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Canada’s only Major League Baseball team is looking to take the crown of “America’s pastime” in a World Series matchup that opens Friday with an unusually heavy dose of national pride on the line.The Toronto Blue Jays are hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday for the first game of the championship series, at a time of unprecedented tensions between Canada and the United States.On the eve of the matchup, US President Donald Trump abruptly ended trade talks with his northern neighbor over what he claimed was a deceptive ad criticizing his tariff policies.”CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” Trump thundered on Truth Social.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the prediction earlier this month that Canadians would be “coming down for the World Series.”The comment came on October 7, when the Blue Jays were still two weeks away from clinching their first World Series spot in 32 years.They knocked out the New York Yankees — from Trump’s home city — the next day.They then beat the Seattle Mariners to claim the American League pennant, sending them to the World Series against the Dodgers.The Blue Jays occupy a unique place as the only surviving Canadian team in the major leagues.Canada’s first MLB franchise was the Montreal Expos, but they had limited on-field success before ownership challenges and dismal attendance forced a relocation and rebrand as the Washington Nationals.After the Blue Jays beat the Mariners in a do-or-die game seven, manager John Schneider — who was born in New Jersey — was asked if the World Series might become a US-Canada grudge match given lingering bilateral tensions.”We’ll see. I know it will be the Blue Jays versus the Dodgers,” Schneider told reporters. “But I know that these guys in there know that they’re representing the country too.”For Blue Jays fan Chris Kitowski, who has watched several playoff games at a packed Toronto sports bar, Trump’s actions have added energy to the World Series.”There’s a confrontation happening between Canada and the US,” the 60-year-old told AFP, speaking before Trump’s latest threats.Now there’s a “confrontation over the American national sport,” he said, adding that the timing was “perfect.”- National pride -US-Canada sports tensions erupted earlier this year during the Four Nations ice hockey tournament in February.Trump, who had only returned to office in January, was then regularly talking about making Canada the 51st US state and mocking then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, calling him “governor.”When the puck dropped in an opening-round US-Canada game, three fights erupted within the first nine seconds — an extreme rarity that some said highlighted tensions between the two countries.The US national anthem was booed before the contest began.With resentment simmering, Trump called the US team to cheer them on before the final, which Canada won in overtime.Annexation threats have eased, but Trump still mentioned a US-Canada “merger” in his recent Oval Office meeting with Carney, while US protectionism has battered key sectors of the Canadian economy.”There’s obviously the potential for serious political tensions and national pride to be on full display during this series,” University of Toronto political scientist Lewis Krashinsky told AFP.The last World Series game played outside the United States was in October 1993, when the Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies. For Kitowski, the series that opens in Toronto and moves to Los Angeles next week should serve as a reminder of the enduring passion for baseball in Canada.”We play your game and we’re going to win,” he said. “What are you going to do then?”

Brazil fears any US intervention in Venezuela would rile people across South America and trigger upheaval, a foreign policy aide told AFP amid a tense military standoff between Washington and Caracas.US naval forces are stationed in the Caribbean off the coast of socialist-run Venezuela and are destroying boats that Washington says are smuggling drugs toward the United States.On Friday the United States said it was deploying an aircraft carrier and accompanying ships in the military operation that has also spread to Pacific Ocean waters.At least 43 people have been killed in a total of 10 attacks so far.In an interview Thursday with AFP, Celso Amorim, a former foreign minister who now serves as aide to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, expressed concern about the attacks, which he said were carried out without evidence of drug trafficking, and called them “a threat of outside intervention.”Amorim said the attacks could come up at a still-unconfirmed meeting Sunday between Lula and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.But such a meeting is expected to focus on the 50 percent tariffs that Trump slapped on imports from Brazil as punishment for its prosecution of his ally, the former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro.Bolsonaro was convicted in September of plotting a coup to stay in power after losing an election to Lula in 2022 and sentenced to 27 years in prison.QUESTION: Will Lula address the US strikes in the Caribbean if the meeting with Trump is confirmed?ANSWER: “That depends on how the conversation develops, if there is receptivity on this issue. Brazil is clearly worried about the threat of the use of force or the threat of covert methods like those of the CIA to topple governments in the region.We do not want upheaval in our region. This could have very serious consequences. There is a threat of outside intervention … people have been killed. I do not know if they were drug traffickers but there is no evidence that they were. It is very dangerous.”Q: What would Brazil’s position be in the event the United States intervenes to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro? A: “Brazil is clearly opposed to outside intervention. The issue of who governs Venezuela is only for the Venezuelan people to decide.”We cannot accept an outside intervention because it will trigger immense resentment. For Brazil and Colombia it could create specific problems involving refugees. It could inflame South America and lead to radicalization of politics on the whole continent.”Q: How can one explain the resumption of dialogue between Brazil and the United States after months of tension surrounding the Bolsonaro trial and tariffs?A: I would say it is a question of common sense on both sides. President Lula is not going to lecture Trump and I hope this goes both ways. There has to be dialogue to seek points of agreement. It is a matter of continuing a positive conversation and above all a good understanding on economic and trade issues.”Q: Do you think Trump has stopped backing the Bolsonaro movement after the former president’s conviction?A: “The word Bolsonaro was not mentioned (when the two presidents spoke by phone on October 6.) In any government there are pragmatic people and ideological people. In this case I think the pragmatists must have spoken with Trump.”

Procter & Gamble on Friday reported higher earnings fueled in part by an improved performance in China as it projected a lower hit from tariffs.The maker of Tide detergent, Pampers diapers and Bounty paper towels scored increased sales in all five product categories, with the biggest gains in beauty and grooming. This came despite what the US-based company termed a “challenging consumer and geopolitical environment” with inflation-stretched consumers and fast-changing tariff policies.Profits in the quarter ending September 30 were $4.8 billion, up 20 percent. Revenues rose three percent to $22.4 billion.The consumer products giant — which announced a downsizing in non-manufacturing employment in June in the wake of the tariff onslaught — now sees a hit of $500 million in fiscal 2026, down from an earlier forecast of $1 billion.Chief Financial Officer Andre Schulten said the improved outlook reflected White House moves to exempt fromtariffs “natural materials and ingredients” not grown in the United States, such as eucalyptus pulp and cilium.”What the administration has done is basically grant exemptions, broad exemptions in some of these tariff frameworks for those materials that cannot be grown in the US, which highly appreciated and makes sense,” he said on a conference call with analysts.Schulten said the company’s plan to eliminate 7,000 non-manufacturing jobs over two years was on track. The goal is “smaller teams that are better set up” and capable to exploit digital technologies “to focus on the consumer and brand building,” he said.P&G has made strides in the greater China market, where sales grew five percent. Schulten described the performance as “very strong progress” following a rethink of operations and marketing while characterizing the competitive environment as difficult. “I don’t expect it will be a straight line, but I feel very good about the progress we’ve made,” Schulten said of China.Shares of P&G rose 1.2 percent shortly after midday.

The New York attorney general who successfully prosecuted Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Friday to bank fraud charges and accused the president of using the justice system as a “tool of revenge.”Letitia James, 67, one of three prominent Trump critics to be hit with criminal charges in recent weeks, entered the not guilty plea at an arraignment in a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia.The presiding judge set a trial date of January 26.James faces one count of bank fraud and a second one of making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a property she purchased in Virginia in 2020.Speaking to supporters outside the courtroom following the brief arraignment, James said the Trump administration is using the justice system as a “vehicle of retribution.””This is not about me,” she said. “This is about all of us, and about a justice system which has been weaponized, a justice system which has been been used as a tool of revenge.”A handful of supporters outside the courthouse held up signs saying “Defend Democracy” and “Revenge Is Not Democracy.”The case against James was brought this month, one day after another Trump foe, former FBI director James Comey, pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.John Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security advisor during his first term before becoming an outspoken critic of the Republican president, was indicted last week for allegedly mishandling classified information.He has also pleaded not guilty.The cases against James and Comey were filed by Trump’s handpicked US attorney, Lindsey Halligan, after the previous prosecutor resigned saying there was not enough evidence against them.- Vindictive prosecution -Trump recently publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against James, Comey and others he sees as enemies in an escalation of his campaign against political opponents.After Trump left the White House in 2021, James brought a major civil fraud case against him, alleging he and his real estate company had unlawfully inflated his wealth and manipulated the value of properties to obtain favorable bank loans or insurance terms.A New York state judge ordered Trump to pay $464 million, but a higher court later removed the financial penalty while upholding the underlying judgment. James has appealed the ruling.In addition to James and Comey, Trump has also publicly called for the prosecution of Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who led the first impeachment of the president in the House of Representatives.Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, has filed a motion seeking to have the case against the former FBI chief dismissed on the grounds that it is a vindictive prosecution.Appointed to head the FBI by then-president Barack Obama in 2013, Comey was fired by Trump in 2017 amid a probe into whether any members of the Trump presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against perceived enemies, purging government officials he deemed to be disloyal, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him and pulling federal funding from universities.

US President Donald Trump on Friday doubled down on ending trade talks with Canada over an anti-tariff advertising campaign, as Prime Minister Mark Carney sought to downplay the sudden rupture.On his Truth Social network, Trump said he had “terminated” all talks and vented fury at what he called a “fake” ad that he said misquoted former president Ronald Reagan discussing tariff policy.Trump said the campaign — produced by the Canadian province of Ontario for US television — was designed to “interfere with the decision of the US Supreme Court,” which is due to rule on his sweeping global tariffs.”CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” he posted Friday. “Canada has long cheated on Tariffs, charging our farmers as much as 400%. Now they, and other countries, can’t take advantage of the U.S. any longer.”Carney did not directly respond to Trump’s move, instead only saying recent talks had made progress “and we stand ready to pick up on that progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready.”Canada has “to focus on what we can control, and realize what we cannot control,” he added.Trump wrote that “the Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”He reiterated that in his Friday post, writing that Reagan “LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.”The foundation wrote on X that the Ontario government had used “selective audio and video” from a radio address on trade that Reagan delivered in 1987.It said the ad misrepresented what the former Republican president said, adding that it was “reviewing its legal options.”The ad used quotes from Reagan’s speech, in which he warned against ramifications that he said high tariffs on foreign imports could have on the US economy.It cited Reagan as saying that “high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” a quote that matches a transcript of his speech on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s website.- Steel, aluminum, autos -The latest twist in relations between the United States and Canada came just over two weeks after Carney visited Trump at the White House to seek a relaxation of stiff US tariffs.At that meeting, Trump described Carney as a “world-class leader” and said the Canadian would “walk away very happy” from their discussion.Trump’s global sectoral tariffs — particularly on steel, aluminum, and autos — have hit Canada hard, forcing job losses and squeezing businesses.For now, the United States and Canada adhere to an existing North American trade deal called the USMCA, which ensures that roughly 85 percent of cross-border trade in both directions remains tariff-free.In a speech on Wednesday, Carney said that the United States has raised “its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression.””Our economic strategy needs to change dramatically,” Carney added, saying the process “will take some sacrifices and some time.”On Friday, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters that Canada had been “very difficult to negotiate with” and that “frustration has built up over time” for the president.Both Trump and the Canadian prime minister are due to attend gatherings in the coming days — a summit of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in South Korea.Carney has said his government is focused on preserving the USMCA, which was signed during Trump’s first term and is scheduled for review in 2026.While most cross-border food trade has remained tariff-free, some US tariffs and Canadian countermeasures have forced some suppliers to raise prices. Canadian grocery stores have historically relied heavily on US imports.

US consumer inflation continued to heat up last month, but by less than expected, according to official data published Friday, nine days late because of the ongoing government shutdown. However, the acceleration is unlikely to dim expectations of another rate cut from the Federal Reserve next week as it looks to support the flagging labor market. The consumer price index (CPI) picked up to 3.0 percent in September, accelerating from 2.9 percent on a year-on-year basis a month earlier, the Labor Department said in a statement.Prices rose 0.3 percent from a month earlier.Both the annual and monthly inflation data came in slightly below the median forecast of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.A significant reason for the monthly increase came from the gasoline index, which jumped 4.1 percent between August and September. The food index rose by a more modest 0.2 percent.Underlying so-called “core” inflation, excluding volatile food and gas prices, also came in below expectations at 3.0 percent, the Labor Department said.”It certainly is welcome news that we had a surprise on the downside, with shelter costs really helping us out,” KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk told AFP, referring to the accommodation data in the latest inflation print. But, she warned, goods inflation has now increased for four months in a row, adding that service sector inflation remained “somewhat sticky.”The data provides economists and traders with some much-needed insight into the health of the world’s largest economy, with almost all other official data releases halted due to the US government shutdown, now in its 24th day. Policymakers on Capitol Hill remain in a standoff, with Republicans so far digging in and refusing to grant the Democrats’ demands to extend subsidies that make health insurance affordable for millions of Americans.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised President Donald Trump’s agenda for the “below market expectations” CPI data and blamed the Democrats for the shutdown — accusations that they have repeatedly rejected.The shutdown “will likely result in no October inflation report, which will leave businesses, markets, families, and the Federal Reserve in disarray,” she said in a statement.But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer blamed Trump for the recent rise in inflation, referring to his decision to roll out sweeping tariffs earlier this year. “This is just the latest warning sign that Donald Trump continues to squeeze the life out of working people in our economy,” he said in a statement. The CPI data published Friday is an exception to the ongoing pause in the release of official data, and was released to allow the US Social Security Administration to calculate its cost-of-living adjustment for 2026.- Rate cut widely expected -Policymakers at the US central bank are widely expected to cut rates by another 25 basis points next week, despite the September acceleration in inflation. The move would build on the bank’s decision to implement its first rate cut of the year in September.That’s because policymakers, who have a dual mandate from Congress to tackle inflation and unemployment, are flagging concerns about the sharp slowdown in job creation in recent months. US job growth for August came in at just 22,000. The Labor Department has not published the September figures due to the shutdown.Futures traders see a 97 percent chance that the Fed will announce a quarter-point cut on Wednesday, lowering its benchmark lending rate to between 3.75 and 4.00 percent, according to CME Group data. “A slower-than-expected inflation reading is a welcome sign and should lock the FOMC into a 25 bps (basis points) rate cut next week,” economists at Wells Fargo wrote in a note to clients. 

US President Donald Trump on Friday doubled down on his decision to end trade talks with Canada over an anti-tariff advertising campaign, a sudden about-face soon after a cordial White House meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.On his Truth Social network Thursday, Trump vented fury at what he called a “fake” ad that he said misquoted former president Ronald Reagan discussing tariff policy.Trump said the campaign — produced by the Canadian province of Ontario to be aired on US television channels — was designed to “interfere with the decision of the US Supreme Court,” which is due to rule on his sweeping global tariffs.”CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” Trump posted again on Truth Social early Friday. “Canada has long cheated on Tariffs, charging our farmers as much as 400%. Now they, and other countries, can’t take advantage of the U.S. any longer.”There was no immediate comment from officials in Canada, where Carney said in a budget speech earlier this week that Washington’s “fundamentally changed” trade policy required a revamp of Ottawa’s economic strategy.Trump wrote Thursday that “the Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”He reiterated that in his Friday post, writing that Reagan “LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.”The foundation wrote on X that the Ontario government had used “selective audio and video” from a radio address on trade that Reagan had delivered in 1987.It said the ad “misrepresents” what the former Republican president said, adding that it was “reviewing its legal options.”The ad used quotes from Reagan’s speech, in which he warned against some of the ramifications that high tariffs on foreign imports could have on the US economy.It cited Reagan as saying that “high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” a quote that matches a transcript of his speech on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s website.- ‘Rupture’ -The latest twist in relations between the United States and Canada came just over two weeks after Carney visited Trump at the White House to seek a relaxation of stiff US tariffs.At that meeting, Trump described Carney as a “world-class leader” and said the Canadian would “walk away very happy” from their discussion.Trump’s global sectoral tariffs — particularly on steel, aluminum, and autos — have hit Canada hard, forcing job losses and squeezing businesses.For now, the United States and Canada continue to adhere to an existing North American trade deal called the USMCA, which ensures that roughly 85 percent of cross-border trade in both directions remains tariff-free.In his speech on Wednesday, ahead of the unveiling of the 2025 federal budget next month, Carney said that the United States has raised “its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression.””The scale and speed of these developments are not a smooth transition, they’re a rupture. They mean our economic strategy needs to change dramatically,” Carney added, saying the process “will take some sacrifices and some time.”Both Trump and the Canadian prime minister are due to attend gatherings in the coming days — the regional summit of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in South Korea.Carney has also said his government is focused on preserving the USMCA, which was signed during Trump’s first term and is scheduled for review in 2026.While most cross-border food trade has remained tariff-free, some US tariffs and Canadian countermeasures have forced some suppliers to raise prices.Data released Tuesday showed Canada’s annual inflation rate rising to 2.4 percent in September — slightly above analyst expectations, with rising grocery prices partly driving the inflation bump.Canadian grocery stores have historically relied heavily on US imports.

The EU accused Meta and TikTok on Friday of breaking the bloc’s digital content rules, putting the companies at risk of hefty fines.The European Union has a bolstered legal armoury that demands Big Tech prevent the spread of illegal content and ensure digital markets are open to competition.On Friday the European Commission said Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms and TikTok breached the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s content moderation law attacked by US President Donald Trump’s administration.It is the first time the commission has accused Meta of breaching the DSA, which the US giant rejected.Although the announcement includes TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, it risks angering Trump, who has threatened to impose fresh tariffs on countries with regulations that seek to “harm” American technology.Despite his threats, the EU has said it will enforce its rules.Brussels said in its preliminary view that Meta and TikTok were failing to grant researchers “adequate access to public data”.EU regulators insist the rules are not just about transparency but ensuring researchers are able to carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content on popular platforms.TikTok insisted it was “committed to transparency”.”We are reviewing the European Commission’s findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension,” a TikTok spokesperson said, referring to the bloc’s landmark data protection rules.”If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled,” the spokesperson said.- Risk of fines -The EU also said Meta’s platforms Facebook and Instagram were not providing user-friendly mechanisms to flag illegal content, and not providing effective systems for their users to challenge content-moderation decisions.Regulators accused Facebook and Instagram of suspected deceptive practices — known as “dark patterns” when it comes to the “Notice and Action” mechanisms.”Such practices can be confusing and dissuading,” the commission said.The DSA stipulates that platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, which Facebook and Instagram have been failing to do, the EU said.Meta said: “We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA” and continued its talks with the EU.”In the European Union, we have introduced changes to our content reporting options, appeals process, and data access tools since the DSA came into force and are confident that these solutions match what is required under the law,” it said in a statement.- ‘Protecting free speech’ -Meta and TikTok will now be able to access the EU’s files and offer commitments that address Brussels’ concerns.If Brussels is not satisfied with the giants’ proposals, it can impose fines on the companies per breach per platform.EU digital spokesman Thomas Regnier pushed back on Friday against accusations, especially from the United States, that the DSA is a tool of censorship.”When accused of censorship, we prove that the DSA is doing the opposite. It is protecting free speech, allowing citizens in the EU to fight back against unilateral content moderation decisions taken by Big Tech,” he said.Both Meta and TikTok are under investigation in several EU probes, including one looking into concerns they are not doing enough to combat the addictive nature of their platforms for children.

Japan’s conservative new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi vowed Friday to bring US ties to “new heights” with President Donald Trump, while taking a swipe at China and vowing a stricter stance on immigration in her first policy speech.Japan’s first woman premier, who so far is enjoying high poll ratings, also told a rowdy parliament that two percent of gross domestic product will be spent on defence this fiscal year, hitting the government’s target two years early.The comments came three days before Trump, who wants Tokyo and other allies to boost their military spending, is due to visit Japan on his way to crunch talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.Takaichi, whose idol is Margaret Thatcher, said she would build “a relationship of trust” during Trump’s visit, “elevating the Japan-US relationship to new heights”.Known before her appointment as a China hawk, Takaichi also said that the military activities of China, North Korea and Russia “have become a grave concern”.”The free, open and stable international order we have grown accustomed to is being profoundly shaken by historic shifts in the balance of power and intensifying geopolitical competition,” she said.China’s foreign ministry reacted by hitting out at Japan increasing its defence budget and relaxing restrictions on arms exports.”These moves inevitably raise serious doubts among (Japan’s) Asian neighbours and the international community about whether Japan is truly committed to an exclusively defensive posture and the path of peaceful development,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun.- Flatlining economy -But Takaichi also has a host of other complex issues to tackle in the coming months, including a flatlining economy and a declining population.On Friday she said the country needed foreign workers to address labour shortages, but alluded to growing anxiety over foreigners in Japan, a country with historically low levels of immigration.”Some illegal activities and breaches of rules by certain foreigners have created situations where members of the public feel uneasy and perceive unfairness,” Takaichi said.”While we draw a clear line from xenophobia, the government will respond resolutely to such acts,” she added, saying they will enforce compliance with existing rules and examine sensitive issues such as land acquisition.The populist Sanseito party, which calls immigration a “silent invasion”, has been making gains in recent elections.Takaichi has also appointed Kimi Onoda as minister — as well as other areas — for a “society of well-ordered and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals”. The job existed before but without a minister in charge. The appointment has led to widespread false information online that Onoda was named minister for “mass deportations”. – Rising inflation -Ahead of her parliament address, Takaichi had promised to ease pressure on households, saying the cost-of-living squeeze was a priority and telling her cabinet to draw up measures to address it.However, there was little further detail Friday on the promised economic package.Takaichi’s predecessor Shigeru Ishiba survived barely a year in office, with voters hammering the ruling party in elections partly because of rising prices.Official data Friday showed inflation accelerated last month, with consumer prices jumping 2.9 percent in September compared with 2.7 percent in August. Takaichi has long advocated for more government spending and easing monetary policy to spur growth, and her appointment has boosted stocks to record highs.Since taking office, however, she has said monetary policy decisions would be left to the Bank of Japan (BoJ).The BoJ has been “normalising” its super-easy monetary policy and inflation has long been above its target, making further interest rate hikes more likely.But the BoJ is “concerned about the impact of US tariffs on the Japanese economy and the potential for negative spillovers to corporate profits and wage growth,” said Abhijit Surya at Capital Economics.

Alaska Airlines resumed operations on Thursday after a tech outage that suspended all of its flights for several hours, three months after a similar incident.”Alaska Airlines operations have been restored after a significant IT outage resulted in a system-wide ground stop of flights,” the Seattle-based company said in a statement early Friday, about eight hours after the outage began.At least 229 flights were canceled, and “additional flight disruptions are likely as we reposition aircraft and crews throughout our network,” it added.The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has removed an advisory showing the fifth-largest US carrier’s flights were suspended.The outage, which began around 3:30 pm (2230 GMT), “is not a cybersecurity event, and it’s not related to any other events,” Alaska said earlier in a statement.The issue began “with a failure at our primary data center,” it added, saying that “the safety of our flights was never compromised.”The ground stop also affected its subsidiary Horizon Air, but not Hawaiian Airlines.About three hours into the outage, some passengers complained about a lack of information.”Everyone everywhere at SeaTac. No boarding no firm updates,” said one X user, Jeff Lawrence, posting a picture of a jam-packed airport waiting room.The airline experienced a similar outage on July 20, which lasted about three hours.Alaska Airlines attributed the July problem to the failure of “a critical piece of multi-redundant hardware at our data centers.”Alaska last year also experienced an IT outage that caused disruption and delayed flights.In January 2024, a door plug section of a new Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight between Portland, Oregon and Ontario, California.The 171 passengers and six crew members survived the rapid decompression, but the FAA temporarily grounded many Boeing 737-9 aircraft operated by US airlines.