Top News Advisory for Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 – CP

Source: The Canadian Press
Jan 14, 2016

Here are the latest Top News stories from The Canadian Press. Entries are subject to change. This includes projected word counts and the estimated timing of stories and updates, both of which can be affected by news developments and other matters. All times are Eastern unless otherwise stated. Contact the National Desk at 416-507-2150 if you need any further information.

TOP CANADIAN NEWS:

Canadian dollar closes below 70 cents U.S.

Dollar-Markets

TORONTO _ The Canadian dollar closed below 70 cents U.S. Wednesday for the first time in nearly 13 years while the Toronto stock market registered another triple digit loss.The loonie finished the day at 69.71 cents U.S., down 0.43 of a cent since Tuesday’s close. The last time the Canadian dollar closed beneath the 70-cent U.S. mark was on April 30, 2003, when it was 69.76 cents U.S. 515 words. By Alexandra Posadzki. Moved National and Business. PHOTO.

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Economic woes tailing Morneau’s tour

Morneau-Economic-Gloom

OTTAWA _ No matter where Bill Morneau has taken his pre-budget road show, the economic storm clouds have gathered overhead.The federal finance minister’s cross-country tour to consult Canadians as he crafts his first budget has been overshadowed by the rapidly deteriorating economic situation. 703 words. By Andy Blatchford. Moved National and Business. PHOTO.

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Expedited infrastructure spending considered

Infrastructure-Cda

OTTAWA _ The Trudeau government is “actively considering” speeding up promised investments in infrastructure in a bid to stimulate Canada’s rapidly deteriorating economy.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during last fall’s election campaign to pump an additional $60 billion over 10 years into infrastructure projects. But less than half that money _ $17.4 billion _ was earmarked to flow during the Liberals’ first mandate. 716 words. By Joan Bryden and Jordan Press. PHOTO.

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Thousands flagged by new air screening system

Air-Security

OTTAWA _ Canada’s new security system for scrutinizing people who arrive by airplane singled out more than 2,300 passengers for closer examination during a recent three-month period, the federal border agency says.The Canada Border Services Agency says the travellers _ flagged for possible links to terrorism or serious crime _ represented a tiny fraction of the millions who flew into the country. 586 words. By Jim Bronskill. PHOTO.

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Hamas-Israel truce would be good, Trudeau told

Trudeau-Middle-East

OTTAWA _ Federal officials have told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that a truce between Israel and the militant group Hamas would be in both of their interests.The advice is contained in a memo written for the incoming prime minister, and represents for some analysts a noticeable shift in policy towards the Middle East from nearly 10 years of Conservative rule under Stephen Harper. 744 words. By Mike Blanchfield. PHOTO.

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Jailed blogger’s sister released in Saudi Arabia

Saudi-Blogger-Sister

MONTREAL _ Amnesty International’s Quebec branch said on Wednesday the eldest sister of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has been released after 24 hours in detention.Samar Badawi was freed from a Saudi jail earlier in the day but a spokeswoman for Amnesty said it wasn’t clear under what conditions. 317 words. PHOTO.

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Northern Gateway stymied in B.C. Supreme Court

Northern-Gateway-Lawsuit

VANCOUVER _ An alliance of First Nations is celebrating a British Columbia Supreme Court ruling that it says could set back the Northern Gateway pipeline by years and throw a wrench into another high-profile project review.The case was brought forward by the Gitga’at First Nation and Coastal First Nations, which represents nine aboriginal communities along B.C.’s northern and central coast, including the Gitg’aat. 670 words. Moved Business and National.

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CSIS may have incited B.C. terror attack: lawyer

Terror-Trial

VANCOUVER _ A person with alleged ties to Canada’s spy agency may have helped radicalize a man who was eventually arrested for plotting to blow up the British Columbia legislature, a court has heard.The information comes after B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce ordered the release of a heavily edited transcript from a closed-door hearing that took place last week in connection with the trial of John Nuttall and Amanda Korody. 593 words. By Geordon Omand.

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Convicted Via rail plotter plans to appeal

Via-Rail-Terror

TORONTO _ A man found guilty of plotting to derail a passenger train between Canada and the U.S. plans to appeal his conviction at Ontario’s highest court.Chiheb Esseghaier, a deeply religious Muslim, argues he ought to have been judged by the rules of the Qur’an. 401 words. By Diana Mehta. PHOTO.

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Alberta mayor concerned by oilpatch impacts

Town-Oilpatch-Concerns

FOX CREEK _ The mayor of an Alberta town in an area of heavy hydraulic fracking is expressing concern over the oil industry’s impact after yet another earthquake hit his community.“Fox Creek town council is very concerned,” Jim Ahn wrote in a letter to reporters Wednesday. “It seems industry and the provincial government have been turning a blind eye as to what has been going on in our area.” 597 words. Moved National and Business.

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Feds’ focus shifts to integrating Syrians

Syrian-Refugees

OTTAWA _ Thousands of Syrian refugees expected in Canada in the coming days could spend up to two weeks in temporary accommodations _ including military bases _ before being able to settle into more permanent homes.Those conditions will still be better than what people have left behind in Jordan, Lebanon or Turkey, where nearly all of the Syrian refugees coming to Canada are currently living, said Immigration Minister John McCallum. 697 words. By Stephanie Levitz.

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Alberta freezes non-union staff salaries

Alta-Salary-Freeze

EDMONTON _ The Alberta government is freezing the salaries of about a quarter of its workforce for two years as it deals with nosediving oil and gas prices.Finance Minister Joe Ceci said Wednesday the move affects 7,000 civil servants and will save $57 million in total. 556 words. By Dean Bennett. PHOTO.

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Disabled Winnipeg boy thrown in dumpster

Mba-Disabled-Boy-Attacked

WINNIPEG _ A Winnipeg family is asking for the public’s help after they say two men threw their 13-year-old son, who lives with an intellectual disability, in a dumpster.John Morrissette and Marie Kinnear say their son, Jean-Micheal, was trapped inside the bin for hours on a day when temperatures hovered around -15 C. 284 words.

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Run to Quit program for smokers to expand

Run-To-Quit

TORONTO _ Jennifer Jeaurond had tried everything to kick her 23-year tobacco habit: hypnotherapy, the nicotine patch, a craving-reduction medication and even electronic cigarettes. Nothing worked.That is until she signed up in 2013 for a 10-week smoking-cessation course in Ottawa, organized as a pilot study by the Canadian Cancer Society and the sporting goods retailer, the Running Room. 762 words. By Sheryl Ubelacker. Moved National and Lifestyles. PHOTO

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COC to make changes following Aubut scandal

OLY-COC-Report

The Canadian Olympic Committee promises to adopt all eight recommendations from an independent review following the resignation of president Marcel Aubut.But COC senior management officials, who the report said knew about a culture of harassment in their organization, will be responsible for implementing the changes. 736 words. By Donna Spencer. PHOTO.

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TOP INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

Brazen attacks in Jakarta leave 5 gunmen, 2 others dead

AS-Indonesia-Explosion

JAKARTA _ Attackers set off explosions at a Starbucks cafe in a bustling shopping area in Indonesia’s capital and waged gunbattles with police Thursday, leaving bodies in the streets as office workers watched in terror from high-rise buildings.Police said five attackers and two civilians were killed, while 10 people were injured in the brazen attacks, which followed several warnings in recent weeks by police that Islamic militants were planning something big. It was unclear if any perpetrators remained at large. PHOTO.

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Car bomb attack at Turkish police station kills 6

EU-Turkey-Car-Bomb

CINAR _ Kurdish rebels detonated a car bomb at a police station in southeastern Turkey, then attacked it with rocket launchers and firearms, killing six people including civilians, officials said Thursday. Thirty-nine other people were injured.The attack late Wednesday targeted the police station in the town of Cinar, in the mostly Kurdish Diyarbakir province, and police lodgings located at the building, the Diyarbakir governor’s office said. PHOTO.

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Israel’s Shimon Peres suffers ‘mild’ heart attack

ML-Israel-Peres

JERUSALEM _ Israel’s 92-year-old former President Shimon Peres suffered a “mild” heart attack Thursday but was in “excellent” condition following a heart procedure, his personal physician said.Peres was rushed to a hospital near Tel Aviv from his home on Thursday morning after he fell ill with chest pains and a check-up found an irregular heart rate, his spokeswoman Ayelet Frisch told Israeli Army Radio. PHOTO.

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World Health Organization declares Liberia free of Ebola

EU-Switzerland-WHO-Ebola

GENEVA _ The World Health Organization has formally announced the end of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, joining Sierra Leone and Guinea _ the epicenters of the latest outbreak _ as Ebola-free.WHO director Rick Brennan, director emergency risk assessment and humanitarian response, said Thursday was “a good day, an important day” thanks to the announcement.

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Blast in fireworks factory kills 5 in central Chinese town

AS-China-Fireworks-Explosion

BEIJING _ Five people were killed and seven injured on Thursday in an explosion at a fireworks factory in central China, just weeks ahead of the Chinese New Year authorities said.The Tongxu county government in Henan province said a team was set up to investigate the blast. Its cause was not immediately clear.

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Strong earthquake shakes northern Japan; no tsunami warning

AS-Japan-Earthquake

TOKYO _ A strong earthquake struck just off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan. No tsunami warning was issued, and there were no reports of major damage.The magnitude-6.7 quake hit about 12:30 p.m. (0330 GMT) Thursday, near Urakawa town on the southern tip of Hokkaido, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It said the quake’s centre was located at a depth of 50 kilometres. PHOTO.

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Russia asks Dutch officials to look into new MH17 evidence

EU-Russia-MH17

MOSCOW _ Russian aviation officials say they have uncovered new evidence about the 2014 downing of a Malaysian jet over eastern Ukraine and are asking Dutch investigators to look into the findings.The Dutch Safety Board said in its final report released in October that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was destroyed by a Soviet-made Buk surface-to-air missile.

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German economy picked up speed in 2015

EU-Germany-Economy

BERLIN _ The German economy, Europe’s biggest, grew by 1.7 per cent in 2015, authorities said Thursday, a slight improvement from the previous year that was fueled mainly by domestic demand.The Federal Statistical Office offered a rough initial estimate that the economy grew by about 0.25 per cent in the year’s fourth quarter compared with the previous three-month period. Germany issues a preliminary full-year figure before giving official fourth-quarter numbers, which are scheduled for release next month.

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Police detain Florence suspect after DNA analysis on condom

EU-Italy-American-Slain

FLORENCE _ DNA analysis of a condom and cigarette butt led Italian prosecutors to arrest a Senegalese immigrant in the death of an American woman who suffered two fractures to her skull before being strangled in her Florence apartment, they said Thursday.The naked body of Ashley Olsen, 35, of Summer Haven, Florida, was discovered Saturday morning by her boyfriend. PHOTO.

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BUZZ:

$1.6 billion Powerball jackpot goes to 3 winners in 3 states

US-Powerball-Jackpot

LOS ANGELES _ An eye-popping and unprecedented Powerball jackpot whose rise to $1.6 billion became a national fascination will be split three ways.The winners’ identities remain a mystery, but they bought their tickets in Florida, Tennessee and a Los Angeles suburb where even lottery losers were celebrating Thursday that such heady riches were won in their modest city.

See also:

_ US-Powerball-Jackpot-Winners-and-Losers

_ US-Powerball-Jackpot-Largest-US-Jackpots

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Academy Award nominations could see repeat of OscarsSoWhite

US-Oscar-Nominations (to be announced at 8:30 a.m. ET)

NEW YORK _ The “OscarsSoWhite” backlash is one sequel Hollywood doesn’t want to see when nominations are announced Thursday morning for the 88th annual Academy Awards. In the year since an all-white crop of acting nominees brought heaps of criticism on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has redoubled efforts to diversify the academy’s membership. PHOTO.

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Kim Mitchell recovering from heart attack

MUSIC-Kim-Mitchell-Heart-Attack

TORONTO _ Canadian rock musician Kim Mitchell is recovering in hospital after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday.A Facebook message posted by Alert Music, his management company, says Mitchell underwent emergency surgery. PHOTO.

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Stage and screen star Brian Bedford has died

OBIT-Brian-Bedford

STRATFORD _ Acclaimed British actor Brian Bedford, a Tony Award-winning mainstay of Broadway and Ontario’s Stratford Festival, has died.The festival in Stratford, Ont., told The Canadian Press that Bedford died on Wednesday in Santa Barbara, Calif., after a 2 1/2-year battle with cancer. He was 80. PHOTO.

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RBC Taylor Prize short list gets personal

BOOKS-RBC-Taylor-Prize

TORONTO _ From a memoir about divorce and depression to a tale of turning 60 and a story of a father and son reconciling, this year’s RBC Taylor Prize short list is stacked with deeply personal tales that further solidify a growing trend in non-fiction.“I think we’ve entered a new era _ the Oprah era,” jury member Joseph Kertes said after the finalists for the $25,000 non-fiction prize were revealed Wednesday. PHOTO.

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Women may soon reappear on Canadian bills

Morneau-Women-Money

TORONTO _ The Queen may not be the only woman featured on a Canadian bank note soon.Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he would strongly support a Bank of Canada recommendation to feature more women on Canadian currency. 203 words.

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NBC: Fallon in best shape ever despite falls

US-TV-NBC-Fallon

PASADENA _ Jimmy Fallon’s series of falls have raised some concern among NBC executives, but the network entertainment chief said Wednesday that the late-night comic is “in better shape than he’s ever been.”The “Tonight” show host hurt himself in falls three times within five months last year, the most serious in June requiring delicate hand surgery after he caught his ring finger on a countertop. Fallon, 41, chipped a tooth in a fall while getting medication for his hand and bloodied his other hand in October after falling while holding a bottle at a Harvard University appearance. PHOTO.

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Drug lord was interested in Mexican actress, not Sean Penn

LT-Mexico-Drug-Lord-Sean-Penn

MEXICO CITY _ Drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was eager to set up a face-to-face meeting with Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, and had apparently never heard of Sean Penn, according to transcripts of over a month of text messages exchanged between the two.The transcripts published Wednesday by the newspaper Milenio _ and confirmed as authentic by a federal official _ showed that Guzman’s was less interested in making a movie about his life than he was in flirting with the actress. PHOTO.

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Schools grapple with excluding kids with lice

School-Lice-Policies

HALIFAX _ One of the country’s largest school boards is considering changing the rule that keeps kids with head lice at home, inflaming the debate over whether exclusion is the right way to deal with the maligned critters. Ryan Bird, a spokesman for the Toronto District School Board, said Wednesday that the policy is under review because the public health authority has changed its position on excluding students that have lice or their eggs, called nits. 633 words. By Alison Auld.

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INDEX: ADVISORIES NATIONAL