Good morning,
These are the top stories:
NASA’s New Horizons probe is phoning home with images from its encounter with a relic from our solar system’s distant past
NASA’s New Horizons mission has begun streaming its precious data bit by bit across more than 6.6 billion kilometres of interplanetary space to gradually reveal the frozen face and character of Ultima Thule, the most distant object a spacecraft has ever explored. Scientists said the information gleaned from the remote celestial object, thought to be a relic from the solar system’s distant past, could provide clues to how the planets formed.
The first indication that the spacecraft was safe came at 10:33 a.m. ET, exactly 10 hours after it sailed past Ultima Thule.
The transmission broke a tense moment of silence as science team leaders who have been with the New Horizons project for more than two decades waited for their first contact since the flyby. It was hardly a foregone conclusion that the probe would even be able to transmit: With a cruising speed of 14.4 kilometres per second, a collision with the smallest of pebbles would destroy it.
This is the daily Morning Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Morning Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters on our newsletter signup page.
Veterans Affairs is being accused of skipping normal consultations when introducing the new Pensions For Life for disabled vets
The new pension plan, which will take effect in April, 2019, will save the government money, at least in the short term, and reduce the compensation awarded to many disabled soldiers. During the first four years of the plan, Ottawa will pay about $1.8-billion less, in total, to disabled vets than it would have under programs enacted during the Harper government. And critics say it has gone to some lengths to prevent veterans from having input. There was no additional opportunity for comment after the regulations were released in September, when veterans and other Canadians could see the details of what was actually being proposed.
Kim Jong-un says he’s ready to talk more with Trump, but warns U.S. not to test North Korea
During his televised New Year’s speech, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un said he’s ready to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at any time to produce an outcome “welcomed by the international community.” Kim also warned Washington not to test North Koreans’ patience with sanctions and pressure. He said the North will be forced to take a different path if the United States “continues to break its promises and misjudges the patience of our people by unilaterally demanding certain things and pushes ahead with sanctions and pressure.”
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A man drove a car into a crowd of New Year’s revellers in Tokyo, injuring eight
At least eight people were injured, one seriously, when a vehicle plowed into crowds celebrating New Year’s Day in Tokyo early on Tuesday. A police spokesman said the driver had been detained and national broadcaster NHK said the man had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. NHK said the suspect had initially described the incident as an “act of terror” but later said the attack was in retaliation for capital punishment.
Ottawa plans to introduce civilian oversight as they overhaul the RCMP
The federal government is planning to overhaul the RCMP this year by putting the national police force under a civilian board of management and creating an external process to deal with sexual harassment and bullying complaints, federal officials say. The changes are coming in response to years of complaints that the force has a broken workplace culture, as well as repeated calls from outside inquiries for civilian oversight of management functions that are still under the purview of uniformed officers. (for subscribers)
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks slide
World shares started 2019 on a downbeat note, oil prices and bond yields slid, and the Japanese yen strengthened on Wednesday as data from China to France confirmed the picture of a global economic slowdown. Tokyo’s Nikkei was closed, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng tumbled 2.8 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite 1.2 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.8 and 1.5 per cent by about 6:30 a.m. ET. New York futures were also down. The Canadian dollar was below 73.5 US cents. Oil prices were down on growth concerns and surging supply.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
The highs and lows of cannabis legalization − so far
2018 will forever be remembered as the year Canada legalized recreational cannabis. Officially, it’s been only 12 weeks since the seminal moment – midnight on Oct. 17 – when 95 years of pot prohibition ended, so reaching any sweeping conclusions about the impact of the law is difficult.
But, by all appearances, the postlegalization world looks a whole lot like the prelegalization world. Reefer madness has been restricted almost solely to the stock markets, where cannabis stocks have taken a wild ride in recent months. It is telling that Canadian Press named cannabis the business story of the year, but not the news story of the year. - André Picard (for subscribers)
On foreign policy, Canada is back – up against a wall, that is
In the years since the Second World War, Canadian foreign policy was built on three fundamental pillars: First, the maintenance of strong relations with the United States; second, faith in the United Nations-Bretton Woods system, the multilateral institutions that were built after the war; and third, agreements and alliances with other Western liberal democracies, including our NATO partners. That structure has been severely shaken – not only by the America First policies of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, but also by the shifting dynamics of relationships with China, Europe and the Middle East. - Lawrence Herman
Globe editorial: If the world goes sideways in 2019, blame the voters of 2016
Will the New Year bring the fulfillment of the populist dreams promised by Donald Trump and the promoters of Brexit, or will it confirm the valid concern that isolationism, protectionism and nativism are always poor choices for a democracy?
LIVING BETTER
Your guide to investing in 2019
The volatility that rocked the markets last year gives little indication of easing any time soon. From market predictions, dividend darlings and lessons from Canada’s biggest pension, here’s what you need to know to protect and grow your money in the new year. (for subscribers)
MOMENT IN TIME
Children's author Jean Little reads from "Jess was the Brave One" to her biggest fan, her sight dog Ritz, at her old stone farmhouse in Elora on September 23, 1997.Simon Wilson/The Canadian Press
Author Jean Little is born
Jan. 2, 1932: The author of some of Canada’s much-loved children’s books (including From Anna, Mama’s Going to Buy You a Mockingbird and Orphan at My Door) hasn’t let being legally blind from birth slow her down. Jean Little has more than 50 published works, including novels, poetry, picture books and two memoirs. Her prodigious output is made possible in part by a computer that reads back to her what she writes. The daughter of medical missionaries, she was born in Taiwan 87 years ago with scarred corneas that severely limit her vision. She has lived in Canada since she was a child and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1955. Little worked with special-needs children for several years afterward and the experience inspired her first book, 1962′s Mine for Keeps, about a child with cerebral palsy. She’s often written about children with disabilities and how they are treated by society, with her books showing the resilience of children. The winner of numerous literary awards and a member of the Order of Canada, she lives with her sister and several dogs in her hometown of Guelph, Ont., where there’s also an elementary school named after her. Iain Boekhoff
If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday morning, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.