How much fentanyl is actually moved into the U.S.
A senior adviser to U.S. president Donald Trump has singled out Edmonton as a city with a drug problem. Manisha Krishnan is a Canadian journalist based in New York. She's been reporting on North American drug policy for more than a decade.
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Winnipeg Free Press
12 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sweden and the Netherlands say before NATO summit they will spend 5% of GDP on defense
BRUSSELS (AP) — Less than two weeks before a NATO summit, Sweden and the Netherlands said Friday that they intend to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product, in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's demands. Trump and his NATO counterparts meet for a summit in the Netherlands on June 24-25, where they're due to agree a new defense spending target. He insists that Europe must look after its own security, while Washington focuses on China and its own borders. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that 'Sweden will reach a new NATO spending target to 5% of GDP, where at least 3.5% of GDP will be allocated towards core defense requirements to fulfill NATO's new capability targets.' 'We are in a specific geographical situation where we need to meet the future threats from Russia,' Kristersson told reporters in Stockholm, standing alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, NATO's 32 allies agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on their military budgets. But NATO's new plans for defending Europe and North America against a Russian attack require investment of at least 3%. The aim now is to raise the bar to 3.5% for core defense spending on tanks, warplanes, air defense, missiles and hiring extra troops. A further 1.5% would be spent on things like roads, bridges, ports and airfields so armies can deploy more quickly, as well as preparing societies for possible attack. According to the most recent NATO figures, Sweden was estimated to have spent 2.25% of its GDP on defense last year. The Netherlands spent 2.06%, among 22 of the 32 allies who reached NATO's old benchmark. The Dutch caretaker government announced on Friday that it would increase spending on defense to 3.5% of GDP in an effort to meet the 5% goal. It's not clear where the approximately 18 billion euros ($20 billion) will come from. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called the decision 'historic' and told reporters after a Cabinet meeting that he hoped other NATO countries would also increase their spending. 'My expectation is that this will happen,' he said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Poland and the Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have already publicly committed to 5%, and Rutte said last week that most allies were ready to endorse the goal. A big question still to be answered is what time frame countries will get to reach the new spending goals. A target date of 2032 was initially floated, but Rutte has said that Russia could be ready to launch an attack on NATO territory by 2030. The United States insists that a near-term deadline must be set. But Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday that his country would get to 5%,. but would require a decade to do so. ___ Molly Quell reported from The Hague, Netherlands.
The Market Online
12 minutes ago
- The Market Online
Israel Strikes On Iran Dip Canada's Index Futures Down
Canada's main index futures slipped Friday as investors pivoted to safe-haven assets in response to Israel's broad military offensive against Iran. Market Numbers (Futures) TSX :Down ( 0.40%) 26,509.29TSXV: Up (0.037%) 721.79DOW: Down (0.97%) 42,572.00NASDAQ: Down (1.19%) 21,672.00 FTSE: Down (0.19%) 8,867.87 In the Headlines: Israel launched strikes on nuclear and missile sites in a bid to block Tehran's atomic ambitions, prompting a fierce response from Iran, which unleashed over 100 drones in retaliation. And A senior adviser to Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign is joining Coinbase's global advisory council as the cryptocurrency exchange broadens its political reach Currencies Update: (Futures) The Canadian dollar is down 0.18% to $0.7325, gaining momentum to the Euro by 0.44% to $0.6400 and Bitcoin breaks off another 1.74% to 143,230.66 Commodities: (Futures) Natural Gas: Up (1.30%), 3.54WTI: Down (5.51%), 71.75Gold: Up (1.12%), 3,422.65 Copper: Up (0.30%) 6.02 To stay up-to-date on all of your market news head to Join the discussion: Find out what everybody's saying check out the rest of Stockhouse's stock forums and message boards. The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. For full disclaimer information, please click here
National Observer
20 minutes ago
- National Observer
Leaders on Canada's expanded G7 guest list will tackle climate, economy and security
Canada is bringing the world to Alberta for the G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis. As summit host, Prime Minister Mark Carney can invite any leaders he chooses — even those from countries outside the G7 club — as he attempts to shape Canada's foreign policy and global geopolitics. When asked on June 7 to explain how Canada decided on the list of non-G7 leaders to invite, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the government was seeking a discussion of "very serious issues that affect the global economy and the geostrategic environment." Here's a closer look at the names on Carney's guest list. Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is a willing partner for Canada as it tries to shore up its trade and defence links across the Indo-Pacific. Both countries have shared values and small populations, and depend on a global rules-based system of trade to export large amounts of resources. In March, Carney announced a deal was in the works to have Ottawa partner with Australia on an early-warning radar detection system to use in the Arctic and across the US border. Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has tried to partner with countries across the Global South while advancing democracy and environmental protection. He'll be taking those themes to the COP30 summit in the Amazon this November. His office claimed this week that Carney will be attending that summit — Ottawa has yet to confirm. Brazil's president, widely known as Lula, has echoed Canadian concerns about online misinformation since a foiled coup plot in 2022. India Carney's most controversial invitation has been to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is arriving in Canada less than a year after the RCMP accused agents of his government of playing a role in "widespread violence" in Canada. Sikh separatist groups note that this month marks two years since the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which Canada has linked to New Delhi. India insists these claims have no substance. Sikh groups have promised to stage large protests during the G7 summit. But regional experts argue Canada should advance trade relations with the world's most populous country and commit to structured talks on security instead of derailing the entire relationship. Canada has promised to raise transnational repression at the summit, and the Asia Pacific Foundation has argued Ottawa and New Delhi should commit to law-enforcement talks on both that issue and India's concerns about violent extremism. Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto will attend the summit after years of Ottawa pursuing deeper ties with Indonesia — a demographic and economic giant in the Indo-Pacific. Canada and Indonesia signed a free-trade agreement last year and Ottawa aspires to sell small-scale nuclear technology to the island nation as it helps to develop small reactors for northern Canadian communities. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum deliberated for more than three weeks before accepting Carney's invitation to attend the G7. Sen. Peter Boehm, who has played a key role in numerous G7 summits, noted that Sheinbaum does not travel abroad often and might have chosen to come based on the likelihood of a meeting with Trump and Carney or to make progress on the tariffs issue. "There's the possibility of having a short trilateral on the side," he said. The ideal outcome would be a clear timeline for the coming review of the North American trade deal known as CUSMA, Boehm said, along with some immediate progress. For example, "if we can make a deal that will allow everyone to step back and say, 'well, we got something out of that and, tariffs are coming down.'" South Korea President Lee Jae-myung is eager to present South Korea as a stable, democratic country following a turbulent period that started with the former president declaring martial law last December. The country has since maintained the rule of law and elected a leader who promised to reverse policies that sought to end gender-equality programming. South Korea has long aspired to join the G7 and argues that its economic and regional clout is similar to that of G7 member Japan. Ottawa and Seoul have pledged deeper co-operation on maritime security, critical minerals and the environment. In November, South Korea will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, and Canada's prime minister has attended every APEC summit over the past two decades. South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa will host the separate G20 summit in November — a much larger and more diverse group than the G7 that also tends to see less consensus. Boehm said the G20 host can act as a bridge to the G7 by making the topics and outcomes at the smaller summit more relevant to the needs of developing countries. Ramaphosa has attended previous G7 meetings and was in the room when Canada sought action on oceans protection at its 2008 summit. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might get another chance to speak with US President Donald Trump in Alberta, as Washington continues to push for an end to the war that started with Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea and escalated to a full-scale invasion in 2022. Ottawa and its peers fear the US is too obliging to Moscow and that a bad deal will only create more instability in Europe. Ukraine has credited Canada with trying to advance Kyiv's cause at the G7. Canada has been leading efforts aimed at forfeiting Russian assets held in Western countries to help finance Ukraine's defence, with limited success. United Arab Emirates The Canadian Press has learned that Carney invited the United Arab Emirates to attend the G7 summit, which could mean UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan comes to Alberta. But as of Thursday evening, Abu Dhabi had not said whether it had accepted Canada's invitation. A readout Thursday from Carney's office said the two leaders spoke and discussed "opportunities to deepen bilateral collaboration in these sectors," and committed to remaining in contact. Canada has described the wealthy Gulf country as "a critical partner" in humanitarian efforts such as foreign aid projects and the resettlement of vulnerable Afghans. Sudanese groups have ccriticized Canada for not publicly calling out the UAE for its role in arming the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary the US has accused of carrying out a genocide in Sudan. The UAE has strenuously denied involvement in the conflict. Not coming: Saudi Arabia Carney also invited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the G7 summit, but Canadian officials said Thursday morning the country will not be attending. "The attempt will be for the prime minister to meet with as many of the leaders as possible," said an official briefing media on background, who said there was no complete list of invitees as of Thursday morning. Ottawa and Riyadh restored full diplomatic ties in May 2023, five years after the Liberal government's public comments on women's rights led Saudi Arabia to expel Canada's ambassador. The US Central Intelligence Agency says the Crown prince ordered the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia is among Canada's largest export destinations for military equipment. International organizations Canada could welcome NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and World Bank President Ajay Banga to the summit, Boehm said, and possibly even the secretary general of the United Nations or leaders of the World Trade Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. A federal official said Thursday that Canada's G7 presidency has involved work with other groups, including the African Union and the Gulf Co-operation Council. It's not known if leaders of those groups will be present.
