Author: Troy Patterson

The head of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says Chinese and Russian air co-operation in the Arctic has Norad’s “full attention.” Those two countries for the first time staged a joint patrol in the Arctic near the coast of Alaska last July.U.S. Gen. Gregory Guillot told The Canadian Press in a year interview that it potentially takes decades for two nations’ militaries to reach “full integration” at a level like the U.S. and Canada.“We see it right now as co-ordinated, meaning that they can safely operate in the same area (but) not near the level of integration that the…

Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s European Union aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. Story continues below advertisement Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Sunday morning that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate office holder.“I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you. … This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a…

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy, state media reported Sunday, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president. Trump’s return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, Trump met Kim three times for talks on the North’s nuclear program. Many experts however say a quick resumption of Kim-Trump summitry is unlikely as Trump would first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive…

A top British diplomat to Canada says the ever-important job of maintaining relationships and information sharing between key allies is not much different than what audiences can watch on a hit Netflix drama. Although The Diplomat is fictional, David Prodger, the British deputy high commissioner to Canada, says the ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling captures what it’s like to keep crises from spilling over from behind the scenes — particularly the “suppressed air of panic” around many of the characters.“I think a lot of those little vignettes were very, very true to to real life,” Prodger told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired…

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest. Germany is to vote in an early election on Feb. 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalize the country’s stagnant economy. 2:09 German snap election looms after finance minister fired, ruling coalition breaks Musk’s guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag — a sister publication of POLITICO owned by the Axel Springer Group…

A former chief adviser and close friend to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he doesn’t think Trudeau will stay on to lead the Liberals in the next election. Gerald Butts wrote in a Substack newsletter that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s surprise resignation from cabinet last week dealt Trudeau a staggering blow that loosened his already tenuous grip on the party.His post came the same day the Conservatives said they will move to bring down the government as early as the end of January, by first moving a non-confidence motion in a House committee that will sit Jan. 7.Trudeau is…

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted December 27, 2024 5:20 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size A serial property flipper in British Columbia has been convicted of tax evasion and fined more than $2 million for failing to report nearly $7.5 million in earnings. The Canada Revenue Agency says in a statement that Balkar Bhullar of Richmond, B.C., was given a conditional sentence of two years less a day on Dec. 19 and fined about $2.15 million, matching the amount of unpaid federal income tax.The agency says Bhullar pleaded guilty on Aug. 3 last…

By Kyle Duggan The Canadian Press Posted December 27, 2024 11:27 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Conservative MP Jonathan Williamson says he’ll get the ball rolling early in the New Year on a no-confidence vote that could bring down Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government in a little more than a month. Williamson says in a social media post he will put forward his non-confidence motion at a public accounts committee meeting on Jan. 7.He says the committee can debate it and then kick the motion over to the House of Commons to deal…

The impeachment of South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo Friday has plunged the country into further political turmoil, coming less than two weeks after lawmakers impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The successive impeachments that suspended the country’s top two officials are unprecedented, and the deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, is now South Korea’s new interim leader. Upon taking over power, Choi swiftly ordered the military to boost readiness to thwart potential North Korean aggressions and told diplomats to reassure key partners like the U.S. and Japan.“(Han’s) impeachment now creates an opportunity for external threats while causing Korea’s…

By The Staff The Canadian Press Posted December 27, 2024 10:04 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly are in Florida to meet with officials from president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration. A statement from LeBlanc’s office says the duo travelled to Palm Beach, where they planned to use those talks to underscore “Canada’s efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration and the measures outlined in Canada’s Border Plan.”Spokesman Jean-Sébastien Comeau says they will also emphasize the negative impacts of a potential 25 per cent…