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

Oct 11, 2016 | 3:15 PM

Highlights from the news file for Tuesday, Oct. 11

 

STORM WREAKS HAVOC IN ATLANTIC CANADA: Cleanup efforts were underway Tuesday in the wake of a Hurricane Matthew-related storm that brought torrential rain and strong winds to Atlantic Canada. Thousands remain without power and roads have been washed out. One resident of Morrisville, Newfoundland says water roared through Main Street like a tsunami, sweeping away cars and sheds. Among the worst hit was Cape Breton, which was inundated by more than 200 millimetres of rain. In Newfoundland and Labrador, states of emergency were declared in several communities. Photos posted on Twitter showed chewed-up roadways littered with debris, a car on its side and a destroyed bridge in St. Alban’s.

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GENERAL PLEADS GUILTY TO NEGLIGENCE: Canada’s top special forces soldier has pleaded guilty to negligence after accidentally firing his weapon last year. Maj.-Gen. Mike Rouleau entered the plea during a court martial in Gatineau, Que., Tuesday. The case revolves around an incident in Iraq last December. Rouleau has previously said he was loading his rifle while preparing to visit a front line position when the weapon fired a single round. No one was injured, but he was subsequently charged with negligence and conduct detrimental to good order and discipline.

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SAMSUNG HALTS SALES OF GALAXY NOTE 7: Samsung Canada issued a statement asking all retail outlets to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 while the investigation is taking place. The company, based in Mississauga, Ont., said late Monday that Canadian consumers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 device should power down and stop using the device. Transport Canada issued an advisory in September that airplane passengers and crew keep their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the cabin, not in checked baggage, because of the fire risk.

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FOOTAGE OF TRUMP’S OFF-AIR APPRENTICE TALK UNDER WRAPS: Footage from Donald Trump’s appearances on the set of his long-running reality TV show “The Apprentice” remained locked away from public view, despite allegations by cast and crew that the Republican presidential nominee frequently used lewd and sexist language while shooting the show. Trump’s “Access Hollywood” comments, which were released Friday, led to widespread condemnation, with several Republican members of Congress calling on Trump to abandon his White House campaign. Trump remained defiant Tuesday, stepping up his his fierce attacks on his own party leaders, promising to teach Republicans who oppose him a lesson and fight for the presidency “the way I want to.”

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COURT SHUTS DOWN LATEST FEDERAL BID TO DEPORT ALLEGED TERRORIST: An appeal court has rejected the federal government’s latest legal salvo in a long-standing bid to deport a Toronto man over alleged terrorist ties. In a new ruling, the Federal Court of Appeal says there are no grounds to contest a judge’s decision to strike down a national security certificate against Egyptian-born Mahmoud Jaballah. As a result, he is a step closer to remaining in Canada permanently. The government alleges Jaballah, 54, is a member of terrorist group al-Jihad, an accusation he denies.

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FEDS SAY THEY ARE READY TO INVEST IN BOMBARDIER: Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains is saying Canada’s investment in aerospace giant Bombardier is not a matter of if but how. The minister says the federal government wants to be a partner with the Montreal-based company but he didn’t give details today as to exactly how much Ottawa will invest or where the money will be targeted. Bombardier has asked Ottawa for $1 billion in aid and has already received a similar amount from the provincial government for its CSeries aircraft program. Bains says federal funding will be conditional on Bombardier keeping its head office in Canada as well as pursuing its research and development activities and maintaining manufacturing jobs.

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UNIFOR SHIFTS SIGHTS TO THIRD AUTOMAKER: As the union representing auto workers turns its attention to its final target, Unifor president Jerry Dias says that securing investment for Ford’s engine plant in Windsor, Ont., is his top priority. “Their operations are getting pretty old,” Dias said in an interview Tuesday. “We haven’t had investment for quite a while, so we need a new engine program.” Now that agreements have been struck with two out of the three automakers, Dias is gearing up for what he predicts will be an “interesting” set of talks with Ford. Unifor hammered out a tentative deal with Fiat Chrysler just ahead of a strike deadline Monday that will see the automaker invest $554 million in its Ontario plants.

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COURT UPHOLDS CHANGES TO ENDANGERED SPECIES RULES: Ontario’s highest court has dismissed a challenge to the province’s endangered species regulations, a decision environmental groups say will leave many species without legal protection. The Court of Appeal for Ontario upheld a lower court decision that found the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry was within its rights to grant exemptions to industries such as forestry, oil and gas and mining under changes made in 2013 to the Endangered Species Act.

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CROSBY OUT WITH CONCUSSION; NO TIMELINE FOR RETURN: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby says he’s comfortable with the concussion protocol after suffering the injury when he “tangled” with a teammate during practice on Friday. Crosby says he’s taking his recovery day-by-day, and isn’t concerned about it affecting his health over the long term. Crosby missed the better part of two seasons while dealing with a concussion sustained in 2011. The concussion diagnosis will keep him out of the game indefinitely.

 

The Canadian Press