Evening Update: Israel must take steps to prevent genocide in Gaza, ICJ orders in historic ruling

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:

Today, in a historic ruling in The Hague, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take emergency steps to prevent genocide in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory. The court stopped short of ordering a ceasefire but the ruling is still considered a major victory for South Africa, confirming that there’s a plausible case that Israel may be committing genocidal acts in Gaza and must face a full hearing on that question.

The court ordered that Israel must “take all measures within its power to prevent” any acts of killing or hardships in Gaza that would violate its obligations under the Genocide Convention, which was introduced in 1948 in response to the Holocaust. It said Israel must also “ensure with immediate effect” that its military does not commit such acts. It also ordered Israel to take steps to “prevent and punish” the incitement of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The orders give Israel one month to report back to the court on its compliance. The violence so far has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza.

Meanwhile in Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said the government will closely follow the case but is stating no clear position on the ruling.

• Woman hidden from Nazis appeals for Palestinian children on Holocaust Remembrance Day
• UN chief says ‘unacceptable’ for Israel to reject two-state solution
• U.S. pauses funding to UN agency for Palestinians after claims staffers were involved in Hamas attack

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Measles cases are surging around the world, prompting calls for Canadians to ensure vaccinations up to date

Experts say a rise in global measles cases means Canada must take immediate action to improve faltering vaccination rates. The World Health Organization issued an alert in December about what it called an “alarming” rise in measles cases in Europe, which had more than 30,000 cases in 2023, compared with 941 in 2022.

Measles is highly contagious and will infect almost every unvaccinated person who comes in contact with it. The virus is characterized by a rash and fever among other symptoms, and it can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure. About one in 1,000 people infected will develop encephalitis, or brain inflammation, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. One to three out of every 1,000 people with measles will die as a result of the disease.

TD Bank faces stiff penalty from FinTRAC for faulty controls to prevent money laundering

The Globe and Mail has learned that Canada’s financial-crimes watchdog, FinTRAC, is preparing to impose a significant monetary penalty on Toronto-Dominion Bank after an examination found the lender had faulty anti-money-laundering controls.

FinTRAC completed an assessment of the bank in 2023 and deemed its anti-money-laundering compliance to be unsatisfactory, according to five people familiar with the matter. The monetary penalty is expected to exceed $10-million, two of the sources said. A penalty of that size, while small by international standards, would be the largest ever levelled by the Canadian regulator.

• Read more: Head of Canada’s banking regulator says he’s increasing focus on money laundering as risks rise

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Donald Trump ordered to pay: The former U.S. president was ordered today to pay $83.3 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of destroying her reputation as a trustworthy journalist by denying he raped her nearly three decades ago.

International student visas: Days after a cap on foreign student visas was announced, Ontario is introducing new measures for international students to protect the “integrity” of the province’s postsecondary education system. The measures include more oversight of the approval process, requiring all institutions to have a housing guarantee and strengthening enforcement of investigations into private career colleges.

CBSA allegations: Canada’s chief technology officer is accused of taking steps that led to the destruction of files at the Canada Border Services Agency – an accusation he strongly denies. He’s a central figure in the government’s ArriveCan app hearings.

Deficit: The federal government posted a deficit of $19.1-billion for the first eight months of its 2023-24 fiscal year.

Uber drivers: Uber Canada is making several changes to offer drivers and couriers more transparency about their earnings and better protection when they’re on the road, including a pilot in Ontario and B.C. that will provide drivers with information such as expected fare and destination before they accept a trip.

Winter heat wave? Only in Spain: Unusually high temperatures in Spain mean people have taken to the beach for winter swimming. The country’s weather agency said the warmth is due to an anticyclone carrying a hot air mass from further south, as well as lack of cloud cover.

Swifties fight back: Pornographic deepfake images of Taylor Swift have highlighted the issue of sexualizing people without consent through artificial intelligence, a problem that tech platforms and anti-abuse groups have been trying to solve. Swifties have mobilized by reporting accounts sharing fake images of the pop star and by sharing more positive photos of her to counteract the deepfakes.

MARKET WATCH

The S&P 500 ended a five-session streak of record highs today, with Intel slumping after a bleak revenue forecast, while U.S. economic data showed inflation moderating.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 23.74 points at 21,125.28. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 60.30 points at 38,109.43. The S&P 500 index was down 3.19 points at 4,890.97, while the Nasdaq composite was down 55.14 points at 15,455.36.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.35 cents US.

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TALKING POINTS

Donald Trump would be the worst of presidents for the worst of times

“There are a lot of very smart, sharp 77-year-olds. Mr. Trump is not one of them. He was no genius to begin with. And whatever cognitive abilities he once had seem to be disappearing faster than library books in Ron DeSantis’s Florida.” - Marsha Lederman

To reduce ER wait times, hospitals must stop using them as in-patient warehouses

“We repeatedly hear that there is nowhere else for patients to go because they do not have a family doctor. Patients are also often criticized for inappropriately using EDs. The scientific research, however, shows that we can blame neither the breakdown in Canada’s primary care system, nor our patients, for overcrowding. It is ineffective patient-flow practices that unnecessarily increase wait times.” - James Worrall and Paul Pageau

Neutral grounds: Why feeling ‘whatever’ or ‘meh’ is more widespread and more important than previously believed

“Claims of neutrality have long underwritten profoundly biased systems. Mechanisms and institutions that govern our lives – police, courts, media, schools, hospitals – are, theoretically, supposed to be impartial. Yet closer examination of these entities tends to reveal familiar partialities: outcomes tend to favour dominant groups over marginalized ones.” - Linda Besner

LIVING BETTER

Five mystery books to cozy up with this winter

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Is there anything better to combat the winter blues than a thrilling page-turner by Val McDermid or Ausma Zehanat Khan? Cozy up with one of these five picks, including a couple of debut authors. Bonus points for having a cat on your lap while reading.

• Books we’re reading and loving this week: The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush, and a biography about the women behind two powerful men

TODAY’S LONG READ

Forget runways. NBA players use game-day tunnels to strut latest styles and score new fans

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Fashion as a gateway to sports fandom? Major league sports seeking more Gen Z fans should probably look to the NBA and what their players are wearing off the court. Tunnel style – the red-carpet runway of players walking in and out of the locker room before and after games showing off their outfits – has come to dominate the increasingly overlapping worlds of fashion and sport. Dave McGinn reports.

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.