National: Canadians Giving Generously For Haiti Quake Relief

International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda says Canadians have donated an “astounding” $113 million so far to help earthquake-devastated Haiti, and is encouraging people to continue to give. The deadline for having personal donations matched by the federal government is February 12. For a list of Canadian organizations accepting donations for Haiti relief efforts, visit omninews.ca.

International: Indian Soldiers Killed In Kashmir Avalanche

An avalanche hit an Indian army training facility at a ski resort town in Kashmir on Monday, killing more than a dozen soldiers and trapping several others. The accident in Indian Kashmir occurred near a ski resort visited by hundreds of people, including foreigners, although officials do not believe any tourists were trapped. About 3,000 military trainees were on a training exercise when the avalanche hit.

Health: Canada Switches To Child Growth Charts Based On WHO System

Canada is switching from child growth charts set in the U.S to ones based on World Health Organization standards to improve monitoring of kids’ health issues. Experts say the new monitoring charts for newborns to age five show how children should grow, rather than how they do grow, while the new charts for ages five to 19 are a better tool for identifying the obesity risk for young people.

Sports: Final Olympic Countdown!

The countdown is on with just a few short days left before the start of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The Olympic torch relay rolled through the suburbs of Metro Vancouver on Monday, on its way to Friday’s opening ceremonies at BC Place. The Olympic flame has visited every province and territory, travelling over 45,000 kilometres and passing through the hands of 12,000 torchbearers. An estimated 10,000 media representatives from around the world will be present at the Winter Games, and three billion TV viewers are expected to tune in to sports events in and around Vancouver.

Oddity: Man Swallows 18 Swords To Set New Guinness Record

Australian street artist Chayne Hultgren has set a new Guinness World Record in Sydney by swallowing 18 swords simultaneously. After swallowing the swords, each measuring 72 centimetres in length, Hultgren said he was happy with his performance, which beat his own world record of 17 swords.

Business: Housing Starts On The Rise, Reports Show

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says most provinces and regions showed improvement as housing starts rose 5.8 per cent in January to 186,300. The Canadian Real Estate Association also says national housing starts have gone up, and forecasts home-sales activity will reach 527,300 units this year, up 13.3 per cent from 2009.