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

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TRUDEAU AND PREDECESSORS ATTEND PERES FUNERAL: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his predecessors Stephen Harper and Jean Chretien were among the members of a Canadian delegation who attended the funeral of former Israeli president Shimon Peres. Chretien says Peres was devoted to serving his country and he always looked forward. No one in the Canadian delegation spoke at the ceremony, but Trudeau joined a small group of international guests who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his home after the funeral.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

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TRUMP CONTINUES TO RAISE EYEBROWS:  Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is defending his tweets attempting to shame a former Miss Universe. His campaign is denouncing what it calls “the single-biggest co-ordinated media attack in history.” Spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said via email that, “Of course Mr. Trump is going to defend himself.” At Monday’s presidential debate, Clinton cited disparaging remarks Trump had made about Alicia Machado as examples of the Republican nominee’s disrespect for women. Trump took to Twitter overnight to accuse Clinton’s campaign of being “duped” by “a con” and encourage Americans to check out what he called Machado’s “sex tape.”

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COMMONS TO DEBATE CLIMATE ACCORD NEXT WEEK: The House of Commons will begin debating next week if Canada should ratify the international Paris climate accord. Monday’s debate kicks off as Environment Minister Catherine McKenna sits down in Montreal with her provincial and territorial counterparts to begin negotiating a plan to meet Canada’s Paris commitments. McKenna says it’s important to have a debate in the Commons, though the Liberal majority makes the outcome of the vote a foregone conclusion.

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AMBROSE DENIES CLAIMING ADDITIONAL EXPENSES: Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose is denying a media report that says she claimed additional accommodation expenses while she was also living at Stornoway, the official Opposition leader’s residence in Ottawa. Huffington Post cited House of Commons records showing Ambrose, who became interim Conservative leader last fall, had claimed $9,692 in secondary residence expenses from January to March, a period when she was already residing at Stornoway. Ambrose’s office says the expenses are for a condo she rented last fall before she moved into Stornoway, plus a small penalty of two months’ rent for breaking a lease.

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SISTER DEFENDS MAN CHARGED IN SLAYING OF CFL PLAYER:  The sister of a 19-year-old man charged in the shooting death of a Calgary Stampeders player last weekend says her brother is innocent, and the real culprit is still out there. Nelson Tony Lugela made his first court appearance Friday since being charged with second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Mylan Hicks. Lugela’s older sister Flora broke down in tears as she spoke of her brother, as well as the suffering of the victim’s family. The case has been adjourned until November 4th. Hicks was fatally shot after an altercation in a nightclub last weekend.

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DEFENCE MINISTER CONDEMNS DRESS CODE LETTER: Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says a letter outlining the dress code for young people interested in joining a Newfoundland air cadets squadron is unaccepable.  The leaflet handed out recently by the 510 Lions Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in St. John’s shows it outlines what the squadron considers appropriate civilian dress for cadets. It lists the Four Bs: “boobs, belly, bums, boxers,” going on to say that girls should wear shirts that do not “reveal their developing bits.” Sajjan says the language is unacceptable in the cadets, in the Canadian Armed Forces and in Canadian society.

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THUNDER BAY POLICE INVESTIGATE RACIST COMMENTS: Police in Thunder Bay, Ont., say they are investigating allegations that racist comments posted on a local newspaper’s Facebook page were made by members of the police service. They say a reporter for APTN News provided investigators with a number of comments that appeared on the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal’s Facebook page regarding a letter to the editor by Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler. Police say the comments aren’t acceptable and are being investigated by the force’s professional standards unit.

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ROYAL COUPLE GET LOOK AT FIRST NATIONS CULTURE:

Prince William and Kate learned about the culture and history of Canadian First Nations Friday. They visited a small village on an island off the British Columbia coast in a replica 15-metre Haida war canoe. The royals’ schedule included a visit to a Haida heritage centre and a tour of the region’s new hospital. They were also to be taken on a fishing trip.

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BRANGELINA REACH CHILD CUSTODY DEAL: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a temporary custody agreement that will allow the actor to visit with his six children. Two sources familiar with the agreement but not authorized to speak publicly said Friday the accord will be in place for three weeks. It calls for Pitt’s first visit with his children to be monitored by a therapist, but that may not be a requirement for subsequent visits. The sources say both actors have agreed to undergo individual counselling. Jolie filed for divorce on Sept. 19, and her attorney said the following day her decision was “for the health of the family.” The FBI is gathering evidence about allegations Pitt was involved in a dispute on a private flight with his family on Sept. 14.

The Canadian Press