A Vancouver-based film company and its drone operator have been fined a total of $30,000 for operating a drone too close to northern resident killer whales. A statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the fines follow an investigation by the department's whale protection unit. It says River Road Films pleaded guilty in July to unlawfully capturing footage by operating too close to a pod of whales "beach rubbing" on Vancouver Island. The department says beach rubbing is a "unique quirk" of the northern residents, which enter shallow waters near the shore, then brush against smooth pebbles

Wet weather is helping firefighters in British Columbia tackle some of the wildfires burning in the south of the province. An update from the BC Wildfire Service says the southern half of the province is seeing cooler temperatures with rainy conditions pushing inland from the coast and that the increase in relative humidity is helping ease fire behaviour. The statement says there is the potential for widespread thunderstorm activity across the central Interior, though any lightning strikes are expected to be accompanied by rain. In the north, the statement says warm, dry conditions remain and

The people of Jasper are making progress on getting back to normal after being allowed back to their town, cleaning their homes, re-uniting with neighbours and seeking insurance information. Friday was the first day residents were allowed back after a wildfire forced the evacuation of the entire community, which eventually lost close to one third of its structures in the blaze. Over the weekend, Parks Canada announced the status of the Jasper Wildfire Complex had changed from out-of-control to being held, and an evacuation alert that advised returning residents to be ready to flee again on an

Ukrainian local authorities on Monday issued a mandatory evacuation order for families with children from the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where 53,000 people still live. They say Russian forces are advancing so quickly that it is compulsory for families to leave the city and other nearby towns. Russian troops have been pushing toward Pokrovsk for months.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has awarded a cash prize of one crore rupees to the Punjabi players of the Indian hockey team who wins the bronze medal for the country in the recently concluded Paris Olympics. Apart from this, Rs 15 lakh each was given as honor to the players who participated in shooting, athlete and golf, thus in total the Punjab government has given Rs 9.35 crore prize money to the players. On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that the state government is working diligently to promote sports and no stone will be left unturned.

The mayor of Montreal says the cause of a major water main break Friday morning near the city's Jacques Cartier Bridge remains unknown. Valérie Plante says 50 buildings were flooded when millions of litres of water erupted onto city streets, and 16 households have asked the Red Cross for emergency housing. She says workers are now removing debris from roads in the area, but it will take time to get the parts to repair the two-metre-wide pipe. Plante says she's relieved the city didn't have to shut off the drinking water supply to any customers, although Montreal did issue a boil-water advisor

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Union serves 72-hour strike notice to CPKC More than 9,000 workers at Canada's two major railways could be either on strike or locked out as of Thursday, disrupting supply chains relied upon by many industries. The union representing thousands of workers at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. says it has served a 72-hour strike notice to the railway. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference issued a news release saying unless the parties can reach a last-minute agreement, workers will be off the job as of 12:01

A luxury superyacht carrying foreign tourists capsized and sank off Sicily in bad weather early Monday. One body was found, six people remain missing and 15 people were rescued, authorities said. The ship had overturned around 5 a.m. off the port of Porticello, where it was apparently anchored. It had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, including British, American and Canadian nationalities, the Italian coast guard said. Local media said a sudden fierce storm, including tornados over water known as waterspouts, had battered the area overnight but skies were clear and seas calm by Monday mor

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville says there are still 5,704 teaching positions to be filled in the province's schools, weeks before the new school year begins. But Drainville says that number represents 2,800 fewer vacancies compared with this time last year. He says the school system faces a serious challenge to find enough teachers because there are about 20,000 more students enrolled than there were last year. Of the 5,704 unfilled teaching spots, 1,406 are for permanent, full-time positions, and the rest are contract jobs. Drainville says the improvement over last year is due i