NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 12-2015

Beijing was enveloped in eye-watering, throat-irritating smog on Saturday as the second red alert of the month went into effect in the Chinese capital, forcing many cars off the roads and restricting factory production.

Standard and Poor's has downgraded Alberta's credit rating on concerns of weak budgetary performances and rising debt burden.

Clayton Thomas has been found guilty of violating the Yukon Wildlife Act when he shot two wolves near his Whitehorse property in 2013. 'I would do it again,' he said.

The Yoshida family's Christmas photo has been viewed more than two million times on Imgur within just 24 hours.

Linden Vey, making his season debut, scored in the seventh round of the shootout to give the Vancouver Canucks a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.

What happens when a lake dries up entirely? In the case of the Lake Poopo in Bolivia, the Andean nation's formerly second largest after the famed Titicaca, the answer is nothing short of devastation.

With provinces focused on the shift towards clean energy, companies and communities dependent on coal are seeing their world shrink

A person loyal to the new leadership has been brought in to lead the NATO counterintelligence centre

Pope Francis has cleared the way for sainthood by approving a decree recognizing a second miracle

Change driven by hard times rather than strong performances as Ottawa reviews transfer payment programs, but shift could occur over several years

Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett says the government is reinstating funds that were frozen under the controversial First Nations Financial Transparency Act. The government is also halting compliance measures related to the bill

Police are hoping to pounce on a cheetah spotted wandering the roads of southeastern British Columbia before the big cat prowls into some serious trouble.

'This sad story is that of a young boy submerged by the messages of violence, of vengeance and of war issued by the Islamic State'

Slave workers in factories are reportedly behind Thailand's shrimp industry, yet many restaurants and grocery stores in Canada carry this shrimp stock instead of the that harvested by Nunavut's Inuit-owned sustainable fisheries.

14 members of Jewish committee mildly injured in suspected anti-Semitic attack

Ontario Provincial Police laid criminal charges Thursday against two top aides to former premier Dalton McGuinty in a gas plants scandal that cast a cloud over his final days in power.

There's potential for 'a bit of revenue' from legalizing marijuana, but the federal government isn't looking for a financial windfall, the prime minister says.

Investigators have said Marquez bought the two assault rifles three years ago that wound up being used in the shooting.

Faida Hamdy confiscated a vegetable stall in Tunisia five years ago today. Neither she nor the rest of the world could have imagined the consequences

A video from the 16-year-old boy's phone sees the victim, 54, on the floor in his home in Gothenburg, as the teen and a friend, 19, robs his home while shouting profanities and swearwords over his body.

A VEGETARIAN diet doesn't necessarily translate into a cleaner planet after scientists found fruit and vegetables could be HARMFUL to the environment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he'll ask the Pope for a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in residential schools, a day after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made public its final report into the legacy of the government and church

LONGUEUIL, QC, Dec. 17, 2015- Canada takes aim at an asteroid - The Canadian Space Agency delivers its contribution to the first U.S. mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth.

In an interview Wednesday, Notley said her government will examine the minimum wage issue as Alberta grapples with low oil prices and the economic downturn

The federal agency said it was the 14th consecutive month of increases for Alberta

You can now be ushered out of a shop even if you haven't done anything wrong yet.

The woman stabbed last week at a Shoppers Drug Mart in an underground pathway beneath Toronto's financial district has died.

Pharmaceutical entrepreneur Martin Shkreli, vilified for buying up drug companies and dramatically boosting the prices of some medications, has been arrested by the FBI on securities fraud charges related to his former hedge fund and a drug company he onc

Alberta has long been considered Canada's undisputed capital of conservatism. But is that notion more myth than reality? Even a cursory examination of the province's political past reveals a prominent progressive streak in Alberta.

The "Big Brother" comprehensive national database system feared by many MPs has been built behind their backs over the last decade, and even has a name for its most intrusive component: a central London national phone and internet tapping centre called PR

With all the new initiatives on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plate, how about an easy win, like giving every Canadian adult $15,000 a year?

Eight of the 54 murders of indigenous women that have been investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police remain unsolved, according to a report released by the force today.

Qatari Royals have been kidnapped by gunmen while out hunting in a remote desert area of southern Iraq after their armed guard abandoned them.

The first trial in the death of Freddie Gray ended in a mistrial Wednesday, with jurors saying they couldn't determine whether a Baltimore police was criminally responsible for the man's death.

In 2015, average air temperatures over Arctic land reached its highest levels since 1900. It's just one of many striking facts in the 2015 Arctic Report Card, released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Greenland's ice sheet melted twice as fast between 2003 and 2010 as it did from 1900 to 1983, according to the first study of Greenland ice loss over the past century that is based on observations rather than models.

The gunman, who remains on the run, also implied the victim was a member of the Islamic State. The victim is a Christian from India.

An announcement about the re-opening of the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station is expected Wednesday morning in Vancouver.

B.C.'s Transportation Minister rolled out his plans to build a new 10-lane toll bridge costing $3.5 billion to replace the Massey Tunnel.

A family out for a stroll on southern Vancouver Island stumbled upon the extraordinary fossilized remains of a 25-million-year-old flightless bird that has created a flap in the world of paleontology.

Bearded, shaggy and 45 pounds lighter, 26-year-old Kristoffer Glestad is slowly readjusting to urban life after six months living out his childhood dream alone in the remote wilderness of the Northwest Territories.

The thin, lightweight glass on your smartphone could soon be found on your car. Corning Inc.'s Gorilla Glass is used for the screens on billions of mobile phones. Now, car makers are using an automotive version to help shave weight off their vehicles a

188 countries and territories were ranked by the UN in the Human Development Index. Norway ranked top, followed by Australia, Switzerland and Denmark.

A North Korean court has sentenced a Canadian pastor to life in prison for what it called crimes against the state. Rev. Hyeon Soo Lim, who pastors the Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto, was given the sentence after a brief trial.

The federal finance minister is seeking to clarify the new Liberal government's position on the GST, Bill Morneau said when asked Tuesday whether he has considered raising the goods and services tax as a way to generate more government revenue.

A Saudi millionaire has been cleared of raping a teenager after claiming he might have accidentally penetrated the 18-year-old when he tripped and fell.

With a price tag that can reach $53,000 a year, rivalling a new BMW, they place yet another financial barrier in front of families who are trying to help their children fulfil their dreams of reaching the NHL, no matter the odds.

Le Pen Cleared of Charges Linked to Muslim Prayer Comments

YouGov data from 48 separate surveys has shown that young white men are seen as the worst ethnic, gender or age group almost across the board

The Los Angeles Unified School District, or LAUSD, cancels classes due to what the district superintendent called a "rare" threat.

The legal framework based on the moral and legal code of Islam is rarely out of the news. The most extreme interpretations of Sharia are being enforced by Isis and Boko Haram, it is railed against by Republican presidential candidates, and the Independent

In his first speech as minister of finance, Bill Morneau made quite the statement Monday:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy has attracted praise from all over the world. Time Magazine and the Financial Times newspaper recently named her Person of the Year, and delegates applauded her for so long at her party's convention on Mond

The massive influx of refugees from mainly-Muslim countries into Germany has helped to boost sales.

Somewhere in this country someone is probably daydreaming about, or even planning, an act of politically inspired mass murder. When the time comes, how will Canada respond to an attack on the scale of Paris or San Bernardino on its home soil?

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years and freed in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay, will face charges of desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy in a general court martial.

The Edmonton Food Bank is rolling in chickpeas after a giant 1.8-tonne bag of the nutritious legume was dropped off at their central warehouse Saturday. It's a timely donation with Syrian refugees beginning to arrive in the city.

Bill Cosby is firing back at seven women who are suing him for defamation, accusing them of making false accusations of sexual misconduct for financial gain.

Yosue Joel Rios, 25, who otherwise had no house, was found in the two-room dwelling inside Van Dyck Park in Fairfax, Virginia, after a woman saw its covered tunnel and alerted authorities.

Saudi Arabia says 34 Muslim-majority nations have agreed to form a new military alliance to fight terrorism with a joint operations centre based in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh.

Norwegian police found 'hundreds' of images of brutal violence and executions on phones of asylum-seekers entering the country, amid growing fears that ISIS is exploiting the migrant crisis.

Five people were sent to hospital in Edmonton after they were exposed to carbon monoxide from an idling car. Four of the individuals are in critical condition.

On Saturday, Matt Veinotte started to write. His wife, Linnea, was no longer missing. Her body had been found less than 24 hours before, in a shallow grave in a wooded area near a rutted road in the south end of Grenada. The discovery ended an anguished s

Canadian researchers are raising the alarm about the use of antidepressants during pregnancy, unveiling research that finds the drugs are strongly linked to an increased risk of autism.

Enhanced transit routes, expanded driver-training programs and more roadside webcams make up the core of a multimillion-dollar plan aimed at improving safety along a stretch of British Columbia highway renowned for missing and murdered women.

THE wealthiest region in Italy has approved a ban on women wearing the BURKA in hospitals and local government buildings in the wake of the recent terror attacks in Europe.

The opposition lawmakers are trying to pressure the government into renouncing deals with Serbia and Montenegro

The Paris prosecutor's office says a teacher who claimed to have been attacked by a masked assailant invoking Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) made up the story.

Poor migrant workers and children are being sold to factories in Thailand and forced to peel shrimp that ends up in global supply chains, including those of Wal-Mart and Red Lobster, the world's largest retailer and the world's largest seafood restaurant

The citizens of Woodland, N.C. have spoken loud and clear: They don't want none of them highfalutin solar panels in their good town. They scare off the kids. "All the young people are going to move out," warned Bobby Mann, a local resident concerned about

From submarine-launched cruise missiles to advanced warplanes, Vladimir Putin is using his intervention in Syria to showcase Russia's military might

A 7th grader in Rosenberg says he was forced by school administrators to cover up his Star Wars t-shirt because it depicted a weapon, even though it's fictional.

A new report says Ontario has become a 'major hub' for human trafficking and sexual violence in Canada, with most of the victims being local underage girls and young women.

Canadian stargazers looking to kick off the holiday season with some fireworks may get a gift from the cosmos as the weekend comes to a close.

Now that the federal Liberals have shied away from their vow to keep annual deficits under $10 billion, they've latched on to another fiscal target -- and this one will be much easier to meet.

At least 19 Saudi women have won seats on local municipal councils a day after women voted and ran in elections for the first time in the country's history, according to initial results released to The Associated Press on Sunday.

Ray Godson and Stephen Coates are both keen to get their hands on a key to the thick bronze door that shields the entrance to an imposing granite mausoleum in Brompton Cemetery in west London. For Mr Godson, a replacement for the key that went missing in

A Jordanian woman who came close to joining the Islamic State group described a sophisticated 14-month recruitment process by the extremists that she said landed her in a secret ISIS compound in Turkey with dozens of other women.

A plane carrying 161 Syrian refugees s is expected to arrive in Montreal this evening. All but one person in this group are expected to settle in Quebec. The other person will continue to Prince Edward Island.

High winds and driving rain have cancelled several sailings with BC Ferries and knocked out power to thousands on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

'We will live in a different reality,' said a top Kremlin official. The message is aimed squarely at Saudi Arabia in a war for market share

Russian president says Moscow providing FSA with air cover, arms and ammunition

Two days of high-level talks between North and South Korea ended Saturday with no breakthroughs, South Korean officials said, leaving mixed signals about reconciliation efforts the rivals have made since stepping away from a military standoff in August.

A pair of Alberta sisters and their family are moving into a new accessible home, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.

As a second planeload of Syrian refugees arrive in Montreal on Saturday, an Ikea Canada initiative is aiming to help the newcomers feel a little more at home.

Women across Saudi Arabia marked a historic milestone on Saturday, both voting and running as candidates in government elections for the first time, but just outside polling stations they waited for male drivers -- a reminder of the limitations still firm

While Canada's environment minister applauds the newly approved "Paris agreement" on climate change, some say that merely signing the pact isn't enough.

Nearly 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate change on Saturday, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions on countries that don't.

Investigators are on the scene of a possible hate crime as a fire broke at a mosque outside San Bernardino, as officials continue working to build a timeline of the shooters' activity.

The Reputation Institute's 2015 Country Reptrak Survey has found that Canada is considered to be the most respected country around the world, thanks to its high rankings for quality of life.

The federal government is increasing the minimum down payment required to buy a home for more than $500,000 in an effort to cool the red-hot housing markets in Toronto and Vancouver.

Friday marked the first day of a new life for 163 Syrian refugees who recently arrived in Toronto, including many Armenian Christians who are reconnecting with estranged loved ones after years spent apart.

Jeffrey Shuman, convicted of 14 U.S. holdups in the 1990s, is now accused of a string of heists in Ontario and Alberta

A board member for the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado has resigned after urging people to kill supporters of presidential candidate Donald Trump. CBSDenver.com in Denver is Colorado's Online News Channel

The JetBlue aircraft headed back to New York after 'a disturbance between customers' occurred while the plane was in midair

You'd better watch out for your holiday gifts because a theft pattern of "porch pirating" is robbing people before they can get to them.

LONDON (AP) -- More than four years after revelations of tabloid phone hacking shocked Britain, prosecutors said Friday that the criminal investigation is over, ruling out corporate prosecution of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers or charges against ind

Payam Feili, 30, proudly defies his theocratic regime back home, hopes to move permanently to gay-friendly Tel Aviv

Fairbanks jailers recovered $890 in counterfeit currency and bags containing heroin, methamphetamine, and morphine pills from inside Chelsea Sperry, 31.