US President Donald Trump once again resorted to one of his favorite weapons, tariffs, on Saturday, threatening Canada with 100% tariffs if it signs a trade agreement with China.

In a post on Truth Social in which he reiterated his argument about the Chinese threat, the White House chief said that “if Canada signs a deal with China, a 100% tariff will be immediately imposed on all Canadian goods and products entering the United States.”

Trump added that if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “thinks he’s going to turn Canada into a ‘drop-off port’ for China to send goods and products to the United States, he’s very wrong.”

In another message, he noted that “the last thing the world needs is for China to take over Canada” and affirmed: “That’s not going to happen, it’s not even close to happening!”

Carney has been one of the most vocal critics of the Trump Administration's foreign policy approach. In addition to his recent trip to Beijing, meeting with Xi Jinping, and signing a roadmap with China outlining 28 strategic cooperation measures , he delivered a scathing speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos that echoed many of the criticisms of Washington's course and, according to analysts, "overshadowed and annoyed" the president.

Speaking in Davos before Trump's inauguration, Carney spoke of a breakdown in the world order and stated that "middle powers must act together, because if you're not at the table, you're on the menu." He also warned of coercion by major powers, without mentioning the US president by name.

In the escalation against Carney, Trump went so far as to say that "Canada lives thanks to the United States," to which the prime minister responded that his nation can be an example that the world does not have to lean towards autocratic tendencies and that "Canada does not live thanks to the United States; it prospers because we are Canadians."

Trump, who has called the prime minister "Governor Carney," also withdrew his invitation to join his Peace Board, which has been rejected or viewed with suspicion by several governments and organizations that point to its incompatibility with the multilateral system or perceive it as an attempt to supplant the United Nations.

Since the beginning of his second term, along with his demands that the Panama Canal be returned to American control and that Greenland be controlled by Washington, Trump has stated that Canada should cede its sovereignty and become the 51st state of the U.S.

Initially, Canada followed the United States in imposing a 100% tariff on electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum, to which Beijing responded with 100% tariffs on Canadian canola oil and flour and 25% tariffs on pork and seafood. As the Trump administration intensified its pressure tactics and interventionist rhetoric, a distancing began, culminating in Carney's visit to the Asian giant to improve bilateral relations.

Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states , and hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of goods and services cross the border between the two countries every day. Sixty percent of U.S. crude oil imports come from Canada, as do 85 percent of U.S. electricity imports.

Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum, and uranium to the United States and has 34 critical minerals and metals, another of the assets that drive the actions of the current Administration in the White House.

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/10483076

"So-called "peace president" Donald Trump has bombed 10 countries, more than any other US leader. He attacked 7 countries in 2025 alone. Now he wants to raise the USA's military budget to $1.5 trillion. Ben Norton explains how the self-declared "peacemaker" is waging war around the world."

In an operation described by Southern Command as “ kinetic and lethal ,” U.S. military forces carried out an attack against a vessel that the command said was linked to organizations designated as terrorists and that operated on known drug trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific.

The announcement, disseminated through X by the Southern Command itself , places the event on January 23 and indicates that two alleged " narco-terrorists " died and a third managed to survive the incident.

CW for video in Spoiler: Death

According to the official version, the action is part of the US-orchestrated military campaign in the Pacific, allegedly focused on curbing drug trafficking and preventing illicit shipments from reaching US territory.

In the statement, Southern Command emphasizes that the operation is proceeding under the direction of high command and that the target is cells linked to organizations designated as terrorists, whose networks operate on the high seas along drug trafficking routes.

US authorities have not provided specific details about the identity of the vessel, its flag, or the safeguards in place to prevent civilian casualties or collateral damage.

The attacks on vessels, which began in September 2025, have so far left more than 120 people dead , in episodes described by various experts as extrajudicial executions by the United States .

Belgium has banned aircraft carrying weapons and military equipment to Israel from using the country’s airspace or making technical stops, the Foreign Ministry confirmed to Anadolu on Friday.

According to sources from the ministry, the measure came into effect on Thursday.

The decision, initiated by Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, requires relevant parties to report to Belgian officials the transportation details of flights carrying military equipment to Israel, daily Le Soir reported.

The embargo aims to prevent the transportation of arms and military goods to Israel, the daily noted.

The decision also closes legal loopholes that previously allowed “non-stop transit” shipments, where cargo was not unloaded during technical stops.

Inspections will be conducted by customs authorities and the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport (SPF Transport).

In Belgium, licenses for arms exports fall under the authority of regional governments, while transportation and transit of weapons are managed at the federal level, which means the federal embargo could effectively prevent the use of regional export licenses.

“Belgium has an obligation to do everything possible to avoid contributing to this situation… Belgium is ensuring that it respects its obligations under international law and is sending a clear signal at the European and international levels,” Prevot said earlier on this topic.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that began in October 2023 and lasted two years has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, most of them women and children, and destroyed about 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.

Since a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Israel killed 483 Palestinians and wounded 1,287, sharply restricting the entry of food, shelter materials and medical supplies into Gaza, where 2.4 million Palestinians live in dire conditions.

Cross post https://altmedia.house/post/182258

Source -> https://xcancel.com/araghchi/status/2014688298472460563#m

Dear friends, We are going through unimaginably difficult days, with very limited support and resources nearly gone. After God, all we have left is your kindness and compassion. Our lives truly depend on your help, and any contribution—no matter how small—can become a lifeline and restore hope where there is none.

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The economic blockade strategy against Venezuela was designed to cut off sources of external financing and block sovereign debt in dollars, deteriorating its value, preventing its renegotiation, and raising the country risk to the point of scaring away international capital.

At the same time, oil production was systematically demolished: export revenues fell from $39 billion in 2014 to just $743 million in 2020. According to the report “The Numbers of the Blockade (2014-2023). Statistical Account of an Aggression” by the Venezuelan Anti-Blockade Observatory, in seven years Venezuela lost 99 out of every 100 dollars it received.

Although there has been a slight recovery since 2021, revenues in 2022 represented only 10% of those collected in 2015, the year in which the Unilateral Coercive Measures were intensified.

Source -> https://observatorio.gob.ve/#numeros_del_bloqueo_vf_mayo_2023/1/

and https://t.me/misionverdad/17133

During the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared that the "maximum pressure" policy ordered by President Trump led to the collapse of the Iranian economy, causing a dollar shortage and street protests, which he described as a successful exercise in "the art of economic governance." "We collapsed the Iranian economy so that people would take to the streets; it's economic policy without a bullet," Bessent stated.

He asserted that the sanctions deliberately seek to destabilize the economy to provoke social instability, a strategy he described as coercion "without firing a single shot," and directly linked the sanctions-induced economic crisis to the mass protests that began in December 2025, when the rial hit historic lows.

The Iranian rial depreciated by more than 20% in a single month (December 2025) and has lost more than 80% of its value in a year, reaching a rate of around 1.47 million rials per dollar. The United States' methods for bringing about the collapse of the Persian economy have consisted primarily of isolating Iran from the global financial system, blocking its oil export revenues, and restricting its access to foreign currency reserves.

This has led to a severe dollar shortage, triggering uncontrolled money printing by the central bank to finance the deficit and completely eroding confidence in the national currency. This monetary crisis exacerbated inflation that was already exceeding 42% (with food prices rising by 72%), prompting thousands of Iranians to protest the economic situation.

While Bessent's statements have a certain triumphalist and "all-powerful" tone that needs to be qualified, the truth is that the so-called "revolution" of these weeks was ignited from a deliberate strategy, where extreme economic tools were used with the intention of structurally weakening the Iranian state and bending its political will.

Given this prospect, many publishers—with a wide range of ideological biases—have already rushed to predict the end of the Islamic Republic without any real contextual analysis. We say this because making such a claim denies that Iranian society has been accustomed to a resistance economy for decades.

When the United States disconnected Iranian banks from the SWIFT system and threatened secondary sanctions against any buyer of its oil, the objective was clear: to reduce the Islamic Republic's vital revenues to zero. The thesis of absolute financial power seemed unassailable. However, life (economic and political) finds a way. Iran did not passively endure the blockade; it began to weave a network of evasion and resistance that constitutes a true antithesis to the siren songs of both imperialism and Western progressivism.

To maintain the flow of its oil, Iran deployed what analysts call a "ghost fleet." These are veteran tankers that sail with their transponders turned off, conduct offshore transfers, and frequently change flags and names. This clandestine system, though risky and costly, has allowed Iran to maintain a significant volume of exports. The main destination: China, which now buys nearly 90% of Iranian crude at a discounted price, becoming Tehran's economic lifeline.

Western pressure acted as a geopolitical magnet, irrevocably drawing Iran closer to America's strategic rivals. With Russia, the relationship has evolved from tactical cooperation to a strategic military alliance: Iran supplies Shahed drones, which have been crucial on the Ukrainian front, and in return, Moscow provides advanced military technology, such as Su-35 fighter jets, and cooperates on Iran's civilian nuclear program. Together with China, they form an alternative power triangle, conducting joint military exercises and protecting each other in the UN Security Council.

Within the country, the population and even state institutions have turned to modern tools to survive the sanctions. Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies have become popular not only as a store of value for citizens who see their savings in rials evaporate, but also as a channel for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) itself to conduct international transactions outside the reach of the traditional banking system.

The economic war has not broken Iran; it has strengthened its resolve and integrated it more deeply into the political order from which the United States sought to extract it.

The Venezuelan government has called for the first National Popular Consultation of 2026, to be held on March 8 , in commemoration of International Women's Day. This event will allow communities throughout the country to democratically choose the projects that will be financed by the State, highlighting the leading role of women and youth in building territorial socialism.

Venezuela's interim president , Delcy Rodríguez, announced the consultation during her speech at the Federal Council of Government , specifying that citizens will vote on the Transformation I and Transformation II programs.

“They will submit economic and productive projects related to Transformation I, and those related to infrastructure development, works, and services, from Transformation II ,” the president explained. These two strategic lines correspond to Economic Transformation, focused on local entrepreneurship and productive projects, and the Human City, centered on infrastructure, public services, and habitat improvements.

This direct governance methodology allows the people themselves to identify and prioritize solutions to their most urgent needs, according to the executive branch. The call is directed to all community councils and communes , urging them to mobilize in the spirit of the “Venezuelan warriors . ”

The acting president also announced that the second Obratón (a massive public works campaign) will take place this month, with 8,234 projects ready for the Venezuelan people , reinforcing the implementation of public policies from the grassroots level. She further urged governors and mayors to work together for "Venezuela, for the people, and for the peace and economic, political, and social stability" of the nation.

“Let them see us as what we are, a power in exercise, a power in action for the highest values ​​of Our Republic and for what is most sacred, which should be the happiness of the Venezuelan people ,” the president expressed.

With this process, Venezuela continues to deepen its model of direct democracy , where the execution of resources remains in the hands of the organized people to guarantee transparency and efficiency in each project.

PARIS (AP) — France’s Navy, working with intelligence provided by the United Kingdom, on Thursday stole an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that traveled from Russia, in a mission targeting the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet, officials said.

French maritime authorities for the Mediterranean said the ship, the Grinch, is suspected of operating with a false flag. The French Navy is escorting the ship to port for more checks, the statement said.

“We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post about the interception, with a photo showing a French helicopter hovering over a ship.

“The activities of the ‘shadow fleet’ contribute to financing the war of aggression against Ukraine,” Macron added.

The French mission was conducted together with the U.K, which gathered and shared intelligence that enabled the ship to be intercepted, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation.

The ship was flying under a false flag from the Comoros islands, which are off east Africa, and its crew is Indian, the officials said.

Brazil's Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) said it will send a large brigade of young people to Venezuela after the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

Similarly, the movement announced that it will participate in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in Palestine, devastated by Israel's genocidal military escalation, which has left more than 71,000 Palestinians dead and 171,372 wounded.

This was stated by Simone Magalhães, from the Internationalist sector of the MST.

The 14th National Meeting of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) began on Monday in Salvador, Bahia. Nearly 3,000 activists from across the country gathered in the Bahian capital to discuss the Movement's political strategy.

The MST will discuss its general statutes, organizational structure, tactics, and planning for the next period.

The opening panel of the meeting focused on global geopolitics and the current international situation, featuring journalist Breno Altman and Stephanie Weatherbee, an activist with the International Articulation of Peoples. Both highlighted the crisis of US imperialist hegemony.

“The world is experiencing a contradiction that will mark the coming years: between a moribund unipolar order, led by the United States, and the rise of a multipolar order still in formation, driven mainly by China’s economic growth and the strengthening of the Russian nation-state,” said Breno Altman.

The analyst argued that “imperialism in crisis does not become more amiable, but more violent, like a wounded beast . The resurgence of fascist movements in imperialist countries is a product of this crisis.”

I am losing hope. Every day feels heavier than the one before. I am doing everything I can to keep my children alive, warm, and fed, but the situation is beyond what any human should endure. We are still suffering from hunger, cold, and fear, and our needs are greater than ever. Please, don’t turn away from us. Please don’t stop supporting us. Your help is not charity — it is our lifeline. Without you, I don’t know how we will survive. https://gofund.me/00439328

"President Trump ordered the Treasury Department and OFAC to put maximum pressure on Iran, and it worked...

Video link -> https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/2013981542595633153/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/MZsiKbcJ-2DqeOPx.mp4

Source -> https://xcancel.com/CoordMex_Venez/status/2013981586203512965#m

Calling them dogs is insult to the dog

https://archive.ph/xUGxp