US & World

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Strong growth in the United States has helped to lift the outlook for the world economy, but more needs to be done to stem a slide in productivity, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday. “Global growth is marginally stronger on account of robust …

Victor Manuel Rocha, a former career U.S. diplomat, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in federal prison after admitting he worked for decades as a secret agent for communist Cuba. The plea agreement leaves many unanswered questions about a betrayal that stunned the U.S. foreign service.  Victor Manuel Rocha once …

WASHINGTON—US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled their countries’ biggest ever upgrade in defense ties Wednesday during a White House state visit focused on countering a resurgent China. Biden rolled out the red carpet for Kishida with a lavish dinner, plus music by US singer Paul …

Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several Ukrainian regions on Thursday, officials said, ramping up pressure on the embattled energy system as Ukraine runs low on air defences. Russian strikes destroy major power plant near Kyiv A large electricity plant …

Two Palestinians were killed early Friday in confrontations with Israeli forces in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian medics and the military said. The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed the two deaths and said three people were wounded, including one who sustained serious injuries. Israeli soldiers work on tanks at a …

An Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday, relatives and official Hamas media say. Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas.   Israeli military confirms strike, says sons were military …

The Biden administration has weighed in for the first time on a major cross-border legal dispute that could shut down portions of Enbridge’s Line 5 Canada-U.S. oil pipeline. The opinion came in an amicus brief that, although nuanced, argued against shutting down the pipeline, partly in order to preserve diplomatic …

A week after an earthquake in Taiwan killed 13 people and injured more than 1,000, a Canadian couple are nursing their injuries and recounting their own tale of survival.  Pair from Montreal and Edmonton walked to safety despite serious injuries from falling rocks. A Canadian couple’s near-death experience in Taiwan …

The head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service appeared before the foreign interference inquiry Friday to defend his agency's work, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested he sometimes doubts the reliability of CSIS reports. Vigneault says he did brief Liberals on Chinese interference CSIS chief stands by spy agency's work …

Canadian officials are saying little publicly about the state of the Canadian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, a week after an Israeli bomb or missile demolished an Iranian Embassy annex directly next door. Canadian embassy ceased operations in 2012 as Syrian civil war worsened. Canadian officials are saying little publicly about …