Good morning,
These are the top stories:
The coronavirus death toll has surpassed 1,000 in China
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks to residents in Beijing in this photo released by state media. (Pang Xinglei/Xinhua via AP)The Canadian Press
More than 42,000 have also been sickened by the virus, which has spread to 24 other countries. Here’s a rundown of the latest:
- A Canadian epidemiologist is leading a small team of international experts now in China to investigate the outbreak.
- An eighth Canadian aboard a quarantined cruise ship has tested positive for the virus. All eight have been admitted to a Japanese hospital for treatment and monitoring.
- About 200 Canadians have arrived in Canada on the latest federal flight from Wuhan; they will join other evacuees under quarantine at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.
- Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the outbreak will have a significant impact on the Canadian economy. The tourism industry and oil and gas sector could be hit particularly hard.
- Chinese state media are promoting stories of sacrifice, dedication and love in difficult times as part of hero-making efforts to counter unfavourable narratives over the virus.
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The University of Guelph has apologized to an athlete for a former coach’s alleged misconduct
School president Franco Vaccarino has personally apologized to Megan Brown, who said she was groomed for sex by the school’s former track and field coach.
Vaccarino said he was “deeply troubled and affected” by the details Brown shared about Dave Scott-Thomas in a Globe story.
The University of Guelph is facing extensive criticism for its handling of the allegations, which Brown’s father notified the school about in 2006. Scott-Thomas remained employed at the university until another complaint surfaced late last year.
In a column, Gary Mason writes: “it’s my belief Guelph had a chance to do the right thing back in 2006, but instead chose to protect a star athletic coach who would go on to bring the school buckets of championships, over the fading promise of a young, female distance runner.”
What to watch for in today’s New Hampshire Democratic primary
Riding high off their results in Iowa, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg are looking to cement their places as the two leading candidates in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Sanders leads in New Hampshire polls, but Buttigieg has been surging of late. Surprises could still be in store: While more than a third of New Hampshire voters are not registered as supporters of either party, they are still eligible to vote in the primary. Results are expected later this evening.
Arrests continue to mount amid escalating Coastal GasLink protests
Vancouver police officers stand on the road after clearing an intersection of protesters that were blocking an entrance to a port on Monday. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chief Freda Huson, who has been leading the opposition to the pipeline project, was arrested by the RCMP yesterday near a crucial bridge crossing on the unceded territory in northern B.C.
RCMP officers have made 28 arrests along a logging road used by GasLink construction workers as they seek to enforce an injunction extended by a B.C. judge on Dec. 31.
Vancouver police arrested 43 protesters yesterday, enforcing an injunction granted to a local port authority. Delta police arrested 14 people at another port. Blockades have also disrupted Via Rail train service between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
Canadians lack confidence in Flight 752 probe; increase in U.S. soldier injuries from Iran strike
Four in five Canadians said they are not confident or somewhat not confident that Iranian authorities will co-operate with the Flight 752 investigation, a Nanos survey found. Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne said recently that Iran doesn’t have the expertise to analyze the flight recorders and urged its government to send them elsewhere for examination.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, now says that 109 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries as a result of Tehran’s missile strike on U.S. air bases in Iraq, which came hours before Iran accidentally shot down Flight 752. U.S. President Donald Trump had initially said that no Americans were harmed.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Raptors say Oakland sheriff’s lawsuit ‘without merit’: The basketball organization dismissed claims by sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland over an altercation after the Raptors’ NBA Finals win last year. Strickland alleges Raptors president Masai Ujiri assaulted him and that he has since suffered permanent disabilities.
Consumer insolvencies increase: Insolvencies in Canada rose by 9.5 per cent in 2019 to the second-highest total on record. Experts say the numbers raise concerns about the finances of Canadian households and their ability to manage debt.
U.S. charges four Chinese hackers in Equifax breach: Four members of China’s military have been charged on suspicion of hacking into Equifax in 2017 and stealing trade secrets. Roughly 145 million U.S. citizens had their personal data stolen in the breach at the credit reporting agency.
MORNING MARKETS
European stocks reach record highs on hopes virus is peaking: World stocks resumed rising towards record highs on Tuesday and the U.S. dollar reached a four-month high as China’s top medical adviser said the coronavirus epidemic may plateau in the next few weeks. At 6:15 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.82 per cent. France’s CAC 40 gained 0.51 per cent and Germany’s DAX advanced 0.80 per cent. In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng finished up 1.26 per cent. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.39 per cent. Wall Street futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was trading at 75.22 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Rain has come to Australia. But we must remember the fires
Richard Ogier: “If Australian democracy is functioning as it should, the facts and the experience of these past weeks and months will have cost [Australian Prime Minister Scott] Morrison and his slow-mo government dearly.” Ogier is an Australian journalist and consultant.
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
(Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail)
LIVING BETTER
What is a good target for long-term RRSP returns?
A financial planner can help answer this question by crafting a plan based on your spending, savings, risk comfort and target retirement age. If that’s not an option available to you, Rob Carrick says your best bet is to use estimates of future stock and bond returns.
MOMENT IN TIME
The French Chef premieres
(New York Times/Getty Images)
Feb. 11, 1963: When she debuted on the Public Broadcasting System in the early 1960s, Julia Child was an anomaly – and an awkward one at that. At 6 foot 2 in sensible heels, with a high-pitched voice, she introduced Americans to foreign-sounding dishes – boeuf bourguignon and pommes duchesse – that most viewers had never heard of, let alone could pronounce. But on her TV series she taught them in her inimitable way to embrace French cuisine and, more importantly, not be intimidated by it. On The French Chef, Julia Child sang the praises of butter and wine with dinner. She made mistakes in the kitchen and owned them. (Child once flubbed a potato pancake flip, scooping parts off the stove and putting them back into the pan. Just one of her many “teachable moments.”) In her unaffected way, Child helped viewers relax in the kitchen by making them laugh. One unforgettable episode featured the Chicken Sisters, a lineup of raw poultry named Misses Broiler, Fryer, Roaster, Caponette, Stewer and old Madame Hen, which she introduced and patted lovingly on their bottoms. The French Chef ended after 10 years and, of course, she bade adieu with her usual leitmotif, “Bon appetit." – Gayle MacDonald
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