Canadian dad stands by son in NJ killing
NEWARK, N.J. - He was a gregarious, spontaneous child, his father said, a handful at times who loved music and playing the guitar.

• Document shows Duffy report was softened up
• Harper: 'I did not know' about Duffy payment
• Keystone XL brawl heats up with GOP bill
• Dix to stay on as leader of B.C. NDP

Emails show AEG lawyer called Jackson a 'freak'
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A lawyer for the parent company of AEG Live LLC called Michael Jackson a freak on the day the singer signed a multimillion contract for a series of ill-fated comeback concerts, emails displayed for a jury on Wednesday showed.

• Brutal attack in London heightens terror fears
• Surgeons remove tiger's basketball-sized hairball
• Man shot to death while questioned in Boston probe
• Canseco accused of sexual assault in Vegas

Surgeons remove tiger's basketball-sized hairball
CLEARWATER, Fla. - It's not unusual for a cat to get a hairball, but a 400-pound (180-kilogram) tiger needed help from veterinary surgeons when he couldn't hack up a soccer ball-sized hairball by himself.

• Pigeon sale yields world record for feathered Bolt
• Birth of anteater has US zoo staff baffled
• Coin tossing breaks tie in Philippine mayoral race
• Deer smashes US bus windshield, takes short ride

Most actively traded companies on the TSX
TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange:

• Jennifer Lopez to open cellphone stores
• Loonie falls amid Fedspeak on stimulus
• Markets mixed amid assurances on QE
• Lowe's 1Q profit rises, but results miss Street

Emails show AEG lawyer called Jackson a 'freak'
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A lawyer for the parent company of AEG Live LLC called Michael Jackson a freak on the day the singer signed a multimillion contract for a series of ill-fated comeback concerts, emails displayed for a jury on Wednesday showed.

• Obama honours Carole King at White House concert
• 'Battle of the Blades' to return to CBC-TV
• Maeby-George Michael saga continues: Cera
• Headstones return with fan-funded album

Montreal issues boil-water advisory
MONTREAL - Over one million Montrealers were affected by a boil-water advisory Wednesday after an apparent malfunction at Canada's second-biggest filtration plant.

• Doctors save Ohio boy by 'printing' an airway tube
• Lifetime ban on blood donation by gay men lifts
• Mats for dogs, cats recalled due to health risk
• Small, powerful magnets pulled from market

Penguins beat Senators 7-3 in Game 4
OTTAWA - James Neal and Jarome Iginla each scored two goals to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 7-3 romp over the Ottawa Senators in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday — and just one win away from advancing to the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

• Don Cherry criticizes Canucks GM Gillis
• Blue Jays come back for 4-3 win over Rays
• Canucks fire head coach Alain Vigneault
• 'Battle of the Blades' to return to CBC-TV

Trial for captain in deadly shipwreck in Italy
ROME - An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship to stand trial for manslaughter in the vessel's shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany, which killed 32 people.

• Cruise industry announces passenger bill of rights
• 12-year-old Mass. boy wins National Geographic Bee
• Volunteers needed to maintain Appalachian Trail
• Vets get into Milwaukee Art Museum free all summer

Mortgage group says housing starts to plunge
OTTAWA - Canada's housing market is slowing dramatically in terms of both sales and construction, dragging down economic growth and putting some 150,000 jobs at risk in coming years, a mortgage industry association warns in its spring report.

• Housing plans point to continued confidence
• Households with no wealth usually middle aged
• Women face unique financial challenges
• Experts urge caution when buying used cars

Headstones return with fan-funded album
TORONTO - Headstones snarler Hugh Dillon has never been particularly gentle with fans — after all, his habit of spitting indiscriminately into the audience during the band's notoriously fiery performances has become a key part of the group's mythology.

• Marianas Trench nominated for 6 video awards
• Ontario high-schoolers to join Rolling Stones
• 'Random Access Memories' top album on iTunes in Canada
• K'naan refocused after chasing U.S. fame

Heavy rain causes farmland flooding in Manitoba
WINNIPEG - Officials say heavy rains during the Victoria Day long weekend have caused extensive overland flooding of farmland in some parts of southern Manitoba.

• ICE Futures Canada prices closed higher
• Rare pest leads to apple orchard quarantine
• ICE Futures Canada prices closed mixed
• Lassonde ups stake in Clement Pappas and Co.