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The Liberal government, under pressure from a caucus divided on South Africa’s bid to take Israel to the International Court of Justice over its military actions in Gaza, is expected to declare its position today, as hearings in the case begin in The Hague.
Some Liberal MPs, including former public safety minister Marco Mendicino, are pressing the government to reject South Africa’s claim that Israel’s military action in Gaza is “genocidal in character,” while others, including Salma Zahid, are calling on Canada to back South Africa’s motion publicly.
Countries around the world have been lining up to support or oppose South Africa’s application to the court, but Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has yet to state Canada’s position.
A Palestinian medic reacts after several members of the Palestinian Red Crescent were killed when an Israeli strike hit an ambulance, according to the Red Crescent, in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Jan. 10, 2024.STRINGER/Reuters
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Sexual-assault accusers not immune to defamation suit, B.C. court rules
British Columbia’s top court ruled yesterday that people accused of sexual assault have a right to sue their accusers for defamation, rejecting arguments that defamation lawsuits will prevent reporting of sexual offences.
The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in the case of novelist and former UBC professor Steven Galloway, who waged a five-year legal battle for the right to sue a woman who says he raped her – an allegation he says is false and destroyed his life.
The woman who accused Galloway of rape, and several of her supporters who were also sued by him, applied to the court to throw out his defamation lawsuit, but the appeal court upheld a lower-court judgment that said people who are accused of rape must be allowed access to the courts to defend their reputations.
Gloves off as Taiwan presidential election enters final stretch
As Taiwan enters the final days of its presidential election, the campaign has become messy with gaffes by candidates, mudslinging and accusations that some parties are cozying up to China.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party has spent much of the campaign focusing on its rivals alleged ties to China as it claims Beijing is using propaganda, cyberattacks and military intimidation to steer the results of the election.
But experts say that voters don’t care about Chinese interference and are more concerned about the economy, especially inflation and the cost of housing.
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Also on our radar
Toronto residents face possible large property-tax hike: Property owners in Toronto could be hit with a 10.5-per-cent property-tax increase, with a chance of that rising to 16.5 per cent unless the federal government commits money to support refugees. The potential tax hike was part of a $17-billion operating budget proposed yesterday by city staff.
Nova Scotia signs health deal with Ottawa: A new health agreement between Nova Scotia and Ottawa will see the province receive $355-million over the next three years from the federal government for use in improving access to primary care, reducing backlogs and waiting times, supporting mental-health services and providing greater access to health data.
Former TD employee charged with money laundering: A former Toronto-Dominion Bank employee at a New Jersey branch allegedly accepted bribes and helped to send millions of dollars in drug-trafficking proceeds from the United States to Colombia through accounts linked to shell companies, according to documents filed in a New Jersey court.
Ecuador’s President says country at war with gangs: Daniel Noboa, the President of Ecuador, says his country is “at war” with drug gangs who are holding more than 130 prison guards and other staff hostage, and who briefly captured a TV station live on air and set off explosions in several cities. The violence began after Noboa declared 22 gangs as terrorist organizations, making them official military targets.
Loss of snow tied to climate change: A new study has linked the lack of snow accumulation in regions across the northern hemisphere to climate change. The results forecast implications for ecosystems and watersheds that are supplied by melting snow every spring, and a change in how people who live in northern countries such as Canada come to experience winter.
Morning markets
Markets await U.S. inflation data: World stock markets rose on Thursday ahead of key U.S. inflation data and amid widespread excitement in the crypto world after the United States approved the first exchange-traded funds to track bitcoin. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.11 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.31 per cent and 0.23 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei jumped 1.77 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 1.27 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was slightly higher at 74.78 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Campbell Clark: “There are already lots of sanctions on Iran and the IRGC, but if politicians have better ideas for isolating Revolutionary Guards, let’s see them draft them into new legislation. If there are ways to combat Iranian-regime intimidation of Iranian Canadians, let’s add them. There are already sanctions that bar a large portion of the senior leaders of the IRGC from entering Canada, but if there are gaps, fill them. But certainly don’t emulate the U.S. model.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Trying to improve the way you eat? Here are the best (and worst) diets
For the seventh year in a row, Mediterranean diet, an eating style that emphasizes a daily intake of whole plant foods, scored top spot in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual January ranking of best diets, beating out 29 different plans. It wasn’t the only well-performing diet, though. Here’s what to know.
Moment in time: Jan. 11, 1999
Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show.Stephen Moitessier/Supplied
Jon Stewart takes over as host of The Daily Show
When 36-year-old Jon Stewart took over as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show on this day in 1999, big changes to the nightly news parody – hosted by Craig Kilborn since its inception three years earlier – were not anticipated. Indeed, Mr. Stewart began his first show with the traditional Headlines segment, with a report on U.S. president Bill Clinton’s looming impeachment trial. “The most important issue facing the United States Senate is how can it take a pointless, tawdry trial whose outcome has already been decided and make it last six hilarious months,” the comedian quipped. A good deal of the ensuing hilarity came from The Daily Show, which, under Mr. Stewart’s leadership, shifted emphasis from pop-culture coverage to acerbic political commentary that was hilarious and important. “A generation has become used to seeing the world through the eyes of Mr. Stewart and his writers,” Globe and Mail television columnist John Doyle wrote in 2015, when the host stepped down after nearly 16 years. “It is, in so many ways, the news program that now matters most.” The show continues to this day. Brad Wheeler
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