Syria, Isis now controls territory the size of the UK, is making £600,000 a day from selling oil and ransoming hostages and has a fighting force of 10,000 militants, according to a leading expert. Matthew Olsen, a senior US counter-terrorism official, said the Islamic State, also known as Isis, wasRead More

The future of Europe may rest on whether NATO can recover its roots. With Russian President Vladimir Putin “land grabbing” and violating international law, the alliance is finding itself “brought back to its core,” says Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO’s former secretary general. But it isn’t prepared. When NATO wasRead More

Kabul,The Taliban struck a government compound in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday in a dawn attack that included two suicide truck bombings and left at least 12 people dead, including 10 policemen asleep in their quarters nearby. The assault followed a stark message from the Taliban to world leaders gathered atRead More

London, Canada will continue to keep a tight lid on defence spending, but remains committed to military missions aimed at curbing radicalism abroad, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told an audience in London Wednesday. Harper made the comments during a discussion at Mansion House in London ahead of a NATO summitRead More

Ottawa, The Bank of Canada held its trend-setting interest rate at one per cent on Wednesday as it said there needs to be continued growth in Canada’s exports before companies increase their investment and hiring. The central bank also noted activity in the housing market is stronger than previously thought.Read More

Fredericton,  A New Brunswick Mountie who complained he wasn’t allowed to smoke medicinal marijuana for post-traumatic stress disorder while in uniform has pleaded guilty to assaulting four RCMP officers. Cpl. Ron Francis had previously pleaded not guilty to assaulting two officers during an incident in Fredericton on Dec. 6 andRead More

British Columbia,  British Columbia families hoping for a quick end to the teachers strike will not be pleased to hear of a new expert warning that the labour disruption could drag on for weeks. The province’s public school teachers were on the picket lines Tuesday, on what should have beenRead More

Ottawa,  Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is in trouble with the law again, but his legal team says that the paparazzi are to blame. Bieber was charged with dangerous driving and assault on Friday after an ATV collision near his hometown of Stratford, Ont. Ontario Provincial Police were called toRead More

Baghdad,  Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird pledged Canadian solidarity with the people of Iraq as he began a security-shrouded visit to Baghdad today. His first stop was a meeting with President Fuad Masoum. The Canadian delegation, including opposition MPs, was fitted out with flak jackets for a high-speed, heavily guardedRead More

Sydney, Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday he hoped to sign a deal this week to selluranium to India for peaceful power generation, but halted uranium exports to Russia over Moscow’s role in Ukraine. Work on an India-Australia agreement has been underway since Australia, which has 40 percentRead More