Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
A Franco-British firm that some consider a rival to Elon Musk's Starlink is trying to sell the Canadian military a $250 million plan for satellite coverage in the Arctic, according to a report. Eutelsat, which is mostly owned by the governments of France and the UK, would have to contend with the Liberal Party's fondness for Telesat, however, with the former Crown corporation building its own fleet of satellites.
French-U.K. Starlink rival pitches Canada on 'sovereign' satellite service for Arctic military operations. #cdnpoli #Arctic #CanadaFrancehttps://t.co/b2Ae0XLWSw
— Murray Brewster (@Murray_Brewster) January 9, 2026
Calgarians have been told to flush their toilet three fewer times a day as the city struggles to complete repairs on a faulty pipe. The main failed last week, causing the city to go into a water deficit, with more being used than can be replenished by reservoirs. It's expected to be fixed next week.
Jan. 8, 10:00 a.m. update
— City of Calgary (@cityofcalgary) January 8, 2026
Here is the latest update on the critical water main break along 16 Ave. N.W.:
🚨On Jan. 7, our water use was 507 ML which is 22 ML above the sustainable level of 485 ML. We continue to ask Calgarians & businesses to reduce their water consumption. pic.twitter.com/gMCiWoLEa2
In more Alberta news, a judge in the province has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a child against another child concerning a toy dinosaur and a finger injury. The plaintiff, who was nine at the time of the incident in 2022, claimed he suffered a "dislocation fracture" after being struck by the toy during a "swatting match" with another boy, then aged 11. The duo was being cared for at a summer daycare program. Dismissing the case, the judge explained: “Reasonable people expect the possibility of children having minor disagreements and minor altercations. Children in these situations are within the expected scope of risk.”
Lawsuit case dismissed of boy injured in toy dinosaur ‘swatting match’ at daycare.https://t.co/DoCanM2t7K
— Global Edmonton (@GlobalEdmonton) January 9, 2026
Iran's dictator, the Islamic extremist Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has dismissed protesters in the Asian country as "a bunch of vandals" who are attempting to "please" US President Donald Trump. Demonstrations against the theocratic regime in Iran have been held for 13 days in a row, with Trump threatening to "hit" the country's rulers "very hard" if they continue to kill protesters.
More protests erupt in Iran as supreme leader accuses crowds of "trying to please Trump" https://t.co/ayLUEpzkF5
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 9, 2026
The British government has expressed fury at social media platform X, threatening the company with a potential ban in the country. It comes after some users on the site complained about its AI component, Grok, because of its ability to edit images of people to show them in bikinis. In response, one US congresswoman has threatened the UK with sanctions.
⚠️ Britain has been threatened with sanctions if Sir Keir Starmer attempts to block Elon Musk’s X over its AI tool undressing women and children.
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 9, 2026
Read the full story here ⬇️https://t.co/fvSqIk4C1n pic.twitter.com/3ciFefj3A1
