Latest news with #then-U.S.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
The little-known dangers we live with
Opinion We have spent 80 years under the shadow of the atomic bomb. The first atomic weapons obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, at the close of the Second World War. As with the Holocaust, the generation of atomic witnesses is almost all gone, and the perpetrators have already left the stage. Unlike the Holocaust, however, those atomic victims lack the public memorials and current reminders of a horror that should never be allowed to happen again. Unfortunately, 'Never Again' is hardly the motto of militaries around the world. Ever since 1945, we have lived under the shadow of the same horror being repeated on a larger, even a global, scale. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A man looks over the expanse of ruins left the explosion of the atomic bomb on Aug. 6, 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan. Some 140,000 people died here immediately. The Doomsday Clock, kept by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, continues to creep closer to midnight. At its start in 1947, we were seven minutes away from global catastrophe; now, as of Jan. 28, 2025, we are 89 seconds away, one second closer than the year before. While the Doomsday Clock continues to focus primarily on the likelihood of nuclear annihilation, it has evolved. That ominous clock now also assesses other various mass extinction possibilities, both biological and ecological, any of which might (in their turn) also trigger a nuclear event. If you are one of those people who think nuclear war is survivable — limited to some unfortunate place somewhere else — you need to read Annie Jacobsen's book Nuclear War: A Scenario. It is a detailed, step-by-step timeline of how the world as we know it — including ourselves, everything and everyone we value — could be erased in the time it takes you to shower and eat breakfast in the morning, all without warning. The tens of thousands of nuclear warheads, however delivered and whoever controls them, are also many thousands of times more than would be needed to trigger global extinction on a geological level. We would be goners, like the dinosaurs, and if some higher life form eventually develops from the cockroaches that always survive, they might dig up our fossils in amazement some day, too. Yet there are few university courses anywhere in Canada that focus on the nuclear threat, past or present. We continue to suffer from cultural amnesia — deliberately encouraged, even cultivated, and terribly dangerous. We are not safer because we don't know or talk about the bomb. Worse, what people know about the bomb these days shies away from the horror of what happened, and what is likely someday to happen again. Deceptive stories have rendered nuclear weapons an acceptable and reasonable military option. Nothing could be further from the truth — then or now. For example, the bomb was not needed to end the Second World War. Japan had already made overtures toward peace — and been ignored. There is no evidence then-U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt ever intended such a weapon to be used — he died before the Trinity test demonstrated what the bomb would do. The Allies had definite information by early 1944 that there was no Nazi bomb, nor anything like the Manhattan Project. There never was evidence that Japan had made any similar effort. In other words, there was no enemy nuclear threat, whatsoever, long before Alamogordo. Then-vice-president Harry Truman apparently knew little or nothing about the Manhattan Project until he became president in April 1945. He learned that the U.S. had spent about US$2 billion developing a weapon that had not yet been used. So, with planes following to record the events, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, not to end the war, but to demonstrate the bomb and so (coincidentally) ensure his election as president in 1948. As far as the American military knew, the bomb just made a bigger bang with less effort. There was no clear understanding of radiation or its lethal effects, and early Japanese reports of the aftermath were dismissed as propaganda. Had 20 bombs been ready, 20 would have been dropped. Nor were they concerned about causing civilian casualties — the firebombing of Tokyo and other cities actually killed more people than the two atomic bombs. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. I will stop there, but much more could be said. Looking ahead to the post-war period, the lies, disinformation and utter ignorance associated with the nuclear arms race and its inevitable consequences are stunning. That we are all still here is evidence of luck rather than intention. Since the early 1980s, we have known that whatever was not immediately destroyed would suffer through a global 'nuclear winter,' perhaps for decades — a toxic, radioactive ice age, in which nothing healthy could grow. Worse, even a few weapons detonated in the right northern cities might be enough to trigger that same nuclear winter. Despite this, we still dither, allowing politicians and their military sidekicks, without challenge, to game the consequences of global nuclear genocide. After 80 years under the shadow of the bomb, the world is much more dangerous today. You need to find out why, and do something about it, before that Doomsday Clock strikes midnight. Peter Denton writes from his nuclear-free home in rural Manitoba.
Toronto Sun
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Housing illegal migrants cost Canada $1.1 billion since 2017
Temporary housing program for asylum seekers extended to 2027, thanks to additional $1.1 billion set aside in Budget 2024 Asylum seekers talk to a police officer as they cross into Canada from the U.S. border near a checkpoint on Roxham Road near Hemmingford, Quebec, April 24, 2022. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi OTTAWA — Canada has spent over $1 billion dollars to house migrants who illegally crossed into Canada from the U.S., according to a government departmental bulletin. That's on top of the $1.1 billion set aside in the 2024 federal budget to extend the program housing to these so-called 'irregular border crossers' in Canadian hotels until 2027. Canada experienced a flood of illegal border crossings in 2017, thanks to changes in U.S. immigration policy under then-U.S. President Donald Trump, and further encouraged by a January 2017 tweet from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, ostensibly rolling out the welcome mat to migrants around the world to enter Canada by any means necessary. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 28, 2017 Roxham Rd. a Quebec street about 50 kilometres south of Montreal that dead-ends at the Canada-U.S. border, became a focal point of this international exodus, with U.S.-based taxi and transportation companies offering dedicated routes to the illegal crossing for scores of suitcase-toting migrants. Housing these migrants became the responsibility of dozens of Canadians cities and towns while they awaited refugee hearings. In June 2018, former Toronto mayor John Tory said the influx of asylum seekers quickly overwhelmed city's capacity to care for them, with many taking up valuable space in homeless shelters or living on the street. The $1.1 billion to house these migrants was made available through the federal governments' Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP,) designed to provide funding to provinces and cities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ontario received $640.2 million through the program, while Quebec got $440.9 million. Recommended video While a government website listing numbers of illegal migrants was 'down for maintenance' at press time, online web archives from earlier this month show 114,251 refugee claims made between Feb 2017 and March 2025. Of those, 53,856 claims were accepted, 26,377 were rejected, 2,957 claims were abandoned, and 7,119 were withdrawn. The IHAP program has been extended until 2027, thanks for an additional $1.1 billion set aside in Canada's 2024 budget. Migrants were also housed in federally-funded hotel rooms since 2020, money on top of the IHAP funding. The City of Toronto received $40 million from Ottawa to increase their migrant capacity in the 2024-25 fiscal year, while Peel Region netted $22 million. Around 4,500 migrants, largely in Ontario, are being housed in federally-funded accommodations, as of last October. IHAP funding in this fiscal year amounts to around $543.4 million, as listed in the federal government's latest supplementary estimates disclosures. bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume Sports Golf Canada Columnists Columnists
Hamilton Spectator
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
US Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia says he won't run for reelection
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans said Monday that he will not seek reelection to his Philadelphia seat, capping a career in public office that stretches back 45 years. Evans, a Democrat, said in a statement that he decided that 'the time is right' to retire after his term is up in early 2027. Evans, 71, said he is in good health and capable of serving, a year after he suffered what he has called a minor stroke. Evans is serving his fifth term. He originally ran for Congress in 2016 against then-U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, a fellow Democrat who had been seeking a 12th term in Congress while under federal indictment. Prior to that, Evans served for 36 years in the state House of Representatives, rising to become Appropriations Committee chairman, and the first Black chairman of the powerful committee. He was first elected when he was just 26. Evans' Philadelphia district is heavily Democratic and a crowded 2026 Democratic primary — possibly including state Sen. Sharif Street, the state Democratic Party chair — is possible to determine a successor in the seat. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Panama Canal Chief Warns $23B Port Deal Poses Risks to its Neutrality
The Panama Canal Authority's lead official is the latest stakeholder to express his doubts about the sale of two ports on both sides of the waterway. Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, administrator at the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), told the Financial Times the $23 billion deal that would shift the ports into the hands of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and BlackRock could potentially put the canal's own neutrality at risk. More from Sourcing Journal Panama Canal Sees Post-Drought Spike in Container Shipping Transits Staud Said to Bring On a New Investor Panama Ports Buyers Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place 'There is a potential risk of capacity concentration if the deal comes the way it is structured as we understand right now,' Vásquez said. 'If there is a significant level of concentration on terminal operators belonging to an integrated or one single shipping company, it will be at the expense of Panama's competitiveness in the market and inconsistent with neutrality.' The Panama Canal operates as a neutral passage for ships representing all countries. Treaties signed during the Carter administration in 1977 established its neutrality, and ensured that the then-U.S.-controlled waterway would gradually be returned to Panama by Dec. 31, 1999. President Donald Trump has made overtures challenging the canal's neutrality, with claims that he wants the U.S. to 'take back' the trade artery on the grounds that it is allegedly under Chinese control. While China does not control the canal, Washington had wider concerns about the country's influence on the waterway. The sale of the Balboa and Cristobal ports by owner Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings was considered a win for the Trump administration, since the port operator's ownership of the ports was classified as a national security risk. But that deal has been scrutinized left and right, and has yet to get approval from the Panamanian government. The Chinese government, as well as state-owned media in the country, had spoken out against the deal, with reports saying President Xi Jinping was furious that CK Hutchison went forward with the sale. Following those reports, China's antitrust regulator, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), opened a probe into the deal. That investigation has resulted in the parties deciding to amend several parts of the initial deal to try and appease both Trump and Xi, an FT report said. Hutchison, which would be selling off more than 40 non-Panama ports to MSC and BlackRock in the deal, floated the idea of potentially selling off some or all of its 10 remaining ports in China in a separate sale. The regulator had already warned Hutchison against splitting the Panama ports from the original deal altogether as a means to circumvent antitrust review. Along with government regulators, supply chain stakeholders have shown their displeasure with the potential acquisition in that it would give MSC, already the world's largest ocean carrier, a leading market share in port terminal operations. Vásquez noted that the deal has essentially pitted container shipping operators further against each other for space. 'This has become a significant battleground on transshipment capacity,' Vásquez said, noting that some at the ACP were worried the $23 billion transaction would cost it some container traffic if Hutchison's customers moved elsewhere. Vásquez added that the canal should use the ports deal as an opportunity to become a terminal operator itself by reactivating a project to build a terminal in the Port of Corozal at the Pacific end of the canal, according to FT. As Vásquez and the ACP keep an eye on the situation, the authority will itself be on the radar of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in the U.S. as it plans its infrastructure projects. 'They're doing a very efficient job. What we're watching there is what's going to happen when they have a drought and they have reduced slots to go through there and then how those slots are allocated,' said FMC chairman Louis Sola, in a Monday briefing with the Port of Long Beach, calling it the agency's 'number one priority' at the canal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which helped build and maintain the canal, is currently assisting the ACP on water management practices, according to Sola. The record drought throughout the second half of 2023 prompted the ACP's decision to build a new reservoir in the Indio River watershed to mitigate impacts from future climate conditions. To diversify its business lines, Vásquez also said the authority was considering building a pipeline along the length of the canal to carry up to 1 million barrels per day of liquefied petroleum gas.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Xu Qiliang, former top Chinese general close to Xi, dies in Beijing
BEIJING (AP) — Xu Qiliang, a former air force general who was reportedly close to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, has died at age 75, according to the Defense MInistry. Xu had been a vice commissioner of the body that overseas the People's Liberation Army, the military branch of China's ruling Communist Party, during Xi's first few years in government. China's ultimate leader was at the time incorporating the army and navy into leadership bodies long dominated by the land forces. Xu was an 'excellent Communist Party of China member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, a proletarian military strategist, and an outstanding leader of the People's Liberation Army,' said a statement issued by the ministry. Xu joined the PLA in 1966 just as China was plunged into the violent decade-long Cultural Revolution under Communist China's founder Mao Zedong. After climbing the ranks, Xu wielded considerable influence as a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission without, it appears, falling afoul of China's party anti-corruption forces, who brought down several other high ranking retired and serving military leaders, including two former defense ministers. China has offered no information on the situation involving the pair, stirring rumors of a major shakeup in the ranks concerning corruption or spying for the U.S.. China has not fought a major campaign since the 1950-53 Korean War, so Xu built his career largely on his adherence to the party line and fealty to the leader of the time, who like Xi now, serves as chairman of the Central Military Commission. In a February 2018 report, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Xu as calling on the Chinese army to 'thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 19th party National Congress and President Xi Jinping's strategy for strengthening the military.' Xu also helped oversee the PLA's transformation into a modern fighting force, eliminating its Cold War-era jets for stealth fighters and nuclear bombers. Xu also met with foreign delegations, including then-U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis in 2018, with whom he discussed 'the importance of substantive military-to-military contacts to reduce risk and strategic uncertainty.' Relations between the militaries have since nose-dived, along with relations in general. The Associated Press
