Highlights from the news file for Friday, June 9
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BIBEAU VOWS TO FIGHT FOR MORE FUNDING FOR FEMINIST AID POLICY: International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says she will keep lobbying in cabinet meetings for increased foreign aid funding. She says the government's new feminist development policy announced Friday is a necessary step toward that. The plan makes no new spending commitments, but does reallocate $150 million of the existing aid budget to women's organizations in 30 countries over the next five years.
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TRUMP ACCUSES COMEY OF BEING UNTRUTHFUL: U.S. President Donald Trump says he's "100
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MNUCHIN MEETS FEDERAL CABINET: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin discussed a number of topics when he met Friday with members of the Trudeau cabinet in Ottawa. They discussed trade, taxes and infrastructure. It was Mnuchin's fifth meeting with Canadian counterpart Finance Minister Bill Morneau since the former hedge-fund manager was sworn in a few months ago. Several other cabinet ministers joined Morneau at Friday's meeting, including Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
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CANADA TO KEEP TALKING WITH THE U.S. ON CLIMATE CHANGE: Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says Canada will keep up a dialogue with the Trump administration despite its move to pull out of the Paris accord. McKenna is off to Italy on Sunday for a G7 ministerial meeting where she hopes to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt. McKenna says beyond climate change there are also joint discussions to be had regarding clean water, air pollution, the Great Lakes and renewable energy innovations, all of which require Canada to maintain the lines of communication with Washington.
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COSBY MAY TESTIFY AT HIS TRIAL: Bill Cosby's spokesman is dangling the possibility that the 79-year-old comedian may testify at his sexual assault trial after all. Andrew Wyatt told reporters during a lunch break on Friday that Cosby's team was still evaluating whether to have him take the stand. Cosby said before the trial that he wouldn't testify, but Wyatt said that could change now that the prosecution has wrapped up its case. Wyatt says Cosby was listening closely as accuser, Canadian Andrea Constand, testified this week, and that he's confident his lawyers will show they were in a consensual, romantic relationship.
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CANADIAN FIGHTING EXTRADITION TO BE HELD IN CUSTODY: A Canadian facing charges in a massive hack of Yahoo emails will remain behind bars while he fights extradition to the U.S. Karim Baratov's lawyers say the Ontario's appeal court rejected their client's bid to challenge a lower court's decision. A superior court judge ruled in April that Baratov was too much of a flight risk to be released. The U.S. has indicted Baratov and three others for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes.
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GOVERNMENT UNVEILS MILITARY SUPPORT UNIT: The federal government is moving to set up a special unit to support members of the military suffering from physical and psychological injuries as they prepare to return to civilian life. Treasury Board President Scott Brison announced Friday in Halifax that the unit will eventually include 400 specialized staff and 800 personnel "whose only mission will be to heal" from their physical and psychological injuries, including PTSD. Nova Scotia was the scene Jan. 3 of a tragic murder suicide where former soldier Lionel Desmond — who was being treated for mental illness — fatally shot his wife, daughter and mother.
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MAY SPEAKS ABOUT ELECTION SETBACK: British Prime Minister Theresa May has acknowledged her sadness at the loss of her majority in the general election. In a statement to broadcasters on Friday, a visibly exhausted May said that she obviously "wanted a different result" in Thursday's vote and that she is "sorry for all those colleagues who lost their seats who didn't deserve to lose." May said she'll reflect on what happened. With 649 of 650 seats in the House of Commons declared, May's bruised Conservatives had 318 — short of the 326 they needed for an outright majority and well down from the 330 seats they had before the vote.
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TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS CREATED IN CANADA: Statistics Canada says there was a surge in full-time positions last month as hiring rose in key areas like the private sector, manufacturing and full-time work. Overall, the country registered a net gain of 54,400 jobs in May. But the overall jobless rate edged up to 6.6 per cent, a rise of 0.1 of a percentage point, as more people entered the job market in search of work.
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COP RAP WINS ONLINE PLAUDITS: A Toronto-area police officer did an impromptu rap performance that has gained quite a following online. York Regional police Const. Amy Oliver was working a paid-duty security shift at a car show on Thursday when she stepped up to the mic. The rap includes rhymes about coffee and donuts, being called a pig, arresting drug dealers and being willing to put her life on the line. By Friday afternoon, a video of the performance posted on Instagram had 26,000 views.
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The Canadian Press
