In the News

After eight “undeclared Russian intelligence officers” were expelled from NATO’s military mission in Brussels Oct. 6, Russia said today that it was shutting down its involvement in the mission. It also has cancelled the accreditation of alliance staff at the NATO mission in Moscow

The prospect of losing one seat in the House of Commons in the next redistribution of federal ridings, reducing the number of Quebec MPs to 77, annoys the Bloc Quebecois. Overall, the number of seats is set to increase by four to 342 to reflect undated census data. Alberta increases to 37 seats from 34 while Ontario and British Columbia gain one each, to 121 and 43 respectively. “It is out of the question . . . to see the power of francophones diminish,” says Alain Therrien, the BQ’s critic on democratic institutions.

Mark Forkner, a former chief technical pilot at Boeing, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he misled the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration about safety issues with the 737 Max, two of which crashed overseas in 2018 and 2019, killing everyone aboard. Prosecutors say that he hid information about the control software in a bid to save the company millions of dollars.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada stands to collect as much as $4.5 billion annually through a deal with 135 other countries that will require major corporates to pay more in taxes. “There are still some final details being hammered out, so the numbers . . . are not exact,” she said Oct. 16.

The Italian government’s decision, effective today, to require all workers to have a “Green Pass” confirming vaccination against COVID-19, has prompted widespread protests. An estimated three million workers remain unvaccinated and non-compliant workers are liable for a fine of up to €1,500.

The U.S. had little to no regard for the World Trade Organization in recent years but its top negotiator said today that the Biden administration believes the WTO is “a force for good” and “we want it to succeed. The Trump administration’s blockage of key appointments are widely blamed for the organization’s current paralysis on key global issues.

A new Arctic strategy published today would ban development of new hydrocarbon development in the region. The European Commission acknowledged that the EU still imports petroleum resources from the North but said it will work “towards a multilateral legal obligation not to allow any further hydrocarbon reserve development in the Arctic or contiguous regions.”

Canada is among two dozen countries which have joined an initiative led by the EU and the U.S. designed to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030. The notion is to give momentum to the issue in advance of the UN climate summit which begins Oct. 31 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, widely regarded as a potential Liberal Party leader, is well known to the Russian intelligence apparatus for her Cold War campaign in support of Ukraine while she was a Harvard University exchange student. The KGB actually lauded her efforts against its political masters and even tagged her with a personal code name.

Chinese President Xi Jinping says he wants “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan despite his country’s recent series of provocative air force manoeuvres near the island state. Taipei responded to the weekend declaration by calling on Beijing to abandon its coercive military and political pressures.

A former senior North Korean military and intelligence official says his agencies were the “eyes and ears and brains” of his country’s leaders. He says his activities during a 30-year career before he fled to the South in 2014 included coordinating assassinations and building a drugs laboratory to raise “revolutionary” funds.

Canada and 129 other members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have signed an agreement to enforce a corporate tax rate of at least 15 per cent, an initiative they expect will generate additional annual revenues of more than $150 billion. The measure, still resisted by some smaller OECD members, is designed to address concerns that multinational companies reroute profits through low-tax countries.

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh wants the minority Liberal government to take “concrete” steps in return for its support in Parliament. He said Oct. 7 that the “immediate” requirements include paid sick leave, a federal coronavirus vaccination passport, real progress on reconciliation with indigenous peoples and on climate change measures.

Only a couple of weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping told the UN his country would stop funding foreign coal-fired power plants to help reduce global carbon emissions, China’s two largest coal-producing regions have been ordered to expand output to address power requirements.

Russia accounted for the most state-sponsored hacking detected by Microsoft over the past year, with a 58% share. The detected hacks were mostly targeting government agencies and think tanks in the United States, followed by Ukraine, Britain and European NATO members, the company said.

The UN is being advised by one of its investigators, Argentinian lawyer Tomas Ojea Quintana, to ease Security Council sanctions against North Korea, which he says risks a starving populace and a slide into further isolation. In his report, set to be presented Oct. 22, Quintana says the sanctions over nuclear weapons development “should be reviewed and eased when necessary to both facilitate humanitarian and lifesaving assistance and to enable the promotion of the right to an adequate standard of living of ordinary citizens.”

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Taliban representatives will be invited to a meeting in Moscow Oct. 20. No further details were given but Russia hosted a meeting in Afghanistan in March at which in joined China, Pakistan and the U.S. in calling for a peace agreement.

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has sworn a left-wing former head of Congress as his new prime minister, hours after Mirtha Vasquez’ predecessor resigned after only two months. The cabinet shuffle is seen as possibly setting the state for a more moderate administration under Marxist-Leninist Castillo.

The U.S. Supreme Court today began hearing a case which could shed light on the CIA’s use of “black sies” in other countries to hold terrorists before they were sent to Guantanamo. The Palestinian who brought the suit is described as an al-Qaeda recruiter who claims to have been tortured at a CIA “black site” until he was transferred to Guantanamo, where he has been held without charge since 2006.

After strong criticism of a "serious lapse in judgement", the Prime Minister now admits that taking a holiday in Tofino while the rest of Canada commemorated the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, was a mistake and that he will "focus on making it right". No details were provided on what actions will make this right.

Even though the Conservative parliamentary caucus voted Oct. 5 to give itself the power to potentially oust him as leader, Erin O’Toole says his MPs are “fully united” after losing the latest election which saw them win fewer seats and a reduced share of the popular vote. “I am accountable . . . for what went well, and accountable for where we fell short,” he said, adding that he is “resolutely committed” to reviewing every element of the party’s campaign.

Canada's hotel quarantine requirement for international air passengers, which ended in August, evidently was ignored at one of four airports authorized to receive visitors. Public Health Agency of Canada records indicate that of 5,315 fines for non-compliance, 4,711 were applied at Toronto, 601 at Vancouver and the balance at Montreal – but none in Calgary.

The German foreign ministry says it would reject any Iranian demands for the U.S. to release frozen assets as a condition for resuming nuclear talks. A ministry spokesman was responding to Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's demand that $10 billion in assets be released as a goodwill gesture.

Kosovo's main border crossings with Serbia were reopened on the weekend as Serbs removed blockading vehicles and NATO mobilized some of its 3,000 troops in under an EU-mediated deal. It ended a dispute between the neighbouring countries over car licence plates which Kosovo said was retaliation for Serbian measures against Kosovar drivers.

After implementing one of the world’s tightest borders against COVID-19 in March 2020, Australia plans to permit vaccinated citizens and their families to travel again next month. “It’s time to give Australians their lives back,” says Prime Minister Scott Morrison, explaining that Australians would be able to travel when state vaccination rates reach 80 per cent. However, visitors would remain restricted.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, whose 2020 election win has been widely discredited, continues to crack down on dissidents. Eight-seven have been arrested for commenting on social media about a confrontation that resulted in two deaths last week.

The Philippines’ notably outspoken President, Rodrigo Duterte, announced today that he will not run for the vice-presidency next year, avoiding a legal battle with opponents who questioned the move, which some critics said could have set him up for an eventual return to the presidency. “The overwhelming sentiment of the Filipino is that I'm not qualified, and it would be a violation of the constitution,” he said.

Seven UN officials have been kicked out of Ethiopia for allegedly “meddling” in the country’s internal affairs. Announced Sept. 30, the move comes as the country is under increasing pressure to lift a blockage of humanitarian assistance in its Tigray region.

All YouTube content which spreads misinformation about vaccines against COVID-19 and other illnesses, are being censored by the social media giant. It confirmed the decision Sept. 29, explaining that it would apply to all content “that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them.”

Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has been promoted to the State Affairs Commission run by her brother. A shakeup of the ruling body also saw the demotion of Ri Pyong Cho as senior military commander, who was replaced by Pak Jong Chon, who has been overseeing the country’s latest weapons development program.

The Conservatives are the only federal party with seats in the upcoming session of Parliament which will not confirm that all its members, except those with medical exemptions, will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Sept. 29 that MPs should “get fully vaccinated or they stay home” but the parties remain divided on whether the House can operate in a virtual hybrid mode as was the case throughout the pandemic so far.

Results of a poll conducted in the closing weeks of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan indicate that a plurality of Americans want fewer troops stationed abroad, Published Sept. 28, they also indicate that a majority prefer more diplomatic engagement on a range of issues such as climate change, migration and human rights.

Milorad Dodik, the Orthodox Serb member of Bosnia’s three-member presidency, which also includes Muslim and Croat representatives, wants to withdraw consent for a multi-ethnic army, calling Bosnia “impossible, imposed country” and “experiment by the international community.” His Croat counterpart, Zeljko Komsic, considers the concept “a criminal act of rebellion.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sept. 28 that he will name his new cabinet in October, with Chrystia Freeland staying on as Deputy PM and Finance Minister. He also plans to begin the new Parliament “before the end of fall.”