OTTAWA - The stage is set for arguably the most important federal budget in recent memory, as the Liberal government prepares to unveil its plan for Canada’s post-pandemic recovery even as a third wave of COVID-19 rages across the country.

WASHINGTON - This might make Canadians jealous of their American cousins for the first time in a while: the lineup Friday outside a downtown Washington D.C. Apple Store was longer than at one of the city's largest COVID-19 mass-vaccination sites.

TORONTO - No winning ticket was sold for the $5 million jackpot in Saturday night's Lotto 649 draw.

As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks.

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday April 18, 2021.

The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday April 18, 2021. In Canada, the provinces are reporting 249,535 new vaccinations administered for a total of 9,775,267 doses given. Nationwide, 908,060 people or 2.4 per cent of the population has been fully va…

The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday April 17, 2021. In Canada, the provinces are reporting 249,535 new vaccinations administered for a total of 9,775,267 doses given. Nationwide, 908,060 people or 2.4 per cent of the population has been fully…

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday April 17, 2021.

DELIA, Alta. - It's not often police can report that a unicorn has been found, but it was the truth Saturday when RCMP said a stolen, stainless-steel statue of the mythical beast was found in a field not far from where it was taken.

TORONTO - Ontario reversed course on sweeping new police powers Saturday, just one day after Premier Doug Ford announced the measures that triggered a swift and furious backlash.

COVID-19 alarm bells sounded across the country Saturday, with Alberta confirming Canada's second rare blood clot case in a patient who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and two long-standing infection hot spots registering concerning new peaks in virus-related hospitalizations.

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

Canada's commemorative ceremony in honour of the late Prince Philip offered a scaled back pandemic-era tribute to a man remembered for his public service, commitment to youth and enduring support of his wife the Queen.

CALGARY - Employment lawyers say flouting COVID-19 public health orders when off the job or coming into work while knowingly sick could warrant discipline in the workplace — including termination in the most flagrant cases.

OTTAWA - The Liberal MP who inadvertently flashed his parliamentary colleagues says the fact that a screenshot of him in the nude was leaked to the media sends a troubling message about the corrosive state of politics in Canada.

OTTAWA - China and Russia have been using their locally produced COVID-19 vaccines to grow their international soft power by giving doses to desperate countries in order to have more political influence over them, experts say.

TORONTO - No winning ticket was sold for the $10 million jackpot in Friday night's Lotto Max draw.

As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks.

The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 17, 2021.

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 17, 2021.

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, April 16, 2021.

The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, April 16, 2021.

The federal government is buying more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech as it moves to offset reduction in supply from another producer. And while it offered to help Ontario distribute its shots, the hot-spot province turned down that assistance as the premier piled on more …

OTTAWA - A House of Commons committee has reversed a decision to wrap up its investigation into sexual misconduct in Canada's military.

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

OTTAWA - A gay Liberal MP is calling on Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole to disavow a remark by one of his caucus members that appeared to suggest he and other LGBTQ people are "unclean."

VANCOUVER - A support group for families of people who have fatally overdosed is expanding its services across the country to also help those whose loved ones are addicted to illicit drugs.

OTTAWA - Conservatives have moved to quash a government bill that mandates Ottawa set legally binding targets to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 over a lack of representation from the oil and gas sector on an outside advisory panel.

CALGARY - Doctors say the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine should be offered to Canadians in a wider age range as COVID-19 infections soar in many parts of the country.

EDMONTON - Alberta’s Opposition says Premier Jason Kenney is sowing distrust by recounting misleading anecdotes to illustrate COVID-19 policy decisions.

OTTAWA - Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller has expressed his disgust over a video showing a security guard in a physical altercation with an Indigenous woman who was accused of shoplifting from a grocery store.

VANCOUVER - The B.C. Supreme Court says lawyers for Meng Wanzhou are applying to adjourn the final three-week leg of her extradition case set to begin April 26.

IQALUIT, Nunavut - Nunavut has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 in Iqaluit and the premier says he expects there will be more cases.

OTTAWA - The Liberals will look to thread an economic needle with Monday's budget, while dealing with a minority Parliament where the document's defeat would topple the government.

HALIFAX - The options for Canadians planning to pay their respects to Prince Philip during his funeral Saturday will be largely limited to small gatherings in front of TV or computer screens.

MONTREAL - Around 73,000 Quebec teachers say they will walk off the job for several hours on April 27.

OTTAWA - The federal government is coming under pressure to extend this month's tax-filing deadline, much like it did last year during the first wave of COVID-19.

MONTREAL - Former Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair will have a preliminary hearing on sex assault charges on Sept. 30.

There's a road in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, that stretches all the way around Williamson Lake, a small body of water in the centre of town.

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of April 16 ...

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Friday, April 16, 2021.

As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks.

The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Friday, April 16, 2021.

The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 15, 2021.

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 15, 2021.

OTTAWA - The government House leader has asked the Speaker of the House of Commons to investigate a photo leak of a Liberal MP caught naked on camera during a virtual sitting of Parliament.

VANCOUVER - A privately owned American entertainment company is the new owner of the Vancouver Aquarium,after the previous owner couldn't maintain operations due to the financial impacts of the pandemic.

WHITEHORSE - An official count has confirmed a tie in the Yukon election, pushing the process to the next step of a judicial recount.