Ukraine, its allies object to U.S. move to exempt Russian oil from sanctions for at least 30 days
The United States issued a 30-day licence for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea in what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was a step to stabilize global energy markets roiled by the Iran war. The announcement comes a day after the U.S. Energy Department said that the U.S. would be releasing 172 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve in an effort to curb skyrocketing oil prices. That release was part of a broader commitment by the 32-nation International Energy Agency toRead more
How rare is it for a prime minister to attract 4 floor-crossers in 4 months?
Prime Minister Mark Carney is seen in the House of Commons on Wednesday with his latest floor-crosser, Lori Idlout, seated beside him. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) Floor-crossing has always been a feature of Canadian politics dating back to the first Parliament — and seeing four opposition MPs jump ship to join the government in a matter of months is rare but not unprecedented. Prime Minister Mark Carney has only been in office for a year and is ranking near the top in terms of prime ministers who have had oppositionRead more
‘We have only just begun,’ Hegseth says of Iran as Senate blocks effort to limit war powers
The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black fires a Tomahawk missile in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran Saturday. (U.S. Navy Handout/Reuters) The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran widened sharply on Wednesday, with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declaring that the United States was winning and that its military could fight as long as needed. “Our air defences and that of our allies have plenty of runway. We can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to,” he said. Hegseth’sRead more
How long can Iran keep firing missiles and drones?
Addressing media at the United Nations, Israel’s ambassador took aim at Iran and its response to U.S. and Israeli attacks. “It is a regime lashing out like a rabid animal, dangerous to everyone around it,” said Danny Danon. “This is not strategy, it is desperation.” More and more, though, it seems desperation has led Iran precisely to its strategy. Experts say Tehran will likely try to inflict collateral damage in neighbouring countries and exhaust U.S. and Israeli defences by using cheap kamikaze drones in order to try and save theRead more
6 takeaways from Bill Clinton’s deposition about Epstein and Maxwell
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, the former secretary of state, sat for over nine hours of testimony last week related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the public can now view their depositions to a Republican-led congressional committee. The depositions took place in their Chappaqua, N.Y., hometown and included questions about Epstein — who died in 2019 in a New York City jail shortly after being indicted — and Ghislaine Maxwell, his friend who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence on a federalRead more
Trump admin hands legal victory to alleged B.C. defeat device smugglers
Diesel cars and trucks are required to have stringent emissions control systems on board to limit harmful pollution but some drivers install hardware or software to get around those systems. Two B.C. men, including Kevin Paul Dodd, seen here, faced charges for allegedly smuggling those parts into the U.S. — but recently had their criminal cases dropped. (Steve Silcox/CBC) In late 2024, two B.C. men were staring at up to 20 years in prison for allegedly attempting to subvert U.S. clean air laws by smuggling millions of dollars worth ofRead more
Hillary Clinton testifies she never met Epstein, slams Republican efforts to combat sex trafficking
Former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton told a congressional committee on Thursday that she did not remember ever meeting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had no information to share about his criminal activities. “I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that,” Clinton said in a statement, which she released as she delivered a closed-door deposition to the House of Representatives Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, N.Y. Following aRead more
Iran nuclear talks conclude with no deal announced as risk of U.S. attack looms
Iran and the United States held hours of indirect negotiations Thursday over Tehran’s nuclear program but walked away without a deal, meaning the possibility of another Middle East war is still a risk as the massive fleet of U.S. aircraft and warships remain in the region. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been “significant progress in the negotiation” without elaborating. But just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was determined to continue enriching uranium, rejected proposals to transferRead more
Five fact checks from Trump’s state of the union address
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the first state of the union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in Washington, on Tuesday. (Kenny Holston/Pool/Reuters) Given Donald Trump’s track record of telling lies, exaggerating, spreading misinformation and making misleading and confusing statements, it was unlikely he would stop doing that for his state of the union address. Indeed, he didn’t. When it comes to facts, holding Trump to account is difficult. None of the fact-checking done by the media, political opponents, government institutions or others has changedRead more
Democrats investigating whether U.S. DOJ withheld Epstein documents about abuse accusation against Trump
Democratic lawmakers on the House oversight and government reform committee said on Tuesday they would be investigating whether the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) withheld material about an abuse accusation against U.S. President Donald Trump from the published Epstein files. In a statement, the committee said lawmakers believe the department did not disclose FBI materials related to a woman who claimed in 2019 that she was assaulted by Trump decades earlier. “Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DoJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accusedRead more