NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 09-2009

OTTAWA - Canadian taxpayers picked up the tab for tens of thousands of dollars worth of booze over the past year for receptions and other events

MONTREAL - For those Stephen Harper loyalists who believed the party Thursday celebrating Brian Mulroney's 1984 electoral victory would be a display of renewed party unity, the evening was a clear miscalculation.

BEIJING - Parts of China's capital shut down early Friday, clearing the streets for a dress rehearsal of a military-led parade to celebrate 60 years of Communist rule.

ANSBACH, Germany -- A German prosecutor says an 18-year-old who stormed his school armed with an axe, knives and Molotov cocktails in an attack that injured nine people had marked the date in his calendar with the word "apocalypse."

EDMONTON -- After years of study experts estimate there are only about 581 grizzly bears roaming the land outside of national parks in Alberta.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at Israel and the West Friday, saying the Holocaust was a lie and a pretext for occupying Palestinian lands, while hard-liners attacked a reformist cleric who was marching with the opposition at an

The British general taking command of NATO troops in southern Afghanistan says there is no longer the "luxury of time" and forces in the region must make quick advances.

This summer's melt of Arctic sea ice has not been as profound as in the last two years, scientists said as the ice began its annual Autumn recovery.

The Air Canada plane from Victoria to Toronto was cruising last year in clear skies; neither the pilots' eyes nor the air traffic controllers' radar screens saw any bad weather. Then, abruptly, the plane plummeted 2,000 feet in 15 seconds

TORONTO -- Avril Lavigne says she has split from husband Deryck Whibley after three years of marriage.

Roberto Luongo stopped every shot he faced in his first pre-season game action and the new, fit versions of Steve Bernier and Kyle Wellwood made key contributions in a 3-0 Vancouver road win over Anaheim on Thursday.

A missing surfer has turned up safe and uninjured, but unwilling to explain where she was while a rescue team scoured the coast of Vancouver Island looking for her.

WASHINGTON -- Astronomers have found the coldest spot in our solar system and it may be a little close for comfort. It's on our moon, right nearby.

VIENNA -- Iran experts at the U.N nuclear monitoring agency believe Tehran has the ability to make a nuclear bomb and worked on developing a missile system that can carry an atomic warhead, according to a confidential report seen by The Associated Press.

A woman has died after being mauled by a bear, and then being involved in a car crash while her husband frantically rushed her to hospital in Quebec.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A brand new Japanese space station cargo ship arrived at its destination Thursday, expertly plucked from orbit by an astronaut who toasted the first-ever event with her crewmates.

Canada's six National Hockey League teams can breathe a little easier thanks to the country's hockey-loving prime minister.

WASHINGTON - About 125 million years ago a tiny version of Tyrannosaurus rex roamed what is now northeastern China. Tiny, that is, by T. rex standards - you still would not want to meet it face to face.

OTTAWA - A Liberal MP has introduced a private member's bill aimed at letting American "war resisters" stay in Canada.

TOFINO, B.C. - Police and search-and-rescue officials were scouring the beaches, rocky outcrops and waters off Vancouver Island's west coast Thursday as they looked for a missing female surfer.

The slain soldier was identified as Pte. Jonathan Couturier of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, based in Valcartier, Que.

The wife of former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer, a sitting politician herself, says she's standing by her husband after his arrest for impaired driving and cocaine possession.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority says the Canadian Medical Association Journal is "irresponsible and inflammatory" for saying an Aboriginal community in B.C. is suffering through Canada's first H1N1 "pandemic outbreak" this flu season.

Andre Lavallee, vice president of the Montreal executive committee and the third-ranked politician at City Hall, admits he was once a member of the Front de liberation du Quebec.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is on Capitol Hill today to meet with Congressional leaders and press the Americans on protectionist policies that are causing grief to Canadian manufacturers.

OTTAWA - Canada's annual inflation rate remained firmly in negative territory in August for the third consecutive month and economists now believe the Bank of Canada will keep interest rates at record lows for at least another year.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is demanding the Conservative government apologize to First Nations people in Canada after some reserves received shipments of body bags as part of H1N1 flu preparation kits.

Methadone users on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside say they have been kicked out of their Hastings Street hotel for not getting their prescriptions filled exclusively at the hotel.

A Federal Court judge has dismissed a case challenging the legality of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's snap election call last fall.

The first pandemic outbreak in Canada's fall flu season

PHILADELPHIA - Dad could not believe his good luck.

Is Anissa Holmes too hot for Facebook?

STAR CITY, Russia - The man who plans on being "the first clown in space" said Thursday he's got some surprises planned for the crew of the International Space Station.

Two of the so-called Bermuda Triangle's most mysterious disappearances in the late 1940s may have been solved.

Human society faces a global health catastrophe if climate change is not effectively tackled at the UN conference in Copenhagen in December, leading doctors from around the world warn today.

Henry Gibson, a veteran character actor who came to fame in the late 1960s as the flower-holding poet on TV's landmark satirical comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," has died. He was 73.

WASHINGTON - Flanked by the man who once declared the war in Afghanistan unwinnable, President Barack Obama said Thursday the U.S. has yet to decide on the best strategy for the ongoing conflict and won't send any more soldiers there until it does.

REGINA -- Some of the first women to become Mounties stood proudly side by side as the RCMP marked the 35 year anniversary of female police officers in the force.

The Greenpeace protest at the Albian Sands oilsands site north of Fort McMurray, Alta., ended peacefully Wednesday afternoon after the company and RCMP agreed to let the protesters leave without facing any charges.

An animal petting barn at Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition has been linked to 13 cases of E. coli bacteria infection, but officials say there is little more they could have done to prevent the suspected outbreak.

MONTREAL - Thieves broke into Justin Trudeau's riding office and swiped a personal computer early Wednesday morning.

A government-owned and run rural Manitoba housing complex has turned into a scene from a horror show after garter snakes began infesting the building, residents said Wednesday.

Seventeen students have been expelled from a central Alberta high school after they admitted their involvement in a hazing ritual aimed at Grade 10 students in late August.

Three people dressed as nuns protesting against Canada's seal hunt interrupted question period at the House of Commons on Wednesday and had to be removed from the chamber.

The body of Pte. Patrick Lormand, the 130th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan, returned to Canadian soil on Wednesday in an emotional ceremony at a Canadian military base.

Canada released new guidelines Wednesday on who should be first in line for H1N1 pandemic flu vaccines.

Jim Balsillie's chances of owning the Phoenix Coyotes continue to fade, as Glendale City Council reaffirmed its backing of the NHL's bid after a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, according to the Arizona Republic.

Nothing goes better with Hockey Night In Canada than former coaches and goaltenders.

Skated with ... LW Curtis Glencross C Daymond Langkow Looked good ...- Passing the puck:

Obama sends subordinate out to greet Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. US political commentator talks about the implications of the snub on Canadian television.

A planned shutdown of the Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories has been cancelled because of improving demand for diamonds.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrapped up his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, one in which he had been expected to request an exclusion for Canada from recent Buy American provisions.

A B.C. man is thankful to be alive after fighting off a grizzly bear sow with only his bare hands and an arrow he managed to grab from his quiver.

Barrin Simpson wants out and, it appears, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers don't want him in their colours again, either.

LONDON - Renault parted company with flamboyant Formula One team boss Flavio Briatore and his deputy Pat Symonds on Wednesday after accepting allegations that last year's Singapore Grand Prix was fixed.

Canadian immigration authorities are searching for six Ugandan nationals who failed to make their flight home from a cricket tournament in Toronto, according to a senior official with the Africa Cricket Association.

The Prime Minister's Office spent $24,000 to have a high-powered communications strategist advise the prime minister on U.S. media opportunities during April's Summit of the Americas.

WASHINGTON - Three animal rights activists protesting seal hunting have been arrested in front of the Canadian Embassy in Washington.

A man who took baby food from a St. John's store was given an absolute discharge in provincial court Wednesday.

A victory by the right-wing Wildrose Alliance party in a key byelection in Calgary on Monday was driven by concerns about the recession and a desire for the Progressive Conservatives to do more about the Alberta economy, Premier Ed Stelmach said Tuesday.

The head of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. was fired because she refused to terminate other executives to create public scapegoats for an expense scandal the Liberal government was trying to contain, according to court documents filed by the former CEO.

"And that's when it kind of disturbed me to think that I died," Robertson said.

A last-minute hug led to a brief evacuation of part of the airport in St. John's on Wednesday morning, resulting in some flight delays.

A former head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security calls it "regrettable" that Canada plans to withdraw from the conflict in Afghanistan.

ST. ALBERT, Alta. - Oilsands giant Syncrude pleaded not guilty Monday to charges relating to the deaths of 1,600 ducks on its massive tailings pond last year.

TOKYO - Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso and his Cabinet resigned Wednesday to pave the way for parliament to elect Yukio Hatoyama as the country's next leader.

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea's president said North Korea is making conciliatory gestures because it feels the pain of U.N. sanctions, while the top U.S. diplomat said Washington is considering the North's long-held desire for direct talks.

The economy, the Buy American clause, the situation in Afghanistan, the environment and energy security could all be on the agenda Wednesday as Prime Minister Stephen Harper visits U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington.

The Fundy tidal power demonstration project in the Minas Basin, near Parrsboro, was given the green light Tuesday by Nova Scotia's Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau.

The robot could boost the capabilities of troops and special forces engaged in urban warfare, say researchers.

Two B.C. members of the RCMP with First Nations backgrounds have filed lawsuits against their superior officers and high-ranking members of the provincial and federal governments alleging discrimination and harassment.

New Transport Canada rules in effect Tuesday require motor boaters to pass a test, giving them a Pleasure Craft Operating Card, which is required at all times when going out on the water.

LONDON -- The world is endlessly fascinated with Jack the Ripper -- but what about his victims?

Afghan nationals who are at increased risk of injury or death for working with the Canadian mission in Afghanistan will be able to utilize a new, streamlined process to apply for permanent residency status in Canada.

Security conditions throughout Afghanistan continue to deteriorate, according to a Canadian government report on the mission, with the frequency of attacks in May and June higher than in any month since the fall of the Taliban.

WASHINGTON - The United States is on the correct course by bolstering its military presence in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday on the eve of his White House meeting with President Barack Obama

Two people are in hospital with gunshot wounds after a shooting in West Vancouver.

A group of Greenpeace activists chained themselves to a three-storey dump truck and surrounded it with pickup trucks at Shell's Albian Sands mine about 80 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta., Tuesday morning.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he will press the U.S. government on the so-called "Buy American" clause when he visits Washington this week, including a provision that has wreaked havoc on Canadian NHL teams.

Organizers of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics will send roving teams of observers with the power to confiscate non-Olympic material outside the venues if they feel it violates the Olympic experience

Low-flying Canadian fighter jets will take to the skies over B.C.'s south coast Tuesday and Wednesday during security preparations for the 2010 Olympic Games.

Rookie goalie Jonas Gustavsson underwent minor surgery, Tuesday, spending only a few hours in a Toronto hospital after undergoing a procedure called ablation.

The lead singer of a London, Ont. rock band says she narrowly escaped with her life after being viciously beaten by a woman she met in a downtown Winnipeg bar.But Sarah Smith of The Joys, who has been here recording a new album, said the experience hasn't

HIV-positive women in B.C. have a better chance of giving birth to an uninfected baby than women anywhere else in the world.

TROUTVILLE, Va. -- An animal rights group wants to rent a prison building the state plans to close and turn it into the nation's first chicken empathy museum.

Jane Fonda is expressing regret over endorsing a protest letter that targets an Israeli film spotlight at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Is American-style capitalism dying? According to some, it's already six-feet under, and the crippling recession has dumped dirt on the grave and sealed its fate as a soon-to-be extinct economic system

OTTAWA -- While Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff touted himself as the saviour of Canada's global reputation, his party was under fire Monday for supporting free trade with Colombia.

A 21-year-old suspect is in police custody after authorities spotted a man roaming through an Ontario elementary school with a loaded shotgun overnight.

New Democrat Leader Jack Layton says the Conservative government's proposed employment insurance changes could be a starting point for working with Ottawa's minority government, the day after he said his party would begin voting on a "case-by-case" basis

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The "young, clear eyes" of another Canadian soldier were closed forever by the blast of an improvised explosive device but his efforts in Afghanistan have not been futile, his commander said.

$100M Ponzi scheme based on gold

VANCOUVER - The roster of Canadian athletes set to carry the 2010 Olympic torch has added a hockey great who spent years playing for the NHL team hailing from the site of the Games.

A Rwandan man found guilty under of war crimes committed in his home country will be back in a Canadian federal court on Tuesday for his sentencing hearing.

LONDON -- Glen Isaac rose to the heights of high school sports, but died in the depths of drug addiction.

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan's reputation as the world's leading narcotics supplier is well-known, but in a squalid ruin in Kabul, the country hides a darker secret -- a huge home grown drug addiction problem now on the brink of fueling an HIV

When it comes to same-sex marriage, British Columbians are among the world's most tolerant and accepting people, results of a survey commissioned by Global News suggest.

Anticipating another federal election feels like being in the movie Groundhog Day with the same players (save one) going through the same routines, everyone stuck in the same place, doing the same thing. The two major parties are tied (according to the m

When he first stepped into the NHL's scorching limelight, Sidney Crosby had Mario Lemieux for guidance. John Tavares has Doug Weight.

LONGUEUIL -- Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau says his space chat today with Bob Thirsk was special -- even if the astronaut is a Boston Bruins fan.

The Liberals have come up with a new line of attack on the Conservatives -- charging that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is seeking out his own coalition government with the NDP.