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These are the top stories:
Hong Kong police rush barricades at university campus, but retreat in face of fire
Police have been surrounding Hong Kong Polytechnic University and have threatened to use “lethal force” to arrest those who did not surrender. The attempted raid was the police force’s most direct intervention yet onto one of the city’s university campuses, which until recently were safe spaces for young demonstrators. The standoff at the PolyU campus, in which a police officer was hit in the leg with an arrow, shattered a fragile calm that had returned to Hong Kong after a workweek marred by severe transit disruptions and street violence. Schools across Hong Kong were cancelled for Monday, and the political crisis gripping the city since June showed no signs of abating.
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Eagle feathers, like the Bible, now an option for swearing oaths in all Alberta courts
As the first Treaty First Nation person to receive a law degree from the University of Alberta, Wilton Littlechild received special permission to swear the oath required of new lawyers with a sacred eagle feather. Almost 42 years later, the Treaty Six Grand Chief found himself holding back tears during a ceremony making eagle feathers an option for swearing oaths in all Alberta courts. Until last week, individuals making an oath in civil, criminal or family matters in Alberta could only swear on a religious text or make a non-religious affirmation.
Two senators call for immediate action to ban vaping ads targeting young people
In an interview Sunday, Senator Judith Seidman, who served as deputy chair of the social affairs, science and technology committee during the last Parliament, said the government needs to ban all vaping-related promotions to address the growing youth vaping crisis. The current law prohibits promotion of vaping products or flavours that could appeal to young people and doesn’t allow any lifestyle advertising. But the current situation highlights why an outright ban is needed, she said.
Why Canadians aren’t saving like they used to
The household savings rate – the percentage of disposable income left after spending – most recently clocked in at 1.7 per cent, near its lowest point in six decades, according to Statistics Canada. In dollar terms, the plunge is substantial. Last year, $852 was saved per household, compared with greater than $3,500 in 2013. In isolation, a low savings rate isn’t cause for alarm, economists say. But it suggests many households aren’t putting money aside for a rainy day, and when the next economic shock hits, they could be forced to rein in spending to get by – or take on even more debt.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
WeWork preparing to lay off at least 4,000 people: The company could shed as many as 6,000 employees, as it tries to stabilize itself after the company’s breakneck growth racked up heavy losses and led it to the brink of collapse.
Nova Scotia launches fatality inquiry into circumstances surrounding veteran’s killings and suicide: It’s important to shine a light on Lionel Desmond’s treatment, and look at the inequalities and discrimination that black Nova Scotians can experience when accessing mental-health services.
New rules: Canada’s cannabis companies accept costly terms to raise money: Publicly traded marijuana players that require fresh cash have turned to everything from rights offerings to expensive construction debt to highly dilutive convertible debt units in recent weeks to raise funds.
Rowing Canada, university investigate celebrated coach for harassment, abuse: The allegations have divided the rowing community and revived debate about “old-school” coaching.
Former Sri Lankan defence chief wins presidential vote: The results showcased deep ethnic and religious polarization in the country, Minority Tamils and Muslims voted overwhelmingly for Sajith Premadasa, largely to stop a Gotabaya Rajapaksa victory.
MORNING MARKETS
Shares near record high as China trims key rate: World shares were close to a record high on Monday, after Beijing surprised markets by trimming a key interest rate for the first time since 2015. Tokyo’s Nikkei gained 0.5 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng 1.4 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite 0.6 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100 was little changed by about 4:30 a.m. ET, with Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 each down by about 0.2 per cent. New York futures were up. The Canadian dollar was above 75.5 US cents.
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WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
The beauty of sitting around and doing nothing
Jenny Morber: “It is good for us to notice, to imagine, to lose time, to let our minds out for a walk, whether or not we have a convalescing dog to share it with.” Morber is a science writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Slate and elsewhere
Trudeau Liberals will turn on the spending taps to get, keep opposition support in minority Parliament
John Ibbitson: “Could anything derail this high-cost progressive agenda? Yes. A recession would force the government to retrench. And a major scandal could leave all three main opposition parties with no choice but to bring down the government.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
“The first time I skipped family Christmas, I felt a tremendous sense of guilt,” writes Drew Gough, who argues that Christmas is the best time to get away. Eventually the feeling of guilt went away and he would contact his family less around the holidays. “Gradually, though, I started being away more and more. I spent the next year in Hanoi, then one or two in Canada, and then left and haven’t been back.”
MOMENT IN TIME
UPI
News photo archive
For more than 100 years, photographers have preserved an extraordinary collection of 20th-century news photography for The Globe and Mail. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The ingenuity of escapes would inspire books and movies. They were daring, devious and dangerous. From hot-air balloons, mini-submarines and tunnels dug by seniors to stowing away inside a plastic cow in a truck of real cattle or flashing the Munich Playboy club card (deceptively similar to a diplomatic pass), many defied the Berlin Wall. Some escapes were wonderfully simple – such as the family who fled through the second-floor window of their home to the house next door. They lived on the East-West border and, in the photo above, border police arrived to brick over the entrance. Of course, not all escape attempts succeeded; while it’s estimated about 5,000 people went over, under or through the wall, more than 100 died in the attempt. — Alison Gzowski
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