Disgraced British entertainer Jimmy Savile is seen arriving at the unveiling of a new monument, commemorating the fighter pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain, in London in this September 18, 2005 file photograph. Police believe Savile was a serial child sex abuse offender who may have abused 60 victims, with accusations spanning six decades up until 2006.PAUL HACKETT/Reuters
A summary of what you need to know today, compiled by The Globe's news desk on Jan. 11, 2013
Ontario teachers call off walkout
Ontario teachers decided to call off their walkout protest after the labour board ruled against them early this morning. The late night drama created chaos and confusion this morning, with uncertainty as to whether some schools would remain shuttered despite teachers' pledge to return. (Here is the latest.) The Ontario labour board ruled that the walkout was illegal under contracts that came into effect at the beginning of the year. Premier Dalton McGuinty is scheduled to address the issue later this morning.
Harper to meet with First Nations leaders
First nations leaders will get an audience with the Stephen Harper today, but that has done little tamp down brewing discount. Many chiefs have decided to boycott the afternoon meeting, unhappy that the prime minister will attend briefly, leaving ministers to drive the talks on a range of issues. The summit comes at the end of a week of swelling protests among aboriginals and a precedent-setting court ruling that changes the definition of who is an Indian.
Scale of Savile abuse "unprecedented"
The shocking scale of entertainer Jimmy Savile's decades-long criminal spree was detailed in a report released Friday that documents sex attacks over a half century and on victims as young as 8. Mr. Savile, who died in 2011 at age 84, committed 214 sex crimes between 1955 and 2009, a record of abuse "unprecedented in the UK" the report said. The popular TV entertainer committed the attacks in schools, hospitals, at TV studios and radio stations. Nearly three-quarters of his victims were under 18, according to the report.
Federal bureaucrats nailed for cribbing from internet
Nearly 60 federal bureaucrats have been nailed for plagiarism – but none have lost their job over it, The Globe's Colin Freeze reports. The civil servants were caught cutting and pasting information into exams required to get promotions, without attributing the work to other authors. This comes as Chris Spence, leader of the Toronto District School board, resigned Thursday amidst a slew of plagiarism allegations this week.
Killer whales not out of danger: experts
Experts are warning that a pod of killer whales that appear to have escaped a potentially lethal ice floe in Hudson Bay may not be out of danger. The dozen orcas who were forced to share one, small breathing hole in northern Hudson Bay for two days, disappeared late Wednesday, probably escaping thanks to a break up in the ice that allowed the mammals to move on. But scientists say that the whales – which are 1,000 kilometres from where they should be at this time of the year – may still struggle to escape Hudson Bay into open water.
Jill Mahoney