Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Ukraine acknowledged on Friday it was taking heavy losses in Russia’s assault in the east, but said Russia’s losses were even worse, as U.S. President Joe Biden called on Congress to send as much as US$33-billion to help Kyiv withstand the attack.
The body of a journalist from U.S.-backed broadcaster Radio Liberty was found in rubble in the Ukrainian capital, killed in a missile strike that Russia said had targeted a rocket factory. The strike in central Kyiv coincided with a visit to the city by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
One of the fighters holed up in the steel works in devastated Mariupol, a major target of Russia’s invasion, told Reuters he hoped civilians blocked there for weeks would be evacuated after multiple failed attempts.
Ukraine arrests pro-Russians in Kharkiv
Although President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has broad support, even among many Russian speakers, not all Ukrainians oppose the invasion. Nearly 400 people in the Kharkiv region alone have been detained under anti-collaboration laws enacted quickly by Ukraine’s parliament and signed by Zelensky after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.
Offenders face up to 15 years in prison for collaborating with Russian forces, making public denials about Russian aggression or supporting Moscow. Anyone whose actions result in deaths could face life in prison.
Local residents are seen outside an apartment building damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 28, 2022.ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/Reuters
The ‘Rolling Thunder’ motorcycle convoy is heading to Ottawa. Who are they, and how is the city responding?
Hundreds of motorcycles are expected to roll into the nation’s capital this weekend for what the organizers say will be a peaceful celebration of freedom. The event – called Rolling Thunder Ottawa – has raised concerns about a possible repeat of the trucker convoy protest that paralyzed the city for weeks earlier this year.
What is the purpose of Rolling Thunder? What groups are involved in the rally? Globe and Mail reporters Kristy Kirkup and Michelle Carbert report on what you need to know about the hundreds of motorcycles expected to roll into Ottawa this weekend.
A test in rebuilding community trust
Ottawa’s mayor and interim police chief say a key aim of the city’s planning for a massive motorcycle rally in the capital this weekend is to regain the trust of downtown residents who were traumatized by the trucker convoy protest earlier this year.
Interim Police Chief Steve Bell told reporters the Rolling Thunder rally, which he said could involve up to 400 motorcycles, will be required on Saturday to stay on a predetermined route that starts east of downtown Ottawa and makes its way into the core. Speaking at city hall Thursday morning, Chief Bell said a heavy police presence, backed up by tow trucks and physical barriers, will be in place along the route. The police have been in contact with rally organizers, but the Chief did not say if demonstrators have agreed to stay on the route.
A person walks along Sparks St. in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 29, 2022.Spencer Colby/The Globe and Mail
Moderna seeks Health Canada approval of COVID-19 vaccine for youngest children, announces new Montreal facility
Moderna, Inc. is officially asking Health Canada to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old, making the company the first to seek Canadian approval to inoculate babies, toddlers and preschoolers against the pandemic virus.
Moderna Canada confirmed to The Globe and Mail Friday morning that it had submitted its application to the Canadian regulator Thursday night, not long after it filed for approval in the United States.
Many Canadian parents have been waiting eagerly to find out when the shot will be available to the youngest children. Right now, Health Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, for children as young as five, and Moderna’s shot, SpikeVax, for children as young as six.
A woman holds her son during an appointment for a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial in Commack, New York, on Nov. 30, 2021.EMMA H. TOBIN/The Associated Press
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Canadian Jeopardy! champ Mattea Roach continues streak, has shot at new milestone: “Jeopardy!” phenom Mattea Roach stands to reach a new milestone if she wins another game airing tonight. The show will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on select television channels, but check your local listings for varying air times in other cities across Canada. Roach, 23, who lives in Toronto and spent part of her childhood in Halifax, extended her remarkable run last night with her 18th victory on the TV quiz show, earning her the eighth-longest winning streak in the program’s history. As of Thursday’s game, Roach had won a total of US$438,183.
Ex-Afghan translator and his family live in limbo while Ottawa reneges on its promise: In eight months, Jawed Haqmal has gone from one temporary refuge to another, first in Ukraine, then Poland, now Germany. He says Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada needs to keep its word to take him to safety.
Canadians are piling on credit card debt again: Early in the pandemic, many Canadians got their financial house in order, paying off credit cards and other high-interest debt. Now, the tide is shifting. Households held about $80-billion in credit card liabilities with chartered banks in February, an increase of 8.9 per cent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada.
The shocking self-immolation of a climate activist reveals the dark reality of ‘climate anxiety’: The act of self-immolation by Wynn Bruce in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Earth Day comes after years of warning from psychologists that climate change is upending not just the physical Earth, but the mental well-being of its inhabitants.
Old assets, safety issues: Why a hedge fund is focusing on Suncor: Activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management LP has several goals, including ousting several directors, exploring a sale of Suncor’s Petro-Canada gas station chain, implementing an executive leadership review, overhauling the company’s operational and safety culture, and enhancing capital returns.
MARKET WATCH
Weak results from Amazon soured sentiment as North American stock markets fell to wrap up a dismal April with the Canada’s main index posting its fifth consecutive month of declines.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 359.06 points or 1.7 per cent to 20,762.00.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 939.18 points at 32,977.21. The S&P 500 index was down 155.57 points at 4,131.93, while the Nasdaq composite was down 536.89 points or 4.2 per cent at 12,334.64.
The Canadian dollar traded for 78.17 cents US compared with 77.95 cents US on Thursday.
The June crude contract was down 67 cents at US$104.69 per barrel and the June natural gas contract was up 35.6 cents at US$7.24 per mmBTU.
The June gold contract was up US$20.40 at US$1,911.70 an ounce and the July copper contract was down 2.5 cents at US$4.41 a pound.
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TALKING POINTS
Canada has finally scrapped its homophobic ban on blood donations from gay men
“It’s about a generation too late, but Canada has finally gotten around to scrapping the shamefully homophobic ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men.” – André Picard
Freshii’s outsourcing of jobs isn’t new. We just don’t like being forced to see it happen
“Canadians seem to tolerate bringing in temporary foreign workers to work in our agricultural sector each year, even though the process theoretically takes jobs away from Canadians (in reality, Canadians don’t want those jobs) and many workers are forced to live in cramped, unsanitary conditions. But we don’t see the faces of those workers when we go to the grocery store. Nor do we see the employees earning a pittance by our standards when we call our Internet providers to complain about our bills.” – Robyn Urback
Single-game sports gambling is a risky bet for Canadians
“There’s a new way to gamble that has already changing the way fans are experiencing games, and could have a widespread impact on society in the years to come.” – Declan Hill
My fight for justice in Iran has cost me dearly, but it will be worth it
“In the year before my arrest, I filed a complaint with the judiciary, together with 85 civil and political activists and former inmates, regarding solitary confinement, which is illegal in Iran. Our purpose was to make aware the public and pressure the government to cease the practice. They reincarcerated me in solitary confinement, demonstrating that even the Islamic Republic’s laws are useless when the authorities’ desire to oppress the people is at stake.” – Narges Mohammadi
We must not allow stateless people to be made outsiders
“As a child, I didn’t really understand the term “stateless.” At first, I thought my father meant he wasn’t given a birth certificate. This is a frequent occurrence for stateless people – the lack of documentation that registers their birth, name and legal standing. But it is more than the lack of the piece of paper that my father was referring to. It was how one could be made invisible, disposable and foreign in a country one considers their home.” – Jamie Chai Yun Liew
LIVING BETTER
How much do warm-ups and cool-downs matter to a workout?
Milling around before the start of last month’s Under Armour Spring Run-Off 8K with a few thousand other runners, Alex Hutchinson couldn’t help noticing all the different prerace rituals on display: jogging, sprinting, hopping, skipping and so on. The scene was a little different – more dynamic – compared to what he remembers from his first road races two decades ago, when toe-touching and other sedate stretching poses were all the rage.
We’ve all been told that warm-ups and cool-downs are the crucial bookends to every workout – but ideas about what constitutes a “good” warm-up or cool-down have shifted over the years. Here’s a look at what the latest science says about how to start and finish your exercise sessions.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Is the metaverse the future of the Internet? A Globe journalist steps inside to find out
Reporter Joe Castaldo steps into the Metaverse with his new Occulus headset and describes his encounters in this infant stage new world, Feb 13, 2022.Sahar Rana/The Globe and Mail
Some analysts say we will spend much more time in the metaverse in the years ahead. But what’s the appeal? The Globe’s Joe Castaldo suits up and gets lost in the Decentraland and Horizon Worlds platforms.
Evening Update is written by Emerald Bensadoun. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.