South Korea-born Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim stands during his trial at a North Korean court in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency.KCNA/Reuters
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Canadian officials mum on Toronto pastor's release from North Korea
Toronto pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, who was serving a life sentence in North Korea, was freed on humanitarian grounds, according to the country's state media, but Canadian officials remain mum on his whereabouts and condition. Mr. Lim's apparent release comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser Daniel Jean travelled to Pyongyang this week with a Canadian delegation to lobby for the pastor's release. The visit coincided with exchange of escalated threats between the United States and North Korea about the regime's nuclear expansion.
Mr. Lim, who served in one of the largest churches in Canada, was sentenced by North Korea's Supreme Court in December, 2015, to a lifetime of hard labour after being accused of attempting to overthrow the regime.
Canada has 'no grounds' for optimism in NAFTA talks: ex-U.S. envoy Burney
Former ambassador to the United States Derek Burney is warning Canadians against undue optimism over looming North American free-trade agreement talks. He cautioned that reopening the trade deal at Donald Trump's request will lead to a period of uncertainty for businesses that the U.S. President could use to stir trouble at the negotiating table. Mr. Burney, who was chief of staff to prime minister Brian Mulroney in 1987 and led the final round of negotiations over the Canada-U.S. free-trade deal, said Canada is likely in for a bumpy road ahead when talks begin in Washington Aug. 16. "For those who suggest we are already home, safe and free on this negotiation, I say that is a highly premature judgment," Mr. Burney said in prepared remarks made public Wednesday.
Detached housing starts dip in Toronto area as buyers favour lower-cost options
The Greater Toronto Area saw a 19-per-cent drop in detached home starts in July compared to the same month last year, while construction of semi-detached homes, townhouses and condos rose 21 per cent in the same period, according to data released by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. The soaring costs of detached homes are pushing buyers to look into lower-cost housing options, and is a key reason for the construction shift. (For subscribers)
FBI raided former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's home
The FBI searched one of the homes of Paul Manafort, U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, whose past foreign political work has been swept into the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. A spokesman for Mr. Manafort confirmed the search Wednesday, saying in a statement that FBI agents had obtained a warrant and searched one of Mr. Manafort's homes, but did not say when the search occurred. "Mr. Manafort has consistently co-operated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well," the spokesman said. The Washington Post, which first reported the raid, said agents working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller conducted the search the morning of July 26 at Mr. Manafort's home in Alexandria, Va.
MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index ended lower Wednesday, led down by Valeant Pharmaceuticals and financial stocks. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index fell 0.26 per cent to 15,217.33. Oil prices edged higher after a report showed U.S. refineries processed record amounts of crude in the latest week.
The secret to paying less tax in retirement
"Taxes don't stop with retirement … In fact, your retirement years provide your greatest opportunity to strategically reduce taxes." – Jonathan Chevreau
WHAT'S TRENDING
The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the Canadian titles it will be presenting in September, and it's betting on the country's new filmmakers rather than old ones to carry the cultural flag in 2017. A third of the Canadian films are debut features, while this year's list is also light on Canada's recognizable auteurs. However, the Canadian line-up does include about a dozen features from veterans. As well, one of the most high-profile Canadian projects to be unveiled at TIFF is actually a television series Alias Grace, which is based on the Margaret Atwood novel and stars Sarah Polley, Paul Gross and Anna Paquin. The 42nd edition of TIFF runs Sept. 7 through 17.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
Sorry, Google guy: 'Biological' reasons have justified sexism long enough
"On Monday, Mr. Damore was fired – and another sharp debate about sexism took over Silicon Valley. And for good reason: His belief in the so-called universal biological differences always has been the bottom line for sexism and racism alike. And his argument doesn't seem to be in line with the image that Google (and arguably most of Silicon Valley) has been working on for years. As an industry, tech has long been believed to be a hostile bro club that satisfies men's demand for power by creating new technologies that make them even more powerful." – Alexandra Eul
Cosmopolitanism, Trump and ignorance as a weapon
"Still, let us give Mr. Miller the benefit of the doubt. When he uses cosmopolitanism as a curse, he has no idea of the term's antecedents. The history of fascist, Nazi, and Stalinist anti-Semitism is unknown to him. The past does not really exist. He is simply an ignorant critic of what he sees as the liberal establishment. But ignorance can be as dangerous as malice, especially when it is backed by great power." – Ian Burma
LIVING BETTER
According to a new study, people who smoke marijuana have a three times greater risk of dying from hypertension, or high blood pressure, than those who never used the drug. The risk grows with every year of use, the researchers said. The findings, from a study of 1,213 people, were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology and showed that marijuana users had a 3.42 times higher risk of death from hypertension than non-users, and 1.04 greater risk for each year of use.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Tarmac takeover: Why Canada's big investors see big money in airports
London City is part of a global trend that has seen private interests spend billions to swallow up airports around the world. Business reporter Jacqueline Nelson explains how Canada's largest investors hope to turn tired travel hubs into profit machines. (For subscribers
Evening Update is written by Kristene Quan, Kiran Rana and Omair Quadri. 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.