Taliban insurgents declares defeat of US, allies

Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan on Monday declared the “defeat” of the United States and its allies in the 13-year-old war, a day after the coalition officially marked the end of its combat mission, Voice of America reports.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is shifting to a support mission for Afghan army and police more than a decade after an international alliance ousted the Taliban government for sheltering the planners of the September 11, 2001, attacks on American cities.

“ISAF rolled up its flag in an atmosphere of failure and disappointment without having achieved anything substantial or tangible,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement emailed on Monday.

NorthKorea diss US over release of 'The Interview', calls Obama a monkey

North Korea called President Barack Obama "a monkey" and blamed the U.S. on Saturday for shutting down its Internet amid the hacking row over the comedy "The Interview."

North Korea has denied involvement in a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures but has expressed fury over the comedy depicting an assassination of its leader Kim Jong Un. After Sony Pictures initially called off the release in a decision criticized by Obama, the movie has opened this week.
 On Saturday, the North's powerful National Defense Commission, the country's top governing body led by Kim, said that Obama was behind the release of "The Interview." It described the movie as illegal, dishonest and reactionary.

Canada sanctions on Russian oil industry

Canada announced new sanctions against Russia on Friday, including additional restrictions on the export of technology used in the oil and gas industry.

Foreign Minister John Baird also said sanctions were being applied on a number of individuals in Russia and Ukraine, due to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

"Doing nothing is not an option," Baird told a news conference.

Israel Likely Committed War Crimes During Gaza Flotilla Raid - ICC

The Israeli army committed war crimes during a raid on an aid flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip, Fatou Bensouda, the Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, said.

Bensouda said on Thursday that although crimes were committed, the culprits would not be prosecuted.

She said  “no case will be opened on the 2010 raid, as the matter was not of `sufficient gravity’ to merit the court’s intervention.”

Ten people, all Turkish citizens, including one who held dual U.S. citizenship, were killed during the raid, which put an immense strain on Turkey’s relations with Israel.

The Gaza Strip had been under tight blockade imposed by Israel, and at times Egypt, for the past eight years.

The flotilla was using the Comoros flag.

Europe | Ukraine Accuses Russia of Fresh Troop Buildup Along Border

Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of continuing the latest military build-up along the border of the two countries.

Spokesman Andriy Lysenko, quoting the Security Council in Kiev that some 60 armoured vehicles, including 50 T-64 tanks, were moved by train to a town close to the border in Russia’s southern Rostov region.

“The vehicles were not marked with national symbols’’, Lysenko said.

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said earlier this week that Russian troops were again moving closer to the Ukraine border.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of covertly supporting the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine by training and equipping them and by sending volunteers and Special Forces across the border.

However, Russia denies those accusations.

The situation in the conflict zone remained tense on Thursday.

Authorities in Donetsk said that artillery fire could be widely heard throughout the city.

oops! Canada's First Airstrikes In Iraq May Have Hit ISIL Dump Truck

Murray Brewster, 
The first strikes of Canada's air war over Iraq appear to have been aimed at construction equipment belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Although the military has been silent about what targets were bombed by two CF-18s during Canada's first air raids of the war, the U.S. command overseeing operations in the Gulf region released a list of the weekend bombing missions.

The only official Canadian acknowledgment came from Defence Minister Rob Nicholson, who said Sunday's attacks took place in the area of Fallujah, a militant stronghold about 71 kilometres west of Baghdad.

Nicholson wouldn't release details, but said more information would be forthcoming at an Ottawa briefing on Tuesday — 48 hours after the mission.

However, U.S. Central Command, based in Tampa, Fla., said four strikes hit a large ISIL unit in the vicinity where Canadian planes reportedly dropped their laser-guided bombs.

The attack apparently destroyed five ISIL bulldozers and one ISIL dump truck used to build obstructions and berms.

It is unclear whether Canadians carried out all of the strikes in the vicinity of Fallujah or if aircraft from other coalition nations were involved.

Diss | Drake Handles Tyga After He calls Him Fake

Young Money war! In a new interview with Vibe Magazine, rapper Tyga slammed his label Young Money and his other label mate, Drake. He doesn't like Drake and he made his feelings known. Tyga said;

"I’m tryna’ go independent. I don’t really get along with Drake. I don’t really get along with Nicki. I don't like Drake as a person. He’s just fake to me. I like his music; you know what I’m saying? I think his music is good, but we’re all different people. We were forced together and it was kinda like we were forcing relationships together. It is what it is."

Well, Drake obviously didn't find his comments funny and handled Tyga last night. Continue...

Canada Wins Meat-label​ling Dispute Against US

The Canadian Press. A butcher cuts New York Strip from Canadian beef at a butcher shop in Toronto, May 23, 2003.

John Cotter | Canadian Press
Canada has won a battle in an ongoing trade dispute with the United States over meat-labelling laws that have hurt the beef and pork industries.

The World Trade Organization released a ruling Monday that said U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) rules discriminate against exports from Canada and Mexico.

The rules, which went into effect in 2008 and were updated last year, are blamed by the Canadian meat industry for reducing exports to the U.S. by half.

The WTO compliance panel said COOL breaks trade rules because it treats Canadian and Mexican livestock less favourably than U.S. livestock.

The panel said changes the U.S. made to the rules last year made the policy even more detrimental to livestock exporters.
 

Russian Cargo Ship Sighted In British Columbia

The tow line attached to a disabled Russian cargo ship off the British Columbia coast has snapped, setting the ship adrift once again. | ©2014 DND-MND CANADA

OLD MASSETT, B.C. - A large tug boat arrived Saturday night to hook onto a Russian cargo ship adrift off the British Columbia coast, calming fears that the ship might drift ashore and cause an environmental disaster.

Lt. Paul Pendergast of the Canadian Forces' Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said the Barbara Foss arrived shortly after 5 p.m. local time, and was securing a line to the Simushir.

"When they get the vessel under tow, they'll first head in a northwesterly direction and get it further from the coastline and eventually into more sheltered waters to the north of Haida Gwaii," Pendergast said. "Then a decision will be made on where to take it."

The ship was adrift again for several hours Saturday after a tow line tethering the vessel to a Canadian Coast Guard ship snapped.

Lt. Greg Menzies of the rescue co-ordination centre said earlier that the crew members were in no danger.

"Right now all 10 crew members are on board," he said. "There's been no request for evacuation."

Two Canadian and one American coast guard ships were also on scene and three helicopters were on stand-by at the closest airport, he said.

The Simushir lost power Thursday night in rough seas west of the Haida Gwaii archipelago, off B.C.'s northern coast. There were immediate concerns it could drift ashore, break apart and spill hundreds of tonnes of bunker and diesel fuelling the vessel, creating an environmental disaster.

Asia Rumble | India and Pakistan clashes record more deaths

the wife of beheaded Indian soldier Hemraj Singh

India’s defence minister has asked Pakistan to stop its shelling in the disputed Kashmir region and warned it would make such attacks “unaffordable,” as the death toll in cross-border firing climbed to at least 17 after five additional fatalities were reported overnight, Al Jazeera reports.

“If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make cost of this adventurism unaffordable for it,” Arun Jaitley told journalists in New Delhi on Thursday.

“Pakistan should stop this unprovoked firing and shelling if it wants peace on the border.”

At least two people, including a woman, were killed in the Pakistani border town of Sialkot in overnight firing by Indian troops, according to the website of Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper.

Pakistan said it was capable of responding “befittingly” to Indian actions.

“We do not want the situation on the borders of two nuclear neighbours to escalate into confrontation,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Battle Royale | LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers Reunion With Miami Heats

LeBron James drives past the Miami Heat's Luol Deng during the Cleveland Cavaliers' preseason game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP photo)

Joe Vardon, Northeast Ohio Media Group 

Long before each game, prior to the two teams coming out for layup drills, LeBron James likes to get onto the floor for some early shooting. Most NBA players do.

It didn't happen for James Saturday night, keeping intact the theme of James' week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Not much happened for James here.

"For me I don't think I have personally found my rhythm, but that's kind of secondary for me right now," James said.

James' Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Miami Heat 122-119 in overtime of a preseason game at Rio's HSBC Arena. The fizzling for James came in two parts -- his on-floor performance against his old team, and the drama that was supposed to unfold surrounding his reunion with his old team.

First, the basketball.

James was wrapping his back and knees in ice with one minute left in the third quarter, done for the night with seven points and eight assists.

Canada Boycotts WHO Meeting In Moscow

Dmitry Lovetsky/The Canadian Press. Pro-Russian rebels fire mortars toward Ukrainian positions near to the airport in the town of Donetsk, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014.

Canada is boycotting a meeting of the World Health Organization on tobacco control next week because it’s being held in Moscow.

The move comes a week after the United States government announced it would also skip the regular meeting of countries who are part of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Washington has not yet ratified the treaty.

Canada is one of the founders of the tobacco convention, but Eve Adams, the parliamentary secretary to Health Minister Rona Ambrose, said the government would boycott the event on principle.

The federal government has been vocal in its opposition to Russian aggression in Ukraine, particularly the annexation of the Crimean region.

NBA Rivals | Paul Pierce Pokes Joakim Noah in the Face

Lion, King of Jungle Smashed To Death By Angry Buffalos

Wow! The moment a lion was trampled to death by a large herd of Buffalo was captured by game ranger, Lyle Gregg. The sad event happened at the Kruger National Park in South Africa. According to Gregg, the herd of Buffalo spotted the lion, which had earlier been forced out of his pride, and went after him. The lion tried to run but the herd caught up to him and trampled him to death by goring his body and stamping on his head.

See the dramatic photos after the cut..

See Yesterday's Epic Scuffle Between Soccer Rivals Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho

During yesterday's big rivals were at it in the London derby. Precisely 20 minutes into the match, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger walked over to Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho and pushed him after they disagreed over a tackle by a Chelsea player on an Arsenal player. While protesting to an official over the tackle, Wenger walked too close to Mourinho's side and Mourinho also started protesting to an official. An angry Wenger walked up to Mourinho and pushed him in the chest and of course Mourinho pushed him back. Other officials broke them up.

The two coaches didn't shake hands after the match! Arsene Wenger has never beaten a Mourinho side so there's always tension between these two.

See the dramatic photos after the cut...

Russia Fumes After Canada Denies Visas For Space Officials

Canada's refusal to allow Russian delegates to attend a prestigious international astronautical symposium has angered Moscow, which said the decision flies in the face of international space co-operation and amounts to politicizing space exploration over the conflict in Ukraine.

A spokesman for the Russian embassy on Tuesday called Ottawa's decision to deny visas for the delegates — including one of the country's most renowned astronauts — unfortunate.

"In this regard, we can only express regret that a number of members of the Russian delegation did not get their visas," Kirill Kalinin, second secretary at the Russian embassy in Ottawa, told The Canadian Press.

"This act unfortunately does not bring benefit to the Russian-Canadian bilateral relations."

Ottawa initially declined to discuss the issue, citing privacy concerns, but on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada confirmed some applications were denied, while others were still being reviewed.

"Each will be assessed on its merits by professional, non-partisan public servants in accordance with Canada's security and immigration laws," Nancy Caron said in an email.

An official with Roscosmos — the Russian space agency — said only two of its 10-strong delegation received Canadian visas for the 65th International Astronautical Congress — both of them translators who were the last to apply.

Canadian fighter jets intercept Russian military aircraft

Canadian CF-18 Hornet fighter jets armed with Sidewinder missiles intercepted a Russian air force aircraft over the Baltic Sea, the RCAF revealed Monday.

The drama took place Sept. 11 in international air space, Lt.-Col. David Pletz said in an interview. The Canadian warplanes flew beside a Russian An-26, looked into the cockpit and then followed the potential intruder for several minutes, said Pletz,  the commander of the detachment of four CF-18s based in Lithuania and head of the Canadian air task force.

“We flew out, provided identification of the aircraft and then changed to a shadow mission,” Pletz said. “We hung back and made sure they stayed away from Baltic air space.”

Canada began its first NATO air policing mission in the Baltics in late August with a four-month deployment to protect Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian airspace.

Winnipeg | Tigers Wrestled At Assiniboine Park Zoo, One Recorded Dead

One tiger is dead and another is behind bars following a fight at the Assiniboine Park Zoo early Thursday.

The zoo said its oldest Amur tiger, Baikal, had wandered into an enclosure where two young male tigers, Samkha and Vasili, were being housed and Vasili and Baikal got into a confrontation.

The older tiger was killed in the confrontation.

The zoo said a gate connecting the two enclosures had been mistakenly left unlocked which allowed Baikal to get in.

“This is a tragic event and our staff are devastated,” said Dr. Brian Joseph, Director of Zoological Operations for the Assiniboine Park Zoo in a release. “Baikal had lived at the Assiniboine Park Zoo for over five years and this is a heartbreaking loss for our staff and our visitors.”

The zoo is conducting a full review of the incident and said visitors were not in danger.

Samsung Fire Another Shot At Apple With 'Curved, Not Bent' Ad

Shot Fired | Samsung Diss Apple’s super-sized iPhone 6

 

 

Apple’s super-sized iPhone 6 Plus is having a hard time surviving skinny jeans. The company promised to replace any faulty models, but you knew “Bendghazi” couldn’t possibly end there. It was only a matter of time before Samsung tried to deliver a snarky knockout blow as their bitter rival wobbled.

This morning, they finally chimed in with a brilliantly concise tweet that doubled as a promotion for their GALAXY Note Edge, a “limited edition concept” with a curved edge that gives way to a slick side display. It burns. It burns so good: