Canada

To get to the root of the obesity epidemic, one Canadian reporter went in search of a junk food farm. There were no fields of Dorito bags waving in the breeze. "What you do see are vast operations growing the raw materials for junk food: soybeans and corn."

"Leftover sludge from water treatment plants contains human waste, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and whatever else washes into the sewer system. It's also used as fertilizer - which concerns some experts."

"New Brunswick Power announced today that the company will close its coal-fired Grand Lake generating station when its operating license expires in June 2010."

"A furious row has erupted in Canada with conservationists desperately lobbying the government to suspend the annual bear-hunting season following reports of a sudden drop in the numbers of wild bears spotted on salmon streams and key coastal areas where they would normally be feeding."

"Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is getting a chilly reception from environmental groups as he heads to the White House today to talk energy with President Obama."

"It's called the Great Bear Rainforest, but few grizzly bears have been seen on British Columbia's north and central coast this year. Conservationists and bear viewing guides are blaming the disappearance of the bears on the overfishing of salmon, their main food source."

"Health Canada on Friday concluded that a chemical considered a possible carcinogen and commonly found in trace amounts in baby shampoo, bubble bath and liquid soap should not be listed as toxic to human health."

"The Obama administration on Thursday approved a pipeline to carry oil-sands fuel from Canada into the US."

Canada faces a monumental challenge in finding a way to store or dispose of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel. The problem has dragged on unsolved for decades, and any solution is likely to prove costly.