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CBC.ca

Putin says Russia will take Donbas by force if it's not ceded by Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that Russia would take full control of Ukraine's Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw — something Kyiv has flatly rejected.

Steve Cropper, legendary soul music songwriter and guitarist, dead at 84

Steve Cropper, the lean, soulful guitarist and songwriter who helped anchor the celebrated Memphis backing band Booker T. and the M.G.'s at Stax Records and co-wrote the classics Green Onions, (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, has died. He was 84.

Chain restaurants are out. Restaurant groups are in

A peek behind the curtain at how big players in the restaurant industry, who own multiple, seemingly independent restaurants, leverage better buying power as a way to survive post-COVID.

A month before a boy in her care died, Ontario woman said she worried he'd die, trial hears

The first-degree murder trial of Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber in Milton, Ont., heard texts in which the women questioned whether a boy in their care might be dying, a month before he did in December 2022.

Your favourite TV shows are changing how episodes are released. Is appointment viewing back?

From hit dramas like Stranger Things and The Summer I Turned Pretty, to attention grabbing reality shows, many shows on streaming platforms that made their name on binge watching are now releasing episodes weekly or in bite-sized chunks. Experts say the format and social factors are driving some fans to catch episodes when they air, though with more flexibility than broadcast TV allows.

Transforming F1: How the female and Gen Z fandom is shaping the sport’s future

In Canada and the U.S., F1 has gone from niche motorsport to mainstream obsession in just a few years. It’s a shift driven by a new wave of fans who are remaking the sport's social media landscape and driving the call for representation.

Australia's youth social media ban is looming. Could Canada roll out something similar?

As platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube begin to comply with Australia's new landmark law banning social media for those under 16, Aussie youth are likely starting to see pop-ups about their accounts being deactivated or put on hold. Is there a potential for ripple effects in Canada?

How singing in a choir might help people find their voices after a stroke

A randomized controlled trial involving 12 weekly choir sessions for participants who have developed aphasia from strokes, aims to find out if singing together helps them re-gain their ability to speak and write.
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Toronto Star

Thousands of leaked photos show new evidence of mass torture and murder under Syria's Assad regime

There are over 10,200 bodies in the chilling trove of images. For Canadian families of the disappeared, the grim records offer a chance of closure.

TD reports lower fourth-quarter profit, says more staff cuts could come next quarter

BMO and CIBC also reported earnings on Thursday. All three banks' results beat analysts' expectations.

Algoma Steel layoffs: a predictable shock and strategic wake-up call

Algoma Steel’s layoffs are painful, but they are also predictable. If we want to protect Canadian workers and communities, we need to stop reacting and start building resilience.

Sour cherry and walnut Mandelbrot your mother will rave about

Every day until Christmas, we're baking a recipe from the Star’s archives. Today, Eden simmers pomegranate juice within an inch of its life.

Inside this Ontario loan company, concern grew as payments stopped. Its plan to keep bad debt​ off the books came at the expense of vulnerable borrowers

Pickering-based LendCare denied wrongdoing, saying the firm is “committed to openness, accountability, and strong governance.”

Canadians want to know why baseball players spit so much as Blue Jays dominate 2025 Google trends

Trey Yesavage was the most-searched athlete as Canadians asked Google more about the Jays than the federal election this year.

The NHL's return to the Winter Olympics won’t be a custom fit — if it happens at all

With the ice surface in Italy unexpectedly short, someone should probably double check every other Olympic venue.

This Mississauga man faced a two-year wait for a family doctor. He created a system that found him one quickly — and helped hundreds of others

A new AI-driven platform aims to connect patients to a family doctor with a few clicks, identifying what clinics have availability.

Condo crash forces Toronto's public landlord to move ahead on huge North York redevelopment on its own

TCHC will build a rental block of Lawrence Heights, after lack of interest from private partners.

‘Do you think he’s dying?’: Prospective mom texted ‘I’m going to jail’ one month before severely malnourished boy’s death

“My thoughts are he is suddenly going to die and I’m going to jail,” Brandy Cooney texted her wife, Becky Hamber, about the boy who later died in their basement on Dec. 21, 2022.
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Globe and Mail

Bad Bunny is Spotify's most-streamed artist, dethroning Taylor Swift

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has been named Spotify Wrapped's most-played artist for a fourth time, dethroning Taylor Swift.

Putin says some points in U.S. peace plan are unacceptable, indicating deal will take time

Witkoff, Kushner set to meet with Ukraine’s lead negotiator later Thursday in Miami for further talks

Seal bar patron steals the show and makes off with some salmon

Accustomed to seeing animals in the pet-friendly bar, the co-owner assumed the visitor was a dog before she took a closer look

Israel identifies remains of returned hostage, leaving one final body in Gaza

Return of all the hostages is an essential element of the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that began in October

Baby seal walks into a bar in New Zealand

It was a wet, lazy Sunday evening when the baby fur seal waddled into the Sprig + Fern The Meadows craft beer bar in Richmond, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Accustomed to seeing animals in the pet-friendly bar, co-owner Bella Evans assumed the visitor was a dog before she took a closer look.

Epstein island images released by Democrats on House committee

Video and photographs of Little St. James, the private island once owned by the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, were released by Democrats of the House Oversight Committee.

What to know about the Israel-Hamas war as the ceasefire holds

The latest updates on the ceasefire agreement, U.S. efforts to ensure it holds, and the toll of the war in Gaza after two years

Raccoon raids Virginia liquor store before passing out on bathroom floor

A raccoon broke into a closed Virginia liquor store and drank alcohol from the bottom shelves over the weekend.

Family of Colombian man killed in U.S. boat strike files human rights challenge

Alejandro Carranza’s family believes his death in a U.S. military strike in September was an extrajudicial killing

Trump administration launches latest immigration crackdown in New Orleans

Trump ’s mass deportation efforts have resulted in immigration officials blanketing cities and towns across the nation since January
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Global News

2 people charged after nearly $1 million in drugs seized at Calgary airport

Two people from Calgary have been charged in connection with an alleged plan to smuggle almost a million dollars worth of drugs into Canada following a tip from German police.

Man charged with theft after allegedly swallowing Fabergé egg locket

The allegedly swallowed item was a limited-edition pendant inspired by the 1983 James Bond film 'Octopussy.'

Ottawa pledges another $235M to Ukraine as Freeland pushes more investment

Former federal minister Chrystia Freeland, now a special envoy for Ukraine's reconstruction, this week said Ukraine can become an economic juggernaut and boost European economies.

Search for flight MH370 to resume, 11 years after it vanished

Exploration firm Ocean Infinity has confirmed it would recommence seabed operations for 55 days, conducted intermittently, the transport ministry said.

Minister responds to case of border officer targeted by Indian ‘disinformation’

Canada's public safety minister said government employees were being 'defamed by a range of actors.'

Putin warns Europe not to ‘wage a war’ as he meets with U.S. on Ukraine

Talks between Russia and the U.S. on ending the nearly four-year war were productive, but much work remains, a senior advisor to Putin told reporters after the hours-long meeting.

Trump calls Somali migrants ‘garbage,’ says he doesn’t want them in U.S.

Trump said residents of the war-ravaged eastern African country are too reliant on U.S. social safety net and add little to the United States.

U.K. teen vanishes on hike near Dracula’s castle in Romanian mountains

The 18-year-old university student went on a solo hiking trip in Romania without informing his family.

Fabergé egg made for Russian royalty sells for record $30.2M at auction

Each time the egg has sold, it has set a world record price for a Fabergé item.

Honduras ex-president leaves prison after Trump pardon of drug conviction

Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in prison for taking bribes from drug traffickers so they could safely move some 400 tons of cocaine through Honduras to the U.S.
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New York Times

As Hochul Considers an A.I. Bill, Its Sponsor Throws Her a Fund-Raiser

Gov. Kathy Hochul received nearly $250,000 for her re-election campaign from donors eager to have her sign a bill that would regulate the A.I. field in New York.

Suspect Arrested in Inquiry Into Pipe Bombs in D.C. Ahead of Jan. 6 Riot

The suspect’s identity remained unclear for the moment, but the arrest could ultimately provide an answer to one of the most tantalizing mysteries arising from the Jan. 6. riot.

Putin Must Have Authorized Novichok Poisoning in Salisbury, UK Inquiry Finds

The death of a British woman from Novichok poisoning was the result of a botched assassination attempt authorized at the highest level, an official report said on Thursday.

Deadly Attacks in Gaza Test Cease-Fire as Body of Another Captive Is Returned

Israel launched a military strike after it said Hamas militants attacked its soldiers, the latest clashes in the two months since a truce was signed.

The Shifting Politics of Transgender Rights

The lawyer and activist Chase Strangio on cultural divisions and common ground.

Poll Suggests Voters May Blame Republicans More if Affordable Care Act Subsidies Go Away

About half of people covered under the Affordable Care Act say that if their health costs spike, it will have a “major impact” on how they vote in the 2026 midterm elections, a survey found.

How Israel’s Settlement Surge in the West Bank Is Displacing Palestinians

The Israeli government authorized 22 settlements in May, the largest expansion in decades, and Palestinian families are now being forced from their homes.

Brooklyn Borough President Will Run for House Seat as Socialists Circle

Antonio Reynoso’s bid to replace Representative Nydia M. Velázquez will most likely be contested by a candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

Immigrants’ Fears

We explain how Afghan refugees in America are experiencing the fallout from a D.C. shooting.

New York Times Sues Pentagon Over First Amendment Rights

The lawsuit said the Defense Department’s new set of rules for journalists “violates the Constitution’s guarantees of due process, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”

CNBC

Blue Origin unveils space part made entirely by AI with the help of a little-known startup

Istari Digital CEO Will Roper was assistant secretary of the Air Force under President Donald Trump's first term and worked with Space Force.

Nvidia has a cash problem — too much of it

Nvidia's recent slew of billion-dollar checks highlight the company's growing cash pile.

CNBC's Inside India newsletter: How a government app in India triggered a backlash over internet freedom

The Indian government asked phone manufacturers to preload a state-run cybersecurity app with no option to disable it, drawing a public backlash.

Meta faces Europe antitrust investigation over WhatsApp AI policy

The European bloc has launched an antitrust investigation into the social media giant over its WhatsApp AI policy.

Europe's plan to use $105 billion of frozen Russian assets tantamount to war, says Russia's Medvedev

It follows fresh proposals by the European Commission to unlock $105 billion to support Ukraine.

Bitcoin is down nearly 30% from its record high — history shows that's normal

In the 2021 and 2017 bitcoin cycles, there were a number of instances of drops of 30% or bigger.

Ukraine, trade, pandas: What China's Xi and France's Macron discussed in Beijing

China said it is open to importing more high-quality goods from France while urging a "fair, conducive environment" for Chinese businesses in the European nation.

Software startup deploys Singapore’s first quantum computer for commercial use

Singapore-based software firm Horizon Quantum Computing has become the first private firm to deploy a quantum computer for commercial use in the city-state.

Inside Europe’s biggest rare earths factory on Russia's doorstep

Developed by Canada's Neo Performance Materials, Europe's largest rare earths facility sits in Estonia's border city of Narva.

Asia markets mostly rise after Wall Street gains on rate-cut hopes fueled by weak jobs data

The ADP report is the last jobs picture the Federal Reserve gets before it meets Dec. 9-10. Markets are now pricing in an 89% chance of a cut.

Washington Post

Putin maintains hard line in talks as Trump says Moscow is open to a deal

President Donald Trump said that the Moscow talks on resolving the war in Ukraine were “reasonably good” and that his negotiators say Putin wants an agreement.

Republicans begin to tighten the screws on Hegseth’s Pentagon

Adm. Frank M. Bradley is set to meet with lawmakers Thursday to discuss the boat strike he oversaw that killed 11 people, including two who died in a follow-up attack.

A seal walks into a bar (no, really)

The seal pup stayed at a New Zealand beer pub for 25 minutes, wandering around tables and visiting the bathroom, before conservation rangers escorted it out.

One hostage body left in Gaza, after remains of Thai worker identified

Here’s what to know about hostages and others whose bodies have been returned by Hamas to Israel, and those who remain in Gaza.

Hamas took 251 hostages from Israel into Gaza. Where are they?

We’re tracking what happened to the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, from Israel.

In tungsten territory, China celebrates control of mineral the U.S. needs

President Donald Trump claimed victory after China agreed to defer controls on rare earths. But many restrictions remain, including on the critical mineral tungsten.

Trump’s crackdown on Russian oil hangs heavy over Putin visit to India

Putin’s state visit to India presents Prime Minister Modi with a delicate diplomatic challenge, analysts say, needing to reassure Moscow without angering Trump.

Syria’s killing machine

A newly revealed trove of photos depicts 10,000 people who had died in Bashar al-Assad’s brutal prison system during his last decade in power.

Confident of military success, Putin refuses compromise in Moscow talks

European officials, who were not included in the talks, said at a NATO meeting in Brussels that Russia appears to be inflexible in the negotiations.

To clear huge court backlog, U.K. aims to scrap jury trials for some crimes

The plan to forgo jury trials for defendants charged with lower-level crimes is aimed at easing an 80,000-case backlog in a court system booked as far out as 2030.

BBC

Root hits historic century but second Test finely balanced after day one

Joe Root scores his first century in Australia and finishes unbeaten on 135 as England close on 325-9 at stumps on day one of the second Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane.

Wider use of facial recognition could see biggest change in policing since DNA, minister says

The Home Office hopes a new public consultation will lead to new laws expanding the use of the technology by more police forces.

Household bills will rise to fund £28bn investment in energy network

Ofgem says the investment will help lower reliance on imported gas and make wholesale energy cheaper.

'Australia will have to admit he's a great' - Root hits elusive century

Joe Root ends his long wait for a Test century in Australia by reaching three figures on day one of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.

'Australia will have to admit he's a great' - Root hits elusive century

Joe Root ends his long wait for a Test century in Australia by reaching three figures on day one of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK

The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party.

Construction sector shrinks at fastest pace since pandemic, survey suggests

Some analysts said the score was a mere fluctuation in the run-up to the Budget.

New mayoral elections to be delayed in four areas of England until 2028

The new mayoralties in Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent, and Sussex and Brighton will now be contested in 2028.

Hospitals facing unprecedented flu season, say NHS bosses

Record number of patients in hospital in England with flu for this time of year, figures show.

'A rumbling sound and a loud bang' - small earthquake hits homes in north-west England

Lancashire residents say the 3.3-magnitude tremor felt like "an underground explosion", but there are no reports of damage.

The Independent

Trump's immigration message is colliding with his welcome to World Cup fans

President Donald Trump will be taking center stage at the World Cup draw as he rolls out the welcome mat for teams and fans from around the globe

Salisbury novichok latest: Putin ordered poisonings in show of ‘Russian power’, Dawn Sturgess inquiry finds

Public inquiry to publish findings on Russian Novichok poisonings

Reform UK gets record £9m donation from Thai based crypto billionaire who helped bankroll Brexit

Reform UK have denied that Nigel Farage’s support for crypto currency deregulation is linked to a record donation from entrepreneur Christopher Harborne

FBI announces arrest of suspect who left pipe bombs in DC before January 6 riots

Bombs were placed near the offices of both the Democratic and Republican national committees in Washington D.C., hours before an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol

‘Defending the indefensible’: Government ‘will have blood on their hands’ over indefinite jail terms

More prisoners will take their own lives unless action is taken to help those trapped in IPP jail terms, a former top judge has warned, after The Independent called for sentences to be reviewed

Hegseth under pressure as admiral blamed for ‘war crime’ boat strike to be grilled by Congress: Live

Admiral Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley is giving a classified briefing to lawmakers over the lethal Venezuela ‘drug boat’ strikes

The little-known oil which could be driving obesity – and is in more foods than you think

Soybean oil is commonly found in processed foods and has been linked to obesity

Moment 600-pound alligator wrangled after blocking road

An alligator weighing 600 pounds was caught by officers after it blocked a road in Florida.

New York Times suing Pentagon over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's new press rules

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit to stop the Pentagon from imposing new rules on journalists who cover the military

US filings for jobless benefits fall to 191,000, lowest since September of 2022

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in more than three years last week, potentially complicating the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates