Assad loyalists attack new Syrian regime in first major retaliation, killing 14 police officers

Protester also shot dead after video showing desecration of ousted leader’s minority group shrine goes viral

Fourteen members of the Syrian police have been killed in an “ambush” by forces loyal to the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The officers died in the Tartus countryside in the west of the country, the transitional administration said early on Thursday, in the first major retaliation against the new rulers.

Mohammed Abdel Rahman, Syria’s new interior minister, said on Telegram that 10 police officers were also wounded by what he called “remnants” of the Assad government in Tartus, vowing to crack down on “anyone who dares to undermine Syria’s security or endanger the lives of its citizens”.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inSyria

Unfit for Duty, Part I: The Decline of the Canadian Armed Forces

National security is the bedrock upon which a country’s sovereignty and stability rest, yet Canada finds itself alarmingly ill-prepared to address escalating global threats or safeguard its borders.

Decades of neglect and underfunding have left the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in disarray, compromising our national security and diminishing Canada’s global standing. I spent much of my career serving in the CAF, and its current state is simply unacceptable. Canada must urgently reassess its priorities to rebuild a robust military capable of meeting modern challenges.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"CAF - Canadian Armed Forces"

Furor erupts as female impersonator & Olympics boxer Imane Khelif is honored with women’s sports award by Associated Press

Journalists at The Associated Press and its members have sparked outrage after giving controversial Olympics boxer Imane Khelif third place in their Female Athlete of the Year award.

The Algerian took gold in the women’s welterweight competition at this summer’s Games in Paris.

But it sparked major controversy after the International Boxing Association said Khelif had been disqualified from last year’s World Championships for failing gender eligibility criteria.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWTF?

GG Simon on solid ground to dismiss Poilievre’s request to recall Parliament, but if a majority of MPs asked, it could be a different story

MONCTON, N.B.—Canada’s Constitution is a combination of codified acts and unwritten rules known as constitutional conventions. The codified parts provide an unambiguous legal framework for the exercise of power. The uncodified parts are less clear and, at times, open to interpretation. The relationship between the prime minister and the governor general is guided by constitutional conventions as is the relationship between the prime minister and cabinet. Constitutional conventions provide a level of flexibility that a fully codified Constitution does not.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Holes in fuselage suggest Russians shot down Azerbaijan jet

An airliner that crashed, killing 38 people, on Wednesday may have been shot down by Russian defences, pro-Kremlin media and independent experts said.

Images of the fuselage of the ­Azerbaijan Airlines plane showed holes resembling shrapnel or bullet marks, casting doubt on the original official explanation of a collision with birds. Hitting birds would usually result in a landing as soon as possible, an expert said, but the plane crashed hundreds of miles away.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Ukraine - Russia"

Local NDP MP suggests pressure for Trudeau to leave power may be at a tipping point

Not Jagmeet Singh

Alistair MacGregor, the MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, said today most Canadians don’t want prime minister Justin Trudeau around anymore.

As a member of the New Democratic Party, MacGregor reiterated his party’s plan to table a motion of non-confidence when parliament returns to session, noting how he’s not exactly sure when that opportunity will be made available. MacGregor was on CFAX 1070 with Al Ferraby today.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Trump’s Re-election Defines a New Era of American Politics

Rombama

When Barack Obama won re-election in 2012, it seemed to mark the beginning of a new era of Democratic dominance, one propelled by the rise of a new generation of young, secular and nonwhite voters.

With hindsight, the 2012 election looks more like the end of an era: the final triumph of the social movements of the 1960s over the once-dominant Reagan Republicans.

Instead, it’s the three Trump elections — in 2016, 2020 and 2024 — that look as if they have the makings of a new era of politics, one defined by Donald J. Trump’s brand of conservative populism.

Thank God that moment passed.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inPresident Trump, USA

Is It Curtains for Justin Trudeau?

Political careers generally end in failure, and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s trajectory is a perfect example. Elected in 2015 with a huge parliamentary majority on a wave of personal popularity, his party now trails in the polls by 20-plus points, and he’s facing mounting calls to step down and make way for a successor to stop the party’s complete destruction at the next election, in late 2025.

His pool of allies is shrinking rapidly. More than 60 of his fellow 153 Liberal MPs are calling for his resignation, and his tottering premiership was dealt another blow when his finance minister and deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, dramatically resigned, citing policy disagreements amid attempts to shunt her into a different department. Facing dire poll ratings and his own party turning on him, Justin Trudeau’s political career is nearing its end.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Police log parking and Snapchat rows as hate incidents

Girls falling out on Snapchat and a dispute over a car parking space are the latest incidents responded to by police, according to an audit of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs).

Analysis by The Times has found that officers have been called regarding a hand-painted teddy bear picnic featuring a golliwog and a rude word being spelt with alphabet cups in Tesco.

Other incidents included someone getting upset about the name of a dog and a report of a dead cat being found outside a resident’s home.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWTF?

Adam Zivo: Drug addicts don’t have a right to fill parks with needles and faeces

An Ontario Superior Court judge issued a ruling Monday that the City of Hamilton did not infringe upon the Charter rights of 14 homeless people who were evicted from local park encampments between 2021 and 2023. As Canadian jurisprudence on this issue seems tinged with judicial activism, and has often protected violent encampments at the public’s expense, this decision is an unexpected victory for common sense.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Homelessness & Affordability Crisis"