Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Retired RCMP officer William Majcher has been charged with foreign interference after he “contributed to the Chinese government’s efforts to identify and intimidate an individual outside the scope of Canadian law,” the RCMP said in a statement.
Majcher, who was arrested upon arriving in Vancouver from Hong Kong on July 18 by plane, allegedly “used his knowledge and his extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain intelligence or services to benefit the People’s Republic of China.”
The RCMP said Majcher was charged with two counts under the Security of Information Act, including Section 23, “preparatory acts for the benefit of a foreign entity” and Section 22, conspiracy.
B.C. port union’s caucus approves proposed contract for workers
The union caucus approved the package in a new vote on Friday, clearing the way for ratification by the membership. The voting result means that the tentative deal will be presented to the rank and file next week, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
About 7,400 members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) halted their 13-day strike on July 13, and then held a 24-hour walkout earlier this week.
The disruption to the supply chain, including trains and trucks, has upended the flow of a wide range of products such as imports of consumer goods and exports of raw materials.
Editor-in-chief Kostiantyn Grygorenko kept the Ukrainian-language Izyum Horizons website going from his internal exile in western Ukraine.Anton Skyba
A Ukrainian newspaper taken over during Russian occupation prints its own words again
Izyum Horizons has been the standard-bearer for accurate local news in Izyum since Ukraine gained its independence in 1991. For precisely that reason, editor-in-chief Kostiantyn Grygorenko fled Izyum just before the arrival of Russian troops, knowing that he’d be one of the first people in the city they would seek to interrogate.
After entering the city, Russian forces immediately shut the newspaper down and looted its newly bought broadcast studio.
Now that the nightmare of the occupation is over, Grygorenko is back at work again.
- The Ukrainian city divided between those who fled the invasion and those who stayed
- Russia hits Ukrainian food export facilities for fourth day, practices seizing ships in Black Sea
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Canada at the World Cup: The national women’s team was unable to break the deadlock in its opener on Friday, settling for a 0-0 draw against Nigeria. Canada will play Ireland on Wednesday, before facing off against World Cup co-host Australia on July 31.
Extreme heat: Environment Canada issued heat warnings Friday for parts of the B.C. Interior, southern Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan with temperatures as high as 38 degrees Celsius expected.
Remembering Tony Bennett: The eminent and timeless stylist with a devotion to classic American music, died Friday. The last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century, Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to create “a hit catalogue rather than hit records.”
Wildfires: The number of firefighters in B.C. is set to increase as 100 Brazilian personnel will join firefighters from Mexico, the United States and Australia currently in the province. More than 2,000 provincial wildfire service personnel are on the front lines with around 500 international firefighters.
- Wildfire smoke highlights need for better ventilation in public spaces, experts say
- Marsha Lederman: This summer of our climate discontent should drive us to action
U.S. Navy: President Joe Biden has chosen Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, a senior administration official said Friday. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to be a U.S. military service chief.
British by-election: Results from a trio of by-elections in Britain have dealt a political blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and raised questions about public support for costly green initiatives and net-zero targets.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index rose to a two-month high on Friday as higher oil prices boosted energy shares, while industrials also posted solid gains as investors looked ahead to a busy slate of corporate earnings. U.S. stocks ended mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 110.64 points at 20,547.51.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.51 points at 35,227.69.The S&P 500 index was up 1.47 points at 4,536.34, while the Nasdaq composite was down 30.50 points at 14,032.81.
The Canadian dollar traded for 75.69 cents US compared with 75.92 cents US on Thursday.
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TALKING POINTS
I watched a major city’s homeless problem vanish. We could do the same
“Ottawa, despite having a national ‘homelessness strategy’ budgeted at nearly $4-billion over nine years, does not really have a strategy at all. As the auditor-general recently noted, the federal government does not know whether its expenditures have prevented or reduced homelessness at all.” – Doug Saunders
The Bank of Canada might not want to admit it, but getting inflation down to 2 per cent could be easier than expected
“Inflation has fallen further than expected, faster than expected, at less cost to the real economy than expected. If the news is so good, why is everyone so glum?” – Andrew Coyne
Nurses are the backbone of hospital care. It’s time we acknowledged that
“Nurses deserve so much more than what they’re currently getting. They need more respect, more support and more money. It’s up to the politicians and policy experts to prioritize what the public values, and to make that happen – so we can offer nurses even an iota of the assurance that they give to us.” – Robert Cushman
LIVING BETTER
How much money do you need to retire? Let’s start with the good news: It’s not $1.7-million.
That rather intimidating figure was the amount Canadians said was necessary to retire in a poll conducted by the Bank of Montreal earlier this year. Fortunately, it seems most people are managing to retire on far less than pre-retirees think they will need.
But exactly how much will you personally require? That depends on four key factors.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Natalie Preddie admires the statue of BB King at BB King Centre in Indianola, MS.Supplied
Road trip: Looking for Black joy deep in the American South
“The story of Emmett Till’s racially fuelled murder has haunted me since I was a child, a harrowing event my grandfather told me about, explaining why I, a bi-racial person from Toronto, should never venture south of the border, let alone the Mason-Dixon line.
But here I am, standing on the steep banks of the Tallahatchie River, where nearly 60 years ago the 14-year-old’s beaten and tortured body was found. The air is still, and brown water rushes by my feet. I am on a driving trip through Mississippi, a state with an infamous history of racism and segregation, praying that from a painful past, I can discover a hidden peace and a brighter future for people who look like me.”
Read the full story by Natalie Preddie.
Evening Update is written by Tegwyn Hughes. 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.