Mark MacKinnon
@markmackinnon.bsky.social
Senior International Correspondent for The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper. Now based in London, after stops in Moscow, Beijing and the Middle East. Author of The New Cold War (the book, not the thing).
Add me to your top-secret group chats!
Add me to your top-secret group chats!
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
Bizarre timeline
November 10, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Bizarre timeline
The goal is to make all of us afraid to speak up about (or report on) whatever he does next...
Trump Threatens to Sue the BBC for $1 Billion After Jan. 6 Documentary
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/w...
Trump Threatens to Sue the BBC for $1 Billion After Jan. 6 Documentary
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The goal is to make all of us afraid to speak up about (or report on) whatever he does next...
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
YIKES: NSO floats Pegasus spyware used in hypothetical "time of domestic crisis" in 🇺🇸America.
I believe they won't stop lobbying until they get Pegasus into USA.
To hack Americans. 1/
I believe they won't stop lobbying until they get Pegasus into USA.
To hack Americans. 1/
November 7, 2025 at 8:36 PM
YIKES: NSO floats Pegasus spyware used in hypothetical "time of domestic crisis" in 🇺🇸America.
I believe they won't stop lobbying until they get Pegasus into USA.
To hack Americans. 1/
I believe they won't stop lobbying until they get Pegasus into USA.
To hack Americans. 1/
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
Glad that someone has finally taken responsibility for the appalling assault on democracy that was the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
November 9, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Glad that someone has finally taken responsibility for the appalling assault on democracy that was the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
The last time Britain had to defend Belgium, it was still an empire.
On Remembrance Sunday, we’re back at that stage in history where Britain is helping protect Belgium against an aggressive foreign power…
UK military to help protect Belgium after drone incursions
Sir Richard Knighton, the UK military chief, says his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance this week in the form of UK personnel and equipment.
www.bbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:16 PM
The last time Britain had to defend Belgium, it was still an empire.
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
“Russia has gained a sense of courage,” says one Ukrainian intelligence source. “It is time for everyone—at home and in the West—to stop messing around”
Ukraine’s valiant defence of Pokrovsk is nearing its end
Russia suffers huge casualties, but its new drone-powered assault is working
econ.st
November 9, 2025 at 11:20 AM
“Russia has gained a sense of courage,” says one Ukrainian intelligence source. “It is time for everyone—at home and in the West—to stop messing around”
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
History's rhyming echoes.
On Remembrance Sunday, we’re back at that stage in history where Britain is helping protect Belgium against an aggressive foreign power…
UK military to help protect Belgium after drone incursions
Sir Richard Knighton, the UK military chief, says his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance this week in the form of UK personnel and equipment.
www.bbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:22 AM
History's rhyming echoes.
On Remembrance Sunday, we’re back at that stage in history where Britain is helping protect Belgium against an aggressive foreign power…
UK military to help protect Belgium after drone incursions
Sir Richard Knighton, the UK military chief, says his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance this week in the form of UK personnel and equipment.
www.bbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:17 AM
On Remembrance Sunday, we’re back at that stage in history where Britain is helping protect Belgium against an aggressive foreign power…
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
‼️🙏 Kyiv is also in a complete blackout.
November 8, 2025 at 5:04 PM
‼️🙏 Kyiv is also in a complete blackout.
A police raid on a Syrian beachclub has raised new worries about the backslide in women's rights under President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government.
The Assad regime is gone, but some Syrian women feel one form of repression has replaced another.
My report from Wadi Qandil
The Assad regime is gone, but some Syrian women feel one form of repression has replaced another.
My report from Wadi Qandil
Crackdowns at the beach heighten Syrian women’s fears for their freedoms
One year after Islamist fighters took power, the chilling effects of a new conservatism become clear in idyllic Wadi Qandil
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:36 PM
A police raid on a Syrian beachclub has raised new worries about the backslide in women's rights under President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government.
The Assad regime is gone, but some Syrian women feel one form of repression has replaced another.
My report from Wadi Qandil
The Assad regime is gone, but some Syrian women feel one form of repression has replaced another.
My report from Wadi Qandil
“If Trump wants to save the lives of Nigerian Christians… all Trump has to do is restore the American aid that was estimated to be saving the lives of more than a quarter-million Nigerians each year.”
Bang-on (as usual) from @nickkristof.bsky.social
Bang-on (as usual) from @nickkristof.bsky.social
Opinion | Trump Aid Cuts Kill More Christians Than Jihadists Do
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:04 PM
“If Trump wants to save the lives of Nigerian Christians… all Trump has to do is restore the American aid that was estimated to be saving the lives of more than a quarter-million Nigerians each year.”
Bang-on (as usual) from @nickkristof.bsky.social
Bang-on (as usual) from @nickkristof.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
The proposal would be one of the most sweeping steps yet by a European country to curb social media use among young people.
Denmark wants to ban access to social media for children under 15
The proposal would be one of the most sweeping steps yet by a European country to curb social media use among young people.
l.euronews.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:24 PM
The proposal would be one of the most sweeping steps yet by a European country to curb social media use among young people.
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
Israel carries out wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon
Israel carries out wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon
Three towns attacked despite truce with Hezbollah in what Israeli military says was effort to prevent group rearming
The Israeli military has carried out a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon in what it described as an attempt to prevent Hezbollah rearming.
Israeli warplanes struck the towns of Kfar Dounine, Tayr Debba and Zawtar al-Sharqiya on Thursday, about an hour after issuing evacuation warnings to residents. No deaths had been reported at the time of publishing. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Israel carries out wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon
“Nothing has improved in Gaza… Medicine is still blocked. Even food has not changed.
“We hear about a truce, but we feel no safety or relief.”
Gaza residents talk to our Hasan Jaber in Bureij refugee camp
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
“We hear about a truce, but we feel no safety or relief.”
Gaza residents talk to our Hasan Jaber in Bureij refugee camp
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
‘Truce is just a name’: Israel has killed more than 220 Gazans since start of ceasefire, Palestinians say
Next phase of peace plan not moving forward, with remains of seven Israeli hostages still unaccounted for
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:07 PM
“Nothing has improved in Gaza… Medicine is still blocked. Even food has not changed.
“We hear about a truce, but we feel no safety or relief.”
Gaza residents talk to our Hasan Jaber in Bureij refugee camp
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
“We hear about a truce, but we feel no safety or relief.”
Gaza residents talk to our Hasan Jaber in Bureij refugee camp
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
“The Gaza of maps and memories is gone, replaced by a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The Israeli military escorts some foreign journalists into the parts of Gaza it still occupies…
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The Israeli military escorts some foreign journalists into the parts of Gaza it still occupies…
November 5, 2025 at 8:44 PM
“The Gaza of maps and memories is gone, replaced by a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The Israeli military escorts some foreign journalists into the parts of Gaza it still occupies…
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The Israeli military escorts some foreign journalists into the parts of Gaza it still occupies…
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
Such courageous reporting from #Syria by @theglobeandmail.com Reporter @markmackinnon.bsky.social. So many #Journalist lost their lives covering this conflict.Including #JamesWrightFoley #MarieColvin #AnthonyShadid #RémiOchlik @reflextv.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Such courageous reporting from #Syria by @theglobeandmail.com Reporter @markmackinnon.bsky.social. So many #Journalist lost their lives covering this conflict.Including #JamesWrightFoley #MarieColvin #AnthonyShadid #RémiOchlik @reflextv.bsky.social
In Syria, the need to rebuild from the country's long civil war is colliding with the desire to learn the full truth about what happened.
My report from the Daraa region, where I spent a day with a White Helmets team that's still digging up the country's dead.
My report from the Daraa region, where I spent a day with a White Helmets team that's still digging up the country's dead.
In Syria, the race to rebuild from civil war frustrates efforts to unearth the truth
White Helmets have collected more than 1,200 bodies and found 70 mass graves in the first 11 months since the fall of Assad
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:56 PM
In Syria, the need to rebuild from the country's long civil war is colliding with the desire to learn the full truth about what happened.
My report from the Daraa region, where I spent a day with a White Helmets team that's still digging up the country's dead.
My report from the Daraa region, where I spent a day with a White Helmets team that's still digging up the country's dead.
PM Carney’s efforts to patch up Canada’s relationship with China - after the chill caused by the Meng Wangzhou/Two Michaels affair - is a direct result of Trump’s bullying of Canada.
Suddenly, Beijing looks like a (relatively) stable and predictable partner…
Suddenly, Beijing looks like a (relatively) stable and predictable partner…
November 4, 2025 at 8:11 AM
PM Carney’s efforts to patch up Canada’s relationship with China - after the chill caused by the Meng Wangzhou/Two Michaels affair - is a direct result of Trump’s bullying of Canada.
Suddenly, Beijing looks like a (relatively) stable and predictable partner…
Suddenly, Beijing looks like a (relatively) stable and predictable partner…
Note to travellers in the Middle East: crossing borders with a small bag of zaatar in your luggage is not worth the the trouble…
November 4, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Note to travellers in the Middle East: crossing borders with a small bag of zaatar in your luggage is not worth the the trouble…
“An extraordinary situation in which the president, who is followed everywhere by an aide carrying the ‘nuclear football’ with nuclear codes and options, cannot get on the same page with one of his top cabinet officials on how the US government is handling the most destructive weapons in the world.”
Trump Doubles Down on Nuclear Tests. His Energy Secretary Differs.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:50 AM
“An extraordinary situation in which the president, who is followed everywhere by an aide carrying the ‘nuclear football’ with nuclear codes and options, cannot get on the same page with one of his top cabinet officials on how the US government is handling the most destructive weapons in the world.”
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
As Geoffrey York observes, the "persecution of Christians" that has led Trump to threaten war against Nigeria is about as real as the "violence against white farmers" in South Africa -- that is, not real at all, just an easily fact-checked online meme
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
Trump threatens military attack on Nigeria in response to alleged persecution of Christians
Threats are response to a campaign by U.S. Christian groups and politicians who describe Nigerian attacks as genocide, a claim analysts say is inaccurate
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:39 PM
As Geoffrey York observes, the "persecution of Christians" that has led Trump to threaten war against Nigeria is about as real as the "violence against white farmers" in South Africa -- that is, not real at all, just an easily fact-checked online meme
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
It's Friday night in Damascus, and the kids just want to unwind. But the question looms: how long will Syria's new government let the party continue?
"The mood is not the same as it used to be."
My report
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
"The mood is not the same as it used to be."
My report
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
Damascus Halloween rave offers Syrians chance to unwind, but new regime ever present
The country’s new rulers gave the event approval to go ahead, as long as it was over by midnight
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM
It's Friday night in Damascus, and the kids just want to unwind. But the question looms: how long will Syria's new government let the party continue?
"The mood is not the same as it used to be."
My report
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
"The mood is not the same as it used to be."
My report
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China – The Guardian: ‘In February, Sheffield Hallam University, […], ordered one of its best-known professors, Laura Murphy, to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China.’
‘The website […], was taken down’
‘The website […], was taken down’
UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China
Exclusive: Leading professor at Sheffield Hallam was told to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China after demands from authorities
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:30 AM
UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China – The Guardian: ‘In February, Sheffield Hallam University, […], ordered one of its best-known professors, Laura Murphy, to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China.’
‘The website […], was taken down’
‘The website […], was taken down’
Reposted by Mark MacKinnon
A Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft linked to Wagner PMC landed in Venezuela, Defense News reports, describing the flight as Moscow's attempt to expand its military presence in Latin America.
November 1, 2025 at 4:04 PM
A Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft linked to Wagner PMC landed in Venezuela, Defense News reports, describing the flight as Moscow's attempt to expand its military presence in Latin America.