Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Ukrainian troops rescue Canada-bound Afghans in daring operation
From left: Globe reporter Mark MacKinnon, longtime Globe fixer Mohammed Sharif Sharaf and former Canadian military translator Jawed Haqmal in Kyiv on Aug. 29.Evgeny Maloletka/Evgeny Maloletka
A plane carrying Afghan translators, including one who worked for The Globe and Mail and another who served the Canadian military, as well as their families, has arrived in Kyiv following a daring operation by Ukrainian soldiers stationed at Kabul airport, senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon reports from the Ukrainian capital.
The rescue of the translators was carried out early Friday morning in Kabul, a day after the last Canadian evacuation plane left Afghanistan, and hours after the deadly suicide attack at one of the gates to Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Despite the growing risks to coalition forces ahead of the scheduled withdrawal of the last U.S. forces on Aug. 31, Ukrainian troops went out into the city of Kabul on foot to escort two minibuses – carrying the Canada-bound translators and their families, 19 people in all – onto the airfield. The soldiers had photographs of the licence plates of the minibuses, and they surrounded and escorted the vehicles for the last 600 metres into the airport.
Separately, the United States has completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said today, nearly 20 years after it invaded the country following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Opinion: Canada needs to reimagine a foreign policy for a leaderless world - Lloyd Axworthy, Jean Charest, Jennifer Welsh, Jeremy Kinsman and Ben Rowswell
Analysis: Pullout from Afghanistan not the end of U.S. power, just another cycle of frustrated ambition - David Shribman
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The latest from the campaign trail: Conservatives drop Nova Scotia candidate after allegations of sexual misconduct, plus more news
The Conservative Party has removed a federal candidate from the ballot in Nova Scotia following allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies. Troy Myers agreed to step down after the allegations were made public, the party said in a statement today.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole today said he supports building the cancelled Northern Gateway oil pipeline largely because it would provide Indigenous communities in favour of the project with economic opportunities. He didn’t explain how he would get the project built, given the fierce opposition over the potential environmental impact.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pledged to spend $1-billion over a decade to protect and restore Canada’s big lakes and river systems, as he again sought to paint a stark contrast between his party’s environmental record and that of the Conservatives.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is recommitting to a crackdown on “ultrarich” tax dodgers, saying he would zero in on tax evasion and close loopholes that benefit billionaires.
Opinion:
- Does medicare actually matter at the ballot box? - André Picard
- Erin O’Toole makes subtle gains in Quebec as anybody-but-Conservative sentiment fades - Konrad Yakabuski
Explainer: Canadian federal election 2021: Latest updates and essential reading ahead of Sept. 20 vote
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
A man passes by a section of roof that was blown off of a building in the French Quarter of New Orleans by Hurricane Ida winds, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021.Eric Gay/The Associated Press
Rescue efforts in Louisiana after Ida: Hundreds of boats and helicopters set out to reach people trapped by floodwaters and utility crews mobilized today after powerful Hurricane Ida swamped the Louisiana coast and made a shambles of the electrical grid. Ida, which weakened overnight into a tropical storm, was blamed for at least one death, but the full extent of damage is still unknown. In photos: Sixteen years to the day Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana
At the Paralympics in Tokyo: Eighteen-year-old Danielle Dorris from Moncton won the silver medal in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke S7 with a personal best of 1 minute 21.91 seconds. Canada now has 12 medals in Tokyo, including five in swimming (one gold, two silver and two bronze). In action later today (Tuesday in Japan) is Calgary’s Kate O’Brien in the C4 women’s road time trial. Read her inspiring story here.
Canadians at the U.S. Open: In singles action today, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., has advanced to the second round of the tennis major with a straight-sets win over Croatia’s Ana Konjuh. It took Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime four sets to defeat Evgeny Donskoy of Russia. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is facing fifth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Check back later tonight at GlobeSports.com for the scores and highlights.
On today’s The Decibel podcast: Guest host and Globe national reporter Willow Fiddler speaks with environmentalist Clayton Thomas-Müller about the connection between fighting climate change and healing in Indigenous communities, and how his book Life in the City of Dirty Water is part of his own path to healing.
RIP Ed Asner: Ed Asner, the burly and prolific character actor who became a star in middle age as the gruff but lovable newsman Lou Grant, first in the hit comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later in the drama Lou Grant, died yesterday at 91.
MARKET WATCH
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended at fresh record highs today as investors jumped into technology stocks, taking comfort from the U.S. Federal Reserve’s dovish comments on tapering in monetary stimulus and what that might mean for the economic recovery. Canada’s main stock index dipped from Friday’s record high despite increased oil prices.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 55.96 points or 0.16 per cent to 35,399.84, the S&P 500 gained 19.45 points or 0.43 per cent to 4,528.82 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 136.39 points or 0.9 per cent to 15,265.89.
The S&P/TSX composite index dropped 49.67 points or 0.24 per cent to 20,594.97.
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LIVING BETTER
Millions of Canadians are expected to cast ballots by mail for the first time during this federal election, a pandemic-era shift that’s prompting political parties to change the way they’re campaigning. The NDP released its platform ahead of the election call, and the Conservatives dropped theirs just after the campaign started. The Liberals and Green Party, meanwhile, still haven’t revealed their full platforms. If you want to vote by mail, the deadline to apply is Tuesday, Sept. 14.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Cindy Graham’s donation of her brain to McMaster University has become an unprecedented gift to cancer research
Thomas Graham and his twin sons Dean, left, and Darwin, 8, at their Guelph, Ont. home on July 29, 2021.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
The first sign of the disaster that was about to befall the Graham family came in the form of a phone call on a school day in May, 2019. Thomas Graham’s wife, Cindy, had failed to pick up the couple’s twin boys, an out-of-character lapse for the devoted mom. He raced to the family’s home in Guelph, Ont., where he found his wife in bed, unsure of the time or where she was.
Doctors diagnosed her with glioblastoma, a lethal type of brain cancer. She lived for another 20 months, longer than most glioblastoma patients. During that time, she and her family made a decision that will ensure Graham lives on in a way that could help medical researchers develop better treatments for glioblastoma.
After her death on Feb. 24 at the age of 47, Graham’s brain and spinal cord were donated to the Sheila Singh Lab at McMaster University in Hamilton. Researchers there had already collected tissue from three of Ms. Graham’s tumours; every time surgeons cut the cancer out, it grew back.
Taken together, Graham’s donations offer Singh and her colleagues an unprecedented opportunity to create a comprehensive biologic and genetic map of glioblastoma, an early but crucial step on the road to treating the insidious tumours. Read Kelly Grant’s full story here.
Tom Graham holds a framed photograph of his wife, Cindy.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
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