News headlines

An early start to Canada’s flu season is hitting children hard, sending a flood of young patients into multiple pediatric hospitals as medical teams warn that emergency visits and admissions could keep climbing in the weeks ahead.

The Navy admiral who reportedly issued orders for the U.S. military to fire upon survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat gave classified briefings to lawmakers. Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defence secretary, has been criticized this week over the boat strikes, as well as for an earlier controversy in which he communicated over an unsecured app.

Spain and the Netherlands say they are pulling out of next year's Eurovision Song Contest as Israel's participation roils the competition.

The head of Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission says the independent body should stop organizing post-debate news conferences and will make changes to how it decides what leaders to invite after this spring's leadership debate was surrounded by controversy.

Pantone has just revealed its 2026 colour of the year, and it's, well, it's white. The pick not only surprised designers, but as some people are pointing out online, it's also a potentially loaded choice.

The Parti Québécois's dominance in the polls for nearly two years and its leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's promise to hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty during his first term have reverberated all the way to Ottawa.

The Canadian military is undertaking a structural reorganization designed to make the force more nimble and adaptable to new technology, the Department of National Defence said Thursday.

Since a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled earlier this year that Aboriginal title coexists alongside fee simple title on around 125 privately-held parcels of land in Richmond, a question has hung over the case: why didn't the private landowners know the title to their property was up for debate?

Imagine your toddler playing with a soft teddy bear, but with ChatGPT baked in. These AI toys can chat to your kid, play games and even say, "I love you." But experts are warning that we don’t know the long-term impacts to a child’s creativity and social development.

The victim was held by the suspects for several days before being released in the Meadowvale Road and Sheppard Avenue East area of Toronto.

Tim Leiweke was indicted for allegedly orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Austin, Texas.

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

Hegseth’s use of the app came to light when a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, was inadvertently added to a Signal text chain by then-national security adviser Mike Waltz.

The 2026 World Cup men’s soccer draw will be full of politics, celebrity appearances and the dramatic pulling of garishly-coloured plastic balls.

Toronto officials are bracing for the transition to privatized curbside recycling pickup starting New Year's Day, as mandated by the province.

Rustad's departure comes one day after he refused to resign after the party announced he had been removed.

Sold at Giant Tiger, the earbuds' USB charging cords were built with incorrect wiring material and can overheat when plugged in, Health Canada said.

After hundreds of votes and a close showdown, we have a winner. Mary Macleod takes the crown.

The Prime Minister's Office says the meeting with Trump will be at the Kennedy Center, where the event is being held, and is expected to be brief.

Members of the European Broadcasting Union voted to adopt tougher voting rules in response to allegations that Israel manipulated the vote

Countries aim to raise two-way trade to $100-billion by 2030

U.S. President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday to sign a peace agreement, amid accusations of ceasefire violations and talks of lucrative mining deals.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

A British inquiry found that Russian President Vladimir Putin was responsible for a nerve agent attack on British soil in 2018, leading the U.K. to sanction a Russian spy agency.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

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

Hearings that began Wednesday in Washington reflected anxiety over the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact and whether the president could end up scrapping it.

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.

Bret Stephens, Frank Bruni and Aaron Retica on the gap between Trump’s interests and what matters to Americans.

Attacks on Somali Americans are a cruel distraction.

As a 19-year-old medic, he won a Silver Star for his service during D-Day. Later, in the Korean War, he earned a Bronze Star.

But a papal commission examining the question said further study was required, and advised that women should be given other leadership roles in the Catholic Church.

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 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.”

The Netherlands and Slovenia also said they would not take part in next year’s contest, meant to be its celebratory 70th edition.

The United States Geological Survey quickly deleted the alert, saying it had been sent in error. “This isn’t a good look,” one earthquake expert said.

The bombs were planted before Jan. 6, 2021, when President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol as Congress met to confirm Joe Biden's electoral win.

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

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has long disputed predictions that AI will destroy jobs.

Salesforce said its Agentforce artificial intelligence business is generating over $500 million in annualized revenue.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

The Truman aircraft carrier group conducted airstrikes for 52 days straight. Investigators found that not all of its ships or crews were ready for such intensity.

The death of Yasser Abu Shabab, a prominent clan leader in Gaza, could threaten Israel’s experiment in arming local militias to challenge Hamas’s rule.

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.

A review panel formally confirmed long-standing suspicions that Russia was responsible for the chemical weapon that killed a woman in Salisbury, England.

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

Emergency rooms are “under siege” from patients with minor ailments, England’s National Health Service said, ahead of a busy flu season and a doctors’ strike.

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.

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.

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

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

Rusia's ability to target a defector with nerve agent is almost certainly diminished but it may pose other threats, the BBC's security correspondent writes.

The Russian leader's comments come as US and Ukrainian negotiators are due to hold a new round of talks.

Several legal experts have told BBC Verify that there was no legal basis for the second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat by the US military.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier says both sides had decided to not look back in anger while referencing band's reunion.

Wilfried Nancy has joined Celtic as "a leader" first and foremost after arriving as manager.

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

The Reform UK leader turns fire on the BBC as he faces further questions about allegations of teenage racism.

Labour ministers will commit to the start date next week after previously watering down the new protection.

Fellow actor Kajol, who is also depicted on the statue in London, said it was "a little unbelievable".

Police search properties after making arrests in Eastbourne and Brighton.

The suspect was later named by law enforcement sources as Brian Cole, though other details were not immediately available, including potential charges or a motive

The foreign secretary has warned in the wake of the report that the Russian president represents ‘an active threat’ to British citizens

Ex-Tory leader says she wants to spark ‘Trump-style counter-revolution’ to defend Western values

People in the royal town had been left without water for six days because of a ‘bad’ batch of chemicals

In the Ecuadorian Andes, young Otavalo Indigenous people are using anime to inspire pride in their culture and language

Democrat claims boat strike video shows ‘two individuals in clear distress’

The phone call leaked in the German media reveals size of rift between Europe and Washington

Reform UK leader hit out at the BBC and ITV for what he said were ‘double standards’ but was criticised by the comedian’s family

The president’s historic pardon streak has let wealthy executives and powerful public figures off the hook, writes Alex Woodward

The announcements came after European Broadcasting Union met to discuss concerns about Israel’s role in the contest amid its conduct in Gaza