The United States government is back open after President Donald Trump signed a bill ending a record 43-day shutdown.

The standoff left federal workers unpaid and travellers stranded as airports slowed to a crawl.

Trump blamed the Democrats for the impasse and warned voters to “remember this” in next year’s elections.

The deal funds key departments through January — but the battle over health-care subsidies is far from over.

Foreign ministers from the G-7 wrapped up meetings in Niagara-on-the-Lake Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand met with U-S Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but noted that she didn’t talk about trade with him.

Anand used the summit to push multilateral co-operation and announced new Canadian sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet and cyber networks.

The two-day summit ended with a joint statement condemning Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and calling for global stability.

But questions lingered about the legality of America’s maritime strikes on boats alleged to be smuggling drugs.

The Province’s fisheries minister says a recent 10-day trip to China has strengthened Nova Scotia’s relationship with the world’s second-largest economy.  Kent Smith says the trade mission included helping Nova Scotian companies at the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo and participating in the Canada-China Business Council’s annual meeting.  Next to the United States, China is Nova Scotia’s second-largest seafood market, with exports totalling 615-million dollars in 2024.  In March, China imposed retaliatory duties on certain Canadian goods, including a 25 per cent tariff on 49 aquatic products.

An early Christmas gift from Nova Scotia is on its way to Boston, in the form of a 45-foot-tall tree.

The annual Tree for Boston was felled in Lunenburg County.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was on hand yesterday to officially receive the tree, and even took a turn holding the chainsaw to cut it down.

Wu told the crowd the tree is an enduring symbol of the strong relationship between Boston and Nova Scotia.

She says despite the tariff-related tensions between the U-S and Canada, the people of Boston feel warmly toward Canadians.

In sports,

In the Maritime Junior Hockey League, the Crushers are home to Truro tonight.  Gametime is 7:00pm.