Author: Matthew Berry

The situation in and around Ocheretyne is desperate for Ukraine This weekend, Russian drones and scouts surveilling the front line just west of the ruins of Avdiivka, in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, observed something strange. Ukrainian trenches just east of the village of Ocheretyne, previously manned by soldiers from the Ukrainian army’s elite 47th Mechanized Brigade, were empty. The village was undefended Seizing the opportunity, the Russian army’s 30th Motor Rifle Brigade raced several miles along the railroad threading west from Avdiivka and captured most of Ocheretyne—and potentially also Novobakhmutivka, the village south of Ocheretyne. It’s the fastest penetration into…

The Czechs have never forgotten that allies handed over their Sudetenland Province to Hitler in 1938 after the German dictator promised it would be “last territorial demand I have to make in Europe.” The Czechs have never forgotten that allies handed over their Sudetenland Province to Hitler in 1938 after the German dictator promised it would be “the last territorial demand I have to make in Europe.” Months later, Nazis occupied their country and waged war in Europe and around the world for seven more years, killing tens of millions. To many today, Ukraine is the next Sudetenland as it…

Ukrainian law enforcement officers have begun an investigation into a video of the execution of supposedly surrendered Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen in the Pokrovsky district. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reports that pre-trial proceedings are being conducted on the basis of violation of the laws and customs of war, involving premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The prosecutor’s office clarifies that the tragedy occurred near the village of Stepnoye, Pokrovsky district in the Donetsk region. The Ukrainian telegram channel DeepState reported about the alleged murder of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers by publishing a video. It is alleged…

The Canadian government is warning against travelling in Guyana near the border with Venezuela due to a weekend referendum that saw Venezuelans asked about the future of an of oil-rich region that is the centre of a territorial boundary dispute. On Friday, the federal government updated the travel advisory for Canadian travellers in Guyana, which currently warns Canadians to “exercise a high degree of caution,” citing Sunday’s referendum as a cause for concern. “The security environment could deteriorate at the border between Venezuela and Guyana due to the ongoing discord over the Guyana Essequibo region and the upcoming referendum in…

Calgary police are investigating a shooting that left one person dead and two more in life-threatening condition in the city’s northeast community of Marlborough Park on Monday afternoon.  Police say they received reports of a shooting that occurred in a parking lot at the Trans Canada Centre, located in the 1400 block of 52 Street N.E., at approximately 2 p.m. on Nov. 13. Officers located a deceased man when they arrived at the scene, along with two other victims. EMS said the two people injured were in life-threatening condition, and that they were transported to hospital. While police say there…

“The Government of Canada maintains the strength and resilience of Canada’s democratic institutions through vigilance, including by monitoring the digital information environment for threats, such as foreign interference. “Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC) Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) Canada has detected a ‘Spamouflage’ campaign connected to the People’s Republic of China. Beginning in early August 2023 and accelerating in scale over the September long-weekend, a bot network left thousands of comments in English and French on the Facebook and X/Twitter accounts of Canadian Members of Parliaments (MPs). “This campaign targeted dozens of MPs from across the political spectrum and spanning multiple geographic…

The Jamaican government visited a number of Ontario farms last week after migrant workers claimed they were required to work “like animals” in an open letter currently under review by the Canadian government. The visits come on the heels of a tense season for migrant farmers in Canada’s temporary foreign worker program and shortly after a group of workers in Brantford, Ont. penned the open letter published on Justice for Migrant Workers’ website. The letter did not identify the farm, but an advocate for Justice for Migrant Workers confirmed the farmers who wrote the letter worked at Komienski Farms. “These…

Peter Mansbridge is a journalist and retired CBC news anchor. This piece is adapted from remarks that he will deliver at Imagining 2080: A Forum on Canada’s Future, a public forum created by the Future of Canada Project at McMaster University. Next week, Canadians will engage in an important conversation to chart a course for becoming the nation we want to be in 2080 – almost six decades from now. For the past couple of years, I have served on the Council for the Future of Canada Project. The project supports research and initiatives with the goal of creating a…

Paris, Brussels (20/10 – 87) In an atmosphere of justifiably feverish global anger, following the murderous attacks by Hamas troopers on a “peace concert” held near the border with Gaza and the massive retaliation by Israel, several nations have declined to jump on the bandwagon: notably, Malaysia is one. Anwar Ibrahim, its Prime Minister, has issued a statement refusing to make a reflexive condemnation of Hamas. History and alliances will tell us why. When attempting to figure out the way Malaysia is distancing itself from “world opinion” (actually the “management of consent” by administrative state-directed corporate media) it is important…

Russia’s war against Ukraine will not end anytime soon. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this in an interview with the German publication Welt. Stoltenberg noted that all countries of the military alliance want peace to come as quickly as possible, but if Ukraine stops fighting, then it will disappear as a country. “We must admit that if President Vladimir Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist. If President Vladimir Putin and Russia lay down their arms, we will have peace,” Stoltenberg emphasized, noting that Ukraine will ultimately join NATO. The head of NATO has repeatedly stated that…