Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Israel announced today that it will appear before the International Court of Justice in The Hague to dispute South Africa’s request for genocide charges against the country for its military offensive in Gaza.
The ICC has agreed to hold a hearing on Jan. 11 and 12 to discuss South Africa’s request. Last week, South Africa submitted an 84-page application to the UN court, seeking an urgent order to declare that Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza and its siege of the Palestinian territory is “genocidal in character” and a violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The case against Israel could take years to resolve. However, the court has the power to implement “provisional measures” against the country. In 2022, the court issued an order for Russia to stop its military offensive in Ukraine, but because the court has no means of enforcing the order, Russia has just ignored the ruling.
Meanwhile, an explosion in Beirut today killed a top official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and three others, officials with Hamas and the Lebanese group Hezbollah said. Lebanon’s state-run news agency said an Israeli drone carried out the attack. Israeli officials declined to comment. If Israel is behind the attack it could mark a major escalation in the conflict in the Middle East.
Read more:
- Fighting between Hamas and Israel rages on despite partial troop withdrawal
- Opinion: The International Court of Justice is the right place for a ceasefire decision
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Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns
Claudine Gay, Harvard University president, resigned today amid plagiarism accusations as well as criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she did not say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.
Gay is the second Ivy League president to resign in the past month after congressional testimony. Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, announced her departure just months into her tenure in a letter to the Harvard community.
Activist publisher Jimmy Lai pleads not guilty in Hong Kong national security trial
Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong publisher and pro-democracy activist, pleaded not guilty to national security charges today as his trial began.
After he entered his plea, prosecutors began their case against him, describing him as a “radical political figure” who conspired with foreign forces to stir up hatred of China and endanger national security.
They also accused Lai of meeting with foreign politicians, including former U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo, to lobby for sanctions against Hong Kong during anti-government unrest in 2019. The lawyer leading Lai’s international legal team, has called the trial against him a “sham” and said they expect him to be convicted regardless of the evidence.
Hundreds survive fire on Japan Airlines plane after collision at Tokyo airport with earthquake relief aircraft
All 379 people on board a Japan Airlines plane escaped the burning aircraft after it collided with a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. The crash killed five of six crew on the smaller plane. At least 17 people on the passenger plane were injured, according to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Live footage on public broadcaster NHK showed the JAL Airbus A350 airliner burst into flames as it skidded down the tarmac. A ministry official told a press briefing the JAL plane was attempting to land normally when it collided with the Coast Guard’s maritime patrol plane on the runway.
The Coast Guard said its plane was headed to Niigata on Japan’s west coast to deliver aid to those affected by a powerful earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day, killing at least 55 people.
This photo provided by Jiji Press shows a Japan Airlines plane on fire on a runway of Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Jan. 2, 2024.STR/Getty Images
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Canada eliminated at world juniors: Canada carried the play for most of the final 40 minutes before Czechia’s Jakub Stancl scored the winning goal with 11.7 seconds left. Czechia defeated Canada 3-2 to advance to the tournament’s semi-finals.
Ontario faces pressure to make contraception free for those over 25: Dozens of prescription contraceptives are covered by the province’s Ontario Health Insurance Plan until the age of 24. But advocates say there is a gap after that, if people don’t have private insurance, or if they are on family plans but wish to use contraceptives without the knowledge of their spouse or parents.
Canada’s 100 highest-paid CEOs broke compensation records in 2022: An annual report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that the CEOs, most of them men, were paid an average of $14.9-million, up from an average of $14.3-million in 2021.
New report ranks Air Canada last for on-time performance in North America: Air Canada notched the worst on-time performance among large airlines in North America in 2023, according to a new report, even as the carrier surged back to profitability.
Tim Hortons announces doughnuts that will join Dutchie in return to menu: The four retro doughnuts will be back for a limited time, starting Jan. 10 across Tims’ Canadian locations to help the company usher in its 60th anniversary, which arrives on May 17.
MARKET WATCH
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite ended the first trading session of 2024 lower, weighed by Apple shares falling after a broker downgrade and declines among other big-tech names triggered by a move higher by Treasury yields. Canada’s main stock index also started 2024 with a negative session, weighed by losses for technology and financial shares.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 86.30 points or 0.41 per cent at 20,872.14.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 25.50 points or 0.07 per cent at 37,715.04. The S&P 500 index was down 27 points or 0.57 per cent at 4,742.83, while the Nasdaq composite was down 245.41 points or 1.63 per cent at 14,765.94.
The Canadian dollar traded for 75.10 cents US compared with 75.61 cents US on Friday.
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TALKING POINTS
What Paris can teach us about taking back public space from cars
“In most major cities, including Paris, cars – including roads and parking – occupy more than half of all public space. That’s an obscenity – a costly, inefficient one. The pandemic reminded us that people need space to walk, to breathe, and to play. The redistribution of public space is long overdue.” – André Picard
How do we stem the tide of despair flowing from refugee camps the world over?
“Not only are nearly two million Gazans displaced, as well as millions of Ukrainians, but incessant wars in Africa and Asia have forced millions to flee violence. They need the world’s attention and succour.” – Robert Rotberg
Beverley McLachlin is dishonouring her own remarkable legacy
“Canadians crave stability and sanity amid all this turbulence. These times call for institutions and individuals whose integrity and force of personality are beyond reproach, and whose reassuring resilience makes them uniquely positioned to help us navigate stormy waters at home and abroad.” – Peter MacKay
LIVING BETTER
These five eating habits are sabotaging your diet
With a new year upon us, you might be reconsidering your diet. Leslie Beck shares five eating habits that could be thwarting your attempts at dieting. For instance, be careful not to drink excessive calories – whether it’s your morning latte, or that cup of fruit juice with lunch. Liquid calories don’t affect your appetite the way calories from food do so you may not adjust your intake as much as you should.
TODAY’S LONG READ
‘A prescription for fun’: How social prescribing is aiming to connect vulnerable Canadians to their communities
Natasha Dauplaise, left, and her daughter Kayley share a laugh during a portrait at their home in Ottawa, on Dec. 20, 2023.Spencer Colby/The Globe and Mail
A one-year pilot project at the Vanier Community Service Centre in Ottawa is testing an approach known as “social prescribing” to improve the well-being and quality of life for vulnerable children. That means taking wishes from children, like meeting a police officer, spending time with horses or walking through a rainforest and making them realities.
The doctors, social workers and nurses at the centre’s Social Pediatric Hub write prescriptions, literally, to make the wishes come true. They line up a tour of the police station, find a bike, book summer camp among the trees, or a family outing to the RCMP Musical Ride stables.
The idea originally came from Britain and had doctors writing prescriptions for wellness activities for patients – usually seniors – who were socially isolated. In Canada, grassroots programs of this kind have expanded across the country for students, immigrants and low-income Canadians. Read how the program is helping people build connection in their community.
Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. 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.