Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Canada’s anti-money-laundering agency levied its largest ever fine against Royal Bank of Canada today. The $7.475-million penalty was levied after the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FinTRAC, found RBC committed three violations of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. It’s the first monetary penalty FinTRAC has imposed on one of Canada’s six largest banks. FinTRAC said it was for administrative violations committed by RBC, not for criminal offences related to money laundering or terrorist activity financing.
RBC will not appeal, spokesperson Gillian McArdle said in an e-mailed statement, though the bank “believes the fine is not at all commensurate with an administrative matter where there is no connection to money laundering or terrorist financing offences.”
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Israel bombards Khan Younis, claims precision in strikes, but Palestinians say no area safe
Wounded Palestinians are transported to Nasser hospital, following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday Dec. 5.IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/Reuters
Israel said today that its troops had entered Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis. The military said the city has emerged as the first target in the expanded ground offensive into southern Gaza that began more than five weeks ago and aims to destroy Hamas. Relief groups are raising alarm about not being able to keep up with a new wave of displaced Palestinians as insufficient aid supplies are entering Gaza. Close to two million people, more than 80 per cent of Gaza’s population, have been driven from their homes, according to the United Nations, with new orders by the Israeli military squeezing them into smaller areas of the south.
Meanwhile in Canada, Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said he’s considering options to get the extended family members of Canadians out of Gaza. Most Canadians with extended family members in Gaza have been told their family doesn’t qualify to come to Canada, leaving them helpless.
- Related: In a rare action against Israel, U.S. says extremist West Bank settlers will be barred from America
- ‘All I want is my family to live’: Canadian man desperate to help wife, kids flee Gaza
Canadian students’ math scores continue steep slide, raising concerns about how subject is taught
Math scores for students in Canada continue to go down, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, renewing concern about how it’s taught in school. The OECD test takes place every three years and measures how 15-year-olds fare in math, science and reading. Math was the main focus in this round of assessments. Last year, 81 countries participated, with 23,000 Canadian high-school students writing the test. Over the years, the test has helped develop policy decisions and curriculum changes in many places, as well as exposing government inaction.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Reader’s Digest Canada no more: Reader’s Digest will wind down its Canadian operations, citing “declining ad sales revenues, increased production and delivery costs and changes in consumer reading habits.” Employees were told in a brief presentation today – portions of which were viewed by The Globe – that they will publish five magazines until March 31, 2024, and that Canadian subscribers will receive the American edition unless they choose to cancel.
Poilievre video: A 15-minute video by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre about the country’s housing crisis, posted Saturday, quickly made the rounds online, signalling a new way for the political leader to reach voters directly.
- Opinion: Poilievre’s Housing Hell video offers a lousy, dime-store analysis of our housing crisis
Foreign interference inquiry: The Official Opposition is criticizing the judge running the public inquiry into foreign interference for not granting the Conservative Party full standing in the first phase of the probe, a decision that means it cannot ask questions of witnesses or gain access to any secret evidence gathered.
Refugees adrift: Around 400 Rohingya Muslims are believed to be aboard two boats adrift in the Andaman Sea without adequate supplies. The UN says they could die if more is not done to rescue them. Close to a quarter-million Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to camps in Bangladesh since 2017.
President Liz Cheney?: The outspoken critic of U.S. ex-president Donald Trump says she’s considering running as a third-party candidate for the White House next year.
New CEO for SkipTheDishes: The Winnipeg-based online food delivery company has appointed Paul Burns, the former managing director of Twitter Canada, as its third CEO this year.
Montreal mayor falls ill during press conference: Valérie Plante, the mayor of Montreal, is said to be out of danger after she suddenly took ill during a press conference today. Video from CTV News shows her trailing off in the middle of answering a question, before saying she didn’t feel well and slowly sinking to the ground.
Local cat rescued from pole: An orange tabby cat in Newfoundland quickly went viral in the province for a daring leap from the top of an electricity pole, paws splayed, as a utility worker shimmies to the top to rescue the feline.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street finished mixed today and Canada’s main stock index edged lower.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended down 34.28 points, or 0.17 per cent, at 20,375.93. The S&P 500 lost 2.60 points, or 0.06 per cent, to end at 4,567.18 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 44.42 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 14,229.91. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 79.88 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 36,124.56.
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TALKING POINTS
Bank of Canada’s key indicators not yet dovish, but ‘hawkish hold’ may have flown the coop
“While the past two stand-pat rate decisions, in early September and again in late October, were dubbed ‘hawkish holds’ by many economists, there’s talk that Wednesday’s announcement might be a bird of a different feather.” - David Parkinson
Life expectancy is falling in Canada. It’s not all COVID’s fault
“How we live clearly affects how long we live. But our investments in public health and prevention remain paltry.” - André Picard
The forgotten war in Syria
“The moment Israel started to bomb Gaza, they intensified the bombing in Syria. Children in Syria now are dying the same way as children in Gaza, but no one talks about them.” - Lina Chawaf
Want pension plans to invest more in Canada? Put a ‘For Sale’ sign on that highway
“Our model, with few exceptions, is that taxpayers build bridges, tunnels and highways … and then we give them to drivers, for free. As such, our roads are not income-generating assets. They are, instead, taxpayer obligations.” - Tony Keller
LIVING BETTER
Which Christmas treat is the best? 16 goodies go head-to-head in our bracket
Illustration by The Globe and Mail. Source images Getty Images, Liam Mogan
Only one treat can emerge victorious in our best of 16 Christmas treats bracket, where beloved classics go head-to-head against new favourites. Will it be sugar cookies? Cheesecake? Eggnog scones? Cast your vote!
- Related: Five holiday meals that help feed our sense of nostalgia
TODAY’S LONG READ
In Zimbabwe and beyond, cholera is a symptom of deepening global crisis
68-year-old Linda Chirume said she fell sick owing to what she suspected was cholera.Jeffrey Moyo/The Globe and Mail
Zimbabwe has seen 176 suspected cholera deaths and 10,260 cases so far this year. The water-borne disease is spreading across the country, the third such outbreak since 2008, with more than 10 million Zimbabweans now at risk. Cholera can kill within hours if untreated, health workers say. The disease has also become a key indicator of collapse in social stability. Most of the countries with cholera outbreaks this year are also enduring parallel humanitarian crises, such as wars, hunger, drought, flooding or earthquakes, the World Health Organization said. Jeffrey Moyo and Geoffrey York report.
Evening Update is written by Maryam Shah. 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.