World News Random, Random

[ponchi101]

I did not know that NATO had upped the percentage to 5%.
That is absurd. Way too much. And you know where it will come from: education, science and health.

[Suliso]

Yes and no. If you're in imminent danger of attack then nothing is too much. However a high danger of this being wasted on nonsense even if achieved.

[ponchi101]

You really think that the USSR (Putin's Russia) will attack some NATO nation anytime soon?

[ti-amie]

You really think that the USSR (Putin's Russia) will attack some NATO nation anytime soon?

Look Netanyahu manipulated Tiny into doing his dirty work so why wouldn't Tiny's puppet master do the same thing?

I know nothing of course but in this world who knows?

[Suliso]

There is a fight also between Thailand and Cambodia. The border has been closed to almost everyone...

[ti-amie]

Canada to introduce new permanent residency route in 2025
ET OnlineLast Updated: Jun 29, 2025, 03:02:33 PM IST

Synopsis
Canada is set to launch a new immigration pathway in 2025. This program will offer permanent residency to displaced people and skilled refugees. It builds on the existing Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. The goal is to provide a stable route for individuals to live and work in Canada.

To strengthen its economic immigration framework, Canada will introduce a new permanent pathway to residency in 2025, building on the foundation of the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), according to a report by CIC News. The initiative aims to offer displaced individuals and skilled refugees a stable route to live and work in the country.

The announcement is part of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Departmental Plan for 2025–2026. While details about eligibility criteria and program structure are still awaited, the government has confirmed that the new program will be launched before the EMPP expires on December 31, 2025.

What is the EMPP?

Launched in 2018, the EMPP links skilled refugees and displaced persons with Canadian employers through economic immigration programs. To date, nearly 970 individuals have settled in Canada under this initiative, according to official data from 2019 to March 2025.

Currently, the EMPP offers both federal and regional streams. The regional pathway works through either the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) or Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), while the federal stream operates through two tracks: a job offer stream and a no job offer stream.

To qualify, applicants must demonstrate their refugee or displaced status via approved documentation or referrals from IRCC-recognized partners. All applications must be submitted from outside Canada.

Federal EMPP streams

The job offer stream allows applicants with full-time employment offers from Canadian employers to apply, provided they have at least one year of work experience, as well as sufficient education and language proficiency based on the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) categories.

The no job offer stream is targeted at individuals with high-skilled work experience (TEER 0–3) and adequate educational qualifications, in addition to meeting Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 standards in all four language skills. This stream is currently closed.

Regional EMPP requirements
Applicants must first meet provincial or territorial eligibility under AIP or PNP and then apply through the EMPP. Requirements include a full-time job offer, language proficiency in English or French, and adequate educational or professional background. Certain flexibilities exist under AIP, for example, waivers on credential assessments and work-hour specifics, along with access to loans for settlement funds.

Support and waivers

To reduce barriers, IRCC covers application and biometric fees for EMPP applicants and their dependents. Costs for medical exams are also covered. The federal government further assists with travel costs and settlement services, including a waiver for the right of permanent residence fee.

From pilot to permanent

Immigration pilots like the EMPP are time-limited programs, generally designed to operate over five years. They serve as testing grounds for new policies and, when successful, may transition into permanent programs. The EMPP’s evolution into a long-term immigration channel follows this pattern and is aligned with Canada’s broader strategy to address labour market gaps while offering humanitarian support.

The federal government has not yet disclosed when full details of the new permanent pathway will be released, but the decision signals Canada’s ongoing commitment to using immigration as a tool for both economic growth and global responsibility.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nr ... s?from=mdr

[dryrunguy]

You have so many more options when it comes to immigration--smart options--when you don't automatically despise specific categories of people just because they don't look like you.

[dryrunguy]

The NY Times recently published a photo/video essay of the Nahja Cemetery (originally intended for local civilian burials) located about 5 miles south of the Syrian capital, Damascus. The report used photographs, satellite images, and first-hand reports from local residents to piece together what's believed to be the country's largest burial ground for dissidents who opposed the Assad regime. The report states tens of thousands of bodies are buried there in narrow trenches, mass graves, and individual tombs originally intended for civilian burials that were instead used to bury several bodies at a time. Some of this information was already documented, but I'm pretty sure this is the first piece to depict the scale of the burial site.

Sorry, it's paywalled.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... f11dfcd63a

[Owendonovan]

MmmmHmmm

Russia’s transportation minister found dead in what officials say was an apparent suicide

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian’s transport minister was found dead from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, investigators said Monday — news that broke hours after the Kremlin announced he had been dismissed by President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin did not give a reason for the firing of Roman Starovoit, who served as transport minister since May 2024, and it was unclear when exactly he died and whether it was related to an investigation into alleged corruption, as some Russian media suggested.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency, said the body of Starovoit, 53, was found with a gunshot wound in his car parked in Odintsovo, a neighborhood just west of the capital where many members of Russia’s elite live. A gun previously presented to him as an official gift was reportedly found next to his body.

A criminal probe was launched into the death, and investigators saw suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee’s spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, who did not say when Starovoit died.
Andrei Kartapolov, a former deputy defense minister who heads a defense committee in the lower house of parliament, told news outlet RTVI that Starovoit killed himself “quite a while ago,” and some Russian media alleged that he may have taken his life before the publication of Putin’s decree firing him. Starovoit was last seen in public Sunday morning, when an official video from the ministry’s situation room featured him receiving reports from officials.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-staro ... cd51f52066

[ponchi101]

Being a Russian minister is certainly a high risk job.

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Armenia denies discussing outsourcing control over sovereign territory – PM’s spokesperson

Armenia is discussing the issue of unblocking regional infrastructure solely within the framework of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia.Armenia has not discussed, and is not discussing, the outsourcing of control over its sovereign territory to any third party, the Spokesperson of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, said in response to a question from Armenpress.

Question: The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, speaking about the unblocking of regional transport infrastructure, mentioned the possibility of the U.S. leasing a part of Armenia's sovereign territory, through which the so-called "Zangezur Corridor" would be implemented. How would you comment on this statement?

Answer: The nomenclature you have mentioned is not acceptable to the Republic of Armenia. We have repeatedly stated that Armenia is discussing the issue of unblocking regional infrastructure exclusively within the framework of its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction. We cannot consider any other logic.As for land leasing, under Armenian legislation, such an arrangement exists only for agricultural lands used for agricultural purposes. Therefore, the option mentioned by the U.S. Ambassador is not possible.

Question:Is it possible that the U.S. Ambassador was referring to outsourcing road control?

Answer: The Republic of Armenia has not discussed, and is not discussing, the outsourcing of control over its sovereign territory to any third party. No part of the territory of the Republic of Armenia can be outside the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction. 

https://armenpress.am/en/article/1224817

[dryrunguy]

I guess I'll put this here. It's a stunning photo essay from the NY Times about Iceland. The teaser in the email alert was: What will we call Iceland when all the ice is gone?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/19/opin ... f11dfcd63a

[ti-amie]

News Eye
‪@newseye.bsky.social‬

Follow
NEW: Tomorrow’s front page of Scottish newspaper, The National.

[ti-amie]

France to recognise Palestinian state at UN general assembly, Macron says
French president announced decision on X, saying he hoped it would bring ‘lasting peace’ to Middle East

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and agencies
Thu 24 Jul 2025 19.14 EDT

France will recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN general assembly, Emmanuel Macron has said.

The French president announced the decision on X on Thursday evening, saying he hoped it would bring peace to the region.

Macron published a letter sent to the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, confirming France’s intention to become the first major western power to recognise a Palestinian state.

“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine,” Macron said.

“I will make this solemn announcement at the United Nations general assembly next September.”

Macron said the “urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and rescue the civilian population”.

“We must finally build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability and enable it, by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, to contribute to the security of all in the Middle East,” he wrote on social media.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said France’s decision “rewards terror” and “risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became”, which would be “a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it”.

“Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel,” he added.

The decision is also likely to spark anger in Washington. In a diplomatic cable in June, the US said it opposed any steps that would unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state.

Macron had been leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state for months as part of an attempt to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive, despite the pressure not to do so.

French officials initially weighed up the move in advance of a UN conference, which France and Saudi Arabia had planned to co-host in June, to lay out the parameters for a route to a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel’s security.

The conference was postponed under US pressure and after the 12-day Israel-Iran air war began, during which regional airspace was closed, making it hard for representatives of some Arab states to attend.

It was rescheduled and downgraded to a ministerial event on 28 and 29 July, with a second event due to take place with heads of state and government on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in September.

French officials had said in recent weeks that Macron remained resolved to recognise a Palestinian state and that he would decide the timing. France had weighed up when to make an announcement to try to ensure it would have a positive impact and could create momentum in the Middle East crisis.

The decision to make the announcement before next week’s conference aimed to give the French team at the UN a framework to work with other countries who are also considering recognising a Palestinian state or still have misgivings over doing so.

Diplomats say Macron has faced resistance from allies such as the UK and Canada over his push for the recognition of a Palestinian state. About 40 foreign ministers will be in New York next week.

Thanking France, the Palestinian Authority’s vice-president, Hussein al-Sheikh, said on X that Macron’s decision reflected “France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state”.

While France would be the most significant European power to recognise a Palestinian state, others have hinted they could do the same.

Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer announced he would hold a call with counterparts in Germany and France on efforts to stop the fighting on Friday, adding that a ceasefire would “put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state”.

Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all announced recognition in 2024 as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza continued.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, whose country already recognises Palestinian statehood, welcomed Macron’s announcement. Saudi Arabia hailed the announcement as “historic”.

The Saudi foreign ministry said: “The kingdom praises this historic decision, which reaffirms the international community’s consensus on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state.”

The head of the main UN agency serving Palestinians said on Thursday that his frontline staff were fainting from hunger, as the number of people dying of starvation in Gaza continued to rise and hopes for a ceasefire faded as negotiations collapsed.

With Reuters

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/ ... acron-says