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

Last Updated Jul 26, 2016 at 5:42 pm MDT

The BlackBerry DTEK50 is pictured at its launch in Toronto on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Highlights from the news file for Tuesday, July 26

ISIL CLAIMS ATTACK THAT KILLED FRENCH PRIEST: The Islamic State group crossed a new threshold Tuesday in its war against the West, as two of its followers targeted a church in Normandy, slitting the throat of an elderly priest celebrating Mass and using hostages as human shields before being shot by police. It was the extremist group’s first attack against a church in the West, and fulfills longstanding threats against “crusaders” in what the militants paint as a centuries-old battle for power. One of the attackers had tried twice to leave for Syria.

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CLINTON STEPPING INTO HISTORY: Taking her place in history, Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night was set to become the first woman to lead a major party toward the White House, a triumphant moment for Democrats to relish before plunging into a bruising general election against Republican Donald Trump. Clinton’s campaign hopes a night of achievement, personal stories and praise can chip away at the deep distrust many voters, including some Democrats, have of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady.

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BANKS HAND OVER OFFSHORE TAX FILES: The Trudeau government has won a round in its battle against offshore tax cheats. Two banks have agreed to give the federal revenue minister information from the accounts of a Caribbean financial institution to help the government crack down on Canadian tax evaders. The Federal Court of Canada has approved federal requests for seven years’ worth of transaction information from the Royal Bank of Canada and Citibank, N.A., related to accounts in the name of Cayman National Bank Ltd.

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INVESTIGATE ABDI’S DEATH, MUSLIM GROUP URGES: A Canadian Muslim advocacy group is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into the death of an Ottawa man who was involved in a confrontation with police. The National Council of Canadian Muslims says an investigation must explore whether racism played a role in the death of 37-year-old Abdirahman Abdi, a Somali-Canadian. The Special Investigations Unit, Ontario’s police watchdog, is probing Abdi’s death.

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STATCAN LOOKS FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM FEDS: Statistics Canada is privately floating the idea of new powers that would make all of its surveys mandatory by default and force certain companies to hand over requested data, such as credit card transactions and Internet search records. Currently, the agency can ask for any information held by governments and businesses, but officials have long found it hard to get information like point-of-sale transactions that could give a more detailed and accurate picture of household spending.

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BLACKBERRY LAUNCHES NEW DTEK50 SMARTPHONE: In a bid to once again make its struggling hardware business profitable, BlackBerry is launching a new smartphone billed as the most secure Android device available. The company announced the launch Tuesday of the DTEK50, a phone it hopes will appeal to “everyone” due to the insidious threat that mobile security risks now pose to the public at large. The Waterloo, Ont.,-based company released its first Android-powered phone called the Priv — last year, which was a sales flop.

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OPIOID SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN THE FALL: Health Minister Jane Philpott says the federal government is taking steps to deal with the escalating rates of opioid use, overdoses and overdose deaths. The minister calls it a national health crisis and says an opioid summit will be held this fall to come up with a plan to address the problem. Philpott says Canada and the U.S. need to examine why they are the top two opioid-gobbling countries in the world.

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REPORT: TANKERS FROM ENERGY EAST A CONCERN: Environmental groups say increased crude tanker traffic as a result of the proposed Energy East pipeline would raise the risk of a large bitumen spill and jeopardize the environment and marine life between New Brunswick and the U.S. Gulf Coast. The report, prepared by the U.S.-based Natural Resources Defence Council in partnership with groups such as Greenpeace, Sierra Club and the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, says the pipeline project across Canada would result in a 300 to 500 per cent increase in tankers delivering western crude to refineries in the southern United States.

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ONTARIO STUDIES B.C. FOREIGN HOMEBUYER TAX: Ontario’s finance minister says he will be looking “very closely” at British Columbia’s tax aimed at foreign homebuyers as he looks for ways to address eroding affordability in Toronto’s housing market. Charles Sousa says he welcomes the 15 per cent tax that the B.C. government will charge foreign nationals looking to snap up homes in Vancouver’s scorching real estate market.Sousa says he is part of a committee, alongside Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau and B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong, that’s looking for ways to improve housing affordability in Canada’s hottest markets.