Beyond Local

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada delivered what it expects to be its last interest rate hike of the cycle as it pauses to assess the effects of higher rates on the economy.

OTTAWA — The federal government declared victory over a massive backlog of passport applications Tuesday as the social development minister announced that 98 per cent of the delayed applications have now been processed.

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly gave no explanation Tuesday for Cameroon claiming it had never sought Canada's help in peace talks, but said Ottawa still wants to broker a deal.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has shed light on the Catholic Church’s handling of sex abuse allegations against East Timor’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero, suggesting that he indeed was allowed to retire early rather than face prosecution or punishment.

A Sturgeon County man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for what police were calling the largest fentanyl bust in history.

WASHINGTON — A Quebec woman accused of mailing poison to former president Donald Trump has pleaded guilty and agreed to a prison sentence of nearly 22 years.

WHITECAP, Sask. — Survivors of a residential school that housed Métis children in Saskatchewan have filed a proposed a class-action lawsuit against the federal and provincial governments.

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s foreign minister suggested Tuesday that the country may consider joining NATO without neighboring Sweden if Turkey continues to block their joint bid to enter the military alliance.

OTTAWA — The Canadian military has concluded on the balance of probabilities that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin "did not engage in sexual misconduct" after the senior military officer was acquitted of sexual assault late last year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is writing fiction , making images inspired by Van Gogh and fighting wildfires . Now it's competing in another endeavor once limited to humans — creating propaganda and disinformation.