Ottawa orders Chinese manufacturer Hikvision to shutter Canadian operations
OTTAWA, June 27 (Reuters) - The Canadian government has ordered Chinese video surveillance and telecommunications equipment maker Hikvision to cease all operations in the country over national security concerns, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said on Friday.
"The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc's continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada's national security," Joly said on X, adding that the decision was taken after a multi-step review of information provided by Canada's security and intelligence community.
Hikvision did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
35 minutes ago
- Sky News
Why critics believe Trump's big win in Supreme Court is 'terrifying step towards authoritarianism'
As the president himself said, this was a "giant" of a decision - a significant moment to end a week of whiplash-inducing news. The decision by the US Supreme Court is a big win for President Donald Trump. By a majority of 6-3, the highest court in the land has ruled that federal judges have been overreaching in their authority by blocking or freezing the executive orders issued by the president. Over the last few months, a series of presidential actions by Trump have been blocked by injunctions issued by federal district judges. The federal judges, branded "radical leftist lunatics" by the president, have ruled on numerous individual cases, most involving immigration. They have then applied their rulings as nationwide injunctions - thus blocking the Trump administration's policies. "It was a grave threat to democracy frankly," the president said at a hastily arranged news conference in the White House briefing room. "Instead of merely ruling on the immediate case before them, these judges have attempted to dictate the law for the entire nation," he said. In simple terms, this ruling, from a Supreme Court weighted towards conservative judges, frees up the president to push on with his agenda, less opposed by the courts. "This is such a big day…," the president said. "It gives power back to people that should have it, including Congress, including the presidency, and it only takes bad power away from judges. It takes bad power, sick power and unfair power. "And it's really going to be... a very monumental decision." The country's most senior member of the Democratic Party was to the point with his reaction to the ruling. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called it "an unprecedented and terrifying step toward authoritarianism, a grave danger to our democracy, and a predictable move from this extremist MAGA court". In a statement, Schumer wrote: "By weakening the power of district courts to check the presidency, the Court is not defending the Constitution - it's defacing it. "This ruling hands Donald Trump yet another green light in his crusade to unravel the foundations of American democracy." 2:57 Federal power in the US is, constitutionally, split equally between the three branches of government - the executive branch (the presidency), the legislative branch (Congress) and the judiciary (the Supreme Court and other federal courts). They are designed to ensure a separation of power and to ensure that no single branch becomes too powerful. This ruling was prompted by a case brought over an executive order issued by President Trump on his inauguration day to end birthright citizenship - that constitutional right to be an American citizen if born here. A federal judge froze the decision, ruling it to be in defiance of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has deferred its judgement on this particular case, instead ruling more broadly on the powers of the federal judges. The court was divided along ideological lines, with conservatives in the majority and liberals in dissent. 👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 In her dissent, liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote: "As I understand the concern, in this clash over the respective powers of two coordinate branches of Government, the majority sees a power grab - but not by a presumably lawless Executive choosing to act in a manner that flouts the plain text of the Constitution. "Instead, to the majority, the power-hungry actors are... (wait for it)... the district courts." Another liberal Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, described the majority ruling by her fellow justices as: "Nothing less than an open invitation for the government to bypass the constitution." Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who Trump appointed during his first term, shifting the balance of left-right power in the court, led this particular ruling. Writing for the majority, she said: "When a court concludes that the executive branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too." The focus now for those who deplore this decision will be to apply 'class action' - to file lawsuits on behalf of a large group of people rather than applying a single case to the whole nation. There is no question though that the president and his team will feel significantly emboldened to push through their policy agenda with fewer blocks and barriers. The ruling ends a giddy week for the president. 0:51 Last Saturday he ordered the US military to bomb Iran's nuclear sites. Within two days he had forced both Israel and Iran to a ceasefire. By mid-week he was in The Hague for the NATO summit where the alliance members had agreed to his defence spending demands. At an Oval Office event late on Friday, where he presided over the signing of a peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, he also hinted at a possible ceasefire "within a week" in Gaza.
The Guardian
41 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US attacks on Iran redraw calculus of use of force for allies and rivals around globe
For US allies and rivals around the world, Donald Trump's strikes on Iran have redrawn the calculus of the White House's readiness to use force in the kind of direct interventions that the president said he would make a thing of the past under his isolationist 'America First' foreign policy. From Russia and China to Europe and across the global south, the president's decision to launch the largest strategic bombing strike in US history indicates a White House that is ready to employ force abroad – but reluctantly and under the extremely temperamental and unpredictable leadership of the president. 'Trump being able to act and being willing to act when he saw an opportunity will definitely give [Vladimir] Putin pause,' said Fiona Hill, a former Trump national security adviser and one of the principal authors of the UK's strategic defence review. While Trump has pulled back from his earlier warnings about potential regime change in Iran, going from tweeting 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' to 'NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!' within 72 hours, he has nonetheless reinforced Russian perceptions of the United States as an unpredictable and aggressive rival that will not unilaterally abandon its ability to use force abroad. 'It has some pretty dire warnings for Putin himself about what could happen at a time of weakness,' Hill said. 'It will just convince Putin even more that no matter what the intent of a US president, the capability to destroy is something that has to be taken seriously.' It also shows a shift in the calculus in Washington DC, where hawks – along with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu – were able to convince Trump that launching a strike on Iran was preferable to pursuing negotiations that had not yet failed. That could have knock-on effects for the war in Ukraine, where Republicans and foreign policy hardliners have grown more vocal about Putin's attacks on cities and the need for a tougher sanctions strategy. Although he hasn't changed his policy on resuming military support to Ukraine, Trump is publicly more exasperated with Putin. When Putin offered Trump to mediate between Israel and Iran, Trump said he responded: 'No, I don't need help with Iran. I need help with you.' In the immediate term, however, the strikes on Iran are unlikely to have an impact on Russia's war in Ukraine. 'I don't see it as having a big impact on the Ukraine war, because although Iran was very helpful at the beginning stages in providing Russia with [Shahed] drones, Russia has now started manufacturing their own version and have actually souped them up,' said Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, during a roundtable discussion. More broadly, Trump's attacks could undermine a growing 'axis of resistance' including Russia and China, given the pair's reluctance to come to Iran's aid beyond issuing strong condemnations of the attacks during security discussions under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being held in China this week. 'It also shows that Russia is not a very valuable friend, because they're not really lifting a finger to help their allies in Iran and returning all the help that they've received,' Boot added. The strike could also have implications for China, which has escalated military pressure around Taiwan in recent months and has been holding 'dress rehearsals' for a forced reunification despite US support for the island, according to testimony from Adm Samuel Paparo, the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command. Trump had promised a tough line on China, and many of his top advisers are either China hawks or believe that the US military should reposition its forces and focus from Europe and the Middle East to Asia in order to manage China as a 'pacing threat'. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Yet his previous hesitancy to use US force abroad could have emboldened Beijing to believe that the US would not come to the direct aid of Taiwan if a military conflict would break out – the one wild card in what would otherwise probably be a lopsided conflict between China and Taiwan. Experts cautioned that the stakes were far different, and the conflicts too far removed, to draw direct conclusions about Trump's readiness to intervene if a conflict broke out between China and Taiwan. Trump's administration appears further embroiled in Middle East diplomacy than it wanted and its pivot to focus on China has been delayed as well. And while some close to the military say the strikes have regained credibility lost after some recent setbacks, including the withdrawal from Afghanistan, others have said that it won't send the same message for military planners in Moscow or Beijing. 'We shouldn't conflate willingness to use force in a very low risk situation with deterring other types of conflicts or using force when it's going to be incredibly costly – which is what it would be if we were to come to the defence of Taiwan,' said Dr Stacie Pettyjohn of the Center for a New American Security during an episode of the Defense & Aerospace Air Power podcast. Around the world, US rivals may use the strikes to reinforce the image of the US as an aggressive power that prefers to use force rather than negotiate – a message that may break through with countries already exhausted with a temperamental White House. 'The fact that it all happened so fast, there wasn't much multilateral involvement or chance for diplomacy, I think, is something Russians can point to as an indication of, you know, imperialism to the global south,' said Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings during a conference call. 'But also in their talking points to United States and western allies, they will definitely make a point of highlighting this as something great powers do, and in a way that normalizes Russia's language on its own [conflicts].
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Megyn Kelly parodies Michelle Obama as she hits out at former first lady for 'never having a positive word to say'
Megyn Kelly has hit out at Michelle Obama with claims she 'never has a positive word to say' as the former first lady ventures further into the podcast circuit. With her years in the White House behind her, Michelle has revealed a new side to herself by pivoting into the podcast game with a show co-hosted alongside her brother, Craig Robinson - but Megyn is yet to be impressed. While speaking with the hosts of the Ruthless podcast, Megyn shared a clip of herself and Daily Mail columnist Maureen Callahan spoofing a series of Michelle's 'constantly negative' comments. Before showcasing the clip, the journalist joked that she's been getting into the 'parody business,' with 'targets' including Meghan Markle, the women who participated in the Blue Origin space flight, and now the former Democratic first lady. 'Michelle - she should change her name to Misery Obama. That's really what I think of when I [think of her]. Misery Obama never has a positive word to say. Never. Not about children, not about family, certainly not about her husband,' Megyn said, before mimicking some of Michelle's most talked-about comments. In a skit, the conservative commentator played a character named 'Megyn O,' and took aim at Michelle's comments about how expensive it is to live in the White House. 'We made it through. We got out alive. But what happened to me? What happened to me?' Megyn O joked. Megyn said her new nickname for the former first lady was 'Misery Obama' because of her comments on living in the White House and being a wife 'No one talks about it,' Maureen responded, pretending to be 'Megyn O's' sister in an attempt to impersonate Michelle's brother Craig. The two also poked fun at Michelle for remarks she made detailing the difficulties of having kids and marriage. 'We had so much fun doing this,' Megyn told podcast hosts Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan, and Josh Ashbrook. 'Basically - we're doing the things that Saturday Night Live should do. We're targeting the people who should be subjected to scorn and ridicule, but the left won't touch it because they're too revered,' she added. 'We've been having such a good time just saying what's obvious,' Megyn said. Megyn also took aim at Michelle's shocking comments about Barack on a recent episode of IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. When asked if she had ever wanted a son, Michelle revealed, 'I'm so glad I didn't have a boy, because he would've been a Barack Obama.' Her guest contested that a 'baby Barack' would be 'amazing,' but Michelle quickly disagreed, 'No, I would have felt for him.' Craig then cut in and joked, 'She just borrowed our boys,' referencing Michelle's nephews. Megyn has been a longtime critic of the Obamas and has frequently gone after the former first lady on her podcast. She previously blasted Michelle for comments she made about the harsh realities of marriage. During an episode of IMO, Michelle opened up about the struggles she had in her marriage, revealing that she had a 'bad decade' with Barack. 'I tell people - and folks think this is harsh - it's, like "You're gonna have a bad decade,"' Michelle said. 'I mean, I've been married to my husband for 30-plus years... If the odds were you're going to be married to your partner for 50 years and 10 of those years could be bad, you'd sign up for it. You know, and that's really how it works out.' Megyn referenced the clip on one of her episodes in April, staunchly disagreeing with Michelle's take. She explained that during her 17-year marriage with Douglas Brunt, 'not one was bad.' Michelle's latest attempt to tame the rumor mill has only further fueled speculation that her marriage to Barack is on the rocks. The former first lady addressed the swirling divorce rumors head on in an interview with Rachel Martin, host of NPR's Wild Card podcast, released Thursday. But instead of dismissing the rumors altogether, Michelle deflected and instead left fans wondering if the famous couple really do have something to hide. 'The fact that people don't see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumors of the end of our marriage,' she told Martin, who jokingly claimed the behavior was the 'apocalypse'. 'It's the apocalypse,' Michelle, 61, echoed, before offering up a rather lackluster excuse: 'We don't take selfies.' 'It's like, "OK, so we don't Instagram every minute of our lives." We are 60. We're 60, y'all. You just are not gonna know what we're doing every minute of the day.' Rumors that the couple's 33-year marriage had unraveled began circulating after Michelle was noticeably absent from several high-profile events earlier this year; including the presidential inauguration and funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. They were further exacerbated last week when Michelle was spotted having lunch with her daughters and another, somewhat surprising companion at an exclusive beach club in Mallorca. Barack, however, was noticeably absent.
