SDF Chatter

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2599828

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As some European countries and the United States head towards isolationism, authoritarianism and turn to the East — even flirting with Russia — Canada’s continued Liberal leadership reinforces its position as a key ally for the European Union. Carney’s centrist and pro-EU attitude provides stability and relief for Europeans.

From defence to trade and climate, Canada and the EU share deep economic and strategic ties. With a Liberal government, these connections will strengthen, offering both sides what they need the most: a reliable, like-minded partner at a time of transatlantic unpredictability.

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Trade remains the foundation of the Canada-EU relationship, and both sides should aim to build on it. At the heart of this partnership is the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which has increased EU-Canada trade by 65 per cent since 2017.

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Beyond trade and energy, defence co-operation between Canada and the EU is expected to surge. A key priority for the new Liberal government is to finally reach NATO’s benchmark of spending two per cent of gross domestic product on defence, a longstanding commitment that has eluded previous administrations.

Archived

New Zealand will continue its military assistance to Ukraine until at least December 2026, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced this week, with up to 100 NZDF personnel remaining deployed across Europe to support training, intelligence, logistics, and liaison operations.

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Framed as a show of “unwavering support” for Ukraine, the announcement signals a long-term commitment to a conflict that remains fluid, with ceasefire negotiations reportedly under way.

Of the $152 million committed, $102.3 million has been spent on military training, logistics, and equipment. Only $31.9 million has gone toward humanitarian support, and a further $5.2 million to legal and human rights monitoring

While over 53,000 Ukrainian troops have reportedly been trained through allied efforts, New Zealand’s marginal impact must be weighed against the opportunity cost.

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Additionally, the United Kingdom government has announced a deal worth £30 million (NZ$66.8 million) for drones produced by New Zealand company SYOS Aerospace.

New Zealand is also expected to announce increased support for the joint Operation Interflex training Ukrainian forces in the UK, extending it until the end of the year. More than 54,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained there to date.

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Robotics business SYOS manufactures drones at its factory in Hampshire, southeast of London, and they have been deployed to combat zones.

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Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha will also join a UK carrier strike group leaving Portsmouth for the Indian Ocean.

"As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous place, I am proud how much we are doing together to support our national and economic security - stepping up our defence spending, deploying our navies together in the Indo-Pacific and continuing our work to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia," [UK PM] Keir Starmer said.

I finally got around to making my own book. Its for my wife to introduce her to ML.

It looks really ~~janky~~ rustic and I hope it holds together well but we'll see I guess. Unfortunately I was careless with the glue in when sticking the text block to the cover and so it looks really dirty.

I typeset it myself in LaTeX then printed it on regular A4 copy paper, which unfortunately has the wrong grain direction since I want to fold it but finding proper paper is impossible. I'm going to buy a huge roll of paper and cut it myself next time probably since its rather cheap actually, like 20€ for a roll of 0.61x50m A1 paper.

Bound it with the cheapest linen thread, waxed with paraffin because I still dont know of a good beeswax alternative, glued the spine with regular white craft glue. The tapes are really thin linen gauze. I got the boards from the back of notebooks and glued it all together with corn starch. I think this whole book of 300 pages = 125 sheets cost less than a euro since its basically paper, toner, some thread, some gauze and a few grams of corn starch. Oh and the wrapping is some brown packing paper.

I'm hoping to make a couple books like this so I get a library going but I dont know if I'll bind it on board again or just glue it on some carton. It's a lot more effort to glue it on board and they're still warped despite all my efforts.

I'm thinking of printing the covers on 120gsm cardboard and gluing them together over the spine basically thread the linen gauze through the back cover and glue it on, then glue the front cover so the tapes are sealed. then I could just tip the textblock on the covers and it would cause that much warp. Dunno yet though. First I gotta typeset "Imperialsm, the highest stage of capitalism", which is next on the list.

Wegen Anschlagsplänen auf die Synagoge in Halle ist ein 19-Jähriger in Haft. Der Mann soll sein rechtsextremistisch motiviertes Vorhaben wiederholt in einer Telegram-Chatgruppe angekündigt und sich im Februar eine Langwaffe zur Umsetzung seines Plans beschafft haben, wie die Staatsanwaltschaft mitteilte. Ein konkreter Zeitpunkt für die Durchführung der Tat habe noch nicht festgestanden.

Auf Antrag der Staatsanwaltschaft hat das Amtsgericht Halle einen Haftbefehl gegen den 19-Jährigen wegen Vorbereitung einer schweren staatsgefährdenden Gewalttat in Tateinheit mit unerlaubtem Besitz einer Schusswaffe erlassen. Laut der Staatsanwaltschaft bestreitet der Mann, die Anschlagspläne ernsthaft verfolgt zu haben.

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