Lead Story
US-Canada trade war escalates as 50% tariffs take effect, Canada vows retaliation
The United States imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods just after midnight on August 22, 2026, after three days of talks between US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Canadian negotiators Dominic LeBlanc and Janice Charette failed to produce a deal before President Trump's deadline. Hours later, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Ottawa would impose dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs starting September 8, targeting US exports including steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural machinery, paper and electronics. Trump had invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act in July to authorize the levies and had briefly paused them while negotiators worked toward terms that reportedly would have cut US tariffs on Canadian autos to 15% and steel and aluminum duties to 25% under quota, but talks collapsed before an agreement was finalized.
Read more →Lead Story
US-Canada trade war escalates as 50% tariffs take effect, Canada vows retaliation
The United States imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods just after midnight on August 22, 2026, after three days of talks between US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Canadian negotiators Dominic LeBlanc and Janice Charette failed to produce a deal before President Trump's deadline. Hours later, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Ottawa would impose dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs starting September 8, targeting US exports including steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural machinery, paper and electronics. Trump had invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act in July to authorize the levies and had briefly paused them while negotiators worked toward terms that reportedly would have cut US tariffs on Canadian autos to 15% and steel and aluminum duties to 25% under quota, but talks collapsed before an agreement was finalized.
Tehran calls new US sanctions a "declaration of war" as Iran's president claims victory
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on August 22, 2026 that Washington's next round of sanctions on Iran, with details due Monday, will be the "toughest sanctions in history" and will "collapse" the Iranian regime. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei responded that the sweeping sanctions campaign amounts to a "declaration of war" on all nations, not just an economic war against Iran, and urged a global response. The same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, according to state news agency IRNA, that the six-month war with the US and Israel should end because "the entire world approved our victory and the U.S. is hated," arguing Tehran should negotiate from what he called a position of strength. The dueling claims came as France and Saudi Arabia were reported to be discussing plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the war began.
Read more →Tehran calls new US sanctions a "declaration of war" as Iran's president claims victory
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on August 22, 2026 that Washington's next round of sanctions on Iran, with details due Monday, will be the "toughest sanctions in history" and will "collapse" the Iranian regime. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei responded that the sweeping sanctions campaign amounts to a "declaration of war" on all nations, not just an economic war against Iran, and urged a global response. The same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, according to state news agency IRNA, that the six-month war with the US and Israel should end because "the entire world approved our victory and the U.S. is hated," arguing Tehran should negotiate from what he called a position of strength. The dueling claims came as France and Saudi Arabia were reported to be discussing plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the war began.
Israel-Syria violence continues with drone strike in south and IED attack near Damascus
The Israel Defense Forces carried out a drone strike in southern Syria on August 22, 2026, which Israeli Army Radio said targeted a fighter accused of preparing an improvised explosive device attack against Israeli troops occupying parts of southern Syria. The same day, Syrian state media reported that an IED struck a bus carrying Syrian security forces on the Maarounah-Al-Tall road near Damascus, injuring several passengers. The incidents add to a string of clashes since Israel's August 19 strikes on the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province, which Turkey, Syria, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have all condemned, as tensions simmer over Israeli operations inside Syria following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024.
Read more →Israel-Syria violence continues with drone strike in south and IED attack near Damascus
The Israel Defense Forces carried out a drone strike in southern Syria on August 22, 2026, which Israeli Army Radio said targeted a fighter accused of preparing an improvised explosive device attack against Israeli troops occupying parts of southern Syria. The same day, Syrian state media reported that an IED struck a bus carrying Syrian security forces on the Maarounah-Al-Tall road near Damascus, injuring several passengers. The incidents add to a string of clashes since Israel's August 19 strikes on the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province, which Turkey, Syria, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have all condemned, as tensions simmer over Israeli operations inside Syria following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024.
Pope Leo XIV visits San Marino, praises it as model of political freedom
Pope Leo XIV flew by helicopter from Rome to San Marino on August 22, 2026, marking the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the tiny republic. He was received by Captains Regent Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva at the Palazzo Publico before meeting local authorities and civil society representatives. In his remarks, the pope praised San Marino's centuries-old republican traditions as a "laboratory" of good governance and a model of political freedom and civic responsibility, while warning against political and economic systems that place power above the human person. He went on to address the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in the nearby Italian city of Rimini.
Read more →Pope Leo XIV visits San Marino, praises it as model of political freedom
Pope Leo XIV flew by helicopter from Rome to San Marino on August 22, 2026, marking the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the tiny republic. He was received by Captains Regent Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva at the Palazzo Publico before meeting local authorities and civil society representatives. In his remarks, the pope praised San Marino's centuries-old republican traditions as a "laboratory" of good governance and a model of political freedom and civic responsibility, while warning against political and economic systems that place power above the human person. He went on to address the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in the nearby Italian city of Rimini.
Mexico resumes cattle exports to US as yearlong screwworm ban ends
Mexican ranchers were preparing on August 22, 2026 to resume livestock sales to the United States starting Monday, August 24, when the US reopens the Douglas, Arizona border crossing to Mexican cattle for the first time in a year. The ban was imposed over fears of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite, a suspension that cost Mexico's export-dependent ranching sector roughly $1.2 billion in lost annual sales and forced ranchers to sell into a weaker domestic market at prices nearly 40% below US rates. US Department of Agriculture officials said the reopening will come with strict controls, including radio-frequency ID tags on all animals and a phased cap starting at 700 head per day in the first week, rising to 900 in the second, as both countries watch for any resurgence of the parasite.
Read more →Mexico resumes cattle exports to US as yearlong screwworm ban ends
Mexican ranchers were preparing on August 22, 2026 to resume livestock sales to the United States starting Monday, August 24, when the US reopens the Douglas, Arizona border crossing to Mexican cattle for the first time in a year. The ban was imposed over fears of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite, a suspension that cost Mexico's export-dependent ranching sector roughly $1.2 billion in lost annual sales and forced ranchers to sell into a weaker domestic market at prices nearly 40% below US rates. US Department of Agriculture officials said the reopening will come with strict controls, including radio-frequency ID tags on all animals and a phased cap starting at 700 head per day in the first week, rising to 900 in the second, as both countries watch for any resurgence of the parasite.