Canada offers to help America with deterrence measures against Russia and possible sanctions against Moscow

Canada has offered the United States assistance in possible deterrence measures against Russia in the event of the latter's invasion of Ukraine, in conjunction with the launch of US-Russian talks in Geneva on the eight-year war in Ukraine.

Canada has informed the United States of its readiness to provide assistance with possible US deterrence measures against Russia in order to alleviate the crisis in Ukraine.

Canada made the offer during a meeting between Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie and her US counterpart Anthony Blinken on December 31, the Canadian CBC network reported Monday.

The network reported that Blinken "received the message well," according to a source familiar with the matter.

Washington is also working with its allies, including Canada, to deter Russia from a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where nearly 100,000 Russian troops are stationed near Ukraine's eastern border.

In addition, bilateral talks between Russia and the United States began in Geneva on Monday over the nearly eight-year-old war in Ukraine.

Jolie said in a tweet on Twitter last Thursday that Russia would face "coordinated sanctions" if it invaded Ukraine.

"Canada and its (NATO) allies are united in support of Ukraine and its people. Russia must de-escalate and engage in meaningful dialogue. Any military incursion into Ukraine will have serious consequences, including coordinated sanctions."

In turn, the American newspaper "New York Times" reported that the United States and its allies are preparing to impose new sanctions on Russia, in an attempt to calm the situation, noting that the sanctions could be imposed "within hours" of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The newspaper reported that the sanctions could include the isolation of Russia's largest financial institutions from global transactions, and a ban on some US technology transfers and the arming of defenders of Ukraine.

GAC spokesperson Jason Kong said Canada has already imposed a wide range of economic sanctions on more than 430 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and entities who facilitated the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty or obstructed the work of international organizations in Ukraine.

Kong added in a statement that Canada continues to work with allies and international partners on additional actions on this issue.

He stressed that Jolie and senior government officials "remain in active contact with US and European partners, as part of coordinated efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine and encourage de-escalation."

He noted that Canada is "wise in its approach to when it chooses to impose sanctions," adding that sanctions "are only one diplomatic tool."

Canada focuses its work with other countries on applying economic and diplomatic pressure to prevent war, and about 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are in Ukraine, as part of an international training mission to help improve the combat skills of Ukrainian soldiers.

'Colossal penalties'

For its part, Washington pledged Monday to continue its willingness to impose massive sanctions on the Russian economy and increase defense aid to Ukraine if the latter is invaded by Moscow.

In statements made by Linda Thomas Greenfield, Washington's permanent representative to the United Nations at the headquarters of the international organization in New York, the US ambassador said: "If Russia chooses the path of conflict, then the United States and our partners and allies are clear, we are ready to impose massive sanctions on the Russian economy and strengthen the presence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).In front-line countries, and increase our defense assistance to Ukraine."

She added, "We are closely monitoring the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border. Our options with partners and allies will be determined according to the path that Russia will choose in the coming weeks."

"Our goal remains to find a diplomatic way to move us forward and avoid conflict," Greenfield added. "Last week I met members of the UN Security Council, and we remain in close contact with our European allies."

And recently, Western countries have accused Russia of amassing its forces near the Ukrainian border, and Washington has threatened to impose sanctions on Russia if it "launches" an attack on Ukraine.

For its part, Russia rejected the accusations about the movements of its forces inside its territory, and denied the existence of any "aggressive" plans it had towards Ukraine.

United Nations: Experts call for the closure of Guantanamo Bay

Independent experts delegated by the United Nations called, on Monday, for the United States to close the Guantanamo prison, which has witnessed "continuous violations of human rights" since Washington opened it 20 years ago as part of the "war on terror" it launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

In a joint statement, experts commissioned by the United Nations but who do not speak for it said that “twenty years of arbitrary detention without trial, accompanied by torture or ill-treatment, is simply unacceptable to any government, especially a government that claims to protect human rights.”

The release of the statement coincided with the 20th anniversary of the entry of the first detainees to Guantanamo on January 10, 2002.

Independent experts described the detention center as a "legal black hole" and a "disgrace" on the United States' commitment to the rule of law.

As the experts appealed to the United States, the new member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, to “close this abhorrent chapter of the continuing violations of human rights,” they called for the repatriation of detainees who are still in Guantanamo or sending them to safe third countries, and compensation for their actions. The torture and arbitrary arrests they were subjected to.

In their statement, the experts emphasized that since 2002, nine detainees have died in Guantanamo, including seven that the US authorities said had committed suicide, without any judicial follow-up in any of these cases.

The experts also called for the prosecution of those responsible for the acts of torture that the detainees were subjected to.

Over the past 20 years, a total of 780 people have been held at Guantanamo. Most of them were released after being detained for more than 10 years without any judicial charges against them.

Currently, only 39 detainees remain in Guantanamo, including 13 who have been released, but their deportation is awaiting the approval of their countries of origin or third countries to host them, and 14 other detainees are waiting to benefit from similar release decisions.

As for the remaining 12, only two have been sentenced to prison terms, while the remaining ten are still awaiting trial.

On Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US administration "remains committed to closing the Guantanamo Bay prison."

"We are in the process of studying ways to move forward," he told reporters.

American teenager throwing her newborn into the trash can

Outside a store in the US state of New Mexico shows the moments when a teenage mother dumps her unwanted newborn into a trash can.

Joe Imperiale, owner of Reg Watch, said he received a call from the police asking if surveillance cameras were working in front of the store, due to a crime.

He added that he thought someone had broken into the store, but the video showed a woman getting out of a white car, after which she took a bag from the back seat, threw it in the landfill, and then left.

Nearly six hours later, cameras showed a group of people digging through the trash and pulling the baby, and Imperiale said they heard the baby crying.

He added that the group took the child and placed him in a "dirty wet towel" covered in dry blood, with his umbilical cord still attached to it.

Police said the quick collective response to this emergency was absolutely pivotal in saving the child's life.

After reviewing the video, Hobbs police charged the 18-year-old mother with attempted murder and child abuse, and police reported that the mother had confessed to investigators and said she had ended her relationship with the suspected father.

The teen also admitted that she gave birth to the baby in her parents' bathroom, and said she was terrified.