For A Friday

All the news that fits like print...


More on the Charlie Hebdo front -

Apparently, this has nothing to do with Islam:

Muslim anger flared over a French satirical weekly's latest caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, with four people reported killed and dozens injured at a protest Friday in the West African country of Niger, and violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Pakistan, Jordan and Algeria.

But, really, this is not dissimilar from the Danish cartoon rampages and, yes, it has to do with Islam.


A Malian immigrant to France will acquire citizenship due to his bravery:

  

Lassana Bathily, the 24-year-old Muslim immigrant from Mali who hid Jewish hostages during last week’s bloody drama at a kosher grocery, will become a French citizen.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a statement that he will preside over the ceremony on Jan. 20 after he ordered that Bathily’s July 7 citizenship application be accepted.

Why aren't the Americans embarrassed?

Secretary of State John Kerry is in Paris after the White House apologized for not sending a high-ranking official to a massive unity rally after the terrorist attacks there.

And he brought a friend by the name of James Taylor.

Without France's help, the United States would not have been a republic. The favour was repaid when the Americans liberated Paris during the Second World War.

So how does the Secretary of State assist France in its darkest hour?

With an aging hippy.

Mon Dieu...

Sixty-four recommendations have been made following a shooting rampage that took the lives of three RCMP officers:

A review exploring the RCMP response to Justin Bourque's deadly shooting spree in June in New Brunswick calls for the force to take immediate action to better arm Mounties — one of 64 recommendations that have all been accepted by the RCMP.

The 180-page report, led by retired assistant commissioner Alphonse MacNeil, was released in Moncton on Friday morning, with nine pages redacted for officer safety, including details about the amount of equipment officers have.

The report urges the RCMP to expedite the deployment of patrol carbines across the force, including improved training.

A carbine is a short-barrelled rifle that has a longer accurate range than a sidearm or shotgun.

MacNeil's report says officers were outgunned during the incident, having to rely on shotguns and pistols, while Bourque was armed with a high-powered rifle.

Patrol carbines would have made a difference at several key stages of the shooting that claimed the lives of three Mounties, he said.

It's unthinkable to know how slow and inept the police could have been at that time.


This is the government Ontario Liberal voters wanted:

Gerry 2:10 – 3:01 “So I come to you, on behalf of the premier, and on behalf of, yes, Thibeault, more indirectly, to ask you if you would consider stepping down, even more than that Andrew, nominating him. In the course of that deliberation, the Premier wants to talk to you. They would like to present to you options in terms of appointments, jobs, whatever, that you and her and Pat Sorbara could talk about it. Having said that, and I made it very clear to Premier Wynne ...

Wynne, of course, denies it.


Speaking of Kathleen Wynne, her friend, Benjamin Levin, will plead guilty:

Dr. Benjamin Levin will plead guilty on March 3 to some of the child pornography-related charges, court heard Friday.

Levin will plead guilty to some offences, but not all of the seven charges that were laid against the renowned educator.