Busy day? Here are five stories popular with Globe readers to help you catch up.
New Cirque du Soleil sets sights on major expansion
Cirque du Soleil could be heading to Asia.
The private equity investors that have proposed a $1.5-billion takeover of the Montreal company are plotting a major Asian expansion once their offer receives regulatory approval, Jacquie McNish and Nicolas Van Praet report.
Cirque chief executive officer Daniel Lamarre will continue to lead the company under the new owners, TPG Capital and Fosun Capital Group.
By joining forces with Fosun, China’s largest fund manager, Jim Coulter of San Francisco-based TPG said, “we’re giving Cirque the best chance of success in that new market.”
Indeed, Lamarre said China has been a priority for a while, but the circus production company stumbled a few years ago after it was forced to shutter a show in 2012 in Macau.
The sagging Liberals need a shakeup
The federal Liberals continue to droop in the polls, falling from about 36 per cent to about 29 per cent since last fall.
The loss in support is ominous for an election year.
But despite the grim tidings, Lawrence Martin writes, the party’s inner sanctum is resisting calls for a change of strategy:
- On the economy, Justin Trudeau hasn’t done enough to distinguish his approach from a government that is vulnerable.
- On foreign policy, the inexperienced Liberal Leader could have helped his cause with trips abroad to meet foreign leaders. But they didn’t happen.
- The party`s vocabulary is stale. The Liberals lack clarity.
It`s lucky for the Liberals that Stephen Harper didn’t call an early election. He could have caught Trudeau while he was down. As it is, the wounded Liberal Leader still has half a year to recover.
Gloria Steinem, Nobel laureates to walk across Korean DMZ
A group of 30 women, including Gloria Steinem and two Nobel Peace laureates, plans to walk the most heavily guarded border on Earth next month.
The walking team will cross the tense demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, two countries still technically at war, Nathan VanderKlippe reports.
Both North and South Korea have given their approval for the May 24 walk, which organizers hope means a willingness by both governments to bring a more lasting agreement.
2015 marks 70 years since the division of the Korean peninsula and 62 years since the conclusion of an armistice that ended fighting but did not bring full peace.
Nobel laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Leymah Gbowee helped to end violence in Northern Ireland and Liberia.
Rogers blames hockey, CRTC as profit falls
Rogers Communications Inc.’s first-quarter profit took a hit.
And the Toronto-based company says it was because of lacklustre broadcast revenues from mid-season NHL games, as well as increased spending to hang on to cellphone customers in the face of an upcoming surge in expired contracts.
Rogers’ reported profit of $255-million for the first three months of the year was down 17 per cent from the same period last year, Christine Dobby reports.
Its earnings also fell short of analysts’ estimates: 53 cents a share on an adjusted basis compared with a projected average of 62 cents.
Rogers said a new policy from Canada’s telecom regulator that made it possible for cable, Internet and home phone customers to cancel with no advance notice resulted in the one-time loss of about 40,000 extra subscribers in the quarter.
While overall revenue was up 5 per cent to $3.175-billion, its three biggest divisions – cable, wireless and media – all took a hit on profits amid increased expenses and subscriber losses.
Follow the MIND diet to stave off Alzheimer’s
There’s a new diet in town. And it can significantly lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. That’s true even if you don’t follow the diet strictly, Leslie Beck writes.
Called the MIND diet, it’s a hybrid between the heart-healthy Mediterranean and blood-pressure-lowering DASH diets.
Developed by researchers from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, the MIND plan was shown to reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s by 53 per cent in people who followed it rigorously, and by 35 per cent in those who adhered to it only modestly.
The diet’s 10 “brain-healthy food groups” include:
- Green leafy vegetables
- Other vegetables
- Berries, nuts, beans
- Whole grains
- Fish, poultry, olive oil
- And wine
The brain-friendly eating plan advises to limit eating:
- Red meat
- Butter and stick margarine
- Cheese (because of its high saturated-fat content)
- Pastries and sweets
- And fried or fast food
Find a full food guide here.
Follow Kat Sieniuc on Twitter: @katsieniuc