Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military earlier this year, was aboard a plane that crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency.
The crash immediately raised suspicions since the fate of the founder of the Wagner private military company has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted the mutiny. The crash also comes after Russian media reported that a top general linked to Prigozhin was dismissed from his position as commander of the air force.
A plane carrying three pilots and seven passengers that was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg went down almost 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, according to officials cited by Russia’s state news agency Tass.
Russia’s civilian aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, quickly reported that he was on the manifest and later said that, according to the airline, he was indeed on board.
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RCMP reviewing potential ‘irregularities’ in Greenbelt development after referral from OPP
The RCMP is reviewing potential “irregularities” in Ontario’s Greenbelt development after the Ontario Provincial Police referred the matter to the national force citing potential conflict of interest. The RCMP confirmed today that it received a referral from the OPP.
The police force later clarified it has not launched a full investigation, but rather is beginning an evaluation of the information. “After we have conducted a full assessment, we will determine whether to launch an investigation,” said RCMP’s ‘O’ Division spokeswoman Corporal Christy Veenstra.
The development comes a day after the chief of staff to Ontario’s Housing Minister resigned, almost two weeks after a report from the province’s Auditor-General concluded that a government decision to open parts of the Greenbelt to housing construction favoured a handful of developers and delivered them a potential $8-billion windfall.
Read more:
- Ontario Housing Minister’s chief of staff resigns after critical report on Greenbelt land deals
- Ford’s Greenbelt removals ‘favoured’ certain developers, Ontario’s Auditor-General says
- Find more updates and coverage on The Globe’s Ontario Greenbelt page
India celebrates ‘victory cry’ as Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft lands on the moon
An Indian spacecraft landed on the rugged, unexplored south pole of the moon on Wednesday in a mission seen as crucial to lunar exploration and India’s standing as a space power.
“This moment is unforgettable. It is phenomenal. This is a victory cry of a new India,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who waved the Indian flag as he watched the landing from South Africa where he is attending a BRICS summit, a group that joins Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
This was India’s second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon and comes less than a week after Russia’s Luna-25 mission failed.
Children cheer for the successful landing of India’s moon craft at a school near the airport in Mumbai, India, on Aug. 22.Rajanish Kakade/The Associated Press
Trudeau ends cabinet retreat with no timeline for revamped housing policy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ended his three-day cabinet retreat Wednesday acknowledging that Canada is facing a housing crisis but provided no timeline for a revamped federal plan to tackle the rising prices pushing Canadians to the brink.
At a news conference in Charlottetown on the last day of his government’s gathering, Trudeau said the government is looking at a variety of options and said provinces, cities, and the private and public sectors will have to play a role in addressing the housing crisis.
Both Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Housing Minister Sean Fraser said this week that the government will strongly consider putting a cap on the number of international students Canada accepts because the dramatic increase in their numbers is being linked to rising rents in cities with colleges and universities.
Read more:
- Konrad Yakabuski: Capping foreign student visas isn’t as simple as it sounds
- Listen to The Decibel: The problem with building more housing
- Campbell Clark: The Liberal housing plan is overdue
- Quebec rejects cap on student visas floated by Ottawa to address housing crisis
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Wildfires: Heavy rain across British Columbia’s fire-ravaged Interior, predicted to be up to 80 millimetres, is expected to bring some relief for fire crews. Yellowknife’s mayor says it’s not safe for residents to go home to the territory’s capital, but notes city officials are working on a return plan as a fire continues to burn about 15 kilometres away.
Bell to end TIFF sponsorship: The telecom giant is expected to end its lead sponsorship of the Toronto International Film Festival after this year’s edition, which could create even more financial uncertainty for the festival.
Jordan Peterson: An Ontario court ruled against the controversial psychologist, upholding a regulatory body’s order that he undergo social media training after several complaints about his online statements.
U.S. presidential nomination debate: Donald Trump will not be on stage when his Republican rivals debate for the first time tonight, but the front-runner hopes to distract from the event with a pre-recorded interview aired online.
Anesthesiologist shortage: The nationwide shortage is forcing patients to wait longer for surgeries and putting hospitals in the increasingly difficult position of prioritizing cases, a problem that medical leaders say is getting worse.
Rogers launches 5G service on TTC: The telecom company launched the service on the “busiest sections” of Toronto’s subway system amid a dispute with rival telecoms that have been seeking access to the Rogers-owned network.
BRICS: Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa held closed-door discussions on the possible expansion of their economic bloc, a move they’ve framed as a way to amplify the voice of developing nations, but which also serves the geopolitical interests of Beijing and Moscow.
- Bessma Momani: BRICS’ growing momentum is a direct challenge to the U.S.-led economic order
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MARKET WATCH
Stocks rally as easing bond yields provide relief: Toronto stocks rose on Wednesday, led by gains in materials and technology shares, while investors assessed Canadian retail sales data for more clues on the Bank of Canada’s interest rate path. U.S. markets also rallied, finding relief in a drop in bond yields after several days of them climbing to multi-year peaks. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note eased from near 16-year highs after weak business activity data from the United States and the euro zone. Canadian bond yields also declined, with the five-year yield falling about 12 basis points to 4.06%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 184.15 points or 0.54 per cent to 34,472.98, the S&P 500 rose 48.46 points or 1.1 per cent to 4,436.01, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 215.16 points or 1.59 per cent to 13,721.03. The S&P/TSX Composite index rose 188.58 points or 0.96 per cent to 19,879.79. The Canadian dollar traded at 73.91 US cents.
TALKING POINTS
There’s no quit in Trudeau. With an election loss, he could still be Liberal Leader
“While there’s much speculation that Trudeau is headed for defeat and the exit gate, who’s to say that even if defeat does come, he will walk away? If what happened with his father is indicative, Justin Trudeau could lose the next election and remain as Liberal Leader.” - Lawrence Martin
The biggest losers of a Zuckerberg-Musk cage fight? The rest of us
“Sure, it might be entertaining to watch the culmination of a personal rivalry between billionaires … But what the two tech titans are proposing feels like untethered machismo and immature bravado – and we should be sick of tolerating it.” - David Silverberg
Canada’s climate adaptation plans were built for a world that no longer exists
“The events of the past three years – and more acutely, the past three weeks – have shattered the logic on which Canada has based its approach to climate resilience.” - Elliott Cappell
LIVING BETTER
Nine (mostly) red wines to enjoy at end-of-summer barbecues
Summer’s end is fast approaching, bringing with it parties and gatherings in the coming days and weeks. Wine critic Christopher Waters has a list of soothing and satisfying wines to toast what’s left of the sunnier days.
TODAY’S LONG READ
In Panama City, Hotel La Compañia honours its history with a delightful sense of fun
The rooftop pool at Hotel La Compañia, Casco Antiguo in Panama City provides views of both the courtyard below and a vista of the city beyond. The clash of old and new in Panama's district of Casco Antiguo makes it a natural home for Hyatt’s Hotel La Compañia.Supplied
With apologies to my teachers in high school, history class was never my thing. The lessons felt too obscure, too far away. But a recent trip to Panama City’s lively ancient quarter has me rethinking things. The district of Casco Antiguo, a few kilometres from the city’s core, was the country’s original capital before it was legendarily burned and looted in an attack led by Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan in the 1600s. Could history actually be … fascinating?
Today, this charming neighbourhood feels like a restoration project in action – a living, breathing piece of the past on its way to the future. Crumbling plazas and ancient churches stand cheek by jowl with bustling new restaurants and upscale coffee joints. This eclectic clash of old and new makes it a natural home for Hyatt’s Hotel La Compañia, the first of the brand’s Unbound collection of boutique hotels to land in Central America. Like the area itself, the hotel building is steeped in such a storied history that UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site.
Read the full story by Lara Pingue.
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