International
– Seven hundred seventy eight protesters were arrested by Tunisian security forces in protests where dozens of protesters and security forces were injured. Protests erupted in 12 cities and towns on the Jan. 8 in response to price and tax rises enacted by the government.
– The NCAAP, a Haitian-American congresswoman, foreign governments, the UN human rights spokesman and a raft of U.S. politicians have criticizedS. President Donald Trump’s use of the term “shithole countries” with regards to immigrants coming into the U.S. Frank Sharry, executive director of a pro-immigration group said of President Trump: “He’s basically saying, ‘You people of colour coming to America seeking the American dream are a threat to the white people.’”
– Iranian MP Mahmoud Sadeghi said that 3,700 people were arrested, including approximately 55 students in protests that occurred in late December. A 22-year-old student died in police custody in Evin Prison in Tehran with the government claiming suicide and protesters casting doubt on this claim.
– Talks between the North and South Korean governments resulted in North Korea sending athletes and performers to the upcoming South Korean Olympic games and the reopening of a military hotline. South Korean President Moon Jae-in creditedS. President Donald Trump for creating the conditions in which talks were successful.
– An Iranian oil tanker collided with a Hong Kong cargo ship off China’s eastern coast, while all 32 crew of the Iranian tanker are still missing. The rough weather is hampering rescue, firefighting, and cleanup operations while nearly one million barrels of oil condensate continue to spill into the South China Sea.
National
– Canada has launched a wide-ranging trade complaint against the U.S. through the World Trade Organization over the United States’ use of punitive duties. Additionally, Foreign Affairs Minister Freeland supports President Donald Trump’s call to extend NAFTA negotiations.
– Four First Nations communities are to receive a $90-million payout after those communities were flooded in 2011. The settlement resolves a class-action lawsuit which alleges that the Manitoba government diverted water to reduce the risk of flooding Winnipeg which flooded their communities.
– Volkswagen had agreed to a $290.5-million settlement proposed by the federal government affected by the emissions scandal two years ago. Approximately 20,000 owners and lessees of Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche diesel vehicles will be eligible for cash payments.
– Canadian Hassan Diab has been freed after French courts drop terror accusations with regard to the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue due to a lack of evidence. Diab was extradited from Canada in 2014 and in a press conference Diab’s lawyer, Don Bayne said he was thankful to the French judges for “their wisdom and courage to buck political and social pressure to make a completely just decision, something that we believe the courts in Canada failed to do at every level.”
– A number of protests took place outside Tim Hortons in southern Ontario, with hundreds protesting cuts to employee benefits some franchise owners implemented after Ontario’s minimum wage rise. Ontario NDP leader, Andrea Horwath joined one of the protests saying “no single mom or single dad for that matter should have to work two or three jobs just to put food on the table.”
Local
– Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a town hall in Lower Sackville on Jan. 9 where he faced a question on a national autism strategy. Trudeau empathized with the mother of an autistic child’s struggle, but avoided an answer on a national autism strategy.
– Abdoul Adbi is facing deportation to Somalia over an aggravated assault conviction, despite spending the vast majority of his life in Nova Scotia. Benjamin Perryman, Adbi’s lawyer, said that Nova Scotia deprived Adbi of his rights when it failed to submit a citizenship application on his behalf and the NDP’s provincial community services critic Susan LeBlanc said that the government’s actions are “really disturbing.”
– Scattered power outages caused by strong winds and heavy rain swept across Nova Scotia, knocking power out for thousands of homes as well as the IWK Health Centre and Victoria General Hospital. Nova Scotia Power had 100 line technicians standing by for future outages, as wind gusts were projected at 90km/h with 25-50mm of rain.
– Prime Minister Trudeau was confronted by a question at Tuesday’s town hall about ethics commissioner Mary Dawson finding him in violation of a federal ethics regulation. Trudeau answered by pointing out that his being found guilty is proof that “the system works” and that his future vacations will be cleared in advance with Dawson.
– A woman sitting with veterans asked Trudeau “why do you think it’s OK to give $10.5 million to a person that killed a soldier?” with regard to Omar Khadr’s settlement. Trudeau responded by saying that there are consequences to violating a Canadian’s fundamental rights while also stating that Canadians should stay angry about this settlement, so no future governments allow a Canadian’s fundamental rights to be violated.