Global News - Top Stories

VIA derailment shows need for more oversight: Critics

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

A train derailment that killed three Via crew members highlights the need for better funding and oversight of the railway industry, critics and experts said Monday.

Probe finds Japan withheld risks of nuclear disaster

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

An independent investigation has found that Japan's government withheld information about the full danger of last year's Fukushima nuclear plant disaster from its own people and from its key ally the United States.

Israel will strike Iran without warning U.S.

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Israeli officials say they won't warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill.

Syrian death toll soars as forces target civilians

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

A Syrian activist group reported Monday that 144 people have been killed across the country, scores of them in the embattled opposition stronghold of Homs by security forces as they tried to flee. A team from the Syrian arm of the Red Cross delivered aid to one of the city's most dangerous neighbourhoods after days of trying to reach the area.

California girl's fighting death ruled homicide

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

What started as an after-school fight between two young girls over a boy turned into a homicide investigation Monday, when authorities said a 10-year-old died of a head injury after the confrontation.

Halifax navy officer charged in espionage case returns to court

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

The case of a Canadian navy intelligence officer accused of passing information to a foreign entity is scheduled to resume today.

Stranded cruise ship towed to Indian Ocean island

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

A French fishing vessel reached an Italian cruise ship drifting powerless in the Indian Ocean overnight and was towing it to a nearby Seychelles island, the Seychelles Coast Guard said Tuesday.

Robocall, voter suppression allegations broaden in number and type

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

The list of federal candidates claiming they were targeted by deceitful robocalls during the May election is growing.

Liberals take blame, apologize for Vikileaks attacks

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

A Liberal party researcher has been fired for tweeting salacious information about Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to protest the government's online surveillance bill.

Glitchy subs to sail until 2030; losing them would be dire: navy chief(2)

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

OTTAWA - Canada's glitch-prone, second-hand submarines will be with the navy until at least 2030, but defence planners will begin drawing up a replacement program within the next four years.

Jan Berenstain, co-creator of Berenstain Bears, dies at 88

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Jan Berenstain, who with her husband, Stan, wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bears books that have charmed preschoolers and their parents for 50 years, has died. She was 88.

Activist group says 135 killed in Syria, 64 die while fleeing besieged area

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Activist group says 135 killed in Syria, 64 die while fleeing besieged area BEIRUT - A Syrian activist group said Monday that 135 people have been killed across the country, including 64 who died while fleeing an embattled area in the central city of Homs. The high casualty figures reported by the Local Coor

Oscars ratings up, although Grammys rank as most-watched awards show this year

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The return of Billy Crystal helped boost viewership for the Academy Awards but not enough to prevent a cultural oddity: The Oscars weren't even the most-watched awards show on television this month.

Sex-trade worker's journal shows police indifferent to beaten, half-naked woman

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Police missed a "precious moment" to gain the trust of a half-naked and badly beaten sex-trade worker who walked into their Vancouver-area office, choosing instead to ridicule the woman whose remains were later found on serial killer Robert Pickton's farm, the woman's sister told an inquiry Monday.

TransCanada to build stand-alone Gulf Coast pipeline project

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

CALGARY - Energy giant TransCanada plans to build the most urgently needed portion of its controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline as a US$2.3-billion stand-alone project that will be reviewed by regulators, not the U.S. administration.

Rich people less ethical, more likely to cheat and lie, study says

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

MONTREAL - A new study says rich people are more likely to engage in unethical behaviour than their poorer counterparts — like cutting off motorists, lying in a negotiation and cheating to win a prize.

Fire rips through apartment block in housing-starved Iqaluit(2)

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

IQALUIT, Nunavut - Dozens of Nunavut students are homeless and without any of their worldly goods after a fire razed an apartment block in the middle of a frigid Arctic night in Iqaluit.

Jury selection begins in Tori Stafford murder trial

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

LONDON, Ont. - Potential jurors in the trial of a man accused of killing an eight-year-old girl are being screened today in London, Ont., for a trial that could last into June.

Potential gasoline leaks prompts Nissan to recall 86,000 Canadian vehicles

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Nissan says it is recalling more than 86,000 vehicles in Canada and the U.S. to fix possible gasoline leaks.

B.C. city wins world's best tasting tap water honours

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

A panel of media judges says the tap water in Greenwood, British Columbia, is the best tasting municipal water in the world.

Health Canada reviewing MS drug linked to 11 deaths

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

TORONTO - Health Canada is reviewing a new multiple sclerosis drug that has been linked to 11 deaths.

Fire leaves Italian cruise ship adrift in ocean where Somali pirates have attacked

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya - A fire broke out in the generator room of an Italian cruise ship on Monday, causing no casualties but leaving the vessel adrift in an area of the Indian Ocean where Somali pirates have been active, officials said.

Red Cross delivers first aid shipment to Syrian city of Hama in a month

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

DAMASCUS, Syria - Red Cross teams reached Hama for the first time in more than a month on Monday, delivering food and other goods to the central Syrian city battered by a military crackdown on the anti-government uprising. Activist groups reported the death toll for 11 months of unrest has surpassed 8,000.

1 dead, 4 wounded in shooting at Ohio high school

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

CHARDON, Ohio - A gunman opened fire inside a high school cafeteria in the U.S. state of Ohio Monday, killing one student and wounding four others, authorities said. A suspect - believed to be a student - was arrested a short distance away.

The Artist wins best-picture Oscar; Streep, Dujardin nab lead-acting prizes

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Academy Awards voters have spoken up for "The Artist," the first silent film to triumph at Hollywood's highest honours since the original Oscar ceremony 83 years ago.

Plummer finally meets Oscar after storied 60-year career

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

After a storied 60-year career on stage and screen, Christopher Plummer landed film's most prestigious prize Sunday night, claiming the best supporting actor Academy Award for his poignant turn as an elderly widower who embraces his homosexuality in "Beginners."

Robocall scandal expected to take centre stage in House

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae expects the reported number of ridings affected by the robocall scandal to rise today when the House of Commons resumes.

UK singer receives $951,000 in phone hacking settlement

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Charlotte Church, who testified about being hounded by Rupert Murdoch's journalists when she was a teen singing sensation, received 600,000 pounds ($951,000) Monday in a settlement from News International.

Students' dream of better First Nations education a step closer to coming true

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

OTTAWA - A teenage student from Attawapiskat is in Ottawa today to witness what could be a major turning point in her campaign to improve education in First Nations across the country.

Aides to Yemen's ousted president say he seeks exile in Ethiopia(2)

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

Aides to Ali Abdullah Saleh said Monday that the ousted Yemeni president plans to go into exile in Ethiopia, as pressures mounted on him to depart the country for fear of sparking a new cycle of violence.

Blast kills 9 Afghans in attack that Taliban claims linked to Qur’an burnings

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the gates of a NATO base and airport in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, triggering a blast that killed nine Afghans, officials said. The Taliban claimed the attack was revenge for U.S. troops burning copies of the Qur’an.

Countries urged to keep pressure on Syria as Russia seeks to stall urgent human rights debate

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

GENEVA - The head of the U.N. General Assembly has urged countries to keep up the pressure on Syria to end its crackdown against opposition groups.

Critics to MPs: You don't have to turn on the red light for decorum

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

OTTAWA - Members of Parliament returning from a break week on Monday will be ready for their close-up but insist they're having trouble finding the camera that's ready for them.

Pakistan demolishes Osama bin Laden's compound, erasing painful memories

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan has completed the destruction of the house where Osama bin Laden lived for years before he was killed last year by U.S. commandoes.

70 taken to hospital after chlorine incident in Williams Lake, B.C. pool

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

A recreation complex in Williams Lake, B.C., had to be evacuated this morning after too much chlorine was allegedly pumped into the pool.

Cambodian leader orders ban on spit-roasting cows in front of restaurants

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:50:08 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's prime minister has banned spit-roasting cows in front of restaurants, calling it too cruel a sight.