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Moscow warned Finland on Thursday that it would face consequences as it seeks to apply for NATO membership “without delay.”
Finland’s announcement Thursday that it intends to seek membership in the Western military alliance – and the expectation that Sweden will follow – would bring about the expansion of NATO that Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to prevent.
If Finland and Sweden abandon the neutrality that they maintained throughout the Cold War, it would be one of the biggest shifts in European security in decades.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the Finns would be “warmly welcomed” and promised a “smooth and swift” accession process.
Read more:
- Russia hit with setbacks as Ukraine blasts ship in Black Sea and thwarts armored column in Donbas
- Ukrainian teen describes execution attempt by Russian soldier that killed his father
- Latvia seeks Canadian support for expanded, permanent NATO presence in Baltics
- UN to set up inquiry into possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine
- Lawrence Martin: In the face of global disorder, Trudeau’s team is timid
Reservists of the Karelia Brigade shoot with live rounds during the Etel'-Karjala 22 local defence exercise in Taipalsaari, southeastern Finland, on March 9.Lauri Heino/The Associated Press
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Gymnastics Canada says abuse allegations described in class-action suit ‘unacceptable’
Gymnastics Canada responded to a proposed class-action lawsuit launched this week by a group of past and present athletes, saying the physical, sexual and psychological abuse being alleged is unacceptable.
“The allegations we have been made aware of in the claim describe behaviour that is unacceptable in any sport environment, and we take them very seriously,” Ian Moss, chief executive officer of the sport’s national governing body, said in a statement on Thursday.
The class action, which is seeking certification, is led by Amelia Cline, a former top Canadian gymnast who left the sport in the mid-2000s and alleges her coach was abusive.
In an interview with The Globe, Cline, now 32, said that as a 14-year-old rising star, she pulled her hamstring so badly it tore off a fragment of bone. The injury happened when her coach in B.C., demanding she train harder, took hold of her leg and forced her into a dangerous stretch, ignoring her cries from the pain. Two months later, still recovering from the injury, Cline said she was forced to attempt a series of difficult flips she had not fully practised, landed on her head and was injured.
Astronomers peer into Milky Way’s core for first-ever image of ‘supermassive black hole next door’
For 90 years, astronomers have known that something powerful was lurking in the crowded heart of our galaxy. Now, at last, an international team of researchers has succeeded in producing the first direct image of the giant black hole that resides at the centre of the Milky Way.
Their achievement lays bare the most intriguing and exotic object in humanity’s corner of the universe. And it sets the stage for years of measurements to reveal the details of a black hole, which is almost four million times more massive than our sun, and the complex ways in which it interacts with and shapes its immediate environment.
“It’s the supermassive black hole next door,” said Avery Broderick, a researcher at the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Elon Musk says $44-billion Twitter deal on hold: Twitter had earlier this month estimated that false or spam accounts represented fewer than 5% of its monetizable daily active users during the first quarter, when it recorded 229 million users who were served advertising. Musk said he was awaiting confirmation of Twitter’s statement.
Gun smugglers using drone to cross Canada-U.S. border thwarted by tiny dog: Traffickers have been spiriting firearms across the border in car bumpers, gas tanks, boats, semi-truck trailers and now, apparently, drones. The Globe’s Patrick White reports on how a Yorkshire terrier named Pepper from Port Lambton, Ont., foiled traffickers trying to smuggle arms over the border using a drone.
Quebecor declares interest in buying Freedom Mobile: The Montreal-based telecommunications company is poised to begin a wireless push outside its home market of Quebec. It has two options: either buy Shaw’s Freedom Mobile or build out its own network.
- Rita Trichur: Competition Bureau’s bluster about Rogers-Shaw deal is a big gift for Quebecor
To end violence against women, Canada needs to focus on men: One dollar spent on violence prevention and intervention could save $20 in spending on services for victims and families, according to a University of Calgary study. But the majority of Canada’s intimate partner violence work remains reactive – helping victims to flee relationships once things have already turned bad.
Interest-rate trajectory to depend heavily on housing market, BoC deputy governor says: Canada’s central bank needs to keep raising rates to address runaway inflation, deputy governor Toni Gravelle said, although how high rates go will depend on how the housing market responds to rising borrowing costs.
Listen to The Decibel: The fight to end forced sterilization of Indigenous women: Métis Senator Yvonne Boyer, who worked as a nurse and a lawyer, joins the pod to discuss how her background inspired her to devote her life to ending forced sterilization procedures and why addressing it is an important part of reconciliation efforts.
MORNING MARKETS
Global markets gain: World stocks rose from the previous day’s 18-month lows and the U.S. dollar pulled back from 20-year highs on Friday, though investors remained nervous about high inflation and the impact of rising interest rates. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.46 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 gained 1.37 per cent and 1.41 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished up 2.64 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 2.68 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was trading at 76.83 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
There’s a problem with social media, but it’s not Donald Trump
“Social-media companies have long known that their platforms are used to spread conspiracies and manipulate elections and convince vast swaths of people to believe lies. Many companies have tried, with varying degrees of success, to moderate harmful content. The problem is that the harmful content is the super-deluxe manure on these very profitable farms. Or, to switch to a metaphor closer to a techie’s heart: The lies are a feature, not a bug.” - Elizabeth Renzetti
Pierre Poilievre’s vow to fire the Bank of Canada Governor is reckless
“The people who run that institution are better qualified than Mr. Poilievre to make monetary policy determinations. Yes, they can make mistakes, but their decisions are not determined by political calculations, or certainly not to the extent Mr. Poilievre’s are.” - Konrad Yakabuski
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
2022 summer movie preview: Films for every kind of audience, on every size of screen
Whether you’re a blockbuster buff or a kid at heart, The Globe has a rundown of a dozen films, including the latest antics from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor, premiering this summer movie season.
MOMENT IN TIME: May 13, 1909
The first Giro d’Italia sets out from Milan
The arrival of winner Luigi Ganna at the arena in Milan.De Agostini via Getty Images
It was before dawn when Dario Beni straddled his bicycle and sped from the square in downtown Milan with 126 other racers on this day in 1909. Fourteen hours and almost 400 kilometres later, 22-year-old Beni rolled into Bologna ahead of the rest to become the first winner of the first stage of the Giro d’Italia. The eight-stage Giro was launched by La Gazzetta dello Sport, a struggling sports publication that bet – correctly – it could boost readership by copying L’Auto, which in 1903 held the first Tour de France. The Giro crossed the country’s plains and mountains for 2,448 kilometres, beginning and ending day-long races or stages in the cities of Chieti, Naples, Rome, Florence, Genoa and Turin. Riders were given days off to recover between race days, which averaged more than 300 kilometres, almost double that of today’s Giro. The riders of the first Giro, mostly Italian and a mix of pros and amateurs, vied for a top prize of 3,000 lira. Beni was at the head of the pack again when the race returned to Milan on the final day on May 30, but lost the overall race to points leader Luigi Ganna. Eric Atkins
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