Your morning news roundup for Friday, October 6.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, this should come as no surprise: Google is taking over the world. In a press conference yesterday, the CEO hinted at big future deals in the broadcasting and telecomm arenas, and also teased with the promise of a more cohesive platform for all its suite of tech products.

The results are in for Vital Signs 2006, Toronto's annual checkup. In many areas, we seem to be on the right track, but the list of must-fixes seems much longer. Violence and murder is up (the highest in 10 years), 7 in 10 children don't have access to subsidized care child and net long-term debt shot up by $300 million in 2005.

What has the world come to when a man is stabbed over an iPod?

A study from the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, to be released today, is calls for national standards for drinking water (the US and the EU both have them). Health Canada estimates 90 deaths annually from unsafe drinking water.

The 2006 Ig Nobel Prizes, which honour obscure and zany scientific achievements, were doled out at Harvard yesterday. Among the winners? A teenager repellent, a medical case report entitled "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage", and a study that proved female malaria mosquitoes are equally attracted to the stench of Limburger cheese as they are to human feet.

Canada's unemployment rate is at a near-record 6.4 percent and, for women, it's at an all-time low. Thanks, Alberta, and here's to being slaves to oil...

A recent poll indicates relations between Canada and the US are improving. When it comes to being BFF, however, our neighbours opt for Britain. Whatever, they can have each other, though perhaps Mr. Harper is feeling a tad shafted?

A rare misconduct probe is underway in the Ontario Judicial Council after allegations were made against Justice Marvin Zuker for deleting important content from court transcripts. The case has raised questions about the policies and practices of the Ontario Court of Justice. Should be interesting to see how this one pans out.