Seven stories in the news for Wednesday, Oct. 6

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RCMP TO SETTLE HARASSMENT SUITS

The RCMP will announce the settlement of major harassment claims today that could see hundreds of current and former female Mounties compensated tens of millions of dollars. The national police force has agreed to settlement terms in prospective class-action lawsuits brought forward by former RCMP members Janet Merlo and Linda Davidson, said a senior official with knowledge of the cases.

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ALLEGED BASEBALL GAME BEER TOSSER COMES FORWARD

A man alleged by police to have hurled a beer can at a Baltimore outfielder during Tuesday's playoff game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Orioles has come forward. Ken Pagan told The Canadian Press via email that he has contacted police and identified himself as the person in a photo police had released. Police say the man in the photo was responsible for the incident and urged him to turn himself in.

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PLANS PAY EQUITY LAW

The Trudeau government will bring in legislation in 2018 to compel all employers in federally regulated sectors to ensure men and women get equal pay for work of equal value. The legislation will apply to 874,000 workers and 10,800 employers, including federal public servants and employees of Crown corporations and federally regulated companies such as banks, airlines, telephone and cable companies and radio and television broadcasters.

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ANIMAL CRUELTY BILL DEFEATED IN COMMONS

A Liberal backbencher's bill to modernize antiquated animal cruelty laws has been defeated. Toronto MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith's bill, among other things, would have banned imports of shark fins and cat and dog fur and made the "brutal and vicious" killing of an animal a new offence. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould says reforms to the animal cruelty provisions will be addressed in the coming review of the Criminal Code.

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CANADA JOINS CALL FOR RULES ON ARMED DRONES

Canada has joined dozens of other countries in calling for clearer rules around the sale and use of armed drones, even as the government debates whether the military should acquire such weapons. The U.S. State Department has released a joint declaration, signed by Canada and 44 other countries, laying out five general principles on the export and use of drones.

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AL WAXMAN, DARRYL SITTLER AMONG NEW WALK OF FAME INDUCTEES

Stars from the worlds of sports, stage and screen will be inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto today. The late stage and screen icon Al Waxman is among six honourees in the 2016 class. The others are NHL Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler, singer-songwriter Corey Hart, actor-director Jason Priestley, filmmaker Deepa Mehta and veteran fashion entrepreneur and journalist Jeanne Beker.

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TORONTO BLUE JAYS SET TO RENEW RIVALRY WITH TEXAS RANGERS

The Toronto Blue Jays open a best-of-five American League Division Series in Texas today against the Rangers (4:30 p.m. ET). These rivals clashed in a tension-filled series last year highlighted by Jose Bautista's epic bat flip after a dramatic home run. Then in May of this year, Texas second baseman Rougned Odor took exception to a hard slide from Bautista and punched him in the face, leading to a wild bench-clearing melee.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Closing arguments are expected to continue in the Winnipeg trial of a woman accused of hiding dead infants in a storage locker.

— Finance Minister Bill Morneau will attend the G20 Finance Ministers and IMF meetings in Washington, D.C.

— Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier will hold a news conference to outline his plan for income tax fairness.

— The Canadian Armed Forces will provide an update on Operation IMPACT in the Middle East.

— Environment Minister Catherine McKenna will participate in a discussion at the Great Lakes Public Forum in Toronto.

— Statistics Canada will release the value of building permits for August.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016