Morning Update: Hong Kong kills extradition bill; What’s next for Brexit; Dorian heads toward Florida

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These are the top stories:

Hong Kong leader withdraws extradition bill that triggered protests

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Wednesday withdrew an extradition bill that triggered months of often violent protests so the Chinese-ruled city can move forward from a “highly vulnerable and dangerous” place and find solutions.

The withdrawal, a key demand of protesters, came after unrest that drove the former British colony to the edge of anarchy as the government repeatedly refused to back down – igniting pitched battles across the city of seven million, the arrests of more than 1,000 protesters, and leaving a society deeply divided.

It was not immediately clear if the bill’s withdrawal would help end the unrest. The immediate reaction appeared skeptical and the real test will be how many people take to the streets.

What’s next for Brexit? Here’s what to expect with Britain in turmoil

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is vowing to pursue a snap election after MPs dealt a major blow to his Brexit plans. This is what’s happening:

• A cross-party alliance of MPs moved Tuesday to take control of the parliamentary agenda, setting the stage for another vote today that could see MPs pass legislation that would delay Brexit until Jan. 31 unless an exit deal is approved beforehand.
• Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a deal in place, said “the people of this country will have to choose” its direction.
• The support of two-thirds of MPs is needed to call an election, but Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party wouldn’t agree until “no-deal” legislation is in place.
• The 21 Tory MPs who voted against Johnson have been effectively expelled from the party.
• The British pound jumped more than half a per cent after hitting a three-year low on Tuesday. It has lost nearly 20 per cent of its value since the 2016 referendum vote.

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After battering the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian is headed toward Florida

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At least seven people have died in the Bahamas – but the scale of Dorian’s impact is only starting to emerge. The disaster has left shelters, hospitals and public buildings underwater. The storm arrived in the region on Sunday as a Category 5 storm and lingered, causing a prolonged period of destruction.

While Dorian is now a Category 2, it has expanded in size and picked up speed. More than a million people have been ordered evacuated in Florida’s east coast.

Dorian could hit Nova Scotia with hurricane-force winds this weekend, though its eventual track could take it out to sea or as far north as southern New Brunswick.

Canadian businesses operating in the Bahamas are still assessing the scope of the damage. Emera owns as a subsidiary that acts as the sole electricity provider for one island, while RBC and CIBC have several branches. The companies are working to make contact with staff and send teams to begin recovery work.

Alberta needs drastic spending cuts to balance the budget, a provincial review says

A report commissioned by Jason Kenney’s government says lower wages for public servants, fewer doctors and the closing of hospitals and universities should all be considered in a bid to tackle a deficit expected to reach nearly $8-billion this year.

One option not on the table is tax increases; the panel wasn’t allowed to consider that possibility despite having the lowest level of revenue per capita of any province. Alberta doesn’t collect a provincial sales tax and the United Conservatives cut corporate taxes earlier this summer.

Kenney has vowed to keep health and education spending at current levels. Experts, meanwhile, are warning that strikes from public-sector unions could be in the offing if wage cuts are implemented.

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Decision on Trans Mountain appeals: The Federal Court of Appeal will announce today whether a new set of legal challenges to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion can proceed. Environmental groups and several First Nations say their concerns weren’t adequately addressed when Ottawa reapproved the project in June.

Canadian tennis star in U.S. Open quarters: Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu, 19, will battle Belgian Elise Mertens at 7 p.m. ET tonight. She’s the first Canadian to reach the quarter-finals at the U.S. Open Grand Slam tournament since 1992.

A blow to Quebec’s cannabis law: The province’s superior court has ruled that a ban against growing cannabis at home for personal use infringes upon federal jurisdiction. That means it’s now legal to grow plants at home, though the province could appeal the decision.

MORNING MARKETS

Easing political worries in Europe lift shares, pound jumps: Easing worries over political risk in Britain and Italy helped stocks rise on Wednesday with the pound bouncing from three-year lows after a parliamentary vote raised the prospect of another delay to Brexit. Tokyo’s Nikkei gained 0.1 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite 0.9 per cent. The Hang Seng, in turn, surged 3.9 per cent on reports that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam plans to withdraw the extradition bill that sparked the mass protests. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were up by between 0.9 and 1.3 per cent by about 4:45 a.m. ET. New York futures were also up. The Canadian dollar was at about 75 US cents.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

In Hong Kong, Carrie Lam just admitted what everyone knows: Beijing calls the shots

Globe editorial: “In audio made public on Sunday by Reuters, Lam said, speaking in English, that ‘if I have a choice, the first thing is to quit.’ Beijing chose her for the job, as it has past chief executives. She effectively acknowledged what has long been suspected, which is that things have reached a point where the choice of when she leaves, or how long she remains, will also be Made In China.”

In his attempt to reach young voters, Trudeau looks stodgy in front of Hasan Minhaj

Denise Balkissoon: “Congratulations to comedian Hasan Minhaj, who just released one of the most hard-hitting interviews of Justin Trudeau’s prime ministership. On Sunday’s episode of his current affairs show on Netflix, Patriot Act, Minhaj aired a recent chat he had in the PM’s office, during which he and Trudeau discussed Quebec’s Bill 21, the arms deal with Saudi Arabia and Kawhi Leonard’s departure from the Toronto Raptors.”

Bernier’s vitriol toward Greta Thunberg showcases a wider trend of contempt by political figures

John Ibbitson: “On Monday, Maxime Bernier sent out a string of tweets attacking Greta Thunberg, the student environmental activist. The leader of the new People’s Party seeks to bring to Canada a poison afflicting many democracies: the collapse of convention. That approach is working for politicians in other countries. We can only hope it fails here.”

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

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LIVING BETTER

Margaret Atwood’s new book – out next week – has made the Booker Prize short list and Giller Prize long list

The Testaments, the acclaimed Canadian author’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, is already making waves in the world of fiction ahead of its Sept. 10 release. Atwood previously won the Booker in 2000 for The Blind Assassin. She also won a Giller in 1996 for Alias Grace.

Other authors on the list for the Giller, Canada’s top fiction prize, include past winner André Alexis (for sequel-of-sorts Days of Moonlight) and first-time nominees Adam Foulds and K.D. Miller.

MOMENT IN TIME

Alexander Radishchev exiled to Siberia for landmark book on serfdom

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Sept. 4, 1790: Alexander Radishchev published a book that promoted freedom from censorship, inequality and slavery – and he was severely punished for it. But he also received a measure of mercy: Catherine the Great commuted his death sentence to exile in Siberia on Sept. 4, 1790 (based on the Julian calendar Russia used then). Radishchev’s ideals were inspired by Enlightenment writers that Catherine herself had admired early in her reign. But a few events – mainly the French Revolution – had helped her see the threat these notions posed to her own autocracy. Books that espoused them were banned. The influencer got his work past careless censors at the Department of Public Morals, possibly because A Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow sounded like a harmless travelogue. But the traveller on the titular journey exposes social injustices in every town along the way, particularly those suffered by the country’s serfs. The book is frequently described as a Russian Uncle Tom’s Cabin and, despite a lengthy ban, also changed society’s view of forced labour. But Radishchev’s call to liberty cost him his own. Catherine’s son allowed him to return to St. Petersburg after her death in 1796. Her grandson pardoned him. Her great-grandson abolished serfdom. – Joy Yokoyama

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