5 must-reads from CBCNews.ca you may have missed

This week the United Nations General Assembly approved the Palestinian Authority's bid to have its status upgraded, a judge ruled that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford must vacate his office, and CBC News discovered that Canada's most active spy could have been caught a year sooner.

Here are five features from CBCNews.ca you may have missed:

While 138 countries in the UN's General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the Palestinian Authority's bid to become a non-member observer state on Thursday, Canada was among nine nations that voted against the motion. The Harper government had vocally opposed the bid, and as a result of the decision Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Canada "will be considering all available next steps."

Friday morning, Baird announced Canada is temporarily recalling its heads of mission to Israel and the West Bank, along with its United Nations representatives in New York and Geneva.

Read the story: What should be Canada's role in the Middle East?

Canada's most active spy — who sold secrets to the Russians for 4½ years — could have been stopped a year sooner if the military and CSIS had followed their own mandatory security check rules, documents obtained by CBC News show. Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Delisle never received his mandatory security check, so his debt and failing marriage — things that often trigger a security review for people involved in security — went unnoticed.

Read the story: Early clues to navy spy Delisle's guilt overlooked

An animal-rights group trying to track a man who was posting videos of kitten killings narrowed their suspect to Luka Rocco Magnotta and contacted Toronto police, believing he was in the city. Correspondence obtained by CBC's the fifth estate between police and the activists show Toronto police saw Magnotta — charged with first-degree murder in the killing and dismemberment of Chinese student Jun Lin in Montreal in late May — as a growing danger to society months before the grisly slaying.

Read the story:Luka Magnotta had sparked worries among Toronto police

On Monday, an Ontario court judge ruled that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and must vacate his office in 14 days. The two-week limit gives city council time to decide if it will appoint a caretaker mayor or call a byelection. If a byelection is held, Ford could run for mayor.

Ford has already filed for an expedited appeal and stay of judgment until his appeal is heard.

Read the story: What's next for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford?

As U.S. Republicans are already starting to worry who should receive their stamp of approval as their next presidential candidate, the Democrats seem to have at least one woman whose nomination would please millions of Americans: Hillary Clinton. Since she lost the Democratic nod to U.S. President Barack Obama in 2008, Clinton has become secretary of state and transformed the way Americans perceive her — from too polarizing to above the partisan wars.

Read the story: The transformation of Hillary Clinton