All the week's biggest local, national and global stories

The Rundown returns, brimming with statistics in its first panel, such as the number of Canadians who expect to receive a year-end bonus, how many Canadians are satisfied with democracy in this country, the homicide rate for 2011 and what Canadian city checks as No. 1 on this Mercer Quality of Living survey.

Elsewhere this week:

Pizza Hut is marketing a perfume that makes you smell like pizza. No, I don’t know if it comes in pepperoni, deluxe or ham and pineapple.

Three Conservative senators from the Maritimes would like New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to merge but not everyone believes it is a good idea.

The Canadian cheese maker Saputo has solidified its position as the second-largest dairy operation in North America with the US$1.45 billion purchase of a U.S. company.

The price of meat will most likely increase next year.

Canadians are retiring later and working at least two years longer than people did a decade ago.

John McAfee, the founder of anti-virus software company that bears his name, was denied asylum in Guatemala and will be deported to Belize, where he is a person of interest in the death of a neighbour. While in Guatemala, he was blogging from a detention centre. He was taken to hospital Thursday after complaining of chest pains.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is preparing for his Dec. 19 trip into space, where he will assume command of the International Space Station next March. He will be bringing his wedding ring.

With all the movies and video presentations available on computers and tablets that are viewed in public places, shouldn’t there be some form of watching etiquette?

Bats and snakes have been added to Canada’s list of at-risk species. In Africa, the lion population has declined markedly in recent decades.

A week that began with some optimism in the labour negotiations between the NHL and its players ended in utter ruin on Thursday night.

The International Olympic Committee has suspended India’s Olympic committee.