NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 04-2012

Canadian banks received up to $114 billion in government financial support at the height of the global financial crisis, a recent study reports.

An Australian billionaire on Monday said he will create a high-tech replica of the Titanic using a Chinese shipbuilder, and that its maiden voyage in late 2016 will be from England to New York, just like the original.

Anna Mackowiak is facing jail after taking her revenge on Marek Olszewski (not pictured), 45, when he turned up at her surgery in Wroclaw, Poland, with toothache just after breaking up with her.

An abandoned van with 600 pounds of explosives was found in Northern Ireland, near the border with the Republic of Ireland, police said.

In a speech in Ottawa Saturday, the Dalai Lama praised Prime Minister Stephen Harper for balancing Tibetan human rights with Chinese trade.

A female scooter rider killed a man by squeezing his testicles over a parking dispute, in Haikou City, Hainan Province, China.

Hyman Strachman found a fulfilling hobby after his wife died: sending hundreds of thousands of illicitly copied Hollywood hits to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Canadian Institute of Planners announced Thursday Osborne Village had been voted the Best Neighbourhood in Canada in its annual Great Places contest.

A surge in Galaxy smartphone sales fueled earnings at Samsung Electronics to a record high in the first quarter, outshining handset rivals such as Nokia Corp.

Two current and two former TSA employees have been arrested in an alleged drug and bribery scheme by screeners who allowed large shipments of narcotics to pass through security at Los Angeles International Airport in exchange for cash, federal prosecutors

Law will see cancellation fees capped at $50, clearer advertising on contract costs and information on sudden fee jumps

Principals behind the arena say its survival does not depend on landing a second NHL franchise

Authorities say they received letters from unknown assailants demanding money in exchange for not causing any more blasts

Adam Henrique scored his second goal of the game at 3:47 of the second overtime, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 7 early Friday to advance to second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Experts are trying to figure out what a fossil dubbed "Godzillus" used to be.

Montreal police declared a march by protesting students illegal, less than an hour after the demonstration has begun.

The number of wild Atlantic salmon in rivers along the Atlantic coast is in sharp decline, and may be deemed an endangered species in the region.

Antarctica's massive ice shelves are shrinking because they are being eaten away from below by warm water, a new study finds. That suggests future sea levels could rise faster than many scientists have been predicting.

The 'grolar' bear - a mix between a grizzly and a polar bear - has been spotted once again near Ulukhaktok, N.W.T.

Lighter loonies and toonies are creating problems for those who use coin-operated machines, including municipalities which must upgrade their equipment to accept the new coins.

Rising water levels have flooded several communities in the southern interior of B.C., including areas of Kimberley, West Kelowna and Tulameen -- where the entire community has been put on evacuation alert.

Rangers defencemen Marc Staal and Dan Girardi scored 4:18 apart in the second period, Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves and top-seeded New York eliminated the pesky eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators from the playoffs with a 2-1 victory in Game 7 on Thursday nigh

Taxes are taking a bigger chunk out of Canadians' budgets than basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter, a new report from the Fraser Institute says.

Thousands gathered in Norway to sing a children's song that gunman Anders Behring Breivik claimed is being used to brainwash young Norwegians

Ontario MP will ask MPs to revisit definition of human being on Thursday

The lawyer of a family fighting to keep a man on life-support says a new diagnosis vindicates what they've been saying all along, that Hassan Rasouli is conscious and aware.

A woman living in Toronto has been charged in the U.S. with taking part in a scheme to steal from a Holocaust survivors' fund that may have been looted for more than $60 million.

For three days, there was the faintest sign of potential that Quebec's student unrest might find an imminent and peaceful resolution. Any such hope was dashed Wednesday as talks broke off between the provincial government and Quebec's main student groups.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins have been eliminated from the playoffs after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signs the repeal of the death penalty into law, making the state the 17th in the US to end capital punishment.

For the city of Dull, Scotland, the choice of which town across the globe it should pair with was an easy one - Boring, Ore. The two communities are now preparing to link up formally as sister communities

Teachers across Canada are having their reputations destroyed as more and more are being falsely accused of abusing their students or acting inappropriately with them, experts say.

As melanoma cases are on the rise among young people, Canadian dermatologists are With melanoma cases on the rise among young people, Canadian dermatologists are advising people to slap on sunscreen after shedding winter layers.

The federal government is scaling back health coverage for refugee claimaints and by June it will stop paying for dentistry, vision care and pharmaceuticals.

Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair says there should be no more extensions to Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan.

CTV Toronto - A 12-year-old Toronto boy has been charged after bringing a loaded handgun to school, police confirmed on Wednesday.

Two Toronto groups are beseeching Canadian workers to call in sick en masse next Tuesday, on May Day, as a protest against the attacks of the one per cent.

Born in Montreal, he was considered a pioneer of world music in Canada

Numbers point to a deliberate voter suppression program in seven ridings, Ekos says

Two former civilian employees with the Vancouver police department have testified detectives refused to investigate missing persons complaints involving street workers or homeless people.

CHICAGO -- It was like watching kids firing pucks at a brick wall for practice, only the wall's name is Mike Smith and he plays goalie for the Phoenix Coyotes.

Voters in California will be asked if they want to abolish the death penalty this November, after a proposal gathered more than 500,000 signatures.

Derek Stepan and Brad Richards combined for five points as the Rangers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 to force Game 7 in New York.

Four of the world's leading botanical institutions are starting a catalogue of every plant on the globe, with plans to make the inventory of at least 400,000 species available for free online by 2020.

Cracks in Arctic sea ice are leaking alarming levels of methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide, according to NASA scientists.

A Canadian scientist claims the Arctic Ocean will be open for regular commercial shipping within the next five to 10 years, but changing ice conditions could bring new hazards to ships.

North Korea's military warned Monday of imminent "special actions" that would reduce South Korea's conservative government to ashes within minutes, sharply escalating the rhetoric against its southern rival.

Russian scientists said Monday they have been the first to spot what they believe is the world's only all-white full-grown male orca whale, in the chilly waters off Russia's Far East coast.

Northern Ontario MP Bruce Hyer quit the NDP caucus today, saying he can better represent his constituents as an Independent MP.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tenders his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix amid a row over European budget rules, paving the way for early polls.

Premier Dalton McGuinty has agreed to a key NDP budget demand for a surtax on incomes over $500,000.

The Boston Bruins' hopes of defending their Stanley Cup championship remain alive, thanks to Tyler Seguin's overtime goal at 3:17 against Washington in Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference quarter-final.

Claude Giroux wrapped up a dominant series with his sixth goal, Ilya Bryzgalov had his first outstanding effort in net and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Sunday to win their Eastern Conference opening-round series in six games

Satellite imagery has been used to estimate the population of an animal species for the first time, in a survey that discovered surprising new information about the emperor penguin population of Antarctica.

Jamie Langenbrunner and David Perron scored in a45-second span in the third period, and St. Louis Blues woke up in time to put away the San Jose Sharks 3-1 and wrap up the first-round series in five games Saturday night.

Craig Anderson stopped 41 shots, Jason Spezza scored twice and the Ottawa Senators pushed the top-seeded New York Rangers to the brink of elimination with a 2-0 victory.

A 24-year-old Duncan, B.C. man has been charged with the murders of two Vancouver Island women, RCMP said Saturday.

CTV Toronto - Toronto police have issued an Amber Alert for eight-year-old Joshua Low, who they believe has been abducted.

Coral gardens that were among Asia's most spectacular, teeming with colorful sea life just a few months ago, have been transformed into desolate grey moonscapes by illegal fishermen who use explosives or cyanide to kill or stun their prey.

Conservative MP Bob Dechert concludes a fact-finding mission to solve the mystery of the so-called Windsor hum, a persistent low frequency noise that has trigged hundreds of complaints.

Two busy passenger trains collided head-on near an Amsterdam park today, injuring scores of people including more than 50 seriously, a police spokesman said.

Troy Brouwer's power-play goal with 87 seconds left in regulation paved the way for a 4-3 Washington Capitals win over Boston and 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven NHL Eastern Conference quarter-final.

Raffi Torres has been suspended 25 games by the NHL for his high hit to the head of Marian Hossa earlier this week.

The federal government is preparing to cut off Lake St. Martin First Nation members in Manitoba who have been fraudulently claiming flood evacuation benefits.

The Nashville Predators slew the symbolic dragon represented by the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night -- and a son of Detroit delivered the decisive blow.

The Pittsburgh Penguins avoided Stanley Cup playoff elimination for a second consecutive game on Friday night, overcoming a one-goal deficit with a pair of second-period goals for a 3-2 win over Philadelphia.

While the week began with Stephen Harper's commitment to continue battling drugs through enforcement, it ends with 4/20, a public celebration of marijuana use that takes place every April 20 and has become a de facto political statement in favour of drug

For modern mayors, attendance is part of the job and absence is an embarrassment.

Some residents of Squamish, B.C. are blaming urban sprawl for pushing wild animals out of their natural habitat and into human communities after a recent cougar sighting.

The NDP have swept up seats formerly considered Liberal strongholds in byelections held in the Port Moody-Coquitlam and Chilliwack-Hope ridings on Thursday.

India said today it had launched a successful test-firing of a new missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads to major Chinese cities.

Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano has hurled super-heated rock fragments a kilometre into the air and officials warn more and bigger outbursts are likely.

Students in the Toronto Catholic District School Board will now be required to sing O Canada out loud instead of standing in silence while a pre-recorded version of the national anthem plays.

A massive quantity of hashish worth at least $860 million destined for the Port of Montreal was seized by authorities in Pakistan and Europe after a two-year investigation that involved the RCMP.

Playoff rookie Braden Holtby followed up a shaky outing with a superb one by making 44 saves Thursday night, and Alexander Semin scored the go-ahead goal, leading the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins.

Police on Vancouver Island say they have tracked down an unlicensed and uninsured motorcyclist who posted a YouTube video of a terrifying high-speed run along a busy section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

It would appear that the Vancouver Canucks will go forward in net with Cory Schneider next season, but trying to move Roberto Luongo would make for a fascinating offseason.

Starbucks Corp. says it will stop using a red dye in its drinks that is derived from crushed bugs.

Levon Helm, the singing drummer that gave The Band its Southern swagger, died on Thursday from throat cancer. He was 71.

Greg Ham, a musician with the iconic Australian band Men at Work, was found dead in his Melbourne home on Thursday, Australian reports said.

India launched a powerful new missile Thursday capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to China's capital city, yet there was barely a whisper worldwide mere days after North Korea was harshly criticized for its failed rocket launch.

A new survey shows Canadians might be willing to eat food with small doses of radiation to prevent foodborne illnesses.

The Canadian government is set to announce the closing of the maximum-security Kingston penitentiary on Thursday, after more than a century-and-a-half of operation.

Canada is looking at opening a special immigration stream for entrepreneurs with good startup ideas, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said today.

Norway's prison terms are "pathetic," confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik declared Wednesday in court, claiming the death penalty or a full acquittal were the "only logical outcomes" for his massacre of 77 people.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating faded '70s rock star Ted Nugent for his recent insistence he'll be "dead or in jail" in a year's time if President Barack Obama is re-elected in November.

Television icon Dick Clark, the host of "American Bandstand" who went on to ring in the New Year with millions of television viewers for nearly four decades, has died. He was 82.

A Regina-based aerospace company is working on a new jet engine that has no moving parts.

Police in Georgia handcuffed a kindergartner after the girl threw a tantrum, and the police chief defended the action.

It's only the first round of the NHL playoffs, but fans and pundits are already deeply divided over a dramatic uptick in on-ice violence that many put at the feet of one man: league disciplinary czar Brendan Shanahan.

Daniel Sedin has returned to practice with the Vancouver Canucks, but whether he'll play in Game 4 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings hasn't been decided.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens is calling for changes to the RCMP Act that make it possible to hire and fire like other employers

The design for Upper Fort Garry Heritage Park and Interpretive Centre will tell its story through overlapping layers of contemporary sculptural and graphic imagery, expressed through sophisticated technologies that will create a unique urban gathering pla

The Pittsburgh Penguins, a popular pick of many hockey observers to win the Stanley Cup, are one game away from being swept out of the first round of the playoffs after an 8-4 loss on Sunday afternoon to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ottawa said on Sunday that captain Daniel Alfredsson is feeling OK after enduring a headshot against the New York Rangers, but his status for Game 3 on Monday is not yet known.

Taliban militants have launched a series of co-ordinated attacks across Kabul, targeting at least three neighbourhoods in the capital that are home to Afghan government buildings, Western embassies and NATO bases.

It really is rocket science, and it really is hard. North Korea proved that again.

A curious thing happened at the headquarters of Canada's postal system in 1912 following the sinking of the Titanic. Dozens of requests poured into Ottawa from postmasters across the country asking for permission to change the names of their post offices

Young drivers in Quebec will face new restrictions on drinking and driving beginning today.

The federal government says it will spend $8.1 million in an effort to strengthen search and rescue response across Canada.

Pamela Anderson and Lionel Richie are just two of the hundreds of names California tax authorities say collectively owe the state nearly $233 million in outstanding taxes.

While some hockey fans are already jumping off the Canucks' bandwagon after Friday's disheartening defeat, a psychologist suggests this move is a self-defence mechanism after last year's disappointment.

Hockey, igloo-building, snowmobile races and music kept festivalgoers busy as Iqaluit's Toonik Tyme festival kicked off in the Nunavut capital.

A look at some of the biggest Canadian military purchases of the past decade.

Human remains may be embedded in the mud of the North Atlantic where the New York-bound Titanic came to rest when it sank 100 years ago, contends a federal U.S. scientist.

Aborignal elders in Winnipeg have symbolically adopted a Roman Catholic archbishop, in a powerful gesture of reconciliation following the residential schools experience.

More than 100 tornadoes were reported across the Midwest and Plains states, leaving at least five dead, including three children, in Oklahoma and hundreds of thousands of families without electricity.

Canada Post is not trying to claim copyright over individual postal codes. Instead, it claims GeoCoder is infringing on its overall database, which contains information about roughly 890,000 codes.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un spoke publicly for the first time Sunday, just two days after a failed rocket launch, praising his father Kim Jong-il's military first policy during celebrations marking the 100th birthday of the nation's late founder.

Eleven Secret Service agents and five members of the U.S. military, tasked with arranging security for President Barack Obama ahead of his trip to Colombia, have been pulled from duty amid an investigation into their conduct there.

Lower Mainland mayors have voted to cancel TransLink's expansion plans rather than raise property taxes.

Chris Neil scored 77 seconds into overtime as the Ottawa Senators fought back for a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 2 on Saturday.

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Caroline Ouellette scored her second goal of the game 1:50 into overtime as Canada won the women's world hockey championship with a 5-4 victory over the U.S. on Saturday.

Passengers aboard the Titanic memorial cruise ship Azamara Journey are now at the site of the marine disaster that unfolded in the North Atlantic 100 years ago and will lay a wreath where the legendary vessel sank.

It was 100 years ago tonight that the R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg and later sank about 700 kilometres from the port of Halifax.