National: Ottawa launches human trafficking awareness campaign

The federal government is teaming up with the RCMP and Crime Stoppers to tackle human trafficking. Two awareness campaigns are being launched to inform people about human trafficking and how to report suspicious activity. Tuesday’s announcement by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews comes in the wake of last month's arrival of a Tamil refugee ship in B.C. and warnings that more ships could be on the way.

International: Top U.S. general condemns planned Qur’an burning

The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan is condemning plans by a Gainesville, Florida, church to ban the Qur'an and burn copies of the Muslim holy book on Sept. 11, saying the move could endanger U.S. troops overseas. The small evangelical church has reportedly rebuffed the warning and is slated to go ahead with the Qur’ran burning on Satuday, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Health: Long-term weight loss unhealthy?

A study of 1,100 Americans finds long-term weight loss can release industrial pollutants into the bloodstream, affecting human health in a variety of ways. Researches say the pollutants are normally stored in fatty tissues, but can enter the bloodstream when fat breaks down during weight loss.

Sports: Captain's picks named for U.S. Ryder Cup team

U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin announced his four captain's picks on Tuesday, rounding out the roster for the upcoming event in Wales. Pavin added top-ranked Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Rickie Fowler to the team, which already included eight qualifying players. The U.S. team faces the European squad October 1-3.

Oddity: B.C. man makes coast-to-coast trip in electric car

An engineering student from B.C. is claiming a world first after crossing mainland Canada in an electric car. Ricky Gu, 21, ended his two-week, 6,500-km journey on Monday in his converted 1972 Volkswagen Beetle.

Business: Passenger traffic at Canada’s two biggest airports up in August

Canada's two biggest airlines are reporting year-over-year increases in passenger traffic for August. Air Canada says traffic for the month rose 7.1 per cent, with 86.8 per cent of its seats filled. Traffic at WestJet was also up at 8.2 per cent, as it filled 82.2 per cent of its seats.