Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Meta announced today that it is officially moving to end access to news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada in advance of Bill C-18, the Online News Act, taking effect.
The company says the change will take place over the course of the next few weeks. Until now, Meta was running a test that limited news access for up to 5 per cent of its users.
It means that Canadians will not be able to view or share links to news articles and other content by Canadian and international publishers or broadcasters on Meta’s Facebook and Instagram social media platforms.
- The Globe explains: What is Bill C-18 and how will it affect how you get news in Canada?
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Russia and Ukraine trade attacks, accusations as major cities sustain damage
A skyscraper in central Moscow was hit by a drone attack for the second time in 48 hours, resulting in a damaged facade and no casualties. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of staging the assault, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not confirm nor deny responsibility.
The IQ-Quarter building houses multiple Russian government agencies, including the headquarters of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It’s not clear why the building was hit for a second time. The incidents have called into question the protection of the Russian capital.
In other developments, the Russian military said Ukrainian forces tried to attack two of its warships in the Black Sea, using maritime drones. Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, with Iranian-made Shahed drones, according to the area’s governor.
National Bank strikes deal to buy Silicon Valley Bank’s Canadian loan book
National Bank of Canada is the winning bidder for Silicon Valley Bank’s Canadian branch in an effort by the lender to expand its national presence in the market for banking technology startups.
The lender said today that it is acquiring SVB’s loan book in the technology, life sciences and global fund banking sectors, adding $1-billion in loan commitments, of which $325-million are outstanding.
The deal shores up National Bank’s commercial banking business outside of Quebec by growing its lending base in Ontario and Western Canada.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Residents of Osoyoos, B.C., return home: Residents of the southern British Columbia town have been returning home after the lifting of most evacuation orders on the community that had been threatened over the weekend by a wildfire that jumped the United States border. But most of the town must be ready to leave at short notice because of the Eagle Bluff fire that is still roaring nearby.
- The Editorial Board: The summer that climate heating metastasized
- From Vegemite to vanilla ice cream, Canadian cooks keeping international firefighters well fed
Myanmar junta grants partial pardon to Suu Kyi: Myanmar’s ruling military pardoned jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi on five of the 19 offences for which she was convicted but she will remain under house arrest, state media and informed sources said.
Niger crisis deepens: A French military transport plane carrying Europeans departed Niger today in the first such evacuation flight since mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president nearly a week ago and shut its borders.
Warnings on cigarettes come into effect: New regulations come into effect Tuesday in Canada requiring companies to label individual cigarettes with a health warning – a move the government describes as a global first. Here is a history of anti-smoking measures in Canada.
Booker Prize longlist includes Canadian: Montreal-born Sarah Bernstein is nominated for “Study for Obedience,” which the judges described as an “absurdist and darkly funny” novel about a woman who moves to a new place and experiences a hostile reaction from the community.
MARKET WATCH
TSX starts month on weak note as China slowdown hits sentiment
Canada’s main stock market index fell today to start the new month on a cautious note, weighed by losses for metal-mining shares as investors worried about an uncertain outlook for some major economies including China.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 93.71 points or 0.45 per cent at 20,532.93.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 71.15 points or 0.2 per cent at 35,630.68. The S&P 500 index was down 12.23 points or 0.27 per cent at 4,576.73, while the Nasdaq composite was down 62.11 points or 0.43 per cent at 14,283.91.
The Canadian dollar traded for 75.24 cents US compared with 75.89 cents US on Monday.
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TALKING POINTS
Cities need to make space for transportation alternatives
“We have almost as many motor vehicles as people, and we have given over an inordinate amount of public space to accommodate them, leaving mere scraps to everyone else.” – André Picard
The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is a disaster for everyone but Alberta
“A number of economists who have looked at the current landscape can’t imagine a scenario in which the federal government isn’t forced to write off a big chunk of debt. This would make it a multibillion-dollar subsidy of the oil industry – the same industry through which Jason Nixon insists Mr. Trudeau is trying to drive a stake.” – Gary Mason
Justin Trudeau and the left’s new hypocrisy toward the Bank of Canada is dangerous
“Unlike the right, the left’s criticism of the bank represents not simply a matter of competence but of principle – not whether the institution is good enough at what it does, but whether it should even be doing what it does.” – Karamveer Lalh
LIVING BETTER
What students should keep in mind when shopping for a laptop
August is the best time of year to buy a new laptop thanks to the many deals that pop up during the month. When buying this key student tool ahead of the start of the school year, try hunting for education discounts. Think about what you or the student in your household will be using it for and how much random access memory (RAM) and processing power the machine will need. “This is going to sound silly, but The Sims and Minecraft is a good gauge for computing power,” says student Amanda Round. A refurbished laptop may offer a good deal but experts suggest asking lots of questions before purchasing: How old is the laptop? What condition was it in when it was refurbished? Is there a refurbishment guarantee?
TODAY’S LONG READ
Honduran women risk death and imprisonment as they try to access reproductive care
At her rented home in El Progreso this Honduran woman told the story of how she was criminalized and accused of having an abortion in her late twenties.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
In 2010, when she was in her late 20s, a Honduran woman went to the hospital for abdominal pain. While there, she learned that she was having a miscarriage – though she didn’t even know she was pregnant.
The hospital staff accused her of having an abortion – illegal in Honduras – and called the police.
Over the next seven days, the young woman, who had a daughter at home, lay in a hospital bed with her hands bound.
While there are some outliers, many countries across Latin America heavily restrict access to abortion. In Honduras, abortion is illegal in all instances, including rape or incest. If a woman has an abortion, she can be charged and imprisoned for up to six years. Janice Dickson reports on women’s struggle for reproductive care in the country.
Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.