NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 09-2009

OTTAWA - This week's images of Prime Minister Stephen Harper riding the prow of a locomotive in Saint John, N.B., flanked by two gainfully employed rail workers, said it all about his government's current fortunes.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. - A northeastern B.C. man has been shot and killed by the RCMP after a five-day standoff that started with a domestic dispute.

WASHINGTON - An American legislator called Canada "parasitic" on Wednesday for siphoning U.S. dollars to Canada with low prescription drug prices while his country does "all the innovation."

Israel said Wednesday it will release 20 female Palestinian prisoners in exchange for video proof from Hamas that a young Israeli soldier who has been held captive for more than three years is still alive.

The University of Regina is offering its graduates a guarantee: Find a meaningful job within six months or get another full year of classes at no cost.

British Columbia's public car insurer is bracing for higher crash costs when the Winter Olympics come to Vancouver, and that could mean drivers across the province will eventually have to pay higher premiums.

The federal government began an appeal of the sentence given to Saad Khalid, a member of the "Toronto 18" group that planned a series of bomb attacks on downtown buildings.

The Conservative government is being asked to clarify its position on whether Canada will remain at war in Afghanistan after Parliament's deadline passes to pull out combat troops.

CALGARY - The Dalai Lama was welcomed to Calgary on Wednesday with a white cowboy hat reserved for distinguished visitors and an honorary degree that he joked was especially appreciated because he'd always been a "lazy student."

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7 has hit Sumatra, a day after another powerful quake devastated much of the Indonesian island.

A Peruvian court imposed a six-year prison sentence Wednesday on disgraced ex-President Alberto Fujimori, who already faced the prospect of spending the rest of his life in a cell after three previous convictions. He also was fined about $9.7 million Cdn

Fisheries Minister Gail Shea has ordered a review of the coast guard's plans to automate lighthouses in British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Vancouver police have identified the man shot dead in the Cambie Village area of Vancouver on Tuesday night, adding he was someone with "gang connections."

Beginning Wednesday, B.C. is to become the first province to restrict trans fats in restaurant foods, but critics say it may hurt smaller establishments.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the top American official at the UN mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday after a widely publicized dispute with his boss over how to deal with widespread fraud charges in the country's presidential electio

The U.S. and its allies are contemplating tighter sanctions on Iran, even as a new set of talks begins Thursday to discuss Tehran's contentious nuclear program.

When the top names on the International Olympic Committee visit Vancouver for the 2010 Games next February, little expense will be spared to see that they're comfortable and tuned in to virtually every athletic competition underway

CALGARY - The Dalai Lama has been welcomed to Calgary with a time-honoured Western tradition - the placing of a white cowboy hat on his head by the city's mayor.

Up to ten Greenpeace activists have been arrested after stopping their boats on the shore of the Athabasca River Wednesday afternoon, as part of a blockade at Suncor Energy's open-pit mine in northern Alberta

The Edmonton Indy is safe for another year as city council voted Wednesday afternoon to keep the City Centre Airport open during the summer of 2010, so the race can be held.

A Roman Catholic bishop from Nova Scotia, who resigned suddenly over the weekend, has been charged with possessing and importing child pornography.

A community of dwarves has set up its own village to escape discrimination from normal sized people.

Consumer confidence has gone up slightly this month, continuing a seven month long streak, making it the longest since 2002 notes the Conference Board of Canada.

Speeding up tax harmonization could give Harper government chance to engineer its own defeat in coming months

A leading Egyptian scholar has demanded that people caught importing a female virginity-faking device into the country should face the death penalty.

Under the law, backed by the National Rifle Association, the 138,350 people with concealed-weapons permits in Arizona will be allowed to bring their guns into bars and restaurants that haven't posted signs banning them.

Vancouver's Olympic organizers are putting the final touches on the official ticket resale website, which might allow ticket holders to make a profit on tickets they don't want to use.

Two newly released images from the Hubble Space Telescope show two galaxies that are moving so fast that gas within the galaxies is being stripped away.

The body of a widely-travelled grizzly bear shot and killed in downtown Fort St. John, B.C., will now be used for "ceremonial purposes" by a local First Nation.

Vancouver police say a man was shot dead in the Cambie Village area of Vancouver on Tuesday night in the city's 18th homicide of the year.

If you're an Oilers fan who thinks there's been no real changes made in the roster from last year, that head coach Pat Quinn is trying to put lipstick on a pig, then this is a column about shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Smith, 44, testified he got into a verbal confrontation with several players on the Mill Woods Meadows under-18 squad and admitted he got "frustrated" and a "little angry" after being called "short" and a "white faggot."

A young soldier has been sentenced to serve four years in prison and will be kicked out of the military for fatally shooting his tentmate while they were serving together in Afghanistan.

In an apparently radical shift in plans, Toronto-based electric car company Zenn Motor Company Inc. says it decided to switch its business strategy from selling electric vehicles to distributing an electric drive train.

Don Cherry has signed on to watch hockey tough guys flaunt their ice-dancing skills in CBC's Battle of the Blades.

Michael Ignatieff is refusing to retreat in Quebec, defiantly showing up at a party fundraiser in suburban Montreal Tuesday night to signal to Liberals that he is still in charge.

The billionaire founder of Canada's Cirque du soleil will rocket to international attention after blasting off into outer space to host one of the most unique spectacles in human history.

The combination of an antidepressant and anti-seizure medication may help relieve pain and improve sleep in people suffering from a type of chronic pain.

The Transportation Safety Board says an elderly pilot likely blacked-out before crashing into a Richmond, B.C., high-rise nearly two years ago, killing himself and injuring two occupants in the building.

Canada is not pleased with its recent loss on softwood lumber duties, but the government will follow the decision of an international trade tribunal

Inuit hunters and polar bear biologists remain at odds over the true number of polar bears in Nunavut's Baffin Bay region.

Canada could still have soldiers in Afghanistan beyond 2011, although the government maintains that combat operations will cease.

A deal may be imminent that will exempt Canada from the controversial Buy American provision included in the U.S. stimulus package, CBC News has learned

A powerful 8.3 earthquake has struck in the South Pacific, spawning a tsunami that has swept onto the islands of Samoa and American Samoa, flattening at least one village.

The Vancouver Canucks on paper look to be the strongest of the Canadian teams, but an Olympic year will present a unique challenge. 

Two teenagers who conspired to kill staff, students and employees at three Winnipeg schools and a church pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit murder Tuesday.

OTTAWA - The traditional bond between sailor and ship may be suspended as the Canadian navy considers adopting a long-standing coast guard practice of swapping out crews for vessels assigned to the Arctic.

Police divers will plunge into the Saint Lawrence River east of Montreal on Tuesday to recover the remains of two people killed in a plane crash nearly 16 years ago.

At least 30 civilians travelling on a bus in southern Afghanistan have been killed by a roadside bomb blast, the Afghan interior ministry has said.

US President Barack Obama is to hold talks with the head of Nato to discuss the way forward for the embattled Afghan mission.

A powerful earthquake has struck near the Samoa islands, triggering a tsunami warning for several Pacific nations.

The Opposition Liberals are determined to bring down Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government on Thursday despite Harper's claim, made in New Brunswick on Monday, that a "fragile" recovery may be at risk if the country is plunged into its secon

Wrestling with financial portfolios for clients wouldn't seem to be a suitable background for taming an alligator.

Petra Diamonds Ltd. says a diamond the size of a chicken egg has been found at South Africa's Cullinan mine.

The federal government has quietly paid nearly $100,000 to buy back historic antiques from Rideau Hall that it accidentally sold on an online government auction service, Sun Media has learned.

Vancouver's Olympic organizing committee, or VANOC, announced Monday that Michaelle Jean will lead the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Truce, a program that calls for peace and solidarity during B.C.'s Games.

The Liberal Party filed a notice of motion of no-confidence Monday because it no longer trusts the Conservative minority government, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said.

The incident angered Vance, who immediately demanded a shura -- or meeting with village elders -- at the Dand district centre. He wanted an explanation as to why villagers, who have benefited from Canadian aid and protection, didn't bother to warn them ab

All the pieces are in place for the Vancouver Canucks to capture their third Northwest Division title in four years.

Exceptionally well preserved dinosaur fossils uncovered in north-eastern China display the earliest known feathers.

Tom Gilbert blasted a shot from the point over the shoulder of goalie Cory Schneider to give the Edmonton Oilers a 5-4 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks in the pre-season finale for both clubs.

OTTAWA - While MPs return to the Commons Monday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will deliver his government's latest economic report card in Saint John, N.B., far from the fractious opposition benches.

The Dalai Lama told the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit on Sunday that technology might be getting in the way of peace.

The G20 meeting took place the past two days, and yesterday we saw many promises being made to fix a malfunctioning global economic system in the hopes to ward off any future financial meltdowns.

It may look and smell just like marijuana, but there's a good chance it's not. Police say several hemp plants stolen from a Stratford-area research plot have been recovered in Woodstock.

Nearly a year after a toxic chemical spill in Fredericton, N.B., health officials have agreed to test blood samples from people who live near the contaminated site.

Mason Raymond scored the shootout winner Saturday night as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 at the Saddledome.

After losing a nail-biting game to the Edmonton Eskimos last Saturday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders rebounded to beat their CFL West rivals in another close affair Saturday in front of a record crowd of 62,517 in Edmonton.

APATZINGAN, Mexico -- Busloads of teenagers descend on this sweltering agricultural town 500 kilometres west of Mexico City every few months to participate in self-improvement seminars. The seminars supposedly impart values, build self-esteem and condemn

An Oak Bay mother says she's not happy with B.C. Transit's response to a recent incident where she and her 20-month-old daughter were forced off a bus by the driver because the child was making too much noise.

TEHRAN -- Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards will hold missile defence exercises over several days starting on Sunday to boost the Islamic Republic's deterrence capability, Iranian media reported.

The European eel's migration to the Sargasso Sea to spawn is one of nature's great unsolved mysteries.

A new book based on taped interviews with Michael Jackson reveals the star thought he looked like "a lizard" and "didn't want to grow old".

The company behind Iceland's fin whaling industry is planning a huge export of whalemeat to Japan.

Israel says the disclosure that Iran is building a second nuclear enrichment facility proves it "wants to equip itself with nuclear weapons".

KAMPALA, Uganda - He's hairy, his table manners are atrocious, and he wants to be your friend on Facebook.

RCMP officers fired their weapons Friday night when the driver of a suspected stolen vehicle struck one of the officers and other vehicles, police said.

HALIFAX -- A pledge by Nova Scotia to spend $81 million this fiscal year to protect more of the province's wilderness and coastline from development was met with praise Saturday from conservationists attending a conference on the issue.

A new ad for a breast cancer fundraiser is making its way across the Web, and while it's trying to raise awareness, it's also raising eyebrows.

KINGSTON, Ont. -- Kingston police are bracing for another night of revelry by Queen's University students after nearly two dozen arrests were made Friday night.

The way some people have been setting up this game, you'd think the loser was going to run screaming through the Forks Market to drown themselves at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers.

What better way for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to spend a fall Prairie afternoon than to work on their to-don't list.

At least 40 people were killed after Tropical Storm Ketsana hit the main Philippines island of Luzon on Saturday

The Dalai Lama returns to Vancouver this weekend, the third visit to the city in five years by the exiled Tibetan spiritual and political leader.

The $1.4-billion refurbishment of Atlantic Canada's only nuclear reactor is now more than a year behind schedule, with the target date for power to be generated again at Point Lepreau, N.B., delayed until February 2011.

TOLEDO, Ohio - A woman who had the wrong embryo implanted by a fertility clinic has given birth to a boy, her family said Friday.

Theo Fleury didn't sound like a man who'd just had his dreams shattered or was left wondering what the future held.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is outshining rival Michael Ignatieff and putting the Conservatives on track for a possible majority in the next election, a new Angus Reid Strategies/Toronto Star poll has found.

A father who attacked his 37-year-old best friend and roommate with the butt of a shotgun after finding him having sex with his 16-year-old daughter will not be charged in the attack.

When most people think of what it's like to be blind, what usually comes to mind is all the things a person can't do. Say, riding a bike.

Short track speed skater Charles Hamelin won gold at a World Cup event in Korea Saturday in the 500m distance, while teammate Kalyna Roberge secured a bronze medal in the same distance event.

OTTAWA - Health Canada said Saturday it is aware of an alert issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on dosing errors associated with the liquid form of Tamiflu.

EDMONTON -- A man was stabbed to death Friday evening in a Chinatown park - Edmonton's first homicide since July.

WINNIPEG -- A plan to expand the Manitoba capital for the first time since 1972 is being met with resistance from rural residents who say they have no interest in becoming Winnipeggers.

A British store is launching a range of underpants for left-handed men, an innovation it says will save them both time and embarrassment in front of the porcelain.

VANCOUVER - The federal government committed $11 million toward Own the Podium on Friday to remove fears organizers of the Vancouver Games would be unable to fund their share of the program to help Canadian athletes win Olympic medals.

The Rogers Centre fans, 20,668 strong, stood as one when Roy Halladay emerged from the dugout and trotted to the mound to start the ninth. They stayed on their feet cheering through the final Mariners' at-bat in a 5-0 complete-game shutout, feeling this m

REGINA - Mounting frustration over an attack on a child has prompted officials in a northern Saskatchewan village to destroy loose dogs, saying the extreme measure is needed to fix a problem that plagues many remote communities.

Two mass graves connected to Colombia's decades-long internal conflict have been found, officials say.

Two suicide car bomb attacks kill at least 13 people in separate attacks in Pakistan's troubled north-west.

Airbrushed photographs could be given government health warnings in France to protect women from 'false' images of female beauty.