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Fierce gun battles could be seen as Israeli tanks and aircraft hit targets in southern and central Gaza, marking a somber 100 days since the Oct. 7 attack led by gunmen from the Islamist Hamas movement.
Communications and internet services were down for the fourth day running, complicating the work of emergency and ambulance crews trying to help people in areas hit by fighting.
Hamas has also aired a video showing three Israeli hostages it is holding in Gaza as both sides marked the 100th day of the war. The undated 37-second video of Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, ended with the chyron: “Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate.”
The video came hours after its spokesperson announced the terrorist organization had lost contact with some hostages as Israeli forces shelled Gaza, noting that they might have been killed in the process. At the outset of the war, it also threatened to execute hostages in retaliation for Israeli military strikes.
Read more:
- Tensions persist in aftermath of court hearings on Israel genocide accusation
- Toronto police arrest, charge three at pro-Palestinian protest on overpass near predominantly Jewish neighbourhood
Demonstrators react at a 24-hour protest, calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and marking 100 days since the October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 13, 2024.ALEXANDRE MENEGHINI/Reuters
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Inquiry opens into the mass stabbing on a Saskatchewan reserve; policing in the spotlight
Indigenous leaders intend to tell an inquest that RCMP officers in Saskatchewan are being run in ways too far removed from the Indigenous communities they are supposed to be serving and protecting, during a coroner’s inquiry into a mass stabbing that begins Monday.
On Sept. 4, 2022, Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and injured 18 in a rampage centred in the James Smith Cree Nation. The community is policed by a rural RCMP detachment that covers a wide swath of territory and is located a 40-minute drive away in Melfort.
For many observers, the tragedy underscored how First Nations in Canada are exposed to violence, especially as many of them contend with growing violent-crime-victimization rates and a lack of any embedded police presence.
Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore speaks during a news conference at RCMP "F" Division Headquarters in Regina on Sept. 4, 2022.Michael Bell/The Canadian Press
Taiwan’s new president faces a hostile China – and a divided people
In the run-up to Taiwan’s presidential election on Saturday, China warned a vote for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was a vote for war, denouncing candidate Lai Ching-te as a “separatist.” Taiwan’s voters responded by electing the DPP to a historic third consecutive presidential term, but many on the island and elsewhere were waiting this weekend to see if Beijing’s disapproval would go beyond the expected angry statements, issued hours after DPP candidate Lai Ching-te declared victory.
Pointing to Lai’s 40-per-cent vote share – the second lowest for a victorious candidate in Taiwan’s history – Chen Binhua, a spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the DPP “cannot represent the mainstream public opinion” in Taiwan.
But Beijing’s preferred party won even less support: Just one-third of all ballots were cast for the opposition Kuomintang, the only major party to support eventual unification with China. The KMT failed to win over a significant number of swing voters, even after running a moderate campaign that rejected Beijing’s model for absorbing Taiwan and amid widespread dissatisfaction with the DPP.
Read more:
Supporters of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party celebrate at an election day rally in Taipei. The party's candidate, Lai Ching-te, won the presidency with around 40 per cent of the vote.James Griffiths
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Also on our radar
From Bogota to Tokyo: How a Canadian’s health kick turned him into a marathon world-record contender: Ben Pobjoy has completed 842 solo marathons. Including other training and walking, he’s clocked a distance of 74,601 kilometres on six continents. That’s almost twice around the earth.
How The Globe covered two pandemics, a century apart: Looking back at the coverage from the vantage point of a journalist who reported on COVID-19 nearly every day for 18 months, The Globe’s underplaying of the far deadlier Spanish influenza pandemic seems puzzling.
CEBA repayment begins, marking Ottawa’s final steps in winding down pandemic spending: The $49-billion in emergency loans that the federal government lent to nearly 900,000 businesses in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic are finally coming due, almost four years later.
Why Rexall’s American owner wants to sell the pharmacy chain – and might unload it at a loss: McKesson Corp.’s vision for Rexall never panned out, which means it overpaid. Running drug stores just isn’t in its DNA. And now it’s a very tough operating environment, both for pharmacies and for retail.
Non-prime lenders warn thousands of borrowers they could be cut off because of new maximum interest rates: Hundreds of thousands of Canadian borrowers will be receiving letters from their non-prime lenders, warning they could soon lose access to credit because of new federal restrictions that would cap maximum interest-rate charges at 35 per cent.
Morning markets
World stocks steady: Global stocks held mostly steady on Monday, with U.S. markets closed for a holiday, while Chinese equities fell slightly after the country’s central bank skipped on a rate cut. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.18 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 slid 0.21 per cent and 0.26 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei added 0.91 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.17 per cent. The Canadian dollar was lower at 74.51 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
A Canadian EV supply chain will not build itself
“On the heels of recent EV-supply-chain investments by Volkswagen, Stellantis and Northvolt, it is tempting for governments to think their work is done, and that large projects will continue to come to Canada on their own. But in the highly competitive world of investment, where every country, state and province are putting their best foot forward to attract capital investments, there is no such thing.” – Dennis Darby
Slackers beware: Having a work ethic is back in fashion
“When the going gets tough this year and the axe falls – as it did this week for 600 people at big investment management firm BlackRock – many of those who have overinflated opinions of their own value to an enterprise and enjoy making their own rules about when and where they work may find themselves wishing they had an office to go to.” – Gus Carlson
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Two hot spots for great wine values in 2024
Wine prices are increasing as consumption is declining in Canada, major markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as most parts of Europe. Abstinence and health consciousness are partly responsible. But wineries are also facing stiff competition from cannabis and other alcoholic drinks. Consumers have many alternative options.
We may be drinking less wine, but the average quality of inexpensive wine continues to improve. The trick for Christopher Waters is finding value-priced wines that offer quality and excitement. These are likely to be made from unusual grape varieties or in off-the-beaten-path regions, which makes Greece and Portugal excellent sources to consider. Here are two other places Waters will have his eye on in 2024 for great bottles that overdeliver.
Moment in time: From the archives
Winter’s icy grip
Dennis Robinson/The Globe and Mail
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re showcasing snow scenes.
It was late January, 1978. Snow and hurricane-force winds spawned by record-low barometric pressure roared into Ontario, dumping 41 centimetres of snow. The aftermath, to some, was pretty. Robert Glas of Oakville, Ont., decided to look at the waves stirred up by the blizzard, so he parked his Porsche 914 on the Toronto waterfront west of Ontario Place and went for a walk. Big mistake. He returned an hour later to discover freezing spray off the lake had entombed his five-year-old sports car in an ice sculpture, a picture captured by Globe photographer Dennis Robinson. Mr. Glas returned a few days later, and with the help of friends, used picks, scrapers and a propane heater to melt the ice. The car was free (although the steering was still frozen) but the parking lot hadn’t yet been cleared of snow. Eventually, Mr. Glas finally drove away. The only visible damage to the Porsche was a bit of chipped paint and some minor scratches. Philip King.
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