International

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The United States is preparing to withdraw about 200 military personnel deployed to Nigeria earlier this year as part of efforts to combat Islamist militants, according to a report by The New York Times.

The report said American and Nigerian officials considered the deployment relatively small but credited it with producing significant results against militant groups.

Most of the troops are expected to leave Nigeria by the end of September. However, small teams of US military trainers and intelligence analysts are expected to remain in the country, according to the report published on Thursday.

US officials reportedly described the Nigerian deployment as a potential model for future American counterterrorism operations across Africa.

The planned withdrawal follows a May military operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS, in the Lake Chad Basin.

Last month, Dagvin Anderson, commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), said the United States had already withdrawn a significant number of its troops from Nigeria after the operation.

According to Anderson, the operation dealt a major blow to ISIS leadership in Nigeria and beyond.

He also said Nigeria had been “very active” since the May operation and was working to prevent terrorist groups from sustaining themselves.

Despite the reduction in troop numbers, Anderson said the US would maintain its intelligence-sharing partnership with Nigeria.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America”, in a move that has added a new dimension to the growing tensions between the United States and Canada.

Trump announced the change on Thursday after signing the order at the Oval Office.

“This is official, effective immediately,” Trump said.

The president also said he had completed the required procedures for the renaming.

Trump said he had “filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else” for the name change and “notified all of the various people that we have to notify”.

Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes. It lies along the Canada-US border, with the Canadian province of Ontario located to its north and New York State in the United States to its south.

The other Great Lakes are Huron, Michigan, Erie and Superior. Together, the five freshwater bodies contain about one-fifth of the world’s surface freshwater.

The lake has been known as Lake Ontario for centuries. Its first known appearance under that name on a map dates to 1656, although historians believe the name was already in local use before then.

Trump’s executive order justified the new name on the grounds that most of the lake’s volume lies within US territory.

The order stated that “the deepest parts of the Lake’s waters lying within United States territory, the United States claims most of the Lake’s volume” and that the lake has “long been an integral asset to American exploration, settlement, commerce, and defense”.

However, it remains unclear whether the name change will be recognised outside the United States because geographical names are not governed by a single international authority.

Canada Rejects New Name

Canada has already indicated that it will continue to use the traditional name.

Earlier in the week, before Trump signed the order, Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said: “We’ll always call it Lake Ontario”.

Lake Ontario was formed after the last Ice Age from the earlier Lake Iroquois about 11,400 years ago.

By the mid-18th century, before the American Revolution and the eventual establishment of Canada and the United States, Lake Ontario had become the established name.

The name “Ontario” is believed to have Iroquoian origins. The Canadian Encyclopaedia says it may mean “beautiful lake” or “sparkling water”, while some historians interpret it as “vast body of water”.

French missionary records from around 1641 also referred to the body of water as Lake Ontario. The Canadian province of Ontario later adopted the name when it was created at Confederation in 1867.

Trump Links Move To Previous Renaming

The decision follows Trump’s earlier attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.

Trump referred to the two renaming decisions while speaking about Lake Ontario.

“We have a gulf and we have a lake. Now all we need is an ocean so maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific,” Trump said, referring to the bodies of water on either side of the US coastline.

The latest move comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Ottawa after trade negotiations between the two countries broke down late Friday.

The United States subsequently imposed 50 percent tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of Canadian exports, further straining relations between the neighbouring countries.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Two workers at Frankfurt Airport in Germany have died after contracting malaria from a mosquito believed to have arrived on an incoming aircraft, according to health authorities in Frankfurt.

The number of deaths rose to two on Wednesday after airport officials initially confirmed that one of six infected employees had died.

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) identified an imported Anopheles mosquito, which was likely transported into the country on an aircraft, as the most probable source of the infections.

The four other affected airport workers are receiving treatment in hospital, an airport spokesman said. Authorities have also placed mosquito traps around the airport as part of efforts to identify the insects responsible for the outbreak.

Mosquitoes captured through the traps will be sent to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, where genetic testing will be conducted to establish more information about their origin.

Malaria is uncommon in Germany, and the RKI said the country last recorded an airport-related malaria outbreak in 2023.

However, the institute warned that the rarity of the disease in Germany can make diagnosis more difficult because doctors may not immediately consider malaria when assessing patients. Delayed diagnosis can increase the risk of severe illness.

Malaria is a potentially serious infectious disease caused by microscopic parasites and transmitted through the bites of Anopheles mosquitoes. Common symptoms include headaches, nausea, fever and intense chills.

The disease remains a major public health concern worldwide and causes hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, with sub-Saharan Africa carrying the greatest burden.

Medical treatment is available for malaria, and patients who receive appropriate care early can usually make a full recovery.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

At least 95 people have died after a flash flood swept through parts of Nepal near the border with Tibet, destroying homes, roads, bridges and power infrastructure, according to Nepalese authorities.

Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said 28 police officers were among those reported missing. Authorities also said 384 tourists, including 291 foreigners from countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, India and Malaysia, were missing after the disaster.

“So far 95 deaths have been reported,” Kafle said.

The disaster also affected areas across the border in Tibet, where Chinese authorities reported at least three deaths and 265 missing people in Gyirong county. State broadcaster CCTV said the figures were still being verified.

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah called for unity as rescue operations continued.

“Please be patient. The government takes full responsibility for your rescue, treatment, food and shelter. In times of such a disaster, we all need to stand together,” Shah said in a statement shared on social media.

Authorities said the floodwaters were too high for helicopters to land in Syapru Besi and Timure, in the mountainous Rasuwa district, which has a population of about 50,000.

District administrator Narendra Pariyar urged residents living along the Bhote Koshi River to move to higher ground after reports that villages and infrastructure project sites had been swept away.

“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” said Sasmit Pokharel, a Nepali government spokesperson.

In Tibet, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported “major casualties” and missing people after a mudslide struck a border crossing between China and Nepal. The incident at Gyirong port disrupted roads, communications and electricity supplies in the Shigatse region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered “all-out” efforts to locate missing people and called for stronger monitoring and early warning systems to reduce the risk of further disasters.

Prayash Adhikari, a climate justice activist in Nepal, described the flooding as “devastating” and said it had destroyed “whole villages”.

“Hundreds of people are missing,” Adhikari told Al Jazeera from Kathmandu, adding that buildings, schools, bridges and highways had also been destroyed.

The flooding also prompted authorities in India’s Bihar state to begin evacuations in six districts amid concerns that floodwaters could spread into the area.

Videos released by Nepal Police and other sources showed large volumes of muddy water rushing through mountain valleys. Kosh Raj Koirala, an editor of Republica Daily, said many residents were caught by surprise because there had been no heavy rainfall before the flash flood.

“[People] were at home … several houses have been washed away, swept away by the river,” Koirala told Al Jazeera.

Prime Minister Shah also held an emergency meeting with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to assess the impact of the disaster.

“Work has started to take necessary steps in coordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross,” Shah said in a social media post.

The Nepal Army deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to affected locations as rescue and assessment efforts continued.

“The work of collecting details of the damage is under way,” the army said in a statement.

The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of electricity generation capacity from hydropower and solar facilities had been affected.

“The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities of the Authority … resulting in disruption of electricity supply,” it said.

Eight South Korean workers employed at a hydropower project were also reported missing, while another 10 were stranded, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry said Nepal had sent a rescue team to the area. South Korea has also formed a task force led by its foreign minister and plans to send a rapid-response team made up of government officials, firefighters and police personnel.

Avalanche Suspected In Flood

The immediate cause of the flash flood remained unclear. Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal said an avalanche from a glacier was likely responsible.

According to the experts, the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, experienced severe flooding on Wednesday.

“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.

Adhikari said stronger early warning systems could help reduce the impact of such disasters.

“This can’t be completely turned around because we are on the verge of climate catastrophe, but still we can protect our communities,” he said.

The Bhote Koshi River begins in Tibet before flowing into Nepal’s Trishuli River, which later enters India as the Gandak River.

A similar flood in the Bhote Koshi River last year killed nine people and left 24 missing. It also destroyed the Friendship Bridge between Nepal and China, disrupting transportation and trade for several months.

The earlier flood was linked to the sudden release of water from a supraglacial lake in Tibet, according to a regional climate monitoring organisation.

Floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season. Scientists have warned that climate change is contributing to more frequent and severe extreme weather events in the region.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

US President Donald Trump has said Washington is not under pressure to reach an immediate agreement with Tehran as efforts continue to end the US-Israel war on Iran.

According to Al Jazeera, Trump said both economic and military pressure remained effective, adding that he was “not in a hurry” to conclude negotiations with Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran says it has made considerable progress in restoring infrastructure damaged during the conflict and has strengthened its military capabilities.

Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said the country had rebuilt significant parts of the infrastructure destroyed during the war. He also said Iran had received new military equipment as part of efforts to reinforce its defence capacity.

On the diplomatic front, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the Strait of Hormuz remained closed despite a temporary transit arrangement reached with Oman.

Gharibabadi said the waterway would not be fully reopened until the United States returned to its obligations under a June 17 memorandum of understanding.

The Strait of Hormuz is a major international shipping route through which a substantial portion of the world’s oil supplies passes, making its continued closure a major concern for global energy markets.

The US State Department, meanwhile, told Al Jazeera that Washington was taking “concrete action to end” what it described as a long-standing threat from Iran.

According to the department, the US is targeting Tehran’s remaining sources of funding and preparing additional measures after imposing recent sanctions.

The developments come as tensions remain high across the region, with Israel also accused of continuing attacks in Gaza despite a ceasefire that was implemented last October.

At least seven Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Tuesday, according to reports, raising fresh concerns over the durability of the ceasefire and the humanitarian situation in the territory.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Nigeria and Thailand have agreed to strengthen economic relations and expand bilateral trade and investment as both countries seek greater opportunities for mutual development.

The commitment was made in Abuja on Tuesday when Nigeria and Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, signed the agreement on behalf of Nigeria, while Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, signed for his country.

According to a statement by Dr Magnus Eze, the minister’s media aide, Odumegwu-Ojukwu welcomed Thailand’s Thailand-Africa Initiative and called for closer cooperation between the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) and the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA).

She said stronger collaboration between the two agencies would support skills development, technology transfer and sustainable development.

The minister also commended the ongoing Thailand-Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Technology Development Project. She called for its expansion to more parts of Nigeria, as well as increased cooperation in agricultural research, technology and innovation.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s intention to elevate its relationship with Thailand to a strategic partnership, with economic cooperation as one of its major pillars.

She urged both countries to broaden bilateral trade beyond crude oil, rice and agricultural machinery. She also called for greater Thai investment and joint ventures in agro-processing, manufacturing, energy, information and communications technology, mining, renewable energy and other value-added sectors.

The minister pointed to Nigeria’s large consumer market and investment opportunities, urging Thai companies to utilise the incentives available to investors and take advantage of the country’s expanding economic potential.

She also proposed the establishment of a Joint or Bi-National Commission to provide a formal structure for bilateral economic discussions, track the implementation of agreements and speed up the conclusion of pending agreements.

Among the instruments awaiting conclusion are the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, Trade Agreement, and Agreement on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.

Nigeria also advocated closer relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The country said stronger cooperation between the two regional blocs could create additional opportunities for trade, investment and development.

For his part, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, said a strategic economic partnership between Nigeria and Thailand would strengthen investment and trade while producing positive benefits for citizens of both countries.

The latest agreement is expected to provide a framework for increased technical cooperation and further strengthen economic relations between Nigeria and Thailand.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit has uncovered new methods allegedly used by terrorist financiers to raise, transfer and conceal funds for operations in Nigeria.

The agency said its investigations found that terrorist networks were exploiting crowdfunding platforms, proxy bank accounts, mobile banking services and telephone numbers registered to people other than the actual account beneficiaries.

The findings were contained in the NFIU’s 2025 Annual Report, which highlighted emerging links between terrorism financing, financial technology and cross-border money transfers.

According to the report, foreign-based facilitators were using social media to solicit donations under the cover of humanitarian assistance or educational programmes before transferring the proceeds through several channels to terrorist operatives.

The NFIU said the facilitators often encouraged large numbers of sympathisers to make small payments, with individual donations ranging from $50 to $500. The amounts, it said, were deliberately kept below levels that could trigger automated anti-money laundering alerts.

“The following is a case study on Crowdfunding Network identified during the year: A foreign-based facilitator runs social-media campaigns claiming humanitarian relief or educational support and uses encrypted apps (Telegram, Signal) to share links to convincing PayPal pages or standard bank accounts.

“Hundreds of sympathiser donors contribute $50–$500 each, amounts small enough to avoid most automated AML alerts,” the report read.

The agency said the money was later consolidated in a master account controlled by a senior member of the network who resides legally outside Nigeria.

“When the pool reaches a threshold, that account becomes the hub for onward movement,” the report stated.

From the master account, the funds were divided into smaller transactions and sent through International Money Transfer Operators and remittance applications to individuals in Nigeria who served as money mules.

The NFIU listed students, small-business operators and relatives among those allegedly used for the transfers. It said the arrangement helped the financiers avoid reporting requirements and make it difficult to establish the source and destination of the funds.

“Rather than sending one large transfer, the senior member fractures the funds and sends dozens of sub-threshold payments through IMTOs and remittance apps to a network of money mules in Nigeria; students, small-business owners, or relatives, avoiding reporting triggers.

“Upon receipt, the money was either converted to cash, used to purchase dual-use items such as motorcycles, fertilisers and satellite internet equipment, or transferred through mobile banking channels to logistics managers and field operatives,” it added.

The report described the final movement of the money into terrorist activities as the “integration” stage.

The NFIU also raised concerns about what it described as gender-based proxy accounts. It said terrorist financiers were opening accounts in women’s names while male commanders or logistics officials controlled the accounts.

“Terrorist financiers are opening bank accounts in women’s names while male commanders and logistics managers secretly control them.

“They exploit cultural norms that make women less likely to be suspected by authorities, using wives, sisters, or female associates as fronts to distance illicit funds from the true operatives.

“This tactic functions as identity laundering: women’s accounts are managed by men who hold ATM cards, mobile-banking credentials, and PINs, while the women often remain unaware of the transactions and volumes,” the report stated.

The agency further said some terrorist facilitators used telephone numbers that were not registered to the actual account holders or beneficiaries for mobile banking and transaction alerts.

According to the report, pre-registered SIM cards, numbers linked to deceased persons and SIM cards associated with gender-based proxies were used to weaken the connection between bank accounts, SIM cards and Bank Verification Numbers.

“Terrorist facilitators use phone numbers for mobile banking or account alerts that are not registered to the account holder or the true beneficiary.

“They bypass the security link between SIM cards and BVNs by using pre-registered SIMs, SIMs registered to deceased people, or SIMs tied to gender-based proxies. This severs the audit trail: when a transaction is flagged, investigators trace the phone to an unrelated person, letting the real facilitator stay anonymous and continue operations,” it stated.

The NFIU also identified coded and detailed transaction descriptions as another method used to conceal terrorist financing.

It said some terrorist cells, particularly those associated with the Islamic State West Africa Province, used professional-looking descriptions for transactions as part of an internal financial management system.

“Terrorist cells, particularly those linked to ISWAP, routinely use precise, professional-sounding transaction narrations to maintain internal accounting. Operating like “shadow states” with strict bureaucratic controls, they require detailed descriptions so field commanders can justify expenses to central financial controllers. Although truthful narrations appear counterintuitive, they create an internal audit trail; analysts repeatedly observe high-frequency, logistics-related payments with accurate narrations sent from a single source to multiple recipients,” the report said.

However, the Unit said other facilitators relied on ordinary expressions, secret codes and combinations of letters and figures to conceal the purpose of transactions. Some also switched between languages to avoid automated banking filters.

“Transaction descriptions employ innocuous words, secret codes, or alphanumeric strings to conceal intent. Facilitators use this coded language, often switching languages to evade banks’ automated keyword filters that flag terms like ‘Jihad,’ ‘Arms,’ or ‘Boko.’

“This practice obscures the true purpose of transfers, preventing detection and enabling continued financing,” it said.

Beyond terrorism financing, the NFIU said its analysis showed an increasingly connected threat involving financial crimes, technology and international transactions.

The Unit identified fraud as a major underlying offence, with Ponzi schemes, fraudulent crowdfunding, cryptocurrency investment scams and hacking-related fraud among the growing threats.

It said criminals were also exploiting weaknesses in fintech account registration, including account categories with limited identification requirements, to recruit victims and move funds quickly.

The report also pointed to continued risks in public financial management, including the diversion of government funds through accounts belonging to finance officials and third parties.

It identified procurement and cash transactions as major areas of concern because large cash movements can make it difficult to establish audit trails and trace assets.

The NFIU said its findings had informed advisories, alerts and intelligence reports provided to relevant authorities, financial institutions and policymakers.

“Financial Fraud and Investment Scams: Fraud remains a dominant predicate offence, with notable growth in Ponzi schemes, fraudulent crowdfunding arrangements, cryptocurrency-enabled investment scams, and hacking-related fraud (including compromised social media and messaging accounts).

“Analytical reviews during the period examined these trends and informed internal advisories and alerts, some of which remained restricted for operational purposes.

“These schemes increasingly exploit fintech onboarding gaps, including tiered accounts with minimal identification requirements, and leverage digital platforms to rapidly scale victim recruitment and fund movement.

“Corruption and Misappropriation of Public Funds Analysis highlighted persistent vulnerabilities in public sector financial management, including the diversion of state and local government funds through accounts of finance officers and associated third parties.

“Procurement processes remain a significant risk area, while utilisation of cash transactions complicates audit trails and asset tracing efforts,” the report said.

A security expert, Chidi Omeje, urged Nigeria’s security and financial intelligence agencies to strengthen their methods as criminal networks develop more sophisticated ways of evading existing controls.

Omeje said criminal groups were constantly seeking weaknesses within the country’s security and financial systems.

He called on the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and financial regulatory bodies to improve monitoring of financial transactions and intensify efforts to trace illicit funds.

“Every single day, these guys grow in sophistication and desperation, and we must also devise means to bring them to their knees.

“The state must ultimately deal with them. They must follow the money trail to monitor these movements and effectively tackle the situation,” he said.

Omeje said intelligence-led investigations and financial tracking were essential to preventing criminal groups from gaining an advantage over the state.

Another security analyst, Lawrence Alobi, called for stronger cooperation between security agencies and financial institutions.

Alobi said better intelligence gathering would help authorities identify fraudulent accounts and other methods used by criminal networks to avoid detection.

“It behoves us now, the security agencies, to intensify their intelligence sharing and information gathering, because it is through information that we can get some of these things.

“Security agencies need to work with the banks and also warn them. Any bank found to have connived or aided this act should be sanctioned,” he said.

He also urged banks to strengthen their identity verification systems and ensure that account holders were genuine beneficiaries rather than proxies.

“The banks themselves must sit up and ensure they properly verify every individual’s identity so that there is a real, verifiable person behind every account, not just someone acting by proxy. Intelligence agencies must go the extra mile to hold banks accountable for any loopholes exploited within their system,” he added.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Canada has announced plans to impose fresh tariffs on selected goods from the United States after Washington introduced a 50 per cent levy on about $20 billion worth of Canadian products.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the decision in Ottawa on Saturday, saying the new measures would affect US steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, electronics and other goods.

The tariffs are expected to take effect on September 8.

“Canada will match Washington’s new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses,” Carney told reporters.

The decision followed the collapse of trade negotiations between the two countries after several days of discussions. Carney said the United States had presented conditions that Canada could not accept.

“In recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair and undermined the net benefits for Canada, and called into question the reliability of any deal,” Carney said, adding these demands included curtailing Canada’s ability to forge new trade deals.

“We cannot accept what they’ve offered, and we will not give what they’ve asked.”

Carney also accused US negotiators of making unacceptable “threats” concerning the French language and “Quebec culture”.

The latest US tariffs affect several Canadian exports, including wine, furniture, dairy products, cement, clothing, fishing rods and hockey equipment. The affected goods represent about 5.5 per cent of Canada’s exports to the US.

Reacting to Carney’s announcement, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!”

Trump also claimed that Canada had imposed “massive amounts” of tariffs on US farmers for years and added, “No more!!!”

Carney said Canada would also introduce support measures for industries affected by the new US duties. He said the government would provide more details on the retaliatory measures in the coming days.

The trade dispute is expected to put additional pressure on the Canadian economy. Al Jazeera correspondent David Mercer said the tariffs could lead to higher costs, increased prices and rising unemployment.

“Costs are going to go up, prices are going to go up, unemployment is going to go up as well,” Mercer said. “And it’s been warned that business owners – small [and] medium-sized businesses – some of those will have to declare bankruptcy.”

Mercer said Carney was also using the dispute as an opportunity to expand Canada’s economic links with countries outside the United States.

“He’s been around the world, he’s been talking to countries in Asia, in Europe, shoring up new trade relationships, wanting to diversify Canada’s economy and Canada’s trade relationships with other countries around the world just to get away from that dependency that Canada has traditionally had on the United States,” he said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford supported the Canadian government’s decision to retaliate against the US tariffs.

“I’m glad he didn’t sign that deal because it was a bad deal. It was a bad deal for Ontario. It was a bad deal for the auto sector, the steel sector, and manufacturing sector,” Ford told reporters on Saturday.

Some Canadians have expressed concern about the possible impact of the trade dispute on household expenses.

“I think probably the gas will go up even more, and all products, from food to, I don’t know, wood, everything else,” said Pamela Coulis, a resident of Fort Erie.

Another resident, Stuart Edwards of Port Colborne, said the trade dispute would “hurt everybody” and described the situation as “just sad”.

“We have a bully in Washington, and he’s just hitting us all with the big stick all the time,” he said. “And we’re not going to put up with it; Canada isn’t. We’ll fight back.”

Diamond Isinger, a former special adviser to ex-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said both countries would face economic difficulties as the dispute continues.

“It’s going to cause pain and challenge for Canadians and Americans alike – in terms of the actions that, unfortunately, the US has taken as well as Canada’s retaliation. But ultimately this was the way forward; this was the only realistic next step,” she said.

“Because the US administration responds best, of all the responses that they could have, to all the actions that a government like Canada could take, to strength,” Isinger added.

“So, we could not simply accept 50 percent tariffs going forward. We had to move forward with our own retaliatory package.”

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said no fresh negotiations had been scheduled with Canada.

“We’re moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation,” Greer said. “They’ve always had the best deal, and they still would have an even better deal, but they didn’t want that.”

The escalating dispute has also drawn criticism from some US Democratic lawmakers and governors, who accused Trump of increasing economic pressure on American businesses and families.

“Needlessly picking fights with our allies and raising prices here at home. That’s Trump’s economic policy in a nutshell,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted on X.

The Business Roundtable, which represents about 200 chief executives of major US companies, also warned that the new tariffs “risk raising costs for American businesses and families” and called on Canada and the United States to return to negotiations.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Iran has warned countries against supporting or joining US sanctions, with a senior security official saying Tehran will regard any state that participates as an enemy.

Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said countries that join the US pressure campaign against Tehran should expect retaliation against their interests.

The warning comes as Iran faces increasing economic and military pressure from the United States.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country is “in a full-scale economic, military and security war”, while accusing Washington of wrongly predicting that Iran would eventually become another Venezuela.

The latest warning from Tehran also comes amid heightened tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a major global shipping route.

US President Donald Trump reposted a map on his Truth Social account that labelled the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW US Territory”.

Trump shared the map a day after he told supporters at a rally that he regarded the strategic waterway as “American territory”.

The development has added to concerns over the future of the strait, which is a crucial route for international oil shipments.

Meanwhile, tensions have also risen in neighbouring Syria after an Israeli drone strike hit a truck in the village of Beit Jinn in southwestern Syria.

Several civilians were injured in the attack, according to Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

The latest developments come as regional tensions remain high, with Iran’s warnings against countries that support US sanctions adding another layer to the confrontation between Tehran and Washington.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Multiple people have died after a collision involving a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on a major road in northern England.

The incident occurred at about 3:39am on Saturday along the A66 at South Bank, near Middlesbrough in Teesside, according to reports by the BBC.

Cleveland Police said its vehicle was involved in the crash, while the North East Ambulance Service confirmed that three vehicles were involved in the incident.

A police spokesman said: “Sadly, the collision has resulted in multiple fatalities. We are working to identify the victims and contact their families.”

The police said the A66 remained closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane. The closure was expected to last “for some time” as emergency personnel continued operations at the scene.

The force described the situation as “quickly evolving” and appealed to members of the public to “respectfully avoid speculation” while investigations continued.

The North East Ambulance Service said 14 ambulances were dispatched to the scene. The service added: “Sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene.”

It further stated: “We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.”

Authorities were yet to release the identities of those who died, while investigations continued to establish the circumstances that led to the collision.

The public was advised to avoid the affected section of the road and use alternative routes as emergency services remained at the scene.