Maple Leaf Beat — Weekend Edition · Saturday, August 29, 2026

More than 600 people have been killed in Nepal and 7 have died in China following catastrophic flash flooding at the border, with roughly 3,000 people missing and more rain expected this weekend. Thirty-two Canadians — including residents of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa — are among the missing.

At least 37 people were killed and 42 injured, including four children, after a Russian attack on the Bucha district near the Ukrainian capital triggered waves of detonations at a warehouse — one of the year's deadliest strikes.

A decade ago, Meghan Cliffel believed she was being watched by members of a cult who were out to kill her and her young daughters. As the Lindsay Clancy murder trial draws attention to the condition, survivors underline that it is treatable — if support can be found.

The accused 9/11 mastermind will face a U.S. military tribunal in 2028 — after a judge threw out his confessions as tainted by torture, complicating a case that has dragged on for nearly two decades.

President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. has entered an agreement with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of the South American nation's proven oil reserves — an unusual arrangement for an American administration.

Canada's economy grew by 3.3 per cent on an annualized basis in the second quarter of 2026 — the fastest quarterly expansion since 2023. But analysts caution the trade war with the U.S. could still shift the outlook.

Gold tumbled Friday, giving up more than 3% at one point, after Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh defended the inflation target from the Jackson Hole stage and signalled more U.S. rate hikes remain possible — with ripple effects for Canadian mortgage rates.

Saskatchewan has released its framework for AI data centres, built around data protection and Canadian applicants: only Canadian-owned companies may apply to build, and new projects must supply their own power.

The Toronto photonics company has secured $195-million in federal funding to build an advanced photonics research, development and manufacturing hub — fittingly, in an old Campbell's soup factory. "From soup to qubits," as BetaKit put it.

Randy Thompson of Gravenhurst, Ont., stopped at a Costco in Orillia to pick up Canadian beef. Instead, he unintentionally bought U.S. product: "It says 'Cut from USDA Choice beef' and 'Product of USA, processed in Canada,' which is completely different," he said.

The extended look at Rockstar's new open world features stock-car racing, skydiving, bayou boating, kayaking and nightclub dancing — and analysts say the preview signals blockbuster demand.

Your favorite AI chatbot might be remembering a little too much. A tucked-away memory cleanup setting in ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude can restore responses that quietly degrade over time.

The Polaris Slingshot Signature Edition is a limited-number release with numerous upgrades — and no downgrade of the thrilling, almost go-kart driving experience.

CNN Underscored tested 16 popular fitness trackers, watching as they counted calories, gathered sleep data and clocked our steps to find the best.

The One UI 9 Beta 7 update weighs over 1.2GB and comes with a firmware version ending in ZZHK, bringing features from the Galaxy Z Fold8 series to the S26 lineup.