GlaxoSmithKline LLC will pay $3 billion and plead guilty to promoting two popular drugs for unapproved uses and to failing to disclose important safety information on a third in the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history, the Justice Department said Monday.

Accompanying the criminal case was a civil settlement in which the government said the company's improper marketing included providing doctors with expensive resort vacations, European hunting trips, high-paid speaking tours and even tickets to a Madonna concert.

The $3 billion combined criminal-civil fine will be the largest penalty ever paid by a drug company, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole said. The corporation also agreed to be monitored by government officials for five years to attempt to ensure the company's compliance, Cole said.

In the last few years, the Justice Department has become much more aggressive in pursuing such fraud, often in whistleblower cases taken on by ...

A 25-year old Toronto man is dead after a weekend shooting in Mississauga. 

Police say Dennis Alexander was shot around 2 a.m. Sunday at a large gathering on Brandon Gate Drive in Malton.

He was rushed to hospital later died of his injuries.

Police don't have any suspects but say they believe the shooting was an isolated incident.

They're asking witnesses to come forward by contacting homicide detectives or Crime Stoppers.

Peel Police Cst. Thomas Ruttan says that investigators believe there were a 'large number' of people at the party and that at least one of those people can help police with information that can lead them to Alexander's killer.

"I'm appealing to the people who were at the party... this could have been them or it could have been a friend of theirs.  They really need to think about that and come forward with the information that we need to ...

Anderson Cooper, who has been reluctant to talk about his personal life in public, revealed that he is gay in an essay posted online on Monday.

The CNN journalist said he had kept his sexual orientation private for personal and professional reasons, but came to think that remaining silent had given some people a mistaken impression that he was ashamed.

``The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself and proud,'' he wrote in a letter to Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast.

Cooper, the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, had long been the subject of rumours about his sexual orientation. He said that in a perfect world, it wouldn't be anyone's business, but that there is value in ``standing up and being counted.''

(The Associated Press)

A pro-government Somali militia group said Monday that it had rescued four aid workers who were kidnapped by gunmen from a refugee camp in Kenya last Friday.
    
Two of the aid workers are Canadian.
   
Abdinasir Serar, a representative with the Ras Kamboni militia in Somalia, said his group heard of the kidnapping at the Dadaab refugee camp and pursued the kidnappers. He said Ras Kamboni fighters caught up with the kidnappers Monday morning about 60 kilometres inside Somalia.
   
Ras Kamboni's leader, Ahmed Madobe, said his men killed one kidnappers but that the other three escaped. The rescue happened in the village of Alu Gulay.
   
The four rescued workers were reported to have been taken to the Somali town of Dhobley and were expected to be flown to Nairobi later on Monday.
   
Four gunmen attacked a two-vehicle convoy from the Norwegian Refugee Council on Friday, killing one Kenyan ...

Tests are being done on remains found in a Montreal park that a police source says appear to be a human head.
   
Police are trying to determine if the remains might be connected to the case of Chinese university student Jun Lin, who was murdered and dismembered in late May.
   
Lin's torso was found stuffed in a suitcase and other body parts were mailed to Vancouver and Ottawa, but his head has not been found.
   
Luka Magnotta,a 29-year old former porn actor, has pleaded not guilty to charges of killing Lin and defiling the corpse.
   
His preliminary hearing is set for next March.
   
(The Canadian Press)

What's Open and Closed on Monday:

- All government offices, post offices, banks, LCBO and beer stores and most grocery stories are closed.

- Some malls will be open: The Eaton Centre, Pacific Mall, Square One, Bramalea Civic Centre and Vaughan Mills will be open for business.

- City of Toronto outdoor pools are open

- TTC will operate on a holiday schedule and GO Transit will be on a Saturday schedule.

Monday events:

Toronto Ribfest at Centennial Park

Scotiabank CHIN Picnic at the Ex

A man is expected to survive after a shooting near Ashbridges Bay, where a fireworks display was taking place to mark Canada Day.

Police were called to Lake Shore Blvd and Winners Circle just before 11 p.m. Monday night. The fireworks nearby started at 10 p.m.

The victim was shot in the torso and rushed to hospital.

Police say he is in stable condition this morning.

There is no information on suspects.

A man is in stable condition after receiving life-threatening injuries in a shooting near Keele St and Finch Ave W.

Police were called to Toro Rd at about 1:15 a.m. Monday.

Police say there was a gathering of people in an industrial area when the shooting happened.

There is no suspect information at this time.

Hydro crews from Ontario are being sent to Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas to help with power restoration efforts after massive storms caused widespread outages.
   
Hydro One says about 200 employees will help local utilities in the Baltimore, Virginia and Washington areas with work that will begin as early as Tuesday.
   
At least 14 people have died and an estimated 3 million people are without power after storms hit the region, which is also experiencing a record-breaking heat wave in which thousands have no air conditioning.
   
Hydro One has agreements with North American utilities to provide assistance during significant power outages.
   
In February 2010, Hydro One helped utilities in Vermont in after a serious winter storm, and in September 2008, crews travelled to Ohio to help restore power after Hurricane Ike caused major outages.
   
Hydro One is owned by the province and delivers electricity to ...

Durham Regional Police have ended an Amber Alert for two Ontario girls after the pair were found.
   
Officials say 12-year-old Gabrielle Hall and 13-year-old Rachel Hall, who are from Oshawa, were located Sunday night.
   
They say a child abduction investigation is still underway.
   
Police had said earlier that they believed the girls had been abducted by 46-year-old Denise Hall.
   
Officials had said the group could have been heading for Florida.
   
(The Canadian Press)