5 Things posted Jun 9, 2025 @ 08:00am by Iain Burns

5 things you need to know this morning: June 9, 2025

Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.

Five things you need to know

1. Carney pledges to spend 2% of GDP on defence by March 2026

The prime minister has said Canada will boost defence spending to two per cent of GDP by March 2026. Mark Carney, who made the announcement in Toronto, has been under pressure to increase the country's meagre defence budget because his party failed to hit the NATO two per cent target throughout its last 10 years of government.

LIVE: Securing Canada • EN DIRECT : Assurer la sécurité du Canada https://t.co/1W6ffgpipu
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) June 9, 2025

2. US tech firms arguing against CRTC order in court

Some of the biggest tech companies in the world will make their case in court today after rejecting an order from the CRTC to hand over a portion of their revenues for the creation of more Canadian news and content. Apple, Spotify and Amazon are among the firms arguing against the order, which instructs them to pay five per cent of their Canadian revenues to produce Canadian media, including local TV news.

Global streamers fight CRTC’s rule requiring them to fund Canadian contenthttps://t.co/KRYZvl9tPu
— CP24 (@CP24) June 9, 2025

3. Anti-Israel activist Greta Thunberg prevented from sailing to war zone

Anti-Israel activist Greta Thunberg has been prevented from sailing to Gaza by Israeli authorities. Israel said the "selfie yacht" in which she was travelling can head instead to Israel, where Thunberg and her associates will be promptly deported. Thunberg, meanwhile, has claimed she has been "kidnapped" by Israeli authorities.

Good morning to all our followers 🇮🇱☀️

In case you missed it:

🥪 The ‘selfie yacht’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are safe and were provided with sandwiches and water, and are expected to return to their home countries.

🤏 The tiny amount of… pic.twitter.com/Gfn9I3ZI2l
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) June 9, 2025

4. Trump deploys National Guard to LA amid riots and protests over deportations

Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles amid riots and protests against the White House's deportation of illegal immigrants. California Governor Gavin Newsom is among Democrats to express fury about the move, and has pledged to sue the federal government.

BREAKING: Thousands of protesters swarm downtown Los Angeles, shut down a major freeway and set fire to self-driving vehicles. https://t.co/pSndOqYQp1
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 9, 2025

5. Iranian dictatorship expands ban on dog walking

The Islamist dictatorship in Iran has discovered a new way to prevent people from having fun – by banning dog walking. The regime, which seized power in 1979, cited public order and health concerns, but some politicians have also said dogs are "un-Islamic" and "unclean."