Evening Update newsletter: Jacob Zuma, Winter Olympics, Patrick Brown

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jacob Zuma resigns as president of South Africa

After refusing to resign despite pressure from the governing African National Congress (ANC) party to move aside, South African President Jacob Zuma has stepped down from his position. The embattled Mr. Zuma gave a 30-minute-long farewell address to the nation that he had led since 2009. He criticized the ANC for the way it shoved him aside in favour of Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy president of South Africa and the president of the party. Mr. Ramaphosa now replaces Mr. Zuma, who the ANC had said it would vote out tomorrow if he had not resigned.

Robert Rotberg writes in a column that "President Jacob Zuma's ouster and the ANC's Leader Cyril Ramaphosa's assumption of power should save South Africa."

OLYMPICS 2018

The Canadian men's curling team, led by Kevin Koe, is off to a good start, earning two wins in matchups against Italy and Great Britain. Want to know how much pressure is on Canadian curlers at the Games? Just ask the Swedes, writes Cathal Kelly.

Short track speed skater Kim Boutin, who won bronze in the women's 500m after initially placing in fourth, has been on the receiving end of online threats. She grabbed third place in the race after Minjeong Choi of the host country South Korea was disqualified after interfering with the Canadian.

Canadian doubles lugers Tristan Walker and Justin Snith finished fifth, four years after they just missed the podium in Sochi.

Cathal Kelly writes in a column that the weather is becoming a serious problem at the Games: "Gangwon-do is also one of the few places on Earth to experience hurricane-force winds (moving at speeds greater than 118 kilometres per hour) without the benefit of an actual hurricane. It's been blowing for days, postponing, delaying and otherwise marring several ski events in the mountains. A few days of this was an anomaly. Now that the Games is nearing its second week, it's becoming a serious problem."

One of the ongoing storylines of this year's Winter Olympics is the joint Korean women's hockey team, which has brought together athletes from North and South Korea to play under one jersey. The Korean team's matchup against Japan sought to unite North and South against a common enemy, and former colonial occupier. Japan ended up winning 4-1 but the Korean team scored its first goal of the tournament and as with each game the team plays, the meaning goes far beyond what happens on the ice, Nathan VanderKlippe reports.

COMING UP (all times Eastern)

• Women’s curling (Canada vs. South Korea 7:05 p.m.)
• Figure skating (pairs free skate 8:30 p.m.)
• Women’s ice hockey (Canada vs. USA 10:10 p.m.)

Medal count (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Total)

• Germany: 7, 2, 3, 12
• Netherlands: 5, 4, 2, 11
• Norway: 3, 5, 3, 11
• Canada: 3, 4, 3, 10
• United States: 4, 1, 2, 7

Here is our full guide on what you missed in the morning, what's coming up tonight and what to expect tomorrow.

Influenza taking heavy toll on children in Canada

At least eight children have died from the influenza virus this season and more children than average have been sent to the hospital. This flu season has been notable because both strains A and B spread around the same time, whereas usually they proliferate in separate waves in the winter and spring, respectively. Influenza rarely fatally impacts children and most people who die from it are over the age of 65. Since the deaths, parents have been scrambling to get their kids vaccinated. "The bottom line is that less than a quarter of the pediatric population actually gets the flu vaccine," said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer. "It's not necessarily a matter of low vaccine effectiveness, it's a matter of the fact that people are actually not vaccinated."

Former Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown challenges accusers to press charges

Patrick Brown, the former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, is challenging the women accusing him of sexual harassment and assault to go to the police and press charges. Mr. Brown resigned in the wake of a CTV News report and is now saying that the broadcaster defamed him. CTV stands by its reporting.

Home prices rise on gains in Vancouver, Victoria

Home prices in Canada grew on a national basis last month, according to the Teranet-National Bank National Composite House Price Index, which tracks data in 11 major housing markets. The gain of .3 per cent was not seen across in most markets, however, as only four regions saw climbing prices in January. The rise in home prices can be primarily attributed to gains in Vancouver and Victoria, where prices grew by 1.2 per-cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively. Home prices in Toronto increased by .2 per cent and the House Price Index grew by .1 per cent in Montreal.

'Numerous fatalities' after former student opens fire at Florida high school

Multiple people are dead and many more are injured after a former student opened fire on students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. This is a developing story and will continue to be updated at this link.

This is the daily Evening Update newsletter, a roundup of the important stories of the day and what everyone is talking about that will be delivered to your inbox every weekday around 5 p.m. ET. If you're reading this online, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for Evening Update and all Globe newsletters here. Have feedback? Let us know what you think.

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MARKET WATCH

The S&P/TSX composite index, Canada's main stock exchange rose on Wednesday, buoyed by rebounding investor sentiment. The S&P/TSX composite index ended the day at 15,328.27, up .73 per cent and saw seven of its 10 main groups finish the day in positive territory. South of the border on Wall Street, financial markets saw similar positive gains with tech giants Facebook, Amazon.com and Apple powering the increases. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 254.38 points to finish at 24893.83, the S&P 500 increased by 1.34 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.86 per cent to end the day at 7,143.62.

Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.

WHAT'S TRENDING

Flynn, a bichon frise, won top honours at the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. He beat out six other finalists for the right to call himself the top dog.

TALKING POINTS

Men need to commit to diversity initiatives, but not at the cost of the marginalized

"The case for diversity in the workplace is clear. We all know that improved diversity, which includes more marginalized groups, particularly at senior levels, leads to better business results and, frankly, a better world. How we get there is a tough challenge and much less understood. The reasons we have such disparity are complex and systemic. Those who best understand these challenges are often the ones that face them personally. And as such, they are less likely to be in positions of power to make change possible." — Seema Lakhani

Israel's treatment of Eritrean and Sudanese migrants is shameful

"There is tragic irony in Israel refusing to be a land of refuge, as a nation embodying a religion deeply marked by the experience of being a vulnerable stranger. Israel must do more, but so must Canada. Not long ago, many Canadian individuals and communities answered the call to help Syrian refugees through our unique sponsorship program. Eritreans and Sudanese asylum-seekers are now facing a similar plight, and it is time for the same gesture to give them the safety they deserve and help Israel fulfill its obligations." — René Provost

LIVING BETTER

Bleisure? It's the portmanteau of business and leisure, and it describes the increasingly popular trend of employees turning trips for work into trips for pleasure. Next time work takes you out of town, try these tips to fit in some mini-break bonuses.

LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE

Torstar cuts jobs, internship programs; board chair says the company is fighting for survival

The Globe's media reporter Susan Krashinsky Robertson sat down with Torstar Corp. chair John Honderich about where his company – which owns the Toronto Star, the Hamilton Spectator, and dozens of community newspapers – is heading amid the powerful upheaval in the journalism industry. (for subscribers)

Evening Update is written by Mayaz Alam. 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.