Busy morning? Here are five stories that will help you catch up on what's going on in the world right now.
Canada had weak first four months but not in a recession, economists say
Canada isn’t in a recession – at least not yet. That’s the conclusion of the country’s unofficial arbiter of recessions, the C.D. Howe Institute’s Business Cycle Council, made up of 12 prominent economists, Barrie McKenna reports.
After meeting last week, the council determined that “data did not provide evidence that Canada had entered an economic downturn,” according to a statement being released Tuesday by the C.D. Howe Institute, an independent think tank based in Toronto.
Supporters of Toronto Olympic bid face tight deadline
The triumph of the Pan Am Games – a record medal haul for Canada, better-than-expected ticket sales, great sports venues, fabulous weather and not-so-much gridlock – has provided the impetus for renewed talk of Toronto trying to land the biggest sporting event in the world, Jane Taber, Oliver Moore and Oliver Sachgau report.
But the timelines are tight. Toronto Mayor John Tory must submit a letter of interest to the International Olympic Committee by Sept. 15, as must the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Major rebel offensive in Syria targets area vital to Assad
Insurgents have launched a big offensive on government-held areas in northwestern Syria in a bid to advance towards a coastal region vital to President Bashar al-Assad’s control of western Syria, Reuters reports.
The insurgents are seeking to drive into the Sahl al-Ghab plain, an area crucial to the defence of the coastal mountains that are the heartland for Assad’s Alawite sect, a monitoring group and activists said.
Hackers target Canadian government website
There’s been another hacking incident involving a Canadian government website, The Canadian Press reports.
This time hackers broke into the network of the tribunal that adjudicates disputes between public servants and the federal government. It’s not known how long the hackers were in the system, or what – if anything – they took during the breach, which was discovered last Thursday.
Blue Jays snag elite shortstop in trade with Colorado
Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos pulled off a blockbuster trade in trading for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies for Jose Reyes.
In acquiring Tulowitzki, the Blue Jays have snagged the best shortstop of the last decade, an elite, game-changing player in his prime, Cathal Kelly writes.