Five stories in the news for today, Aug. 9

Five stories in the news for Wednesday, Aug. 9

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CANADIAN DELEGATION IN NORTH KOREA FOR PASTOR

A delegation from the Canadian government is in Pyongyang, North Korea, in hopes of bringing an imprisoned Canadian man back home. Hyeon Soo Lim, a pastor with the Light Korean Presbyterian Church of Mississauga, Ont., was sentenced in December 2015 by a North Korean court to life in prison at hard labour for what it called crimes against the state. The Canadian delegation is led by Daniel Jean, the prime minister’s national security adviser.

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Home-style dinner

Hope Mission to hold Easter dinner for Red Deer's most vulnerable residents

26m ago

robbery and assault charges

Pair charged after alleged machete attack

29m ago

Last seen March 31

Located: Eugenie Headman, 66, of Maskwacis

Apr 04, 2026

SENTENCING TODAY FOR ALBERTA TRIPLE MURDER 

An man who murdered a father, his two-year-old daughter and a woman in Alberta is expected to learn his fate today in a Lethbridge court. Derek Saretzky was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in June for the deaths of Terry Blanchette, his daughter Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette and 69-year-old Hanne Meketech in September 2015. The 24-year-old was also convicted of causing indignity to a human body.

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DECISION EXPECTED TODAY IN TRIAL OF 3 TORONTO COPS 

A judgement is expected today at the trial of three Toronto police officers accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague after a night of partying and drinking. The woman — a parking enforcement officer whose identity is shielded by a publication ban — has testified she had several drinks and felt powerless and unable to move or speak when the three men had sex with her against her wishes.

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B.C. COPING WITH MORE WILDFIRES

A combination of lightning and tinder-dry conditions has led to more than two dozen new wildfires starting in British Columbia over a two-day period. Kevin Skrepnek of the BC Wildfire Service says most of the 17 fires that started Monday were the result of lightning. Another 11 fires had started by midday Tuesday, bringing the total number of fires currently burning in the province to 146. Since April, there have been 928 fires.

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FUNERAL TODAY FOR GILLER PRIZE CREATOR 

The life of Jack Rabinovitch, creator of the lucrative and prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize, will be celebrated today at his funeral in Toronto. The service for the businessman and literary prize creator is set to take place this morning at the Beth Tzedec Congregation synagogue. Rabinovitch died Sunday at the age of 87 as a result of a “catastrophic fall” at this home last week.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Quebec government officials will give an update on the asylum-seeker process.

— Manulife Financial and Sun Life Financial are among the companies reporting second-quarter results today.

— Jared John Charles will appear in a Prince Albert, Sask., court on charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl.

— The Jasmin Roy Foundation will release the results of a national survey on the values of the LGBT community.

The Canadian Press