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The University of Toronto has given student protesters a 24-hour deadline to consider an offer that’s conditional on the end of their pro-Palestinian encampment, which has been in place since May 2, and commitment to avoiding disrupting convocation ceremonies.
U of T president Meric Gertler’s offer would allow student representatives to present their divestment demand to the business board of the university’s governing council on June 19. The university said it would expedite a review of the divestment request, which would still have to clear several hurdles in the university’s governance structure.
The university has also offered to create an expert working group that would consider options for greater transparency in university investments. It rejected the student demand to cut ties with Israeli universities, saying it would be at odds with its commitment to academic freedom and the furtherance of understanding through dialogue. It did offer to expand opportunities for Palestinian scholars.
Read more:
- Israeli army recovers bodies of three hostages killed in Oct. 7 raid
- Antisemitism envoy tells MPs foreign conflicts need not lead to Canadians fighting one another
- Group of graduates walk out of Harvard commencement chanting ‘Free, free Palestine’
University of Toronto President Meric Gertler speaks to media during an announcement at UofT in Toronto, on May 23, 2024.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Taiwan defiant as China stages ‘punishment’ military drills around island
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army launched joint army, naval, air force and rocket drills Thursday in the waters surrounding Taiwan, and Taiwan responded by deploying air, land and sea forces to defend the island. The large-scale military drills were staged just days after the inauguration of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. It’s the largest such exercises since Mr. Lai was elected in January, winning a record third consecutive term for his Democratic Progressive Party, which rejects unification with China.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te poses for pictures along with military personnel during his visit to a military camp in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on May 23, 2024.Ann Wang/Reuters
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The difficult task of identifying Ukraine’s missing soldiers
More than 30,000 Ukrainians have been reported missing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, many of them soldiers. They went off to fight, and their loved ones are left wondering what happened to them. It’s possible they’re being held captive by Russian troops. They may have been killed.
The process of finding someone who has gone missing since joining the military is emotionally taxing and often provides few answers. Relatives call morgues, describing their loved ones and asking if they’ve shown up. They provide DNA samples to labs in the event a loved one’s body is returned. And they scour Russian social-media channels, combing through images of dead Ukrainian soldiers.
Read more:
- Putin wants Ukraine ceasefire on current frontlines, sources say
- Thirteen Ukrainian children returned home from Russia, occupied territories
- Russian missiles kill seven in Kharkiv, where Moscow’s troops are pressing
Viktoriia Burzhynska with her two-year-old son Myroslav, who has never seen his father, missing during hostilities in March of 2022. in her parents home in Dnipropetrovsk region, on March 20, 2024.Olga Ivashchenko/The Globe and Mail
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Also on our radar
WNBA commissioner, Canadian celebrities welcome expansion Toronto franchise to the league: The announcement generated widespread intrigue from the city and drew an enormous crowd including celebrities, basketball stars, sports businesspeople, media and politicians. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were there, as were Masai Ujiri, Scottie Barnes and Kyle Lowry. Rapper and basketball fan Drake was there, too.
Gildan board resigns: The board of Gildan Activewear Inc. resigned on Thursday evening, paving the way for former chief executive Glenn Chamandy to retake the helm of one of country’s largest clothing manufacturers with backing from activist fund manager Browning West.
Critics of Canada’s HIV laws say it’s time to reset a punitive code: AIDS is not the death sentence it once was, but Canada still has strict punishments for people who don’t disclose their HIV status to sexual partners. Critics say that’s unfair and out of step with the rest of the world.
Japan’s Sumitomo teams up with Reconciliation Energy Transition for Alberta carbon project: Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp. has joined a Calgary-based company that is pushing for Indigenous participation in energy transition projects for a proposal to build a carbon transport network in southern Alberta.
TD eases plans for U.S. branch expansion amid anti-money-laundering probe: Toronto-Dominion Bank is adjusting its growth strategy in the United States, easing back on its plan to accelerate branch openings as the lender assesses the extent of the blow from the U.S. probe into its anti-money-laundering procedures.
Tanker departs B.C. after becoming first to load oil from TMX pipeline system: An Aframax tanker is heading its way to China from British Columbia after becoming the first vessel to load heavy oil from the newly expanded Trans Mountain pipeline system.
Flaunting China’s divorce restrictions, one woman celebrated the end of her marriage in style: Qian Jin never had a wedding ceremony. When she and her husband got married in 2019, they just signed papers. No vows, no dress, no party. After she posted about her marriage dissolving earlier this year, Feng Xiaogang, an influencer with more than 1.6 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, reached out and offered to throw Ms. Qian a “divorce party,” inviting his fans to join them in central Beijing.
Which company did the U.S. Justice Department accuse this week of running an illegal monopoly?
a) Live Nation Entertainment
b) Spotify
c) The New York Stock Exchange
d) Apple
Morning markets
Global stocks slipped after robust U.S. and German economic data bolstered prospects of interest rates staying higher for longer on both sides of the Atlantic.
MSCI’s global share index fell 0.2 per cent, while Europe’s Stoxx 600 share index was 0.7 per cent lower in early trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.39 per cent, Germany’s DAX fell 0.45 per cent and France’s CAC 40 gave back 0.28 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed down 1.17 per cent at 38,646.11, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 1.38 per cent to 18,608.94.
The Canadian dollar traded at 72.86 U.S. cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Insulting a rival politician’s appearance is a low blow
“One could hardly believe their ears when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, generally a fine debater – smart, articulate, knowledgeable, passionate, informatively fierce – went after Pierre Poilievre’s grooming habits in the House of Commons this week.” – Marsha Lederman
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Meet Heidi Caillier, the interior designer who just says no to white walls
Less than a decade into Heidi Caillier’s design career, clients across North America are asking for a “Heidi House.” Her rooms are the kind you want to curl up in. With her love of wallpaper, unexpected modern-traditional pairings and palette of smokey pastels and earth tones, Caillier has created a signature style that’s somehow both fresh and timeless. In the foreword to Caillier’s book, designer Amber Lewis, founder of the popular online shop Amber Interiors, writes that every time she sees one of Caillier’s projects, she wonders: “Is this new? Or has it been there forever?”
Moment in time: May 24, 1918
Three Canadian nurses cast their votes while serving overseas during the First World War at the Canadian Hospital in Orpington, England, 1917.Supplied
Women are granted the right to vote in federal elections
Canadian suffragists achieved a major victory when the Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women received royal assent on this day in 1918. The legislation gave many women the right to vote in a federal election for the first time. The fight for that right had not been easy, and suffragists had not always had a unified voice. Some even fought against allowing non-white women to vote. However, advocates such as Black abolitionist Mary Ann Shadd helped propel the movement forward for all women. She was the editor of The Provincial Freeman, an anti-slavery newspaper that also regularly addressed women’s rights. In 1917, the Wartime Elections Act had granted voting rights to women serving in the Great War and female relatives of soldiers. Even though that legislation was repealed after the war, it had a role in helping to bring down the gender voting barrier. While women 21 and older were able to vote by 1918, the act still excluded Indigenous women and men who did not want to relinquish their treaty rights or their status, as defined by the Indian Act. Claire McFarlane.
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