NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 05-2010

A hurricane season predicted to be one of the wettest on record opens Tuesday in the Caribbean, where hundreds of thousands of Haitian earthquake victims have only tarps or fraying tents to protect them in a major storm.

U.S. officials believe al Qaeda's No. 3, Sheikh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, is dead, killed by a U.S. Predator drone strike in Pakistan's tribal areas within the past two weeks.

Pakistan lifted a ban on Facebook on Monday after officials from the social networking site apologized for a page deemed offensive to Muslims and removed its contents, a top information technology official said.

Taiwan's AsusTek Computer Inc. unveiled Monday a portable tablet computer that runs on Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system, joining a slew of manufacturers trying to tap demand for the sleek devices following Apple's launch of the iPad.

A volcanic eruption near the Pacific's Northern Mariana Islands shot clouds of ash and vapour nearly 13 kilometres into the sky, federal scientists said.

After a winter of next-to-no snow, water levels all across the Great Lakes are down this spring, something government and business experts say could have an impact on the environment and the economy.

Wayne Gretzky admits it: The Great One is just an average hockey player. Well, not really. Only when it comes to EA Sports' National Hockey League franchise coming to the Nintendo Wii in September, just in time for the start of the next season.

After being raped and impregnated by a fellow churchgoer more than twice her age, a 15-year-old Concord girl was forced by Trinity Baptist Church leaders to stand before the congregation to apologize before they helped whisk her out of state, according to

A young girl, found lifeless last week in a Brampton backyard pool, has been taken off life support so that her organs could be donated to help five other children.

The Conservative government will table legislation on Tuesday to scrap old-age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement payments to inmates aged 65 and older, CTV News has learned.

Almost two years after he stabbed, beheaded and carved up a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus, Vince Li may get the right to short, supervised walks around the grounds of the hospital where he is being held.

Police in Toronto say someone has been tampering with Polish sausage.

Chris Haney, one of the co-creators of Canada's most famous board game, Trivial Pursuit, has died at the age of 59 after a long illness.

Flooding and landslides from the season's first tropical storm have killed at least 144 people and left thousands homeless in Central America, officials said Monday.

Syrian President Bashar al�Assad and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Monday that Israel�s attack on a flotilla of aid bound for Gaza threatens to ignite a war in the region.

Friends of a B.C. man say he was aboard one of the six vessels that were part of a convoy attacked by Israeli commandos off the coast of Gaza.

Morinville RCMP have laid charges in the suspicious death of a 21-month-old foster child from Morinville.

A decision is expected today at the second trial of a Surrey, B.C., woman accused of ordering the fatal beating of a 16-year-old boy.

A woman whose breast was removed by a surgeon in the mistaken belief it was cancerous was not upset to discover the error -- she even wanted her other breast removed just in case, the surgeon alleges in court documents.

Canada's economy grew at an annualized rate of 6.1 per cent in the first quarter.

An Israeli raid on a flotilla of Gaza-bound aid ships brought unexpected casualties Monday, when at least 10 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded by gunfire.

Larger trial planned to see if use reduces patient infection rates

If you are a centre-left progressive in Alberta who is unhappy with the existing political options of the Liberals and the NDP, and you don't know where to put your efforts until the 2012 election, you might be excited about the Alberta Party -- a "new" p

Langley RCMP are investigating after multiple gunshots were fired at a busy intersection in the 20100 block of the Fraser Highway early Sunday morning.

An Aeromexico flight from Paris to Mexico City was diverted to Montreal on Sunday when the U.S. denied the flight access to its airspace after a man named in an outstanding warrant was reported aboard, an official said.

Dario Franchitti drove 199 nearly flawless laps, then got a huge break from a spectacular crash on the last lap to climb back on top of the open-wheel world Sunday with a win at the Indianapolis 500.

OTTAWA - The federal government and Via Rail will announce Monday they will provide members of the Canadian Forces and veterans free train passes this summer

BP is working on a new plan to stop oil that's gushing from a damaged well into the Gulf of Mexico after crews spent three days pumping heavy drilling mud into the site, only to declare the operation a failure

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The abrupt dismissal of Canada's military commander in Afghanistan over what the military described as alleged inappropriate conduct with a subordinate left troops in disbelief Sunday, wondering what became of their leader tasked w

The Manitoba town of Emerson has declared a state of emergency after weekend storms hammered the small community located near the U.S. border.

Some reports say two people have been killed and about 30 injured. Israel has declined to comment.

A new video of a smoking Indonesian toddler has emerged to shock health experts and provide further graphic illustration of the Southeast Asian country's growing addiction to tobacco.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell says he's not opposed to changing the protocols specifying how the public should be notified about environmental incidents.

Pharmacists in Manitoba have been urged to scale back their stocks of OxyContin after the drug was targeted in four armed robberies in Winnipeg.

The deadly Ebola virus has been treated successfully in monkeys using a new technology, researchers say.

A mother and daughter charged with committing fraud against residents of an Ottawa long-term care facility where they worked have been released on bail.

At least 80 people are dead after armed attackers stormed two mosques packed with hundreds of people in eastern Pakistan on Friday, local officials say.

Malawi's president on Saturday pardoned and ordered the release of a gay couple sentenced to 14 years in prison, but warned that homosexuality remains illegal in the conservative southern African nation.

Torrential rains brought by the first tropical storm of the 2010 season pounded Central America and southern Mexico, triggering landslides and floods that killed at least 90 people.

Two huge volcanoes in Central and South America are spewing lava, rocks and debris, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

A Yellowknife doctor has been fined $3,000 for telling a local airport staff member that he hoped his bag would blow up the plane.

Friends and family say a Canadian journalist injured in the violence in Thailand is slowly recovering.

A 42-year-old Edmonton man is dead after being hit by one truck. then dragged behind a second truck for nearly 30 blocks.

About 1,000 people forced from the First Nations community of Manawan because of a forest fire were told Saturday they could go home, but the danger from wildfires persists elsewhere in central and northern Quebec.

It was a wicked weekend for weather, no matter where you were in the country. There was snow in Alberta, near record-breaking heat in Ontario, and thunderstorms and hail in Manitoba.

A man tried to escape from a hospital in the Dominican Republic where he had been hospitalized for priapism, a condition characterized by a prolonged and painful erection not associated with sexual desire after learning that doctors planned to amputate hi

Summertime is almost here and the great outdoors are calling, but your inner sports fan and couch potato are begging to stay glued to the TV. Thankfully, there's an easy compromise that lets you watch the day game while you're soaking up the sun: Take the

Israel, thought to be the Middle East's only nuclear power, has rejected a new UN call to come clean about its secretive nuclear program, calling it a "deeply flawed and hypocritical" act that ignores the threat posed by its sworn enemy Iran.

China's premier said Sunday that tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship urgently need to be defused, but did not join other key nations in blaming longtime ally North Korea and gave no indication he would support UN sanctions.

RCMP divers are expected to begin a grim search Sunday, looking for the bodies of four people thought to be still inside the wreckage of a small float plane that crashed and sank in shallow waters near the B.C. native community of Ahousat.

Bangladesh has blocked the social networking website Facebook over a page urging people to draw images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, joining Pakistan to become the second country to ban the popular site over religious concerns.

Forgetting to brush your teeth not only leads to stinky breath, there's a good chance it might also lead to heart disease.

A convoy of bright red cars and a trail of motorcycles took a long ride down a sadly familiar route Saturday, Ontario's Highway of Heroes, to pay tribute to soldiers who died on home soil from injuries suffered overseas.

Chicago Blackhawks super sub Tomas Kopecky can thank his lucky stars for emerging as the hero in the wild 2010 Stanley Cup final series opener against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The first tropical storm of the 2010 season hit the Pacific coastline of Guatemala and Mexico on Saturday, killing 12 people under landslides and rockfall triggered by torrential rains.

Local governments in California and other Western states have tried to clamp down on medical marijuana, but Oakland has taken a different approach.

Canadians who live in low-income neighbourhoods are more likely to have a heart attack than their wealthier counterparts, a new report indicates.

A two-and-a-half year old who has captured hearts around the world is back in his home city after returning from New York late Friday night.

As many as four people are feared dead after a float plane crashed into the water off Vancouver Island on Saturday.

Mounties say one of the latest marijuana grow-ops busted in B.C. was controlled by a computer system that could be accessed by satellite and featured an electrical panel that would be more at home in a forest mill.

Loblaw is warning consumers across the country about one of its garlic bread products.

The mother of an Alberta boy who has been in foster care in the United States for almost two years says all she really wants to do when he comes home is to hold him close.

High winds were expected to make work difficult on Saturday for crews charged with battling dozens of fires burning throughout Quebec.

BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles said the firm was now shifting to a new strategy to stop the spill. In the failed procedure - known as "top kill" - the firm had been blasting waste material and heavy mud into a ruptured well. US President Ba

Angered by Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigrants, thousands of protesters marched through central Phoenix Saturday, urging Washington to block the new state law they call racist.

NDP Leader Jack Layton says his party will oppose the Conservative government's budget legislation.

Fur is flying after the cat belonging to a southern Alberta family went missing during a cross-country Air Canada flight to New Brunswick.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has outlined his plan for the formation of a national securities regulator and there are strong winds blowing against him from Alberta and Quebec - which might put a few kinks in the scheme but are not likely to scuttle it, a

Veterans of the Second World War have gathered in Dunkirk to mark the 70th anniversary of the evacuations.

Every seismic tremor in British Columbia brings a question: Is it the Big One? A U.S. scientist now says there's a 10 to 15 per cent chance a mega-earthquake will strike in the next 50 years.

COVINGTON, La. - A risky procedure to stop the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico has yet to show much success, and BP is considering scrapping it in favour of a different method to contain the worst oil spill in U.S. history, an executive said Saturday.

Laid-off Canadians are unlikely to find a job that provides the same level of pay or benefits as their previous positions, a continuing trend that will affect the overall health of the economy at least for the next few years, economists say.

The jackpot for Friday's Lotto Max lottery is a near-record $50 million, but your odds of winning are just under one in 29 million.

Actor Dennis Hopper, the Hollywood elder statesman who appeared in such classic movies as Easy Rider and Apocalypse Now, has died.

A lawsuit launched by a woman who leapt from a moving car during a domestic squabble may make people think twice about being a designated driver.

TORONTO - A poop ploy is being used to pick-pocket people in Toronto's downtown core, police said Friday.

North Korea's powerful National Defence Commission accused South Korea on Friday of faking the sinking of a warship for which Pyongyang has been blamed, warning that the Korean peninsula was heading to "the brink of war."

Scientists think they may have solved one of the great mysteries of the solar system: why the winds on Venus blow faster than the planet's rotation.

The former premier leading the charge against B.C.'s harmonized sales tax says a province-wide petition against the HST has reached its target, weeks ahead of schedule.

TORONTO - The organizer of a ride down the Highway of Heroes wants Canadians to join him Saturday in honouring soldiers who were injured in Afghanistan and died after returning home.

The Nunavut government does not think the polar bear should be classified as a species of special concern under the federal Species at Risk Act, says territorial Environment Minister Daniel Shewchuk.

The Alberta government is failing to protect the province's declining grizzly bear population, says a new report.

A bell stolen from a church 20 years ago is still the subject of much debate in the Malpeque area of Prince Edward Island. The exact origins of the bronze bell, just over 30 centimetres wide and tall, are unknown and the source of much discussion.

Scores of dead fish have been washing up on Lake Erie shorelines because of post-spawning stress, according to the ministry of natural resources.

The unidentified flying objects spotted in January off Newfoundland remain a mystery to the government, despite extensive scrutiny, according to Department of National Defence (DND) documents.

China "will not protect" whoever sank a South Korean warship in March, Premier Wen Jiabao has said.

The design house has made a name for itself in part by dreaming up wild visions of how humans will one day inhabit the Earth without killing it.

HUNDREDS of Guatemalans are in shelters after a powerful eruption at the southern Pacaya volcano killed one person and forced the international airport to close.

Gary Coleman, best known as the child star of the TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, has died after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage from a fall at his Utah home earlier this week.

Confronted with sobering news that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is now likely the largest in American history, President Barack Obama yesterday suspended dozens of offshore drilling projects and accepted responsibility for U.S. government errors in the ha

When the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated on Monday, it meant that the Stanley Cup would definitely be claimed by an American-based team for the 16th straight season.

There are some things B.C.'s public auto insurer may wish it hadn't been caught doing -- and one of them could be producing a $1.7-million ad campaign that barely made it to air.

Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly says he has talked to police and apologized for trying to board a flight to Toronto with a bullet in a bag he was carrying.

A woman who fell asleep on a United Express flight to Philadelphia says she woke up and was shocked to find she was alone on the plane.

Eager shoppers hoping to get their hands on an iPad began queuing up early outside Apple's 16 retail shops in Canada.

The head of BP says it will take another two days to tell if its latest attempts to stop the flow of crude oil from its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico will succeed.

Railway officials say a bomb is the suspected cause of a deadly train derailment in eastern India, which killed at least 71 people and injured at least 200 on Friday.

A milkshake containing 2,010 calories -- equivalent to eating 68 strips of bacon or 30 chocolate chip cookies -- has topped a list of the 20 worst drinks in America compiled by Men's Health magazine.

A 28-year-old Toronto man will have to do 50 hours of community service after he admitted to trying to bribe his way out of a stunt driving ticket.

Russia will hold large-scale naval exercises near North Korea next month that were planned before the current stand-off on the Korean peninsula, naval officials said on Thursday

North Korea is exporting nuclear and ballistic missile technology and using multiple intermediaries, shell companies and overseas criminal networks to circumvent U.N. sanctions, U.N. experts said in a report obtained by The Associated Press.

People who like to bask in the blue glow of indoor tanning beds could double their risk of developing melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer, new research has found.

For the first time in our province, seriously ill heart patients have new hope after a new cardiac procedure will be performed in Alberta.

A dairy farm worker was charged Wednesday with 12 counts of cruelty to animals after a welfare group released a video it says shows him and others beating cows with crowbars and poking them with pitchforks.

Police in Chilliwack B.C., are warning parents about so-called "little girl" parties, in which older teenagers encourage middle school girls to get drunk and engage in sexual activities.

A Vancouver businessman says that the city's push to make the streets more bike-friendly is responsible for the drop in business that's led him to shut his doors.

Steve Fonyo, the amputee who raised millions for cancer research in a cross-country run 25 years ago, says he's ready to fight to keep his Order of Canada.

More than 71,000 coyotes that had a bounty on their heads have been killed in Saskatchewan, but critics say the number is appalling and doesn't solve a predator problem.