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TORONTO -- With just weeks to live, Charie Santiago has one final wish: to see her sister again. The 38-year-old is at home in Whistler, B.C., receiving palliative care for ovarian and uterine cancer. Her younger sister and best friend, April, is a world away in the Philippines, unable to visit because the Canadian government won't grant an exemption to the COVID-19 travel ban. Source

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA -- China appeared to be expanding its network of secret detention centres in Xinjiang, where Muslim minorities are targeted in a forced assimilation campaign, and more of the facilities resemble prisons, an Australian think-tank found. Source

OTTAWA -- The top health officials co-ordinating Canada’s COVID-19 response say the majority of public reaction to their work has been positive -- but they’ve also received some abusive feedback that ranges from “well-thought-out insults” to “death threats. Source

SAULNIERVILLE, N.S. -- A week after a Mi'kmaq First Nation launched its own lobster fishery in southwest Nova Scotia, a Liberal member of parliament is breaking with his party, asking the government to clarify what's permitted. Source

Since 1999, the annual Canadian Pacific Railway Holiday Train has pulled into communities across Canada and the United States to raise money for local food banks. But like so many events deemed unworkable amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the festive train won't be leaving its station this holiday season. Source

Full coverage at CTVNews.ca/Coronavirus Tracking every case of COVID-19 in Canada Feds begin new sitting by boosting COVID-19 recovery benefit Source

VANCOUVER -- Sikh and Muslim RCMP officers are revealing they’ve been removed from the field and assigned to desk duty because the force believes their beards are interfering with protective masks, even though other officers have a choice of whether or not to wear them during the pandemic. Source

VANCOUVER -- Hootsuite has backed away from a deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following outcry from within the company. More than 100 employees raised concerns after learning the B.C.-based social media service was working on a three-year contract with ICE, according to one worker who spoke out on Twitter this week. Source

The University of Toronto has received a $250-million donation, a "transformational" gift it says will be used for health-care research and medical innovation. The school said it is the largest donation in its history. "This incredible donation lifts Canadian philanthropy to a new level of vision and impact," said Meric Gertler, the university's president, at a news conference Thursday. Source

Grim job numbers released Thursday demonstrate how hard COVID-19 has hit the oil and gas industry in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the country recorded its largest ever drop in natural resources employment in the second quarter of 2020 with close to 43,000 workers losing their jobs. Source