By Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada's annual inflation rate came in at 3.4% in May, its slowest

The artist behind a flattering courtroom sketch of Donald Trump has defended his controversial depiction of the former president. William J Hennessy Jr was one of three artists who drew Mr Trump, 77, during his arraignment in Miami on 13 June on 37 federal counts related to willful mishandling classified documents, obstruction of justice and making false statements. The sketch of a slimmed down, youthful-looking Mr Trump standing bolt upright provoked protests on social media for being overly generous to the defendant. “Is this William J Hennessy Jr’s audition to do Trumps official White House portrait?” quipped one person. “That last sketch of Trump looks almost exactly like the recent photo of his son Barron,” another tweeted. A third person commented that “they got Trump looking like ‘Prince of Tides’ Nick Nolte in this sketch.” Mr Hennessy told the Boston Globe he was bemused by the strong response, which he said had been about half positive and half critical. “It’s rare I get any kind of feedback,” Mr Hennessy told the news site. “Some said he looked too thin, too young, and some said he looked too good.” He told the Globe the court appearance had been “pretty stressful” to cover. Journalists reported waiting in line for 24 hours to get a seat in the courtroom. “I don’t editorialise,” he said. “I just draw what I see.” Other sketches during Mr Trump’s arraignment showed the 45th president hunched over with his arms folded and a scowl on his face. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all the counts, and has denounced the investigation as a political “witch hunt”. When Mr Trump appeared for arraignment in New York in April on charges relating to falsifying business records around hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign, he told officers he weighed 240 pounds (109 kgs). Read More Trump news – live: Bill Barr slams Trump’s ‘absurd’ classified papers defence as ex-attorney quits CNN lawsuit Attorney General Garland keeps poker face as firestorm erupts after Trump charges Fox News quietly changes headline after White House accused network of lying about Pride flag Why aren’t more Republicans attacking Trump like Bill Barr? Trump news – live: Bill Barr slams Trump’s ‘absurd’ classified papers defence as ex-attorney quits CNN lawsuit

Texas’ GOP-led House of Representatives is set to hold historic impeachment proceeding against Attorney General Ken Paxton, as the scandal-plagued Republican called on his supporters to protest a vote that could lead to his ouster

Abortion providers in three states filed a lawsuit Monday aimed at preserving access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as firefighters struggle to contain a wildfire tearing through the Spanish Canary Islands. The fire began in La Palma early on Saturday and has already destroyed 4,500 hectares (11,100 acres) of land and at least a dozen homes. Earlier, some tourists were reportedly sent to hospital in Athens, Greece as they arrived in droves at the Acropolis even as the authorities shut the monument's gates between midday and early evening amid a severe heatwave. Kim Adams, visiting from Scotland told Sky News: “It’s quite difficult today, really very hot”. Temperatures in Italy are predicted to climb as high as 49C in Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily next week, as the heatwave gripping Southern Europe shows no sign of abating. Red alerts for extreme heat have been issued in 16 cities across Italy as the Mediterranean country is gripped by blistering hot temperatures. Read More Land temperatures in Spain surpass 60C as deadly heatwave sweeps Europe UK weather: Met Office issues two yellow warnings as Britons brace for ‘unusual’ winds Europe heatwave: Is it safe to travel to Italy, Spain, Greece and Croatia?

A merciless arsonist set fire to a German cafe while people slept unsuspectingly in apartments above. Shocking CCTV video footage shows the fire started after a man was seen dousing the room with what seems to be petrol from a bottle on 3 April. Hood-wearing thugs then ignite the fluid and flames quickly engulf the cafe, located in Bad Endorf, a village in Bavaria. Footage from outdoor security cameras, released by police on 9 October, shows the arsonist fleeing through a car park with an accomplice. Police have put up a €5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the pair for attempted murder and arson. All the apartments above the cafe were evacuated and no one was injured in the fire. Read More Flames engulf car hours before Luton airport car park partially collapses in fire Video shows flames engulfing Luton airport terminal car park as flights suspended Israel festivalgoer describes terrifying moment Hamas militants opened fire

Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa paid an emotional tribute to Kelly's father Joe Ripa, who previously served in the US Army, on his 84th birthday

In 2012, during the seventh season of 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians', Kanye made his debut 'reality TV' appearance

A potential intervention by Tehran-backed Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and uncertainty over the role played by Iran itself are risk factors that could push the unprecedented conflict between Israel and Hamas...

A controversial exiled Iranian opposition group is coming under increased pressure in Europe as it nervously eyes the intensification of European talks with Tehran in search of reviving a deal...

The man suspected of stabbing four young children and two adults in a park in the French Alps is facing potential charges Saturday

By Essi Lehto HELSINKI (Reuters) -Twenty-seven people, most of them teenage school children, were injured on Thursday when a temporary