Author: Blazingcatfur

Canada clinches deal to join Europe’s €150B defense scheme

Canada has reached a final agreement to join the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe program, two EU diplomats told POLITICO, marking the first time a third country will formally participate in the bloc’s flagship joint procurement initiative.

The breakthrough follows months of technically complex negotiations and was communicated directly to ministers taking part in Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council; Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius informed delegations that negotiations with Ottawa had concluded.

Who would come to our aid if invaded even if the motive was pure self interest? The EU? The USA?

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government, EU

Hit hard by trade war, Algoma Steel issues 1,000 layoff notices

Reeling from high tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Algoma Steel confirmed Monday it has issued layoff notices to about 1,000 workers.

The company, based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., employs about 2,700 people. With its major buyers in the United States, the company was hit hard by the 50 per cent tariffs imposed last summer by Trump.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Trump reportedly gave Maduro ultimatum to relinquish power in Venezuela

Donald Trump reportedly gave Nicolás Maduro an ultimatum to relinquish power immediately during their recent call – but Venezuela’s authoritarian leader declined, demanding a “global amnesty” for himself and allies.

On Sunday, the US president confirmed the call had taken place, telling reporters: “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly, it was a phone call.”

Neither the US nor Venezuelan government have offered further details of the topics discussed during the highly unusual conversation, which is thought to have happened on 21 November.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inUSA, Valentine's Day

Why Canada risks Trump’s ire if it chooses Gripen gamesmanship over F-35 stealth

Canada Recycles to save on military expenditures – The Sherman Air Superiority Ground Attack Tank Thingy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s a high-flying tale of carrots, sticks and political flip-flops.

American leaders have been urging Canada to boost its military spending and NATO contributions since the alliance’s founding, back in 1949. Some, like former U.S. president Barack Obama, have been polite about it, encouraging Ottawa that “the world needs more Canada,” while others, especially U.S. President Donald Trump, have been more blunt, referring to Canadians as “freeloaders” who are “delinquent” on military contributions.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"CAF - Canadian Armed Forces", "Canada - USA Tariff Wars", "RCAF", Canada, Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

The UK Police “Stand Down” Order on COVID Crimes Is a Warning to Every Democracy

A newly released Freedom of Information (FOI) memo from Police Scotland reveals that in January 2022, officers across the UK were directly ordered not to log or investigate any COVID-19 vaccine–related complaints. The directive—issued by Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs—explicitly instructed officers to reject reports from the public. In effect, the public was told: there will be no investigation, because we have been told not to investigate.

h/t SC

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"China eats weird animals disease"

CHARLEBOIS: The slow, stunning retreat of Canadian alcohol

Canada is sobering up, quietly but progressively. Ontario’s latest LCBO annual report offers a remarkably honest portrait of a province — and indeed a country — entering a new era of alcohol consumption. The topline conclusion is unmistakable: Canadians are drinking less. Not sporadically, not because of a temporary shock, but as part of a sustained behavioural shift driven by economics, demographics, social norms, and increasingly, the availability of legal cannabis as a substitute.

Smokey bars are a fond memory of the long ago past for me. They became a lot less inviting when smoking was banned. 

Costs are steep nowadays I understand, I recall when 40 bucks meant a pretty good evening on the town.

Of course I also remember when a six pack cost two bucks.

I sometimes find myself nostalgic for those many nights I can’t remember.

 

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, Our World

How Venezuelan Gangs and African Jihadists Are Flooding Europe With Cocaine

Venezuela has become a major launchpad for huge volumes of cocaine shipped to West Africa, where jihadists are helping traffic it to Europe in record quantities.

Corrupt military officers and drug gangs smuggle shipments by light aircraft, fishing boats, semi-submersible vessels and freighters heading east, international law-enforcement officials have said publicly. The cocaine flows to West Africa, where an informal network of jihadist-linked smugglers and their allies then move the drug north to feed high and rising demand in Europe.

“Cocaine in the 1980s is not the same as the one we see today,” said Jesus Romero, a retired U.S. military intelligence officer. “There are direct linkages to terrorist organizations to support their cause.”

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCrime

Liberal deal with Bloc means hate-speech laws will lose exemption for ‘sincerely held’ religious belief

OTTAWA — The Liberals have agreed to remove religious exemptions from Canada’s hate-speech laws to secure Bloc Québécois support to help pass its bill targeting hate and terror symbols, National Post has learned through a source close to the talks.

Currently, the law exempts hateful or antisemitic speech if it based in good faith on the interpretation of a religious text, but that immunity is set to be removed. Additionally, the Liberals are expected to back off plans to eliminate the need for a provincial attorney general’s sign-off to pursue a hate-propaganda prosecution.

Fearless Prediction: Christians will bear the overwhelming brunt of prosecutions and Islamists will face few if any.

From Occam’s Razor

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corrupt Liberal Government, freedom of religious expression, Freedom of speech

Trans child molester claims jury was hypnotised into guilty verdict

Transgender child molester Ryan Haley

A transgender child molester claimed a jury was hypnotised into a guilty verdict.

Natalie Wolf, 47, claimed to be the “victim of a conspiracy” after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim feared she would be raped by Wolf, who now identifies as a woman but was known as Ryan Haley at the time of the offence.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWTF?

Ozempic and other GLP-1s about to take a bite out of the fast-food business: experts

Amy Schumer displays figure after weight loss from Mounjaro

If you visit a fast-food chain in the next few years, expect the menu to look a little less gluttonous.

In between the usual deep-fried options, industry observers anticipate more offerings that come in smaller portions, pack nutrients like protein or fibre and check enough boxes to be considered healthy.

The changes aren’t just a reflection of our growing predilection for snacking or our ongoing quest to trim down our tabs — and waists. They’re also because more people have shrinking appetites triggered by injectable drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

Of course there are plenty of other reasons to avoid fast food. Diversity springs to mind.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, WTF?

Portland sparks outrage for city’s woke ‘tree’ lighting ceremony: ‘They can’t even say Christmas tree’

Portland has sparked outrage after stripping its Christmas tree of its name, referring to it only as “the tree” during its lighting ceremony.

As thousands gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square for the Oregon city’s 41st annual tree-lighting on Friday night, leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point — including in the ceremony itself and the event’s ads.

Vienna …

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", Islam, Islam and violence, Islamization of the West, WTF?

DOBBIE: How much is a trillion dollars?

After living high off the hog since the 70’s, Canadians as a community have become fatter, lazier, less independently minded and more and more willing to believe in fairy tales. Our people will love you as long as you tell them what they want to hear. I am not talking about the “great unwashed” as the so-called “lower classes” used to be called. I am speaking about well-educated, reasonably intelligent people who have the capacity to understand more, but who are unwilling to invest in the mental effort.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada