- The US-Iran conflict seems to be boiling over again, with Iran now threatening to again block all oil export through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockading Iranian ports. The US also launched another wave of strikes; Iran retaliated with strikes on US bases in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.
- A passenger aboard a Ryanair Boeing 737 on a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece to Memmingen, Germany was partially sucked out of the aircraft after the No. 2 engine failed and a part struck the window next to his seat at around 20,000 ft; his wife clung to him for some five minutes before the plane descended to an altitude that enabled her to overcome the pressure differential and pull him back in with the aid of other passengers. He survived but remains in hospital with significant injuries.
- A car collided with an apartment building in Edmonton on Monday night, sparking a fire that left at least one person dead and two missing. The driver is in hospital. It's worth noting that this kind of thing is far, far more common in Canada and the US than it is in, say, the Netherlands; there are reasons for that.
- Some members of the Conservative Party of Canada is now concerned about something that they haven't worried about for a while - a slump in fundraising. The party has long been able to count on wealthy donors even when in opposition, but with the Liberals behaving more like moderate Conservatives, I suspect many of those donors are wondering why they need to prop up a party that's increasingly looking like the party of rednecks and extremists rather than captains of industry.
- Polling in the US by market research company Verasight found that 69% of respondents would be in favour of AI firms being required to transfer 50% of their stock to a sovereign wealth fund as proposed by Bernie Sanders. Seems like it could be a good idea depending on implementation, though I doubt Silicon Valley is going to roll over easily on this issue.
- The University of Chicago's law school is banning first year students from using laptops, phones, or tablets in class. Those who have disabilities that can be shown to require these devices for accommodation will be exempted.
- Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, is begging Canadian provinces to reconsider their import bans on American alcoholic beverages. Ironically, most of the vineyards are located in parts of the state that vote heavily Republican, but I guess Schiff figures that as a representative of the state at large he still has to be seen to speak up for them, and maybe the industry is big enough that the impact on the state's revenue could be significant. In any case, it's not clear how much the market would recover even if provincial liquor boards agreed to start buying the stuff again; in its absence a lot of people are discovering that many Canadian wines aren't as bad as their reputation, and that's not even considering the wide range of excellent European, Chilean, Australian, and New Zealand wines available.
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