N.L. gender activists fear for U.S. residents after Trump's inauguration speech pushes two-gender narrative
U.S. President Donald Trump says his government will only recognize two genders — male and female — and that biological classification can't be changed. Activist Gemma Hickey was the first Canadian to receive a gender-neutral marker on their passport, and spoke with CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show, along with St. John's Pride co-chair Eddy St. Coeur, about the president's actions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
37 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Oil drops after Iran and Israel announce ceasefire, but prices may remain volatile amid reports of new Iranian missile launch
Oil fell and stock markets rose after a ceasefire was agreed by both Iran and Israel. But the markets proved volatile again on Tuesday morning after Israel accused Iran of violating the agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. On Monday, Mr. Trump declared on social media that the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel did not confirm that it had done so until Tuesday morning, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declare that 'all of the military objectives' of the country's military offensive had been achieved. Mr. Trump's Monday message triggered a 7.2-per-cent drop in Brent crude, the international benchmark, the biggest fall since August, 2022, taking the price to US$71.50 a barrel. The plunge marked a turnaround from the opening price on Monday, when Brent climbed above US$80 as energy traders feared the U.S. attacks on Iran's uranium-enrichment sites would trigger a wider Middle East war. Oil trimmed its losses somewhat Tuesday morning, after Israel vowed to retaliate against what it said was new missile fire from Iran. 'I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to respond forcefully to Iran's violation of the ceasefire with powerful strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran,' said Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz. The damage, if any, inflicted by the Iranian missiles was not immediately known. Also not known was whether the launch was specifically ordered by Iran's high military command in violation of the ceasefire agreement. Iranian state television denied that Iran had violated the ceasefire. The reports of the Iranian missile launch immediately reversed some of oil losses. By late morning, European time, Brent crude was down 3.5 per cent from Monday's close. London's FTSE-100 index was up marginally. Germany's Dax index performed better, gaining almost 2 per cent. The euro was up slightly against the U.S. dollar. Analysts were generally bullish on the market prospects in spite of the apparent violation of the ceasefire, all the more so since the Iranian missile attack on Qatar, home of a large U.S. military base, on Monday was fairly small and resulted in no injuries or fatalities. After the attack, Helima Croft, a former CIA analyst now at RBC Capital Markets, said 'The market is now clearly pricing in major de-escalation between the U.S. and Iran.' In a note published Tuesday morning, just before Israel accused Iran of violating the ceasefire, ING Economics said that 'Markets are materially scaling back geopolitical risk as President Trump declared a ceasefire between Iran and Israel is in place following measured retaliatory strikes on U.S. positions in Qatar yesterday.' ING said the market will focus on Congressional testimony later today by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell. He is expected to be grilled by Republicans for his cautious approach to easing interest rates, which has earned the ire of Mr. Trump. ING said that investor will be looking to see if Mr. Trump's pressure on Mr. Powell 'has breached the independence shield of the Fed.' As the shaky ceasefire came into effect, Germany posted some good economic news. The German economy's most important leading indicator, the IFO index, which measures business optimism, or lack thereof, rose for the sixth consecutive month. It reached 88.4 in June, the highest level since last summer. In a note, Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG Australia, said 'We expect the market, which has a notoriously short attention span, to shift its focus back to tariffs and the Fed.'
Globe and Mail
38 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
World shares rally after Trump announces what appears to be a shaky Israeli-Iran ceasefire
BANGKOK (AP) — Stocks rallied and oil prices fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced what appears to be a shaky ceasefire in the Israel-Iran war. The tentative truce proposed by Trump remained uncertain after Israel said Iran had launched missiles into its airspace less than three hours after the ceasefire went into effect. It vowed to retaliate. Still, investors took heart after Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' soon after Iran launched limited missile attacks Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites over the weekend. The future for the S&P 500 gained 1% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.8%. 'The Middle East may still be smoldering, but as far as markets are concerned, the fire alarm has been shut off,' Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. In early European trading, Germany's DAX leaped 2.2% to 23,780.32, while the CAC 40 in Paris added 1.4% to 7,645.58. Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.4% at 8,793.18. In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 38,790.56 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 2.1% to 24,177.07. The Shanghai Composite index climbed 1.2% to 3,420.57. In South Korea, the Kospi jumped 3% to 3,103.64, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 1% to 8,555.50. Taiwan's Taiex rose 2.1% and India's Sensex was up 0.6%. In Bangkok, the SET surged 2.5%. Oil prices fell further, after tumbling on Monday as fears subsided of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for shipping crude. The price of oil initially jumped 6% after trading began Sunday night, a signal of rising worries as investors got their first chance to react to the U.S. bombings. But it quickly shed all those gains, with U.S. benchmark crude falling 7.2%. It dropped further early Tuesday, giving up 3% to $66.44 per barrel. It had briefly topped $78. Brent crude, the international standard, shed 3.1% early Tuesday to $68.33. U.S. stocks rallied on Monday despite the United States' bunker-busting entry into its war with Israel. The S&P 500 climbed 1% and the Dow industrials gained 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite index advanced 0.9%. Iran's retaliation for the U.S. attacks appeared not to target the flow of oil. The fear throughout the Israel-Iran war has been that it could squeeze supplies, pumping up prices for crude, gasoline and other products. Back in the U.S., Treasury yields eased after a top Federal Reserve official said she would support cutting rates at the Fed's next meeting, as long as 'inflation pressures remain contained.' Investors will be watching for Fed. Chair Jerome Powell's comments to the U.S. Congress later Tuesday, analysts said. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 4.33% from 4.38% late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, dropped to 3.83% from 3.90%. The Federal Reserve has been hesitant to cut interest rates this year because it's waiting to see how much higher tariffs imposed by Trump will hurt the U.S. economy and raise inflation. Inflation has remained relatively tame recently, but higher oil and gasoline prices would push it higher. That could keep the Fed on hold because cuts to rates can fan inflation while they also give the economy a boost. In currency dealings early Tuesday, the U.S. dollar fell to 144.93 Japanese yen from 146.15 yen late Monday. The euro rose to $1.1616 from $1.1578.
Global News
42 minutes ago
- Global News
Cost of Scarborough Subway Extension almost doubles from initial estimate
The cost of extending the Toronto subway further into Scarborough has almost doubled, according to new estimates, which show the price of the project now stands north of $10 billion. The Scarborough Subway Extension was first announced in 2019 as part of Ontario Premier Doug Ford's 'transportation vision,' alongside projects like the Ontario Line and an extension to the Eglinton Crosstown West. The three-stop underground route effectively replaces the now-shuttered Scarborough RT and takes the subway almost eight km further into Scarborough. Provincial transit agency Metrolinx's initial business case for the project pegged the cost at roughly $5.5 billion. Figures disclosed in an update for its latest board meeting show the route is now expected to cost $10.2 billion. The agency stressed in a statement that the 2019 price was only for the construction of the route and didn't include operating costs like lifecycle maintenance of the route, which have now been added to the tally. Story continues below advertisement 'As we do with all major construction projects, the initial cost estimate ($5.5B) announced in 2019 was just the estimated construction cost of the project,' a Metrolinx spokesperson said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The $10.2B value includes construction costs along with additional project costs, like property acquisition, technical engineering advisers, installation, testing and commissioning of all systems equipment, and interconnection with existing TTC systems.' They said the total cost also now captures design, supply, testing and commissioning of the track, as well as an extra track running east from Kennedy Station. Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, however, said the increase was concerning. 'Ten billion dollars is not spare change, it's people's hard-earned money,' she said in a statement. 'We need a public inquiry into Metrolinx. The culture of secrecy, wasted dollars, and delays cannot continue. Something has to change.' The Scarborough Subway Extension's cost increase follows a similar pattern to the government's signature Ontario Line. That line was unveiled alongside the subway extension in 2019 and priced at $10.9 billion. By 2022, once contracts had been handed out, the estimate rose to between $17 and $19 billion. Last June, the number increased again to $27.2 billion. The latest estimate included property acquisition and all operating costs, like the subway extension. Story continues below advertisement The Metrolinx spokesperson said both projects were part of a historic transit expansion in and around Toronto. 'The government of Ontario is carrying out the largest subway expansion in Canadian history to combat gridlock which costs Ontario's economy $56 billion every single year,' they said.
