Yemen's then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh gestures during a gathering of supporters in Sanaa. Mr. Saleh, who ruled Yemen for more than three decades, was killed by Houthi rebels earlier this week.KHALED ABDULLAH/The Globe and Mail
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
IOC suspends Russian Olympic committee from Winter Games
The International Olympic Committee will not allow Russia to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics, which are set to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Some Russian athletes, however, will be allowed to participate as neutral athletes. The decision is a response to systemic doping by Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, which it hosted. Eleven medals were stripped from Russia following the Games and 25 athletes had been disqualified. Russia's Olympic Committee was also slapped with a $15-million (U.S.) fine and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Vilaty Mutko was banned from the Olympics for life. Mr. Mutko leads the 2018 FIFA World Cup organizing committee.
War in Yemen at crossroads after killing of ex-president Saleh
The slim hope that the Yemeni war might soon end through peace negotiations utterly vanished on Monday when former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was assassinated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Yemen has been the site of a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The killing of Yemen's former president, known for switching sides between world powers in his decades-long career, has raised the stakes in the impoverished country's civil war. We breakdown how and why in this explainer.
Law Professor Errol Mendes gives his take on what Canada can do in Yemen: "Because some of the great powers, such as the United States, are implicated in this proxy war due to their military assistance and geopolitical ambitions with either Iran or Saudi Arabia, there is a need for third countries, such as Canada, to play the role of mediator and engage in "track two" processes, perhaps outside the region. This could involve bringing together key leaders from all sides of the conflict to engage in proposals for de-escalation of the violence and bombing that allows for a meaningful humanitarian pause to permit access to critical food, medicine and humanitarian assistance."
B.C. sets minimum age of 19 to consume marijuana, plans mix of retail sales
Retail sales of recreational marijuana will be permitted through public and private stores once it is legalized next year. The minimum age of consumption will be 19, which mirrors British Columbia's legal age for alcohol consumption. The provincial government is slated to be the sole wholesaler of the substance but distribution will occur differently. Several law enforcement agencies and provinces have asked the federal government to delay legalization beyond July 1 of next year, but so far Ottawa has declined. More precise details of how the mix of public and private sales will be regulated are set to be released in the new year.
B.C. money-laundering rules will require casinos to track money used by high rollers
B.C. Attorney-General David Eby announced new measures as the province confronts allegations of serious, large-scale, international laundering of the proceeds of crime in B.C. casinos. Gamblers who want to bring in $10,000 or more at a time will be required to declare where they got the money. In addition to the declaration, new regulations will require government officials to be highly visible at high-volume casinos in the Lower Mainland and assist in tracking suspicious and illegal funds that may be used for money laundering.
Trudeau presses human rights, cases of jailed Canadians, with China
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued his official visit to China and raised the issue of Canadian citizens who are currently detained by the Chinese government. "I brought them up last night – human rights and consular cases – with Premier Li and I will certainly be addressing those issues with President Xi," he said of a planned dinner with the head of state. Discussions regarding whether to formally launch free-trade negotiations, as was expected heading into the trip, are ongoing as the two countries tried to establish the scope of the talks.
Former diplomat Colin Robertson writes in a column that Canadian businesses will benefit from the Prime Minister's trip to China.
Trump tells leaders in Middle East he intends to move U.S. embassy to Jerusalem
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to his counterpart in Palestine and the King of Jordan to say that he will be moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that is expected to make Middle East peace talks more difficult. Mr. Trump is expected to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital tomorrow. The decision breaks with long-standing policy for the United States that Jerusalem's fate be determined alongside Palestine, which considers East Jerusalem as the capital of its future country. The broad consensus among the international community is that Israel does not hold sovereignty over the entire city.
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MARKET WATCH
Toronto's main stock exchange closed lower today as major banks struggled and mining shares stumbled, weighed by lower copper and other metal prices. The S&P/TSX composite index ended at 15919.43, down 49.60 points or 0.31 per cent. Seven of the 10 main sectors ended the day down and the Canadian dollar was down .15 per cent as well. On Wall Street, stocks markets fell as well. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 109.41 points, or .45 per cent, lower. The S&P 500 ended the day down 9.87 points, or 3.7 per cent. The Nasdaq Composite ended at 6,762.21, down .19 per cent.
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WHAT'S TRENDING
Comedian John Oliver grilled actor Dustin Hoffman over sexual misconduct allegations at panel that the former was moderating and the latter was participating in. The two shared a testy exchange when Mr. Oliver brought up an accusation that Mr. Hoffman groped and made inappropriate comments towards a 17-year-old intern in 1985.
We've been tracking the powerful public figures who have been accused of sexual misconduct since Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's ouster. Read the full list here.
TALKING POINTS
A frank discussion of your excuses for not giving to charity
"It's time to find some new excuses for not donating to charity. The old standbys may not hold up. People say they can't afford to give, and yet median donations from well-off households are low. They also say charities are ineffective and wasteful, though there are plenty of ways to find worthy ones. Dig deeper this holiday season. Make donations, not excuses." – Rob Carrick
Think Mueller will topple Trump? Think again
"Many now feel it's just a matter of time before Mr. Trump himself is ensnared. More likely, it's a matter of never. It won't be the fault of top sleuth Mueller. He has assembled a crackerjack investigating team which is scrupulously examining every lead. No stone unturned, as they say. This isn't Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden. But in all likelihood, no matter what the inquiry turns up, it is not going to stand. Mr. Trump has too many escape valves at his disposal. He can claim legal immunity, he can use presidential pardons, he can discredit or shut down the inquiry. Laws on presidential wrongdoing are blurry, subject to varying interpretations." – Lawrence Martin
Is toxic masculinity finally on its way out of the sports industry?
"Finally, sport is in the spotlight in the ongoing sexual-misconduct conversation. With a culture so out of tune with what is going on in the world around us, I'm not surprised it took this long. Sport is an industry mired in ego, dominated by men at all levels who may be trying their best to keep up on the conversation but are missing a key peer group of women to have candid conversations with. Brave women at Sportsnet have stood up and said, 'Enough!' With the firing of the network's self-proclaimed 'manalyst' Gregg Zaun for what it called inappropriate behaviour, the door has finally been cracked on the long overdue examination of sexual misconduct in sport." – Leanne Nicolle
LIVING BETTER
'Tis the season for baked goods. From shortbread to sugar cookies, gluten is a component of many holiday delicacies. But if you're planning to entertain or feed someone who doesn't eat gluten, turning to traditional recipes may not always work. Wondering what to do? Nutritionist Leslie Beck has created a guide to holiday-baking for gluten-avoiding guests.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Insurance assessment firms altered, ghostwrote accident victim reports
A Globe investigation found that billion-dollar companies that are paid by auto insurers hire doctors to assess accident victims in a process called independent medical evaluations, and then edit and package those medical reports. In some cases, arbitrators and judges have rejected the assessment reports because the companies altered the medical professionals' opinions in the insurer's favour. Kathy Tomlinson reports
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.