Germany investigates Russia links to weapons cache discovered in woods, reports say

Germany investigates Russia links to weapons cache discovered in woods, reports say

German intelligence believes a cache of guns found in the woods near Berlin last year was for carrying out assassinations on behalf of Russia, reports say.

Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said federal prosecutors were investigating a suspect in Romania over suspicions of espionage and “the preparation of a serious act of violence threatening the state”.

While refusing to confirm reports of Russian links to the cache, Dobrindt said he could not rule out “the involvement of foreign powers”.

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‘Masha and the Bear’: Ukraine sanctions Russian cartoon

‘Masha and the Bear’: Ukraine sanctions Russian cartoon

Ukrainian Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna on Friday said Kyiv had imposed sanctions on the “producers and distributors” of the Russian children’s cartoon series “Masha and the Bear,” or “Masha i Medved” in the original language.

The step will enable Kyiv to seek to remove and demonentize the series on websites like YouTube or streaming services like Netflix in the country.

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Shelter-in-place order continues as police search for active shooter in Fort Smith, N.W.T.

Shelter-in-place order continues as police search for active shooter in Fort Smith, N.W.T.

The shelter-in-place order in Fort Smith, N.W.T., remains in effect.

Just before 8 a.m. MT RCMP issued an updated alert of the active threat. Fort Smith, Bell Rock and Sawmill island all remain under a shelter-in-place order as police search for the suspect.

Police released an updated photo of the suspect, described as an armed male wearing a grey sweater. Residents are asked to contact police if they have any information. Police have opened a community portal for the public to collect digital evidence from witnesses.

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One killed in sword attack at Swedish school

One killed in sword attack at Swedish school

One person has been killed in a sword attack at a high school in central Sweden, authorities have said.

Police were called to the Brinell School in Fagersta shortly after 14:00 local time (13:00 BST) on Friday, where officers arrested an 18-year-old man.

In an update on Friday, police said officers fired at the suspect before arresting and detaining him. He has not been named.

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Jewish groups want Ottawa to ban militia allegedly tied to Toronto shootings

Jewish groups want Ottawa to ban militia allegedly tied to Toronto shootings

U.S. prosecutors say a member of Kata’ib Hezbollah told an undercover officer that his people were behind recent shootings at a Toronto synagogue and the U.S. consulate. The pro-Iran Shia militia based in Iraq is not on Canada’s list of terrorist entities.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Canadian Families of Victims of October 7 want it added, along with Palestine Action Canada and Masar Badil, in a campaign launching Friday on the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

None of the three is on the list, which Public Safety Canada last updated July 28.

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Iran vows ‘devastating’ response as US threatens crushing sanctions designed to ‘collapse’ regime

Iran vows ‘devastating’ response as US threatens crushing sanctions designed to ‘collapse’ regime

Iran threatened “devastating” consequences if the US moves ahead with imposing crippling sanctions against the regime — after the Trump administration pledged to hit the Islamic Republic with the toughest financial penalties in history.

“With preparedness across land, sea, air, air defense and cyberspace, Iran’s armed forces will respond to the enemy’s new threats with crushing, punishing and devastating responses,” Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, said on Iranian media.

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Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Collapse; Washington Imposes New Tariffs

Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Collapse; Washington Imposes New Tariffs

Crucial trade talks between the United States and Canada to stave off punishing new tariffs by the Trump administration on Canadian goods collapsed late Friday, with Canada saying it would retaliate “dollar for dollar.”

United States trade representative Jamieson Greer told reporters that Canada had walked away from the negotiating table after days of talks had brought them close to an agreement that would avert 50 percent tariffs on more Canadian goods. President Trump had this week repeatedly said that the two countries, locked into a trade war since last year, were very close to a “good deal.”

(more…)

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US-Canada Trade Talks Collapse, Triggering 50% Trump Tariffs

US-Canada Trade Talks Collapse, Triggering 50% Trump Tariffs

An agreement between the US and Canada to avert a fresh round of tariffs fell apart at the last minute, meaning the Trump administration will impose a 50% import tax on billions of dollars in Canadian goods.

New tariffs will kick in at 12:01 a.m. time on Saturday on hundreds of items the US buys from Canada, such as plywood, liquor, electrical equipment and hockey gear.


Carney Bloviates

CBC confirms collapse – Canada declines to finalize trade deal, new tariffs set to take effect: U.S. trade rep

Canada vows dollar-for-dollar response to Trump’s 50% tariffs

Canada rejects U.S. trade deal, tariffs come into force

(more…)

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More Than Half of Canadians Struggling to Meet Financial Commitments: Federal Memo

More Than Half of Canadians Struggling to Meet Financial Commitments: Federal Memo
More Canadians owe more money than ever before and use debt to survive, with millions of people having “no margin for error” if a financial crisis strikes, a new document suggests.
“Many Canadians are under financial strain … over half of Canadians (53%) report that they struggle to keep up with financial commitments,” the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) said in a recently released memo, which was first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.
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Pentagon reportedly fires publisher and editor of US military news outlet Stars and Stripes

Pentagon reportedly fires publisher and editor of US military news outlet Stars and Stripes

The Pentagon is reported to have fired the publisher and the editor of Stars and Stripes, the US military news outlet that has clashed with the Trump administration and armed forces brass over its partly taxpayer-funded reporting.

Publisher Max Lederer and editor Erik Slavin received termination notices, CBS News reported on Friday. The cause cited was insubordination, and they have been given five days to appeal against their dismissals.

Slavin later told the Associated Press that his firing for insubordination was “for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line”.

More to this I suspect.

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Half-naked man in hardhat latest suspect in string of BC arson attempts

PENTICTON — A half-naked dancing man wearing little else but a hardhat is the latest unnamed suspect in a recent string of arson attempts in the Interior region of British Columbia.

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Michel Maisonneuve: Canada must defend the North to keep it

Michel Maisonneuve: Canada must defend the North to keep it

“Mon pays, ce n’est pas un pays, c’est l’hiver,” Gilles Vigneault sings — my country is winter. Canada is shaped by cold, distance and northern regions inhabited by resilient people. Whether we embrace it or not, we are a polar nation.

Sovereignty over nearly 10 million square kilometres must be demonstrated: we must prove we can protect the vast North, develop its resources and create opportunities for its people. We must stop thinking small.

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