Global National: July 8, 2023 | 500 days since Russia invaded Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has reached another sombre milestone: it’s now been 500 days since Russia invaded the country. Since February 24th of last year, there have been 25,170 civilian casualties that include more than 9,000 killed and more than 15,000 injured. Military casualties on both sides are difficult to establish and verify. More than 6 million Ukrainians have become refugees since the start of the war. And there is no end in sight to the fighting which has forced some families to say goodbye to their loved ones and others, picking up the pieces shattered by conflict. Mackenzie Gray reports.

Police in Ottawa are sounding the alarm over a significant rise in hate crimes in the city. Since January, there have been over 200 hate-motivated incidents. “We’re six months in, so it’s around 30-35 files that are coming into our office,” says Sgt. Ali Toghrol of the Ottawa Police Service. As Easton Hamm reports, it’s an alarming trend being seen right across the country.

It’s the first weekend of the Calgary Stampede and for the first time since the pandemic, international visitors seem eager to come back to the 10-day event. Early ticket sales have surpassed 2019 levels with American and European tourists helping to drive numbers up. With international borders free of pandemic restrictions this summer, there’s hope the tourism sector is finally on the rebound. Heather Yourex-West reports.

Canada’s labour market continues to churn out jobs providing momentum for a consensus among economists who expect a small rate hike on Wednesday. Now, all six of Canada’s largest commercial banks expect a quarter of a percentage point increase in the Bank of Canada’s key interest rate. Anne Gaviola has more.

Since Meta’s ‘Threads’ launched Wednesday, it has become one of the most rapidly downloaded apps, surpassing 80 million users. It’s targeting those who are looking for alternatives to Twitter after some unfavourable changes to the platform. Now, Twitter is accusing it of legal action accusing its rival of being a copycat. Mike Drolet reports.

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