Ottawa, Mike Duffy’s defence began what’s likely to be a lengthy — and testy — cross-examination Friday of the Senate official overseeing the upper chambers’ expense regime during the allegedly free-spending days of the senator from P.E.I. At the close of the third week of Duffy’s trial on fraud, breachRead More

Kashechewan/ Ont. — The chief of a remote northern Ontario First Nation says he is relieved that almost everyone in the community threatened by the rapidly rising Albany River has been evacuated. Kashechewan Chief Derek Stephen says 388 more people are being evacuated Saturday of the 1,900 total residents inRead More

Washington | Legislation to strengthen President Barack Obama’s hand for a new round of trade deals advanced in the House courtesy of Republicans and over the protests of Democrats, a political role reversal that portends a bruising struggle over passage later this spring. The vote was 25-13 in the HouseRead More

Karachi, A prominent Pakistani rights activist was shot dead by unknown gunmen here as she was returning home shortly after hosting a seminar on human rights abuses in restive Balochistan province, prompting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to order an investigation.Sabeen Mahmud, 40, was shot dead by the motorcycle-borne gunmen while onRead More

Hong Kong | Hong Kong’s government has unveiled election reform proposals that would allow residents to vote for the southern Chinese city’s top leader for the first time. But the proposals include Beijing-backed restrictions facing stiff resistance from the city’s pro-democracy lawmakers. They could spark renewed protests by student leadersRead More

Washington | Downplaying the US rift with Israel, Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday staunchly defended President Barack Obama’s record of supporting the Jewish state, working to allay the concerns of many American Jews who have lined up against the budding nuclear deal with Iran. In a speech marking Israel’sRead More

Honolulu, Hawaii lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that would raise the legal smoking age statewide to 21, positioning it to become the first state in the country to do so. The bill, which passed the state Senate by a vote of 19-4 after clearing the house last week, would alsoRead More

New Delhi, In what is the biggest tax reform since Independence, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill that will allow seamless transfer of goods within the country and ensure a uniform tax regime, was moved for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha today.A collective Opposition demanded that theRead More

New Delhi, Yoga guru Ramdev, who is in Kathmandu for a yoga camp, is safe, his spokesperson said on Saturday after a massive earthquake shook Nepal and parts of India on Saturday morning, causing widespread devastation. Ramdev had gone there to conduct a five-day session being organised by Patanjali, NepalRead More

Thiruvananthapuram, The CPI-M on Saturday ruled out any alliance with the Congress but said it would have issue-based coordination with that party in Parliament to pin down the BJP-led NDA on matters like land acquisition, GST and problems faced by farmers. There cannot be any alliance with Congress because itRead More