NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 09-2009

BEIJING - The death toll from an explosion at an illegal coal mine in central China rose to 42 Wednesday with another 37 men still trapped with little hope for survival.

TORONTO -- The Canadian Football League says the B.C. Lions' 19-12 win over the Montreal Alouettes will stand despite the fact that mistakes were made by officials as the clock wound down Friday night.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - The heaviest rainfall in at least eight decades sent flash floods barreling across a major highway and into busy business districts in Turkey's largest city on Wednesday

A B.C. environmental organization says the low number of salmon returning to the province's waterways shows that not enough is being done by the government department responsible for the fish's welfare.

MEXICO CITY - A Bolivian priest who said he was acting on a divine revelation hijacked a Mexican plane mid-air Wednesday with 104 people on board triggering a brief airport drama, officials said.

HONOLULU -- Scientists over the past month explored coral reefs in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that until recently were considered too deep for scuba divers to reach.

Two members of the B.C. Lions won the latest CFL players of the week awards, with running back Martell Mallett taking offensive honours and linebacker JoJuan Armour named top defensive player on Wednesday.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean wrapped up a secret two-day visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday that saw her weep for Canada's war dead and for the conflict-racked country's youngest victims, insisting all the while that the sacrifices won'

A Nova Scotia reservist convicted in the 2007 shooting death of a comrade in Afghanistan is facing "cruel and unusual punishment" because of the limited penalties available under military law, his lawyer said Wednesday.

It appears as though Capitals' Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin has drawn a line in the sand with the NHL in terms of Olympic participation.

John Wilson never dreamt there might be anything of value inside the old cargo container he picked up for $400 at a Nova Scotia junk yard in 1998.

The conventional view of human evolution and how early man colonised the world has been thrown into doubt by a series of stunning palaeontological discoveries suggesting that Africa was not the sole cradle of humankind.

Reports from conservationists, salmon-stream walkers and ecotourism guides all along British Columbia's wild central coast indicate a collapse of salmon runs has triggered widespread death from starvation of black and grizzly bears.

A passenger plane was hijacked at the Cancun airport on Wednesday and flown to Mexico City's international airport

There appears to be no end in sight for the Phil Kessel saga, according to both Toronto Maple Leafs' president and general manager Brian Burke or Boston Bruins' GM Peter Chiarelli.

The story of a teen whose father thought she'd be safer if he paid

A group of Canadian and U.S. businessmen have withdrawn their bid for the Phoenix Coyotes, after billionaire Jim Balsillie sweetened his own offer for the team.

Canadian actor William Shatner is calling for the City of Edmonton to move Lucy the Asian elephant out of the city-run Valley Zoo, a major animal rights group announced Tuesday

The Defence Department is seeking a firm to redesign the digitized camouflage pattern splayed over the combat fatigues worn by Canadian troops.

There's no more sex in Middlesex -- at least not in the e-mail world.

WINNIPEG -- A former University of Manitoba science student is suing her ex-lab partner after she allegedly spread a rumour the woman was romantically involved with her professor.

EDMONTON -- Edmonton's police chief has weighed in on the uproar over the impending jail release of notorious cop killer Albert Foulston, Sun Media has learned.

TORONTO -- Cops in the eastern-most part of the city are looking for a man they say tried to pluck a 10-year-old boy from a park.

MONTREAL - A federal human rights tribunal has rejected a complaint by a transgendered lawyer that she was discriminated against when the Canadian Forces refused to enlist her.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE -- Two families are devastated after a young man accidentally shot his best friend dead, with what appears to be some sort of device used to shoot flares.

BANFF - The natural hot springs that led to the creation of Canada's national parks will get a $13.8 million facelift that aims to turn it into a showpiece gathering place in Banff.

Anticipating a fall election, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe went on the offensive Tuesday, telling Quebec voters there's no difference between Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

A report from the British Medical Association (BMA) has called for a sea change in the approach to alcohol regulation to halt promotions including happy hours and sponsorship of music and sports events.

The recent stretch of cool, wet weather may be helping quench the flames after an extremely volatile forest fire season in B.C, but more than 1,000 firefighters are still mopping up fires and hot spots across the province.

Four firefighters escaped injury Tuesday after their fire engine sunk into a large hole caused by a burst water main in the San Fernando Valley.

The death of a B. C. gangster in Calgary on Sunday morning highlights the fluid nature of criminal groups across provinces and the country.

As students head back to school to hit the books for another year, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said Tuesday that Canadians are a studied lot, holding more university degrees than most of their international counterparts.

OTTAWA -- Lawyers are squaring off in Federal Court over whether Stephen Harper's early election call exactly one year ago was illegal.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A Canadian general will lead the investigation into a recent airstrike on a pair of hijacked fuel tankers that killed as many as 70 civilians in northern Afghanistan.

A lesbian who deserted the U.S. army was to go before the Federal Court in Ottawa Tuesday to argue she should be allowed to remain in Canada as a refugee.

As a record crowd watched the Calgary Stampeders beat the Edmonton Eskimos 32-8 in the Labour Day Classic at McMahon Stadium, the Stamps revealed another historic first had been accomplished Monday night.

Jim Balsillie is upping his efforts to bring the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton.

Retired Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler suspects a high-level leak served to guide his al-Qaeda kidnappers right to him, leading to his capture in Niger and a punishing four months in captivity.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has 54 per cent of the vote with almost all of the ballots counted in the country's presidential poll, but a United Nations-backed commission has ordered a recount of some polling stations after finding "clear and convin

Brampton Excelsiors star Colin Doyle is doubtful for Game 2 of the Mann Cup against the New Westminster Salmonbellies Saturday night after an incident in Game 1 Friday that led to a bench-clearing brawl.

CALGARY -- Epic fail, indeed. A trendy phrase, but one that couldn't be more fitting. What better way to describe a mysterious system failure that leaves more than one-million men, women and children without the protection of police, fire or EMS?

A Winnipeg inventor has won a $10,000 award for creating an electrically charged replica knife that helps police, border guards and other law enforcement types learn what it feels like to get slashed.

LONDON -- A stunt gone wrong on the Lucan-area farm of a controversial YouTube performer left a man injured on the weekend.

The government counts on many of these agencies for revenue. For the current fiscal year, the Finance Ministry forecasts that government enterprises, including the lottery corporation, will contribute $4.3-billion to the province's coffers, accounting for

More than 1,000 Canadian, U.S., Dutch and British soldiers turned out in the bright Afghanistan sunshine for a ramp ceremony Monday at Kandahar Airfield to pay their respects to two fallen Canadian comrades.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats simply dominated in a 34-15 win over the Toronto Argonauts at a packed Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton on Monday

Buoyed by a raucous record crowd of 40,729 at McMahon Stadium, the hometown Calgary Stampeders ran roughshod over the Edmonton Eskimos 32-8 on Monday night.

Stephen Harper received the very first of 10 serial-numbered, marble-covered art books. A limited edition book dealer in Montreal with exclusive rights to distribute the tome in Canada says it could be worth up to $460,000.

Humans are more closely related to orangutans than chimps or gorillas, claims a controversial new theory that flies in the face of accepted science.

The U.S. defeated Canada 2-1 to win the Hockey Canada Cup on Sunday in the same building that will host the gold-medal final in women's hockey next February at the Vancouver Olympics.

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego Chargers star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested Sunday and accused of choking and restraining his girlfriend, reality TV star Tila Tequila, as she tried to leave his suburban home.

Monday's CFL game at McMahon Stadium between the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos has all the ingredients of being the "Classic" that it is traditionally billed.

Canmore swimmer Allison Donelon today completed a grueling night swim of the English Channel, becoming the second-youngest Canadian to make the crossing.

Experts say cuts to research grants will make it difficult to determine why more than nine million sockeye won't return to the Fraser River this year

According to the Toronto Star, the National Hockey League, which continues to oppose the Canadian billionaire's purchase of the franchise, filed documents in an U.S. Bankruptcy Court claiming it's entitled to as much as US$195-million for any transfer of

It was a valiant effort by a Vancouver-based stuntman trying to break the world record for being on fire the longest -- but in the end bad weather doused his dreams.

The HMCS Ville de Quebec is in Toronto harbour this weekend as part of a public relations exercise aimed at enticing new recruits to join the Navy.

For those Saskatchewan Roughriders fans who were still doubting management's decision to waive Michael Bishop last November, the quarterback made things a little easier to swallow on Sunday.

Norwegian Suzann Pettersen's challengers couldn't chase her down as she won the CN Canadian Women's Open by five shots Sunday.

Don and Delores Maus discovered that the company Don worked for, Airfoil Designs, stopped paying for employees' health coverage but didn't tell them. They are among several employees facing a lot of medical bills incurred during that time.

Kris Rutherford shook his head when asked what he was doing at a Tim Hortons restaurant yesterday afternoon.

Massachusetts officials are using high-tech tags to track the movements of two great white sharks near Cape Cod

Canadian legal history could be made this week when a Quebec man finds out whether he will become this country's first drunk driver to be declared a dangerous offender.

The course provided by the public schools no longer meets the demands of the masses of the people thirsting for the mental training and breadth of knowledge demanded by the conditions of modern life and civilization.

The senior Liberal was seething over the cellphone from Sudbury, where his federal party had gathered to plot their electoral suicide.

The President of the Chinese Supreme Court, Wang Shengjun, recently stated that �the overall interests of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and government� override the law. His remark has drawn heated criticism. Many contend that this is a violation

Who says you can't buy friends? An Australian online marketing company is selling friends and fans to Facebook members after offering a similar service to Twitter users.

60th International Air Show launches with sound of thunder and beauty of poetry

A boy allegedly abducted nearly two years ago in a custody dispute has turned up alive, hiding with his mother in a small, specially built secret room at his grandmother's Illinois home

The father of a 5-year-old British Columbia boy who was attacked by a cougar in Washington state says his son is recovering well from the traumatic ordeal.

"I'm very enthusiastic about it because I don't like Calgary at all," said Jones. "Every time I see that red, every time I see Henry Burris, it burns me up, it pisses me off."

The fans will be wearing watermelon hats and enough green body paint to camouflage an army. They'll be decked out almost exclusively in green and white, and some will have paid online resellers an average of $155 a seat for entry into the Saskatchewan Rou

Despite a drought of 43 golf tournaments without a win, Suzann Pettersen isn't getting any sympathy from the other contenders at the CN Canadian Women's Open.

Hayley Wickenheiser and Sarah Vaillancourt each scored a pair of goals for Canada in a nasty 7-2 win over Sweden in a Hockey Canada Cup semifinal Saturday in Vancouver.

The Parti Quebecois's youth wing will hand out free party membership cards to Quebec students this fall.

A handful of First Nations activists returned home last week after grabbing national headlines in England for protesting Alberta's oilsands developments.

Statistics Canada figures suggest that for the first time in history there are more women than men in Canada's workforce.

First there was chocolate and peanut butter. Then caramel met salt. Peppercorns were even hot for a while. But the latest sweet-and savoury combo ups the ante considerably, as meat meets chocolate and other sweet sides in the dessert course

A 24-year-old Abbotsford man received a terrifying wake-up call early Satruday morning, but then again he hadn't picked the best place to take a nap

British women are happy nowadays to wear mini-skirts up until the age of 40, according to research by Debenhams department store.

OTTAWA - The best resolution to the Dany Heatley saga would be to trade the disgruntled left-winger before the start of training camp on Sept. 12, Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson says.

Why does virtually all the garlic sold in Canadian supermarkets come from China?

He was a seminal figure in the history of Western Canada - a close friend and political ally of Sir John A. Macdonald, a pivotal player in the railway that brought British Columbia into Confederation and the only Canadian ever to serve as lieutenant-gover

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- Meet the new murder capital of Canada.

The Wickaninnish Inn could be reasonably be described as a lodge at the edge of the world. Backed by rippling ridges and old-growth evergreens, the 75-room chalet is perched on a promontory overlooking the ocean. In the winter, well-heeled visitors gather

A sightseeing boat carrying dozens of Bulgarian tourists sank Saturday in a lake on Macedonia's western border, and at least 15 people drowned, police said

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - When it comes to Canada's role in Afghanistan, a change of venue has resulted in a change of heart for Quebec songstress and actress Annie Dufresne.

Calling on his five decades of CFL experience, O'Billovich has helped make Ticats respectable

LONGUEUIL, Que. - Bob Thirsk hasn't had a shower in more than three months as he circles the Earth aboard the International Space Station.

A Nova Scotia man accused of making hundreds of false 911 calls has been arrested again.

A "deplorable" Grande Prairie man who posted sexually explicit photos of his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend on a website out of revenge earned a one-year jail term yesterday.

If more than 400,000 Canadians lost their jobs this year, and another 800,000 are collecting employment insurance, why did Canada need to import almost 200,000 foreign workers?

Buono's B.C. Lions rebounded from a humiliating loss to the lowly Winnipeg Blue Bombers their last time out by beating the best team in the league Friday night with a 19-12 victory over the visiting Montreal Alouettes.

Residents of a vermin-infested hotel in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside say their landlord is trying to evict them to make room for Olympic business.

GENEVA -- The World Climate Conference has approved the creation of a new climate forecasting system to help countries adapt to climate change and enable them to better prepare for natural disasters, officials said Friday.

Trudge to work. Nod at the Boss. Stare at a screen. Come home. Eat. TV. Sleep. Repeat

Canada's national broadcaster will mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham with a documentary on the decisive British-French conflict, months after threats from hardline separatists forced the cancellation of a planned re-enactme

The Taliban will attack an Afghan village set up in the heart of Washington courtesy of the Canadian Forces, who will send in a medic in a dramatic effort to save a civilian crippled by the explosion.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay is sworn at, publicly admonished for his tardiness, bossed around and made fun of. This treatment is at the hands of soldiers who technically work for him.

OTTAWA -- Canada's six NHL teams are scrambling to find alternative travel arrangements south of the border after the U.S. Department of Transportation banned Air Canada's charter fleet from flying between U.S. cities.