Somali pirates released a Saudi supertanker after receiving $3 million US in ransom Friday, a negotiator for the pirates said. CBC.ca

The United Nations will resume shipments of food and supplies to Gaza after receiving assurances from Israel that it is not being targeted, a UN spokesperson said Friday. CBC.ca

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Merck & Co., maker of the Gardasil vaccine for cervical cancer, to provide longer-term data on women aged 27 to 45, the company said Friday. CBC.ca

Former Sopranos actor Lillo Brancato Jr. is going to jail for 10 years for a botched 2005 robbery, a New York court heard Friday. CBC.ca

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he wasn't surprised by his impeachment by the state house of representatives Friday, saying he's butted heads with the house since his re-election in 2006. CBC.ca

Sarah Palin says she was exploited by the media and entertainers during her failed run as a Republican vice-presidential candidate. CBC.ca

A New York surgeon who has been involved in a long and bitter divorce battle is telling his estranged wife to either return the kidney he donated to her or give him $1.5 million US in compensation. CBC.ca

Mired in recession, the United States economy shed 524,000 jobs in December, pushing overall job losses for 2008 to 2.6 million - the largest annual drop since 1945. CBC.ca

Kidnappers of a Vancouver web publisher are demanding a $1.5 million ransom and the release of Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan, according to a Pakistani newspaper. CBC.ca

Efforts are underway to bring to safety at least eight Canadians still trapped in the Gaza Strip. CBC.ca

Natural gas shipments from Russia to Europe could resume Friday if a European Union mission immediately begins observing Ukrainian pipelines, the head of Russia's gas company said. CBC.ca

Six people were killed in southern Afghanistan Friday when a suicide bomber launched an attack on a produce shop, according to a provincial governor. CBC.ca

The UN Security Council passed a resolution late Thursday calling for an "immediate and durable" ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, ramping up pressure on the two sides to end military activities that have raged for the past two weeks. CBC.ca

Investigators in the Philippines will launch a formal probe into the case of a Northern Ontario woman who was found dead last month at the resort where she worked as a chef, according to her family. CBC.ca

If China declines to buy up more U.S. debt or sells off some of the debt it already holds, U.S. interest rates could rise - possibly hurting Canada, according to a BMO analyst. CBC.ca

The United States's short-term approach in Afghanistan has made stability harder to achieve in the South Asian country, an independent study says. CBC.ca

Higher global temperatures forecast for the rest of this century will lead to major disruptions in the world food supply unless farmers can adapt to the changing climate, U.S. researchers say. CBC.ca

The U.S. may not be able to recover from the current economic crisis unless immediate action is taken to implement a stimulus package, president-elect Barack Obama said Thursday in a major speech on the economy. CBC.ca