Beyond Local

TORONTO — The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point Wednesday, bringing it to 4.5 per cent — the highest it's been since 2007.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supporters of abortion rights filed separate lawsuits Wednesday challenging two states' abortion pill restrictions, the opening salvo in what’s expected to a be a protracted legal battle over access to the medications.

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow on Wednesday ruled to shut down Russia's oldest human rights organization, in the latest move amid a months-long, relentless crackdown on independent media, rights groups and opposition activists.

TORONTO — Canada's mental health crisis demands a national summit with representation from all levels of government, Toronto Mayor John Tory said Wednesday, claiming a lack of provincial and federal support is offloading responsibilities onto "ill-equipped" municipalities. 

OTTAWA — Pressure is building for Canada to send some of its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine after Germany decided to provide the heavy weapons and allow other countries to do the same.

TORONTO — A woman riding a Toronto streetcar was stabbed in the head on Tuesday in the latest case of violence on city transit as police said they were working to address safety issues in the system.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department and eight states filed an antitrust suit against Google on Tuesday, seeking to shatter its alleged monopoly on the entire ecosystem of online advertising as a hurtful burden to advertisers, consumers and even the U.S. government.

New research has spelled out for the first time the gap between official lists of trails in the southern Rockies and the number of trails there actually are, suggesting effects from the growing number of backcountry users may be larger than suspected.

CALGARY — Canada will open its quest for a third straight women's world hockey championship gold medal against Switzerland in Brampton, Ont.

OTTAWA — Oilsands executives insist they are all in on cutting emissions and will make big investments in green technology, but they maintain there isn't a place to invest that money yet.