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The U.S. Department of Justice released a batch of Jeffrey Epstein–related documents on January 30 that included email drafts referencing Bill Gates, and Bill Gates’ spokesperson has denied the claims. Melinda French Gates told NPR the disclosures recalled “very, very painful times” in her marriage and will discuss the matter on an upcoming Wild Card episode airing February 5.

Susan Bryan, a volunteer nature reserve liaison with the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, was named a community champion by Ontario Nature on World Wetlands Day for her long-standing work protecting local wetlands; the group protects more than 11,000 acres in the district.

British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech reported that the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Imperative was approached and challenged by small armed boats identified as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz, and Vanguard Tech said the ship is now being escorted by a U.S. warship.

China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office warned Panama of "heavy prices" after Panama's Supreme Court annulled CK Hutchison's contract to operate two Panama Canal ports; Panamanian authorities had not responded and the next steps are undetermined at this time.

A study of more than 600 residents in the Dehcho and Sahtu regions and Old Crow, Yukon found that traditional foods such as lake trout, ducks and geese are linked to higher hair mercury measurements, but overall mercury exposure remained relatively low and within health guidelines.

Transport Canada said it is monitoring Air India's decision to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliners over reports of a possible fuel control switch defect and noted the U.S. FAA is the State of Design regulator with authority to issue airworthiness directives.

The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association recommended expanding the country's strategic copper reserves and boosting commercial inventories, and experts suggested adding copper concentrates to those reserves.

Calgary's executive committee narrowly voted down a motion that would have supported the provincial plan to close the Safeworks supervised consumption site and instead asked for clearer details; the province announced plans to replace the site with a treatment program and has not released full details.

Ottawa has flagged a proposal called Port of Churchill Plus to upgrade the northern Manitoba port into a year-round, multi-commodity hub; the port currently operates about four months a year. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is visiting Churchill to meet residents and discuss the port and related announcements.

A Delta, B.C. woman says her two-year-old husky swallowed a napkin and later overdosed on cocaine but recovered after veterinary treatment. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association says it does not collect data on pet overdoses, though veterinarians report seeing more cases.

BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada opened nominations for the fourth annual Growing Home with BASF program, accepting nominations Feb. 3–28, 2026 from customers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario; the program will award a $160,000 prize fund to 12 organizations, with voting set for March 31–April 17 and winners announced April 28, 2026.

BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada has opened nominations for the 2026 Growing Home with BASF program; the company is headquartered in Calgary and employs more than 625 people across Canadian facilities.

Walmart became the first retailer to reach a US$1-trillion market valuation after a year-long rally that lifted its shares about 26%.

NASA discovered a liquid hydrogen leak during a wet dress rehearsal and now says March is the earliest possible launch window; the four-person Artemis II crew has been released from quarantine and will return about two weeks before the next launch opportunity.

A Happy Enough podcast episode features Dr. Michael Mak of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health discussing that many Canadians struggle with sleep and that poor sleep can affect both physical and mental health.

A federal judge has paused the planned termination of Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians, finding it likely that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acted with "racial animus"; further legal steps are undetermined.

The article notes President Trump and administration officials are pressing to reduce long-term U.S. borrowing costs; it also notes that Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh would have limited ability to lower those long-term yields because they are driven mainly by the 10-year Treasury and a rising term premium.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada fined the Bank of Montreal $4 million after finding it charged monthly plan fees that should have been waived or discounted; about 101,091 customers were affected and BMO issued over $3 million in refunds and donated $600,000.

Lawyers for Bill and Hillary Clinton told House Oversight staff the couple will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates, after Rep. James Comer continued to press for criminal contempt charges over earlier noncompliance with a congressional subpoena.

Siemens Energy will invest US$1 billion to expand U.S. power grid and turbine component production, including a new Mississippi factory expected by 2028, as demand from data centers rises.

President Donald Trump is hosting Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House after months of diplomatic strain; officials say the leaders will discuss drug trafficking and bilateral trade.

ClearlyRated announced the eighth annual 2026 Best of HR Services award winners based on client and employee satisfaction measured with Net Promoter Score; according to ClearlyRated, clients of the winning firms were 60% more likely to report complete satisfaction than the industry average.

Bolivia's former president Evo Morales has not appeared publicly for nearly a month; police say he has not left Bolivia and his allies say he is recovering from dengue.

Governor General Mary Simon said Canada supports Greenland's sovereignty and that Greenlanders should determine their own future; she made the remarks at the Arctic Frontiers conference ahead of a planned visit to Denmark and Greenland this week.

An Ottawa entrepreneur launched Maple Monthly on Feb. 1 to send curated boxes of maple products to homes across Canada; Maple Orchard Farms in Bracebridge is the first supplier and 70 subscribers signed up before launch.

Reports say SpaceX and xAI are in advanced talks to merge, joining two large privately held companies. SpaceX has filed to seek permission to launch as many as one million satellites.

Community celebrations marking the Year of the Horse are scheduled across Markham and York Region in February, with many free, public events listed in Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

U.S. space stocks climbed after Elon Musk announced SpaceX would merge with xAI in a deal valuing the combined company at US$1.25 trillion; Musk said space-based computing could be the most cost-effective way to generate AI compute within two to three years.

On Jan. 11, 2026, Heather Ball of Wilson Road reported a Red-headed Woodpecker visiting her yard for several days; the species is an infrequent visitor to the Ottawa Valley and was last recorded locally in July 2020.

Alberta artists spent three weeks carving a 100-foot 'Cathedral Grove' main hall at Sweden's Icehotel, shaping trees and embedding birdsong; the installation will remain until the hotel melts in April.