- The death toll in the Indian strike on Pakistan in retaliation for the terrorist attack in the Indian part of Kashmir is now reportedly at least 31. Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has vowed to "avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs". This is not the kind of language you want to hear in a dispute between two nuclear powers.
- Danielle Smith plans to introduce legislation to change the rules concerning citizen-initiated referenda, which would reduce the number of signatures necessary to force a referendum from 20% of eligible voters to 10%, as well as increasing the time period during which the signatures are collected from 90 to 120 days. This is clearly advantageous to Alberta separatists, despite Smith's claim that she does not favour secession. And meanwhile, it is reported (anecdotally) that people claiming to represent the "Alberta Republican Party" have apparently been going door to door in Alberta, canvassing in groups kinda like Mormons - and many of them seem to be Americans. And as someone in that thread pointed out, Smith is spending a lot of time at Trump's mansion - as one might if one wanted to discuss certain matters outside of the earshot of Canadian intelligence. One almost wonders if Smith is collaborating with the Americans to stir up a secessionist movement - perhaps so that Trump can try to "liberate" the province, Donetsk style. Let's hope not, but...
- The UK Conservative Party is tanking big time, with one recent poll putting them in third place behind Nigel Farage's Reform Party at 29% and Labour at 22%. If Labour were smart, they'd take the opportunity to bring in electoral reform to minimize the risk of a Reform majority, but I wouldn't count on that.
- The Danish government is summoning the US ambassador following reports that American intelligence has been ordered to increase their spying activities in Greenland. Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, has responded with fury at the Wall Street Journal for its role in publicizing the order, accusing the paper of "aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President".
- Cargo at the Port of Los Angeles is down by 35% following Trump's tariffs. This is already impacting businesses in southern California and is expected to have significant impacts on the broader economy.
- The gigantic containment vessel around the infamous Reactor #4 at the Chornobyl nuclear plant was severely damaged in a drone strike earlier this year. While no release of radioactive material occurred in the strike, it leaves the reactor vulnerable to the elements and could lead to leakage unless it is fixed soon. The cost of repair is expected to be significantly more than the €25 million available in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's international contingency fund, and the shortfall is likely to have to be made up by the EU and UK. Ukrainian officials believe that the structure may have been deliberately targeted, making it a potential war crime. The Russians, for their part, are suggesting that it was a false flag attack by the Ukrainians.
- People are starting to use AI chatbots for spiritual advice. This is going about as well as you'd expect.
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