NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 12-2009

Lindsey Vonn has the Friday-Saturday double and Emily Brydon has respect. Not a bad weekend for both women's downhill racers.

Kristina Groves of Ottawa won gold in the 1,500 metres and was followed by teammate Christine Nesbitt at a long-track speedskating World Cup event in Calgary on Saturday.

A Kelowna man is facing 33 sexual assault charges in connection with luring teenaged girls over the internet.

A sloppy second period doomed the Vancouver Canucks in Saturday afternoon's 5-3 road loss to the NHL-worst Carolina Hurricanes.

MONTREAL - The political tides are shifting on Quebec Premier Jean Charest, whose seemingly impenetrable ship has been taking on water in recent weeks.

HONG KONG - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Asian adventure will take on a decidedly military air starting Sunday, a change from the focus on diplomacy and human rights during his four-day visit to mainland China.

The president of the Grand Falls Cataracts hockey team says the season-long suspension of one of his players for a fight that left a River Valley Thunder player with a concussion is too harsh.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says the time has come to create a separate school system for aboriginal youth.

The intense winter storm that hit much of Alberta Friday created havoc at airports and on roads Saturday, while police urged commuters to stay home.

A 14-year-old girl was arrested and charged Saturday after allegedly abducting a 10-month-old baby boy from his mother's Toronto apartment.

Tanker cars from a derailed CN freight train burned for most of Saturday near the community of Spy Hill, Sask., about 10 kilometres from the Manitoba border.

The Vancouver Canucks have dominated the first two opponents on their road trip. A meeting with the NHL-worst Carolina Hurricanes should enable them to keep up that strong play.

Violence erupted in a Winnipeg neighbourhood around midnight Friday night leaving two people dead from gunshot wounds and a third person in hospital.

MONTREAL - A Quebec judge handed down a prison sentence to a former federal Liberal organizer with a message for anyone involved in politics: public confidence in democracy is paramount and the court will crack down on illegal practices

KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. Marines swooped down behind Taliban lines in helicopters and Osprey aircraft in the first offensive since President Barack Obama announced an American troop surge.

TORONTO -- An $85 fine and an admission of guilt seems like a small price to pay for killing someone

Police in Vancouver have made their third homicide arrest in a week on unsolved cases that go back as far as 10 years.

Canadian Emily Brydon finished second in the women's World Cup downhill season opener Friday at Lake Louise, Alta.

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The first extreme weather alert of the season was issued Friday in Vancouver on the heels of a controversial new law that gives police power to take the homeless to shelters against their will.

The current edition of the Montreal Canadiens may be a far cry from the legendary teams of the past but, for one night at least, they looked like world-beaters in a pasting of Boston on Friday night.

A man who was wedged between two downtown buildings is out of hospital. But it remains a mystery how he managed to get himself trapped in a half-metre gap between the Executive Place office tower under construction

The Iron Curtain that divided Europe for 46 years left an indelible imprint on the continent's wildlife.

The tsunami that killed more than 200 people in the Samoan islands and Tonga in September was twice as tall as the buildings it hit, scientists say.

The following is a first-person account by Tpr Tony Neaves of his initiation to Afghanistan.

The Canadian Press has learned that the federal government is to sign a deal Tuesday to create a marine conservation area at the eastern gates of the Northwest Passage.

ROME, Italy - A large sign promising adventure and kisses from girls lured a young Henry Beaudry to the war.

An explosion apparently caused by pyrotechnics tore through a nightclub in the Russian city of Perm early Saturday, killing at least 94 people, according to news reports in the country.

NATO members and countries from outside the alliance will send 7,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan to join the 30,000 being sent by the United States.

An Italian jury has convicted American student Amanda Knox of sexually assaulting and murdering her British roommate, sentencing her to 26 years in prison Friday.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's national security adviser offered words of praise Friday for Canada and the Canadian soldiers who have been fighting in Afghanistan for eight years.

Some of the greatest players in Montreal Canadiens history took to the ice Friday evening at Bell Centre as the organization celebrates its centennial.

A British sculptor carving a polar bear out of ice, with a bronze skeleton inside, hopes to make a powerful environmental message when the Arctic animal art piece melts.

Edmonton's first major snowstorm of the season caused big problems for drivers all day Friday.

Calgary police and RCMP are asking people not to drive unless absolutely necessary as an intense storm is causing low visibility and numerous crashes.

The timing couldn't have been worse. Golf Magazine's latest issue features Tiger Woods on cover as Barack Obama's caddy and the headline: "10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger." We're betting that Golf Digest wishes they could unpublish the issue.

KINGSTON, Ont. - A Trenton, Ont., woman jailed in Mexico then returned to Canada to serve out her sentence at home, is in trouble with parole authorities.

The United Nations will conduct its own investigation into emails leaked from a leading British climate science centre in addition to the probe by the University of East Anglia, a senior UN climate official said Friday.

Russia and the Vatican have agreed to establish full diplomatic relations, the Kremlin has announced

A Toronto designer became a participant in a real-life Flashpoint-style event when police tactical officers showed up at his workplace over a firearms call that involved a Lego gun.

A massive long-term study designed to answer the question of whether cellphones cause brain tumours has offered some reassuring answers.

An Inukshuk stands at the entrance to the village of Pemberton, B.C. It's one of the few things "Olympic" you'll find there.

Heather McDonald was first to sign a banner of support for Canadian troops in Afghanistan Thursday at the downtown Vancouver Sears store.

Someone who sent five obscene and threatening letters to elementary schools in Kamloops, B.C., last week sent two more this week that were even more graphic and disturbing, police said Thursday

WASHINGTON - Americans are turning away from the world, showing a tendency toward isolationism in foreign affairs that has risen to the highest level in four decades

VANCOUVER, B.C. - A helicopter that lost power and crashed into a Cranbrook, B.C., street 18 months ago, killing four people, should never have been flying over the city in the first place

Canada's top two commanders in Afghanistan in spring 2006 told investigators the government pressured them to transfer detainees to Afghan authorities faster than they felt was appropriate

Police have a warning for shoppers hoping for online bargains this holiday season: beware of counterfeits lurking in your stocking.

A chief of Squamish First Nation says it can't afford to be concerned about a potential public backlash against new billboards going up on band-owned land in Vancouver.

BEIJING - The diplomatic scolding behind them, China's leaders are sending signals it now considers perceived slights by Canada a thing of the past with the hope the two countries can re-establish mutual trust.

A former RCMP commissioner says it's time to phase out two-member police detachments, which are fairly common in Canada's remote and northern communities.

Extreme weather alerts have been issued for municipalities in and around Metro Vancouver as the temperature drops and homeless shelters get ready for hundreds of additional people seeking warm beds for the night.

Roberto Luongo made 38 saves and defenceman Willie Mitchell broke a scoreless tie and the Vancouver Canucks topped the struggling Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on Thursday night.

Nicola Puddicombe, 36, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Dennis Hoy, who was struck in the head six times with the blunt end of an axe on Oct. 27, 2006, while he slept in her bed.

Police in Grand Falls, N.B., are investigating a hockey fight that left one player injured and another suspended for the rest of the season.

Online viewers will have personal control over a near-ice-level perspective as the Hockey Night in Canada All Access Cam makes its debut in Friday's telecast of the Montreal Canadiens' centennial anniversary game against the Boston Bruins.

he will pay his wife, Elin Nordegren, $5 million upfront and another $55 million to persuade her to stay in their marriage for another 24 months.

An ETS bus driver was dragged off a bus and beaten this morning, police say, and cops have arrested his alleged attacker. A man allegedly launched an attack about 7:30 a.m., when he hopped on the bus.

Why is the world's favourite fashion doll wearing a symbol of oppression?

Astronomers have published an image of the coolest planet outside our solar system that has been pictured directly.

The Solar Impulse prototype plane, part of a planned solar-powered circumnavigation of the globe, has left the ground for the first time.

The Dutch navy has arrested 13 Somali pirates who attempted to hijack a cargo ship south of Oman.

He is preparing for his biggest night of the year and NORAD is getting ready to track his journey as he leaves the North Pole, bound for millions of homes across the globe on the ever magical Christmas Eve.

At least 15 people were killed Thursday when an explosion ripped through an upscale hotel in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu, in an attack that apparently targeted members of the country's shaky cabinet.

MPs have approved the controversial harmonized sales tax legislation for Ontario and British Columbia.

BARRIE, Ont. -- A GTA man convicted of street racing and causing the death of a truck driver begged a judge for mercy yesterday, so that he won't be deported to India.

TORONTO -- A Toronto elementary school teacher who works at a downtown sex shop is accused of sexually assaulting an underage teen.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD - The child suffers severe spina bifida but the parents - paralyzed by fear of Taliban reprisal - never sought a doctor.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he would consider running again for his country's presidency.

Putting out a bird feeder in the winter can have a dramatic effect on the evolution of migratory birds, researchers in Germany and Canada say.

The Greater Prairie-Chicken, a bird that once numbered in the millions on the grasslands, is now considered wiped out in Canada, scientists from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada reported Monday.

Calgary's top Crown prosecutor has apologized for the lengthy delay in handling a rape case, which led to charges being stayed against two men accused of raping a 15-year-old girl.

A decision by China to bestow approved destination status on Canada will open the gates for tourists from that country, pumping millions of dollars into Canada's tourism industry

The Supreme Court of Canada has ordered a new trial for an Edmonton man charged with luring a 12-year-old girl in an internet chat room.

y day, she runs a tidy little hair salon in the city's northwest, drives a Hummer and loves her little dogs, a 52- year-old Calgary woman was involved in human trafficking after she allegedly offered to sell two women to undercover cops for $4,000 each.

The Vancouver Canucks (15-12-0) will look to make it three straight road wins when they make a rare visit to the "City of Brotherly Love" to take on the Philadelphia Flyers (13-10-1).

The Vancouver Canucks roared out with three early goals in New Jersey and after nearly squandering the lead, finished strongly for an impressive 5-2 victory on Wednesday night to open their road trip.

The RCMP in Okotoks, Alta. are asking residents there if they've seen missing Toronto teenager Mariam Makhniashvili.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - NATO's commander in Afghanistan says the south will be the focus of a new counter-insurgency effort based around the 30,000 additional soldiers the United States is committing to the war.

Peru's police chief dismissed the head of the criminal investigations unit as authorities looked into suggestions police officers may have fabricated a story about a murderous gang that drained the fat from corpses to sell on the black market.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted on Wednesday his country would not negotiate with the West over its nuclear program, saying his country will continue efforts to enrich uranium.

Astronomers have identified a massive supernova as a new type of violent stellar explosion predicted by physicists to exist, but never before seen.

Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan was charged Wednesday with 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the deadly mass shooting at Fort Hood that left 13 dead and injured more than two dozen injured, military officials said.

Canadian National and the union representing 1,700 striking locomotive engineers reached a tentative deal Wednesday.

After five months of quiet, people in northeastern B.C. seem to believe the so-called "EnCana bomber" won't strike again.

A North Vancouver man who was a junior hockey coach and claims to have worked with the NHL's Canucks for a decade is facing seven sex-related charges involving a former player from one of his teams.

Politicians gathered Wednesday for a seal-tasting celebration in Ottawa, in defiance of foreign critics.

Thousands of Montrealers gathered on Ste-Catherine Street on Wednesday to celebrate the Alouettes' Grey Cup win.

Ottawa city councillors are fighting back against a set of ugly concrete and steel barriers erected outside the U.S. Embassy in 2001 to thwart terrorist attacks.

For female giant pandas who can only conceive on a few days once a year, being able to say "when" is vital.

Nato's secretary general has said members will do "substantially more" to contribute to the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, has registered as a candidate for congress in next year's elections.

It is no surprise that, in a vast and expansive land such as Canada, the aircraft is a lifeline for so many. And for that reason, 2009 has been the year when Canadians celebrated the Centennial of Flight (CoF), commemorating the first powered, heavier-tha

Sometimes watching our Canadian justice system unfold in the courts is like sitting in the Twilight Zone.

ORTONA, Italy - A retired Italian army colonel paid special tribute today to a Quebec officer who earned the Victoria Cross for valour in his backyard.

A North Caucasus Muslim rebel group has claimed responsibility for last week's Russian train bombing that killed 26 people, according to a website sympathetic to the militants.

The Taliban vowed to step up their fight in Afghanistan after U.S. President Barack Obama announced 30,000 more American soldiers would go to the country.

Following one of their most dominating performances of the season, the New Jersey Devils look to win their fourth straight overall and seventh in a row at home Wednesday night when they face the Vancouver Canucks.

Two butterflies are trying to get their bearings in near zero gravity after emerging on the International Space Station, the first time butterflies have survived the pupal stage in orbit.

Tiger Woods said he let his family down with transgressions he regrets "with all of my heart," and that he will deal with his personal life behind closed doors.

The Squamish First Nation has erected the first of its six controversial electronic billboards at the south end of the Burrard Bridge in Vancouver.

The federal government has approved development of a copper and gold mine in northern B.C., despite the objections of a local First Nation.

It just doesn't ring right. A high-profile pro football player parachutes into a four-year Olympic program two races into the season, joining the team in Europe, and threatens to bounce a regular out

Cops warn seniors about fake grandson scam

The Transportation Safety Board says it could be months before it determines the cause of a recent float plane crash off Saturna Island in British Columbia that killed six.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The United States is sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in the hopes of breaking an insurgency that has engulfed the country's southern regions, where Canadian troops have been holding Kandahar city.

If the Saskatchewan Roughriders have their way, the name of the 13th man on the field during a stunning Grey Cup loss will forever remain a mystery.