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A lawyer for a Canadian man recently freed with his wife and children after years of being held hostage in Afghanistan says his client has been arrested and faces at least a dozen charges. Joshua Boyle speaks to members of the media at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Friday, October 13, 2017. Boyle faces charges including sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

Police have laid 15 criminal charges against former hostage Joshua Boyle

He has been charged with sexual assault, assault, unlawful confinement and misleading police. Boyle had been held captive by Taliban-linked militants for five years along with his wife and children. The family arrived in Canada on Oct. 13 after they were freed in what has been described as a Pakistani military intervention. The criminal offences allegedly took place in Ottawa between Oct. 14 and Dec. 30. The names of the alleged victims are protected by a publication ban. Boyle is set to appear in court this morning.

Just last month, Boyle posted pictures of him and his family meeting Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill. The Prime Minister's Office isn't commenting on the charges.

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More than half of Canadians are opposed to legalizing pot by July 1

A new poll found only 43 per cent of Canadians want the federal government to stick to its promise to legalize recreational marijuana by July 1 (for subscribers). Meanwhile, 31 per cent say Ottawa should wait until provinces and police are better prepared. Another 23 per cent don't want the drug legalized, period.

A majority want marijuana to be more strictly regulated than alcohol, which is also what the federal government favours. But cannabis producers are pushing for looser rules in line with liquor sales. (Subscribers: Read more about how producers are preparing for legalization.) This approach, they say, would help stamp out the black market, a key goal for Ottawa. The B.C. government is exploring the possibility of allowing cannabis and liquor to be sold side-by-side; Nova Scotia is so far the only jurisdiction in the world that has committed to doing that.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has racked up more than $670,000 in costs flying on government jets

Sajjan took 20 trips on jets operated by the defence department he oversees between January, 2016, and May, 2017. That's far more than than his cabinet colleagues; the foreign affairs post also requires a lot of travel, but former minister Stéphane Dion requisitioned a government aircraft only once, and current Minister Chrystia Freeland didn't requisition one in that period. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is required to fly on government planes for security reasons, ministers are free to take commercial flights. Records show Sajjan flew on a government aircraft to the Washington area three times, at a cost of roughly $9,500 for a round-trip flight from Ottawa despite regularly available commercial flights. In another instance, Sajjan decided to fly from Ottawa to the Trenton, Ont., military base at a cost of $6,358 instead of using a government limo for the 2 1/2-hour drive.

Pro-government rallies staged across Iran

After days of protest over Iran's weak economy left 21 people dead, tens of thousands of Iranians took part in pro-government demonstrations in several cities across the country on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported, a move apparently seeking to calm nerves.

State TV said in Farsi that the demonstrations served as an "answer to the protests" by "servants of the U.S." as the pro-government demonstrators called the protesters. The rallies come after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday blamed days of protests across the country on meddling by "enemies of Iran."

The protests, the largest seen in Iran since its disputed 2009 presidential election, began on Dec. 28 in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city and a bastion for hard-liners. While initially focusing on Iran's flagging economy and rising food prices, they've morphed into demands for wholesale change in Iran's theocratic government. Here's a primer on how the protests began, what's at stake and how they compare with previous unrest.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

B.C. will be the sixth province to fund the abortion drug Mifegymiso

Health advocates say universal coverage for the drug, which takes effect in B.C. on Jan. 15, will be especially beneficial for women in rural and remote areas where abortion services aren't easily accessible. Without provincial funding, the pills cost around $300. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec also offer the drug at no cost. Mifegymiso was made available for sale in Canada one year ago and is considered the gold standard for medical termination of pregnancies.

MORNING MARKETS

World stocks hit fresh highs on Wednesday with European markets joining the party as early indications suggest 2018 will be another year of synchronized global growth led by a shining European economy. Tokyo's Nikkei was closed, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.2 per cent, and the Shanghai composite 0.6 per cent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were up by between 0.1 and 0.4 per cent by about 5:45 a.m. ET. New York futures were also up, and the Canadian dollar was just shy of 80 cents (U.S.). Oil prices held steady near mid-2015 highs reached the previous session.

FYI: The Globe now provides all users access to real-time stock quotes for both Canadian and U.S. markets. Go here to find out about the major changes to our Globe Investor site.

WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT

I'll start 2018 by recognizing my white privilege

"Only five years ago, I might have said 'all lives matter'; 'not all men'; 'everything is up for debate'; 'I'm a free speech absolutist'; and 'students need to be prepared for the real world.' Now I say, based on facts and not just emotion, 'black lives matter'; 'I believe women'; 'I don't get to debate the existence of others'; 'free speech often benefits the already powerful'; and 'marginalized students have already seen more of the real world than I ever will.' That's my paradigm shift. Like territorial acknowledgments, recognizing privilege must be but the first step. Real action has to follow. For me, I have begun by teaching and writing in new and, I think, better, ways that consider ever more perspectives and grapple with the biases and prejudices that linger – especially my own. As we begin 2018, in a world that is more polarized by the day, let's resolve to listen to each other, and be open to paradigm shifts from wherever they may come." – Matthew Sears, professor at the University of New Brunswick

College-bashing is the new Republican sport

"As numerous studies have shown, the more educated you are, the more progressive or liberal you tend to be. Graduates of Ivy League colleges and other leading schools vote for the Democratic ticket in large numbers. In recent elections, the appeal of Republicans (as well as the Conservative Party in Canada) has tilted strongly to the less educated. The voting patterns are a strong argument for new-era Republicans – as opposed to the old-school variety, such as John McCain – to cheer on the dumbing down of America and deride college education. They don't worry about being seen as lowbrow bottom-feeders or less cerebral than those on the left. Rather, they make political hay by depicting the well-educated as out of touch – by equating erudition with elitism." – Lawrence Martin

Canada can learn a lot from California as it prepares for marijuana legalization

"The cannabis stores that have opened [in California] in recent days all have one thing in common: They look more like Apple stores than head shops. 'Bud-keepers' in crisp uniforms tend to consumers, who shop for products principally by choosing from a menu displayed on an iPad. Some stores have 'bud-pods' – sealed sample jars that allow customers to sniff the merchandise. They also offer home delivery. In Canada, the planned outlets – public and private – seem a lot more puritanical, with products hidden in locked cases and nothing as radical as home delivery allowed (unless you buy online.)" – André Picard

HEALTH PRIMER

Is taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement worthwhile?

While some say multivitamins are a waste of money, Globe health writer Leslie Beck says taking one a day can be beneficial – but they can't replace a healthy diet. Adults over 50, for example, are best off getting a daily dose of vitamin B12 from a vitamin supplement because it gets harder to absorb B12 from foods as you age. And those who have a low-calorie diet, or people who often skip meals, can make up for dietary shortfalls with a multivitamin or mineral supplement.

MOMENT IN TIME

First battery-powered watch is introduced

Jan. 3, 1957: Fans of Mad Men will remember the episode set in 1963 when smarmy account executive Ken Cosgrove shows off his gifts from a client: A pair of Mets tickets and a Hamilton electric watch. "What time is it?" Cosgrove asks smugly, checking his new watch. "What time isn't it?" The space-age timepiece was the perfect accessory for the young man about town. The first electric, battery-powered wristwatch was introduced in January, 1957, by the Hamilton Watch Company of Lancaster, Pa., which proudly hailed the arrival of "the world's most advanced watch." Never again would a gentleman have to put down his martini to tend to the dreary business of winding. For little more than a decade, the Hamilton electrics – many with asymmetrical faces – reigned as the hallmark of cool, until their clunky mechanics were superseded by more efficient quartz technology in the late 1960s. The Hamilton factory in Pennsylvania was shut down in 1969, and the brand was later bought by Swatch, the Swiss manufacturer. To this day, Hamilton electrics remain sought-after watches – either the originals or the modern update of the triangular Ventura. That's the watch Elvis Presley once wore, speaking of timeless classics. – Elizabeth Renzetti

Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.

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