Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Canadian-linked foundation offers travel to China in exchange for research from academics, scientists
A foundation with Canadian connections and murky origins that operated out of a house in Southern California has been offering Canadian academics and scientists business-class flights to China and stays at five-star hotels in exchange for sharing their research.
Shrawan Kumar, a pioneer in spinal biomechanics, turned down an invitation earlier this year from the organization – the North American Foundation for Science and Technology – worried that it was a front for the Chinese government.
The North American Foundation for Science and Technology listed its headquarters as the home of Jonathan Lakey, a Canadian academic currently teaching at the University of California’s Irvine campus.
In a separate file today, a lawsuit against a Xinjiang researcher marks a new effort to silence critics of China’s treatment of Uyghurs.
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Trudeau says Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is facing production delays
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has been warned of manufacturing problems plaguing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was authorized by Health Canada last week. Ottawa preordered 10 million doses of the one-dose vaccine, but it still doesn’t have a date when it should receive the first deliveries.
Read more:
- A parallel COVID-19 vaccine rollout: How B.C. is recasting its priorities
- One year from Canada’s first COVID-19 deaths, what do the numbers tell us?
- Seven days that shook Canada: How the COVID-19 crisis escalated suddenly last March
The Queen says Royal Family ‘saddened’ by Harry and Meghan’s revelations, issues to be addressed ‘privately’
The Queen says the issues raised by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their TV interview with Oprah Winfrey are concerning and will be addressed by the Royal Family “privately”.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” said a statement issued today on behalf of the Queen by Buckingham Palace. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.”
During the interview, which caused a furor in Britain and aired there last night, Markle talked about having suicidal thoughts and Prince Harry said an unnamed relative expressed concern that the couple’s baby would have dark skin.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s not eager for a debate over the future of the monarchy in the wake of allegations of racism at Buckingham Palace.
And British TV personality Piers Morgan has left broadcaster ITV following long-running criticism of Markle that reached a crescendo on Good Morning Britain after the interview.
Ottawa will create ‘independent mechanism’ to investigate sexual misconduct in the military, PM says
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will create an independent mechanism for reporting allegations of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, while applauding the military for appointing Lieutenant-General Frances Allen as the new vice-chief of the defence staff.
The Globe and Mail reported yesterday that Ottawa plans to set up an independent body to investigate accusations of sexual misconduct, racism and discrimination in the military in the wake of criticism over how it handled allegations against top officials.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Trudeau vows budget ‘soon’: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a federal budget is “coming soon” as his government faced criticism for allowing the longest gap between federal budgets in Canadian history.
HuffPost Canada shuttered: BuzzFeed says it is closing HuffPost Canada’s operations and laying off 23 workers as part of a broad restructuring plan for the company. The decision follows a deal announced late last year by BuzzFeed to buy HuffPost from Verizon.
U.S. stimulus bill at House tomorrow: The U.S. House of Representatives will take up the Biden administration’s US$1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief bill tomorrow, officials say, with the expected approval enabling the President to sign it into law later this week.
Jury section begins in George Floyd death: Jury selection in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death has begun with two jurors picked and five dismissed, including some who said they would not be able to set aside their views on what happened.
The Weeknd leads Juno nods: The Weeknd has picked up a leading six nominations at this year’s Juno Awards, including artist of the year, single of the year for Blinding Lights and album of the year for After Hours. The Junos 50th anniversary awards show is scheduled for May 16.
Golf’s Canadian Open cancelled again: The RBC Canadian Open has been pulled from the PGA schedule for the second straight year, marking one of the first cancellations of a major annual Canadian sports event in the spring or summer of 2021.
Biden’s Major in the doghouse: Biden family dogs Major and Champ have been banished from the White House for a time out in Delaware after Major caused a “minor injury” to someone he didn’t know.
MARKET WATCH
North American stocks rallied today, with the Nasdaq recouping heavy losses from the previous session as U.S. bond yields retreated and investors scooped up battered technology stocks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 30.30 points or 0.01 per cent to 31,832.74, the S&P 500 gained 54.09 points or 1.42 per cent to close at 3,875.44 and the Nasdaq Composite added 464.66 points or 3.69 per cent to end at 13,003.18.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed higher 141.14 points or 0.77 per cent at 18,599.19.
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TALKING POINTS
Taylor Swift’s Trumpian attack on a Netflix show is the worst of American culture
“This is the Trumpian tactic brought to pop culture: Inflammatory language aimed at a target and done with the knowledge that a base of fans will be provoked to harass and unnerve the target. Collateral damage? Who cares, it’s about the power to intimidate.” - John Doyle
We all want paid sick days, but who will foot the bill?
“If paid sick days are really such a popular idea, why are we still talking about it? Because while lots of folks claim to support the concept, no one agrees on what it actually means.” - Peter Shawn Taylor, senior features editor, C2C Journal
LIVING BETTER
A notebook can be a diary, a to-do list, a sketchbook, a novel. A place to begin, to record, to practise, to learn, to work through. And you can learn how to make your own in the Globe’s next Craft Club event. Join Jana G. Pruden and Catalina Sanchez, an artisanal notebook maker, next Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET live on Facebook and at tgam.ca/craftclub. You can get an idea of what materials to have on hand here, and catch up on other activities with our Facebook group.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Radio bingo sees a surge in interest during pandemic in small towns
With malls and movie theatres closed, Carole Winnipeg plays radio bingo with her mother and sister every Saturday near Strathmore, Alta.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Carole Winnipeg lost interest in playing bingo a long time ago. She’d rather go to the movies or the mall. But like so many other activities, those options have been closed to her during the pandemic.
So when her sister suggested this year that they and their mother play a bingo game held by a local radio station on Saturday nights, Ms. Winnipeg jumped at the chance. The weekly game is a way to spend time with her loved ones, and break up the monotony of life during these days.
Radio stations that hold bingo games have seen a surge in interest during the pandemic as people look for ways to pass the time and enjoy a physically distanced sense of community in small towns throughout Canada. Read Dave McGinn’s full story here.
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