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Ottawa and Alberta Forge Landmark Energy Accord

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, meets with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Calgary on Thursday.   In a move that could redefine Canada’s energy landscape, Ottawa and Alberta have signed a new energy deal aimed at strengthening cooperation between the federal government and the province. The agreement signals a major shift in their often-contentious relationship, focusing on shared priorities such as clean energy investment, emissions reduction, and economic growth. The deal outlines commitments to expand renewable energy projects, modernize infrastructure, and support workers transitioning from traditional oil and gas sectors. Both sides emphasized that the accord is designed to balance Alberta’s economic reliance on energy production with Ottawa’s national climate goals. Observers note that this agreement could mark the beginning of a more collaborative era, reducing political friction and positioning Canada as a stronger player in the global energy transition.

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Iraqi Militias Cross into Syria to Support Government Forces

 

Hundreds of fighters from Iran-backed Iraqi militias crossed into Syria overnight to help the government fight rebels who seized Aleppo last week, Syrian and Iraqi sources said on Monday. At least 300 fighters, primarily from the Badr and Nujabaa groups, crossed late on Sunday using a dirt road to avoid the official border crossing, two Iraqi security sources said.

"These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north," a senior Syrian military source said, adding the fighters had crossed in small groups to avoid airstrikes. Iran's constellation of allied regional militia groups has long been integral to the success of pro-government forces in subduing rebels who rose up against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, and they have long maintained bases in Syria.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday Syria's military was capable of confronting the rebels but, referring to the regional militia groups Tehran backs, he added that "resistance groups will help and Iran will provide any support needed". Syrian government and Russian warplanes intensified attacks on Monday in areas held by rebels in the northwest, residents and rescue workers said, including a strike on a displaced people's camp that killed seven.

The lightning rebel assault last week caught many in the region unaware, dealing Assad his biggest blow in years and reigniting a conflict that had appeared frozen for years after civil war front lines stabilized in 2020. Although Russia has been focused on the war in Ukraine since 2022, it retains an air base in northern Syria. The main Iran-backed group, Lebanon's Hezbollah, has been focused on its own war with Israel since the Gaza conflict began last year.

The rebels include mainstream groups backed by Turkey, as well as the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which was formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda. Turkey also has a military presence in a strip of Syrian territory along its border. Kurdish-led forces that Ankara calls terrorists, but which fought Islamic State militants with U.S. help, hold territory in the northeast.

Any prolonged escalation in Syria risks further destabilizing a region already roiled by the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, with millions of Syrians already displaced and with regional and global powers backing rival forces in the country.




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