Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Canadian military makes its first evacuation flights from Sudan
The first Canadian evacuation flights from Sudan took off from Khartoum today, airlifting Canadians and citizens of other countries.
An official told reporters in a briefing this morning that the Canadian military is transporting these evacuees to Djibouti. They will then go on by charter flights to Nairobi.
The federal government, criticized for its slow response time, has cited the complications of landing during an escalating conflict.
Ottawa is cautioning it will only evacuate Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family from Sudan, and any airlift will be to a third country. Evacuees must make their own way home.
Meanwhile on the ground, Sudan’s army said it would prolong a ceasefire by 72 hours, but violence continued to rock the capital Khartoum and western Darfur region and there was no confirmation of a truce extension by the paramilitary force it was fighting.
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RCMP say Myles Sanderson caused havoc at James Smith Cree Nation before stabbing rampage
Mounties say the man accused of a deadly mass stabbing in Saskatchewan last year was selling drugs and causing havoc in the days before he drove throughout the James Smith Cree Nation and attacked and killed multiple people.
Mounties have released details about what happened on the First Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon on Sept. 4, when 11 people were killed and 18 were injured.
Myles Sanderson, 32, died in police custody a few days later.
Glencore could take offer for Teck directly to shareholders
Swiss commodities giant Glencore says its takeover bid for Teck Resources still stands, after the Canadian miner withdrew a vote by shareholders on a restructuring plan that would have split the company.
Glencore is threatening to take any new offer directly to shareholders unless the Teck board opens negotiations that might lead to the merger of the two companies. And it reiterated its willingness to improve its opening, US$23-billion all-share merger offer.
Teck has given no indication that it will negotiate with Glencore, calling the proposed takeover a “non-starter.”
Analysis: Why Teck Resources’ proposed split never made much sense and shareholders shot it down
China’s sweeping new anti-espionage law will make it easier to arrest foreigners
Lawmakers in Beijing have approved a wide-ranging update to China’s anti-espionage law, expanding the definition of what is considered spying and banning the transfer of information related to national security.
The move comes amid a renewed crackdown on journalism in China and growing pressure on foreign businesses; and as Beijing’s ally Moscow prosecutes an American Wall Street Journal reporter for spying, charges he and his employer vociferously deny.
The legislation is the first time the anti-espionage law has been updated since 2014. Spying charges have long been used to go after critical journalists and to prosecute foreign citizens, often on dubious grounds.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
CMHC’s housing forecast: Canada’s housing agency is predicting that home building could plunge by 32 per cent this year, in what it calls an “alarming” situation given the dearth of affordable places to live in the country.
Suncor takes control of Fort Hills: TotalEnergies has accepted an offer to sell its carbon-heavy Canadian oil sands operations to Suncor Energy in a deal worth up to $6.1-billion, including the remaining stake in Fort Hills and a share of the Surmont project, both in northern Alberta.
PSAC strike Day 9: Ottawa is showing no signs it will end the strike of its largest public-sector union by legislating 155,000 federal civil servants back to work.
Tucker Carlson breaks silence: The former TV anchor fired by Fox News this week spoke out last night in a two-minute, campaign-style monologue posted to Twitter that didn’t address why he suddenly became unemployed.
BYOB(ag) to the LCBO: The Liquor Control Board of Ontario says it will phase out paper bags at its retail stores, 15 years after it trashed single-use plastic bags. Reusable bags will be available for purchase.
RIP Jerry Springer: The onetime mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional families willing to bare all including brawls, obscenities and blurred images of nudity has died at 79.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index closed higher today on broad-based gains led by financials, health care and metals, while U.S. markets posted strong gains as tech stocks continued to impress during earnings season.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index advanced 155.92 points or 0.77 per cent to 20,522.64.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 524.29 points or 1.57 per cent to 33,826.16., the S&P 500 gained 79.36 points or 1.96 to 4,135.35, and the Nasdaq Composite added 287.89 points or 2.43 per cent to end at 12,142.24.
The loonie traded at 73.56 U.S. cents.
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TALKING POINTS
The world is growing tired of Canada’s freeloading on defence
“The combination – an unwillingness to allocate sufficient funds to defence overall, together with massive waste of the money we do spend – is responsible for the Canadian military we have today.” - Andrew Coyne
Only in Ottawa’s world: Go on strike and still get paid
“It beggars the imagination that the federal government did not have a contingency plan to prevent its striking workers from continuing to be paid once they walked off the job.” - Globe editorial
LIVING BETTER
Toronto Maple Leafs fans are on edge ahead of tonight’s Game 5 playoff against the Tampa Bay Lightning: Can their beloved Buds break the first-round exit curse of the past 19 years? They play at home tonight at 7 p.m. EDT, leading the series 3-1. Later tonight, the Winnipeg Jets will look to stave off elimination against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Check back at GlobeSports.com for scores and highlights.
Opinion: Maple Leafs rookie Knies taking advantage of opportunity after Bunting’s blowup - Cathal Kelly
TODAY’S LONG READ
Scientist argues for review around deadly food preservative
Health Canada has tracked a concerning trend of people trying to harm themselves with a synthetic salt, and the federal department moved more than a year ago to provide guidance to hospitals on the antidote needed for those suffering poisonings.
But sodium nitrite, and its natural cousin sodium nitrate, remain classified as food additives, and there are no restrictions on their sale in Canada, where they can be bought easily by those intent on harming themselves.
The lead author of an Ontario study that discovered a spike in related suicides over 2019 and 2020 says that should change.
“If nothing else, there ought to be a formal government review,” says Tyler Hickey a forensic pathologist with the province of Ontario. In an interview Wednesday, he said the federal government needs to review whether the salts should be so accessible. Read the full story by Mike Hager and Colin Freeze
Related: Peel Police investigate Ontario man shipping substance used in suicides
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