Good evening. Let’s start with today’s top stories:
Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran’s embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus today, marking an escalation of Israel’s war against Iran’s regional proxies.
Israel has long targeted Iranian military installations and those of its proxies in Syria, and has ramped up those strikes alongside its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Today’s attack was the first time Iran’s embassy compound itself had been hit.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that seven military advisers were killed, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran’s elite Quds Force, an overseas arm of the corps.
Emergency and security personnel inspect the rubble at the site of strikes that hit a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024.LOUAI BESHARA/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Israel withdrew from Gaza’s largest hospital earlier today after a two-week raid that its military described as a major victory. Footage showed widespread devastation, with the facility’s main buildings reduced to burned-out husks.
The hospital raid came at a time of growing frustration in Israel, with tens of thousands protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday in the largest anti-government demonstration since the start of the war.
- In photos: Israeli troops leave Gaza’s Shifa Hospital a wreck in sea of rubble
- Related: Palestinians want April vote on full United Nations membership
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Carbon pricing and what it means for you
Canadians can expect to pay more at the pumps and to heat their home today, as the federal price on carbon increased by $15 a tonne, rising to $80 a tonne from $65. April 1 is when increases will take effect each year – the price on carbon will continue to rise annually by $15 until it reaches $170 a tonne by 2030. While businesses pay on a share of their actual emissions, the cost to consumers is applied to fossil fuel purchases. Also increasing is the rebate consumers receive from the federal government, called the Canada Carbon Rebate. Here’s a primer on what today’s increase could mean for you.
Meanwhile, provincial leaders continue to rally to pause the carbon-price hike. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey penned a letter to Trudeau over the weekend asking for an “emergency meeting of leaders,” to discuss alternatives, while Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe tweeted Monday that the only way to prevent future increases is a change in government.
- Opinion: The premiers’ accidental clarity on carbon taxes
Gearing up for next week’s total solar eclipse
People watch a partial solar eclipse in Montreal in August, 2017.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Towns along next week’s solar eclipse’s path of totality are looking to make the most from the expected boost in tourism. The eclipse will last only three-and-a-half minutes but many cities and towns in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have been preparing for months to host thousands of visitors from across the country for the event. Hotels in towns and cities along the path of totality are booked up, with Niagara alone expecting more than a million visitors this weekend.
- Explainer: How to watch a total solar eclipse
- Solar eclipse Q&A: Ask your questions to science reporter Ivan Semeniuk
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Haiti evacuations: Canada is expanding its evacuation of citizens from Haiti to include relatives and permanent residents. Ottawa has also arranged for a charter flight for those who pay a market rate to fly between the Dominican Republic and Montreal.
- Related: Panic in Haiti as wild shooting fills downtown Port-au-Prince’s streets
Havana Syndrome: Russia today dismissed a report that its military intelligence may be behind the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” ailment that has impacted U.S. diplomats and spies globally. Symptoms of the ailment have included migraines, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness.
B.C. politics: The federal Conservative Leader is having an impact on British Columbia’s politics, according to a new poll that suggests the B.C. Conservatives are benefiting from Pierre Poilievre’s popularity even though there are no official links between the two parties.
Elon Musk and Tesla: The numbers of would-be Tesla buyers in the U.S. are going down, according to a survey by market intelligence firm Caliber, which attributed the drop partly to CEO Elon Musk’s polarizing persona. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Indigenous art and the law: In Alaska, a crackdown on misrepresented Indigenous art is testing a unique U.S. law. The case of a family accused of misrepresenting the sale of Indigenous-made goods, a violation of the U.S. Indian Arts and Crafts Act, marks a milestone in the prosecution of a crime that for many decades has had little enforcement.
Ukraine: Despite weeks of Russian strikes causing significant damage, Ukraine’s energy system is far from collapsing, the head of Ukraine’s national grid company said today. Since March 22, Russia has been attacking Ukrainian thermal and hydropower stations, as well as main networks, almost every day, leading to blackouts across the country.
MARKET WATCH
U.S. stocks mostly edged lower today, dragged down by investor worries over the timing of interest rate cuts. The TSX was able to close slightly higher, thanks to a rally in the energy and materials sectors.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 18.22 points at 22,185.25. The S&P 500 lost 10.58 points to end at 5,243.77 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 17.37 points to 16,396.83. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 240.52 points to 39,566.85.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.67 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
The premiers’ accidental clarity in carbon taxes
“There will inevitably be a cost to reducing emissions, no matter how it is done. Canadians can either pay the cost or not. Mr. Moe is on the “not” side.” – Campbell Clark
I smell a rat – in my truck!
“In January, I realized I had a rodent problem – a rat had infiltrated my 2020 Ford Ranger truck, rechristened “the Ratty Ranger.” Infestations like these have become a common problem.” – Shannon Moneo
Why I encourage my students to use ChatGPT
“Some worry that using ChatGPT will diminish students’ critical thinking, but the opposite can be true when it’s used thoughtfully – that is, when critical thinking is applied.” – Ignacio Cofone
LIVING BETTER
How this 97-year-old broke records without training
Rejeanne Fairhead, left, shown in this handout image, says until two years ago the most athletic thing she had ever done involved bowling and horse shoes. Now she is a world-record-holding racer.HO/The Canadian Press
Rejeanne Fairhead was 95 when she set a Canadian record for a 5K race for people between 95 and 99. It was a walk in the park for her, and the next year, she beat her own record. She doesn’t do anything special: She gets her steps in every day, practises small functional exercises regularly and stays busy. Read more on how the now 97-year-old stays fit.
- See also: Building muscle? Here’s how to get the protein you need without meat
TODAY’S LONG READ
Think powering a nuclear sub is hard? Try running a utility
CEO of Fortis Inc. David Hutchens at his office in Tucson, Arizona. "Before, you never talked about utilities, never paid attention to them, and now all of a sudden we’re like the cool kids. The front page of every paper is an energy story."Cassidy Araiza/The Globe and Mail
David Hutchens was once somewhere in the deep, running the nuclear power plant on a ballistic-missile submarine. When he came ashore, he switched to working for utilities, eventually working his way up to CEO of Fortis. ROB Magazine sat down with him to discuss what it’s like to run a utility in a time of energy upheaval.
Evening Update is written by Maryam Shah. 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.