NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 01-2008

An Air Canada flight from Toronto had to make an emergency landing in Ireland Monday after a co-pilot suffered an apparent breakdown.

MOTIHARI, India -- The city of Motihari shows off the worst of India. The streets are a dirty, noisy mess of people and animals, cars and rickshaws, litter, sewage and poverty. It's a heaving frontier town, in the state of Bihar, which has the distinctio

Lawyers for a St. John's physician convicted of drug trafficking and sexual assault are appealing his conviction and sentence.

Canada's oldest bookstore will close its doors for good at the end of March.

Billionaire Daryl Katz's push to buy the Edmonton Oilers has gained momentum following the collapse of a competing bid.

Much of the Canadian Prairies are shivering through a deep freeze that has sent temperatures plunging to what feels like -50 C with wind chill, as blizzard-like conditions forced the closure of highways and schools.

The woman who was fired by the federal Conservative government as the president of Canada's nuclear safety watchdog will have a chance Tuesday to tell her side of the story on Parliament Hill.

WASHINGTON - The top NATO commander says more surveillance and other intelligence gathering systems are needed to help aid the fight in Afghanistan.

CFB VALCARTIER, Que. - Karine Duchaine clutched her seven-month-old infant and looked longingly at her husband Monday, knowing he'll soon be heading to Afghanistan for six months.

Canadians from British Columbia to Manitoba are being warned to batten down the hatches, bundle up or just stay inside Monday night as bitterly cold winds sweep across a significant swath of western Canada.

Those hungry mountain pine beetles that have chewed through more than 10 million hectares of B.C. forests are hunkered down for the winter and probably won't be killed by a cold snap that's gripping the province, experts say.

A British researcher reports that the male ego is often larger than his actual IQ. But you might be surprised by what women think of men's intellect

MOSCOW -- The United Nations nuclear agency dismissed allegations Monday by a former Russian Intelligence service agent who claims in a recently published book that he manipulated the UN's Iraqi oil-for-food program by, among other things, recruiting a C

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is refusing to say how Canada is handling prisoners in Afghanistan amid fresh controversy over the issue

Why BC firm's sale to Americans leaves huge crater.

METRO VANCOUVER / Another snowfall warning has been issued for Metro Vancouver, with snow beginning tonight and accumulations of five to 10 cm expected by Tuesday afternoon.

Vending machines distributing the drug marijuana are to begin operating in the US state of California

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier travels half the time, visiting troops and their families in Canada, visiting troops in Afghanistan (most recently over the holidays with Defence Minister Peter MacKay) and speaking in Canada, the U.S. and Euro

Military accepts B.C. man who allegedly boasted of murders, said he was Christ

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee says the cross-country torch relay leading up to the winter Games will be the longest such in-country relay in Olympic history.

HMCS Charlottetown brought aid to a Pakistani fishing vessel adrift in the Arabian Sea on Friday.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday he "broadly" supports the recommendations put forth by John Manley's panel on the Afghanistan mission, which called for Canada's military to remain in the region beyond February 2009 only if more NATO troops a

The Heart and Stroke Foundation has come under fire because of the sugar, sodium and fat content in certain foods endorsed by its Health Check program.

An Ottawa man who successfully sued Air Canada for not serving him in French has turned his sights to OC Transpo.

The beat throbs. And the words ring out: "Put your hands up in the air. Put your hands ... up ... in the air." Many of the 75,000 or so spectators packed in like sardines for Saturday's Red Bull Crashed Ice event bounce up and down, waving their hands

FREDERICTON -- After being declared fit, then unfit and finally fit again to stand trial, accused killer Gregory Despres returns to the courtroom Monday as his convoluted legal saga moves into its next phase.

As the U.S. writers' strike continues, thousands of Canadian filmmakers are concerned about their own careers.

Twenty years ago today, Canada made a landmark judgment when our highest court struck down Criminal Code restrictions on abortion.

In Calgary, the temperature was expected to bottom out at -30C over-night, reaching -44C with the wind chill early today.

A low-pressure system moving toward the Maritimes is expected to bring another round of rough weather to Eastern Canada on Monday with snowfall, freezing rain and wind warnings issued throughout the area.

A humanitarian worker from Edmonton who was detained in North Korea has been freed, Canadian officials said Monday.

The federal government is collecting thousands of dollars from student loans even after the borrower has died, new figures show.

Vancouver Olympic organizers are expected to announce Monday the details of the cross-Canada torch relay in a bid to boost the profile of the 2010 Winter Games.

Discredited child pathologist Charles Smith has started testifying at a public inquiry probing systemic errors in pediatric forensics in Ontario.

A Montreal man, sentenced to three years in an Indian jail for entering the country without a proper visa, is heartbroken and wants to come home, he told CTV News.

LOS ANGELES -- An asteroid at least 500 feet long will make a rare close pass by Earth next week, but there is no chance of an impact, scientists reported Thursday

The Harper government will likely face tough questions on numerous issues, including its handling of Afghan prisoners, Canada's future role in Afghanistan and the upcoming federal budget, as Parliament resumes Monday.

Ask Eddy Skookum about the importance of the salmon-rich waters of the Yukon River to his people and he doesn't hesitate.

The driver of a bus chartered to take young people on a ski trip died and at least 16 passengers were injured when the bus rear-ended a transport truck in a blizzard Sunday morning, about 150 kilometres west of Edmonton.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - A Brazilian model plans to dance nearly nude ahead of a 300-person drum corps in next month's Carnival parade, hoping her sculpted beauty as a "percussion queen" will lead her samba group to the championship.

MONTREAL -- Canada volunteered to lead NATO in the dangerous Afghan province of Kandahar, according to members of a panel that weighed in on the mission's future.

TORONTO - The federal government is collecting thousands of dollars from student loans even after the borrower has died, new figures show.

Stripped of rank, rifle and pride, she has traded her crisp military uniform for an orange jail jumpsuit

VANCOUVER - They were not much bigger than an outstretched hand when they were taken from their parents and given blood transfusions against their parents' will and religious beliefs.

OTTAWA -- Global warming caused by climate change will be the latest hot issue on the agenda for Canada's premiers meeting this week in Vancouver.

Recent gaffes surrounding the military transfer of Afghan detainees shows how badly the Harper government is mishandling the Afghanistan war, Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says.

Kris Beech was claimed off waivers Saturday by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the forward's fourth NHL team in a month.

"We offer environmentally friendly options, but people generally don't want to pay for them," said an Ontario homebuilder who did not want to be identified.

A former U.S. border guard has been convicted of accepting sexual bribes from a drug-smuggling Vancouver prostitute and giving her a free pass at the border.

Even when First Nations wants to get ahead they find that leveraging their land is far from easy

VANCOUVER - Ontario is showing its support for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Canada's athletes with a $5 million investment.

While he awaits his arbitration hearing in February, Baltimore Orioles ace Erik Bedard says he expects to be traded and is disappointed that the club hasn't made a better effort to sign him to a contract extension

Led by Denny Morrison's gold, Canada collected three medals at the World Cup long-track speedskating competition Sunday in Hamar, Norway.

Finding affordable housing was a problem for about three in 10 Canadians between 2002 and 2004, according to a study by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Statistics Canada.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has ordered a group of ABC Television stations to pay a $1.4-million US fine over an episode of NYPD Blue that showed nudity.

A prison in suburban Abbotsford, B.C., was in lockdown Saturday after inmates set fires in the exercise yard to protest several issues, including press coverage of a story about the facility.

Former Indonesian president Suharto, who was forced from office 10 years ago during countrywide protests, has died after three weeks in critical condition in hospital.

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. -- A four-kilometre channel has opened in the lower Nechako River in Prince George, thanks to a combination of natural erosion, ice shifts and progress made by an excavator.

With a housing crisis, credit crunch and volatile stocks, our U.S. neighbours may well be heading towards a recession.

A Halifax father is frustrated after he tried to order a delivery of KFC for his children, only to be told the driver wouldn't come to his neighbourhood because it was unsafe.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Saturday that Canadian soldiers will resume transferring detainees to Afghan authorities, but only when Canada is confident they will not be tortured.

No injuries are reported after a small airplane from a flying school made an emergency landing on a highway outside of Quebec City.

SAGUENAY, Que. -- Mourners lined snow-covered streets of a town north of Quebec City on Saturday to honour a Canadian soldier killed recently in Afghanistan.

PARIS -- Societe Generale detailed Sunday how a young trader evaded all its controls to bet some $73 billion -- more than the French bank's market worth -- saying he hacked computers and used other "fraudulent methods'' to cover his tracks, causing bi

ATLANTA - A revamped NHL all-stars skills competition got mixed reviews but came away ahead of last year's disappointing performance in Dallas.

ATLANTA - When it comes to National Hockey League shootouts, the Edmonton Oilers have become the circuit's surefire specialists.

Long before the sons of hotel and real estate czars fought over the Vancouver Canucks, professional hockey was already a money-spinner on the West Coast.

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed not to let politics dictate his government's decision on the future of the Afghanistan war on Friday, but continued to defer a clear response to the hard-hitting report on the mission by the Manley panel.

Canadian sailors patrolling the Arabian Sea in the war on terrorism ended up this week helping Pakistani authorities fight alcohol smuggling.

AUSCHWITZ, Poland -- He was among the first to arrive at the death camp, and one of the few to escape alive.

Christian Brando, the troubled son of actor Marlon Brando, who made headlines in 1990 when he was arrested in the shooting death of his half-sister's boyfriend, died early Saturday. He was 49.

HUSBAND who used an electrical cord to stimulate his wife during a night of "bizarre sex" allegedly gave her a deadly shock

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - A four-kilometre channel has opened in the lower Nechako River in Prince George, thanks to a combination of natural erosion, ice shifts and progress made by an excavator.

Facing a possible scandal over the handling of Afghan prisoners, federal Conservatives are meeting behind closed-doors in Ottawa to plot strategy for the resumption of Parliament.

OTTAWA - A fresh allegation that large amounts of cash arrived at 24 Sussex Drive while Brian Mulroney was prime minister is setting the stage for a stormy return of the Commons ethics committee next week.

WASHINGTON - U.S. government officials say a large spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the Earth in late February or March.

DAVOS, Switzerland -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world on Thursday to put the looming crisis over water shortages at the top of the global agenda this year and take action to prevent conflicts over scarce supplies.

WASHINGTON -- Even coral reefs thought to be pristine are facing challenges, researchers said Thursday launching the International Year of the Reef.

What would you do if the US patent office gave you the go-ahead on a far-reaching, non-specific application filed for a "mobile entertainment and communication device"? Sue Apple, Nokia, RIM, Sprint, AT&T, HP, Motorola, Helio, HTC, Sony Ericsson, UTStar

Since the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force has exercised the skills of its aviators at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada, during Exercise RED FLAG

A team of Japanese boffins may have accidentally struck gold in the fight against global warming: they believe they have devised a way to neutralise the perilous belches of 1.5 billion cows.

When Vancouver prostitute Sandra Maas wanted to smuggle some marijuana or narcotics into the U.S., all she had to do was call her friend, U.S. border guard Desmone Bastian, to see which lane he was working at

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The Canadian military calls improvised explosive devices a fact of life in Afghanistan and says the crude bombs, known as IEDs, are a sign of a weakened and desperate insurgency that cannot fight a traditional battle.

LOS ANGELES - A second skier has died in a series of avalanches in the mountains outside of Los Angeles, authorities said Saturday, while Southern California braced for more powerful storms that have pounded the area with heavy snow and rain.

Home invaders bound a 52-year-old man and held a gun to his head after they broke in thinking a marijuana grow op was inside, the victim told the Winnipeg Sun yesterday.

A local minor hockey coach who allegedly cross-checked two 15-year-old players during a practice and threw a helmet at another has been charged by police and suspended indefinitely by his team.

The lawyer for the Vancouver Canucks said Friday that former coach Marc Crawford will testify he yelled at Todd Bertuzzi to get off the ice before the infamous attack on Steve Moore.

Speaking to a group of journalists at the Davos Economic Forum on Thursday, Karzai said he shouldn't have listened to British and U.S. officials who said he should remove the local security forces that were already in place in Helmand province

The early race for the Hart Trophy has churned out names like Lecavalier, Ovechkin and Iginla.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Maria Sharapova's acceptance speech was as polished as her game at the Australian Open. A year after being on the wrong end of one of the most lopsided losses in a Grand Slam final, Sharapova wrapped up her third major title wi

Gunmen abducted a burqa-clad American aid worker and her driver while they were driving through a residential section of southern Afghanistan's largest city early Saturday, a provincial governor said.

Check out snippets from five Budweiser commercials that might air on Super Bowl Sunday.

A 19-year-old woman who pimped out her teenage sister for beer money can't blame her crime on her "very tragic upbringing," a judge said yesterday.

HAMAR, Norway - Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., raced to gold in the 500 metres at a long-track speedskating World Cup on Saturday, as three Canadians had podium performances.

A 37-year-old man is facing multiple charges after half a dozen people, including a pregnant woman, were assaulted with a hockey stick at City Centre Mall.

Jacques Villeneuve has cut ties with his long-time manager Craig Pollock just weeks before the start of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The Eastern Conference will attempt to defend its SuperSkills challenge title on Saturday night when it takes on the West in the opening events of All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.

There's an old joke about a tourist asking a New Yorker how one gets to Carnegie Hall. "Practise, practise, practise," he is told.Kathleen Promane has certainly followed that advice. And, no joke, it's taking her to Carnegie Hall this weekend

On a snowy Tuesday last week in Toronto, more than half a dozen lawyers gathered at courtroom No. 2 at Osgoode Hall to discuss a case that could change Canadian journalism

As the Britney Spears debacle continues to unfold daily on tabloids around the world, a new study estimates she is worth a staggering $120 million to the US economy

While many machines at Casino Regina are intended to offer patrons a payout now and again, the wrong machine was dishing out cash in October -- to the tune of $27,000 -- the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation announced on Thursday

Anne Shirley may be getting on in years but she hasn't lost her spark.

Toronto police have shut down a home dental operation and issued an arrest warrant for the fake dentist

A country of petty thieves, rabid animals, rapists with a gun problem and dangerous drivers who are under threat from terrorists, tornadoes, earthquakes, avalanches, forest fires and freak storms and with only spotty police enforcement to protect them

The trip hit turbulence when Jean faced heckling and swearing from anti-poverty protesters who dogged her walk through Vancouver's troubled Downtown Eastside neighbourhood on Wednesday. Yeah. It's not the right headline but I doubt many here would o

Lawyers for Brian Mulroney have lodged complaints with members of the House of Commons ethics committee for "glaring violations of the most fundamental rules of fairness" since the former prime minister testified last month about cash payments he receiv

Canada's annual inflation rate dropped to 2.4 per cent last month, slipping from 2.5 per cent in November, according to a new Statistics Canada report released Friday.

VANCOUVER - Avid Vancouver Canucks fans might think their team's play in recent weeks has been a bit of a joke, but that wasn't the reason the team sported a new colour commentator Wednesday night in an NHL game against the St. Louis Blues.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jose Canseco offered to keep Magglio Ordonez "clear" in his upcoming book if the Detroit Tigers outfielder invested in a movie project promoted by Canseco, The New York Times reported Wednesday night.

A man who plowed his delivery truck into a police cruiser in July 2005, killing an RCMP constable, will not be going to jail.

Newfoundland's premier isn't afraid to battle Big Oil or "Steve" Harper. You can't catapult Confederation's poor cousin to "have" status without a few scrapes, can you?

SUNRISE, Fla. - Jarret Stoll helped Edmonton get to overtime. The Oilers knew they could take it from there.

CHICAGO - Columbus goalie Pascal Leclaire was perfect again on Thursday night. The Blue Jackets players skating in front of him were just as good.