Evening Update: Ukraine Repels Some Russian Attacks, But Fighting Continues At Mariupol Steel Plant

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

Fighting continued at Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant as Russian forces tried to complete the capture of the Ukrainian port city.

Apparently, around 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are hiding in the tunnels under the plant, and an estimated few hundred civilians are trapped there. Ukrainian officials say Russian troops have broken into the tunnels, which the Kremlin denied.

Many suspect that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to present a victory on the battlefield, or declare an escalation of the war, by Victory Day on Monday. (It marks the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union and is a great patriotic holiday in the country).

The fall of Mariupol would be a great success for Russia. This vital port in Ukraine would allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean peninsula it seized in 2014 and free up troops to fight in other parts of the Donbas, the eastern region that the Kremlin says is now its main target.

Meanwhile, 10 weeks into the war, Ukraine says it has retaken some areas in the south and has fought off attacks in the east.

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For the first time, indigenous women make up half of the female population in Canada’s federal prisons

Half of the women in Canada’s federal penitentiaries are indigenous women, reports The Globe’s Patrick White. As of last week, federal prisons housed 298 non-Indigenous women and 298 Indigenous women, the first time the ratio has reached 50/50. Meanwhile, one in 20 women in Canada is indigenous.

The federal government has committed to addressing the problem of indigenous overrepresentation in Canada’s prisons on numerous occasions. In 2001, the Cowboy Chrétien’s government promised to eliminate the disparity within a generation; in 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau included the issue in mandate letters to the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Public Safety.

Regardless, indigenous incarceration rates in Canada have been on the rise for decades. In 1999, Native American men and women together made up 12 percent of the country’s federal inmates. Now, they make up 32 percent. Ivan Zinger, Canada’s prison ombudsman, said “it’s just shocking and embarrassing for a country that has so many resources.” Despite issuing recommendations aimed at curbing the rise, getting the government to act has proven to be a challenge, he said. saying.

Almost 15 million people died in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new WHO study

A new, more detailed estimate of deaths as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has found that close to 15 million people died over the course of two years. That’s almost triple the official count of 5.4 million, suggesting the world has vastly underestimated the number of victims of the pandemic.

Official statistics have underestimated deaths caused by the virus and have also overlooked millions of indirect deaths, such as those who died because they were turned away from hospitals due to overcapacity caused by COVID-19.

About 84 percent of deaths from the pandemic occurred in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas, according to the new estimate. About 85 percent were in low- or middle-income countries. Read the full story from The Globe’s Geoffrey York.

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Stocks fall on fears the Fed needs a bigger rate hike to rein in inflation

Markets fell on Thursday as investors feared the Fed’s rate hike might not be enough to control inflation, which could prompt the central bank to take even more drastic action in the future.

Wall Street’s major indices, as well as the TSX, fell sharply in a broad sell-off across sectors, although the TSX’s losses were relatively less severe. Canada’s tech sector was hit hard as Shopify shares fell 12 percent after the company’s disappointing quarterly earnings results.

On Wednesday, the US central bank raised interest rates by half a percentage point, while Jerome Powell explicitly ruled out a 75 basis point hike. Traders, however, increased their bets on such an increase at the June Fed meeting.

Concerns about Fed policy moves, mixed earnings from big growth companies, the conflict in Ukraine and pandemic lockdowns in China have hit Wall Street recently.

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

How Utah’s “trigger law” would alter abortion access in the state if Roe v. Wade: For Utah lawmakers and advocates who have spent decades working to ban abortion, the prospect of Roe v. Wade is soon overturned in the US has produced an outpouring of joy and a new resolve for additional measures to restrict medical abortions and simplify adoption.

Read more:

Nova Scotia eliminates property tax for non-residents: Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says the government is not moving forward with a non-resident property tax because doing so would damage the province’s reputation.

RCMP officers who fired on the NS firehouse during actions pending mass shootings: Two RCMP officers who mistakenly shot a man standing outside a rural Nova Scotia firehouse while searching for an angry gunman say they still believe they reacted correctly.

Conservative leadership debate tonight: Five of the six candidates vying for the Tory leadership will appear on stage tonight for a debate organized by the Canada Strong and Free Network as part of an annual conference in Ottawa.

Canadians tracked through phones during the pandemic: A report sent to the House of Commons ethics committee shows Canadians’ movements, including trips to the liquor store and pharmacy, were closely tracked through their mobile phones without their knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic. 19.

MARKET WATCH

US stocks closed sharply lower on Thursday as investor confidence collapsed on concerns that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike would not be enough to control rising inflation.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,063.09 points, or 3.12 percent, to 32,997.97, the S&P 500 lost 153.30 points, or 3.56 percent, to 4,146.87. The Nasdaq Composite fell 647.17 points, or 4.99 percent, to 12,317.69.

The TSX fell 488.78 points, or 2.31 percent, to 20,696.17.

The Canadian dollar traded at 77.99 US cents compared to 78.06 US cents on Wednesday.

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SPEECH POINTS

Women’s rights are under attack. But that was already the case for indigenous women in the US and Canada.

“Inequitable access to health care and two-tier delivery are hallmarks of Canada’s health care system.” – Tania Talaga

The Bank of Canada has a credibility problem, and it’s not all Pierre Poilievre’s fault

“Contrary to claims by leading Conservative candidate Pierre Poilievre, the central bank’s purchase of government bonds did not technically constitute a ‘money print’. But neither was QE the equivalent of a simple accounting entry, as some of the bank’s apologists claim. – Konrad Yakabuski

Buck-a-ride is good policy, and terrible policy. But even better than what Doug Ford is releasing

“The thing is, it’s flawed policy. And its flaw, money sent to the wrong destination for political reasons, is increasingly affecting public transportation in Ontario. When provincial politicians drive the bus, the terminus is always Queen’s Park.” – Editorial Board

Hong Kong has not had a chance to assess its only candidate for its highest office

“John Lee has a lot of work ahead of him. Now that he has won the support of Beijing, he needs to woo the Hong Kong public. If he produces satisfactory solutions to Hong Kong’s many social problems, he should lead to greater popular support.” – Frank Ching

LIVE BETTER

In the 2022 edition of the annual Horizons Retirement Survey conducted by Vancouver-based RGF Integrated Wealth Management, only 49% of people were very confident that their marriage would adjust to the life changes that retirement brings, the 45% were somewhat confident and 6% were not at all confident. Rob Carrick has some advice for those hoping to retire: Work on your marriage to avoid the financial calamity of a ‘grey divorce’.

TODAY’S LONG READ

Inside the CinemaCon bubble, where movie theaters are back and streaming is dead

Movie theaters are back! At least, they are according to executives from big-name theater operators like AMC, Cineworld and Canada’s Cineplex, who gathered at Caesar’s Palace last week in Las Vegas for CinemaCon. The four-day film industry conference hosted by the National Association of Theater Owners (yes, their acronym is NATO) is back in full swing after two years of relatively subdued events thanks to the pandemic. Barry Hertz, Associate Arts Editor and Film Editor of The Globe, attended the conference, during which the future of the film industry was presented as “a bright marquee light.” That’s an optimistic viewpoint after a rough couple of years in which viewers turned to streaming services en masse and Gower Street Analytics projects that by 2022, the movie industry will fall $9.3 billion short of comparison with 2019.

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.