The Friday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Feb. 3

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CANADA PUT OFF REQUEST TO LEAD MALI MISSION BECAUSE OF TRUMP: Canada lost out on the opportunity to pick the commanding officer for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali because it wanted to have a discussion with the Trump administration. The Canadian Press has learned the UN put out requests to a handful of countries in mid-December when the term of the mission’s previous commander from Denmark was coming to an end. But sources say the Liberal government asked the UN to hold off on making a decision until after the government had a chance to consult the White House.

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HUDSON’S BAY ISN’T SAYING WHETHER IT’S EYEING MACYS: Hudson’s Bay. Co. is refusing to comment on a published report that it is in preliminary talks to acquire Macy’s.  The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, says the two retail giants were in preliminary talks for a takeover. Neither HBC and Macy’s would comment. Macy’s operates hundreds of stores across the U.S. and announced in April it would close about 100 locations.

Making an impact

Nanaimo woman publishes books to open awareness of neurodiverse children

3h ago

iconic voice

Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole, a welcome voice for a half-century, dead at 90

10h ago

first response

New staffing model on Gabriola Island hires local paramedics for enhanced patient care

14h ago

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VICTIMS OF QUEBEC MOSQUE ATTACKED REMEMBERED: Funeral services were held in Quebec City on Friday for three of the six men killed at a local mosque last weekend. Thousands joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Coulliard. Trudeau says it’s up to everyone to fight injustice and discrimination on a daily basis. Funeral services were held in Montreal on Thursday for the other three men.

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POLICE ACCUSE MAN OF ALLEGEDLY INCITING HATRED ONLINE: Police in Quebec City police have arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly inciting hatred online. Police say the man was arrested on Thursday for comments posted on social media. It’s the third such arrest this week by police in Quebec, who have said they’ve seen a spike in hate-related complaints since Sunday’s mass killing at a Quebec City mosque. A gunman killed six men and wounded several others.

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TRIES TO SORT OUT NEXUS FOUL UP: The federal government is trying to make sure that Canadians with dual nationals can still use their Nexus traveller cards at the border following word that cards have been revoked.  Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told the House of Commons on Friday that the government will urge American officials to apply the rules fairly in the wake of a Trump administration executive___ order banning travel to the U.S. by people from seven Muslim majority countries. 

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SOME CHILDREN AWAITING SURGERY IN U.S. MAY BE AFFECTED BY U.S. TRAVEL BAN: Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins says the province is trying to determine what can be done to help children scheduled for specialized life-saving surgeries in the U.S. who are caught up by President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Hoskins says he has been told that some of children are being turned away solely because of where they were born. He issued a statement saying the ministry is working on a broad humanitarian response to provide life-saving care to children whose surgeries have been cancelled.

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JUDGE HANDS DOWN GUILTY VERDICT TO COUPLE FROM POLYGAMOUS COMMUNITY: A British Columbia judge has handed down a guilty verdict against a former couple from the polygamous community in Bountiful. Justice Paul Pearlman convicted former husband and wife Brandon Blackmore and Gail Blackmore of taking a girl across the border for a sexual purpose in 2004. He found a third man not guilty of the same charge, saying he couldn’t prove that the man crossed the border in 2004 with a 15-year-old girl who was later married to a member of the polygamous church. The Blackmores will be sentenced April 13.

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MEDIC FOUND GUILTY OF DOING INAPPROPRIATE BREAST EXAMS:  A former military medic has been found guilty of one count of sexual assault and three counts of breach of trust for conducting inappropriate breast exams at several Ontario military recruiting centres. A five-member court martial panel handed down the verdict against former petty officer James Wilks after several days of deliberations. It’s the third such conviction for Wilks, who conducted thousands of medical exams on prospective military recruits during his more than 20 years in uniform. He previously spent nine months behind bars after being found guilty of sexual assault and four counts of breach of trust in December 2011. A military judge will sentence Wilks on May 24.

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FRENCH POLICE RAIDS CARRIED OUT IN PARIS: Two French officials close to the investigation into the attack at the Louvre Museum in Paris say several police raids have been carried out in the French capital. They aren’t giving many details about the raids. A man attacked French soldiers Friday morning near the Louvre, and they shot him while other security forces locked down the famous museum. The attacker has been hospitalized and the French president says he will be questioned “when it is possible to do so.” Police union officials say he’s believed to be an Egyptian national.

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TRUMP IMPOSES NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN: New sanctions imposed Friday by the Trump administration against Iran don’t appear to reverse the Obama administration’s suspension of sanctions as part of the 2015 nuclear deal. But the action is certain to increase tensions. Iran has insisted that any new sanctions would violate the deal. And it also says it has the right to conduct ballistic missile tests now that its nuclear program has been sharply curtailed. The sanctions on 13 people and a dozen companies are in response to Iran’s recent missile test. President Donald Trump warned earlier Friday on Twitter that Iran is “playing with fire.”

The Canadian Press