The Obama administration closed the U.S. embassy in Damascus on Monday and pulled all American diplomats out of violence-wracked Syria as the U.S. stepped up pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to leave power. Robert Ford, the American ambassador, and 17 other U.S. officials left Syria and were expected to travel back to the United States. [...]

Greece’s coalition government on Monday caved in to demands to cut civil service jobs, announcing 15,000 positions would go this year, amid mounting international pressure to agree on austerity measures needed to secure major new debt agreements. The announcement signals a major shift in Greece’s policy, as state jobs have so far been protected during [...]

President Barack Obama has ordered new sanctions on the Islamic republic, including its Central Bank, in a move to enforce a law he signed in December. In a letter to Congress Monday, Obama said the tougher sanctions are warranted “particularly in light of the deceptive practices of the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian [...]

Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner was unsurprisingly selected Monday as the NHL’s first star for the week ending Feb. 5. New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk and Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer were second and third star, respectively. Gagner earned points on 11 consecutive team goals spread over two games last week. He tied [...]

Hosted by Ron MacLean, Stolen From a Hockey Card is a hockey-themed concert which will pay tribute to Canada’s love and passion for the game of hockey. The impressive all-Canadian line-up of artists for the concert includes songstress Sarah Harmer, Chris Murphy (Sloan), Lennie Gallant, Stephen Stanley (Lowest of the Low), Carmen Townsend, Liam Corcoran [...]