Tausi Insider

Construction workers take a break to watch World Cup soccer action between Italy and Paraguay on a public video screen in Toronto on June 14, 2010. Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press Back in 2011, when Bell Media beat out CBC/Radio-Canada for the broadcasting rights to the FIFA World Cup, the odds of a Canadian team qualifying for the 2022 edition of soccer’s premier tournament were not so strong. After all, Canada had not participated in a men’s World Cup since 1986. But surging interest in soccer here persuaded BCE Inc.’s media unit that it was worth outbidding the public broadcaster, which had held the rights to FIFA events for several years. That turns out to have been a smart move. Soccer madness has skyrocketed in the country since then. And with revved-up Canadian fans salivating at the prospect of finally watching a homegrown team vie for the cup, Bell Media’s pricey bet now appears set to pay off – big time. The fickle fan’s guide to Qatar 2022 Seven of the world’s best soc...

The European Union agreed on Tuesday on a new law to prevent companies from selling into the EU market coffee, beef, soy and other commodities linked to deforestation around the world. The law will require companies to produce a due diligence statement showing that their supply chains are not contributing to the destruction of forests before they sell goods into the EU – or they could face hefty fines. “I hope that this innovative regulation will give impetus to the protection of forests around the globe and inspire other countries at the COP15,” said the European Parliament’s lead negotiator, Christophe Hansen. Deforestation is responsible for about 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change and will be in focus at a United Nations COP15 conference this week, where countries will seek a global deal to protect nature. Negotiators from EU countries and the European Parliament struck the deal on the law early on Tuesday. It will apply to soy, beef, palm oi...

The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) has been sued by a group of Tanzanians for certifying gold sold by Barrick Gold Corp. ABX-T as “responsibly sourced”, with claimants alleging it is anything but. The suit brought against the LBMA is by the families of two Tanzanian nationals who were allegedly killed at Barrick’s North Mara gold mine in 2019, after a confrontation between the men, who had trespassed into the mine in search of wasted gold, and police. Leigh Day, the law firm acting for the Tanzanians, said in a legal briefing that LBMA breached its duty by certifying the gold sold by Barrick as responsibly sourced, “despite a systematic pattern of serious human rights abuses at North Mara spanning for many years.” Simon Rostron, a spokesperson for LBMA, wrote in an e-mail to Tausi Insider that the claim is baseless. “LBMA’s Good Delivery List operates on transparent and well-published principles that all refiners must follow. Failure to comply with the LBMA rules results ei...

Fans will have to Google it beginning next season if they want to access the NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” package. The NFL announced an agreement on Thursday for Google to distribute the package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels. The seven-year deal is worth a little more than $2-billion per season. The package has been on DirecTV since 1994. The satellite provider has paid $1.5-billion per year on an eight-year contract that expires at the end of this season. The NFL had been seeking $2.5-billion per season for the package. It could still reach that total since the league retains commercial rights to bars and restaurants and is in the midst of selling those rights. Commissioner Roger Goodell said during an interview with CNBC over the summer that the next move for “Sunday Ticket” would be to a streaming service because that would be the best option for fans. Goodell reiterated that with Thursday’s announcement. “For a number of years we ha...

Israeli designate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the swearing-in ceremony for the new Israeli parliament the 25th Knesset in Jerusalem, on Nov. 15. POOL/Reuters Several leading Israeli businesses pledged on Monday to strengthen their internal anti-discrimination rules in the wake of remarks by hard-right members of Israel’s incoming government seen as undermining gender equality and minority rights. The remarks, including a call to scrap the Jerusalem gay pride march and another to ease a ban on individuals who support terror or racism from running for parliament, have alarmed many Israelis and drawn a warning from the country’s President. On Sunday, a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party – one of the parties in prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu’s new coalition – told public radio that hotels and doctors should be allowed to refuse services to people on religious grounds, provided others are available. Leading hospitals and health care providers, appare...

The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) has been sued by a group of Tanzanians for certifying gold sold by Barrick Gold Corp. ABX-T as “responsibly sourced”, with claimants alleging it is anything but. The suit brought against the LBMA is by the families of two Tanzanian nationals who were allegedly killed at Barrick’s North Mara gold mine in 2019, after a confrontation between the men, who had trespassed into the mine in search of wasted gold, and police. Leigh Day, the law firm acting for the Tanzanians, said in a legal briefing that LBMA breached its duty by certifying the gold sold by Barrick as responsibly sourced, “despite a systematic pattern of serious human rights abuses at North Mara spanning for many years.” Simon Rostron, a spokesperson for LBMA, wrote in an e-mail to Tausi Insider that the claim is baseless. “LBMA’s Good Delivery List operates on transparent and well-published principles that all refiners must follow. Failure to comply with the LBMA rules results ei...