Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The latest updates in the Middle East
An Israeli military spokesperson said today that ground forces would be expanding operations tonight and that all Gaza City residents should move south. The announcement was made after the IDF had already carried out another ground raid earlier in the day. “In addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
Meanwhile, a local telecom firm as well as the Red Cross confirmed that internet and mobile phone services were cut off in the Gaza Strip owing to heavy bombardment. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it had completely lost contact with its operations room in Gaza and all its teams operating on the ground.
Aid to Gaza was still slow to trickle in, although 10 additional trucks made it in despite Israel’s aerial bombardment. The United Nations General Assembly today overwhelmingly called for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas. The non-binding resolution passed with 120 votes in favor, while 45 abstained and 14 – including Israel and the United States – voted no.
Mark MacKinnon reports that analysts are saying the only way Israel’s divisive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can keep his job after the war is to preside over a near-perfect military operation in Gaza and bring all the hostages home with minimal new Israeli casualties.
Read more:
- At the United Nations, Canada spoke about humanitarian pauses in Israel-Hamas war
- Marsha Lederman: The cultural world is being ruptured by the Israel-Hamas war
- Tony Keller: Why can’t Israelis and Palestinians make a deal? Too much history, and not enough geography
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Russians shell Ukraine’s Kherson, damage and casualties reported
Russian forces heavily shelled the centre of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Friday, injuring a number of people and damaging at least 10 buildings, a senior local official and emergency workers said.
Pictures posted on social media showed at least three sites dotted with piles of rubble.
Russian forces captured Kherson in the early days of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but abandoned the city and the western bank of the Dnipro River late last year. They now regularly shell those areas from positions on the eastern bank.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
CMHC head leaves job: The head of Canada’s national housing agency is departing for a job at the International Monetary Fund, leaving at a critical time as Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation attempts to roll out billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to create more affordable housing.
- Quiz: Test your knowledge of the business stories making the headlines
What we know so far about the Maine shooting: A massive search for the suspect who killed at least 18 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Me., has been under way, with Canadian border guards on the lookout in nearby New Brunswick. Here’s what we know about the suspect and where the shooting happened.
Immigration Minister announces measures to combat fraud against international students: Immigration Minister Marc Miller has unveiled a package of reforms designed to combat fraud in international student admissions and stop bad actors from preying on those students for financial gain, and to fast-track study-permit applications at colleges and universities that meet high standards.
Peter Nygard denies sexually assaulting one of the complainants in his trial: The former fashion mogul says he did meet one of the complainants accusing him of sexual assault, but he denies sexually assaulting her at his company’s Toronto headquarters in the late 1990s.
CBC report raises questions about Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Indigenous claim: CBC says the legendary musician and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie’s birth certificate, other documents and details from family members contradict her claim that she is Indigenous. Sainte-Marie, 82, said ahead of the Friday report that she doesn’t know who her birth parents are or where she’s from. She called herself “a proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada.”
Is your Halloween costume inspired by news headlines? Share it with The Globe: We would love for you to share you and your family’s news-inspired Halloween creations with The Globe. We’ll feature the best ones online as inspiration and delight for other readers.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street ends mixed at close of earnings-packed week
U.S. stocks closed mostly lower on Friday, losing momentum as investors digested a hectic week of mixed earnings, and economic data that seemed to support the “higher for longer” interest rate scenario.
The S&P 500 was down19.86 points or 0.48 per cent to end at 4,117.37 points. The Dow Jones was down 366.71 points or 1.12 per cent to end at 32,417.59. The Nasdaq Composite ended up 47.40 points or 0.38 per cent at 12,643.01.
The TSX was down 137.92 points or 0.73 per cent to end at 18737.39.
The Canadian dollar was trading at 72.06 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
Untangling the great policy mess of Canada’s innovation problem
“These two issues – dodginess around Canada’s shortfalls in funding independent research, and concern about our flagging productivity and national wealth – are closely related. Unfortunately, the nature of that relationship has typically been misconstrued by successive Canadian governments.” – David Naylor, Stephen J. Toope
The best way to break Pierre Poilievre’s media-baiting strategy: ask actual questions
“Still, if journalists would like to avoid making themselves props in Mr. Poilievre’s media-baiting strategy, there’s a simple enough remedy: Don’t ask loaded questions!” – Andrew Coyne
The perils of promising a costless energy transition
“Too often, our discussions of climate change rely on half-truths, easy sound bites and other ways to avoid difficult conversations.” – Andrew Leach
Why trick-or-treat in the cold? Canada should celebrate Halloween on a different date
“Costuming our children as kitties, Draculas or astronauts, then demanding they wear coats and mitts on top of their outfits, is a major buzzkill. And between freezing our own butts off while arguing with our seven-year-olds about zipping up their jackets, it’s no treat for parents either.” – Corey Mintz
LIVING BETTER
A guide to buying a functional, stylish coffee table on a budget
Coffee tables are central to most people’s living room design. How to find a durable, stylish table that won’t break the bank? For small spaces, a round table is the way to go. And be sure to leave 18 to 20 inches between the sofa and table so you can walk around comfortably. Here are budget and splurge coffee table options.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Forget beach resorts. Haunted tourism is alive and thriving
The Elms Hotel & Spa in Missouri, which has been destroyed by fires twice since it opened in 1888.Greg Ceo/Supplied
Visiting haunted places is part of a larger trend of dark tourism, a phrase coined by professor John Lennon of Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland in 1996, after researching why so many people felt compelled to visit the assassination sites of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
According to Lennon, our fascination with being in the presence of death is nothing new. “People used to go watch hangings in London in the 16th century. People watched the Battle of Waterloo from their carriages.” A more recent phenomenon is the proliferation of commodifying macabre sites.
Read the full story on the trend – plus spooky spots to visit in Canada.
Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.