Belgium PM Charles Michel resigns after government collapses in dispute over UN migration pact

Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, resigned on Tuesday night after his government collapsed in the face of virulent opposition to his signing of a UN migration pact from his erstwhile coalition partners. Mr Michel lost the support of the Flemish nationalist N-VA, the largest party in his coalition, over the non-binding UN agreement, which opponents…

Canada Says It's Time To Ramp Up NAFTA Talks, Even If Trump Is In No Hurry

OTTAWA — The federal government is still expecting NAFTA talks to accelerate this summer even though U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s in no rush to sign a deal until after the U.S. midterm elections this fall. A government official familiar with the plan says now that Mexico’s presidential election is done, Ottawa wants to…

Trump’s border wall ‘not really a wall’, says outgoing chief of staff John Kelly

Donald Trump’s outgoing chief of staff on Sunday admitted the president’s planned wall along the US and Mexico border would be more like a fence, as he gave his final interview before leaving office. General John Kelly, who leaves the administration on Wednesday after a rocky 18-month tenure, broke with the president on key areas during…

Ontario Retaliates Against New York State's 'Buy American' Law

TORONTO — The Ontario government is pushing back against New York State’s Buy American law by limiting public sector procurement with suppliers in that state. A new regulation that took effect Sunday restricts government contracts with New York State suppliers, specifically when it comes to the use of structural iron. In a statement Monday, Ontario…

Harvey Weinstein judge declines to dismiss #MeToo sexual assault case against him

Harvey Weinstein on Thursday failed to convince a New York judge to throw out the criminal sexual assault case against him, leaving the disgraced film producer bitterly disappointed, and bringing him one step closer to trial. Weinstein, 66, refused to respond to shouted questions as he left the courthouse in Manhattan, following the brief hearing….

UK and US accuse Syrian regime of staging chemical attack in Aleppo

Britain and the US have accused the Syrian regime and its Russian allies of staging a chemical weapons attack in Aleppo and blaming it on Syrian rebels.  In coordinated statements, the US and UK said it believed Russia and the Assad regime had carried out the attack against civilians in Aleppo on November 24. The…

Women's Employment Undermined By Systemic Barriers: House Of Commons Standing Committee Report

OTTAWA — A Commons committee that spent over a year looking at economic barriers facing Canadian women has released a sweeping list of recommendations it believes could provide a path toward full equality for women. The standing committee on the status of women tabled its report Thursday following a 15-month study of women’s economic security….

Americans ‘struggle to get Christmas trees’ amid potential shortage created by 2008 crash

Americans are facing a potential Christmas tree shortage this year in a lingering effect from the financial crisis a decade ago. Some tree growers went out of business as the economy buckled in 2008. Because trees take seven to 10 years to reach an acceptable size for buyers the effect is only being felt now. Jane Waterman, of Uptown Christmas Trees which sells festive firs…