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Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks this weekend on his first foreign trip in office, heading to Central America to press President Donald Trump’s top priority — curbing illegal immigration — and bring the message that the U.S. wants to reclaim control over the Panama Canal despite intense resistance from regional leaders. It’s an unusual destination for the maiden voyage of America’s top diplomat, whose predecessors have generally favored Europe or Asia for their initial outings. It reflects not only the personal interest that Rubio — the first Hispanic to hold the nation’s most senior Cabinet post — has in the region but also the Trump administration’s intent to focus much of its foreign policy energy close to home.“It’s no accident that my first trip abroad as secretary of state will...

Hamas freed three hostages in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday and Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fourth round of exchanges during the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The six-week phase one truce calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, as well as the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.Israel and Hamas are set next week to begin negotiating a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely.The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.Palestinian health authorities in Gaza also announced that the long-shuttered Rafah border crossing with Egypt would reopen on Saturday for tho...

“We’re trying to solve both the short term and the long-term things. We put a bunch of money on the table. We’re just looking for permission to do all that good,” said Ric McIver, Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs. The message hasn’t changed since the province first declared it was at an impasse with the town of Jasper and federal government over interim housing plans.Back in October, the province promised $112 million to build 250 housing units for the town, which lost a third of all buildings in a devastating wildfire last summer.The province, however, has tied that money to building permanent single-family homes, which would need to follow rules for parking and setbacks.“We still have available $112 million, which we hope to be able to build 250 homes with it if we are provided se...

Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney is backing away from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s consumer carbon pricing regime but will keep industrial pricing in place. Carney said the country has become divided over the policy because Canadians have been fed “misinformation” by Conservative Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre.“Since Canada’s current climate policy has become too divisive, it’s time for a new, more effective climate plan that everyone can get behind,” Carney said at an event in Halifax Friday morning.“It’s a plan that makes our economy more competitive. It grows good jobs today and will grow better ones in the future.”He sketched out broad points of a plan that largely swaps the stick for the carrot for Canadian households. It includes financial incentives for purchases of m...