News roundup, 4 June 2026

- Far-right extremists rioted in Southampton, England on Tuesday over the death of a young man last year. The family of the victim, Henry Nowak, had asked for his death not to be politicized, but given the circumstances (he'd been stabbed to death by a Sikh man, and police initially suspected that he had instigated the fight) Nigel Farage couldn't pass up the opportunity to do so. Farage claimed that there was "two tier policing" in the UK, and that the killing was a result of "mass immigration" (despite the fact that the killer was born and raised in the country). Foreign agitators, including Elon Musk, have been quick to add fuel to the fire, and Farage's brownshirts responded as you'd expect. Farage seems unapologetic about the matter, but then his kind don't believe in backing down.

- The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the US/Israel attack on Iran has so far not led to quite as dramatic a spike in oil prices as some had feared, as countries around the world have relied on oil reserves. This is set to change, though, as these reserves are rapidly depleting with no sign of an end of the war. Prices of over $150 per barrel are expected in the coming weeks. Airlines are downplaying the situation; Air Canada and Lufthansa have both made statements to the effect that there is absolutely no risk of a shortage that could strand passengers. Of course they have to say that or people might be reluctant to buy flights to faraway destinations.

- The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution to end the Iran war.  Four Republicans voted with the Democrats on the resolution. The vote had been scheduled to be held two weeks ago but was delayed by Republican leaders, presumably in the hope of bullying their party's dissidents into opposing the resolution. Of course it would also have to pass the Senate, and would inevitably be vetoed by the Mango Mussolini if it got that far; the Democrats presumably hope that it will give them ammunition to call the war illegal in this fall's election campaign.

- The Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party has blocked Wally Daudrich from running in the constituency of Turtle Mountain after incumbent Doyle Piwniuk announced that he will not be running in the next election. The party has not given a reason, but presumably they consider his hardcore positions to be a liability in suburban Winnipeg, where the party has to do well in order to have a chance of winning an election.

- Pride Winnipeg has caused a stir by prohibiting military personnel from marching in uniform in the upcoming Pride parade. The organization says that this was based on "community feedback", saying that the community was "hurting" due to conflicts around the world. Many LGBT* veterans are understandably less than pleased with the decision, however.

News roundup, 22 May 2026,

- Danielle Smith has found a workaround for the court ruling that stopped a referendum on Alberta independence from going on the ballot. The new plan is to hold a referendum on whether to "commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum" on separation. This presumably will provide cover for Smith to call for a yes vote on this, all while claiming that of course she'd vote no on the actual question of secession.

- The US House of Representatives was scheduled to hold a vote on a "war powers resolution" that could potentially force an end to Trump's military adventure in Iran. The vote has been delayed though. The Republicans' house leader, Steve Scalise, says this was done to allow legislators who were absent to be available for the vote; the Democrats suspect that they feared losing the vote. Certainly Trump's efforts to defeat his critics in their primaries has left a few Republicans with a lot less left to lose by defying the regime.

- Three Toronto police officers were arrested in Spain last week on charges of sexual assault and assault causing injury. The victim was a sex worker; the incident allegedly occurred in a taxi. I guess they forgot that they were in another country and couldn't get away with their usual antics. The officers are suspended, but as is usual for cops they're still getting paid for the time being.

- Sales of electric cars are spiking in Manitoba as fuel prices continue to rise. 8.8% of new vehicles sold in the province in March were electric. This is below the national average of 12%, however, despite Manitoba's relatively cheap electricity.

- Perennial candidate Don Woodstock has entered the race for the mayor's office in Winnipeg. Woodstock is actually mentioned in the Wikipedia article on perennial candidates; not only did he run for mayor in 2018, he has run for the provincial Liberals in 2007 and 2011, for city council in 2014, for the federal Greens in 2015, and provincially as an independent in 2016.

- A tour bus chartered by a visiting baseball team, the Kane County Cougars, was torched in the parking lot as the team was in town to play the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Two people, including a 15 year old girl, have been arrested.

- A rural Minnesota man has been arrested after allegedly shooting at a firefighting aircraft as it collected water from a lake, putting a hole in the vertical stabilizer. He claims that it happened accidentally while he was hunting crows; he also claims that the aircraft somehow "endangered my life".