Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Families with relatives in Gaza vie for visas

Hundreds of families in Canada hoping to bring loved ones trapped in the Gaza Strip to safety will vie for a limited number of visas today.

Palestinian-Canadians have petitioned the federal government to allow their extended family members to escape the violence that has gripped the Palestinian territory since the conflict between Hamas and Israel began in October.

Canada’s existing program

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called on Israel to work with moderate Palestinians and neighboring countries on plans for postwar Gaza, saying they were willing to help rebuild and govern the territory but only if there is a “pathway to a Palestinian state.”

The U.S. and Israel are united in but sharply divided over Gaza’s future, with Washington and its Arab allies hoping to revive the long-moribund peace process, an idea that Israeli

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — At least three people were hospitalized after mistakenly eating colorful pods of liquid laundry detergent that were distributed as a campaign freebie in , according to Taiwanese media reports.

One of the victims said she thought the pods were candy, the Central News Agency reported.

The pods came in partially clear packaging with photos of Nationalist Party candidate and his running mate. Writing on the bag says “Vote for No. 3,” the place on the ballot for the Nationalist ticket in the three-way

MONTREAL — As children ran up a snow-covered hill toward a Montreal elementary school Tuesday morning, few looked back to their parents on the sidewalk, who exchanged greetings with one another for the first time in nearly seven weeks.

Parents said they are happy that school has resumed after teachers walked off the job on Nov. 23, but some have concerns about how their children will catch up on all the missed lessons and whether teachers will ultimately accept the deal that ended the strike.

“We had a good time

An Iranian man is challenging the federal government’s decision to deny him a permit to study at a Montreal university because he is considered a danger to the security of Canada.

A lawyer for Reza Jahantigh says his client was distraught upon learning of the refusal and will seek judicial review in Federal Court.

The Immigration Department’s decision last month is the latest indication Ottawa is tightening restrictions on academics deemed to pose a national security risk.

In October 2019, Jahantigh applied for a study permit to pursue a

MONTREAL — In an effort to prevent abuse by parents and some coaches, a minor soccer association in Quebec’s Eastern Townships plans to equip referees with body cameras next season.

Referees in the association, most of whom are between 14 and 16 years old, are increasingly facing virulent comments from parents, said Martin Tremblay, president of the Association du Soccer Mineur de Windsor, in Windsor, Que.

“To see a referee leave the field crying and saying, ‘I’ve had enough,’ disgusted

Families across Canada are applying for a limited number of special visas they hope will rescue their loved ones from the Israel-Hamas war.

Hanadi Alashi and her family in Ottawa took the day off work so they could start refreshing the government website at 8:30 Tuesday morning, waiting for the application process to open.

Canada launched its new special extended family visa program for people in Gaza on Tuesday. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced the program in December after months of pleading from Palestinian Canadians for the federal government to offer

A few years after several Indigo and Chapters stores unionized, one location is set to close as its union says the retailer has made things increasingly difficult for workers.

Employees have picketed on multiple weekends outside the Chapters store at Kennedy Commons in Scarborough, Ont., after being told the location will close later this month.

The store is one of four Ontario locations that unionized with the 1006A chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers union between September 2020 and August 2021.

TORONTO — Canada’s big five banks are potentially misleading investors with their use of terms like sustainable finance, according to a complaint to securities regulators by a climate advocacy group.

Banks are using the term “sustainable finance” too broadly and not backing up the claims with data, Investors for Paris Compliance said in its submission Tuesday to the Ontario Securities Commission and the Autorité des marchés financiers of Québec.

Canadian banks including RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC and Scotiabank have all made pledges on sustainable