Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The Israeli military made its first raids into the Gaza Strip today, ahead of an expected ground invasion in retaliation for Hamas’s attack last week.
Meanwhile, Palestinians fled northern Gaza in a mass exodus after Israel’s military told more than a million people to evacuate to the southern part of the strip within 24 hours.
Global Affairs Canada says Canadians stuck in Gaza might be able to leave through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt tomorrow, between noon and 5 p.m. But officials warned that the border crossing opening is not yet confirmed and could still change.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said UN officials need “immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza” to get people food and water. “Even wars have rules,” he said.
Read more of today’s live updates here.
The war consuming Israel and Gaza could envelop the West Bank in chaos as well, a senior Palestinian official told The Globe and Mail today, as clashes took place in Ramallah and other West Bank cities. At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured as largely peaceful protests after Friday prayers were followed by violent demonstrations targeting the occupying Israeli army.
- Explainer: What we know about the Canadians killed and missing during the attacks
- A music festival survivor fleeing the attack, a pair of Hamas militants and a deadly decision
- Video: Inside a Supernova festivalgoer’s escape from the concert attack
- Analysis: Where things go for the Biden administration amid the Israel-Hamas war
- Israeli evacuation call in Gaza hikes Egypt’s fears of a mass exodus of refugees into its territory
- Israeli shelling along Lebanon border kills Reuters journalist, wounds six others
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BoC’s Macklem says higher bond yields don’t preclude further rate hikes
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said the recent surge in bond yields is tightening financial conditions, but that this does not preclude the possibility of more interest rate hikes from the central bank. He added that the bank is watching the jump in long-term bond yields ahead of its next interest rate decision, on Oct. 25.
Supreme Court rules federal environmental impact law is unconstitutional
A federal environmental law that took effect in 2019, regulating provincial natural resource projects, is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled 5-2 today. The law lets Ottawa regulate project proposals based on effects under federal jurisdiction – such as on Indigenous peoples, birds, fish and climate change. But Alberta referred the question of the law’s constitutionality to a provincial court last year, after which it landed in the Supreme Court.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ukraine war: Russia hammered the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka from the ground and air today, marking the fourth day of intense fighting in the biggest offensive by Russian forces in months.
Federal NDP convention: New Democrats are holding a three-day convention to focus on how to convince voters they’re a better choice than Conservatives, despite having helped to keep the minority Liberal government in power. Jagmeet Singh, party leader since 2017, also faces a mandatory leadership review.
Quebec raises tuition: Quebec announced today that it is nearly doubling university tuition fees for out-of-province anglophone students, as part of the provincial government’s continuing effort to protect the French language.
Critical minerals: Critical minerals make the modern world work. This is why The Globe and Mail has launched Mission Critical, a series of stories that looks at the issues around whether Canada can become a critical minerals mining superpower
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index fell on Friday, giving back some of its weekly gain, as worries that the conflict in the Middle East could widen weighed on risk appetite, offsetting a boost to resource shares from higher commodity prices.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended down 37.38 points, or 0.19 per cent, at 19,462.86. For the week, it was up 1.1 per cent, ending a streak of three straight weekly declines.
The S&P 500 lost 21.83 points, or 0.5 per cent, to end at 4,327.78 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 166.99 points, or 1.23 per cent, to 13,407.23. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 39.15 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 33,670.29.
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TALKING POINTS
Why does the left still go so easy on Hamas?
“Alas, the past week has seen countless left-wing politicians and their supporters across the West twist themselves into pretzels to avoid having to call a spade a spade.” - Konrad Yakabuski
A regional war in the Middle East could send oil prices soaring and batter global GDP
“A war that would see Iran and its anti-Israel proxies in Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East swing into action could see the whole region erupt, with predictable results on the oil prices.” - Eric Reguly
The Israel-Hamas war is a test of our moral mettle. Will Canada pass?
“We will need to arm ourselves for the struggle to come: physically, yes, but, as important, intellectually. Neither plays, shall we say, to this country’s strengths.” - Andrew Coyne
Canada’s culture of secrecy on foreign threats puts our citizens at risk
“Countries willing to surveil, intimidate, harass, even kill their critics see Canada as an easy target. They appear fairly confident that we have neither the policing capacity to protect those human-rights defenders, the intelligence know-how to catch them in the act, nor – perhaps most importantly – the political will to make the accusation and back it up with facts.” - Justin Ling
LIVING BETTER
How one writer discovered a booze-free dolce vita in Italy
HOOKED – Alcohol-Free Travel/Supplied
Charlene Rooke explores Italy without alcohol on the itinerary. The Ultimate Alcohol-Free Boot Tour of Italy is run by alcohol-free travel purveyor Hooked, based in Vancouver. Founder Darci Murray leads Rooke’s group of a dozen travellers through daily alcohol-free adventures, like an olive-oil tasting in Verona, rocking out to pop tunes on a Lake Garda cruise or hurtling through lemon-scented air on a single-chair gondola atop Anacapri.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Sailing up Norway’s fjord coastline
Grand views are common when sailing on Hurtigruten's ship up the Western fjords of Norway.Supplied
Catherine Dawson March takes us along for the ride on her voyage under the midnight sun through Norway’s fjord coastline. On board Hurtigruten’s refurbished ship MS Trollfjord, on its new Svalbard Express itinerary, passengers are offered a more cruise-like experience in slightly more glamorous surroundings with longer stops to get off and explore.
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.