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JERUSALEM — Israel says it is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza. The full effects of that are not immediately clear, but the territory’s desalination plants receive power for producing drinking water.Sunday’s announcement comes a week after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to the territory to over 2 million people.It has sought to press Hamas to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire.That phase ended last weekend. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. 2:07 Gazans react to Trump AI video promoting plan for “Riviera of the Middle East” ...

Canadian farmers could take a big hit from China’s sudden retaliatory tariffs that take aim at canola, pork and other food commodities later this month. Beijing announced retaliatory tariffs on select Canadian farm imports in response to Canadian duties levied back in the fall against Chinese-made electric vehicles, as well as steel and aluminum products.China is now hitting Canada with 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil and peas, and 25 per cent tariffs on pork and aquatic products — loosely mirroring Canada’s EV and steel and aluminum levies.Chris Davison, president of the Canola Council of Canada, said the Chinese tariffs are prohibitively high and the fallout will be felt across his industry.He said China is a top market for Canadian canola that represents close to $5 billion in export...

A surge of deadly violence in Syria highlights the need to ensure “darker forces” don’t take over the struggling country and worsen conditions inside it, Canada’s new special envoy there says. Omar Alghabra, named Special Envoy for Syria last month, made the remarks during an appearance on The West Block with host Mercedes Stevenson.Alghabra is the Liberal member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre. As a special envoy for Syria, he reports to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.Alghabra said the retreat of Russian and Iranian-backed militants after the Assad regime fell, and clashes between the competing interests since then highlights precisely why the world must monitor events in Syria closely.“This weekend we saw tremendous violence, that had that ma...

The Department of National Defence has awarded an $8-billion deal to Irving Shipbuilding to start building three new destroyers for the Royal Canadian Navy, the Liberal government said Saturday. Defence Minister Bill Blair said the new destroyer project will be the largest and most complex shipbuilding effort undertaken in Canada since the Second World War. It will create more than 5,000 jobs in Halifax and across the country, Blair added.The $8 billion pays for only the first six years of construction work on the three new ships, however.Military planners now estimate the total cost to outfit and launch the three “River-class” destroyers will eventually hit $22.2 billion, the government announced.“By investing in our own industry, Canadian workers are helping to build the fleet of the fut...

World-famous Canadian murder mystery writer Louise Penny has cancelled a U.S. tour for her latest book, citing President Donald Trump’s repeated threats of a trade war against Canada and annexation. Penny announced the move on social media, saying it was “a painful decision” because of the many friends and professional acquaintances she’d made in the U.S. after touring there for 20 years.“Please understand this decision is not meant to punish Americans. This is about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with my fellow Canadians,” Penny stated in a long, thoughtful message to her fans.Penny is the author of the beloved Chief Inspector Gamache police murder mystery novel series, which is set in her own home province of Quebec.Her latest book, called The Black Wolf, is the 20th tome in the Inspector...