Author: Todd Cox

The drills were “seriously threatening the security” of the North, so in response, Pyongyang “conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system ‘Haeil-5-23’ under development in the East Sea of Korea,” according to a statement from the defence ministry carried by state news agency KCNA. Early last year, Pyongyang said it had carried out multiple tests of a purported underwater nuclear attack drone — a different version of the Haeil, which means tsunami in Korean — claiming it could unleash a “radioactive tsunami”. Analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang has such a weapon. Earlier this week, South Korea, the United States and Japan carried out joint naval…

Brussels (21/10 – 75) In May 2022, tens of ethnic Pamiri protesters were killed by security forces as demonstrations were violently suppressed and an “anti-terrorist operation” was launched in the east of the country. Activists, local leaders, journalists and bloggers were arrested and sentenced in unfair trials. Many reported being tortured. Access to information, including through the media and internet, remained heavily restricted. Domestic violence remained widespread with victims rarely securing justice or support. Afghan refugees continued to be detained and deported. Tajikistan’s economic and political life continued to be tightly controlled by the president, in the 30th year of…

The top executive at Sobeys asserted on Monday that Canada has one of the most competitive grocery retail sectors on the planet — even as Canadians continue to feel the bite of higher prices. “Although our country’s food inflation has been among the lowest in the world, and Canada is among the most competitive nations on Earth when it comes to grocery retail, this provides little comfort to Canadians who are struggling,” Michael Medline told MPs on the House of Commons agriculture committee. Medline is the CEO of Empire Company Ltd., which owns Sobeys and other grocery store chains. His…

Russia on Saturday launched a missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the surrounding region for the first time in more than seven weeks and pounded the east and south of the country with drones, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian border guards said they had retaken a village in the country’s northeast adjacent to the Russian border. Officials in the east, the focus of Russia’s slow 20-month-old advance, said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous attacks by Moscow’s troops and they anticipated further assaults, particularly around the devastated town of Avdiivka. Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said a…

A second winter storm since Thursday’s massive snow dump has again paralyzed Anchorage and much of Southcentral Alaska Monday, just a week after the city’s first major snowfall this season. Anchorage School District and Mat-Su Borough schools have declared remote learning days Monday, with after-school activities in Anchorage canceled as well. The University of Alaska Anchorage is also closed. State offices in Anchorage and the Mat-Su, as well as Municipality of Anchorage offices, are closed as well. Anchorage’s People Mover bus service has been suspended for the day, with AnchorRIDES making only essential trips. As of 9:30 a.m., police had reports of 20 stranded vehicles Monday plus four vehicle accidents,…

Russia is likely preparing another campaign to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Can our air defense systems withstand new strikes this winter? Read below in the material by RBC-Ukraine. During the preparation of the material, publications by CSIS, IISS, Defense Express, AP, and The Washington Post were used, along with interviews with representatives of intelligence agencies on the condition of anonymity, comments from the spokesperson of the Air Force Command, Yurii Ihnat, as well as military experts Ivan Kyrychevskyi and Kostiantyn Kryvolap. For several months in a row, government representatives have been requesting additional air defense systems from partners to defend…

A controversial bill that requires young students to get parental consent to change their pronouns in school has passed in a Canadian province. Saskatchewan used a constitutional override to pass the bill after a court granted an injunction that paused the policy. It had been challenged by an LGBT organisation. The bill outlines a parent’s right to be the “primary decision-maker” in a child’s education. Bill 137 passed on Friday after a marathon 40-hour debate this week. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told reporters on Friday that the bill was about “providing parents the right – not the opportunity – to…

Those who have suffered miscarriages of justice have waited too long for half-measures. Unfortunately, a government bill before Parliament does just that. Seven public inquiries since 1989 recommended a permanent and independent commission patterned after one in England to investigate refer suspected miscarriages of justice back to the courts. In 2021, the federal government asked us to conduct consultations and make recommendations on the design of such a commission. We spoke to exonerees and more than 200 other people. We then prepared a detailed report. We fear that, like so many reports before, ours has largely been ignored. We recommended…

There are many ways for technology sector workers in the U.S. to come to Canada for work, after which this country also provides these individuals with several pathways to Canadian permanent residence (PR). Canada has a well-documented need for skilled workers in the tech industry, evidenced most recently by the introduction of category-based Express Entry draws for five different occupational groups. In 2023, one of these five groups is foreign nationals with recent work experience in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professions. More on Express Entry category-based draws can be found here. Due to this need for tech talent…

Canada and its allies have discussed sanctioning Azerbaijan over its military incursion last month into the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh — which triggered a mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians into neighbouring Armenia — a senior diplomat told the Commons foreign affairs and international development committee Monday. “There absolutely have been discussions … continued debate about when it would be most appropriate to use that tool,” said Andrew Turner, Canada’s recently appointed ambassador to Armenia, in response to questions from NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson. Speaking by teleconference from Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, Turner also said there’s a…