Canada and its NATO allies are digging deeper to plump up their defense budgets – agreeing to spend five per cent of GDP. It's a major shift for Canada, which failed to meet previous NATO targets of two per cent.

And: Statistics Canada has compiled its first report on what landlords are asking for their rental units. And it’s no surprise that rents have climbed – a lot – in some major cities. But the report also notes: some of those rates are now coming down.

Plus: The Axiom-4 mission blasted off early this morning from Florida – carrying astronauts from the U.S., Poland, Hungary and India. It’s on its way to the International Space Station – a private spaceflight – with cooperation from NASA. We’ll hear from CBC's South Asia correspondent Salimah Shivji about how India is hoping the trip is a stepping stone on the path to reinvigorating its space program.

Also: Covid vaccines, cougar sightings, Trump on the Middle East, and more.