Saskatchewan to join Alberta in buying American booze, months after tariff war pause
REGINA - Saskatchewan's liquor board says it will start buying and distributing American booze to retailers, months after Premier Scott Moe announced it would stop doing so.
Saskatchewan Liquor & Gaming spokesman David Morris says the action will allow the agency to sell existing inventories of U.S.-produced products as well as purchase new stock.
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Japan Forward
27 minutes ago
- Japan Forward
China Backs Students to Influence Japan's Research and Academia
In the United States, concerns about Chinese influence on university campuses have escalated. US authorities have scrutinized institutions like Harvard for accepting large donations from entities linked to the Chinese government, and have arrested researchers with ties to China for concealing affiliations with its military. The FBI has repeatedly warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is systematically targeting American universities to acquire cutting-edge technology and sensitive research. Washington is tightening oversight on foreign scholars and funding, and Japan is now facing a similar dilemma, yet seems far less prepared. Japan is ramping up support for foreign doctoral students, offering up to ¥2.9 million JPY ($20,040 USD) per year. However, one question looms large: Who exactly is benefiting? According to university professor Rui Sasaki, the answer is increasingly "Chinese students," and he argues that's a dangerous trend Japan can no longer ignore. "Over 40% of these government-supported doctoral students are Chinese," Sasaki explained in a recent interview with JAPAN Forward. "Meanwhile, Japanese students are being left behind. It's both unfair and risky." University of Tokyo's Akamon Gate Sasaki points to the swelling ranks of Chinese students at top universities such as the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Waseda. What may seem like a benign form of international exchange, he warns, actually carries national security implications. "China isn't a G7 country," he said. "It's a dictatorship. We must face that reality." At the center of his concern is the CSC, the China Scholarship Council. Thousands of Chinese students abroad, including in Japan, are funded under this program. But there's a catch: recipients must sign secret contracts pledging loyalty to the Chinese government. "Their families are restricted from leaving China. Embassies and consulates monitor them and they must submit regular reports," Sasaki said. "If the Chinese state demands something, like sensitive data, they cannot refuse." This dynamic poses a serious national security risk, Sasaki warns, particularly in research-intensive fields like science and engineering. "In Tokushima, authorities arrested a Chinese researcher for stealing data. There are likely more cases that go unreported," he noted. The concern isn't abstract. Other democracies have already sounded the alarm. Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands have investigated CSC-funded students. Some were later linked to the People's Liberation Army or Chinese state security agencies. So why hasn't Japan taken similar precautions? "Japan has no real counterintelligence infrastructure," Sasaki lamented. "Even if you suspect espionage, the legal framework doesn't allow wiretapping in economic or national security cases. The only tools we have are for terrorism or drug crimes." But the risk doesn't stop at individual espionage. Sasaki says Japan's academic institutions are slowly being infiltrated from within. Some CSC-funded students stay on after graduation and work their way up the academic ladder. "They become associate professors or even full professors at Japanese universities," he said. "Then they begin teaching Chinese-style history to Japanese students." Sasaki also draws attention to Confucius Institutes, Chinese government-backed cultural and language centers operating worldwide, often housed within universities. While many Western countries have shuttered these institutions, citing concerns over propaganda and surveillance, Japan still plays host to several. "Waseda University still has one," Sasaki said. "When Hu Jintao or Jiang Zemin visited, the venues filled with Chinese nationals. Just from that scene, you'd think the place was already occupied." Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing. (© Kyodo) He warns that this isn't simply about culture — it's part of the CCP's "United Front" strategy, which aims to subtly expand influence through overseas Chinese communities, student associations, and academics. "A lot of Chinese people probably don't even realize they're being used. They're not all spies in the strict sense. But they are being used," he explained. The issue is further complicated by what Sasaki sees as Japan's naivete. "We're still clinging to the idea that more exchange automatically means more peace," he said. "But real internationalization isn't about open borders for everyone. It's about mutual respect and clear rules." He contrasts this with what he calls "globalist delusion" — the belief that authoritarian states will liberalize through engagement alone. "After the Tiananmen massacre, the West imposed sanctions. But Japan broke ranks first, sending the Emperor to China. We thought they'd democratize if we were kind. Instead, we helped them entrench their regime." While Sasaki's warnings may seem alarmist to some, they are part of a growing body of concern shared by intelligence officials, academics, and journalists in liberal democracies worldwide. What sets Japan apart, he says, is how little public awareness exists. "We're not even having the conversation," he said. Even now, he fears Japan is ill-prepared for the future. "People think peace is the default. But peace is something you have to defend. 'When did Noah build the Ark?'" he asks, referencing the film Spy Game . "Before the rain." Author: Daniel Manning
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dozens of LA-area mayors demand the Trump administration stop intensified immigration raids
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. But there were no signs President Donald Trump would heed their pleas. About 500 of the National Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, the commander in charge said Wednesday. And while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it's too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down. 'We are expecting a ramp-up,' said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, noting that protests across the nation were being discussed. 'I'm focused right here in LA, what's going on right here. But you know, I think we're, we're very concerned.' Hours later, a demonstration in Los Angeles' civic center just before start of the second night of the city's downtown curfew briefly turned chaotic when police in riot gear — many on horseback — charged at a group, striking them with wooden rods and later fired crowd control projectiles, including one that struck a woman who writhed in pain on the ground. After the curfew went into effect, a handful of arrests were made before the area cleared out and the evening quieted down. The LA-area mayors and city council members urged Trump to stop using armed military troops alongside immigration agents. 'I'm asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents,' said Brenda Olmos, vice mayor of Paramount, who said she was hit by rubber bullets over the weekend. 'You need to stop these raids.' Speaking alongside the other mayors at a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the raids spread fear at the behest of the White House. The city's nightly curfew will remain in effect as long as necessary. It covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section of downtown where the protests have been concentrated in the city that encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). 'If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' Bass said. Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court. The administration has cited the protests in its decision to deploy the military. Governor asks court to step in California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has asked a federal court to put an emergency stop to the military helping immigration agents in the nation's second-largest city. This week, guardsmen began standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The Trump administration called the lawsuit a 'crass political stunt endangering American lives' in its official response on Wednesday. The military is now closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised in his crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city 'would be burning to the ground' if he had not sent in the military. Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in Los Angeles and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more along with about 700 Marines, Sherman said. Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and ABC, Sherman initially said National Guard troops had already temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests over immigration raids. He later said he based his comments on photos and footage he had seen that turned out not to be a representation of Guard members in Los Angeles. Curfew continues in downtown LA Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of the curfew and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters. But officers were more aggressive in controlling demonstrators Wednesday evening and as the curfew took effect, police were beginning to make arrests. Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department. There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injures. Some were transported to a hospital and released. Protests have spread nationwide Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. In New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the majority of demonstrators were peaceful. A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Texas National Guard troops were 'on standby' in areas where demonstrations are planned. Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety said the Texas National Guard was present at a protest downtown. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. ___ Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego, Jesse Bedayn in Denver, and Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Court hearing set on Trump's use of National Guard and Marines to help with immigration raids in LA
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal court hearing is scheduled for Thursday on whether the Trump administration can use the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles. California Gov. Newsom has depicted the federal military intervention in the nation's second largest city as the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nation's democracy. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has echoed that, saying the deployment of troops was unnecessary and meant to undermine local jurisdictions and intimidate the city's large immigrant population. Newsom filed an emergency motion requesting the court's intervention after President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The Trump administration called the lawsuit a 'crass political stunt endangering American lives' in its official response on Wednesday. The Democratic governor argued the troops were originally deployed to protect federal buildings and said sending troops to help support immigration raids would only promote civil unrest. The protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles intensified after Trump called up the National Guard and have since spread to other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Seattle. Federal immigration agents have been arresting people at Home Depot parking lots and other businesses, sparking fear in immigrant communities, after the Trump administration said it wanted to dramatically increase arrests under its immigration crackdown. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. Most demonstrations have been peaceful but this weekend some turned raucous with protesters setting cars on fire in downtown Los Angeles. The city has imposed a nightly curfew covering a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section where protests have occurred in the sprawling metropolis of 4 million people. The Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. Newsom filed the motion Tuesday, the same day the military announced some members of the National Guard were now standing in protection around federal agents. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of his administration's immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer chose not to rule immediately but set the hearing for Thursday in federal court in San Francisco. Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand the raids stop and the troops leave.
