☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

What We’re Watching: Canada freezes protesters’ assets, Spanish right in turmoil

February 21, 2022
Carlos Santamaria
What We’re Watching: Canada freezes protesters’ assets, Spanish right in turmoil
A truck is towed from in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
REUTERS/Patrick Doyle

Canadian protesters see accounts frozen. Authorities have started blocking accounts of people linked to Canada’s trucker convoy and protests in accordance with the Emergencies Act invoked last week by PM Justin Trudeau. Royal Canadian Mounted Police froze more than 200 financial products, including bank and corporate accounts, linked to vaccine mandate protesters who have brought chaos to Ottawa and US border crossings in recent weeks. Opposition leaders and a Canadian civil rights group question the legality of the move, which Trudeau says is necessary for restoring order. American truckers and President Joe Biden, meanwhile, will be watching closely as a similar convoy gets underway in the US this week. Plans are reportedly in place to set up perimeter fencing around the US Capitol building ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1 for fear of similar protests plaguing the nation’s capital.

Spanish conservatives implode. Spain’s center-right Popular Party was on an upswing in May 2021 after obliterating the left in Madrid’s regional election. But thanks to a messy public fight between the PP’s somewhat unpopular leader and the Madrid regional president, who controls the base, the party has seen those gains wiped away in recent polls. Who benefited? The far-right Vox Party, which could now be on the cusp of overtaking the PP as the main opposition party in the eyes of Spanish voters. Vox’s big boss Santiago Abascal, who recently played host to fellow EU far-right leaders such as Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, increasingly sees himself as Spain’s next leader. Could the PP get relegated to junior coalition partner? Such a move would trigger a political earthquake in the last Western European country to overthrow a far-right dictatorship (in 1975), currently run by a fragile leftwing coalition government backed by Basque and Catalan separatists. Buckle up for turbulent months ahead in Spanish politics.

More from GZERO Media

Tools and Weapons – In Conversation with Ed Policy

Microsoft

In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.

Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hard Numbers: Israel assassinates Hezbollah commander, DOGE gets DOGE’d, Ethiopian volcano erupts, Not much to show for COP30

People walk past a damaged building during the funeral of Hezbollah's top military official, Haytham Ali Tabtabai, and of other people who were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, despite a U.S.-brokered truce a year ago, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon November 24, 2025.
REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The Israeli military assassinated a senior Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Sunday. The attack killed at least five people overall.

What We’re Watching: Russia-Ukraine peace deal, Rough weekend for Brazil, Mass school abductions in Nigeria

Servicemen of the 148th Separate Artillery Zhytomyr Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Caesar self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops at a position on the front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine November 23, 2025.
REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov

After facing backlash that the US’s first 28-point peace deal was too friendly towards Russia, American and Ukrainian negotiators drafted a new 19-point plan on Monday.

Japan-China spat over Taiwan escalates

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) answers a question from Katsuya Okada of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan during a House of Representatives Budget Committee session in Tokyo on Nov. 7, 2025. At the time, Takaichi said a military attack on Taiwan could present a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
Kyodo via Reuters Connect

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing hit a boiling point last Friday after Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that her country would defend Taiwan if China attacked the island. Tensions have grown since.

Anatomy of a Scam

Anatomy of a Scam

Mastercard

Behind every scam lies a story — and within every story, a critical lesson. Anatomy of a Scam, takes you inside the world of modern fraud — from investment schemes to impersonation and romance scams. You'll meet the investigators tracking down bad actors and learn about the innovative work being done across the payments ecosystem to protect consumers and businesses alike.

Watch the first episode of Mastercard's five-part documentary, 'Anatomy of a Scam,' here.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.