when you are driving after having a few - even in a golf cart.

EDMONTON -- A 37-year-old electrician was handed $750 in fines yesterday after he was convicted of forcibly kissing a woman before asking her if she wanted to die.

Alta. - A woman has been fined $2,500 for her part in the dumping of five black lab puppies down an outhouse near the Crowsnest Pass in January 2008.

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KATMANDU, Nepal -- The world's smallest deer, a flying frog and catfish that stick to rocks -- as well as more than 350 other species -- have been discovered over the past decade in the Himalayas, making it one of the world's most biologically rich region

The last filmgoers heard of the Trailer Park Boys, they were heading for a two-year stretch in jail. Ricky, Julian and Bubbles will return this fall, in time to open the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax with their new movie, Trailer Park Boys: Countdown

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a large 7.6 earthquake in the Indian Ocean about 250 kilometres from India's Andaman Islands on Tuesday, and issued a tsunami watch for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh.

As many as 600 people are unaccounted for in Taiwan after a mudslide caused by Typhoon Morakot struck a mountain village, a police official and a villager said Monday

Cooler temperatures, clouds and possibly rain are expected to give exhausted forest fire crews a break Monday in many parts of B.C., but a series of thunderstorms could spark new fires.

The B.C. New Democrats say a document leaked to them reveals the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority plans to cut more than 6,000 surgeries and close a number of emergency rooms to slash costs.

Three Saskatchewan men charged after a YouTube video showed ducklings being shot illegally were handed hefty fines Monday, as well as a three-year ban on acquiring hunting licences.

Tim Hortons has reversed its decision to sponsor a Rhode Island rally held by a U.S. group that opposes same-sex marriage, after encountering fierce criticism for the move.

Aerosmith officially postponed their tour of Western Canada due to injuries frontman Steven Tyler suffered after falling off the stage during a concert in South Dakota last week.

Alberta communities are increasingly concerned about the "erosion" of small-town medical care, including the loss of nursing-home beds and hospital services, according to the head of a major rural municipal organization.

There were tears of pride, of joy. "It's like our wildest dream," began Jeff McClintock, pausing for a moment to choke back his emotions. "We came here and knew she had a possibility of winning this thing if she skied to her maximum.

When the world descends on Vancouver in six months for the 2010 Winter Olympics, another kind of convergence will quietly be taking place. A cross-Canada security force will gather to keep those crowds under control, and disaster at bay.

A Canadian family vacationing in New York City said they were just moments away from getting on the helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River on the weekend after striking a small plane.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada gather on Monday to present a united front to try to limit the spread of the H1N1 swine flu, but there is less unity on simmering trade issues.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says China has an increasing interest in investing in Canada, an opportunity that has partially been built on the reputation of Canada's robust financial institutions.

HALIFAX, N.S. - The federal government has awarded a $1.2-billion contract to acquire 15 Chinook helicopters for the Canadian military.

Rats are known to flee sinking ships, and apparently the scaly-tailed rodents also scamper from buildings being demolished in downtown Vancouver.

A man was involved in an attempted break-in shortly before he died in a car accident, police say.

One of Canada's top public administration experts is calling on the federal government to scrap the 12 "ministers' regional offices," or MROs, across the country.

CALGARY -- Offering to split EnCana's $1-million reward with the bomber in exchange for the culprit surrendering is better odds than winning the lottery, says the man who is offering the deal.

CALGARY -- He's really, really sorry. Really.

The summer of 1974 was violent and trying for the Canadian Forces, a season that took 15 lives and for more than three decades was known as the deadliest period for this country's military.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says climate change is the greatest challenge facing a world beset by crises and called on governments to reach a deal on the environment at a meeting in Denmark later this year.

A coalition of Olympics watchdog groups gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Sunday to renew calls for the protection of basic human rights when the 2010 Games open in six months

Canada's 'blueprint' aims to safeguard sovereignty, protect the environment, promote economic growth

The Arctic Ocean has given up tens of thousands more square kilometres of ice in a relentless summer of melt, with scientists watching through satellite eyes for a possible record low polar ice cap.

One of the most fascinating mysteries in aviation history could be solved with the help of two Ontario DNA labs.

Comets have been blamed for a lot of death and destruction over the years. Showers of them are thought to have triggered at least one and maybe even several of the major and minor mass-extinction events that have wiped out millions of species in the 4 bil

GENEVA -- When launched to great fanfare nearly a year ago, some feared the Large Hadron Collider would create a black hole that would suck in the world. It turns out the Hadron may be the black hole.

A Mississauga woman and her husband have been asked to take down the Canadian flag they keep in a tree in front of their home, but they want to honour a relative heading to Afghanistan.

First came another signature moment from Tiger Woods, an 8-iron over the water that stopped a foot from the hole. Even more stunning was the meltdown that followed by Padraig Harrington.

Leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada begin a two-day summit in Mexico on Sunday to address a range of issues, including drugs, energy, trade, travel and the global economic downturn.

HOBOKEN, New Jersey -Divers pulled a helicopter and four more bodies out of the murky Hudson River on Sunday in their search for victims, wreckage and explanations from a midair collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane that killed nine peop

A strong earthquake shook the Japanese capital and surrounding areas Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said

Typhoon Morakot slammed into China's eastern coast on Sunday just hours after nearly one million people were ordered to leave the area.

Fire crews continued to attack a major wildfire in the central B.C. Interior on Sunday, and while officials reported some progress, all evacuation orders and alerts remained in effect in the Cariboo region.

The finding is based on a language development test, revealing average dogs can learn 165 words (similar to a 2-year-old child), including signals and gestures, and dogs in the top 20 percent in intelligence can learn 250 words.

New will be a visual organizer for iPhone apps and support for Blu Ray. You can put your Blu Ray disk into your PC or Mac and import into iTunes 9.

Feuding Tampa Bay Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie may soon settle their differences with the help of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and his cousin were arrested early Sunday morning for assaulting and robbing a cab driver in Buffalo, according to several news sources in that city.

OTTAWA -- Economists are expecting some lukewarm economic data for Canada over the coming week - numbers that, while not great, could be worse.

Animal rights activists say an elephant at Edmonton's Valley Zoo is showing signs of depression and severe arthritis and it's time to move her to a sanctuary.

OTTAWA -- Ottawa is a place where plans are made. There are always plans. And even plans to make plans.

Stargazers looking up to a clear sky this week will be treated to the celestial theatrics of the Perseid Meteor Shower, boasting more than 60 shooting stars in a variety of bright colours.

CALGARY - Two police officers received minor injuries when they were assaulted by patrons of a beer garden at a Calgary music festival.

STE-ADELE, Que. - A house made out of shipping containers is probably not the first thing that springs to mind when one thinks of home, sweet home.

TORONTO - It's an image seared on the brains of thousands of residents who fled their beds in the dead of night, many without shoes and clad only in boxers or flimsy pyjamas: Gigantic balls of fire exploding like sunbursts high above their homes

MONTREAL - Bone-dry temperatures in British Columbia that have led to hundreds of wild fires. Home-ravaging tornadoes in western Quebec. A violent wind storm in Alberta that left a woman dead at a country music jamboree.

While fires near Bella Coola, B.C. were deemed safe enough for residents to return home on Saturday, thousands of residents near Fintry, B.C. are still being ordered to stay away.

An RCMP officer had his work cut on Saturday as he attempted to subdue, and eventually kill an angry pit bull, after it attacked a llama and an alpaca in Langley.

TOKYO - The mayor of Nagasaki called for a global ban on nuclear arms at a ceremony marking the 64th anniversary of the devastating U.S. attack on the Japanese city that killed about 80,000 people.

A researcher at the University of Alberta is trying to prevent mountain pine beetles, which have already devastated huge swaths of lodgepole pine in British Columbia, from feeding on Alberta's jack pine forests.

After just four days on the water, P.E.I. tuna fishermen are packing up their gear until October.

Whitney McClintock of Cambridge, Ont., won the gold medal in tricks Saturday at the women's world water ski championships.

Despite a strong second-half charge by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Calgary Stampeders pulled off a 31-23 win on their home field Saturday night.

There is officially a good football team in Hamilton. No, not the one at McMaster University, but the one that slugged it out with the CFL's Western Conference-leading Edmonton Eskimos in a heavy rain at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Saturday night.

RCMP in Surrey arrested 11 people Saturday after a man was shot and held against his will in the Vancouver suburb.

LONDON -- Hundreds of Beatles fans swarmed Abbey Road on Saturday, singing songs and snarling traffic to mark 40 years since John, Paul, George and Ringo strode across the leafy north London street and into the history books on iconic pop photos.

Cooler temperatures were welcomed Saturday by fire crews battling the Terrace Mountain blaze in the B.C. Interior, but rising winds could cause trouble.

GATINEAU, Que. - The story of Vintage Wings of Canada, a charitable foundation that blends Canadian history, flyboy wonder and hotrod mentality, reads like some modern feel-good parable:

Three Saskatchewan men have been arrested over a video recently posted on YouTube that shows men using rifles to shoot ducks on a pond illegally, sometimes from a car window.

HOUSTON -- An obese inmate in Texas has been charged after officials learned he had a gun hidden under flabs of his own flesh.

A small plane and a sightseeing helicopter collided in mid-air above the Hudson River on Saturday, killing all nine passengers on board, authorities said.

JENSEN BEACH, Florida - Florida investigators say a man accused of downloading child pornography is blaming his cat. DOGS RULE! ;-)

TORONTO - A 28-year-old Brampton driver has lost his ride after Caledon OPP caught him driving 210 km/h in a 80 km/h zone.

CALGARY - Slightly injured and acting alone, a Rocky Mountain House RCMP officer sped after and recaptured two suspects who made off with his police car.

Staff celebrate the resignation of the "difficult" star.

Perhaps courage is more important than talent or training in creating art that can really change lives'

Magna Marque shifts into high gear with plans to become a world-leading electric-bike supplier

In bid to prove Canada's claim over vast region, ship shoots bubbles to survey the sea floor

The continent's highest waterfall conjures up rainbows of cold mist to the west and North America's second deepest canyon beckons from tall shadows to the east -- spectacular geological bookends separating 200 kilometres of jaw-dropping mountain ranges th

For nearly three days over the long weekend, a 56-year-old woman lay helpless in her south Etobicoke apartment, badly beaten and unable to scream for help because her throat was deeply cut, allegedly in an attempted decapitation.

The number of people feared dead after a ferry capsized and sank off Tonga rose to 87 Saturday, 21 more than previously thought, police in Tonga said.

Vancouver swimmer Annamay Pierse broke her own world short-course record in the women's 200-metre breaststroke, and Canada's men's 4x200 freestyle relay team also set a new world mark Friday at the British Grand Prix.

Running back Martell Mallett had two touchdowns and special teams player O'Neil Wilson scored off a fumbled punt return as the B.C. Lions beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-20 Friday night.

An experimental program to ban cars and open selected Vancouver streets to pedestrians-only on Sundays in the summer has ended prematurely in one of its prime locations.

The Montreal Alouettes dazzled defensively against the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, preventing their opponents from touching the scoreboard in their 25-0 victory at Montreal's Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

A human bone found in Devon with tool cuts thought to have been made during a ritual ceremony 9,000 years ago may be evidence of cannibalism.

NATO's new secretary-general is broaching what is apparently the unthinkable in Canadian politics today, urging Ottawa to keep combat troops in Afghanistan past a planned exit date of 2011.

Just a month after two nuclear-powered Russian subs cracked through sea ice near the North Pole to test-fire two long-range missiles, the Canadian military will conduct "anti-submarine warfare" exercises during its annual Arctic sovereignty operation, whi

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper has no plans to reverse the government's decision to impose visas on all Mexican nationals entering Canada, a spokesman for the prime minister said Friday.

WELLS, England - Harry Patch, the last known survivor of trench warfare on World War I's Western Front, was buried in his native village with the simplicity he craved.

Canada's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Peter Kent has been named by the Organization of American States as part of a delegation that will try to persuade the interim government in Honduras to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is to make his first official visit to Washington since Barack Obama became the U.S. president.

A wildfire burning near the Fraser Canyon community of Boston Bar, B.C., poses a threat to hydroelectric power lines that feed the entire Lower Mainland.

A 14-year-old boy has made his first court appearance on charges in connection with a fatal stabbing Wednesday evening in Surrey.

Sources tell TSN Theoren Fleury is attempting a comeback and wants to play in the NHL again.

Heads of navy, army and air force on plane that barely avoided mid-air collision over B.C.

A Chinese bride has attempted to break the world record for the longest wedding dress by walking down the aisle in a 2,162m-long (7,083ft) gown.

Tanker planes and staff with Air Spray Ltd. of Penhold are working full throttle on the wildfires burning in British Columbia. �The general manager is flying. I�m flying. The chief pilot is flying. So there�s absolutely nobody from operations in our

Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan who was long suspected to have been behind the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has reportedly been killed in a U.S. missile strike.

With the dog days of August upon us, and outdoor temperatures rising, the NHL's off-season is winding down. Training camps are set to open a mere six weeks from now.

Canada's jobless rate remained steady at 8.6 per cent in July, even as the country lost about 45,000 jobs, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Nortel Networks executives defended the auctioning of the telecommunications-equipment company's wireless unit to its Swedish rival, rival Ericsson, saying the sale is "a good deal for Canada."