logo
WATCH: NATO Warship Fires Ship-Killer Missile in Boost for US Alliances

WATCH: NATO Warship Fires Ship-Killer Missile in Boost for US Alliances

Newsweek6 days ago
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A Canadian warship—currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific with NATO allies—tested its ability to sink enemy vessels earlier this month during a live-fire missile drill near Australia.
The missile firing was conducted as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025—an ongoing war game involving 19 Indo-Pacific, North American and European nations. It comes amid China's rapid military buildup and expanding naval presence in the broader Western Pacific.
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The live-fire drill, conducted by the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ville de Québec, marked the second time Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 has featured anti-ship capabilities, after the U.S. army conducted a missile strike on a maritime target on July 16.
Both missile firing events appear to be a response to China's demonstration of its growing naval power through two high-profile missions in the Pacific earlier this year—a dual aircraft carrier deployment and the circumnavigation of Australia—alarming the U.S. and its allies.
What To Know
In a video released on Tuesday, the Ville de Québec was seen firing a Harpoon anti-ship missile. According to the Canadian Joint Operations Command, the warship rearmed with Harpoon missiles in Darwin, northern Australia, on July 9 in preparation for the exercise.
In this still image taken from video provided by the Royal Canadian Navy on July 22, 2025, the Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec fires a Harpoon anti-ship missile during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 in...
In this still image taken from video provided by the Royal Canadian Navy on July 22, 2025, the Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec fires a Harpoon anti-ship missile during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 in waters off northern Australia. More
Royal Canadian Navy
The U.S.-made Harpoon missile, which has a range of over 69 miles, can be launched from aircraft, land-based coastal defense systems, and submarines, in addition to surface ships.
The Canadian warship also conducted a missile rearmament following the live-fire event, according to the Australian military. It became the second Canadian naval vessel to be rearmed in Australia, after the frigate HMCS Vancouver at the Port of Broome in 2024.
"Utilizing Darwin to rearm a Canadian warship with conventional munitions is a significant achievement for the [Australian Defense Force] and our interoperability with close partners," said Australian Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, in a press release.
The Ville de Québec departed Canada in April for a deployment in the Indo-Pacific, aimed at promoting peace, stability, and the rules-based international order, according to Canada's Department of National Defence. It joined a NATO naval strike group led by the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
On July 9, in preparation for its participation in Ex TALISMAN SABRE, #HMCSVilledeQuébec conducted a rearm in Darwin, Australia, of Harpoon Missiles. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/5XhfzFTeBF — Canadian Joint Operations Command (@CJOC_COIC) July 11, 2025
Both the British and Canadian warships conducted operations with a U.S. naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in waters north of Australia on July 18.
What People Are Saying
The Canadian Joint Operations Command said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on July 12: "Conducting a forward rearmament this far from home…strengthens our interoperability with partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific region and ensures our forces are ready to respond anywhere when called upon to defend Canada and our allies."
Australian Vice Admiral Justin Jones, Chief of Joint Operations, said in a press release on Monday: "Canada's participation in Talisman Sabre and rearmament of HMCS Ville de Québec in Darwin will help to maintain strong interoperability between our forces."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 will feature additional anti-ship missile live fires, as the U.S. continues to arm its Pacific allies with anti-ship weapons.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Europe Welcomes US Trade Fight Pause Despite Critic Warnings
Europe Welcomes US Trade Fight Pause Despite Critic Warnings

Yahoo

time18 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Europe Welcomes US Trade Fight Pause Despite Critic Warnings

(Bloomberg) -- European capitals defended the trade deal struck with President Donald Trump, which will see the European Union accept a 15% tariff on most of its exports to the US while reducing levies on some American products to zero. The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Budapest's Most Historic Site Gets a Controversial Rebuild Trump Administration Sues NYC Over Sanctuary City Policy European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met with Trump in his golf club in Turnberry, Scotland, on Sunday, hailed the agreement for the stability and predictability it will offer businesses and consumers. The EU knew that the deal would favor the US, but von der Leyen urged reporters to 'not forget where we came from,' referencing tariff rates Trump threatened that were as high as 50%. Subscribe to the Bloomberg Daybreak Podcast on Apple, Spotify and other Podcast Platforms. The lower rate came as a relief to member states that are dependent on exports, especially Germany, which exported $34.9 billion of new cars and auto parts to the US in 2024. 'The agreement has succeeded in averting a trade conflict that would have hit the export-oriented German economy hard,' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement late Sunday. 'This has enabled us to safeguard our core interests, even if I would have liked to have seen further easing in transatlantic trade.' Without a deal, Bloomberg Economics estimated that the total US average effective tariff rate would rise to nearly 18% on Aug. 1 from 13.5% under current policies. The new deal brings that number down to 16%. Prior to Trump's latest trade fight, the EU estimated the average tariff rate to be about 1% on both sides. The pact removes a major risk for markets and the global economy, given the transatlantic partners did €1.7 trillion ($2 trillion) worth of cross-border commerce in 2024. European stocks and US equity futures climbed on Monday with the Stoxx 600 index gaining 0.7%. Industry officials in Germany, however, warned that the deal leaves the auto industry exposed and will make companies in Europe less competitive. 'The agreement is an inadequate compromise and sends a disastrous signal to the closely intertwined economies on both sides of the Atlantic,' said Wolfgang Niedermark, a member of the executive board of Germany's BDI industry federation. 'The EU is accepting painful tariffs. Even a 15% tariff will have immense negative consequences for Germany's export-oriented industry.' France, which took a more hawkish approach to the negotiations, highlighted the stability the agreement would bring, but also recommended triggering the EU's anti-coercion instrument, which would initiate a massive retaliation against the US, hitting American technology companies and blocking US firms from public procurement projects in Europe. 'Let's be clear: the current situation is not satisfactory and cannot be sustainable,' French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad said in a social media post. 'The free trade that has brought shared prosperity to both sides of the Atlantic since the end of the Second World War is now rejected by the United States, which is choosing economic coercion and complete disregard for WTO rules.' Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade Hanneke Boerma said the deal was 'not ideal' and called on the commission to continue negotiations with the US. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has long been a thorn in the sides of the Brussels' institutions, took an even tougher line, in part criticizing von der Leyen while praising the American president. 'What's clear is that this isn't a deal Donald Trump struck with Ursula von der Leyen,' Orban said in an online interview with a pro-government influencer on Monday. 'Donald Trump ate Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast. The American president is a heavyweight negotiator, Madam President is featherweight.' Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who typically joins Orban in criticizing the EU, said that 15% is 'a good negotiation result,' though he warned that the devil is 'hidden in the details.' Slovakia's car industry accounts for about 10% of the country's GDP and is home to plants owned by VW, Stellantis, Kia and Jaguar Land Rover, plus an extensive network of suppliers. Trade accords typically require years of negotiations and can run thousands of pages long. The deal reached between the EU and US was thin on details and so far hasn't produced any written details. 'The focus will now turn to interpretation and implementation risk, posing a mix of political and technical questions,' Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at Teneo, wrote in a note. 'Given the nature of the deal, major uncertainties are likely to persist.' The EU agreed to purchase $750 billion in American energy products, invest $600 billion in the US on top of existing expenditures, open up countries' markets to trade with the US at zero tariffs and purchase 'vast amounts' of military equipment, Trump said. Key to getting the 15% rate to apply to pharmaceuticals and semiconductors was the bloc's promise to make US investments, according to people familiar with the matter. Clemens Fuest, president of Germany's Ifo Institute for Economic Research, called the deal a 'humiliation' that reflects the imbalance of power between the EU and US. 'The Europeans need to wake up, focus more on economic strength and reduce their military and technological dependence on the US,' Fuest said on social media. 'Then they can renegotiate.' French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou had even stronger words when discussing the new deal. 'It's a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, opts for submission,' he wrote on social media. --With assistance from Kamil Kowalcze, Alberto Brambilla, Zoltan Simon, Daniel Hornak, Sarah Jacob, James Regan and William Wilkes. (Updates with industry comment in the ninth paragraph.) Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Confessions of a Laptop Farmer: How an American Helped North Korea's Wild Remote Worker Scheme Scottish Wind Farms Show How to Counter Nimby Opposition ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

From killings to rape, the heinous crimes that could get you less jail time than a Freedom Convoy organizer
From killings to rape, the heinous crimes that could get you less jail time than a Freedom Convoy organizer

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

From killings to rape, the heinous crimes that could get you less jail time than a Freedom Convoy organizer

First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. TOP STORY Last week, Crown prosecutors announced they were seeking jail sentences of up to eight years for Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, two organizers of the Freedom Convoy protest. Both were convicted of mischief, but the Crown is seeking a minimum sentence of seven years in jail for Lich, and eight for Barber, who was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order. The Crown has argued that the disruptiveness of the Freedom Convoy blockades warrants the harsh sentence, but in a statement this week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said courts are throwing the book at Barber and Lich while simultaneously giving free reign to 'rampant violent offenders' and 'antisemitic rioters.' It's certainly the case that you can do an awful lot of heinous things in Canada before a prosecutor would ever think of asking for seven years. Below, a not-at-all comprehensive list of things you can do in Canada, and have the Crown seek a lighter sentence than the one they're seeking for the organizers of the Freedom Convoy. Sexually assaulting a baby The accused can't be named due to a publication ban, but he's a B.C. man convicted of sexually assaulting his one-year-old daughter. Specifically, he rubbed his penis against the child's exposed genitals while filming it on his cell phone. In March, Crown prosecutors sought five to six years for the man's conviction for sexual assault, possession of child pornography and sexual interference with a minor. Using a car filled with guns to ram into Justin Trudeau's house Defence lawyers for Barber and Lich have argued that the pair were active in keeping Freedom Convoy peaceful, and urging supporters away from violence. Ironically, there is another case also from the Ottawa area in which an anti-mandate demonstrator was much more violent in his demands — and yet still faced a lighter proposed sentence. Months before Freedom Convoy ever got underway, an army reservist angry about COVID lockdowns filled up a car with guns, smashed through the gates of the official prime ministerial residence and was stopped as he attempted to approach the residence to 'arrest' then prime minister Justin Trudeau. The reservist's crimes were much more serious than mischief; he was convicted of seven weapons charges and one charge of destruction of property. But the Crown in his case sought a sentence of six years. Killing multiple innocent people via drunk driving When it comes to crimes that kill people, vehicular manslaughter is routinely among the most lightly punished. There exist any number of examples of a Canadian driver killing someone through inattention or recklessness, and getting off with nothing more than a fine and a brief driving ban. Even in cases where a drunk driver wipes out a whole generation of a family, a seven-year sentence would be considered on the tougher side. Edmonton man Taylor Yaremchuk killed a senior couple while driving drunk in 2022. The Crown in his case sought, and received, a five-year jail sentence, with the sentencing judge declaring it sent a 'strong message.' Five years was also the sentence sought by the Crown in the case of a Newfoundland man who took to the wheel after drinking all day at a 2019 music festival, causing a crash that killed couple John and Sandra Lush, and seriously injured their daughter and her boyfriend, who were in the back seat. Stabbing a man to death because he told you to stop abusing your girlfriend Under Canadian law, a convicted murderer has to spend at least 10 years in jail; that's the mandatory minimum sentence for second-degree murder. Nevertheless, it's common to see cases in which a killer receives only a few years in jail simply because the homicide they committed is prosecuted as manslaughter. In 2018, 26-year-old Abeal Negussie Abera received fatal stab wounds in Downtown Vancouver after he attempted to intervene between a man yelling at his common-law spouse. 'Yo, bro, she's just a girl. You don't have to treat her like that, calm down,' Abera reportedly said just before Benny Rae Armstrong plunged a blade into his chest. At a hearing last month, Crown prosecutors sought a five-year jail term for Armstrong. Being a police officer who stalks and sexually harasses crime victims Edmonton Police constable Hunter Robinz was convicted earlier this year not just for sex crimes, but for sex crimes against vulnerable women he would track down using his status as a police officer — sometimes forcing himself on the women while in uniform. In one instance, Robinz returned a distressed and intoxicated woman to her apartment, only to spend two hours attempting to kiss her while ignoring calls from his police radio. The Crown sought two to three years for Robinz, but in May a sentencing judge opted instead for six months. Amassing enough child pornography to fill a video store Joshua Stairs's child pornography collection was tallied up by police as containing 7,170 videos and 1,148 images. At trial, Judge Johanne Lafrance-Cardinal said the images were so graphic, violent and disturbing that she occasionally urged lawyers not to detail their contents so as to spare court staff members. The ages of the victims depicted in the images ranged from four to 12. The Crown sought three to three-and-a-half years for Stairs, and he was sentenced to two. Torturing a toddler to death It's not unusual that the killing of a baby or toddler will yield a sentence of only a few years, particularly if the killer is the child's parents. But there were some aggravating factors in the death of Gabriel Sinclair-Pasqua, an 18-month-old who died in 2021. Sinclair-Pasqua's last days were spent in extreme pain after a scalding caused him to suffer burns across a third of his body. His parents not only refused to seek medical care, but in text exchanges they referred to the emaciated and screaming child as 'a paycheque.' The Crown would end up seeking the exact same sentence for the parents as that being sought for Barber: eight years in jail. Shooting at police In the summer of 2023 Siavash Ahmadi was pulled over by West Vancouver Police for suspected impaired driving. When instructed to retrieve his licence, Ahmadi instead reached into a bag of loaded guns, retrieved a pistol and fired at two officers from a distance of just two metres. Admadi didn't hit anyone, and neither did the officers when they returned fire. At trial last November, the Crown sought a sentence of seven years. Ahmadi ultimately received just four years, in addition to a $1,000 fine for impaired driving. Intentionally ramming a car loaded with children and pregnant women Michael Augustine, 60, pled guilty to a 2022 incident in which he used his truck to intentionally ram a minivan carrying his step-daughter, whom he had just threatened to kill. The minivan, which was carrying a total of four children and two pregnant women, rolled multiple times before coming to a stop in the woods, 83 metres from the road. Miraculously, nobody was killed, despite one of the children being ejected from the crash. Despite Augustine's long history of violent criminal convictions, the Crown sought eight years, and Augustine was ultimately sentenced to five. Beating a fellow homeless shelter resident to death While staying at an Edmonton homeless shelter, Stanley Jago attacked a confused fellow resident who had been returning from the bathroom, beating the man so badly that he suffered a fatal seizure. In the court proceedings that followed, Jago gained a reputation for unstable behaviour, such as threatening court participants or attempting to attack sheriffs. Jago was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to five years — just slightly less than the five-and-a-half years the Crown had been seeking. Raping a minor and bragging about it online In arguing that 56-year-old Prakash Lekhraj didn't feel any remorse for raping a teenaged girl, the Crown would only have needed to point to Lehkraj's testimony that 'he never needs to seek the consent of a female to have sexual relations with her.' Lehkraj was convicted of both sexual assault and the production of child pornography for an August 2020 assault in which he photographed himself raping a minor before uploading the images to an online group chat. The victim 'took it like a champ,' wrote Lekhraj. The Crown sought a sentence of four to five years, but a judge went with three years and three months. IN OTHER NEWSAmidst Canada's bid to fortify its economy against U.S. trade aggression, easily the most low-lying fruit has been the spectre of interprovincial trade barriers. The various regulatory issues that make it hard for provinces to trade with one another cost the Canadian economy an estimated $160 billion per year. Nevertheless, despite some early successes in knocking down the barriers, a major setback occurred this week when Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew bowed out of a trade deal with Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario that would commit all four provinces to collaborate on new pipelines, rail links and other infrastructure. Kinew didn't sign on the grounds that no such projects should proceed without Indigenous 'consensus.' That also happens to be the high standard that Prime Minister Mark Carney has suggested for any new federally administered infrastructure; that nothing gets built unless it has 'a consensus of all the provinces and the Indigenous people.'Get all of these insights and more into your inbox by signing up for the First Reading newsletter. Michael Higgins: Musician and pastor Sean Feucht raises Indigenous ire by cancelling himself 'This was a very violent attack': Nova Scotia man gets 6.5-year sentence for raping transgender woman

Thailand, Cambodia Reach Ceasefire in Deadly Border Clash After Trump Trade Threat, Anwar Push
Thailand, Cambodia Reach Ceasefire in Deadly Border Clash After Trump Trade Threat, Anwar Push

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Thailand, Cambodia Reach Ceasefire in Deadly Border Clash After Trump Trade Threat, Anwar Push

(Bloomberg) -- Thailand and Cambodia agreed Monday to halt five days of fighting along their disputed border that's killed at least 36 people, after President Donald Trump's tariff threats accelerated a regional push for a diplomatic solution. The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Budapest's Most Historic Site Gets a Controversial Rebuild Trump Administration Sues NYC Over Sanctuary City Policy Thailand's Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reached the agreement during talks in Malaysia hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, acting in his capacity as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Envoys from Washington and Beijing were also at the talks, but their roles weren't immediately clear. 'Both Cambodia and Thailand reached a common understanding,' Anwar said after the talks. 'This is a vital first step toward a de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security.' An 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire will be effective from midnight into Tuesday local time, he added, and regional military commanders would meet at 7 a.m. The Thai baht erased losses of as much as 0.2% after the announcement, to trade flat at 32.39 to a dollar in thin holiday trading. In a joint statement issued after the talks, the three nations said their foreign ministers and defense ministers 'have been instructed to develop a detailed mechanism for the implementation, verification, and reporting of the ceasefire. This mechanism will serve as a foundation for sustained peace and accountability.' The two sides also agreed to move ahead with a meeting of their so-called General Border Committee on Aug. 4 in Cambodia. The talks were the first formal dialogue since fresh clashes erupted on July 24, which displaced more than 150,000 civilians on both sides of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border. Tensions escalated rapidly over the weekend and into Monday as heavy artillery fire and aerial strikes were reported, and both sides accused each other of targeting civilian areas. Trump had said before the discussions that the Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to 'quickly work out a ceasefire.' After separate calls with Phumtham and Hun Manet on Saturday, Trump had threatened that Washington would not reach trade deals with either as long as the fighting continued. In their remarks after the meeting, both Phumtham and Hun Manet thanked Anwar and Trump, as well as China, for helping reach the ceasefire. Prior to the talks, Thailand had insisted that any ceasefire must include troop withdrawals, an end to lethal force and an agreement to resolve conflict through bilateral mechanisms. Cambodia, by contrast, maintained its support for an unconditional end to hostilities. The current conflict traces its roots to long-standing disputes stemming from colonial-era maps and treaties that defined the two countries' boundaries. Relations had remained relatively stable since a 2011 clash that left dozens dead, but renewed tensions have triggered fears of escalated fighting. Trump threatened to block trade deals with both countries unless the violence stopped. 'We're not going to make a trade deal unless you settle the war,' Trump said Sunday, adding that both leaders expressed willingness to negotiate after speaking with him directly. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier that US officials are on the ground in Malaysia 'to assist these peace efforts.' A representative of China, the top trading partner for both Southeast Asian nations and a major backer of Phnom Penh, also participated in the talks Monday. China's embassy in Bangkok said in a statement that Beijing 'will adhere to the neutral and impartial position, continue to communicate closely with Cambodia and Thailand, and actively promote negotiations. and play a constructive role in pushing for a ceasefire and an end to hostilities.' The joint statement after the talks said the meeting had been 'co-organised by the United States of America with the active participation of the People's Republic of China' With Trump's Aug. 1 tariff deadline looming, trade-reliant Thailand wants to avoid antagonizing the US president, especially as its officials have been holding talks to lower the steep 36% planned levy on its exports. Trump has claimed credit for helping halt border clashes earlier this year between India and Pakistan by leveraging trade measures. It's an assertion India has consistently denied but Pakistan has embraced. Thailand's trade talks with the US have included offering expanded access for American goods to narrow a $46 billion trade surplus. Neighboring Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have already secured trade deals with the US in recent weeks. 'President Trump's pressure tactic seems to be working as both the Thai and Cambodian governments are struggling economically,' said Tita Sanglee, associate fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. 'Failure to lower Thailand's tariff rate will be politically costly.' But yielding to a ceasefire agreement when the Cambodian threat to take the territorial disputes to the International Court of Justice is still alive, won't likely be accepted by the Thai public or the military, she said. Cambodia has said it wants the court to help settle the disputed status of four border areas, after a skirmish broke out in May. Thailand doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction. (Updates with market reaction in fifth paragraph.) Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Confessions of a Laptop Farmer: How an American Helped North Korea's Wild Remote Worker Scheme Scottish Wind Farms Show How to Counter Nimby Opposition ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store