AFP USA

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.  

Beijing and Washington “can totally find ways to resolve each other’s concerns”, China’s commerce minister said Friday, as officials from both sides were set to meet in Malaysia for trade talks.The world’s two biggest economies have spent a large part of this year locked in a tit-for-tat trade row, though they appear to be seeking to avoid further escalation.Chinese vice premier He Lifeng is leading a delegation to meet US counterparts in Malaysia from October 24 to 27, Beijing said Thursday, the latest of several such rounds of negotiations.Commerce minister Wang Wentao said Friday that the previous meetings had shown “China and the United States can totally find ways to resolve each other’s concerns”. The two can “find correct ways to coexist, and promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-US economic ties through mutual respect and equal consultation”, he told a news conference marking the end of a key political meeting in Beijing.The Malaysia talks come after a “candid, in-depth and constructive” weekend call between He and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who will attend the meeting. Hopes that ties might stabilise were given a further boost when the White House announced US President Donald Trump will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea next Thursday, having previously threatened to cancel. The preceding talks in Malaysia will cover “important issues in the economic and trade relationship between China and the United States”, Beijing said Thursday. Trade tensions between the two have been on a rollercoaster ride since Trump’s return to the White House, with both sides slapping escalating tariffs on each other.Tit-for-tat duties reached triple digits on both sides at one point this year, snarling supply chains. A key meeting in May between their negotiators in Geneva resulted in a 90-day suspension of the highest tariffs. Subsequent talks in London, Stockholm and Madrid worked towards establishing a more permanent deal, among other agreements, but the truce remains shaky. The pause on steeper duties is in place until November 10 after being extended again in August. However, disagreements have flared again, with Beijing this month announcing sweeping controls on the critical rare earths industry — prompting Trump to threaten 100 percent tariffs on imports from China in retaliation.The countries also began applying arrival fees against each other’s ships, sparked by a US “Section 301” investigation that found China’s dominance in the maritime sector was unreasonable.But Trump said on Wednesday he hopes to reach a “deal on everything” with Xi. 

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he was ending 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, 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.”Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump posted.There was no immediate comment from officials in Canada, where Carney said in a budget speech on Wednesday that Washington’s “fundamentally changed” trade policy required a revamp of Ottawa’s economic strategy.Trump said “the Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”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.Earlier this week, Carney had said Ottawa was in “intensive negotiations” with Washington for a trade deal.Canada is a major supplier of steel and aluminum for US businesses, and Carney had expressed optimism about the prospects of a breakthrough in those sectors.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.

South Korea’s unification minister said Friday he believed there was a “considerable” chance that US President Donald Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to the peninsula next week.Trump is expected in South Korea on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.US media have reported officials from his administration have privately discussed setting up a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim, who he last held talks with in 2019.North Korea appears “to be paying attention to the United States and various signs… suggest a considerable possibility of a meeting,” unification minister Chung Dong-young told reporters.Trump has said he hopes to meet Kim again — possibly this year.Kim said last month he had “fond memories” of Trump and was open to talks if the United States dropped its “delusional” demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.Seoul on Friday urged the two leaders not to let the chance “slip away”.”I don’t want to miss even a one percent chance,” the unification minister said.”They need to make a decision,” Chung, whose ministry handles fraught relations with the North, added.While no official announcements of the duo’s meeting have been made, South Korea and the United Nations Command halted tours of the Joint Security Area (JSA) from late October to early November.Kim and Trump last met in 2019 at Panmunjom in the JSA in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas — the only place where soldiers from both sides face each other on a regular basis.Chung said North Koreans have been spotted “sprucing up” areas near the JSA for the first time this year — cleaning, pulling weeds, tidying flower beds and taking photos.Kim met Trump three times for high-profile summits during the US leader’s first term.The duo’s last and impromptu meeting at Panmunjom was hastily arranged after Trump extended an invitation to Kim on Twitter a day prior.That event saw the two leaders shake hands over the concrete slabs dividing North and South before Trump walked a few paces into Pyongyang’s territory — becoming the first US president ever to set foot on North Korean soil.But talks eventually collapsed over just how much of its nuclear arsenal the North was willing to give up and what Pyongyang would get in return.In August, Trump hailed his relationship with Kim and said he knew him “better than anybody, almost, other than his sister.”Trump’s trip to South Korea is also expected to see him meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Friday he would tell US leader Donald Trump in any meeting at a summit in Malaysia starting this weekend that tariffs on his country were a “mistake”.Officials from both countries told AFP this week that talks are underway for a meeting between the two leaders at the regional summit of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur.”I am very interested in having this meeting. I am fully prepared to defend Brazil’s interests and show that there was a mistake in the tariffs imposed on Brazil,” the leftist president told a news conference at the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta.He said the basis of Trump’s decision that their trade relationship was in favour of the South American giant was “untrue”.Trump has instituted a 50 percent tariff on many Brazilian products and imposed sanctions on several top officials, including a Supreme Court judge, to punish Brazil for what he termed a “witch hunt” against former president Jair Bolsonaro.In September, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for his role in a botched coup bid after his 2022 election loss to Lula.But relations between Trump and Lula began to thaw when the two 79-year-old leaders had a brief meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.They then spoke by phone on October 6 and first raised the possibility of meeting at the ASEAN summit.During that meeting, Lula asked Trump to lift the tariffs and sanctions.

US President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia which begins Sunday carries significant economic stakes for countries around the region, with multiple tariff deals still pending and a trade dispute simmering between Washington and Beijing.Trump will visit Malaysia from October 26 to 27 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. He will then travel to Japan before attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea starting October 29.Here follows some of the key issues:Malaysia: agreement on trackMalaysia is expected to finalise a trade deal with Washington during Trump’s visit to Kuala Lumpur, with negotiations “99.9 percent” complete, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The governments will also sign “initial agreements” to strengthen trade and investment, he said. “Semiconductors, AI, digital and energy are all covered,” he added. Malaysia has been hit by US tariffs of 19 percent on its exports, and Trump is considering imposing additional tariffs on imported chips. Malaysia is the world’s sixth-largest exporter of semiconductors, which make up 40 percent of its exports.China: Rare earths on the agenda at Xi-Trump meeting?Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will travel to Malaysia for trade negotiations with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before an anticipated meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea. Trump said on Wednesday he hopes to reach a “deal on everything” with Xi, after US-China trade tensions recently escalated.Beijing announced it would strengthen its controls on the export of rare earth elements, essential manufacturing materials over which it holds a near-monopoly. In response, Trump threatened huge additional tariffs.Japan: Takaichi’s challengesJapan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will host Trump in Tokyo.In exchange for an agreement concluded in July that lowered US-imposed tariffs on Japan, Washington is demanding $550 billion worth of Japanese investments in the United States.However, Tokyo has promised only one to two percent of that would come in the form of direct investments, with the rest made of loans and guarantees — a point of difference that could come up in the talks between the leaders. Another key topic would likely be Washington’s demands that Tokyo stops importing liquefied natural gas from Russia, the island nation’s third-largest supplier.Japan is also facing high tariff rates on key exports. Although Trump has reduced tariffs on Japanese automobiles to 15 percent, this rate is still considered too high by manufacturers, while 50 percent tariffs remain on Japanese steel.South Korea: Progress toward an agreement As Seoul struggles to reach a trade agreement with Washington, US Treasury Secretary Bessent said last week that an agreement was nearing completion.The South Korean Chief Presidential Secretary for Policy, Kim Yong-beom, has said that both parties have made significant progress, though the details of the deal still need to be settled. In July, Trump announced he had agreed to reduce tariffs on South Korean products to 15 perecent in exchange for a commitment from Seoul for Korean investment of $350 billion in the United States.However, the terms of these investments are still being hotly debated and tariffs on automobiles remain. The arrest of hundreds of South Korean workers by US immigration authorities has also strained relations.Indonesia: awaiting clarificationJakarta and Washington struck a preliminary tariff agreement in July that reduced US tariffs on Indonesian goods to 19 percent in exchange for significant investment and Indonesia pledging to acquire 50 Boeing aircraft, according to Trump.Indonesia’s Chief Economic Minister, Airlangga Hartarto, who previously signalled a December deadline for the details of the reciprocal tariff agreement, said on Monday the negotiation had been “temporarily halted” due to the US government shutdown.Vietnam: furniture exports under pressureVietnam reached an agreement with Washington in July to reduce tariffs on the country’s exports to 20 percent, but Vietnam still faces a large impact from sector-specific duties. In mid-October, Washington imposed a 25 percent tariffs on imports of furniture, which accounts for 10 percent of Vietnam’s exports to the US. Hanoi has said it wishes to advance “the negotiation process for the trade deal on the basis of fairness, equality and mutual benefit.”India: Hope for reconciliationIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate in the ASEAN summit via video conference, and New Delhi is yet to reach a formal trade agreement with the Trump administration.The relationship between the two countries deteriorated in August when Washington raised tariffs on Indian exports to 50 percent, but the two leaders have since adopted a more conciliatory tone.burs-jug/mac/ceg/fox

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded Thursday against a “crazy war” as an escalating US military campaign sent tensions soaring.Maduro’s comment came after US President Donald Trump said he had authorized covert action against the South American nation amid a military campaign targeting what Washington says are drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.”Yes peace, yes peace forever, peace forever. No crazy war, please!” Maduro said in English in a meeting with unions aligned with the leftist leader.The United States has deployed stealth warplanes and navy ships as part of what it calls anti-narcotics efforts, but has yet to release evidence that its targets — eight boats and a semi-submersible — were smuggling drugs.Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump again denied that he had sent B-1B bombers to Venezuela, but said “we’re not happy with them. They’ve emptied their prisons into our country.”The president said “we’re not going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war” from Congress, which has the constitutional power to do so.”We’re just going to kill people who come into our country.”The US strikes, which began on September 2, have killed at least 37 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures.Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign, with Maduro accusing Washington of seeking regime change.Late Thursday, the government in Trinidad and Tobago — located just off Venezuela’s coast — announced that a US warship would dock in its capital from October 26-30.The Trinidadian foreign ministry said a unit of US Marines would conduct joint exercises with its defense forces.Two of those killed in the US strikes were from Trinidad and Tobago.Last week, Trump said he had authorized covert CIA action against Venezuela and was considering strikes against alleged drug cartels on land.The Republican billionaire president accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel, a charge the Venezuelan leader denies.”We know the CIA is present” in Venezuela, the country’s defense minister Vladimir Padrino said Thursday. “They may deploy — I don’t know how many — CIA-affiliated units in covert operations… and any attempt will fail.”Padrino was overseeing military exercises along Venezuela’s coast in response to the US military deployment in the Caribbean. Experts have questioned the legality of using lethal force in foreign or international waters against suspects who have not been intercepted or questioned.