OTTAWA — China's second most powerful politician gifted Prime Minister Mark Carney a high-end "action camera" with a selfie stick during his visit last month. Security experts recommend Carney dump it immediately. Read More

During this past week and half, Canada’s two most western provinces presented budgets with yawning deficits. Slow-growth British Columbia is forecasting a deficit for the 2026/27 fiscal year of $13.3 billion (2.9 per cent of GDP), up from $9.6 billion for this current year. With better growth, Alberta hit the $9.4-billion mark, more than double the 2025/26 deficit of $4.1 billion and the biggest since the pandemic. Read More

The dean of the University of Toronto's school of dentistry has stepped aside after using two antisemitic cartoons in a student lecture. Read More

Former President Bill Clinton delivered a sweeping denial of any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes as he began closed-door testimony Friday before a House committee investigating the disgraced financier’s political connections. Read More

Iran is conducting regular and unexplained activity at bombed uranium-enrichment sites, United Nations atomic inspectors said, potentially complicating talks with the US over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Talks between Iran and the U.S. ended Thursday amid President Donald Trump’s 10-15 day “deal or bad things” ultimatum. In his State of the Union speech this week, Trump vowed never to let “the world’s number one sponsor of terror” get nukes — after promising protesters in Iran that “help is on the way.” Read More

(Bloomberg) — Countries including the US, UK and China evacuated embassy staff in the Middle East and issued travel advisories amid concerns about a regional conflict, as President Donald Trump on Friday sounded downbeat about diplomatic talks meant to avert airstrikes on Iran. Read More

Brady Tkachuk, a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. men's Olympic hockey team this year, has denied that he insulted Canada after a TikTok video posted by the White House made it look like he very much did. Read More

First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Read More

A recall for 55,689 pounds (2,526 kgs) of frozen blueberries distributed in Canada and the U.S. was issued over potentially life-threatening risk of listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Read More

Our cookbook of the week is Lebanese Baking by Maureen Abood. Read More

MUMBAI, INDIA —  Canada lags behind its international counterparts when it comes to trading with India, warned Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, whose province trades more with the country of 1.4 billion than any other province in Canada. Read More

Canadians are raising their retirement goals, but fewer believe they will actually reach them. Read More

Flying high on its recent decision to "ban" Crocs from the feet of passengers, Tampa International Airport in Florida is now aiming to get rid of pajamas in its concourses and jetways as well. Read More

A Federal Court judge set aside a ruling by Canada's Refugee Protection Division (RPD), saying it failed “to engage with a critical piece of evidence” when it revoked a Pakistani man’s refugee status after he returned to the country on multiple occasions. Read More

The all-important New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary may still be two years away, but things already appear worrisome for the more extreme members of the party. According to a newly released University of New Hampshire poll, former transport secretary Pete Buttigieg leads an expansive crop of potential Democratic presidential front-runners. Read More

In this week’s video, John Ivison is joined by regular panelists, Ian Brodie and Eugene Lang. Read More

Too many Canadians are comfortable with second place, even to the point of celebrating it. Read More

What does any kid do when their parents tell them to clean their room? They shove their toys underneath the bed. From runaway borrowing to taxes and expensive regulations, Prime Minister Mark Carney is using the same approach to deal with Ottawa’s mess. Instead of fixing problems, Carney is trying to hide them. Read More

Friendship is forged not at the mercy of expedience or convenience, but when interest and mutual respect aligns. This week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an eloquent statesman-like speech at Israel’s parliament (Knesset). He flew to Israel to reinforce the alliance despite the imminent possibility of an attack by Iran. The bromance between Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showcased the warmth and affection the two countries share. Read More

With its white text and black-as-night wallpaper, the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) website looks a little bit like its admin is the mythical creature itself. Read More

Afghanistan launched a large-scale military operation along the border targeting Pakistan army centres, escalating tensions between the neighbours after air strikes by Pakistan. Read More

The Trump administration’s move to ease fuel shipments to Cuba’s nascent private sector is part of a plan to make the island more reliant on the U.S. for supplies, increasing Washington’s leverage to bring about political and economic change, according to people familiar with the strategy. Read More

Netflix Inc. dropped out of the fight to buy Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., clearing the way for rival bidder Paramount Skydance Corp. to clinch its US$111 billion deal for the historic Hollywood studio. Read More