Politics

Local health officials reported at least 13 people were killed in Gaza during strikes, and U.S. officials say President Trump will announce appointments to a Board of Peace next week to help oversee the fragile ceasefire.

The Russian Defence Ministry announced it fired a hypersonic Oreshnik missile during an overnight strike it said targeted energy and drone-production sites; Kyiv denied a related claim about an attack on a presidential residence. Ukrainian officials reported a separate strike on Kyiv that left four people dead and at least 22 wounded.

President Trump announced he had cancelled a planned second wave of attacks on Venezuela after the Venezuelan government released a large number of political prisoners, and said U.S. ships would remain in place for safety and security.

President Donald Trump said he plans to meet Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado next week, his first public show of support since last weekend's operation that captured Nicolás Maduro. The visit follows the reported release of several political prisoners, including allies of Machado.

U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro in early January and he is being held in the United States, where he pleaded not guilty in a New York court; Venezuela's Supreme Court swore in Vice‑President Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader and Maduro's next U.S. court date is March 17.

A former acquaintance says ex-Winnipeg constable Elston Bostock supplied drugs at parties and to colleagues; he has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and earlier corruption-related offences and has not yet been sentenced.

The Globe and Mail published a business and investing quiz that notes recent reporting saying U.S. President Donald Trump captured Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro in a weekend military operation and is focusing attention on Venezuelan oil.

Mayor Olivia Chow plans a 2.2 per cent property tax increase for Toronto's 2026 budget, made up of a 0.7 per cent general residential hike and a previously approved 1.5 per cent city building fund increase; the draft budget will be tabled this week and is scheduled to be finalized in February.

The U.S. announced a new energy deal the Department of Energy says would allow sale of up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and that some sanctions would be lifted. The announcement followed the seizure of two tankers and officials said proceeds would be held in U.S.-controlled bank accounts.

Chrystia Freeland is vacating her House of Commons seat, leaving the governing Liberals one MP down; the Speaker must notify the chief electoral officer and the government then has 11 to 180 days to call a byelection.

Venezuela has begun releasing political prisoners, described by a senior official as a "unilateral gesture of peace," and Spanish media reported at least four Spaniards were freed.

An Argentine federal appeals court ruled that investigations into alleged crimes by members of Venezuela’s National Guard should proceed under the doctrine of universal jurisdiction, rejecting an appeal by a former officer. Argentina began investigating the complaints in 2023.

Families of Flight PS752 victims are holding commemorations in Ontario and British Columbia on the sixth anniversary; the aircraft was shot down on Jan. 8, 2020, resulting in the deaths of all 176 people aboard.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Mogadishu on Friday, the highest-level Chinese visit to Somalia since the 1980s, while the United States has announced a suspension of aid amid a dispute over humanitarian supplies.

Kashechewan First Nation declared a local emergency after its water treatment plant failed and leaders say they cannot secure enough bottled water; some vulnerable residents are being flown out on chartered flights while leaders have asked for military assistance.

The House approved the bill 230-196 to extend expired Affordable Care Act subsidies after 17 Republicans joined Democrats to force a discharge petition; the measure now moves to the Senate, where bipartisan negotiators are discussing alternative proposals and the CBO estimated the bill would add about $80.6 billion to the deficit over 10 years while increasing coverage by several million people.

RCP podcast hosts said Democrats would likely pursue a third impeachment if they regain the House, and they said a Republican-controlled Senate would probably prevent a conviction.

Alberta Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said a planned event at York University was cancelled after the student centre required it be held in a closed room; the student centre says the decision was not politically motivated and that he may reapply.

French President Emmanuel Macron cited U.S. President Donald Trump's '51st state' comments about Canada as an example of the United States turning away from allies; German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made related remarks about a breakdown of shared values.

Mohamed Abdullah Warsame faces new charges over alleged threats to Montreal transit and Passport Canada, and his lawyer says he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia; the case is currently being negotiated in court.

Russia criticized the U.S. seizure of a tanker it says was sailing under a temporary Russian flag and said the move could raise military and political tensions; the U.S. said the vessel was seized for alleged sanctions violations and any further actions are undetermined.

Israel's prime minister said Nickolay Mladenov was designated to direct the U.S. Board of Peace overseeing the Gaza ceasefire. At least eight people were reported killed in Gaza by strikes on Thursday.

An ambulance slid into a ditch near Tumbler Ridge during a snowstorm; no one was seriously hurt and health services say the incident is under review.

Rep. Robin Kelly announced plans to file three articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, citing obstruction of Congress, violation of public trust and self-dealing; the announcement came the same day a Minneapolis resident was fatally shot by an ICE agent. The proposed impeachment would need to pass the Republican-held House and then move to the Senate.

Spencer Pratt said he filed paperwork to run for Los Angeles mayor at a Palisades wildfire anniversary rally and criticized state and city leaders' handling of the January blaze.

Syrian military ordered evacuations of two predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, prompting tens of thousands to leave; explosions were reported after the evacuation deadline and more than 46,000 people have been displaced in the province.

Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the U.S. attorney's office cut off its access to case materials in a fatal shooting involving an ICE officer, and the FBI is now leading the investigation.

Spain's bishops agreed to let the state's ombudsman have final authority over compensation for clergy sexual abuse victims whose cases are time-barred or whose alleged abusers are deceased, and a one-year window to file claims has been set.

An opinion piece reports that President Trump made forceful public remarks about Greenland and actions related to Venezuela, and it says those statements are reshaping how allies such as Canada approach security and diplomacy.

The Senate will consider a resolution to bar President Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela without congressional authorization, days after U.S. forces reportedly captured Nicolás Maduro; even if it passes the Senate, the measure must still clear the House and would face an expected presidential veto.