Latest News
Trump raises tariffs on Canadian goods in response to Reagan advert
US President Donald Trump has said he is increasing tariffs on goods imported from Canada after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.
In a post on social media on Saturday, Trump called the advert a “fraud” and lashed out at Canadian officials for not removing it ahead of the World Series baseball championship.
“Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,” he wrote.
After Trump on Thursday withdrew from trade talks with Canada, the Ontario premier said he would take down the advert.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that he would pause his province’s anti-tariff advertisement campaign in the US, telling reporters that he made the decision after discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney “so that trade talks can resume”.
He also said it would still run over the weekend, including during games for the World Series, which features the Toronto Blue Jays against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Canada is the only G7 country that has not reached a deal with the US since Trump began seeking to charge steep tariffs on goods from major trading partners.
The US has already imposed a 35% levy on all Canadian goods – though most are exempt under an existing free trade agreement. It has also slapped sector-specific levies on Canadian goods, including a 50% levy on metals and 25% on automobiles.
In his post, sent while he was traveling to Asia, Trump seemed to say he was adding 10 percentage points to those taxes.
Three-quarters of Canadian exports are sold to the US, and Ontario is home to the bulk of Canada’s automobile manufacturing.
The advert, which was sponsored by the Ontario government, quotes former US President Ronald Reagan, a Republican and icon of US conservatism, saying tariffs “hurt every American”.
The video takes excerpts from a 1987 national radio address that focused on foreign trade.
The Ronald Reagan Foundation, which is charged with preserving the former president’s legacy, had criticised the advert for using “selective” audio and video and said it misrepresented Reagan’s address. It also said the Ontario government had not sought permission to use it.
In his post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said that the advert should have been pulled down earlier.
“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” he wrote, while flying to Malaysia.
Ford had previously pledged to run the Reagan advert in every Republican-led district in the US.
Both Trump and Carney will be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia, but Trump told reporters accompanying him aboard Air Force One that he does not have any “intention” of meeting with his Canadian counterpart during the trip.
In his post, Trump also accused Canada of attempting to manipulate an upcoming US Supreme Court case which could end his entire tariff regime.
The case, to be heard by the highest US court next month, will determine whether the tariffs are constitutional.
On Thursday, Trump posted that the advert was designed to “interfere” with “THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE EVER”.
Responding to the Trump’s rate hike on Saturday, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said it hoped “this threat of escalation can be resolved through diplomatic channels and further negotiation”.
“Tariffs at any level remain a tax on America first, then North American competitiveness as a whole,” the organisation’s CEO, Candace Laing, said in a statement to the BBC.
The Reagan ad is not the only way that Ontario – home of the Toronto Blue Jays – is using the World Series as a platform to criticise Trump’s tariffs.
In a video posted on Friday, Ford and California Governor Gavin Newsom jokingly made bets about which team would win the series.
Both men repeatedly joked about tariffs in the video, with Ford pledging to send Newsom a can of maple syrup if the LA Dodgers win.
“The tariff might cost me a few extra bucks at the border these days, but it’ll be worth it,” he wrote.
In response, Newsom asked Ford to resume allowing American-produced alcohol to be sold in province liquor stores, and pledged to send him “California’s championship-worthy wine” if the Blue Jays triumph.
They ended their exchange both declaring: “Here’s to a great World Series, and a tariff-free friendship between Ontario and California.”
(BBC)
A Sri Lankan innings that never really got going eventually parked itself at middling total of 219, as they were bowled out in 49.3 overs in the second ODI in Colombo. It’s a total England will fancy themselves to chase down as they look to level this three-match series.
Sri Lanka’s innings was headlined by Charith Asalanka’s 45 off 64 and Dhananjaya de Silva’s 40 off 59, but at strike rates of 67.79 and 70.31 it tells you all you need to know about how well England kept a lid on the innings.
For the visitors the wickets were spread out, with Adil Rashid, Jamie Overton and Joe Root picking up two apiece, the latter with the final two balls of the innings. There were also wickets for Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed and the returning Will Jacks.
And much like in the first ODI, England’s varied attack – no less than eight options were used across the innings – sought to give little away. “Keeping the stumps in play,” was Harry Brook’s refrain, speaking after losing the toss, and on an uber-dry surface with boundaries square and behind mostly protected, the onus was on the Lankan batters to use their feet in order to access the boundaries at extra cover and deep midwicket.
That sort of strokeplay however proved detrimental to the Lankan cause with four of their top five falling in their attempts to access the boundaries in front of square. Kamil Mishara sought to bring some impetus to the innings after a miserly early burst from the England seamers, but his attempted lashing cover drive could not clear Ben Duckett in the circle, who held on at the second attempt.
Pathum Nissanka, who had patiently waded through the opening powerplay when the scoring rate sat below four an over, then sought to capitalise on his added time in the middle, but only managed to loft an inside-out drive to long-off.
Later on in the innings Dhananjaya whacked one low to Root at midwicket, before the set Asalanka found deep midwicket with a slog sweep.
And arguably Sri Lanka’s best batter at accessing those regions, Kusal Mendis, ran himself out for a ground-out 26, when he cut one straight to point and absentmindedly set off for the single. The throw from the fit-again Jacks was pinpoint and found Mendis easily short as he sought in vain to fling himself back to safety.
There were promising stands between, notably a 42-run effort between Nissanka and Mendis and 66 between Dhananjaya and Asalanka, but none of the batters involved were able to push on and up the rate of scoring over any concerted period of time.
Pavan Rathnayake’s 29 off 34 had also shown promise, but he fell foul looking to clear the straight boundary as he sliced one to long-off, and in the process silenced an energetic Khettarama crowd.
The frustrating nature of Sri Lanka’s innings was illustrated by the fact that five batters scored at least 25 and faced at least 30 deliveries, but the highest score remained Asalanka’s 45.
England, to their credit, stuck to and executed their plans well. The use of eight bowlers – six of them spinners – meant Sri Lanka’s batters were ever really able to get a measure of any one bowler. And while the lengths were consistent, the pace of the deliveries was varied. It meant that even when a set batter such as Nissanka sought to take on the attack, Rashid was able to successfully deceive him in the flight.
Dunith Wellalage once more looked enterprising during a late cameo, but despite finding two boundaries in his brief stay, his 20 off 19 was far less damaging to England’s cause than had been in the first ODI.
England bowled 40.3 overs of spin across their innings, breaking their previous record of 36. That came in Sharjah in 1984-85, when Norman Gifford captained England at the age of 44, and took four wickets. The team wore black armbands during the first ODI after his death last week.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 219 in 49.3 overs (Charith Asalanka 45, Dhananjaya De Silva 40; Joe Root 2-12, Jamie Overton 2-21, Adil Rashid 2-34) vs England
(Cricinfo)
(Cricbuzz)
At least seven people have died and more than 80 others are missing after a landslide hit Indonesia’s West Java province, officials said.
The landslide occurred in the West Bandung region, south-east of the capital Jakarta, following days of intense rainfall.
More than thirty homes were destroyed after “landslide material buried residential areas, causing fatalities and affecting local residents”, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.
Flooding, landslide and extreme weather alerts have also been issued for the broader region.
The landslide hit the village of Pasirlangu around 02:30AM on Saturday [24] (19:30 GMT).
Two dozen people were evacuated safely from the affected region, according to Abdul Muhari, communication chief of the National Search Agency.
Images shared by local news outlets showed homes buried under mud and debris.
[BBC]
Sri Lanka succumb for 219 as spin-heavy England turn screw
T20 World Cup 2026: ICC replace Bangladesh with Scotland
Indonesia landslide kills 7, dozens more missing
Ukraine condemns ‘brutal’ Russian strikes ahead of second day of peace talks
Sri Lanka bat first in second ODI
Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) donates LKR 25 million to the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” Fund
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Editorial7 days agoIllusory rule of law
-
Features7 days agoDaydreams on a winter’s day
-
Features7 days agoSurprise move of both the Minister and myself from Agriculture to Education
-
Features6 days agoExtended mind thesis:A Buddhist perspective
-
Features7 days agoThe Story of Furniture in Sri Lanka
-
Opinion5 days agoAmerican rulers’ hatred for Venezuela and its leaders
-
Features7 days agoWriting a Sunday Column for the Island in the Sun
-
Business3 days agoCORALL Conservation Trust Fund – a historic first for SL