- An estimated 5 million people (more than 1% of the country's population) participated in the "No Kings" protests across the US on Saturday. The protests were largely peaceful; Republicans were predictably dismissive of course.
- A gang of thieves broke into the Louvre over the weekend and stole priceless jewelry once owned by French monarchs. More info on the missing items here; whether the theft was commissioned by a collector (in which case the items might be recovered) or done for the precious metals and gems (in which case they'll likely be broken up and melted down) is unknown. Definitely, though, the recent surge in the price of gold is making it attractive to thieves.
- Israel suspended their ceasefire and the shipment of aid in Gaza on Sunday, claiming that two IDF soldiers had been killed by Hamas, however they now say they're resuming the ceasefire and aid shipments.
- Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek appears to have been defeated in the city's municipal election yesterday. The actual winner has yet to be determined, but it appears that it will be one of two rightwingers (Jeromy Farkas and Sonya Sharp) who are separated by less than a percentage point.
- Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries disposed of some $29,000 worth of American liquor following its removal from shelves in protest to the US' behaviour towards Canada. I still think they should have done what they did with South African wine back in the 1980s - they sold the stuff, but turned over the proceeds to opposition groups in South Africa. Not sure why they couldn't have done that here.
- Some activists are concerned about the Manitoba government's plans to allow 72 hour detention for severely intoxicated persons. The move was motivated by cases in which people remain high on meth after the current maximum of 24 hours runs out. The argument is made by some that forced withdrawal leads to an increased risk of overdose upon release due to reduced tolerance. I'm not sure how sound their reasoning on this is though; I was of the understanding that it takes longer than 72 hours for tolerance to decrease, and it's notable that several physicians including some who specialize in mental health and addictions agree with the government. I'm inclined to believe a doctor over an activist on that point. In all likelyhood the activists are primarily motivated by other factors (and to be fair they do mention other factors, such as concerns about autonomy and what they refer to as "arbitrary" detention).
- Police in Temiskaming Shores, Ontario stopped a semi and found 72 smuggled handguns as well as 66 other prohibited devices inside. The truck's operators had been targeted following an investigation into cocaine trafficking.
- A woman in the rural Minnesota community of Nashwauk was convicted of submitting her dead mother's absentee ballot so as to cast an extra vote for Trump last fall. She was given an $885 fine, up to three years' supervised probation, and was ordered to read Erin Geiger Smith's book Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America and to write an essay on the importance of voting and the harms of voter fraud.
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