Morning Update: Coronavirus updates; International court orders Myanmar to protect Rohingya minority

Good morning,

These are the top stories:

The latest on the Wuhan coronavirus

• By Friday morning, Chinese authorities had identified 886 confirmed cases, 422 suspected cases and 26 deaths in 30 provinces and regions.
• So far no cases have been confirmed in Canada, though there are now cases in Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan and the United States – infected patients had all travelled to Wuhan.
• WHO officials said it was too early to declare an international public-health emergency because there is no evidence yet of sustained human transmission of the virus outside China.
• China has restricted the travel of about 35 million people. Gao Fu, a member of a Chinese experts group monitoring the virus, publicly urged the entire country not to gather on Friday, the Lunar New Year that is the most important date on the country’s calendar.

Canadian public-health officials continue tests of coronavirus

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At least 20 patients in Canada have been tested for the novel coronavirus that is spreading swiftly across China. Testing is complete in five of those cases and all have come back negative for the new virus, known as 2019-nCoV.

Samples from patients’ noses and throats are also been sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg to be tested. Doctors are testing patients with mild symptoms who had been to Wuhan, as well as people with more severe symptoms who had recently traveled anywhere in China out of an abundance of caution.

• Opinion: Don’t let the coronavirus mutate into an epidemic of fear and panic

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Dozens of Ontario criminal convictions at risk after Court of Appeal ruling on juries

The province’s highest court ruled that a judge erred in implementing new jury-selection rules in a first-degree murder case, resulting in the need for a new trial. Now, other serious criminal convictions are on the verge of being thrown out.

The Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the constitutionality of the new rules, which remove from both defence lawyers and prosecutors the power to veto a number of prospective jurors with no explanation, a power known as peremptory challenges. The peremptory-challenges ban was a late addition to legislation aimed at speeding up the justice system.

The International Court of Justice has ordered Myanmar to prevent genocide against its Rohingya minority

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In its unanimous 17-0 decision, the top United Nations court rejected Myanmar’s argument that the deaths of 10,000 Rohingya, and flight of 700,000 others to neighbouring Bangladesh, was part of an “internal military conflict.”

The court decided that the situation is still urgent enough to order emergency interim measures. It also demanded that all evidence related to the allegations of a 2016-2017 genocide be preserved, though it will likely be years before the ICJ reaches a final ruling on whether the violence that occurred amounted to a genocide.

• Opinion: It’s time for justice for the Rohingya community – and women can’t be left behind

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Transportation Minister to meet with families of Canadian 737 Max crash victims: The families want to discuss Transport Canada’s approval of the fatally flawed 737 Max, and the government’s decision not to immediately ground the planes, two of which plummeted to Earth in the span of five months.

Alberta’s Auditor-General launches probe as province struggles with orphan-wells problem: Auditor-General Doug Wylie’s office will study whether the Alberta Energy Regulator’s current systems are sufficient for dealing with the orphan wells, oil and gas sites that require cleanup but whose owners have gone bankrupt.

Defence wraps up first court effort in B.C. to free Meng Wanzhou: A lawyer for the Chinese Huawei executive told a B.C. Supreme Court judge that the U.S. request for her extradition poses a unique test of Canadian values, because it touches on the independence of this country’s foreign policy.

Pascal Siakam continues his meteoric NBA rise, earning a starting spot in all-star game: The 25-year-old has averaged 23.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season – all career highs.

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MORNING MARKETS

European stocks shrug off coronavirus fears: European shares on Friday shrugged off worries over the coronavirus outbreak. Around 6:10 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 1.47 per cent. Germany’s DAX gained 1.21 per cent. In Asia, markets in China were closed. Japan’s Nikkei edged up 0.13 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.15 per cent. New York futures were higher. The Canadian dollar was trading at 76.10 US cents.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

Children and teens might hide their mental-health struggles. But adults can’t look away

Pier Bryden and Peter Szatmari: “And remember to take care of yourself, too. As impossible as that might seem at a time when your child is ill, your child also depends on your physical and mental health.” Bryden is a psychiatrist, clinical teacher at The Hospital for Sick Children and associate professor at U of T Faculty of Medicine. Szatmari is chief of the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children and U of T.

Harvey Weinstein is the last person to feel sorry for

Elizabeth Renzetti: “As you watch a series of women relive catastrophe in front of the man they accuse of causing it, knowing that they will live in continued pain whatever the outcome, ask yourself what strength actually looks like.”

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

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LIVING BETTER

Start your weekend planning early with The Globe and Mail’s guide to every feature film arriving this weekend. Coming up this week are Quebec drama And the Birds Rained Down, Color Out of Space featuring Nicolas Cage, the Hollywood heavyweight The Last Full Measure, and an R-rated more talk than action flick, The Gentlemen.

MOMENT IN TIME

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Beer starts appearing in cans

Jan. 24, 1935: Gottfried Krueger Brewing Co. really had nothing to lose. When American Can Co. approached the brewery in Newark, N.J., after the repeal of Prohibition with the seemingly wacky idea of putting beer into cans, executives winced at the cost of installing the equipment. But so convinced was American Can that its product was central to the future of beer consumption that it offered to cover the expense if the experiment failed. After a 1933 trial run of 2,000 cans returned a 91-per-cent approval rating, Gottfried Krueger and American Can hit grocery shelves on Jan. 24, 1935, with two varieties of canned suds: Krueger’s Cream Ale and Krueger’s Finest Beer. The lighter, more modern alternative to glass bottles was an instant hit, as cans proved easier to produce, store and ship, and kept beer fresher for longer. Consumers agreed, and within three months, 80 per cent of distributors were carrying Krueger’s cans, allowing the company to chip away at the market dominance of the big three U.S. brewers: Anheuser-Busch, Pabst and Schlitz. Other breweries quickly jumped on board, and by the end of 1935, more than 200 million cans of beer had been sold in the United States. — Paul Attfield

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