They found a rat when uncovering the roses, so they deployed the tactical assault cat. https://t.co/L0wGDKCjc5
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 18, 2026
WTF?
Author: Blazingcatfur
THOMAS: Police use of cellphone jammers raises many concerns
The benefits of technology are in the eyes — and, in this case, the ears — of the beholder, as police departments in Calgary, Edmonton, and other Canadian cities may soon have technology with the power to block cellphone communications.
Currently, only the RCMP is authorized to use the call-jamming technology, using it, for example, to monitor and jam illegal calls out of and into prisons to detect drug dealing and drug use in the facilities.
WTF?
Trump: I do not want to lose $90 billion for the privilege of allowing Canada to have a healthcare system and other things that they shouldn’t have. They spend our money! https://t.co/p905i0Sm4y
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 17, 2026
Allegations of hurting religious sentiments: Man dies after being beaten twice by mob in Satkhira
A 30-year-old man died after being beaten by a mob in Debhata upazila of Satkhira on Tuesday night over allegations that he had hurt religious sentiments by making remarks considered disrespectful to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), police said on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Wahiduzzaman Shamim, son of Shamsur Rahman of Chhota Shanta village in the upazila.
Trump has triggered the Ukrainian endgame
After Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, last year, there was a brief moment when it appeared possible that the US would enforce a peace on Russia and Ukraine. But the conditions for a deal were not in place. Neither Putin nor Zelensky would compromise over the status of the Donbas, the Russian-speaking region in eastern Ukraine of which Russia has occupied 90%. Putin wants it all, and Zelensky refuses to hand over any unoccupied land.
The battle over Alberta’s future begins after the referendum
All the leaders who have been making their final pitches against Alberta separatism are looking for the same answer to Question 10 in the Alberta referendum — a big No.
Where that unity gets shattered, though, is what they want on the day after the referendum. The closing arguments by Mark Carney, Danielle Smith and Pierre Poilievre show sharply different ideas about what happens after Monday’s voting is over.
When even our fridges are ‘online’, a meltdown is inevitable
High schools aren’t the only things on fire in France right now. This week, fridges and freezers in hundreds of supermarkets were targeted by unknown hackers in a cyberattack. Internal thermostats were cranked up as high as 50 degrees Celsius, sparking fires and melting countless glaces and bâtonnets de poisson. Tonnes of products have had to be dumped, causing tens of millions of euros’ worth of damage. Supermarket chains – including Intermarché and Monoprix – were among those impacted.
WS: It’s over, Canada
Canada, I’m sorry to say, is already over. It was a nice run, and as a nation, we had so much promise. We did a lot of good, especially in the two World Wars. Our foundations were very good. But that is over now. I’m as Canadian as possible; apparently, my ancestor ten generations back was one of the first 100 European men to arrive on our shores and survive the first winter. So it is not easy to admit this. Many Albertans are not happy about it either. But that will not change the situation.
Zelensky smirks when asked about Trump’s looming midterm disaster after bitter falling out over ‘betrayal’ and refinery strikes
Volodymyr Zelensky triggered an audience to break out in laughter when he gave an unexpected answer to a question about Donald Trump.
At a press conference in Brussels following meetings with EU leaders, the Ukrainian leader was asked if Trump was scapegoating him for troubles in the US.
‘President Trump is facing difficult midterm elections, his personal popularity is very low, diesel prices in the US are very high, and the war that he started in the Middle East is not going the way he wants. Do you think you are being a scapegoat for his own problems?’ asked a journalist from Sky News.
Alberta’s separation referendum is coming. What happens in the days and weeks and months after?
A few months ago, I was talking to Michael Wernick, the former clerk of the Privy Council, and we wandered onto the subject of Alberta’s secession vote. Mr. Wernick – now the Jarislowsky Chair in public management at the University of Ottawa – said something that’s been stuck in my brain ever since.
Say the referendum delivers a stout margin for the remain side, as polling has predicted, he said: Then what?
Le Pen: Our democracy is at risk
Marine Le Pen said France’s democracy was at risk after violence erupted during anti-government protests.
The hard-Right National Rally (RN) leader released a pre-recorded address on Sunday, accusing both the Left and Emmanuel Macron of fuelling the unrest.
In a video posted on social media, Ms Le Pen said: “We are living through a profound crisis of trust and authority that poses a threat to democracy.
Carney government says Canada’s immigration is under control. But those in the know highlight what’s going wrong
Om Kachhadiya picked Canada for his postgraduate studies because its immigration rules and pathways were clear and predictable.
The 26-year-old, who already had a civil engineering degree in India, knew the criteria to meet for his study permit and what he needed to do to qualify for the postgraduation work permit, so he could get a job and earn Canadian work experience — and ultimately his permanent residence.
But what has happened to Canada’s immigration system between his arrival in 2022 and graduation in 2024 — and thereafter — has been anything but clear and predictable.
I have ZERO sympathy for Om and whoever vetted his entry to Canada. Remigration Now.
French government in crisis talks after ‘colossal failure of the state’
The French government was in crisis talks on Sunday after one of the most violent days of unrest in years left public buildings burned, hundreds of shops destroyed and looted, and more than 2,000 people arrested in cities across the country.
Politicians on the left and right called for the resignation of the interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, after the government appeared to have been caught by surprise by the scale of violence as state buildings were stormed and torched, bus stops smashed, roads barricaded and shops broken into and destroyed.
Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte attended a Celine Dion concert on Friday night as riots erupted across France.
“Let them eat cake.” https://t.co/TCl3rGUMY6
— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) October 18, 2026
On immigration, Danielle Smith is closer to Canadians than Mark Carney
On Monday, Albertans will vote in a province-wide referendum on a series of questions about the province’s future, and the question drawing the most attention is whether to hold a second referendum on separation; Ipsos’ current polling suggests Albertans will reject that possibility, with only 23 per cent saying they will vote to trigger the second vote and 70 per cent saying they will vote to stay part of Canada. But the outcome on nine other themes – immigration, federal programs and greater provincial autonomy – is far less certain.