NEWS IMAGE COLLAGE / for 08-2008

Drummondville, Que. - A foie gras poutine served at a festival in the central Quebec town Drummondville confirms the dish's place in the world of haute cuisine

Chinese rescue teams carrying tents, quilts and sacks of rice rushed Sunday to reach survivors of an earthquake that killed at least 32 people, turned 258,000 homes into rubble and cracked reservoirs

TORONTO -- For a couple of laidback stoners, they sure know how to hold a grudge.

HALIFAX - One of the world's largest masses of ice could melt much faster than predicted, says a new study that warns the steady loss of the Greenland ice sheet could raise sea levels three times higher than estimated.

Canada is sending aid to New Orleans to help with the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents as hurricane Gustav charges across the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricanes bring winds and slashing rains that flood streets, flatten homes, and leave survivors struggling to pick up the pieces. But has global warming given the storms an added punch, making the aftereffects more dreadful?

Russia is deploying the threat to sell a "game changing" air defence system to Iran as a high stakes bargaining chip in its new "cold war" with America

36 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons, while 28 per cent would support the Liberal party.

Sen. John McCain has taken in $7 million in contributions since announcing Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a top campaign aide said today.

Billy Barker, who struck it rich during the Cariboo gold rush but squandered his fortune and died a pauper in Victoria more than 100 years ago, will have a boulder from one of his early mines to mark his plain gravesite at Ross Bay Cemetery.

Workers at the Maple Leaf Foods plant linked to a fatal, nationwide listeria outbreak cut corners when they cleaned food processing machines, a longtime employee claims.

Arctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate, and some scientists have little hope the downward trend can be reversed before the ice disappears altogether.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian troops are getting a boost in Afghanistan as 800 American soldiers move in to assume operations in Maywand district, Kandahar's "wild west" which has largely been ignored until now.

Canada's infatuation with Mr. Obama is a continuation of the country's long-standing preference for Democratic U.S. presidents. But when it comes to our financial and economic well-being, is an Obama win really in our best interests?

Casey Anthony, the mother of missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthony, was arrested again and charged Friday with forgery, fraudulent use of personal information and petty theft, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

A perfect storm of waning supplies coupled with a bad hurricane season could send gasoline prices higher again for good - to perharps as high as $1.75 per litre, says an economist with CIBC. In past years when hurricanes have torn through the Gulf of

OTTAWA - The Governor General has announced the creation of a new medal equivalent to the U.S. Purple Heart.

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, campaign officials told NBC News on Friday.

Sources are reporting that Sen. John McCain has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as his running mate. McCain and Pawlenty will appear together at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, where Pawlenty will be officially introduced as the Republican running mate.

TORONTO - A well-known animal rights group is using Canada's listeriosis outbreak to promote its pro-vegetarian message.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's plan to tighten shipping regulations in the disputed Northwest Passage has caught the attention of the U.S. government, which said Thursday that "we will be discussing the proposal with Canada" to ensure it doesn't violate

"The bid group from Alberta put forward a great plan, and the site selection committee was particularly impressed with the bid's focus on making tickets affordable for all hockey fans.

Hopefully something we'll never see in Canada!

The Canadian Forces is considering buying two fuel tankers and a transport ship after its plans to purchase a fleet of new multi-role resupply vessels ran aground.

Political rhetoric is starting to ramp up as the Liberals and Conservatives begin setting the course their parties will follow in an expected fall election.

As it prepares to mark the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has been forced to draw up an emergency evacuation plan to deal with tropical storm Gustav, which is was predicted to reach hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico.

HONOLULU - Tanned, dirty and hungry, two men who spent three months crossing the Pacific on a raft made of plastic bottles to raise awareness of ocean debris finally stepped onto dry land.

A violent earthquake shook the ocean floor off the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, 191 kilometres west of Port Alice, B.C., early Thursday in the latest in a swarm of tremors this week.

INUVIK, N.W.T. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper summoned up the jowly ghost of one of his Conservative predecessors Thursday, announcing that John Diefenbaker would be both the name of Canada's new anywhere, anytime icebreaker and the inspiration for his v

For people who were hoping Prime Minister Stephen Harper would announce big investments in Arctic infrastructure, his quick visit to Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., Wednesday was a disappointment

CALGARY - Six people, including one child, were taken to hospital with minor injuries Wednesday morning after the boom arm of a crane truck struck the front of a light-rail transit train.

Don't give deli meats to at-risk people, Health Canada advised in 2005

Joe Sakic took his time making a decision, and the Colorado Avalanche are pretty happy he did, based on the result.

Vancouver Island was rocked by at least 15 earthquakes and aftershocks over an 18-hour period ending on Wednesday afternoon.

CALGARY - Nine years after its discovery in the badlands of southeastern Alberta, the 75-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant turtle finally made its public debut Wednesday.

MONTREAL - Opposition politicians attending a rally blasting cuts to federal arts spending quickly distanced themselves Wednesday from remarks by one speaker linking Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

JERUSALEM -- Scientists using American space technology have started a huge project to digitally photograph the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known version of the Hebrew Bible, and post it on the Internet for all to see, Israeli authorities said Wednesday.

A public dig organized by the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre has turned up the biggest fossil find in Manitoba in nearly 30 years.The summer dig near the centre in Morden, Man., that is still underway has already unearthed a mosasaur, an 11-metre-long a

In an effort to save weight and fuel, Jazz - Air Canada's regional affiliate - has removed life vests from all its planes, including those that fly over water.

Two Vancouver men have been arrested and charged following complaints of fraudulent real estate transactions totalling more than $30 million, police said.

A national organization that promotes freedom from religion and separation of church and state is hoping to get Phoenix commuters talking with five controversial billboard ads that will go up this week.

A dating expert claims you can tell everything you need to know about a potential date by the type of shoes he's/she's wearing.

TUKTOYAKTUK, N.W.T. - Prime Minister Steven Harper has moved to firm up Canadian control of Arctic waters

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan says time and manpower are the key to improving security in the outlying areas of Kandahar province.

"I think it will look pretty much as it does now, but the key difference will be that Afghan institutions, Afghan army and police and government will actually be in charge and in the lead in building from what we helped them build together over the last f

The love child of Jaws and Moby Dick

Drought and anti-drug campaigns helped slash Afghanistan's opium poppy cultivation by 19 per cent this year, but the country is still by far the world's leading source of the heroin-producing crop, a United Nations agency said Tuesday

Residents living next to the BC Ferries terminal in Nanaimo say the low-frequency vibrations emitted by the company's new, supersize ferries are threatening their homes

Iranian forensic experts have confirmed two Canadians were among 56 people killed in a plane crash in Kyrgyzstan. It was the Central Asian country's worst aviation disaster in nearly two decades.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Defence Minister Peter MacKay assured the Afghan government Tuesday that Canadian troops are following the rules of engagement in Afghanistan as concern mounts over the number of civilian deaths in that country after a U.S

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has laid bare his government's vision of the Arctic as a resource treasure house to be exploited by Canada, announcing a $100-million fund to kick-start detailed geo-mapping searches for minerals and oil and gas depo

Archeologists combing the shoreline of a tiny Arctic island off of Canada's northern coast have found mysterious bits of metal and nails - the first fresh clues collected by a Parks Canada-led team searching for the lost ships of the 19th-century Franklin

MONTREAL - An Air France Boeing 747 skidded off the runway at Montreal's Trudeau International airport after it landed Tuesday afternoon but the incident caused no injuries, police said.

VICTORIA - Let's go surfing now, everybody's learning how. And now a Vancouver Island college is offering North America's first surfing studies diploma.

Christian Rusu will have quite the story to tell when he goes back to Broadview Public School with his Grade 8 class next week.

Enough illegal crops to provide everyone in the province with at least one marijuana cigarette.

A top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported.

The Indian mother and brother of the Sunrise Propane worker presumed killed in the massive propane blast were denied temporary visas to come to Canada in a desperate bid to find out what happened to Parminder Saini.

The deaths of 12 people have now been linked to the nation-wide outbreak of bacteria from a Toronto meat processing plant

Politicians are known for lame jokes. But when Otis "Bullman" Hensley tried a generations-old Appalachian jest on a woman and two girls at the grocery store, the family thought it was downright criminal.

Why didn't they do something,' grieving mother wants to know

PASHMUL, Afghanistan - The death of three Canadian combat engineers along the highway that runs through what's been called the most dangerous patch of land in the world merely toughened the resolve of soldiers embarking on a massive assault, military offi

It has been called the Gibraltar of the Americas. But a newly released federal report suggests the historic Citadelle fortress in Quebec City is badly in need of reinforcement

Parts of Iqaluit looked and sounded like an emergency zone Monday, but military officials said all the helicopters and emergency vehicles were part of an exercise to train soldiers and emergency crews

CALGARY, Alberta, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett toured Canada's oil sands with his friend Bill Gates this week to understand how the resources are developed, but the billionaire investor said on Friday he had no plan to buy into the sector.

Falling Alberta home prices dragged down the Canadian housing market, which recorded its second consecutive monthly decline in July, the Canadian Real Estate Association said on Thursday.

BANCROFT, Ont. - Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson and three others survived after a float-plane crashed into trees in southeastern Ontario.

The opposition tries to play it up to the Christian masses.

Eliminating that tax would benefit the biggest users of diesel fuel, namely city-run bus services, railways and trucking outfits. Benefits would accrue to manufacturers and consumers, as it would reduce costs associated with shipping goods to market.

Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz has removed inflatable life vests from its planes to save weight, a spokeswoman said.

The only part of Vancouver's 2010 Olympics that is physically bigger than the Beijing Games is one of the mascots. Step aside little Fuwa, it's Quatchi's turn now. With the close of the Summer Olympics, Vancouver organizers can finally begin taking th

A Calgary-based company has added over two dozen of its sandwiches to a widening recall of products over concerns the deli meat might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Mr Obama, 26, the youngest of the presidential candidate's half-brothers, spoke for the first time about his life, which could not be more different than that of the Democratic contender.

PANJWAII DISTRICT, Afghanistan - It happened around 11:30 a.m. Sunday as we were returning from a forward operating base in the Panjwaii district.

A US warship has arrived in the Georgian port of Batumi carrying the first delivery of aid supplies by sea.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) -- Seventy-one people were killed in Sunday's crash of an Iran-bound passenger jet near the main airport in Kyrgyzstan, a Kyrgyz government spokeswoman said.

The wind outside Abraham Qamanik's window is raging at 120 kilometres per hour, so strong that it has flipped small planes at the local airstrip and sent children home from school.

TORONTO - So much for the Toronto Argonauts' quarterback controversy. The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced Saturday that the team has acquired import quarterback Michael Bishop from the Argonauts for a conditional draft pick in the Canadian Draft.

Coalition forces and the Afghan National Army say they have struck a "major blow" against insurgents operating in Afghanistan's volatile Zhari district, west of Kandahar City.

EDMONTON - The fire tower from which a fit, vibrant and independent 70-year-old woman mysteriously disappeared two years ago rises above the lush mountain forest of northwestern Alberta like a question mark.

The Summer Olympics came to a close in Beijing with a blast of fireworks, spectacular pageantry and athletes and spectators alike celebrating the joy of sport.

Gladys Powers, Canada's oldest First World War veteran, has died. The Abbotsford woman was 109.

Naked cyclists converged on Vancouver's main police station Saturday after a man was arrested with his three-year-old son during a nude ride earlier in the day.

A Central Alberta woman who freelances for the Red Deer Advocate is one of two foreign journalists who were kidnapped in Somalia on Saturday. John Lindhout Sr. confirmed on Saturday that his niece, Amanda Lindhout, was the missing Canadian journalist, but

Motorists griping about spending $80 to gas up the minivan these days should be happy they're not long-haul truckers

BEIJING -- Canadian track and field is headed in the right direction, its head coach believes, the team having statistically enjoyed its best Olympic Games in recent memory.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WILSON, Afghanistan - Coalition forces and the Afghan National Army say they have struck a "major blow" against insurgents operating in Afghanistan's volatile Zhari district, west of Kandahar City.

The opening night performance of a play in Stanley Park hit an unexpected glitch Friday night when one of the show's 'cast members' was attacked by raccoons.

OTTAWA - Renewing the coast guard fleet and ensuring the Armed Forces have the equipment they need remains a key government priority, Public Works Minister Christian Paradis said Saturday

Trampolinist Karen Cockburn, who has won medals in three consecutive Olympics, will carry the Canadian flag into Sunday's closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Games.

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta -- The largest dump truck in the world is parked under a massive mechanical shovel waiting to transport 400 tons of oily sand at an open pit mine in the northern reaches of Alberta.

POTI, Georgia - Thousands of Georgians took to the streets in protest Saturday, demanding that Russian troops leave the outskirts of this strategic Black Sea port as well as the central city of Gori.

BEIJING - Customers in China of Apple Inc.'s iTunes online music store were unable to download songs this week, and an activist group said Beijing was trying to block access to a new Tibet-themed album

ZHARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan -- The Canadian Forces have completed a massive offensive aimed at securing the main highway that runs through Kandahar province.

VANCOUVER - Canadian scientists at the forefront of the world's largest science experiment say discoveries made by a giant atom-smasher now whirring deep under European soil could radically alter our understanding of the universe.

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) says a truck driver at Sunrise Propane was caught engaging in banned truck-to-truck propane transfers prior to the explosion at its Murray Road facility two weeks ago.

MOGADISHU -- A hotel official says a Canadian is among two journalists reported missing in Somalia.

A second-degree murder charge has been laid after a man died following a disturbing assault in Cowboys nightclub that saw him struck in the head with a toilet tank lid.

Conrad Black has used his latest newspaper article written in prison to refute a media report that said he had to endure a "full-body cavity search" in front of other inmates.

It's been a 10-month mystery. One day, he's a well-respected police chief, the next day he's suspended over a secret personnel issue.

A melted-down Olympic gold medal is worth a measly $200, but athletes can turn success at the Olympics into a tidy retirement fund if they learn to harness the power of endorsement.

BEIJING -- Adam van Koeverden delivered for both himself and his country Saturday, paddling to a silver in the K1 500-metre race that eased the self-doubt in his mind and allowed Canada to match its third-best medal total ever at the Summer Games.

Democrats coalesced around Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate on Saturday while Republicans quickly seized on the Delaware senator's past criticism of the presidential candidate's inexperience.

Scientists have long wondered how stars develop in such extreme conditions. Molecular clouds - the normal birth places of stars - would be ripped apart by the immense gravity, a team explains in Science magazine

EDMONTON - When Prime Minister Stephen Harper travels to the western Arctic for three days next week with a high-powered cabinet committee, a big part of the plan is to highlight all the good news the government is doing to promote sovereignty, the enviro

OTTAWA - After more than a quarter century of talks and delays, Canada's first sanctuary for bowhead whales has been created in the eastern Arctic waters frequented by the bus-sized mammals.

BEIJING -- A Cuban taekwondo athlete attacked a judge, throwing punches and kicks, after being declared the loser Saturday in his bronze-medal match.

Adam van Koeverden won the silver medal in the K-1 500, finding some redemption after a dismal performance in the 1000 on Friday

CFB PETAWAWA . The joyful sounds of children at play resounded here Friday during the departure ceremony for some 2,500 soldiers who, planeload by planeload, are leaving for Afghanistan over the next five weeks.

ABOARD HMCS TORONTO, in Frobisher Bay - Cmdr. Alex Grant scans the dark, frigid waters and stares down the enemy.

TORONTO - Al-Qaida deliberately targeted Canadians when it bombed a bus full of SNC-Lavalin employees this week, leaving 12 dead and 15 wounded, its Algerian branch said Friday.

Lake Ontario shipwreck hunter claims to have discovered a legendary vessel from the War of 1812 - the 32-metre sloop HMS Wolfe, star of one of the most dramatic naval battles on the Great Lakes at the height of the U.S. invasion of Canada.

VANCOUVER - Brett Ralph's first pass reception of the game was the difference Friday as his five-yard completion with 2:46 left produced the game-winning touchdown, lifting the Calgary Stampeders past the B.C. Lions 36-29 and snapping a seven-game losing