At Cirque du Soleil, a Russian and a Ukrainian Stand Strong: “Without Trust This Is Not Going to Work”

Seth Abramovitch 
© Seth Abramovitch for THR


In a dark theater in downtown Los Angeles — over 6,000 miles away from Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine — two men face one another standing on raised platforms. One, smiling and sandy-haired, is a Ukrainian named Dmytro Rybkin, 33.

The other, Alexander Grol, 34, is a black-haired Russian of Gypsy descent. Despite Grol’s gruff exterior, flickers of a dry sense of humor peek through.

Together, these two men form an unlikely alliance — and a potent artistic symbol — for these fraught times.

Rybkin and Grol are performers in Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo, an insect-themed fantasia currently installed at Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live, where it will remain for the next five weeks. The show is a slightly tweaked version of the one that debuted in 2016 and was put on ice in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with dozens of other Cirque du Soleil productions around the globe.

Cirque is currently amid a return to a robust, post-COVID performance schedule — what was supposed to be a period of great celebration.

“We went through this crisis of going from 44 shows to zero show, from $1 billion of revenue to no revenue,” says Daniel Lamarre, 69, executive vice chairman of Cirque du Soleil, visiting L.A. from Montreal for Ovo’s March 16 premiere.

In July 2020, Lamarre, then president and CEO, saved Cirque du Soleil from near extinction with a restructuring deal that saw a consortium led by private equity firm Catalyst Capital take the company out of bankruptcy and become its new owners.

But just as the show was about to go on, yet another crisis, this one geopolitical, gathered on the horizon. A high number of world-class acrobats and gymnasts come from the part of the world currently in conflict. Ovo features 52 artists from 25 countries — Russia and Ukraine among them.

Speaking on behalf of Cirque du Soleil, Lamarre avoids making any direct pronunciations on the war in Ukraine. “It’s not the first time there is crisis between countries or nationalities, but we like to see ourselves like citizens of the world,” he says. “And so do our artists. I guess the reality is, when you look to a situation like the one we’re in right now, the crisis doesn’t really involve civilians. It’s politicians. So as long as you stay away from politics and you care about people, I think then you take the right decision, and that’s what we’re doing.”

As for Rybkin and Grol, you sense there is more they’d like to say about the conflict but have been cautioned not to. Rybkin makes a statement with his rehearsal clothes: light-yellow jeans and a royal blue T-shirt, which only later do I realize recall the colors of the Ukrainian flag, which represents a yellow field under a blue sky. Grol wears all black.

The two strongmen, with forearms Popeye would envy, are what is known in the circus world as “catchers” or “porters.”

Their job is to catch and throw acrobats into the air from opposite platforms. In the case of Ovo, they are dressed as scarab beetles while doing so. They’ve been performing this act together since 2016. For catchers and for the aerialists dependent on them, it all comes down to trust.

“We have girls who are flying and the boys who are catching,” says Grol. “So they trust their lives to us. And this responsibility makes us who we are. In the show, in the act, in the circus, the responsibility forms a character, a way of living. It’s made me who I am. And I realize how much trust people give me. Then I start feeling a certain way.”

Adds Rybkin: “I want to make the girl trust me, trust me to fly. It means that I always have to catch and always have to throw very well, so they don’t have any fear. And this is the most difficult part because you cannot be super stable every day. But without trust, this is not going to work.”

Growing up in Perm, a city in central Russia next to the Ural Mountains, Grol observed his musclebound father, also a circus performer, and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

“He was a porter in acrobatics — so catching people but standing on the floor, catching them on his shoulders, that kind of thing. Same discipline as me, but a different act.”

Father and son would travel around the country in a circus caravan. “It was a big Gypsy family,” Grol says. “And you know how everybody thinks of Gypsies that they’re troublemakers? But we are not. We are not troublemakers or hooligans. We have a life of our own, views on life of our own. The way we are brought up on the road, not having the normal childhood like kids have, it’s quite an adventure.”

Rybkin came to the circus through athletics. “I was a sportsman before; I did sport acrobatics,” he explains. “I was never planning to go to the circus. For me, sport was the main goal. But after that, I realized that it can be fascinating for me, and I applied for a circus casting.” He got a job working with a circus in France, then another in Russia.

Then he was scouted for the big time: Cirque du Soleil. “Before that, life in the circus was very difficult, much worse conditions,” Rybkin says. “Here is great. We get accommodation, we get food. Everything is organized.”

For Grol, who returned to Russia during the pandemic, the chance to perform for as many as 7,000 circus fans is something he thought he might never experience again. Based in St. Petersburg, he’d travel to Perm to visit his parents.

“I was in the village. I remember cleaning my well in my parents’ place, chucking the buckets of mud out of the well. And I was saying to the circus god if he exists, ‘I really want to get back, at least once more, onstage. I would give them all I got, 150 percent. I will become the bug, inside and outside. I’ll become that bug. I will show some people some fun times.’ I send that message to the circus god.”

Rybkin is based in Austria now and was unable to return to Ukraine to see his family due to pandemic travel restrictions. “But it was good timing for me because my daughter, she was born exactly when coronavirus started,” he says. “There was no circus. I could have time to be there and help to be with my daughter. And it was even more difficult than the circus. But I’m happy that I was there, and I could see how she was growing.”

Before they are summoned backstage to continue their warmups, I ask the two men if they have any closing thoughts they’d like to share with the world.

“Peace to the world,” says Grol. “We are people of art. The artists. We present art. We’re humans, not of different points of view. There’s plenty of that in the world. The message here is that when we’re here, we spread happiness. We show them what we got.”

Adds Rybkin: “We are very open people, and we are very good with each other. And this gives us a chance to show our acrobatics. And also show our feelings to the people. And we are happy that people appreciate it.”

ROCK STAR ZAMBONI DRIVER

Vladimir Putin celebrates Crimea annexation with rally as Russia continues onslaught of Ukraine

By Tara John, Uliana Pavlova and Anastasia Graham-Yooll, CNN 

© Sergei GUNEYEV/POOL/AFP/Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on March 18, 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine at a rally in Moscow on Friday, where his speech was abruptly cut off on the state TV broadcast in what the Kremlin described as a technical error.

Tens of thousands of people waved the Russian flag at the national stadium as they took part in celebrations commemorating the eighth year of Russia's annexation of Crimea -- which is deemed illegal by the Ukrainian government and not recognized in the West.

Speaking from a stage in front of a banner that read, "For a world without Nazism," Putin said Russia "will definitely implement all our plans" in Ukraine.

"To spare people from this suffering, from this genocide -- this is the main reason, motive and purpose of the military operation that we launched in the Donbas [an eastern Ukrainian region] and Ukraine," he said

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© Russia 24 State workers were told by authorities to attend the celebrations.

Russian state TV later replayed Putin's full speech without problems, but the Kremlin refused to confirm or deny if the event was live or pre-recorded.

Putin insisted that national unity was the strongest in a long time, even as many people flee Russia or protest against war in the streets, and as the country is increasingly isolated on the global stage.

"The best proof is the way our boys are fighting in this operation: shoulder to shoulder, supporting each other, and if need be, protecting each other like brothers, shielding one another with their bodies on the battlefield. We haven't had this unity for a long time," Putin told the crowd.

State workers were told by authorities to attend the celebrations. In an invitation given out to teachers in one of Moscow's state schools and obtained by CNN, attendees were told they would have Russian flags and should put white "Z" marks on their clothing, a pro-war symbol seen daubed on the country's military vehicles in Ukraine.

But not everyone was happy to go. Ekaterina, 26, an elementary school teacher at the school, told CNN that she and her colleagues were asked by their school administration to attend the concert the morning before. She asked only to be identified by her first name.

© Getty Images Russians hold flags and cheer during the concert that featured live music and speeches from high-profile Putin supporters.

"I refused to go because this goes against my moral principles and I told them that it is not part of my work contract to attend such events. However, I also have a friend from another school who refused to go and was fired," Ekaterina told CNN.

CNN could not independently verify that her friend was fired. SO WE REPORT IT ANYWAYS

The hour-and-a-half event featured live music and speeches from high-profile supporters, including RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Presenters and many in the crowd wore pins on their clothes with an orange and black letter Z. The hosts said "well done" when the audience clapped, and Russian pop stars and singers including Polina Gagarina sang tunes at the event.

Lyube, believed to be Putin's favorite Russian band, performed patriotic songs about honor, war and sacrifice.

Presenters, who accused the West of aggression towards Russia, also introduced Russian Olympic athletes like Dina Averina on stage while the crowd chanted "Russia, Russia."

The rally comes at a tense moment for Russia, as its military struggles to capture key cities like Ukraine's capital Kyiv and Western officials estimates the country's troop losses are in the thousands.

US and Western intelligence officials have also observed that Russia is having difficulty replacing its forces, which is having a significant impact on troop morale, senior NATO officials said on Wednesday.

"It becomes more evident every day that Putin gravely miscalculated," a senior NATO intelligence official told reporters at the alliance's headquarters on Wednesday night, speaking on the condition of anonymity to disclose sensitive assessments. "Russia continues to face difficulties replacing its combat losses, and increasingly seeks to leverage irregular forces, including Russian private military corporations and Syrian fighters."

But none of that pessimism was evident in Putin's speech on Friday. "It so happened that the beginning of the operation ... quite by chance coincided with the birthday of one of our outstanding military leaders [and] canonized saints, Fyodor Ushakov, who in his entire brilliant military career did not lose a single battle," he told the crowd.

"He once said that these thunderstorms will go to the glory of Russia. So it was then, so it is today, and so it will always be!"

© ALEXANDER VILF/POOL/AFP/Getty Images Putin gave an upbeat assessment of the invasion during his speech at the concert

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Putin appears at big rally, praises Russian troops as Ukraine fights back invasion

WE (HAND SIGN) 'HEART' RUSSIA

Rammstein Singer, ‘Matrix’ Producer Sign Pro-Russian, Anti-War Petition
Scott Roxborough 

A group of film, television and music industry figures, among them The Matrix: Resurrections producer Grant Hill, Oscar-winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters) and Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann, have signed a petition condemning Vladimir Putin’s “war of aggression” in Ukraine and calling for an immediate end to the conflict.

What sets the petition, posted on Change.org Friday, apart from dozens of similar calls from industry players large and small since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, is the group’s deliberately pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian stance.

“We love Russia and the people of Russia! And we love Ukraine and the people of Ukraine!” the petition begins. The group says it stands behind the people of Ukraine “who are defending their independence and young democracy” but also pays tribute to “everyone in Russia who has the courage to protest against the war” in the face of the Russian government’s brutal crackdown on dissent within the country.

Since the start of the war, there has been a call among many in the international film and television industry to broadly sanction both Russia and Russian artists. In addition to a broad entertainment economy boycott — virtually every major film and TV company, including all the studios, Netflix, the BBC, ITV and others, have paused or stopped doing business in or with Russia — several industry bodies, including the European Film Academy, the Polish Film Institute and every official film organization in Ukraine, have demanded an all-out ban on Russian cinema.

Among the initial signatories to the petition are DDA agency founder Dennis Davidson, German actors Anna Loos (The Weissensee Saga) and Jan Josef Liefers (Tatort), the French-Polish actress Elisabeth Duda (La Belle Époque), Cloud Atlas producer Alexander van Dülmen and Austrian actress Susanne Wuest (Goodnight Mommy).

Europe’s major film festivals have taken a middle road. Cannes has barred the presence of any Russian government delegations at its festival but said it will not boycott movies by Russian directors. Berlin on Wednesday took a similar stance, saying it will ban official Russian state institutions and delegations as well as “supporting actors of the regime” from participating in the Berlinale “as long as the Russian government is waging this cruel war against Ukraine,” but drawing the line at banning Russian filmmakers, saying to do so would “suppress many critical voices” of the Putin government.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Praises Fox News for 'Alternative Points of View'

Haleigh Foutch 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had plenty of harsh words for "western media" on Friday — except Fox News.

© Provided by TheWrap

Lavrov gave an "exclusive" interview with the state-funded Russian TV news network RT, during which he praised Fox News for "trying to represent some alternative points of view."

During the interview, which was conducted in English, Lavrov took aim at "the West" and America in general, saying, "If there was any illusion that we could one day rely on our Western partners, this illusion is no longer there."

However, his comments regarding Fox News came during a diatribe about Western media. Read the full quote below.

"We know the manners and the tricks which are being used by the Western countries to manipulate media. We understood long ago that there is no such thing as an independent Western media. If you take the United States only Fox News is trying to present some alternative points of view.

But when you see, you watch other channels, and when you watch, read the social networks and internet platforms, when the acting president was blocked, as you know, and this censorship continues in a very big way and the substitution of notions whenever something is happening by the way of mass protest mass demonstrations, which they don't like, they immediately call it domestic terrorism. So it's a war, and it's a war which involves the methods of information terrorism. There is no doubt about this."

Lavrov's praise for Fox News comes as no surprise; Russian state TV has been regularly featuring clips from the network amid the Ukraine invasion, and Mother Jones previously reported a leaked Kremlin memo that called for state media to feature Fox News host Tucker Carlson "as much as possible."


Fox News hosts, and Carlson in particular, have earned consistent criticism for their pro-Putin coverage of the war in Ukraine, and Lavrov's praise comes the morning after Carlson leveled claims of slander against Texas GOP Rep. Michael McCaul in response to McCaul calling the Fox News host's show "an organ of Russian disinformation."

"In recent days, McCaul has told a number of people that this show is an organ of Russian disinformation," Carlson said on his Thursday night show. "In other words, not only are we wrong, which is fine, we are disloyal Americans. We're doing the bidding of a foreign power. That is not fine. That is slander."

"We don't care what the Russian government says," Carlson said on Thursday night's show, chalking up claims of Russian disinformation as "a well-worn Democratic Party talking point." McCaul is a Republican congressman.

OPEN & TRANSPARENT GOVT

Province rejects findings calling for release of factors behind N.S. youth jail riot


HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's Justice Department is rejecting a ruling by the provincial information commissioner that documents about a 2016 riot at a youth detention facility should be made public.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press had asked under the province's freedom of information for recommendations the department made after five staff members were injured in the Sept. 4, 2016, melee at the Waterville youth detention facility.

Backlogs at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner meant it took more than five years for the commissioner to decide in The Canadian Press's favour last month.

But on March 11, the government advised it would not follow the commissioner's recommendations. Under the province's access to information system, which the current Progressive Conservative government has promised to reform, the only avenue to appeal the government's refusal is before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Information and privacy commissioner Tricia Ralph's Feb. 15 decision says the Department of Justice didn't provide sufficient support for its claim that releasing the requested information would harm the security of the facility or the privacy of those involved.

Ralph wrote that the department was refusing to release information about the risk of violence in the facility, concerns the employees' union raised and the department's response to those concerns, as well as an investigation report.

She said the department "did not establish a reasonable basis for believing that danger or harm would result from disclosure."

In its response, the Justice Department said the requested information needs to remain secret because it would provide details about security practices at the facility.

"The security practices included in the severed information are used to protect the health and safety of the staff and individuals in custody," the letter rejecting the commissioner's findings said.

The Department of Justice added that blacking out the names of those involved would not adequately protect the young people's right not to be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, because there could be other identifying information.

Under the province's freedom of information system, if the provincial government rejects the commissioner's findings, the applicant faces a potentially costly and lengthy court process to enforce the decisions.

Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston, who in opposition was often critical of the former Liberal government for its refusal to release documents, committed in last summer's election campaign to giving the commissioner the power to make orders rather than recommendations.That would force the public agency to contest a decision from the commissioner it disagreed with rather than putting the onus on citizens.

However, the timeline for the promised change is unclear, other than it is expected to occur within the government's four-year mandate. And the new government also hasn't made a commitment to further increase staffing at the commissioner's office to help deal with a backlog of review cases.

However, a spokesman for the Department of Justice said in an email on Thursday evening that the Information and Privacy Commissioner was provided with "additional resources" to reduce the backlog last year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2022.

Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press

UPDATED

UNFAIR BARGAINING

CP Rail will lock out 3,000 conductors and engineers if they don't have a deal with the union by Sunday

THEY RELY ON BACK TO WORK LAW

Jake Edmiston 

Financial Post

 CP Rail and Teamsters Canada have been negotiating a new collective agreement since September, and earlier this month, union members voted to authorize a strike if necessary.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. will lock out 3,000 conductors and locomotive engineers if union officials won’t make a deal by this Sunday, March 20, the company said.

CP and Teamsters Canada have been negotiating a new collective agreement since September, and union members earlier this month voted to authorize a strike if necessary. While a strike was possible as of March 16, the union hadn’t yet opted for one. CP said it decided on a lockout to avoid dragging out the situation indefinitely.

“Delaying resolution would only make things worse,” CP chief executive Keith Creel said in a news release. “We take this action with a view to bringing this uncertainty to an end.”

Hours after CP gave notice of the March 20 lockout, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said the union intends to strike on the same day, according to a statement from federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan. He urged both parties to “consider making the compromises necessary to reach a deal” before the March 20 deadline.

“We understand what’s at stake,” O’Regan said in a Tweet on March 16, adding that he and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra are monitoring the situation.

Canadian business and agricultural leaders have been warning that a work stoppage at the railway would be “catastrophic” for the flow of goods across the country, at a time when supply chain disruptions have already driven up food costs to a level not seen in almost 13 years.

This growing season, Canadian grain farmers are under more pressure than usual to produce a good crop, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has destabilized farming operations in one of the world’s most important grain-growing regions. At a time when the world needs more Canadian grain, a rail stoppage would “directly damage Canada’s capacity to act as a reliable source,” said the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, which represents more than 200,000 farmers across the country.

Company and union officials have been meeting daily with federal mediators over the past week, but “our positions remain far apart,” CP said.

TCRC, which represents about 3,000 of CP’s engineers, conductors, yardpersons and trainpersons, said the lockout threat will only sour negotiations, not speed them up.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Teamsters Canada spokesperson Stéphane Lacroix. “They’re upsetting our negotiators at the negotiation table. It’s really not a good strategy.”

TCRC has said the main issues are wages, pensions and work rules. But Lacroix said the main issue holding up negotiations is the work rules, since the union has been pushing for more “human” schedules for train staff.

The company noted that the average annual salary is $135,442 for a TCRC locomotive engineer and $107,872 for a conductor, yardperson or trainperson. CP said it tabled an offer on Tuesday that addressed 26 outstanding issues, but the offer was rejected.

In its lockout notice, CP gave TCRC until 12:01 a.m. on March 20 to either come to a negotiated settlement or agree to binding arbitration before a lockout.

“The Canadian economy could avoid all the pain and damage of a work stoppage if the TCRC would agree to binding arbitration,” Creel said.

Tom Steve, general manager at the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, said a rail disruption would cause serious operational issues for the coming spring planting season. Farmers depend on rail to carry crucial inputs, such as fertilizer and pesticides, but they also depend indirectly on rail to generate enough cash to cover their spring costs.

Steve said farmers at this time of year tend to sell the last 10 to 20 per cent of the previous season’s harvest to help finance planting. But if a grain company can’t get access to rail capacity, they’ll order less crop from farmers.

“They need the rail cars to move that crop, or they will not call in the deliveries,” he said. “The farmer doesn’t get paid until they dump it in the pit.”

The threat of rail disruptions is a “recurring nightmare” for farmers in Western Canada, where CP dominates much of the southern Prairies and Canadian National Railway Co. dominates the central and northern areas, he said. The geographical split means CP’s clients are likely out of options when service shuts down.

“If CP goes on strike, CN is not able to pick up all that business. It would be virtually impossible,” Steve said, adding that in 2019, a weeklong CN rail strike backed up the entire grain supply chain. Grain shippers move product every week, so missing even one week means “we’re playing catch-up” for the rest of the year.

“It’s time to start thinking about making the rail system an essential service,” he said. “How do we create a more reliable system that isn’t, every few years, held captive by the inability of railways and their unions to get along?”

The Western Grain Elevator Association (WEGA), which represents major grain companies including Cargill Ltd. and Viterra Canada Inc., said both CP and the union need to realize a work stoppage would have “serious consequences” for Canada’s agricultural sector, which is already reeling after last summer’s drought dramatically reduced crop yields.

Grain companies with operations on CP rail lines are “beholden to a monopoly service provider and do not have any competitive options in shipping grain to flour mills, grain processing facilities and feedlots both domestically and internationally,” the association said.

“The world needs Canada’s grain now more than ever, and it is unconscionable that anyone would leverage the current domestic and global circumstances to benefit their individual interests,” WGEA executive director Wade Sobkowich said on March 15.

• Email: jedmiston@postmedia.com | Twitter: jakeedmiston

Canada, U.S. shippers brace for possible CP Rail strike, latest supply-chain disruption

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square takes new stake in CP Rail worth $280 million

Union issues strike notice to CP Rail as groups ask Ottawa to prevent work stoppage


TORONTO — Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. said Thursday it has received strike notice from the union representing its engineers, conductors and other train employees.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The move is the latest escalation in a labour dispute at the Calgary-based railway that could result in a potential nation-wide work stoppage as early as 1 a.m. EST on Sunday.

CP Rail indicated Wednesday night that it had issued a 72-hour notice to the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference of its plan to lock out almost 3,000 employees on Sunday, if the union and the company are unable to come to a negotiated settlement or agree to binding arbitration.

The two sides are at odds over 26 outstanding issues, including wages, benefits and pensions.

But Canadian business organizations are calling on Ottawa to prevent a potential work stoppage at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., which could further hamper companies recovering from COVID-19 restrictions and supply chain problems.

Roughly 45 industry groups said Thursday that any disruption would hinder Canada's freight capacity and hurt the broader economy as it grapples with inflation, product shortages, rising fuel costs and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Any disruption would further cripple Canada’s freight capacity and have a profound impact on not only rail shippers, but all shippers, including trucking and air, throughout the broader Canadian economy," the groups said in a statement.

"It would do irrevocable damage to Canadian supply chains that would extend beyond our borders and harm our reputation as a reliable partner in international trade."

The groups behind the statement included the Retail Council of Canada, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and the Business Council of Canada.

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said Wednesday night that Ottawa is "monitoring the situation closely" and wants both parties to consider making compromises to reach a deal that is fair for workers and the employer.

But the industry groups want the government to go further.

"CP has stated that it is willing to immediately enter binding arbitration to resolve this matter without a work stoppage," the groups said.

"The government must do everything in its power to get the union to agree."

One of the groups that was part of the statement, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, added that it's important for the government to ensure both parties remain at the negotiation table and service remain uninterrupted because it is already a challenging time for businesses.

The organization, which represents at least 110,000 small businesses, estimates only 35 per cent of businesses have returned to normal sales and about 89 per cent of small businesses are impacted by supply chain challenges, with retail, manufacturing, and construction businesses being the hardest hit sectors.

Three in ten business owners have seen their business’ costs increase by more than 20 per cent due to supply chain issues, while 39 per cent have waited waiting more than a month for shipments, CFIB said.

"The work stoppage will cause additional burdens on many of these businesses and put their future and the livelihood of their employees at a greater risk," said Jasmin Guenette, vice-president of national affairs.

Canada's agriculture industry has also expressed concern about a potential work stoppage at CP.

Farm groups have warned any delay on the rail lines would affect everything from shipments of fertilizer and other inputs during the crucial spring seeding season, as well as deliveries of emergency livestock feed to drought-affected parts of the Prairies.

"Disruptions such as this can reverberate and have consequences throughout the entire food supply chain," said Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, in a news release.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CP)

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

PERHAPS ASSAD DID

Lebanon's Hezbollah chief denies sending fighters to support Russia in Ukraine -Al Mayadeen TV

CAIRO (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday denied reports about sending fighters and experts to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, Lebanese Al Mayadeen TV reported

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© Reuters/ALI HASHISHO Hezbollah fighters sit on a back of a truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon in Jroud Arsal, near Syria-Lebanon border

"No one from Hezbollah, neither a fighter nor an expert, went to this arena or any of the arenas of these wars," Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV quoted him as saying.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the green light for up to 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East to be deployed alongside Russian-backed rebels to fight in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Moataz Mohamed; Editing by Chris Reese)

Google internet cable lands in Africa, promising fast connection

DAKAR (Reuters) - A subsea cable owned by Google that promises to double internet speeds for millions in Africa arrived in Togo on Friday, the company said, the latest step in a multi-year project to provide cheaper access to users across the continent.

© Reuters/Dado Ruvic FILE PHOTO: The Google app logo is seen on a smartphone in this illustration

The Equiano cable, the first of its kind to reach Africa, has wound its way from Portugal and will double internet speed for Togo's 8 million residents, Google said in a statement.

That may be a taste of things to come for other countries set to benefit in a region where internet use is rising fast but where networks are often cripplingly slow and are a drag on economic development.

The new line will also make land in Nigeria, Namibia and South Africa, with possible branches offering connections to nearby countries. It is expected to start operating by the end of the year.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's least-connected region, with around a quarter of the population still lacking mobile broadband coverage compared to 7% globally, according to a 2020 report by GSMA Intelligence.

Most countries in West Africa are at the bottom of a World Bank global ranking on internet penetration.

Togo will be the first to benefit. The cable is expected to reduce internet prices by 14% by 2025, according to an Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics assessment commissioned by Google.

Google said the cable will indirectly create 37,000 jobs in Togo by 2025 and boost GDP by $193 million.

(Reporting by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Edward McAllister)

UPDATED

University of Lethbridge Faculty Association to review proposed collective agreement Saturday

Danica Ferris,  Global News

The University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA) strike is into its fifth week, but a new development shows signs of potential progress.

© Tom Roulston / Global News A ULFA flag flies at a student rally in support of University of Lethbridge faculty on Sunday, January 30, 2022. The event took place on University Drive W.

ULFA president Dan O'Donnell confirmed to Global News on Friday afternoon that the faculty association is set to hold a special meeting on Saturday to place a proposed collective agreement in front of the membership for a ratification vote.

O'Donnell says if ratified, U of L faculty could return to work as early as Tuesday and classes could resume by Wednesday.

U of L nursing students kept from practicum placements during strike: ‘It’s pretty sad’

ULFA has about 500 members, who all went on strike as of Feb. 10, 2022; the association's contract ended in July 2020.

The two parties entered mediation to try to settle the terms of a future collective agreement earlier this week.

TELL BOG TO BARGAIN

Lethbridge business sector concerned about  of L labour issues: ‘It’s troubling’

The labour dispute between the University of Lethbridge and its faculty association continues and the Lethbridge business community says it's being impacted.

© Global News The Lethbridge business community says the University of Lethbridge faculty strike is disrupting its customer base.

The province lifting most COVID-19 restrictions on March 1 was a boost for Backstreet Pub & Pizza. But despite the return to some form of normalcy, a large part of owner Lauren Kielly's client base -- university students -- has not come back with the changes.

Read more:
U of L nursing students kept from practicum placements during strike: ‘It’s pretty sad’

"We even wanted to put on student events and things like that, but that's been postponed," Kielly said.

"A lot of students left Lethbridge just because they're waiting around, so we can really feel it."

According to the U of L, the total direct annual cash flow into the Lethbridge region from the school totals $338 million.

A portion of that figure is made up by student spending.

Read more:
U of L students host sit-in protest as faculty association strike continues

Economic Development Lethbridge CEO Trevor Lewington says that cash goes into many different industries.

"The vast majority of those students, about 75 per cent, come from outside the region. So those 8,000 students are bringing money for accommodations, food and those kind of things," Lewington said.

"The university is a huge impact on so many levels."

While fewer students are grabbing tables at Backstreet, Kielly is also losing another important part of her business; employees.

"Students are the best. They're eager to work and they're a nice energy," she said. "We have a couple of staff on, but some have left."

The hope is both sides of the labour dispute can come to an agreement soon, before any long-term impact occurs.

Read more:
U of L Faculty Association begins strike

"For those students that see Lethbridge as a destination, if they're not guaranteed they'll have the ability to access classes or they're worried about professors leaving or the environment that's created once this labour dispute is settled, that could cause people to stay away," Lewington said.

"It's troubling for sure, and if it continues, it's not good," Kielly said.

The school and its faculty entered mediation on Tuesday.

Lobbying group backed by Apple, Google pushes for weaker U.S. privacy laws

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A lobbying group backed by tech companies including Apple, Google, Meta (Facebook), and Amazon has reportedly backed weaker privacy legislation in the U.S.

According to Axios (via 9to5Mac), tech lobbying group State Privacy and Security Coalition (SPSC) promoted an upcoming state privacy law in Utah as the model that other U.S. states should adopt. However, critics have called Utah’s legislation too weak.

Specifically, Axios reported that consumer groups said the Utah bill wasn’t clear about how much control consumers would have over whether their information was used for targeted advertising. Moreover, the groups said the bill’s enforcement mechanism is weak.

Utah lawmakers considered and passed a state privacy bill in under two weeks. The bill is currently awaiting the governor’s signature. Utah is set to become the fourth state with a privacy law, joining Colorado, Virginia, and California. 9to5 notes that California’s law is more along the lines of Europe’s GDPR.

States have begun stepping up to introduce privacy laws and regulations while the federal government’s attempts to do the same languish in Congress. However, there’s an incentive for a single, federal law over multiple state laws since it’s easier for tech companies to comply with one law instead of 50 individual laws. Moreover, one effective law is easier for people to understand.

Axios says that Iowa is considering a similar bill to Utah, and other states are also weighing their own privacy bills. Although the SPSC told Axios it’s trying to help align state privacy laws in the absence of federal law, it’s concerning that the lobbying group has chosen to promote alignment around weaker regulations.

Also concerning is Apple’s involvement, given the company’s strong messaging about its privacy commitments — commitments that may not actually help consumers that much.

Although U.S. state and federal regulation won’t apply to Canadians, it’s important to follow how the U.S. approaches privacy legislation as it could become a blueprint for other countries. On that note, Canada is in the process of updating some of its own tech legislation, including Bill C-10 and C-11. However, critics say C-11 doesn’t go far enough in curtailing tech companies’ ability to gather data on Canadians.

Source: Axios Via: 9to5Mac