Final preparations are being made to distribute ecstasy-testing kits in Canada designed to detect a toxic compound linked to numerous deaths recently, but police aren’t supporting the move. 10 February ⁽¹⁾

The ashes of 27-year-old Nathan Briand finally arrived from Thailand on Wednesday, along with some of his travel belongings. 10 February

Bus riders tired of fumbling for loose change or venturing to a retail outlet for a monthly card may soon have another option at their fingertips. 10 February

Billboards about a girl in a red scarf seen at the Grandin LRT station have popped up around the city over the last few weeks, leading some Edmontonians to come up with their own theories as to who — or what — the messages are for. 1 February

TORONTO - Dividends or distributions were declared or updated on the following listed issues on the Toronto Stock Exchange on February 10, 2012.< 10 February

OTTAWA - Scott Kosmachuk scored once and set up two more as the Guelph Storm defeated the host Ottawa 67`s 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. 10 February

Though PMMA-related overdoses are blamed in nine deaths in Alberta, the compound being mixed with ecstasy (MDMA) has not left its fatal imprint in this city — yet. 10 February

EDMONTON - RCMP believe a fugitive charged in the shooting of two Alberta Mounties heard the emotional plea his parents made through the media and decided to come out of hiding. 10 February

HARBOUR GRACE, N.L. - A 27-year-old crew member of a Newfoundland fishing vessel is dead following an accident aboard the ship Friday evening. 11 February 11:17

HALIFAX - The union representing striking transit workers in Halifax and the municipality say they will present new offers to each other on Wednesday. 7 February

Sportsnet's Gene Principe just tweeted this image of a newly scarred Taylor Hall and it looks pretty rough. 19 January

Back on dry land, three Albertans are grateful for their lives. 10 February

While a welcome change to 2011’s cuts, Alberta’s budget delivered on Thursday is not earning top marks with stakeholders in education. 10 February

WINNIPEG - Police say four men have died in an early-morning fire in a residential trailer in Selkirk, Manitoba. 11 February 12:12

MALE, Maldives - A visiting U.S. official said Saturday that the Maldives wasn't ready for early elections as a way out of its political crisis as the Indian Ocean nation's new president agreed to an independent investigation into his takeover of power. 11 February 11:40

OTTAWA - The NDP leadership race has been criticized as boring but behind the scenes ... it's just as dull. 11 February 11:37

ST-ROMAIN, Que. - A man is in custody after a woman in her 70s and two girls, ages 8 and 11, were found dead in a Quebec home. 11 February 11:33

LONDON - Britain's biggest-selling tabloid newspaper was fighting to contain the damage after five of its employees were arrested Saturday in an inquiry into the alleged payment of bribes to police and other officials, detectives and the newspaper's parent company said. 11 February 11:18

HARBOUR GRACE, N.L. - A 27-year-old crew member of a Newfoundland fishing vessel is dead following an accident aboard the ship Friday evening. 11 February 11:17

ATTAWAPISKAT, Ont. - Federal officials say two modular homes are on their way to the remote northern Ontario reserve of Attawapiskat. 11 February 11:02

LONDON - A hacker claims to have compromised the personal information of more than 350,000 users after breaking into a discussion forum maintained by pornography website Brazzers. 11 February 10:53

PORTLAND, Maine - Mitt Romney is looking to overcome his struggle to win his party's skeptical conservative wing and avoid a fourth consecutive defeat at the polls on the path to the Republican presidential nomination Saturday in Maine. 11 February 10:50

ATHENS, Greece - The leaders of the two parties backing Greece's coalition government made dramatic appeals to their deputies Saturday to back legislation that calls for harsh new austerity measures — essential if Greece is to get a new bailout deal worth €130 billion ($171.6 billion) and stave off bankruptcy. 11 February 10:50

WARSAW, Poland - Protesters took to the freezing cold streets of several European cities Saturday to voice anger at an international copyright treaty they fear will lead to a blocking of content on the Internet. 11 February 10:35

KAWHMU, Myanmar - Thousands of cheering supporters swarmed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Saturday as the democracy icon took her historic campaign for a parliament seat to the southern constituency she hopes to represent for the first time. 11 February 10:29

BAGHDAD - A group of Iraqi political dissidents on Saturday created a new opposition party to act as a check on the country's government. 11 February 10:28