Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Princess of Wales reveals she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy
Catherine, Princess of Wales, said today that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. Tests done after her major abdominal surgery in January revealed cancer had been present.
Catherine had been admitted to the London Clinic in January for what her office said at the time was successful, planned surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition.
She shared the update in a video message on Friday, only a couple of months after King Charles announced that he had begun treatment for cancer. Officials have not disclosed what type of cancer either Catherine or the King are being treated for.
- Timeline: Princess of Wales’s health
Russia launches major attack as Kremlin says it’s at war with Ukraine
Russia launched a massive attack on Ukrainian cities earlier today, marking the largest recent strike on energy infrastructure. And for the first time since its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin stated that it was at war with the country.
Moscow previously described its invasion of Ukraine as “a special military operation.” A Kremlin spokesperson told journalists that as soon as the West started participating in the conflict on the side of Ukraine, it became a war.
This morning’s attack targeted Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power plant; several residential buildings across the country were also damaged or destroyed.
Gunfire and explosives reported at Moscow concert hall, leaving many dead and wounded
Meanwhile, in Moscow, at least 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured when five gunmen dressed in camouflage opened fire with automatic weapons during a concert in the Crocus City Hall near the Russian capital, in one of the worst such attacks in the country in years.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the violence, which took place just a few days after Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on Russia in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.
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UN Security Council fails to pass U.S. resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
The UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal, after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States.
Eleven members of the 15-member council voted for the resolution, with Algeria joining China and Russia in voting no and Guyana abstaining. The resolution had called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN said the resolution was “exceedingly politicized” and contained an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah. China’s UN ambassador said the text proposed by the U.S. was unbalanced, and also criticized it for not clearly stating opposition to Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah.
The resolution marked a hardening of Washington’s stance toward Israel. Earlier in the five-month-long war, the U.S. was averse to the word ceasefire and vetoed measures that included calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister declared 800 hectares in the occupied West Bank as state land, in a move that will facilitate the use of the ground for settlement building.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Canada’s banking regulator to cap mortgages to highly indebted borrowers
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has told lenders they will have to limit loans to borrowers with mortgages greater than 4.5 times their annual income, sources say.
Highly leveraged loans in the banks’ residential mortgage portfolios have ballooned alongside rising prices to make Canadian borrowers among the most highly indebted in the world.
The new income limit is expected to take effect in the first quarter of next year and will be on top of other existing mortgage qualification rules, including the stress test that requires borrowers to be able to pay their mortgages if interest rates are two percentage points higher than the negotiated rate.
Haiti gang leader killed; Canadian Forces guard embassy
Violence flared in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, yesterday just as political groups appeared nearer to finalizing a transition council to take over from an absent government.
A police operation killed the head of the Delmas 95 gang a day after another gang leader was killed in an apparent resurgence of vigilante justice.
Canada’s government said late yesterday that the Canadian Armed Forces were working with the Canadian embassy in Haiti to assist in contingency planning.
Manitoba, federal government each commit $20-million to search Winnipeg landfill for bodies of First Nations women
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and the federal government will each commit $20-million to search a Winnipeg-area landfill where police believe the bodies of at least two First Nations women were dumped by a serial killer.
The new funding marks the first step toward locating the remains of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and the unidentified woman that has been given the spirit name of Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, meaning Buffalo Woman. Winnipeg police allege all of these women were killed in 2022 by Jeremy Skibicki, who has also been charged with the first-degree murder of Rebecca Contois.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index took a breather Friday, closing down more than 100 points a day after setting a new all-time closing high.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 103.18 points at 21,984.08.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 305.47 points at 39,475.90. The S&P 500 index was down 7.35 points at 5,234.18, while the Nasdaq composite was up 26.98 points at 16,428.82.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.57 cents US compared with 73.94 cents US on Thursday.
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TALKING POINTS
Canada’s dangerous slide into antisemitism
Editorial: “If Jewish people cannot do something as everyday as celebrate their culture because of threats of violence, and political leaders fail to decry it loudly, then Canada is lost.”
Free trade wasn’t just Mulroney’s key achievement – it is one of the most dramatic public opinion turnarounds in Canada’s history
Michael Adams and Andrew Parkin: “Mr. Mulroney played for the longer-term, which may be one of the hardest things to do in modern politics. But by choosing that path, he ensured that today – 40 years after NAFTA – his praises are being sung.”
LIVING BETTER
Tilda Swinton makes a case for so-called difficult people
Johanna Schneller interviews the great Tilda Swinton on the heels of her new film, Problemista, from writer and director Julio Torres.
- Interview: “I didn’t train as a performer. I didn’t come into this with any skill to protect. I came in as a film fan with Derek Jarman and kept working with him for nine years. I work alongside filmmakers, sometimes in the film, sometimes producing, or supporting them while they write their screenplays. I’m not on the hunt for a part. I’m not a proper actor in that way.” – Tilda Swinton
- Film Review: Tilda Swinton shines in jam-packed Problemista
Which Juno-nominated director worked with Ariana Grande and Eminem? Take our arts and culture quiz
Did you follow arts and culture news this week? Are you up to speed on the latest books, plays and movies? Take our quiz to test yourself.
TODAY’S LONG READ
On their own
Across Canada, single parents are struggling, and their numbers have been rising for decades. And yet we’ve built much of our way of life around the ideal of the two-parent nuclear family.
Financial aid policies still seem to take only nuclear families into account, and are inadequate when it comes to those struggling the most. When you add onto that the stigma still attached to single parenthood, it’s not surprising that we’re seeing increasing rates of depression and anxiety among those raising kids on their own.
Advocacy groups are coming up with proposals to help these families – but the aid isn’t coming soon enough for many people, some of whom resort to skipping meals to keep a roof over their heads. Dave McGinn reports.
Evening Update is written and compiled by Andrew Saikali. 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.