Good morning,
These are the top stories:
Canada’s military wants Ottawa to ban Huawei from 5G
Chief of Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance and other military leaders have told senior levels of government that the Chinese tech giant poses a threat to national security, a Canadian official told The Globe.
Why are they opposed? A key reason for the military’s Huawei position is likely due to concerns about relations with the U.S., one expert says. That’s because Washington has threatened to cut off Five Eyes allies from intelligence-sharing if they don’t take a stand on Huawei.
The looming federal decision: Ottawa is weighing options that include an outright ban on Huawei from supplying 5G equipment, tougher checks on its wireless systems, or the status quo. Canada’s intelligence agencies are at odds over a Huawei ban.
Concerns about a halfway solution: Britain has announced measures that limit Huawei’s contributions to non-core parts of its 5G network. But a top expert in Australia, which imposed a Huawei ban, said “a potential threat anywhere in the network will be a threat to the whole network.”
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Canadian evacuations from Wuhan continue as the coronavirus death toll rises
Another group of Canadians will arrive at Canadian Forces Base Trenton tomorrow, joining the 215 adults and children living in quarantine at Yukon Lodge. Those housed at the Ontario air base are passing the time with video chats and walks in small parking-lot spaces. The quarantine period is 14 days.
Here’s a look at the latest on the deadly virus outbreak:
- China raised its death toll to 908, with 97 dying on Sunday – the largest single-day total since the outbreak was detected in December. More people have now died from this virus than SARS.
- Even as China called workers back to factories and offices today, correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe found little evidence of a return to normalcy in the economic powerhouse of Chongqing.
- The economic shutdown in China can be seen from Beijing to the Yangtze, the world’s busiest river, which has seen its usual flow of commercial ships turn quiet.
Parasite made Oscar history with four wins, including best picture
Director Bong Joon-ho, left, and actor Song Kang-ho celebrate before going on stage to accept the award for best picture for Parasite. (Chris Pizzello/AP)Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press
Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean thriller became the first foreign-language feature to win the Oscar for best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards. Parasite also took home awards for best director, best original screenplay and best international film.
In a perfect four-star review, Globe film editor Barry Hertz described Parasite as a “furious indictment of class struggle” and praised Bong for his “genre-hopping triumph.”
Lauding Parasite is a good step, writes Johanna Schneller, “but where are the nominations for its actors? And will Hollywood hire them to be in anything else?” Without those next steps, the “tug of war between Hollywood’s woke intentions and its retro behaviour” will continue.
Other Oscar big winners included Joaquin Phoenix as best actor for Joker and Renee Zellweger in the best actress category for her depiction of Judy Garland in Judy.
The University of Guelph says an ex-coach’s alleged conduct is ‘shocking and disturbing’
The school has issued an apology after The Globe reported that former star track-and-field coach Dave Scott-Thomas allegedly groomed a young athlete for sex.
Megan Brown recalled her experiences, which began at the age of 17 in 2002. The University of Guelph was told of the relationship in 2006, but continued to employ the coach after a brief suspension.
The Globe also spoke with other former student athletes who described an increasingly toxic environment under Scott-Thomas, who was dismissed by the University of Guelph this past December.
The school and Athletics Canada are now facing criticism for their handling of the allegations.
RCMP arrests have prompted Coastal GasLink protests across Canada
The police force arrested 21 people in northern B.C. as of yesterday afternoon as it enforced a court injunction meant to allow Coastal GasLink to resume construction of its pipeline project.
The action came as highways, ports and rail lines countrywide were blocked by those supporting Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chiefs who oppose the project that runs through unceded territory.
Here’s a glimpse at other climate news
- Insufficient funds, overlapping jurisdictions and gaps in knowledge are hampering climate planning efforts on B.C.’s coast, which is expected to see an increase in extreme sea-level events.
- Alberta and Ottawa are telling different stories when it comes to the province’s oil-sands emissions. Premier Jason Kenney said emissions will be 67 or 68 megatonnes this year, while a federal report has estimated 87 megatonnes.
- A proposal to build an iron plant in New Brunswick, which would lead to a spike in emissions, has sparked vigorous debate in the province. Our editorial board takes a closer look.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
New research on screen time and teen health: Smartphones and social media are likely contributing to a rise in self-harm and mental distress among youth, according to a paper by Toronto researchers.
OPP investigating ex-Paramount Group officials: The alleged offences against three men include defrauding investors “of money in excess of the sum of $50-million.” Before it was forced into receivership, Paramount offered investments in pooled mortgage funds.
Ireland’s nationalist party scores historic breakthrough: Sinn Fein is set to win about 36 seats, upending the longstanding dominance of two centre-right parties.
MORNING MARKETS
Virus uncertainty weighs on global shares, U.S. dollar takes breather: Global shares fell on Monday as the death toll from a coronavirus outbreak exceeded the SARS epidemic of two decades ago, though Chinese shares rose as authorities lifted some work and travel curbs, helping businesses to resume operations. In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.32 per cent at 6 a.m. ET. Germany’s DAX fell 0.29 per cent and France’s CAC 40 lost 0.25 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei ended down 0.60 per cent. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.51 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.59 per cent. New York futures were little changed. The Canadian dollar was trading at 75.22 US cents.
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WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
To be on the right side of history, the IOC must rule out sex testing at the Tokyo Olympics
Bruce Kidd: “Throughout its long, tragic history, the sex test has been used to denigrate, exclude, and in a few documented cases, coerce healthy athletes from the Global South into completely unnecessary and crippling surgeries because they did not conform to the European ideal body type.” Bruce Kidd competed in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. He is a professor of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto.
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
(David Parkins/The Globe and Mail)David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Add this plant compound to your diet to help keep your brain healthy
A new study suggests that certain plant compounds called flavonols – plentiful in leafy greens and also black and green tea – help keep you cognitively intact. Leslie Beck explains.
MOMENT IN TIME
For more than 100 years, photographers have preserved an extraordinary collection of 20th-century news photography for The Globe and Mail. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re looking at love.
Valentine’s Day, 1963
(John Boyd/The Globe and Mail)John Boyd/The Globe and Mail
There are few simpler or more heartfelt ways of exchanging greetings every Feb. 14 than a homemade Valentine’s card with a simple message. Be my Valentine? Lots of love? Roses are red, violets are blue, any expression of emotion will do. Above, Globe photographer John Boyd captures young Tena Poole, a pupil at Toronto’s Gulfstream Road Public School in 1963, as she creates a Valentine card in preparation for her class’s party later that day. A labour of love? Valentine’s greetings can be traced to 15th-century France, but got their impetus in Britain in the early 19th century. The romantic cards featured flowers, cupids and elaborate sentiments between friends. Love at first sight? Hearts, the ubiquitous symbol of today, did not become common until late in the Victorian era. By 1916, when Hallmark began to mass produce Valentine cards, love was in the air and in the mail. – Philip King
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