Odd News

Ottawa -- Unemployment in Canada dipped 0.1 percent in July to 6.1 percent from a month earlier, although the labor force also shrank, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

Calabasas, Calif. -- U.S. market regulators and the FBI are investigating California mortgage giant Countrywide Financial Corp., various officials said.

Marathon, Fla. -- Authorities in Marathon, Fla., have charged a woman with child abuse after she drove around a parking lot with a 3-year-old on top of her car.

Sturgis, S.D. -- An alleged drunken driver near Sturgis, S.D., stopped for directions at a residence that turned out to be the home of a sheriff's deputy, authorities said.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- Authorities in St. Petersburg, Fla., said a suspect allegedly stole clothing from a mall in an apparent attempt to disguise himself from sheriff's deputies.

Blackpool, England -- The owner of an English hotel has been fined for smoking on the premises at a time when the hotel was closed.

Evansville, Wis. -- A lawsuit filed against a Wisconsin high school claims that a football coach tried to discourage a female player by keeping her from wearing safety equipment.

Washington -- The new housing stimulus bill could lift U.S. home sales by the fourth quarter, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

Durham -- British scientists say they've created the first Arctic map depicting disputed areas nations might claim in the race to develop new sources of oil and gas.

Washington -- First-time claims for U.S. unemployment insurance rose by 7,000 during the week ending Aug. 2, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.

Boston -- U.S.-led scientists say they have found the last traces of tundra that grew in interior Antarctica before temperatures dropped millions of years ago.

Ottawa -- The value of Canadian building permits fell 5.3 percent overall in June to $6.3 billion from a month earlier, the Statistics Canada agency reported Thursday.

Kincardine -- A Canadian town in Ontario adjacent to a nuclear reactor is abuzz with speculation about what caused several thunderous bangs last week.