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

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Sept. 23

____

CANADA’S TOP CYBERSPY HAS OMINOUS WARNING FOR CONSUMERS: The head of Canada’s cyberspy agency, the Communications Security Establishment, is warning that hackers can one day crack the encryption people rely on for secure online banking and shopping. Greta Bossenmaier, head of the Communications Security Establishment, says advances in quantum computing could open the door to breaking these protections within 10 years. Bossenmaier told an Ottawa conference that the immense processing power of quantum computing will bring tremendous opportunities for science, medicine and engineering. But she cautions it could also hobble today’s encryption methods of shielding sensitive data from prying eyes.

____

CHINESE PREMIER HOPES FOR GOLDEN DECADE WITH CANADA: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is calling for a new golden decade of Canada-China relations. He told a Montreal luncheon Friday that the two countries should create win-win co-operation and work to more than double the trade between the two nations over the next ten years. Li says the fact he has visited Canada so quickly after Trudeau’s trip to China last month demonstrates how rapidly relations are progressing between the two countries.

____

LIBERALS TRY TO REVERSE SPOTLIGHT ON CONTROVERSIAL EXPENSES: The Liberals are firing back on the issue of hefty moving expenses claimed by two senior aides to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Liberals said Friday that former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper’s office paid out almost $325,000 in relocation expenses for 29 staffers — including a single move for one individual that came in at just over $93,000. The Tories contend the Harper staffers’ total expense claims were run up over nine years, whereas Trudeau’s PMO managed to rack up $220,564 for five staffers in just nine months. Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, and principal secretary, Gerald Butts, have promised to pay back a portion of the money.

____

MILITARY AUTHORITIES WANT VICTIMS RIGHTS BEEFED UP: The military’s top prosecutor and a senior military police officer are calling for improvements to the rights of victims in the military justice system. They say they would welcome a victims bill of rights and victim impact statements to be introduced for military tribunals. Parliament passed legislation three years ago that included adding victim impact statements to the military justice system, but the regulatory changes needed to actually implement the change still haven’t happened. Col. Bruce MacGregor, director of military prosecutions says victim impact statements would provide “ammunition” when it comes to sentencing perpetrators of sexual assaults.

_____

CANADA CONDEMNS SYRIAN BOMBING: Canada is denouncing the resumption of bombing that has shattered the latest ceasefire in Syria. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion says it’s appalling that Syria’s renewed bombardment of the city of Aleppo began while he and other diplomats were at a meeting of the Syria Support Group in New York. Dion is adding his voice to those calling for the grounding of Syria’s air force to allow greater humanitarian access.

____

MANITOBA RESERVE FACES STATE OF EMERGENCY: A state of emergency is in effect after a fire destroyed the only food store and other structures on the northern Manitoba reserve of Shamattawa. The community of 1,500 is left without supplies or emergency 911 services. Police are investigating the fire as a case of arson and their investigation involves six youths, five of whom are too young to face charges because they are under the age of 12.

_____

HALIFAX-AREA APARTMENT ROCKED: Nova Scotia labour officials have ordered blasting at a Halifax-area quarry to be halted while they investigate a mishap that showered a nearby apartment building with rocks. No injuries were reported, but the apartment building was damaged. Labour officials can’t say how much rock hit the apartment building.

____

TRUMP GETS SUPPORT FROM FORMER RIVAL: The American presidential campaign has taken another unexpected twist. Ted Cruz says he’s voting for Donald Trump for president. It’s a shocking about-face after he rocked the Republican convention by dramatically refusing to endorse Trump. The Texas senator says on Facebook that he made the decision because he once promised to support the Republican nominee — and he calls Democrat Hillary Clinton “wholly unacceptable.”

____

VIDEO RELEASED ON CHARLOTTE POLICE SHOOTING: In a new video, the body of the man killed by Charlotte, N.C. police can be seen on the ground, where officers appear to try to attend to him, but his actual shooting isn’t shown. The video was recorded by the wife of 43-year-old Keith Scott. Officers tell Scott to drop a gun, but it’s unclear from the video whether he has a weapon. Police have said he was armed, but witnesses say he held only a book. In the video, Rakeyia Scott tells officers her husband doesn’t have a gun, has a traumatic brain injury and won’t hurt them.

____

QUEBEC FILM UP FOR AN OSCAR: The Quebec film, “It’s Only the End of the World” by Xavier Dolan has been chosen as Canada’s entry for best-foreign language film at the Oscars. Telefilm Canada picked the French-language drama about a writer who returns home to tell his estranged family he’s dying. The Academy will first vote on a shortlist before deciding on the final list of nominated films in January.

____

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today