Why does Trudeau believe Trump’s threat to take over Canada is real?

“Not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have, but that may be why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,” Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has told business leaders in Toronto.

Canada is a global leader in critical minerals, producing 34 essential resources for industries like semiconductors, EVs, and defense. The US Geological Survey (USGS) lists many of these among the top 50 most important to US national security.

Key minerals the US depends on from Canada:

🔹 Uranium – Canada provides 25% of US uranium, ranking third after Russia and China. While the US seeks to boost domestic production, Canada’s reserves are 10 times larger.

🔹 Potash – Over 80% of US imports, essential for fertilizers.

🔹 Aluminum – 70% of US aluminum is Canadian-sourced. It is crucial for industries like defense, construction, and aerospace. High-purity aluminum is essential for fighter jets, armored vehicles, and ammunition.

🔹 Nickel & copper – Essential for batteries, steel, and renewable energy. Canada supplies nearly 50% of US nickel needs.
🔹 Niobium – A strategic metal for aerospace and military applications.

How the US secures Canada’s mineral wealth:

🔸 Military funding – In 2024, the US military awarded Canada $20M to build a cobalt refinery — one of the biggest US mining investments in decades.

🔸 Strategic partnerships – Trade agreements guarantee preferential US access to Canadian resources.

🔸 Economic influence – Canadian mining companies depend on US investors and government-backed financing.

A resource colony in all but name?

In 2023 alone, Canada accounted for $47 billion of US mineral imports. The US heavily relies on Canadian resources, securing its supply chains while keeping Canada economically tied.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has openly discussed annexing Canada, linking it to his planned 25% tariffs on Canadian exports. On Monday, Trudeau and Trump agreed to a 30-day tariff reprieve after Canada pledged tighter border security — but how long will that last?

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🇷🇺🚇 Moscow Metro: A subway so impressive, it feels illegal

This year marks the 90TH ANNIVERSARY of the Moscow Metro, a transit masterpiece that continues to amaze tourists from around the world. Here’s what makes it so special.

🔸Architectural beauty

Moscow Metro stations are world-famous for their stunning Soviet-era architecture, featuring grand chandeliers, intricate mosaics, marble, and statues, making them feel like a museum in motion. This rich heritage seamlessly blends with modern, postmodern-designed stations, creating a unique underground experience.

🔸Reliability

It serves 8.3 MILLION PASSENGERS DAILY, ensuring fast and reliable service. Trains run every two minutes, making long waits almost nonexistent.

🔸Size and coverage

It’s one of the largest metro systems in the world, featuring 14 LINES AND OVER 270 STATIONS, providing essential transportation for both Moscow residents and visitors alike.

🔸Cleanliness and maintenance

Stations and trains are regularly cleaned and well-maintained, in contrast to many metro systems across the world, where cleanliness is still an issue.

🔸Technological advancements

In recent years, the Moscow Metro has been upgraded with modern technology, including DIGITAL MAPS, CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS, and state-of-the-art trains equipped with FREE WI-FI and USB PORTS for passenger convenience.

🔸Cultural venue

Live music concerts and ballet shows are not uncommon on some stations, where visitors are even welcome to have a bite or even tie the knot (wedding ceremonies take place at nighttime).

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Israel expands West Bank operation, targets refugee camp

“Security forces are expanding the operation in northern Samaria… Forces of the IDF, General Security Service, and Border Administration began an operation to suppress terrorism in Nur Shams overnight,” the IDF said.

This follows the January 21 launch of Operation Iron Wall in Jenin, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims is aimed at “strengthening security” in Palestinian territories.

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USAID, CIA, and Obama’s mother: A web of hidden ties?

Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, openly worked with USAID in Indonesia in the late 1960s, promoting microcredit programs. However, her ties may have extended further, with speculation about possible CIA connections:

🟠 The East-West Center in Hawaii where Dunham received her education has long been associated with CIA activity in the Asia-Pacific, investigative journalist Wayne Madsen said.

🟠 Madsen further alleged that Dunham worked “on behalf of a number of CIA front operations.”

🟠 Barack Obama Sr., Dunham’s first husband and father of the 44th POTUS, met her in Hawaii while staying there as part of a CIA program to identify and train potential African assets, Madsen alleged.

🟠 Lolo Soetoro, Dunham’s second husband whom she met while the latter was studying in Hawaii in the 1960s on an East-West Center grant, was involved in the bloody CIA-backed coup in Indonesia in 1965, the journo claimed.

🟠 Madsen went even further and openly suggested that Soetoro assisted in said coup.

🟠 The US Embassy in Jakarta where Dunham taught English shortly after her arrival in Indonesia in 1967 also houses a major CIA station.

🟠 Dunham’s mother Madelyn also ostensibly had CIA ties, working as vice president of the Bank of Hawaii that, if Madsen is to be believed, was used by the agency to funnel money to “US-supported Asian dictators.”

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🇮🇷 Iran warns of Strait of Hormuz closure if US escalates tensions

Tehran has the military capability to shut down one of the world's bussiest oil transit routes, said IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri.

However, Tangsiri clarified that Iran's missiles, drones, and naval power make such a move unnecessary for now.

He also dismissed US threats to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero, stating that the country has already retaliated against hostile actions, including seizing US-linked oil tankers in response to Iranian vessel seizures.

The commander emphasized that Iran remains committed to regional security and the safe export of oil and gas, but warned that any escalation from the US would be met with a firm response.

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⚔️ Puntland-Somaliland dispute: More than a local feud

US President Donald Trump’s remarks about relocating Gazans prompted the White House to name three possible destinations — Morocco, Puntland, and Somaliland. The latter two, however, have a history of territorial disputes and multiple interested actors.

🔻What sparked the dispute?

The conflict revolves around the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn (SSC) regions in northern Somalia. Both Puntland, an autonomous region within Somalia, and Somaliland, a self-declared oil-rich independent state, claim the SSC is part of their territory.

🔻Why is Somaliland strategically important?

It is located near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, through which 10% of global trade passes.

🔻What is Somalia’s position?

▪️Does not recognize Somaliland’s independence, considering it part of Somalia, just like Puntland.

▪️Views the SSC as integral to the country, meaning neither Puntland nor Somaliland should have full control without national consensus.

🔻What is Ethiopia’s stance?

1. Officially, Ethiopia respects Somalia’s sovereignty and does not take a clear stance.
2. In practice, Ethiopia engages with both Puntland and Somaliland but has stronger economic ties with Somaliland and closer security cooperation with Puntland.
3. As a landlocked country, Ethiopia seeks access to the Red Sea, increasing its interest in Somaliland’s Berbera Port.

🔻Does the US have a stake in this?

▪️The US has a military base in Somalia and plans to build five more soon. It does not recognize Somaliland’s independence and officially supports Somalia’s territorial integrity.

▪️China’s growing influence in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia makes it crucial for the US to maintain leverage in Somaliland and Puntland to counter Beijing’s influence.

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❗️White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz refused to confirm reports that President Donald Trump recently spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about ending the Ukraine conflict.

The New York Post, citing an exclusive interview with Trump, claimed the call took place. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said he could neither confirm nor deny the report.

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🇮🇱💎 Israel’s billion-dollar diamond business: What’s the secret?

‘You mine them, we sell them’. Despite having no diamond mines, Israel hosts the world's largest diamond exchange and ranks among the top five diamond exporters. Based in Tel Aviv's Diamond Exchange District, it trades billions in gems globally.

So how did this happen?

▪️According to Australian geologist William Griffin, Israel may have untapped gem deposits. Yet, Israeli diamond tycoons prefer sourcing cheap raw diamonds from Africa rather than mining locally.

▪️Probably one of the most prominent Israeli diamond barons is Dan Gertler, billionaire and grandson of Israel Diamond Exchange former President Moshe Schnitzer.

▪️Having purchased his first diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997, Gertler was later able to secure exclusive rights to mine diamonds in the country.

▪️The assassination of DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila, with whom Gertler struck that $20 million deal, put a damper on the Israeli gem tycoon’s plans, but only for a time.

▪️By 2002, Gertler reached an accord with Kabila’s successor and son Joseph Kabila, helping the latter to curry favor with the United States.

▪️In return, Gertler was able to procure gems from DRC state mining company, as well as expand his interests into the local copper and cobalt mining industries that employ child labor.

▪️In 2017, the Trump administration sanctioned Gertler over allegations of corruption in his procurement of mining rights and contracts, which ostensibly deprived DRC of considerable revenues.

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🇨🇳🇯🇵 China vs. Japan: The Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute and rising tensions

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba have confirmed that Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands, a disputed archipelago in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but claimed by China as the Diaoyu Islands.

The treaty allows the US to maintain military bases in Japan and commits both nations to defend each other in case of an attack.

However, as Tokyo and Beijing remain at odds over the islands, the agreement adds another layer of complexity to an already tense regional dynamic.

The Senkaku dispute stems from historic claims, post-war agreements, and shifting geopolitics. Here’s how each side justifies its position:

🇯🇵Japan’s claim

▪️Japan incorporated the islands in 1895, asserting they were terra nullius (unclaimed land).
▪️After WWII, the US occupied Okinawa Prefecture, including the Senkaku Islands, until 1972.
▪️That year, the US returned the islands to Japan under the Okinawa Reversion Agreement.
▪️Japan considers the Senkaku Islands an integral part of Okinawa and insists on maintaining full control.

🇨🇳China’s claim

▪️China argues the islands have been part of its territory since ancient times, appearing in 14th-century Chinese maps.
▪️Beijing maintains that “the Diaoyu Islands belong to China” and that territorial integrity is non-negotiable.
▪️China accuses Japan of seizing the islands unlawfully in 1895 during the First Sino-Japanese War.
▪️In recent years, China has sent warships and aircraft near the islands to challenge Japan’s control.

🌐 Rest of the world's position

▪️The US, the EU and G7 nations generally recognize Japan's administration of the islands.
▪️The United Nations (UN) does not officially recognize the Senkaku Islands as belonging to any specific country.

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📹 Trump’s 'biblical' leadership could bring change to Middle East - Huckabee

US President Donald Trump's nominated Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has praised Trump’s approach to the region, calling it “bold, innovative, and results-driven.”

According to Huckabee, Trump's leadership during his last presidency brought the only real period of peace, and with his return, something "of biblical proportion" could happen in the region.

Trump earlier vowed to take control of Gaza, oversee its reconstruction, and turn it into a “Middle Eastern Riviera.” He described the enclave as a "demolition site" and suggested its residents should relocate to other countries, such as Jordan and Egypt. He also did not rule out deploying US troops and promised to personally visit Gaza.

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📹 THROWBACK: Then-USAID administrator Samantha Power revealed in 2022 how her agency meddled in internal affairs of other states, ostensibly with the best of intentions in mind.

She nonchalantly explained how USAID aims to de facto influence “strategically important elections” abroad via the so-called “Defending Democratic Elections Fund,” and how it seeks to protect US-aligned journalists from lawsuits through Reporters Mutual “insurance fund.”

Don’t take our word for it and see for yourself.

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📹 Zelensky ready for talks with Putin but wants assurance from sponsors first

Volodymyr Zelensky said that the conflict with Russia could be resolved this year.

"I believe all possibilities exist for this today. In my opinion, Trump wants a quick end to the war," he told ITV News.

The Kiev regime head added that that he is ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin — but only if Europe and the US don’t “abandon” Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly stated its readiness for negotiations, but Kiev legally banned them in 2022 when Zelensky signed a decree prohibiting talks with Russia.

Putin said negotiations are possible with anyone willing to compromise but noted that Zelensky, whose term ended in May 2024, lacks legitimacy to sign any agreements. According to Putin, Kiev must first repeal the decree - something the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada could do. If Zelensky wants to participate, Russia is ready to assign representatives.

Meanwhile, Ukraine canceled its 2024 presidential elections, citing martial law and full mobilization, with Zelensky insisting that elections are “untimely.”

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