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Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has died, hours after being shot while giving a speech in the western city of Nara on Friday. He was 67.
Police said they have arrested a 41-year-old man, Tetsuya Yamagami, for attempted murder. Photos from the scene showed Yamagami holding what appeared to be a homemade gun before he was tackled by Abe’s security staff.
Japanese media said Abe was shot twice from behind, and fell to the ground after the second shot.
He was stumping for candidates in upcoming elections to Japan’s upper house, due to take place this Sunday.
Bystanders attempted to resuscitate Abe before he was rushed to an ambulance and then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital. Doctors worked on him throughout the day but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries just after 5 p.m. local time.
A man, believed to have shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is tackled by police officers in Nara, western Japan, July 8, 2022.ASAHI SHIMBUN/Reuters
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Patrick Brown was aware company was paying for campaign work, whistleblower says
A former campaign organizer for Patrick Brown says the disqualified Conservative leadership candidate was aware that a corporation was paying her for campaign work, which is illegal under federal election laws.
Debra Jodoin, a long-time party activist, released a statement on Thursday evening saying she is the whistleblower who informed the Conservative Party that Brown had encouraged her to work for him while under the auspices of a private company, The Globe’s Robert Fife and Ian Bailey report.
“In April, 2022, I agreed to join the Patrick Brown leadership campaign at Mr. Brown’s request to assist as a regional organizer,” she said. “Mr. Brown told me that it was permissible for me to be employed by a company as a consultant, and then for that company to have me volunteer with the campaign.”
Chisholm Pothier, a spokesperson for Brown’s campaign, responded to the story with a tweet, writing that the party’s leadership committee raised the Jodoin issue with the campaign and, in response, it wrote a letter to the committee on June 30.
Pothier tweeted a section of the letter. It does not name Jodoin, but says Brown believes the matter was related to an unnamed individual who sought employment opportunities with the campaign. Because there were none available, Brown referred the individual to a friend who headed a company. The unnamed individual ended up volunteering for the campaign but the letter says Brown’s understanding was that the volunteer work was done outside the company work.
- Robyn Urback: Poor Patrick Brown is the subject of a takedown, yet again
Opinion: A moment of madness brought Boris Johnson to power, but his clownish contempt lost its appeal
Boris Johnson’s declaration that he will eventually leave office resembled the man himself, as Britons have known him for three decades: chaotic, ambiguous, improvised, full of bluster and hyperbole, at once jocular and spiteful, gracelessly unapologetic and shockingly deaf to the mood of the moment, The Globe’s Doug Saunders writes.
Like everything during his three years in office, Saunders writes, it was pitched directly at the people, with nothing but contempt for his party, his MPs or the norms and rules of electoral politics.
What happens now that Johnson has agreed to step down?
Johnson said no new policies should be announced until his replacement as Conservative leader is chosen. Caucus is set to meet within days to come up with a list of candidates. The contenders might include those who ran against him for leader in 2019, such as Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid, his former health minister, whose resignation helped set off the cascade of departures.
Read more:
- Boris Johnson’s resignation won’t affect talks on free-trade deal with Britain, Ottawa says
- What’s next for Britain’s economy as Boris Johnson resigns?
- Opinion: The U.K. Conservatives have suddenly realized: Maybe Boris Johnson isn’t so great, after all
Peak inflation? Why some prices are tumbling fast
As inflation rates hit multi-decade highs across the world, some of the biggest drivers of consumer-price growth have entered a new and welcome phase: Their prices are actually declining.
Crude oil, wheat and lumber are among several commodities that have fallen in recent weeks, reports The Globe’s Matt Lundy. Shipping rates on major trade routes are sinking from record highs. And used-car prices – which surged during the past two years – are showing early signs of tailing off.
It’s an encouraging development for central bankers as they tackle the biggest inflation threat in decades with rapid increases in interest rates. At the same time, it would be premature to say inflation is peaking, several financial analysts say, let alone that central bankers should tap the brakes on further rate hikes.
More:
- Canada to enter ‘moderate and short-lived’ recession in 2023, RBC economists warn
- Inflation boosting the cost of natural gas to consumers
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Also on our radar
Indigenous groups urge Ottawa to extend deadline for day-school settlement: With a crucial deadline approaching, a coalition of Indigenous groups is pressing Ottawa and one of Canada’s biggest law firms to reopen the federal Indian day school settlement so that eligible former students are not excluded.
Ex-Minneapolis police officer sentenced to 21 years for violating Floyd’s civil rights: A federal judge on Thursday gave Derek Chauvin a 21-year prison sentence for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, telling the former cop what he did was “simply wrong” and “offensive.”
German Chancellor to visit Canada with trade delegation: Olaf Scholz is coming to Ottawa next month to push for liquefied natural gas terminals on Canada’s East Coast and the release of a turbine that is caught up in sanctions against Russia. He’ll be accompanied by a trade delegation when he meets Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his first official visit as Germany’s leader.
Ontario considering expanding COVID-19 booster shots: The province is expected to decide by early next week whether and how to expand eligibility for fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines to people under 60 years of age amid the seventh wave.
- What COVID-19 health advice can Canadians follow for the summer surge that’s upon us?
First Nations chiefs vote for financial review of AFN: In a show of support for National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, First Nations chiefs from across Canada voted in favour of a review of the Assembly of First Nations’ financial policies, and if deemed necessary, conducting a financial audit. Archibald has repeatedly called for a forensic audit, alleging financial improprieties within the organization.
Morning markets
Global investor sentiment uncertain: European shares opened slightly lower on Friday as investors waited for key U.S. jobs data and reacted to the news of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s death and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation. Around 6:15 a.m. ET on Friday, Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.24 per cent. Germany’s DAX rose 0.24 per cent, and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.27 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei advanced 0.10 per cent, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended up 0.38 per cent. U.S. futures were lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 76.97 U.S. cents.
What everyone’s talking about
A summer of last-minute passports from a government that was too slow in spring
“Perhaps hindsight is 20/20. But the government wasn’t just slow to see the tsunami coming, but slow to react. One problem, as the backlog mounted, was that federal public-health rules kept COVID-19 capacity limits in place at passport offices, with 40 per cent of wickets closed, until May, two months after restrictions were lifted for stores in Ontario, for example. And more broadly, the federal government was slow to get a grip on reopening.” – Campbell Clark
Bank of Canada may need to reconcile with money supply to stabilize inflation
“The experience of the 1970s and early 1980s established that it just didn’t work to effectively get a read on shifting inflation pressures over the near term, nor did targeting a level of money supply have nearly the desired effect on output and prices. Inflation targeting, on the other hand, worked marvellously well for a long time. Until it didn’t.” – David Parkinson
Today’s editorial cartoon
Brian GableBrian Gable/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Stocks, bonds, GICS and more: Here’s what to know about 11 common kinds of investments
For beginners, it can be overwhelming to keep track of the many different investment options, let alone the benefits and drawbacks of each kind. Here’s a rundown of some of the most common investments.
Moment in time: July 8, 1709
Russia victorious in historic battle
The Battle of Poltava by French artist Pierre-Denis Martin.Bridgeman Images
The Battle of Poltava was the decisive contest of the Great Northern War, a 21-year clash between the dominant Western European army of the day and Russian forces. The battle played out in what is now Ukraine. The King of Sweden, Charles XII, was just 18 and Peter the Great was 27 in 1700, when the two autocratic leaders and their allies began their fight over territory. Early Swedish victories caused Charles to underestimate his enemy and embarrassed Peter into action. The czar spent years building Russia’s fleet of ships, expanding the army and adding weaponry. The result came on this day in 1709 at 4 a.m., when Swedish troops attacked the Russian fortress at Poltava. Both monarchs were present, but Charles had been shot in the foot earlier and lay on a stretcher. Miscommunication among those making decisions on his behalf hampered the Swedish cause. The battle was over by noon. Sweden had sent 19,000 men to fight and about half were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Russia engaged 42,000 men and lost fewer than 5,000. For Sweden, the loss marked the end of its era of military dominance. For Russia, the victory established its enduring reputation as a major power. Joy Yokoyama
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