# World

Salmon in East Vancouver? Miraculous Reappearance After 80 Years

Chum salmon are spawning again at an urban creek in the heart of East Vancouver. The salmon returned this week to Still Creek, which sits in a ravine surrounded by warehouses and was once thoroughly polluted by urban garbage, sewage and toxic chemicals. Much of the credit goes to people who have painstakingly restored their habitat.

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1st Grey Whale in 100 Years Spotted in Vancouver's Howe Sound

A gray whale spotted feeding in Howe Sound north of Vancouver -- for the first time in more than a 100 years -- is a sign that efforts to restore the area's natural ecosystem are working.

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Love at First Ride - Vancouver Couple Weds Aboard Transit Bus

Vancouver's downtown bus drivers - and their passengers - are quite a friendly bunch. One woman even met her true love and the pair asked the transit officials if they could get married on bus No.3.

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Vancouver Launches World's First Cigarette-butt Recycling Program

The City of Vancouver, B.C. has launched the world's first cigarette butt recycling program in its bid to become the greenest city. The pilot project began last Tuesday with the installation of 110 receptacles in four downtown areas where discarded butts are a messy problem. Fortunately, cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, which can be recycled into building materials.

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Vancouver Takes Toy Donations to Clear Unpaid Parking Tickets

Vancouver's parking enforcement agency awakened the spirit of Christmas early in a one-day toy drive yesterday for residents with unpaid tickets. To benefit children served by The Salvation Army's Belkin House, violators were invited to trade new toys in exchange for forgiveness of all their parking fines.

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First Arab State to Restore Diplomatic Relations With Iraq

The United Arab Emirates became the first Gulf state to name an ambassador to Iraq -- a move that is hoped will encourage other Arab states to follow.

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Arab Country Donates $500,000 to Help Joplin Schools to Reopen After Tornado Disaster

A $500,00 gift from the embassy of the United Arab Emirates to spend on laptops is the latest donation aimed at helping tornado-damaged Joplin, Mo., schools prepare to open next week. The $500,000 will help meet a goal of providing all 2,200 Joplin High School students with a personal laptop.

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Europe's Largest Solar Station Powers Up — In Ukraine?

With solar panels spread over almost 400 acres (160 hectares), a solar power facility in Ukraine began producing power on Monday, aiming to power 20,000 houses with electricity.