Morning Update: B.C. relieved that Ottawa bans flights from India, Pakistan as province reports ‘double variant’ cases

Good morning,

Ottawa is suspending all commercial and private passenger flights arriving from India and Pakistan for the next 30 days.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said only 1.8 per cent of travellers are found to be positive with COVID-19. However, more than 50 per cent of all positive tests conducted at the border are from India, she added. A similarly high number of cases compared to travel rates have been linked to Pakistan.

British Columbia expressed relief after the suspension, noting the province has already identified 40 cases of B.1.617, the “double variant” that was first detected in India. A separate travel ban will come into force in the province today.

Also: Doug Ford apologizes for some missteps, pledges paid sick leave for Ontario workers affected by COVID-19. However, some are still frustrated and feel that Ford’s apology means nothing.

What’s a vaccine hangover? And why are some people experiencing it with AstraZeneca’s vaccine?

Open this photo in gallery:

This is the daily Morning Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Morning Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters on our newsletter signup page.

Major tells committee Vance ordered her to lie about their relationship

Major Kellie Brennan told members of Parliament that former chief of the defence staff Jonathan Vance ordered her to lie about their relationship and told her there would be “consequences” if she did not follow his orders.

Vance was allegedly involved in a relationship with Maj. Brennan, a subordinate, that she says began in 2001 and continued after he was named defence chief in 2015. He is facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour with two female subordinates, including Maj. Brennan, while he was in that position. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Related:

• Survivors, experts ask Ottawa to set up independent mechanism for military sexual misconduct
• Senior female military officials cite culture of ‘fear of reprisal’ for speaking out in Forces

Myanmar protesters facing new safety concerns

Since the Feb. 1 military coup people across Myanmar have fought for their freedoms with relentless street protests, there have been government-worker strikes and escalating civil war in the country’s borderlands. Now, checks of overnight guests further open the door for security forces to raid and intimidate people in their homes.

The requirement to register guests endangers not only the hosts, who face up to a week in prison for violations, but also the thousands of dissidents currently in hiding. Most activists, protest leaders and other likely targets have fled their homes to avoid one of many ways that the new regime has systematically rolled back reforms instituted during the country’s 10-year reprieve from direct military rule.

Canada and the world:

• International assistance was seriously short-changed in federal budget, aid groups say
• Opinion: COVID-19 recovery must involve global connections, not more vaccine nationalism

Open this photo in gallery:

Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Officials call on incoming Yukon government to combat opioid crisis: Yukon’s chief coroner says 10 people died from overdoses in 2020, a 250-per-cent increase from the previous year, and a further seven have died since the start of 2021.

OSC to start enforcing new rules for unregistered crypto trading platforms: In an e-mail to The Globe and Mail, OSC spokesperson Kristen Rose said that steps will be taken to “enforce applicable requirements under securities law” for platforms that failed to meet the April 19 deadline.

Hundreds of mourners attend Daunte Wright’s funeral: The young Black man shot by police during a traffic stop in suburban Minneapolis was a “prince” whose life ended too soon at the hands of police, said Rev. Al Sharpton.

MORNING MARKETS

World markets steady: Global shares steadied on Friday around 1 per cent below record highs reached earlier this week, though Bitcoin hit its lowest in nearly seven weeks as investors assessed the impact of a possible U.S. capital gains tax hike. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.32 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 slid 0.39 per cent and 0.15 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei ended down 0.57 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.12 per cent. New York futures edged higher. The Canadian dollar was trading around 80 US cents.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

The left’s view of debt is having its day

Gary Mason: “This is part of a natural evolution of economic thought. And this philosophy, in particular, is likely to emerge as the economic centrepiece of liberal democracies everywhere until circumstances dictate a shift in thinking.”

COVID-19 recovery must involve global connections, not more vaccine nationalism

Rohinton P. Medhora: “In the presence of negative spillover effects from the pandemic, positive spillover effects from vaccines and a very interconnected world, nationalism is neither a winning health proposition nor a winning economic one.”

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

Open this photo in gallery:

LIVING BETTER

How real estate can derail your retirement

Until the pandemic weaponized the housing market, Karen Hall’s Toronto home was going to have a big part in funding her retirement. Her plan was to look for an inexpensive house in a small community, buy it with the proceeds from her home sale in Toronto and use the money left over to help pay for retirement expenses.

But Hall’s experience shows how the pandemic is changing the numbers for people who plan to make their house a part of their retirement plan by downsizing to a small town. House prices in these communities haven’t caught up to big cities, or anything like that. But in many small cities and towns, it’s not possible right now to cruise in and snap up a bargain property.

HOROSCOPE

IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: The universe has taken a shine to you and over the coming 12 months you will be inundated with openings and opportunities that are designed to improve your well-being on every level. Remember, good fortune favours those who believe they deserve it – and you DO.

Read today's horoscopes. Enjoy today's puzzles.

MOMENT IN TIME: April 23, 1985

Open this photo in gallery:

New Coke debuts

Roberto Goizueta, as CEO of Coca-Cola, was tired of arch-rival Pepsi beating Coke in the Pepsi Challenge blind taste test. So Goizueta ordered his research lab to create a new formula that would consistently win a showdown. Heresy? Lunacy? Coke had been the world’s No. 1 soft drink for almost a hundred years. The original recipe was so secret it was kept in an Atlanta vault. But Coke’s lab, researchers and marketing department found what they thought was a winning taste, and on this day in 1985, the soft drink giant launched New Coke. Despite Goizueta’s assertion that the new flavour was “bolder, rounder and more harmonious,” it was an immediate and colossal failure in the marketplace. Consumers were angered about what they considered an unnecessary change. Coca-Cola had spent millions on New Coke, but missed that the public had an emotional attachment to their old favourite sugary beverage. Seventy-nine days later, the company admitted defeat and the original cola, now dubbed Coke Classic, was brought back. However, the big bust of New Coke didn’t sink the company. When the old Coke returned, sales soared and Coca-Cola increased its market share. And the company eventually dropped the Classic designation. Philip King

If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday morning, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.