Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau walk on the beach at Kejimkujik Seaside National and Historic Park in Port Joli, N.S., on Friday, July 21, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Highlights from the news file for Friday, July 21

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TRUDEAU TAKES SWING AT TORIES OVER KHADR: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took another swipe at the Conservatives on Friday for their ongoing campaign to discredit the Liberal government for its federal payout to Omar Khadr. Speaking at a children's camp in Nova Scotia, Trudeau said his political rivals should keep their "domestic squabbles" at home. Some senior Liberals have accused the Conservatives of fanning anti-Trudeau sentiment in the United States just as Canada is preparing for the launch of talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement.

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SHARING NAFTA POSITIONS 'ILLOGICAL,' MP SAYS: Liberal MP Andrew Leslie says it wouldn't make any sense for the federal government to divulge the details of what they are hoping to get out of a new North American Free Trade Agreement. Leslie, the parliamentary secretary for Canada-U.S. relations, says that would be giving up a negotiating advantage they have over the Trump administration, which revealed its goals Monday as required by law. There are no such rules forcing the Canadian government to do the same.

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SEARS BEGINS LIQUIDATION SALES AT 54 STORES: Shoppers queued up Friday in hopes of finding a deal as Sears Canada Inc. began liquidation sales at 54 locations that will be closed as part of a court-supervised restructuring that began last month. Large red, black and yellow signs that proclaimed "everything must go" and "nothing held back" greeted bargain hunters who began lining up before the doors opened. Sears Canada says prices will be discounted by 20 to 50 per cent.

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CANADIAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT STICKING TO IRAQ: Canadian military aircraft involved in the fight against Islamic State militants have not flown in Syria for the past few weeks. While the aircraft have flown dozens of missions over Syria this year, the mission's commander, Brig.-Gen. Daniel MacIsaac, says operations have lately been limited to Iraq. Defence officials would not say when Canadian aircraft last flew over Syria, citing operational security. But they did reveal that earlier this year the planes flew dozens of missions over the war-ravaged country, where ISIL is under pressure from U.S. and local forces.

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INFLATION FALLS TO WEAKEST RATE IN NEARLY 2 YEARS: The annual pace of inflation fell to its weakest rate in almost two years though retail sales rose for their third consecutive month. The Statistics Canada figures released Friday reinforce expectations that any future interest rate hikes by the central bank will be brought in gradually. Overall, the agency's latest inflation report found that prices were just one per cent higher last month compared to a year earlier. The June number followed inflation readings of 1.3 per cent in May and 1.6 per cent in April.

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MAYOR, 2 OTHERS, CHARGED IN THUNDER BAY, ONT.: The mayor of Thunder Bay, Ont., was charged with extortion and obstructing justice Friday, almost two months after the northern Ontario city's police chief was arrested in the same case. Ontario Provincial Police said Keith Hobbs, 65, was charged in connection with an investigation into allegations of criminal wrongdoing that include a municipal official and a local resident. Hobbs' wife, Marisa Hobbs, 53, was also charged with extortion and obstructing justice. Police additionally charged Mary Voss, a 46-year-old Thunder Bay resident, with extortion.

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NEW WILDFIRES IN SOUTHEASTERN B.C.: Firefighters are responding to 18 active wildfires in southeast British Columbia as the province's state of emergency is set to continue for at least another two weeks. Seven of the fires were sparked Thursday and the B.C. Wildfire Service says some of the blazes are visible from surrounding towns, but none is immediately threatening communities or homes. The fires include a 70-hectare blaze burning in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park on the northeast side of Kootenay Lake.

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KENNY SHIELDS OF STREETHEART DIES AT 69: Kenny Shields, the lead singer of Winnipeg-based rock band Streetheart, has died at 69. Shields died on Friday at St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg, according to Robyn Stewart, executive director for the Western Canadian Music Alliance. Streetheart was an early pioneer of music video experimentation in Canada. A clip of 1979's single "Under My Thumb" was commissioned by the band's record label to promote their album "Under Heaven or Hell," five years before MuchMusic would hit the airwaves.

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FAMILY DEFENDS CANADIAN IN ALPHABAY CASE: The family of a 25-year-old Canadian man accused of masterminding the world's leading "darknet" internet marketplace say they don't believe he was a criminal. Alexandre Cazes is accused of creating AlphaBay, an online marketplace that authorities say traded in illegal drugs, firearms and counterfeit goods. Thai police say Cazes hanged himself in a jail cell on July 12, just before a scheduled court hearing. His stepmother says he was a quiet and hard-working person who earned his money legitimately.

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SCARAMUCCI TAKES OVER AS TRUMP COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF: The White House has a new press secretary — Sarah Huckabee Sanders — and a new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci. Both of them had praise Friday for Sean Spicer, the original Trump White House press secretary who has abruptly resigned after the announcement of the appointment of Scaramucci. Officially, Spicer says he chose to resign to give Scaramucci a fresh start. Scaramucci says Trump is doing a phenomenal job and that he'll work with the rest of the White House communications team to get that message "out there a little more aggressively."

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News from © The Canadian Press, 2017