The weekend is just around the corner and CTV News has the day's top stories. Here are the five things you need to know: the decision to raise interest rates in the U.S. could hurt Canada; Conrad Black is defending a Republican candidate; federal officials are trying to raise awareness about drones; Justin Trudeau and young Ontario patients caught an early glimpse of Star Wars; and a controversy over how to pronounce PK Subban's name in French.
And for "Lifehack Thursday," a look at how to keep your wallet healthy during Christmas.
1. Tough slog for loonie: The Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates in the U.S. for the first time in nine years could mean trouble for the struggling Canadian dollar. To make matters worse, Canada’s dollar is commodity-linked, making it a less attractive option as oil prices continue to suffer.
2. Black backs Trumps: A day after Conrad Black wrote an essay entitled "Trump is the Good Guy," the Canadian-born media baron told CTV's Power Play that his "old friend" Donald Trump is not anti-Muslim, despite a proposal for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." He stopped short of endorsing him, however.
3. Drone safety: With drones expected to fly off the shelves this holiday season, federal officials are trying to raise awareness that the technology can pose serious safety risks. In particular, authorities say that the flying machines can pose a significant risk to aircraft, and that it is unsafe to fly drones within nine kilometres of airports, heliports and aerodromes.
4. Young patients see 'Star Wars' early: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a noted "Star Wars" fan, took 20 young patients from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario to see an early screening of "The Force Awakens." He later wrote on Twitter: "Spoiler: It was amazing!"
5. Pee-Kay or Pay-Kah? Should hockey announcers use the French-pronunciation of P.K. Subban during French-language broadcast games? One thing is for sure: Subban doesn't care. "Since we're changing the pronunciation of my name, just start calling me Denzel," he joked. "Can we throw that one in there too?"
And one more thing for "Lifehack Thursday:" It's absurdly easy to overspend during the holidays, from the usual gift-giving, to Secret Santa exchanges, to parties and feasts, the expenses of the season go on and on. Lee Simpson, the author of “My Year of Buying Nothing,” has learned to keep it simple.
