Nigel Lythgoe to ‘step back’ as So You Think You Can Dance judge amid sexual assault allegations

TV producer Nigel Lythgoe said Friday that he is stepping aside as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance after lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, including one from Paula Abdul. Lythgoe is also co-creator and executive producer of the Fox dance competition series, which is set to launch its 18th season in March. … Read more

Telecom services still too expensive, industry minister says

Canadians are still paying too much for telecom services, the industry minister said Thursday, one day after Rogers Communications said it was raising the cost of some of its wireless phone plans. Rogers said Wednesday it would hike the cost of some of its wireless plans for non-contract customers. Bell is also reportedly increasing some of its existing wireless phone … Read more

Israel’s allies warn against displacing Palestinians in Gaza to places like Canada

Countries traditionally aligned with Israel are warning its right-wing government against contemplating a displacement of people who live in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli officials repeatedly suggest Canada could take in Palestinians. This week, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his country should “encourage migration” of Palestinians from Gaza and re-establish Israeli settlements there, echoing similar … Read more

Why flights between Newfoundland and Europe have Labrador Inuit shaking their heads

Two Inuit leaders in Labrador are calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to chip in for flights to their fly-in communities as the province becomes the latest to support leisure travel to and from international destinations. Johannes Lampe, president of the Inuit Nunatsiavut government, and Barry Andersen, the AngajukKak — or mayor — of Makkovik, N.L., … Read more

Is Canada ready to expand medical assistance in dying? Liberals will face that choice with deadline closing in

The federal Liberals face a choice early in 2024: They can allow a sunset clause to take effect so that eligibility for medical assistance in dying expands to adults whose only reason for seeking it is a mental disorder. Or they can do what they did in 2023 and postpone it further, even indefinitely. Justice Minister … Read more

Ukraine digs in as the West stumbles to keep up with Russian war production

“War,” said British philosopher, mathematician and pacifist Bertrand Russell, “does not determine who is right — only who is left.” Those words might be the perfect lens through which to view what probably lies ahead for Ukraine in the coming year as its troops dig in — and dig deep — along a front roughly 960 kilometres wide. … Read more

Donald Trump enters 2024 on cusp of unusual position: Election front-runner

Donald Trump is on the verge of entering 2024 arguably holding a status that is unprecedented for him: Election front-runner. It’s an unfamiliar position for a candidate now suddenly leading most 2024 general-election polls in a way he never did in races past. This is despite his supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol, and despite the … Read more