Evening Update: Russia Threatens Retaliation as Finland Seeks NATO Membership


Good evening, Let’s start with today’s top news:

Russia threatens retaliation as Finland seeks NATO membership ‘without delay’

Finland said today that it will soon apply to join NATO and Sweden is expected to follow.

The decision by the two Nordic countries to abandon their neutrality is a massive shift in European security and is meant to expand the Western military alliance that Vladimir Putin hoped to prevent.

Finland’s decision would put NATO guards just a few hours’ drive from the northern outskirts of St. Petersburg. Moscow reacted by calling the country’s move a direct threat to Russia and warned of unspecified retaliation, including “military-technical” measures.

The dispute over Russia’s energy supply also intensified today. Moscow said it would stop gas flows to Germany through the main oil pipeline over Poland, while Ukraine said it would not reopen a pipeline route it closed this week unless it regains control of areas from pro-Russian fighters.

Meanwhile, on the front lines, Ukraine pushed Russian forces out of villages north and east of Kharkiv.

Read more:

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Astronomers look at the core of the Milky Way to get the first image of the ‘supermassive black hole next door’

First image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This is the first image of Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A* for short), the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.EHT Collaboration

An international group of scientists has produced the first direct image of the giant black hole that resides at the center of the Milky Way. The impressive scientific feat involved coordinated observations made at multiple locations followed by years of data processing and analysis. The image sets the stage for more years of measurement and analysis to discover more details of the black hole, which is nearly four million times more massive than our sun and is called Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A* for short.

Black holes, by definition, are objects so dense that not even light can escape their powerful gravitational pull. But they also attract hot ionized gas ripped off from nearby stars. The glowing gas creates a backdrop against which the silhouette of the black hole’s dark edge can be seen.

That’s exactly what you can see in the image created by the Event Horizon Telescope (a project dedicated to revealing what a black hole really looks like): a gaseous, glowing donut with a dark void in the center.

Traffickers are using drones to smuggle weapons across the Canada-US border.

Ontario police are tracing a growing share of seized guns back to U.S. smuggling operations. Smugglers have been smuggling firearms across the border in car bumpers, gas tanks, boats , semi-trailers and now, apparently, drones.

Firearms trafficking is a booming business in Ontario and the methods used to smuggle it have become creative. Toronto police discovered arms dealers hiding firearms and GPS transponders in the cars of unsuspecting border crossers. When the car crossed the border, the smugglers would track the GPS device and retrieve the hidden weapons. In Fort Erie, Ontario, police had to cut into the gas tank of a Nissan Rogue to recover 25 contraband weapons.

But those methods come with risks. Commercial drones have a lower risk of being caught as they do not show up easily on radar. The Globe’s Patrick White tells the story of how a tiny dog ​​thwarted smugglers trying to smuggle weapons across the border with a drone, and takes a look at the scale of the problem in Canada.

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Bank of Canada takes note of Macklem’s seven-year limit, after Poilievre’s comments: The Bank of Canada issued a brief statement on Thursday highlighting Governor Tiff Macklem’s seven-year term a day after Ontario’s leading Conservative parliamentary candidate, Pierre Poilievre, said he would fire the bank’s head if he formed the government.

Flight crews forced to work without pay as a result of delays at certain Canadian airports: Delays at some Canadian airports have forced flight crews to work without pay while planes are held at gates, unions representing flight attendants and pilots say.

Ford supports Lecce after candidate apologizes for ‘slave auction’ at university: Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford says his candidate Stephen Lecce has his full support, a day after Lecce apologized in the wake of a published report of an alleged slave auction during his time as a college fraternity leader.

Quebecor declares interest in purchasing Freedom Mobile: The Montreal-based media and telecommunications company has declared interest in buying cell phone service provider Freedom Mobile and also said it is viewing the expansion of its wireless business “with growing favour.”

Changes to the mortgage stress test rules are possible: Canada’s banking regulator is leaving the door open to modify its mortgage stress test before the end of this year, as the cost of borrowing soars and the housing market begins to cool across the country.

Hayley Wickenheiser enters the 2022 class of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame: Women’s hockey great Wickenheiser heads the 2022 class of inductees, while kayaking Olympian Adam van Koeverden, soccer player Dwayne de Rosario, lacrosse player John Tavares and Paralympic swimmer Tim McIsaac will also be honored.

MARKET WATCH

US stocks ended a rough session lower on Thursday as investors feared that inflation could remain elevated for longer than expected, which could prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates even more aggressively.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 103.81 points to 31,730.30, or 0.33 percent. The S&P 500 Index was down 5.10 points at 3,930.08, or 0.13 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 6.73 points at 11,370.96, or 0.06 percent. The TSX fell 138.20 points to 19,699.05, or 0.7 percent.

The Canadian dollar traded at 76.69 US cents compared to 77.10 US cents on Wednesday.

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SPEECH POINTS

If Canada has a ‘feminist’ foreign policy, why are we ignoring the war against women in Afghanistan?

“Canada, one of a handful of countries with a ‘feminist foreign policy’ and was part of NATO’s war effort in Afghanistan, has only occasionally expressed ‘deep concern.’ But Afghan women experiencing Taliban brutality say ‘deep concern’ will not ease their pain or solve their problems. – Melissa Fung and Zahra Nader

Pierre Poilievre stokes frustration over Canada’s inflation woes

“Mr. Poilievre is certainly not the only critic who believes the Bank of Canada has stumbled in handling inflation threats during the pandemic. It is capturing and stoking a mood of frustration over the country’s inflation problems and a desire to blame.” – david parkinson

There’s a problem with social media, but it’s not Donald Trump

Musk seems to misunderstand all the underlying issues that led to Trump’s ban in the first place, and the challenges plaguing social media in general. It’s horse and buggy thinking for a hypersonic world, which is ironic considering that man wants to colonize space.” – elizabeth renzetti

LIVE BETTER

Markets have been eerily turbulent in 2022 so far. Stocks and bonds have taken a hit, while both gold and bitcoin are dismal. Earlier this week, every one of the 12 daily financial indicators listed at the top of the Globe and Mail website was in the red, with the exception of the Chicago Board Options Exchange volatility index, or VIX, which means that investors fear more turmoil ahead. How can you protect your finances? Here are five steps to follow.

TODAY’S LONG READ

Leading Researchers Urge Ottawa to Increase Major Science Scholarships Above the Poverty Line

Marc Johnson, a biology professor at the University of Toronto, is pictured with university students Keerath Bhachu (left) and Isabella Vessio (right) on May 11, 2022.Fred Lum/The Balloon and the Mail

Federal scholarships for Canada’s most successful graduate science students have been so devalued by inflation that recipients effectively earn below the poverty line if they have no additional means of income, a coalition of top researchers has warned. level.

In an open letter to Ottawa, the group of more than 270 university professors, including two Nobel laureates and 37 Order of Canada recipients, are calling for increased scholarship amounts, something that has not happened since 2003. Organizers said a The increase would help prevent more of the country’s top research talent from leaving Canada or resigning from academia.

“Imagine not getting a raise for 19 years,” said Marc Johnson, a professor of biology at the University of Toronto. “I was a graduate student in the early 2000s and I was getting the same thing these students are getting today. It is unacceptable”. Read the full story of Ivan Semeniuk.

Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. If you would like to receive this newsletter by email every weekday evening, go to here register. If you have any comments, send us a Note.



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