Demonstrators protest outside the house of the Gupta family in Johannesburg on April 3.KIM LUDBROOK
TOP STORIES
South Africa's controversial tycoons get $41-million in federal financing to buy Bombardier jet
The Canadian government's export agency gave $41-million (U.S.) in financing to help Bombardier Inc. sell a luxury jet to controversial tycoons at the heart of a South African scandal over alleged high-level corruption, leaked emails show.
Export Development Canada, a Crown corporation, provided the money to a company owned by the Gupta family to help it buy a $52-million Global 6000 jet from Bombardier, the e-mails show.
The powerful Gupta family, which has close connections to South African President Jacob Zuma and a business partnership with the president's son, is embroiled in an escalating scandal over widespread allegations of corruption and political influence. The scandal has forced Mr. Zuma to face a non-confidence vote in Parliament on Aug. 8.
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Environment Canada is widening its investigation into Volkswagen emissions tampering
Ottawa says it is pursuing a broad investigation of industry tampering with emission-devices in diesel vehicles, as two environmental groups sue the government to force a speedier resolution to the government's case against Volkswagen AG and its Canadian subsidiary.
In applications filed Wednesday in Ottawa, the organizations asked a federal judge to order Environment Minister Catherine McKenna to commence a ministerial investigation into the Volkswagen case, and to provide regular updates to them on its status The department's enforcement branch launched its investigation nearly two years ago, but has not laid charges, despite Volkswagen's admission of guilt in a U.S. settlement last January.
A Supreme Court justice offered The Globe an explanation for his LGBTQ decision
Supreme Court Justice Richard Wagner says he did not purposely exclude LGBTQ advocacy groups from participating in a major case pitting same-sex rights against religious freedom.
Wagner is a leading candidate to become the next chief justice, and he's been under fire since last Thursday for rejecting all of the LGBTQ groups that applied to intervene in the case of a Christian law school that requires students to sign a code of conduct limiting sexual intimacy to heterosexual marriage.
Then, this Monday, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin undid that rejection. Legal observers, including some lawyers directly involved in the case, called justice Wagner's exclusion of LGBTQ groups puzzling, "weird" and troubling. He explained to the Globe that the court had initially allotted one day for the hearing. From 26 applicants, he chose nine, among which he believed the views of LGBTQ advocates were well represented.
Ambrose named to NAFTA advisory council as Liberals push for united front in talks
Former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose will be advising the Liberal government on its approach to renegotiating the North American free-trade agreement as part of a new 13-member council. The panel includes former Conservative and NDP politicians as well as business and labour leaders. Having a wide range of perspectives inside the negotiating process may help the Liberals deflect any political criticism the government may face during the process.
Brazilian President Temer evades corruption charges
Brazil's Congress voted on Wednesday night to shelve corruption charges against President Michel Temer, ensuring the deeply unpopular leader stays in power, for now, and providing a vivid illustration of the enduring ability of the Brazilian political elite to quash threats to their power.
Congress members were voting on whether to allow the Supreme Court to try Mr. Temer on corruption charges. The charges stem from video, audio and other evidence collected by police investigating a pair of billionaire beef-baron brothers who allegedly funnelled millions of dollars to key government figures in exchange for favourable legislation. Police say that Mr. Temer was the intended recipient of half a million reais (the equivalent of $200,000) packed in a suitcase, that an aide of his was filmed picking up from a director of JBS, the meat-packing conglomerate. Mr. Temer denies the charges.
World stocks fall as tech shares slide
World stock markets fell on Thursday, led by a tumble in tech shares as investors locked in recent gains after Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average broke the 22,000 barrier for the first time in its 121-year history. Japan's blue-chip Nikkei stock index closed down 0.3 per cent. The Shanghai composite index slipped 0.35 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.16 per cent. European stock markets opened broadly lower, Germany's DAX slipping 0.6 per cent and France's CAC 0.4 per cent lower. Britain's FTSE was down 0.2 per cent. Oil prices were higher in early trading. The Canadian dollar was trading at 79.36 cents (U.S.).
HEALTH PRIMER
Scientists successfully alter genes of human embryo to fix mutation
U.S. scientists have succeeded in altering the genes of a human embryo to correct a disease-causing mutation, making it possible to prevent the defect from being passed on to future generations.
The milestone, published this week in the journal Nature, was confirmed last week by Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), which collaborated with the Salk Institute and Korea's Institute for Basic Science to use a technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 to correct a genetic mutation for a heart condition.
CRISPR-Cas9 works as a type of molecular scissors that can selectively trim away unwanted parts of the genome, and replace it with new stretches of DNA.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
Trudeau loads up NAFTA's ark with every species of critic
"Just as Noah assembled two of every animal before the flood came, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is assembling one of every kind of potential North American free-trade agreement negotiation critic before talks begin in two weeks. The NAFTA council the Liberal government unveiled Wednesday is designed to make these negotiations look like they are no mere act of partisan governing but instead a Great Canadian Initiative, beyond the reach of political squabbling," – Campbell Clark (for subscribers)
The Republican Party needs to search for its soul
"Historians may quibble over when exactly the GOP initiated its pact with Satan, but it dates at least to Newt Gingrich and his 1994 Contract with America. Under the guise of a principled conservative manifesto, the former House of Representatives speaker reintroduced a personal viciousness into U.S. politics that, over two centuries, had largely been purged from public life," – Konrad Yakabuski
Petronas did Canada a favour. Just ask Australia
"After years of waffling, Malaysia's state-owned Petronas finally pulled the plug last week on its Pacific Northwest LNG project. The company blamed the dismal economics facing global LNG: a glut of world supplies and stagnant demand have driven prices well below the cost of constructing and operating the enormous facilities required to process, liquefy, and ship the gas.Of course, that didn't stop some from reprising familiar complaints about Canada's supposedly anti-business policy climate," – Jim Stanford, Harold Innis Industry Professor of Economics at McMaster University
MOMENT IN TIME
The New Democratic Party is formed August 3, 1961: Canadians will embrace socialism, but only if the labour movement unites with the political left. That, at least, was what the leaders of the Canadian Labour Congress and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation believed. On this day in 1961, they created the New Democratic Party, with former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas as leader. Using its leverage in minority parliaments, the NDP helped bring public health care to Canadians, along with improved pensions, workers compensation, unemployment insurance and more. Most provinces have had NDP governments at one time or another and, in 2011, under Jack Layton, the federal party became the official opposition. But now, it's back in third, with the traditional support of about one in six Canadians, though many who don't vote NDP nonetheless see it as the conscience of the country. This autumn, New Democrats choose a new leader, hoping to finally translate social democratic principles into power. –John Ibbitson
Morning Update is written by Megan Marrelli
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