Recall Law Bites Danielle Smith Back In First Petition In 90 Years
Citizen-led recall petitions against Premier Danielle Smith and 21 other MLAs are testing Alberta’s recall law as a tool of accountability. Smith has become only the second Alberta premier to face a citizen recall effort, and the first in almost 90 years, after Elections Alberta approved petition drives in her Brooks-Medicine Hat riding and against […]
Eby Blasts “Dramatic, Overreaching, And Unhelpful” Court Rulings
Premier David Eby escalated a public fight with the judiciary, arguing two recent decisions on Indigenous rights and title are injecting uncertainty into BC economy and threatening progress on reconciliation that has allegedly supported roughly $100 billion in resource projects. Speaking at a BC Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Eby criticized a BC Supreme Court ruling […]
Bye G7, Hello C5: Trump May Rewire Bloc Diplomacy With Core 5
The “Core 5” idea being discussed in Washington would create a C5 forum of the US, China, India, Japan, and Russia that explicitly contrasts with the G7 by placing adversaries in the same top-tier negotiating room. As described in reporting on an alleged longer National Security Strategy draft, the C5 would function like a recurring […]
CME Lifts Silver Futures Margins Across Front Months
CME is raising performance bond requirements for COMEX silver futures, lifting both initial and maintenance collateral levels. In the CME Clearing advisory, the exchange framed the update as part of its normal review of market volatility to ensure adequate collateral coverage, with Clearing House Risk Management staff approving the revised requirements. For COMEX 5000 Silver […]
Bank of Japan Poised To Hike Rate At 30-Year High
The Bank of Japan is moving toward its first policy-rate hike in 11 months, with a 25-basis-point increase from 0.5% to 0.75% emerging as the leading option for the upcoming monetary policy meeting next week, according to Nikkei. If implemented, a 0.75% policy rate would reach a level not seen since 1995, marking the highest […]
US Seizes Venezuelan Oil Tanker in Caribbean
The United States seized a Venezuelan oil tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude off the Caribbean coast Wednesday, escalating tensions between Washington and President Nicolás Maduro’s government. President Donald Trump called the vessel “the largest one ever seized, actually,” but declined to explain the operation beyond saying authorities acted “for very good reason.” FBI […]
Prosecutors Charge Russian-Linked Hackers in Attacks on US Water Systems, Food Facilities
Federal prosecutors charged a Ukrainian woman and a suspected Russian military intelligence officer Thursday with orchestrating cyberattacks that contaminated water supplies, disrupted food processing operations, and compromised election networks across multiple states. The indictment, filed in the Central District of California, names Victoria Dubranova, a Ukrainian national, and an individual using the alias “Cyber_1ce_Killer” — […]
Belarus Signals Openness to Hosting Maduro as US Pressure Mounts
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko convened Thursday with Venezuela’s ambassador to Russia for the second time in 17 days, signaling potential sanctuary for embattled President Nicolás Maduro as Washington intensifies efforts to oust him. Lukashenko told the diplomat in November that Maduro is “always welcome in Belarus.” At Thursday’s meeting, the Belarusian leader said they would […]
BC Extortion Suspects Use Refugee Claims to Halt Deportations
Canada’s effort to deport foreign nationals linked to British Columbia’s extortion epidemic has stalled after all 14 suspects referred for deportation hearings filed refugee claims, the Canada Border Services Agency confirmed Wednesday. BC’s Extortion Task Force identified the individuals, but once CBSA began investigating them for immigration violations, all claimed refugee status. The claims have […]
EU Invokes Emergency Powers to Freeze Russian Assets Indefinitely
The European Union formally activated emergency powers Thursday to lock down €210 billion in Russian Central Bank assets indefinitely, using Article 122 of the EU treaties to bypass potential member state vetoes. The Council formally adopted the measure on Friday afternoon. Euroclear, a Brussels-based securities depositary, holds approximately €185 billion of the total, with private […]