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

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Aug. 5

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LET THE GAMES BEGIN: There’s going to be no shortage of samba, culture or diversity in the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics as Brazil proudly showcases its traditions and environmental wonders. Millions of television viewers from around the world are expected to watch the three-hour ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on Friday night, which comes as the country is reeling from political and economic turmoil. Organizers are making sure that global warming and the environment, especially the country’s magnificent Amazon rainforest, are important parts of the ceremony.

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CANADIAN JOB MARKET HITS BIG POTHOLE: The latest Canadiana job numbers say there was a loss of 31,200 net jobs in July, an unexpectedly steep decline that included the biggest one-month drop in full-time work in nearly five years. Statistics Canada found that overall the national unemployment rate for July crept up to 6.9 per cent from 6.8 per cent the previous month.The numbers came the same day as fresh figures on trade that show Canada’s balance between imports and exports ballooned to a record level of $3.6 billion in June.

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ALBERTA JOBLESS RATE NOW HIGHER THAN NOVA SCOTIA: Alberta’s monthly unemployment rate climbed to its highest level in nearly 22 years in July. And Statistics Canada says it’s the first time the province has had a worse jobless rate than Nova Scotia. The federal agency reported Friday that Alberta’s rate rose to 8.6 per cent last month from 7.9 per cent in June. Nova Scotia’s jobless rate was just he 8.4 per cent July unemployment rate in Nova Scotia, the first time Alberta has had a higher rate since Statistics Canada started collecting the data in 1976.

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GENERAL SAYS MILITARY CAN HANDLE PURSE STRINGS: The outgoing vice chief of defence staff is critical of the amount of oversight over the defence department as he heads out the door. Lt.-Gen. Guy Thibault says the fact the military has continued to accomplish its missions while remaining within its budget is proof of its ability to manage its own affairs. A number of controversies have led some to question the military’s ability to manage its $20-billion budget. They include the F-35 stealth fighter project and the shipbuilding program.

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THREE CHARGED IN NEWFOUNDLAND KILLING: A teenager and two men face multiple charges including first-degree murder in the abduction and death of Steven Miller. Miller’s body was discovered in a driveway last Saturday morning after witnesses reported seeing him forcibly dragged from his home in Conception Bay South, N.L, by three armed and masked intruders. Conception Bay South Mayor Stephen Tessier says the arrests came as a relief to residents in the community.

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ALLERGY CASE PROMPTS CALLS TO TRAIN RESTAURANT STAFF: The hospitalization of a man who had an allergic reaction in a Quebec eatery is prompting a call for mandatory training of restaurant wait staff. Laurie Harada of Food Allergy Canada says food establishments must do a better job of educating all of its staff about allergens — both inside and outside the kitchen. Sherbrooke police say a man ordered beef tartare at a local restaurant last May and specified numerous times to a waiter that he was allergic to both seafood and salmon. Police say a plate of salmon tartare was instead brought to the table and the patron was unaware of what he’d been served because the lighting was dimmed.

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INSURERS MOVING TO HELP PRINCE ALBERT RESIDENTS DEAL WITH COMPLAINTS: Insurance claims clinics are opening up in communities along the North Saskatchewan River to help residents who suffered losses as a result of the Husky Energy pipeline leak last month. The spill of up to 250,000 litres of blended crude caused cities to close their water intakes from the river, forcing businesses like car washes and laundromats to close. Prince Albert has set up temporary water lines from the South Saskatchewan River and the Little Red River, and officials say they can now resume supplying water to more than 1,200 people who live in rural areas outside of the city.

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POLICE SAY FATHER DRANK BEFORE TWINS DIED IN CAR: Police in Carrolton, Georgia, say they believe alcohol was involved in the deaths of 15-month-old twin girls who died after being left in a hot car outside their home. Police say 24-year-old Asa North “had been consuming alcoholic beverages” before leaving his toddlers in the car. Investigators are working to determine how long the girls were left in the car, but with temperatures in the 90s, it would take only a few minutes for the heat to become unbearable. Police took a blood sample for alcohol and are awaiting results. North has been jailed on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.

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TRUMP CONTINUES TO GRAPPLE WITH DIVISIONS IN REPUBLICAN RANKS: As he campaigned in two Midwestern battleground states on Friday, Donald Trump was facing clear signs of divisions within his party. Some of Iowa’s Republican elite will appear alongside Trump for an afternoon rally. But in neighbouring Wisconsin, the state’s best-known Republicans say they are too busy to attend his event this evening. Sen. Ron Johnson and House Speaker Paul Ryan citied scheduling conflicts. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said he’ll attend an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner instead of appearing with his party’s standard bearer.