Washington File

World »

Obama defends U.S. drone strikes, but not as 'cure-all'

U.S. President Barack Obama defended America's controversial drone attacks as legal, effective and a necessary linchpin in an evolving U.S. counterterrorism policy, but he acknowledged the targeted strikes are no "cure-all."

updated 3 injured in Washington state bridge collapse video

A Washington state bridge over a river collapsed Thursday evening, dumping two vehicles into the water and sparking a rescue effort by boats and divers who searched the chilly waterway north of Seattle.

Jodi Arias jury deadlocks on penalty

The judge in the Jodi Arias murder trial declared a mistrial in the penalty phase Thursday after the jury reported for a second time that it was deadlocked on whether to sentence her to life in prison or death for killing her boyfriend in 2008.

more »

Canada »

Duffy says he wants to give Canadians 'the whole story' video

Senator Mike Duffy says he wants a "full and open" inquiry so Canadians can get all the facts about the scandal that has rocked the Senate and the Prime Minister's Office and that he has no plans to resign.

analysis Greg Weston: Senate scandal may be Harper's worst hour

The widening Senate scandal that the prime minister flippantly tried to dismiss as a 'distraction' just days ago has instead become arguably Stephen Harper's worst hour.

Montreal lifts boil-water advisory video

Mayor Michael Applebaum has given Montrealers the green light to drink their tap water, saying it's safe to drink. He says if it's still discoloured, let the taps run for a few minutes.

more »

Politics »

Federal Court won't remove MPs over robocall allegations

The Federal Court says it won't throw six MPs out of their seats over allegations of widespread vote suppression through automated robocalls in the 2011 federal election. But Judge Richard Mosley did find that fraud occurred in the election.

analysis Greg Weston: Senate scandal may be Harper's worst hour

The widening Senate scandal that the prime minister flippantly tried to dismiss as a 'distraction' just days ago has instead become arguably Stephen Harper's worst hour.

Duffy says he wants to give Canadians 'the whole story' video

Senator Mike Duffy says he wants a "full and open" inquiry so Canadians can get all the facts about the scandal that has rocked the Senate and the Prime Minister's Office and that he has no plans to resign.

more »

Health »

Chronic fatigue may be reversed with exercise

Taking it easy is not the best treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, rather exercise and behaviour therapy are, a large study finds.

AT&T buys T-Mobile USA for $39B US

AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion US, becoming the largest cellphone company in the U.S.

Milky Way home to 50 billion planets: NASA

Scientists have compiled the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy: at least 50 billion planets are estimated to call the Milky Way home.

more »

Arts & Entertainment»

Quebec film wins screenplay prize at Cannes

Le Demantelement, a movie by Quebec director Sebastien Pilote, has won one of the main prizes of sidebar program Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival.

K'naan tries his hand at filmmaking with Sundance workshop

Somali-Canadian rapper K'naan has long drawn musical inspiration from his troubled homeland. Now he says he's ready to make a film about his war-torn roots.

Boos for violent Ryan Gosling film at Cannes

The famously fickle Cannes audiences greeted Ryan Gosling's latest film, Only God Forgives, with boos, while Robert Redford received a standing ovation for All is Lost.

more »

Technology & Science »

new 3D printers give rise to 'desktop manufacturing'

Customizable objects from plastic dollhouse furniture to medical prosthetics can now be designed and printed out by almost anyone at the press of a button, and is going to lead to an 'explosion of new stuff,' predicts author Chris Anderson.

Canada's privacy laws inadequate for digital age, watchdog says

Canadians' trust in the digital economy is at risk because our laws don't have enough teeth to compel companies to protect consumers' privacy, Canada's privacy commissioner says.

Twitter launches feature to 'make sure it's really you'

Following hack attacks on the Twitter accounts of The Associated Press, the Financial Times and other media organizations by the Syrian Electronic Army, Twitter has rolled out a new feature to help prevent unauthorized logins to a user's accounts.

more »

Money »

German brewers worry fracking will compromise beer quality

German brewers are worried that fracking, the process of extracting natural gas from underground shale deposits, will jeopardize the quality of their beer by contaminating the water supply and have asked their government to hold off on passing the fracking regulations it has been drafting for months.

SNC-Lavalin letter says Gadhafi son offered VP post: RCMP

SNC-Lavalin's ties to Libya's former dictatorship ran so deep the company offered the son of Moammar Gadhafi a six-figure job as a vice president in 2008, according to a newly unsealed RCMP affidavit.

Importers brace for fight over iPods and TVs

Importers of popular electronics such as big-screen TVs and MP3 players are ramping up their fight against federal tariff changes, accusing the government of misleading them by offering tariff breaks that it planned to claw back later.

more »

Consumer Life »

Honda recalls Fit subcompacts

Honda Canada says it will recall 14,640 of its 2009 and 2010 Fit subcompact cars to replace lost motion springs.

U.S. travel fee proposal criticized by Harper

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he doesn't think much of a new border tax that's being proposed by the United States, calling it a cash grab designed to help a budget crisis.

Bell class action suit approved by Que. court

A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class action lawsuit to go ahead against Bell Mobility.

more »

Sports »

Scores: NHL NBA

recap Jimmy Howard shutout puts Blackhawks on brink

Jakub Kindl's power-play goal midway through the second period stood up as Jimmy Howard pitched his first shutout of these Stanley Cup playoffs to lead the hometown Detroit Red Wings to a 2-0 win over top-seeded Chicago, which will face elimination on Saturday night.

blog Top #hockeynight tweets from Thursday

The Red Wings were supposed to be the underdogs heading into their series with the top-seeded Blackhawks, but they're now up 3-1. Here's what the Twitter world had to say.

blog Rangers' Tortorella defends decision to bench Richards

Rangers coach John Tortorella defended his choice to bench struggling sniper Brad Richards, and it appears to have paid off with New York's 4-3 overtime win Thursday.

more »

Diversions »

more »