Canada is staying in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant for another year. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced this afternoon that Canada will keep up to 850 troops in Iraq and the surrounding region until next March. The extension comes only one day before the mission, which began in October 2014, was set to end. It also coincides with growing concerns about Iran's influence in Iraq, with Tehran backing numerous Shia militia groups. Those groups, which have largely displaced ISIL as the main threat in Iraq, have stepped up attacks on Western forces in recent month

Authorities say two trains crashed in southern Egypt, killing at least 32 people and injuring 165 in the latest of a series of deadly crashes on the country's troubled railways. The railway authorities say someone apparently activated the emergency brakes on the passenger train, and it was rear-ended by another train, causing two cars to derail and flip on their side in the province of Sohag. The prime minister later said no conclusion has been reached on the cause. Video showed twisted piles of metal with passengers trapped inside, some bleeding and others unconscious. The injured were taken

Police have identified a 21-year-old man as the suspect in the killing of 10 people at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket. Authorities on Tuesday also identified nine victims after previously identifying a police officer who had been killed. Authorities say the victims were men and women between the ages of 20 and 65. The shooting Monday at the crowded supermarket sent terrorized shoppers and workers scrambling for safety and stunned a state and a nation that has grieved several mass killings. Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said police engaged in a shootout with the suspect inside the super

Finland has claimed top spot in the World Happiness Report for the fourth year in a row. Canada has slipped in the rankings from 11th to 15th place. The UN's annual report says COVID-19 brought a year of fear and anxiety, loneliness and lockdown, illness and death, but has not crushed people's spirits. European countries occupied nine of the top 10 spots on the list of the world's happiest countries, with New Zealand rounding out the group. The happiest countries from previous years remained at the top, with the top five being Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland and Netherlands.

The White House says President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris plan to meet with Asian American community leaders in Georgia in the wake of this week's deadly shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlours. Atlanta police say "nothing is off the table" in their investigation into the recent massage parlour slayings, including whether the killings were a hate crime. Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said during a news conference Thursday that investigators believe 21 year old Robert Aaron Long had visited the two Atlanta massage parlours where four women of Asian des

Authorities say a 21 year old man has been captured hours after eight people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlours. Cherokee County sheriff's Capt. Jay Baker said Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was taken into custody in Crisp County on Tuesday night. Crisp County is about 150 miles south of Atlanta. Four people were killed at a massage parlour in Acworth. Shortly after, three people were killed at a spa in northeast Atlanta, while a fourth person was killed at another spa across the street. The killings came amid a recent wave of attacks against Asian Ameri

Four people in a suburban Detroit lottery club have won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot and will share $557 million after taxes. Officials made the announcement Friday, nearly two months after the Jan. 22 drawing. The winners chose the lump sum option, which means an immediate payment of $776 million. After taxes, it amounts to $557 million for the four. Their names weren't released. They have a lottery club in Oakland County called Wolverine FLL Club and had the single jackpot-winning ticket from the drawing. Their attorney, Kurt Panouses, says the winners plan to stay humble a

Japan fell quiet at 2:46 p.m. to mark the minute that an earthquake began 10 years ago, before setting off a tsunami and nuclear crisis that devastated the country's northeast coast. One survivor said Thursday that he fears people are beginning to forget the disaster. Carrying bouquets of flowers, many walked to the seaside or visited graves to pray for relatives and friends washed away by the water. Dignitaries and representatives of the survivors spoke at a memorial, but most watched the ceremony online or on television because of restrictions to slow the coronavirus pandemic. The magnitude

One of Saudi Arabia's most prominent political activists has lost an appeal that would have allowed her to travel freely after her release from prison. Loujain al-Hathloul had hoped to lift a five-year ban on travelling outside Saudi Arabia that the court imposed as a condition of her release last month. Her 1001 day detention drew fierce international criticism of the kingdom's human rights record. She also faces three years of probation. Her supporters say the court on Wednesday upheld the original sentence. Her yearslong travel ban underscores the government's efforts to manage dissent in