Trump tariffs hit Canada, ballroom reprieve, Stars and Stripes and Somali piracy

Hi, I'm Peter Devlin in London. It's Saturday, August 22nd. Today, new Trump tariffs hit Canada as Quebec independence push goes on pause. The Supreme Court clears the way for work to continue on Trump's ballroom project. The Pentagon fires military newspaper's top editor. And Somali piracy resurges with the seizure of an Iranian-linked oil tanker. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Hank joined BJ's Wholesale Club the day he became a father of 30. I coach football. Now, Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices, 30 pounds of pasta, three cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks. And that's just pregame. He knows teamwork and BJ's knows savings. This is your home, coach. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer new members only. BJ's, home of the save. As of midnight, US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on an array of Canadian goods has gone into effect after being deferred earlier this week. New 50% import duties will apply to around $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. And that added economic pressure has had a surprising political knock-on effect. In a post on X, Ontario Premier Doug Ford backed Prime Minister Mark Carney's promise to respond tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar. And British Columbia Premier David Ebay wrote that Canadians would keep fighting for as long as it takes. Meanwhile, Quebec's separatist movement has paused its demands for independence for the French-speaking province at a provisional elections due by October 5th. Parti Quebecois leader has filed no referendum, while Trump remains in power. He's been in power for a long time. He's been in office. Trump's last round of tariffs hit hard for steel factories in the province, according to David Jeannot, operations director of steelmaker Sovaco. Calls for independence are often louder during times of economic slowdown. But polls show that this time around, support for an independent Quebec is at its lowest levels in decades. "As long as Trump will be, you know, in his chair, I don't feel that we even need to talk about that." And Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st state have actually stirred patriotism, even in the French-speaking province. Jonathan Kalis, Quebec adviser to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "Trump represents everything that Quebec has fought against for the last 60 years, in terms of creating a modern progressive society." A US judge has blocked a Trump administration policy suspending immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries. The court ruled the policy was patently unlawful, and exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's authority. The State Department did not immediately respond to the ruling. The Supreme Court is letting President Trump continue his massive White House ballroom project for now. Trump is the only one in the White House that is in the White House. The Supreme Court is the only one in the White House that is in the White House. Trump said no taxpayer money is being used for the $400 million ballroom project. "We're spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the ballroom, and it's all from people like me and great companies that are putting it up." The court issued a temporary stay to give justices more time to weigh the case, but allows for work to continue. The administration tore down the historic east wing of the White House without congressional approval, and it's constructing a 90,000-square-foot ballroom and an underground security complex. Lower courts sided with preservationists, saying the president is a temporary tenant, not the owner of the White House. The Justice Department says the million-dollar project is 65% complete and argues it's a national security necessity. The Pentagon has fired the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, a move to remove other senior staff at the US military newspaper. Editor Eric Slavin says he was fired after telling CBS News that censorship of coverage for service members would be a personal red line. Stars and Stripes is funded by the Defense Department, but has historically operated with editorial independence. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Somali piracy is surging again. "Hank joined BJ's Wholesale Club the day he became a father of 30. Now Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices, 30 pounds of pasta, three cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks, and that's just pre-game. He knows teamwork, and BJ's knows savings. Home of the Save. Join for just $20 at BJs.com/Mosquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer, new members only. BJ's. Home of the Save." One of the latest targets is an oil tanker that the US is accused of helping Iran evade sanctions. Six armed men seized the Eritrea-flagged Cebu-1 off the coast of Yemen and diverted it towards Somalia. It's one of at least 13 vessels attacked in the region this year. Reuters reporter Aaron Ross has more. There's been a lot of speculation in recent weeks and months about possible connections between the Somali pirates and the Houthi group in Yemen, who are of course allies of Iran. So the fact that an Iranian-linked oil tanker was attacked and diverted towards Somalia really raises a whole host of questions about what's going on and would seem to really call into question the hypothesis that have been put forward by some that there were actually close ties between the Houthis and the Somali pirates in recent times. Aaron says the incident is raising fresh concerns that piracy is re-emerging after years of relative containment. Even though it's slipped off the radar as a major security concern, the threat of Somali piracy has never gone away. The root causes of this have always remained in place, and those being the economic and security situation really isn't going to last. It's not going to last. It's not going to last forever. It's going to stay in Somalia. And therefore, anytime you see a sort of waning of the security presence or certain factors that can encourage people to go out and carry out these attacks, you will see these attacks coming back. So long as those root causes aren't addressed, you know, a lot of analysts would say this will remain a sort of perpetual threat. Off grocery store prices, beef jerky, microwave meals, laundry pods, even they can't screw up. Have you met my kids? And with BJ's gas, she gets there for less. They call me the road warrior. This is your home, road warrior mom. Home of the save. Open soon. Ukrainian drones killed at least six civilians overnight in a wave of strikes across Russia, according to Russian officials. The attacks come as Russia continues its air campaign against Ukraine. A Russian drone strike on a shopping center in Krivyi Rih killed at least 16 people on Friday. And in Kiev, residents are returning to apartment blocks damaged in Russian strikes on Thursday to salvage what remains of their lives. 70-year-old pensioner Ola Strelkovska and her husband 85-year-old Kenyanyi Popov spent the day gathering what they could from their heavily damaged apartments. Strelkovska says the building is so badly damaged, the residents may not be allowed to move back. Inside, rooms are strewn with debris and damaged possessions. As residents cleared rubble and carried out belongings, rescue workers continued operations outside the building. Strelkovska wants Ukraine's partners in Europe and the United States to provide more air defense to help protect civilians from Russian attacks. The attack has left residents facing an uncertain future, with many now trying to find somewhere else to live. Days after it was revealed he'll return to Britain, Prince Harry has been ordered to pay potentially millions towards the legal costs of the daily meal. Last month, a judge redacted the case brought by Harry and other prominent figures, dismissing multiple allegations, including phone hacking. The ruling comes after shock news that Harry, his wife Meghan and their two children would be returning home from California. Royal commentator Afua Hagen says reactions in the royal family are likely to be mixed. Behind closed doors, perhaps they have had a warming of relations. Certainly we have seen that with Prince Harry and King Charles. But I think they will be surprised, definitely, from the royals. The king was informed about this over the weekend, is said to be very, very pleased. But I think other royals will be surprised. I think Eugenie and Beatrice, who are close to Prince Harry, will certainly be pleased about this also. The couple stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and will not resume them nor receive public money. According to reports, Meghan could be returning to acting in the UK. Over to Japan, where record summer heat is driving some men to get to the roots of the problem by getting laser hair removal. With temperatures hitting a record 41.8 degrees Celsius, over 107 degrees Fahrenheit, Japanese men are increasingly resorting to removing lank hair for relief from the brutal heat. Gorilla clinic director Hiroyuki Ota says the clinic is seeing so many clients that some aren't able to secure appointments. The trend is picking up pace as more Japanese opt for shorts, which were once considered to be for children or the beach. Japan's largest beauty booking platform, Hot Pepper Beauty, says that just over a quarter of men it surveyed this year have tried lower leg hair removal in the past 12 months. And finally, the world's oldest living person has turned 117. Ethel Caterham was born in Hampshire, England on the 21st of August 1909, during the reign of King Edward VII. She became the Guinness World Record's oldest living person in 2025, and said in a statement that this has been a year of firsts, from petting a llama to holding hands with the king. For more on any of the stories from today, as well as more analysis and news shaping our world, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. There's a link in the description to download it and start getting pure news straight from the source. Don't forget to follow us on your favourite podcast player, if you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.