Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Justin Trudeau said Tuesday the Belarus regime’s behaviour in arresting an opposition journalist was “outrageous, illegal and completely unacceptable.”
The Prime Minister made the remarks after the “hijacking” of a Ryanair jetliner, which was flying to Lithuania from Greece on Sunday with journalist Raman Pratasevich aboard. Belarus redirected the plane as it flew over its airspace, forcing it to land and taking Mr. Pratasevich into custody.
He said the Belarus actions amounted to a “clear attack on democracy and the freedom of the press. We condemn it and call for his immediate release.”
Also Tuesday, the Belarus government said it will close its Canadian embassy on Sept. 1.
As international outrage over the incident continued to mount, airlines rerouted flights to avoid Belarus’s airspace and Belarusian planes faced a possible ban from Europe
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the forced landing of a passenger jet was “an unprecedented and unacceptable act,” while NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the incident “state hijacking.”
However, as The Globe’s Mark MacKinnon wrote Monday, the question now facing Canada and its allies is what, beyond harsh words, can be done about it, as targeted sanctions no longer appear to be effective against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko or his main backer, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
All of Quebec expected to leave highest COVID-19 alert level by June 7
Premier François Legault said Tuesday that every region in Quebec should be cleared from the province’s highest pandemic alert level by June 7. Legault added that pandemic restrictions currently in place in eight Quebec regions will be relaxed on May 31.
Montreal and its northern suburb of Laval will remain at the red alert level until at least June 7, the Premier said. Quebec’s National Director of Public Health, Dr. Horacio Arruda, said there is a “good chance” that the two regions will move to the lower restriction level on June 7, but it’s not guaranteed.
Also Tuesday, provincial Health Minister Christian Dubé said Quebec will announce a plan to move forward appointments for second vaccine doses on Thursday.
For more pandemic-related news from around the country, check in with our daily COVID-19 news file.
Related:
- Military officer faces mutiny charge after anti-vaccine speech
- Canadian scientists win Webby award for enlisting online gamers to identify COVID-19 in blood data
Opinion:
- The easing of COVID-19 public health measures can’t be a free-for-all
- It’s time to stop wiping down groceries and other COVID-19 cleaning measures that don’t reduce transmission risk
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Pope decries ‘predatory attitude’ toward planet: Francis launched an initiative on Tuesday to make Catholic institutions – ranging from families to universities to businesses –environmentally sustainable in seven years. The Laudato Si Action Platform takes its name from the Pope’s landmark 2015 encyclical on the need to protect the environment, reduce wasteful lifestyles, stem global warming and protect the poor from the effects of climate change.
Former Supreme Court Justice to release report on military justice system: An independent review from Morris Fish will be released in days, examining the military justice system including how it handles offences of a sexual nature. A spokesperson for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan confirmed that the Fish report is expected to tabled on or before June 1.
Biden to meet Putin for Geneva summit amid U.S.-Russia tension: The face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place June 16 in Geneva amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia in the first months of the Biden administration.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index set new record highs as it played catch-up after U.S. markets had a positive move during the Victoria Day holiday.
The S&P/TSX composite index climbed 36.82 points to a record close of 19,564.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 81.52 points at 34,312.46. The S&P 500 index was down 8.92 points at 4,188.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 4.00 points at 13,657.17.
The Canadian dollar traded for 82.94 cents US compared with 82.91 cents US on Friday.
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TALKING POINTS
Here’s how the cycle of status-quo violence in Gaza can be broken
“Much of the debate right now is focused on assigning blame for the latest wave of violence and suffering. A more constructive, albeit difficult, approach would be to acknowledge that both sides are right in important respects.” - Carl Bildt
Is there an 800-year-old tree in your toilet paper? The case for an old-growth-free logo
“From recycled, to GMO-free, to organic, to sustainable seafood, to fair trade, we rely on carefully monitored and verifiable labelling and accreditation logos as we make decisions about what to buy. Research is clear that Canadians want old-growth trees protected, including over 90 per cent of people living in B.C.” - Jennifer Ellen Good and Elin Kelsey
LIVING BETTER
Mmmm .... Lemon, white chocolate and cranberry scones
Globe Craft Club is heading back to the kitchen this evening for the 10th livestream class in the series. At 7 p.m. ET, host Jana G. Pruden will learn to bake lemon, white chocolate and cranberry scones from Raufikat Oyawoye-Salami, winner of season 4 of The Great Canadian Baking Show. Watch the free livestream on Facebook or at tgam.ca/craftclub, where you’ll find a list of ingredients and links to all our previous classes, and join our Facebook group for the latest updates.
A wheelchair ramp becomes a showpiece and a statement at Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation
Ramp/stairs project at Centre for Social Innovation, 192 Spadina Ave., Toronto.Arnaud Marthouret/Arnaud Marthouret/Revelateur
When a renovation project blends in so well with a building, a first-time visitor might not blink an eye.
At Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation – part incubator, part lab, part co-working space, part tenanted office building, and all in for reshaping the world to become a better place – one such project exists.
At 192 Spadina Ave., how people enter and first experience the six-storey, 1920 brick-and-beam beauty has been radically changed.
Read Dave LeBlanc’s back story on this innovative retrofit.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Canadian professor says he has determined a 1575 book of Horace once belonged to William Shakespeare
It’s considered the Holy Grail of literature – the search for any book that belonged to William Shakespeare.
Now, Canadian professor Robert Weir believes he has made a momentous discovery, having spent more than four years researching the provenance of a 16th-century book of works in Latin by the Roman poet Horace. Using a method of reverse-referencing, followed by years of research, Weir feels confident that it belonged to and was marked up by the Bard. And he’s ready to make his findings public.
“Arguably, we’re talking about the most valuable book in the world,” Weir told The Globe and Mail.
Read Marsha Lederman’s story of the mystery here.
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