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Canadian leaders said Wednesday that Jeep-maker Stellantis’s decision to invest $13 billion in the United States threatens Canadian jobs, urging action to counter what they called another casualty of President Donald Trump’s trade war.The automaker on Tuesday announced what it described as its largest US investment push in its 100-year history, aiming to create 5,000 jobs across the midwestern United States.Stellantis told AFP on Wednesday that “as part of this announcement, we will move one model from Canada to the US.”UNIFOR, Canada’s largest private-sector union representing thousands of autoworkers, said the model in question is the Jeep Compass, which will shift from a plant in Brampton, Ontario, to Illinois.”Canadian auto jobs are being sacrificed on the Trump altar,” Unifor national president Lana Payne said in a statement, calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government “to use Canada’s leverage now to fight for our auto jobs.”Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday called the announcement “painful” for workers.”I have spoken with Stellantis to stress my disappointment with their decision to prioritize investment in the US,” Ford said, also urging Carney “to stand up for the 157,000 workers in Ontario’s auto sector.”Reshoring auto jobs has been a central plank of Trump’s trade policy.Canada has been partially spared from his global auto sector tariffs through an existing North American trade pact.But the levies in place have created uncertainty for Canadian autoworkers.Carney, who met with Trump in Washington last week to advance trade talks, has expressed optimism about the prospects for a deal to cut tariffs in certain sectors like aluminum, but a breakthrough on autos appears less promising.- ‘Transform our economy’ -Reacting to the Stellantis announcement late Tuesday, Carney said the company’s decision was “a direct consequence of current US tariffs.”He said his government would continue to prioritize investments “that will transform our economy from being overly reliant on our largest trading partner (the US).”University of Toronto industrial relations expert Rafael Gomez told AFP that Canada needs to be prepared for a steady loss of auto assembly jobs over the coming years.Trump will not relent on tariffs designed to ensure more cars are made in the US, Gomez said.”Think of the photo op — cutting a ribbon in front of the first new Jeep made in Illinois in years,” he added.Canada should prioritize being an essential provider of auto parts to serve US assembly plants, Gomez said.Stellantis told AFP it remains committed to Canada.”We have been in Canada for over 100 years, and we are investing,” the company said in a statement.”We have plans for Brampton and will share them upon further discussions with the Canadian government.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday ordered military exercises in the country’s biggest shantytowns after US forces blew up another boat allegedly carrying drugs from the Caribbean country.President Donald Trump said six “narcoterrorists” were killed in the strike on the vessel in international waters near Venezuela, bringing to at least 27 people the number killed in such attacks since early September.Trump has also deployed eight warships, a nuclear-power submarine and fighter jets to the region as part of what he has presented as an operation to combat drug smuggling into the United States.Maduro, who is widely believed to have stolen last year’s presidential election, has accused Washington of plotting regime change.In a message on the Telegram social network, the authoritarian Socialist said he was mobilizing the military, police and a civilian militia to defend Venezuela’s “mountains, coasts, schools, hospitals, factories and markets.”State television showed images of armored vehicles deploying in the sprawling low-income Caracas suburb of Petare, a traditional stronghold of socialist support.Military exercises will also take place in Miranda state, which neighbors Caracas.He said the deployments aim to “win the peace.”Trump accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel — charges Maduro denies.The US Justice Department in August doubled a bounty for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million.Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Wednesday the United States was scheming to “rob” Venezuela, a once wealthy petro-state, “of its immense natural resources.”The pressure on Maduro inched higher last week when US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for leading peaceful resistance to his 12-year rule.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed Beijing’s rare earth export curbs Wednesday as “China versus the world,” vowing that Washington and its allies would “neither be commanded nor controlled.””This should be a clear sign to our allies that we must work together, and work together we will,” Bessent told reporters at a press conference.His comments came as global economic leaders gather in Washington this week for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s fall meetings.”We should work together to de-risk and diversify our supply chains away from China as quickly as possible,” Bessent urged.He spoke days after Beijing announced fresh controls on the export of rare earth technologies and items.China is the world’s leading producer of the minerals used to make magnets crucial to the auto, electronic and defense industries.Bessent maintained that Washington would “rather not” take substantial actions to retaliate against China, expecting that more talks with Beijing will be forthcoming this week.Earlier Wednesday, Bessent told CNBC that that he was “optimistic” about trade talks with China despite the surge in tensions.- Longer tariff truce? -A trade war between Washington and Beijing has reignited in US President Donald Trump’s second term, with tit-for-tat duties reaching triple-digit levels at one point, snarling supply chains.Both sides have de-escalated tariff levels but their truce remains shaky and is set to expire in early November.With the latest controls surrounding rare earths, Trump has threatened an additional 100-percent tariff on goods from China starting November 1.US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer warned at Wednesday’s press briefing that US plans for a tariff hike or other export controls are in the works.But he expressed hope that China would back off its rare earth curbs.Bessent said an extension of the pause in steep tariffs was possible — in return for a delay in rare earth controls.”Is it possible that we could go to a longer roll in return for a delay? Perhaps,” Bessent said. “But all that is going to be negotiated in the coming weeks, before the leaders meet in (South) Korea.”The leaders of the world’s two biggest economies are expected to hold talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit starting later this month.Bessent earlier told CNBC that Trump still planned to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit.Greer said Wednesday that “this is not just about the United States.””China’s announcement is nothing more than a global supply chain power grab,” he said. “This move is not proportional retaliation. It is an exercise in economic coercion on every country in the world.”

Stocks jumped and the dollar retreated Wednesday as trade war fears were overshadowed by comments from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that suggested the bank would cut interest rates again this month.After a volatile couple of days characterised by a fresh flare-up in China-US tensions, investors took the opportunity to jump back into the market and resume a months-long, tech-fuelled rally.Powell has for most of the year walked a fine line between trying to keep a cap on US inflation while also supporting the labour market, even as he faced a barrage of abuse from President Donald Trump for not lowering borrowing costs soon enough.And while price gains continue to outpace the bank’s target pace, a series of weak readings has forced him to turn his focus on jobs, and last month announced the first rate cut since December.And on Tuesday he indicated more were on the way.”In this less dynamic and somewhat softer labour market, the downside risks to employment appear to have risen,” said Powell, adding that longer-term inflation expectations remained aligned with the Fed’s two-percent goal.”Rising downside risks to employment have shifted our assessment of the balance of risks,” he said, adding there was “no risk-free path for policy as we navigate the tension between our employment and inflation goals.”Powell also hinted that monetary policymakers could soon stop reducing the size of its holdings of bonds and other instruments bought in vast quantities during the pandemic to keep borrowing rates low and support the economy.The bank has a dual mandate from Congress to act independently to tackle both inflation and employment.No official jobs data has been published for September because of the US government shutdown, but private sector figures point to a marked slowdown in hiring last month.US markets ended mostly down but well off their morning lows, and Asia was on the front foot.Seoul soared 2.7 percent, while Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Taipei and Bangkok all climbed more than one percent.Singapore, Mumbai, Manila and Wellington also advanced.Shanghai also put on more than one percent, with little negative reaction to data showing Chinese consumer prices fell in September, indicating consumer sentiment remains weak.Paris surged more than two percent on hopes for an end to political turmoil after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu backed the suspension of an unpopular 2023 pensions reform, while he also got support of the Socialist Party in the National Assembly.Frankfurt was on the front foot but London slipped.Expectations that borrowing rates will drop weighed on the dollar, which was well down against its peers.Powell’s remarks helped investors turn from the latest trade salvos between Washington and Beijing, with Trump last week threatening 100-percent tariffs owing to China’s new export controls on rate earths.While the US president tempered his rhetoric Sunday, China appeared to stoke the row by imposing sanctions on five American subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, accusing them of supporting Washington’s investigation into the shipping industry.Still, there are hopes the row can be defused, with Trump telling reporters at the White House that “we have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s OK too.””We have a lot of punches being thrown, and we’ve been very successful.”Meanwhile, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC that senior officials had spoken Monday on the rare earths dispute, and gave a broadly upbeat view.”We’ve been pretty successful in finding a path forward with them in the past so we think we’ll be able to work through it,” he said in an interview.- Key figures at around 0810 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.8 percent at 47,472.67 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.8 percent at 25,910.60 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,912.21 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,447.81 Euro/dollar: UP $1.1638 from $1.1604 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3360 from $1.3319Dollar/yen: DOWN at 151.11 yen from 151.74 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.12 pence from 87.13 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $58.62 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $62.32 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.4  percent at 46,270.46 (close)

The US Supreme Court hears a case involving Black voters on Wednesday that could have lasting repercussions on whether Democrats or Republicans control the House of Representatives.The case touching on the thorny issues of race and politics is a challenge to a congressional map adopted by the Louisiana state legislature creating a second Black majority district.The conservative-dominated top court actually heard the case last term, but in an unusual move it decided not to issue a ruling and scheduled it for re-argument during the current session.African-Americans tend to overwhelmingly vote Democratic and they make up one-third of the population of Louisiana, which has six congressional districts.Following the 2020 census, Louisiana created a new congressional map that included only one Black majority district instead of the previous two.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others filed suit claiming the new map diluted Black voting power and violated the Voting Rights Act, which was passed during the civil rights movement in 1965 to remedy historic racial discrimination.The Louisiana legislature released a new map last year with two Black majority districts that was met with the legal challenge from a group of “non African-American” voters. It has now reached the Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority.The opponents of the redrawn map argue that using race to design congressional districts is racial gerrymandering prohibited by the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.”The stakes are incredibly high,” said ACLU attorney Sophia Lin Lakin. “The outcome will not only determine the next steps for Louisiana’s congressional map, but may also shape the future of redistricting cases nationwide.”Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House and an increase or decrease in the number of Black majority districts could help tip the balance in the November 2026 midterm elections, when all 435 seats in the chamber will be up for grabs.- ‘One-party control’ -According to a report by two voting advocacy groups, Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter, a Supreme Court ruling striking down Voting Rights Act protections for minorities could lead to Republicans picking up an additional 19 seats in the House.”It’s enough to cement one-party control of the US House for at least a generation,” they said.The Louisiana voting case is being heard against a backdrop of redistricting moves in both Republican- and Democratic-ruled states. Republican-led Texas is drawing new congressional district maps that are expected to flip up to five House seats from Democrats to Republicans.Several mainly Latino or Black districts which Republican Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election in Texas were broken up to dilute support for Democrats.Democratic leaders in California responded with a redistricting push to offset potential Republican gains in Texas, though it will first be put to a state-wide referendum.

Grammy-winning musician D’Angelo has died at the age of 51 after “a prolonged and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer,” his family told US media Tuesday.The R&B icon and neo-soul pioneer melded genres and opened doors as he stretched the boundaries of Black pop traditions while producing sensuous hits including “Brown Sugar” and the “Untitled (How Does It Feel).”The risque, shirtless music video for the latter track catapulted the artist to superstardom, though he struggled with the weight of his newfound pop culture fame. “The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” his family said in a widely reported statement. “After a prolonged and courageous battle with cancer, we are heartbroken to announce that Michael D’Angelo Archer, known to his fans around the world as D’Angelo, has been called home.” Fellow artist Lauryn Hill, who dueted with him in “Nothing Even Matters” on her Grammy-winning debut album, shared praise and prayers on Instagram Tuesday.The similarly reclusive singer wrote of D’Angelo’s “undeniable beauty and talent,” noting his ability to present an image of “strength and sensitivity in Black manhood to a generation that only saw itself as having to be one or the other.”On her website, singer Beyonce called him a “pioneer of neo-soul” who “changed and transformed rhythm and blues forever.”- ‘Rare and beautiful voice’ -Known as a creative perfectionist with a silky voice who could play piano and guitar, D’Angelo released three albums with RCA Records: his 1995 debut “Brown Sugar,” “Voodoo” in 2000 and “Black Messiah” in 2014. The record label said in a statement Tuesday D’Angelo “was a peerless visionary who effortlessly blended the classic sounds of soul, funk, gospel, R&B and jazz with a hip hop sensibility.” Voodoo’s lead single “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” won him the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and the album was named Best R&B Album.Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea lamented the loss of D’Angelo Tuesday, saying “no one did anything funkier over the last 30 years,” adding “what a rare and beautiful voice and an inimitable approach to songwriting.”D’Angelo was a fan of analog production and favored long jam sessions, and was a sought-after collaborator. “Such a sad loss to the passing of D’Angelo. We have so many great times. Gonna miss you so much. Sleep Peacefully D’ Love You KING,” DJ Premier wrote on X in tribute.D’Angelo and DJ Premier collaborated on the 1998 single “Devil’s Pie.” Music industry bible Pitchfork credited D’Angelo with helping to “define the neo-soul movement.”Born Michael Eugene Archer in Virginia, the son of a Pentecostal preacher, D’Angelo was something of a recluse, periodically surfacing to release music or perform.In 2016, he was featured on a playlist used by then US president Barack Obama, alongside other musical greats such as pop superstar Janet Jackson, soul singer Janelle Monae and blues rocker Gary Clark Jr.Tyler, The Creator posted a black and white photograph of D’Angelo on X, while The Alchemist wrote simply “Man. Rest in peace D’Angelo.”

Stocks jumped Wednesday as trade war fears were overshadowed by comments from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that suggested the bank would cut interest rates again this month.After a volatile couple of days characterised by a fresh flare-up in China-US tensions, investors took the opportunity to jump back into the market and resume a months-long, tech-fuelled rally.Powell has for most of the year walked a fine line between trying to keep a cap on US inflation while also supporting the labour market, even as he faced a barrage of abuse from President Donald Trump for not lowering borrowing costs soon enough.And while price gains continue to outpace the bank’s target pace, a series of weak readings has forced him to turn his focus on jobs, and last month announced the first rate cut since December.And on Tuesday he indicated more were on the way.”In this less dynamic and somewhat softer labour market, the downside risks to employment appear to have risen,” said Powell, adding that longer-term inflation expectations remained aligned with the Fed’s two-percent goal.”Rising downside risks to employment have shifted our assessment of the balance of risks,” he said, adding there was “no risk-free path for policy as we navigate the tension between our employment and inflation goals.”Powell also hinted that monetary policymakers could soon stop reducing the size of its holdings of bonds and other instruments bought in vast quantities during the pandemic to keep borrowing rates low and support the economy.The bank has a dual mandate from Congress to act independently to tackle both inflation and employment.No official jobs data has been published for September because of the US government shutdown, but private sector figures point to a marked slowdown in hiring last month.US markets ended mostly down but well off their morning lows, and Asia was on the front foot.Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei and Seoul all climbed more than one percent, while Sydney, Seoul, Singapore and Wellington also advanced.Shanghai rose, with little negative reaction to data showing Chinese consumer prices fell in September, indicating consumer sentiment remains weak.Powell’s remarks helped investors turn from the latest trade salvos between Washington and Beijing, with Trump last week threatening 100-percent tariffs owing to Chinese rate earth measures.While the US president tempered his rhetoric Sunday, China appeared to stoke the row by imposing sanctions on five American subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, accusing them of supporting Washington’s investigation into the shipping industry.Still, there are hopes the row can be defused, with Trump telling reporters at the White House that “we have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s OK too.””We have a lot of punches being thrown, and we’ve been very successful.”Meanwhile, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC that senior officials had spoken Monday on the rare earth dispute, and gave a broadly upbeat view.”We’ve been pretty successful in finding a path forward with them in the past so we think we’ll be able to work through it,” he said in an interview.  – Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 47,463.31 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.5 percent at 25,826.42Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 3,881.03Euro/dollar: UP $1.1621 from $1.1604 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3348 from $1.3319Dollar/yen: DOWN at 151.17 yen from 151.74 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.06 pence from 87.13 penceWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $58.71 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $62.40 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.4  percent at 46,270.46 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,452.77 (close)

Cuba’s opposition, browbeaten by the communist government, has been further weakened by the US exile of dissident figurehead Jose Daniel Ferrer, colleagues and analysts say.After refusing for years to leave the one-party state despite repeated imprisonment, Ferrer finally yielded and boarded a flight for Miami on Monday. He was released from prison — where he said he had been tortured — at Washington’s request, according to Havana.”Even in prison, he (Ferrer) was an inspiration. Now that inspiration is gone,” fellow dissident Martha Beatriz Roque, 80, told AFP.Ferrer’s exile, she added, “has left the Cuban opposition without a leader.”The 55-year-old founder of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) has for years been the face of the fight for democracy in the Caribbean nation where opposition politics is illegal and the act of protest has seen hundreds locked up.Ferrer himself has been repeatedly imprisoned, most recently in April after a brief period of freedom under a landmark deal struck with Washington that saw Cuba removed from a list of terrorism sponsors.He was sent back to jail after Donald Trump took office and returned Cuba to the list.During his brief spell of freedom, Ferrer defied the authorities by criticizing Cuba’s leadership on social media, setting up a soup kitchen funded by exiled Cubans at his home, and meeting the head of the US diplomatic mission.Upon his arrival in Miami, a US stronghold of Cuban anti-communist sentiment, Ferrer — dubbed a “mercenary” of the United States by Havana — vowed to “keep up the fight.””But fighting from the outside is not the same as fighting from the inside,” said Roque, who was arrested with Ferrer and 73 other dissidents during a wave of political repression in 2003 known as Cuba’s “Black Spring.”She is still in Cuba.- ‘Move beyond protest’ -Observers say Ferrer’s departure has robbed Cuba’s already fractured opposition of its most prominent and unifying figure.In a letter announcing his pending exile, Ferrer said he had lost faith in some of his comrades because of their “disunity, dogmatic nature and lack of effectiveness.”Analyst Roberto Veiga of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank told AFP there was “a deficit of real political weight” in the Cuban opposition, with little “capacity to implement solid and realistic strategies.” Cuban dissident Manuel Cuesta agreed the opposition has been unable to capitalize on widespread public discontent and “move beyond protest” to real change in a country also battling a historic economic downturn and mass emigration.Standing up to the government in Havana is not easy: dissidents and protesters are regularly detained, harassed, or, like Ferrer, pressured to leave the country.After historic protests in 2021 — the biggest since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution that overthrew a US-backed dictator and paved the way for communist rule — hundreds of people including Ferrer were locked up.Rapper Maykel Castillo is serving a nine-year prison sentence, while performance artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara received five years, both on “contempt” charges for criticizing the government through their art.Rights groups view them as “political prisoners.”Other dissenters such as playwright Yunior Garcia and visual artist Tania Bruguera opted for exile under government pressure.If ever Cuba’s opposition needed strong leadership, it is now, said Veiga.”If the political time for change runs out, the island could become entrenched” in its political and economic crisis, he added.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that FIFA chief Gianni Infantino would support moving 2026 World Cup games from US cities for security reasons if necessary.In September, Trump raised the possibility of moving games amid his crackdown on Democratic-run cities, but at the time FIFA said that it was up to football’s governing body to decide where games are held.”If somebody is doing a bad job and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, let’s move it to another location. And he would do that,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if games could be moved from Boston, one of the host cities.”Very easily he would do it.”Trump’s comments came a day after he met close friend Infantino in Egypt at a summit on a Gaza ceasefire, where the FIFA boss joined more than two dozen world leaders who were discussing peace in the Middle East.The US president also suggested that, if necessary, events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics could also be moved. “I could say the same thing for the Olympics,” Trump said. “If I thought LA was not going to be prepared properly, I would move it to another location.”Republican Trump’s administration has deployed national guard troops to Democratic-run US cities this year over the objections of local and state leaders, saying they are needed to counter crime and left-wing activism.Boston is hosting seven games at next year’s World Cup. San Francisco and Seattle are both hosting six matches each at the tournament while Los Angeles is hosting eight.The United States is co-hosting next year’s World Cup with Mexico and Canada, but will be hosting the bulk of the games in the tournament, which has been expanded to include 48 teams.Trump earlier this year appointed himself as chairman of a White House task force for the World Cup.

US and international news outlets including The New York Times, AP, AFP and Fox News on Tuesday declined to sign new restrictive Pentagon media rules, meaning they will be stripped of their press access credentials.The new rules come after the Defense Department restricted media access inside the Pentagon, forced some outlets to vacate offices in the building and drastically reduced the number of briefings for journalists.The media policy “gags Pentagon employees” by threatening retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release, the Pentagon Press Association (PPA) said.AFP said in a statement Tuesday that it “cannot sign up to the terms of the Pentagon document that would require media to acknowledge insufficiently clear new policies that appear to fly in the face of US constitutional principles and of the basic tenets of journalism.””We shall continue to cover the Pentagon and the US military freely and fairly, as we have done for decades,” the agency added.TV networks ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC issued a joint statement saying they will not sign the new rules, which would “restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues.”Alongside Fox, other conservative outlets the Washington Times and Newsmax are also reportedly refusing to agree to the new policy, which could see a total of some 100 press passes revoked.The new rules are the latest in a series of moves that restrict journalists’ access to information from the Pentagon, the nation’s single largest employer with a budget in the hundreds of billions of dollars per year.The Defense Department announced earlier this year that eight media organizations including the Times, the Washington Post, CNN, NBC and NPR had to vacate their dedicated office spaces in the Pentagon, alleging that there was a need to create room for other — predominantly conservative — outlets.It has also required journalists to be accompanied by official escorts if they go outside a limited number of areas in the Pentagon — another new restriction on the press.And it has drastically reduced the number of briefings for journalists — holding some half a dozen this year, compared to an average of two or more per week under president Joe Biden’s administration, which left office in January.Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth — a former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran — has campaigned against leaks from the Defense Department.But he was inadvertently involved in the release of sensitive information earlier this year, sharing details about upcoming strikes against Yemen’s Huthi rebels in a chat on messaging app Signal to which a journalist had been mistakenly added.Hegseth has also reportedly used Signal to discuss US strikes on Yemen with his wife and other people not usually involved in such discussions.His use of Signal has prompted an investigation by the Pentagon inspector general’s office.