Latest news with #IsmailShakil
The Star
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
US State Department approves possible sale to Australia of fighter jet spare parts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department approved a possible foreign military sale to Australia of fighter jet spare parts for $2 billion, the Pentagon said in a statement, adding the principle contractor will be Boeing. Australia had requested to buy the equipment related to the sustainment of its Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, and the EA-18G Growler jet which is mainly used in electronic warfare roles such as radar jamming. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Ismail Shakil and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration plans to end Energy Star program for home appliances, Washington Post reports
(Reuters) -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to end Energy Star, a program whose iconic blue labels have certified the energy efficiency of home appliances for more than three decades, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing people briefed on the matter. During an all-hands meeting Monday of the EPA's Office of Atmospheric Protection, Trump administration officials said that the office would be dissolved and that Energy Star would be eliminated, according to the Washington Post report. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa)
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canada PM Carney condemns Israeli blockade on food, says WFP must be allowed to work in Gaza
By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Israel to allow the World Food Programme to work in Gaza, saying food must not be used as a 'political tool', hours after the UN agency ran out of stocks due to a sustained Israeli blockade on supplies. The WFP said on Friday it had delivered its last remaining supplies to kitchens providing hot meals in Gaza and that the facilities were expected to run out of food in the coming days. "The UN World Food Programme just announced that its food stocks in Gaza have run out because of the Israeli Government's blockade — food cannot be used as a political tool," Carney said on X. The UN agency said no humanitarian or commercial supplies had entered Gaza for more than seven weeks because all main border crossing points were closed, the longest closure the Gaza Strip had ever faced. "Palestinian civilians must not bear the consequences of Hamas' terrorist crimes," Carney said. "The World Food Programme must be allowed to resume its lifesaving work." Israel has previously denied that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis. The military accuses the Hamas militants who run Gaza of exploiting aid, which Hamas denies, and says it must keep all supplies out to prevent the fighters from getting it. The Gaza government media office on Friday said that famine was becoming a reality in the enclave of 2.3 million people. Since a January ceasefire collapsed on March 18, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone. An attack on Israel by Hamas in October 2023 killed 1,200 people, and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza. Since then, more than 51,300 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to health officials. "We will continue to work with our allies towards a permanent ceasefire and the immediate return of all hostages," Carney added. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into the Gaza Strip. Canadians will vote to elect a new government on Monday, and polls show Carney's Liberals have a slim lead over the Conservatives.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump repeats tariffs threat to dissuade BRICS nations from replacing US dollar
By Ismail Shakil (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday warned off BRICS member countries from replacing the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency by repeating a 100%-tariffs threat he had made weeks after winning the November presidential elections. "We are going to require a commitment from these seemingly hostile Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs," Trump said on Truth Social in a statement nearly identical to one he posted on Nov. 30. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. At the time, Russia said that any U.S. attempt to compel countries to use the dollar would backfire. The BRICS grouping includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa and a few other countries that joined in the past couple of year. The grouping does not have a common currency, but long-running discussions on the subject have gained some momentum after the West imposed sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. "There is no chance that BRICS will replace the U.S. Dollar in International Trade, or anywhere else, and any Country that tries should say hello to Tariffs, and goodbye to America!," he said. Trump posted his warning to the BRICS as Canada and Mexico await for his decision to follow through on a pledge to impose 25% tariffs on the United States' North American trading partner from Feb. 1. Trump wants to use tariffs as a tool to get Mexico and Canada to help stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, particularly the deadly opioid fentanyl, and also migrants crossing illegally into the U.S. Dollar dominance — the outsized role of the U.S. dollar in the world economy — has strengthened of late, thanks to the robust U.S. economy, tighter monetary policy and heightened geopolitical risks, even as economic fragmentation has boosted a push by BRICS countries to shift away from the dollar into other currencies. A study by the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center last year showed that the U.S. dollar remains the world's primary reserve currency, and neither the euro nor the so-called BRICS countries have been able to reduce global reliance on the dollar. The acronym BRIC, which did not initially include South Africa, was coined in 2001 by then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill in a research paper that underlined the growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The bloc was founded as an informal club in 2009 to provide a platform for its members to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies. South Africa was the first beneficiary of an expansion of the bloc in 2010 when the grouping became known as BRICS. The group added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates in 2023, and Indonesia became member earlier this month.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canada responded slowly to foreign meddling but elections were not altered, probe finds
By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government was slow in responding to efforts by China and India to interfere in the country's elections but their outcome was unaffected by the meddling, an official probe said in a final report released on Tuesday. The report was the culmination of a probe set up in September 2023 in response to media reports about possible Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections, both of which were won by the ruling Liberals. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The conclusion confirmed the findings of an interim report released last May that said foreign interference had not changed the results of the elections but eroded public trust in the electoral system. The Chinese embassy did not have an immediate comment but previously has strongly denied accusations of any meddling. India rejected the allegations in the report and accused Canada of "consistently interfering in India's internal affairs." The Foreign Interference Commission in a statement said it found that foreign meddling in Canada's elections was not a new phenomenon but that it was on the rise while the methods used were changing. The probe found that the Liberal government responded to attempted foreign interference by putting in place measures and mechanisms to detect, prevent and counter them, but it "sometimes took too long to act, and coordination was less than optimal." "The Commission also found that the government has been a poor communicator both about the extent of foreign interference that it detected and the means in place to counter it, and that it must find ways to be more transparent," the Foreign Interference Commission said in a statement. The Canadian government said in a statement that it will carefully review the report's findings and use them to push back against any foreign interference. The probe found that China views Canada as a high-priority target and is the most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting all levels of government. India was identified as the second-most active country engaging in electoral foreign interference in Canada. "Canada's democratic institutions have held up well and remained robust in the face of attempted foreign interference," said commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue, who led the independent public inquiry. Last year the inquiry heard evidence showing Canada's domestic spy agency concluded that China had indeed meddled in both votes. Beijing has repeatedly denied this is true. The report comes about six weeks before the Liberal Party chooses a new leader to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation earlier this month. Polls show the Conservatives, who accuse Trudeau of not taking interference seriously, are set to win an election that must be held by Oct. 20 this year, but could take place as soon as the spring.
