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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — South Africa argued at the United Nations’ top court on Tuesday that Israel is responsible for apartheid against the Palestinians and that Israel’s occupation of land sought for a Palestinian state is “inherently and fundamentally illegal.” Israel rejects such claims. The South African representatives were speaking on the second day of hearings at the International Court of Justice into a request by the General Assembly for a non-binding advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s policies in the occupied territories. “South Africa bears a special obligation, both to its own people and the international community, to ensure that wherever the egregious and offensive practices of apartheid occur, these must be called out for what they are and brought to an immediate end,” the country’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, told the panel of 15 international judges. Israel rejects accusations of apartheid and usually dismisses U.N. bodies and international tribunals as unfair and biased against it. Israel is not making a statement during the hearings, which are taking place against the backdrop of the war in Gaza that has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel sent a written submission last...

Article contentGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani took live batting practice with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this spring training as he recovers from elbow surgery.Article contentThe Dodgers posted video on social media Monday of the two-time AL MVP homering.Article contentOhtani signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers after spending his first six seasons with the Los Angeles AngelsThe two-way player won’t be pitching this season after right elbow surgery in September, but he’s hoping to be ready for the start of the season as a hitter.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Ohtani won’t play in the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener Thursday against San Diego.The Dodgers open the season March 20 against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea.Ohtani, 29, batted .304 in 135 games last season and led the AL in homers (44), on-base percentage (.412), slugging percentage (.654), OPS (1.066) and total bases (325) while winning his second MVP award.He also was voted MVP in 2021 and finished second in 2022.Recommended from Editorial Justin Turner keen to get things started alongside Bo, Vlad and the rest of the Blue Jays Blue Jays' Justin Turner says lagging free agency a 'black eye' on baseball...

Some Canadians say they are fed up with tipping partly because they think it has become common in places it didn't exist before. Some say prompts for bigger tips have been the norm since the pandemic when many were supporting local businesses. "Mental yardsticks for tipping have moved somewhat and expectations have changed, putting more pressure on consumers to pay more tips," Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said in an email to CTVNews.ca. Charlebois will release a report on tipping practices and the related consumer behaviour in the spring. "This practice can make tipping feel more compulsory and may lead to higher overall costs for consumers."  Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, says the reasons can vary for why a business owner's point of sale machine may propose higher rates. "However, it's crucial to understand that bars and restaurants have been facing mounting pressures in the last four years, including lockdowns, labour shortages, lower consumer demand, and higher taxes, minimum wages, and interest rates," Baiguzhiyeva said in an email to CTVNews.ca. CTVNews.ca asked Canadians their opinions about what many believe is the...

British Columbia has more family doctors per capita than it did 40 years ago, according to a new report, but its lead author says trying to find one or get an appointment can still feel as difficult as competing for tickets to Taylor Swift's highly sought-after Eras Tour.B.C. has 270 doctors for every 100,000 people in 2022, up from 162 doctors per capita in 1976, according to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information shared in a new report from charity Generation Squeeze on Thursday.It's tied with Nova Scotia for the highest rate in Canada, according to the report, and well above the national average of 244 doctors per 100,000. The data may be surprising given close to one million British Columbians are estimated to be without a family doctor, says co-author Dr. Paul Kershaw, but he says it indicates that hiring more doctors isn't a silver bullet to reduce wait times and improve patient care and outcomes."Medical care doesn't even account for a quarter of what makes us healthy ... our health begins where we're born, grow, live, work and age," said Kershaw, who is also the founder of non-profit Generation Squeeze."And that means when we can't access affordable and safe...