Russian threats
Russia is warning that decisions by Finland and Sweden to join NATO would be a “grave mistake.”
Finland’s president and the prime minister announced yesterday that a formal application will be made, with a vote in parliament this week a formality.
Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party also announced they would be submitting an application to join the alliance.
NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenburg says the application process could be swift.
The Russian offensive
Ukrainian officials say they’re preparing for another Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region,
after successfully pushing enemy troops out of the northeast region around the city of Kharkiv.
They say Russian forces retreating from the area are now being transferred to the Donbas, one of Russia’s key objectives.
Britain’s military intelligence branch says the Russian offensive in the region has lost momentum, and they may have lost as much as one-third of the ground forces originally committed to the Ukrainian invasion.
Disability increase promises
Ontario’s New Democrats are doubling down on pledges to increase social assistance payments.
The party has already promised an immediate 20 percent increase in Ontario Disability Support Program payments if elected on June 2nd.
In its’ party platform, published yesterday, it’s also announced that ODSP payments would be double the current levels in the second year of its administration.
The current monthly payment is just under 12-hundred dollars a month.
The Liberals have pledged to increase the rate by 20 percent over two years, while the Conservatives say they’ll hike payments by five percent.
Shooting in Buffalo
An 18-year-old man is expected to appear in a courtroom in Buffalo, New York again today, following Saturday’s mass shooting at a grocery store.
Ten people were killed during the rampage in a mostly-black section of the city.
Police say the alleged gunman drove more than 300 kilometres from his home and was dressed in body armour when he opened fire.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as a racially-motivated hate crime.
They say there’s evidence the suspect supported white supremacist ideology.
