Ontario cancels its internet contract with Elon Musk's Starlink
Stephen Lecce, Ontario's minister of energy and mines, confirmed the termination of the satellite internet services deal at a Toronto news conference on Wednesday. Mr Lecce, who oversees broadband connectivity in Canada's most populous province, did not disclose the cost of ending the agreement.
"I can confirm that the premier has fulfilled his word, which is to cancel that contract because of the very reasons he cited in the past," Mr Lecce stated. "We are standing up for Canada."
The contract, signed last November, was intended to provide high-speed internet access to 15,000 homes and businesses in remote Ontario communities. Premier Doug Ford had threatened to scrap the deal in February, following US President Donald Trump 's imposition of tariffs on Canadian imports. The cancellation was later delayed after Mr Trump agreed to a 30-day tariff pause.
SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The cancellation comes amid ongoing trade negotiations between Canada and the US, with a deadline of August 1. Mr Trump has threatened a 35 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said talks were at an "intense phase" but reiterated that a deal removing all US tariffs was unlikely.
Mr Lecce also highlighted other measures Ontario has taken against the US, including restricting US companies from bidding on provincial government contracts, removing US-made alcoholic beverages from shelves, and working to decouple the province's energy sector from the US.
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Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump hits more countries with steep tariffs, markets tumble
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's latest wave of tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan, sent global markets tumbling on Friday as countries pushed for talks to clinch better deals. Trump's new tariff rates include a 35% duty on many goods from Canada, 50% for Brazil, 25% for India, 20% for Taiwan and 39% for Switzerland. The presidential order, opens new tab listed higher import duty rates of 10% to 41% starting in seven days for 69 trading partners, effectively taking the U.S. effective tariff rate to about 18%, from 2.3% last year, according to Capital Economics. Global shares stumbled, with the Stoxx 600 (.STOXX), opens new tab down around 1% in the first hour of trading, and 1.7% lower on the week and set for its biggest weekly drop since early April. Both Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures were down around 1%. The market response was not as volatile as April's global asset declines, said Wei Yao, research head and chief economist in Asia at Societe Generale, referring to the market slide after Trump's initial tariffs announced on April 2. "We are all getting much more used to the idea of 15-20% tariffs being manageable and acceptable, thanks to the worse threats earlier," she said. But Trump's tariff rollout comes amid evidence they have begun driving up prices. U.S. Commerce Department data released Thursday showed prices for home furnishings and durable household equipment jumped 1.3% in June, the biggest gain since March 2022. Countries hit with hefty tariffs said they will seek to negotiate with the U.S. in hopes of getting a lower rate. Switzerland said it would push for a "negotiated solution" with the U.S. "I am stunned. These tariffs are based on no rational basis and are arbitrary," said Stefan Brupbacher, director of manufacturers' association Swissmem. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said the new 20% tariff rate for the island was "temporary " and that he expected to reach a lower figure. South Africa's Trade Minister Parks Tau said he was seeking "real, practical interventions" to defend jobs and the economy against the 30% U.S. tariff it faces. Southeast Asian countries breathed a sigh of relief after the U.S. tariffs on their exports that were lower than threatened and levelled the playing field with a rate of about 19% across the region's biggest economies. Thailand's finance minister said a reduction from 36% to 19% would help his country's economy. "It helps maintain Thailand's competitiveness on the global stage, boosts investor confidence and opens the door to economic growth, increased income and new opportunities," Pichai Chunhavajira said. Australian products could become more competitive in the U.S. market, helping businesses boost exports, Trade Minister Don Farrell said, after Trump kept the minimum tariff rate of 10% for Australia. But businesses and analysts said the impact of Trump's new trade regime would not be positive for economic growth. "No real winners in trade conflicts," said Thomas Rupf, co-head Singapore and CIO Asia at VP Bank. "Despite some countries securing better terms, the overall impact is negative." "The tariffs hurt the Americans and they hurt us," winemaker Johannes Selbach said in Germany's Moselle Valley. "Thousands of families who produce wine in Europe and thousands of families in the importing, wholesaling, retailing, restaurant business in the U.S. are dependent on the flow from both sides," he said, adding jobs and profits would be hit. Goods from all other countries not listed in Trump's executive orders will face a 10% U.S. import tax. Trump had previously said that rate might be higher. The administration also teased that more trade deals were in the pipeline. The Republican president has tapped emergency powers, pressured foreign leaders, and pressed ahead with trade policies that sparked a market sell-off when they were first announced in April. Trump's order said some trading partners, "despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgment, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters." Trump issued a separate order, opens new tab for Canada that raises the rate on Canadian goods subject to fentanyl-related tariffs to 35%, from 25% previously, saying Canada had "failed to cooperate" in curbing illicit narcotics flows into the U.S. The higher tariffs on Canadian goods contrasted sharply with Trump's decision to grant Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs of 30% on many goods to allow time to negotiate a broader trade pact. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was disappointed by Trump's decision, and vowed to take action to protect Canadian jobs and diversify exports. India is in trade talks with the U.S. after Washington imposed a 25% tariff on New Delhi, a move that could impact about $40 billion worth of its exports, an Indian government source with knowledge of the talks told Reuters on Friday. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with Trump's administration. A U.S. official told reporters that they are making progress toward a deal. The European Union struck an agreement on a blanket 15% tariff with the U.S. at the end of July. The bloc's trade chief Maros Sefcovic said the framework deal the EU signed with the U.S. gave EU exporters a "more competitive position." "This reinforces stability for businesses as well as trust in the transatlantic economy," he said.
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump tariffs mapped: The countries hit by US president's sweeping new trade war levies
President Donald Trump has signed off on sweeping new tariffs for dozens of countries as he continues to escalate his global trade war. Trump imposed higher import duty rates of between 10 per cent and 41 percent for multiple trading partners including the European Union, set to come into force on August 7. Among the hardest hit nations is Switzerland on 39 percent, while Canada is facing 35 percent. Some of the countries affected had reached tariff-reducing deals with the U.S. but others had no opportunity to negotiate with the Trump administration. Goods from all other countries not listed would be subject to a 10 per cent US import tax. Trump had previously threatened that rate might be higher. The administration also teased that more trade deals were in the pipeline as it seeks to close trade deficits. European stocks hit a three-week low on Friday as investors focused on the impact of the new tariffs, while Asian shares were headed for the worst week since April after the announcement Thursday night. Trump's separate order for Canada raises the rate on Canadian goods subject to fentanyl-related tariffs to 35 per cent, from 25 per cent previously, saying the country had "failed to cooperate" in curbing illicit narcotics flows into the U.S. The higher tariffs on Canadian goods contrasted sharply with Trump's decision to grant Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs of 30 per cent on many goods to provide more time to negotiate a broader trade pact. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said he was disappointed by Trump's decision, and vowed to take action to protect Canadian jobs and diversify the country's export markets. Meanwhile, China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a tariff agreement with Trump's administration after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary agreements in May and June to end tit-for-tat levies. A U.S. official said they are making progress toward a deal. Syria 41% Laos 40% Myanmar (Burma) 40% Switzerland 39% Canada 35% Iraq 35% Serbia 35% Algeria 30% Bosnia and Herzegovina 30% Libya 30% South Africa 30% Brunei 25% India 25% Kazakhstan 25% Moldova 25% Tunisia 25% Bangladesh 20% Sri Lanka20% Taiwan 20% Vietnam 20% Cambodia 19% Indonesia 19% Malaysia 19% Pakistan 19% Philippines 19% Thailand 19% Nicaragua 18% Afghanistan 15% Angola 15% Bolivia 15% Botswana 15% Cameroon 15% Chad 15% Costa Rica 15% Côte d`Ivoire 15% Democratic Republic of the Congo 15% Ecuador 15% Equatorial Guinea15% European Union 15% Fiji 15% Ghana 15% Guyana 15% Iceland 15% Israel 15% Japan 15% Jordan 15% Lesotho 15% Liechtenstein 15% Madagascar 15% Malawi 15% Mauritius 15% Mozambique 15% Namibia 15% Nauru 15% New Zealand 15% Nigeria 15% North Macedonia 15% Norway 15% Papua New Guinea 15% South Korea 15% Trinidad and Tobago 15% Turkey 15% Uganda 15% Vanuatu 15% Venezuela 15% Zambia 15% Zimbabwe 15% Brazil10% Falkland Islands 10% United Kingdom 10%
Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Telegraph
How dating celebrities became a Trudeau family tradition
Of all the many rumours and conspiracy theories surrounding the former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, perhaps the most outlandish argues that he is the illegitimate son of late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The thinking, if you can call it that, is this: Trudeau's father Pierre, who also served as Canadian prime minister, visited Cuba with his wife, Margaret, in early 1971, and Margaret and Castro supposedly had a brief, short-lived affair. The end result, the cranks falsely claim, was the birth of Justin, Christ-like, on December 25 that year. This titillating falsehood has been enthusiastically taken up by many of Trudeau's detractors (including Donald Trump), who were incensed by Trudeau's warm words after Castro's death in November 2016. However, this ignores many basic chronological facts, not least that there is no official record of Pierre and Margaret visiting Cuba that year, or indeed Pierre meeting Castro until 1976. The Canadian government at one point became so sick of the story that in 2018 it was forced to issue a denial. Margaret Trudeau's romantic life has long been a subject of fascination; Robin Williams even made a quip about 'Margaret Trudeau's friendly thighs' as he performed the South Park song Blame Canada at the Oscars in 2000. Yet it was her former husband, Pierre, who had a far wider reputation as a womaniser and ladies' man, with a string of conquests that included A-list actors, singers and musicians. By comparison, their son Justin has been seen as little more than a shiny nepo baby politician, boringly right-on to a point that even his own country tired of him. (Never mind his habit of wearing blackface as a younger man.) Now, however, Trudeau is back in the headlines for wholly different reasons. He was spotted in the audience at a Katy Perry gig, and was later seen having what looked like a romantic dinner with the singer, who separated from her partner Orlando Bloom earlier this year. Although both Perry and Trudeau have denied rumours that they are romantically involved – the politician split from his wife Sophie Grégoire in 2023 – he was nonetheless seen singing along to Perry's song Dark Horse at her concert. If we ignore the age gap (he is 53 to her 40) and the slight sense of second-hand goods that Trudeau might convey, the romance buzz might not do either of their somewhat tainted public reputations any harm. Perry, like Trudeau, is coming off a steep decline in public popularity, not helped by her much-mocked decision to travel into space with Jeff Bezos's wife, Lauren Sánchez, and the dismal sales of her latest album. Yet in Trudeau's case, association with an A-list celebrity may suggest that the apple has not fallen too far from the tree. As a nepo baby politician, he knew all too well that his father, who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada, was a legendary figure in his country. Pierre Trudeau was a rock star among his fellow politicians, and regarded as a hipster long before that term came into use; he certainly did not object to the media's suggestion that he was a 'hip and happening person', even a swinger. Had the byzantine complexities of his romantic life at the time been better known, there may have been other, unkinder terms used. Shortly after he became prime minister, Pierre embarked upon a relationship with Barbra Streisand, who was then coming off the success of her musical and film Funny Girl. When she first read about him, she supposedly remarked to a friend: 'That's the kind of man I'd like to date.' As luck would have it, the opportunity swiftly presented itself. Streisand rhapsodised in her recent memoir, My Name is Barbra, that Pierre was 'very dapper, intelligent, intense … kind of a combination of Albert Einstein and Napoleon (only taller). And he was doing important work. I was dazzled'. Although there was again a significant age gap between politician and singer – she was 27, he was 50 – Pierre was enraptured by the star, too. When she was seated in the visitors' gallery during a session of the Canadian parliament, having travelled to see her idol, another politician remarked: 'I should like to ask a question of the prime minister – if he can take his eyes and mind off the visitors' gallery long enough to answer it.' Streisand wrote that she 'blushed and laughed' at the obviousness of the politician's interest in her. They embarked upon a relationship, and Streisand professed herself smitten by the 'captivating combination of contradictions … an elegant man who was still enough of a free spirit to wear sandals to parliament'. Yet she also had to admit, eventually, that 'there was something missing. My brain was in love, but not my body'. The two separated amicably, and remained friends until Pierre's death in 2000, upon which Streisand commented 'the world lost a great leader … and I lost a great friend'. When Trudeau's father separated from Streisand, he did not spend his days gazing forlornly into the fire. Not only did he marry the considerably younger Margaret Sinclair in 1971 – he was 50 and she was 22 – but he used his charm and political standing alike to attract a string of younger, well-known mistresses, who included the actresses Margot Kidder and Kim Cattrall – Lois Lane and Sex and the City's Samantha – as well as the classical guitarist Liona Boyd and songwriter Gale Zoë Garnett. He was very popular with these women, all of whom saw the frightened, hurt little boy underneath the swaggering carapace of success and fame. 'He was so incredibly sexy,' said Cattrall, 'he was very soft-spoken, incredibly smart, sensitive'. Kidder said of him, perceptively, that he was a man 'who lives trapped under layers of defences'. However, Pierre also led a life like an old-fashioned Restoration rake. Not only did he demand discretion and silence from his various paramours, but he was open with the long-suffering Margaret about his liaisons. A 2009 biography of him, Just Watch Me, detailed how he would often invite two or three mistresses to the same public event, and took a kind of smug delight in exhibiting his prowess. When Margaret, learning that Boyd had performed at a concert, asked him incredulously 'So you had a mistress play?', Pierre responded: 'Not one, but two.' Likewise, when she found a pile of photographs of various women he had been involved with – Streisand at the top – she asked him whether he had been ranking them. 'Maybe', he replied. It was an unhappy, traumatic marriage. Not only did Pierre reportedly beat up his wife, but he was excessively mean about money. Margaret revealed in her tell-all 1982 memoir Consequences that every night for two years, she would whisper before bed 'Pierre, please give me a divorce.' She also pursued her own string of relationships with well-known public figures, including the actor Ryan O'Neal, JFK's brother Ted Kennedy, the musician Tom Sullivan (to whom she was drawn, she wrote – in a clear dig at her older ex – because of his 'extreme youth') and the bottled water entrepreneur Bruce Nevins. She separated from Pierre in 1977 and met Jack Nicholson shortly afterwards, describing him as 'the first real rival to Pierre'. The relationship did not last, because Nicholson was involved with Anjelica Huston, but Margaret at least got her money's worth while she was with him. The night before they parted, she wrote in her memoir, 'we made love all night'. Margaret was also something of an Anglophile, and as she put it once, 'ran off' with the Rolling Stones. She enjoyed a fling with Ronnie Wood in the late Seventies, and was the subject of rumours involving Mick Jagger. 'We played dice until about five in the morning, in my hotel suite. Smoked some dope, talked,' she said in 2016. 'It was a good night, and it was my new world. But no one knew I was separated from my husband yet, and it brought a huge scandal.' Jagger himself mockingly alluded to the stories in 2024 when he quipped on stage in Canada: 'We love your Mr Trudeau. I mean, his family has always been such big fans of our band.' Despite Pierre's appalling treatment of his wife and cavalier attitude towards fidelity, he was (and is) perceived in Canada as a great charmer and Romeo, the kind of man who, even in his late 70s, was still able to twinkle away at otherwise hard-bitten journalists and turn them into putty. The writer Margaret Wente observed, after he kissed her hand and said her name 'with exaggerated appreciation', that 'it was all I could do to keep from asking for his room number'. He may not have charmed every single woman in his orbit; Margaret Thatcher, who had been warned about Pierre's 'complex personality' and 'unsound personal views' before meeting him in 1983, was entirely resistant to his charms. But the decidedly cordiale entente that he formed with many public figures – several of whom, such as Streisand, continued to extol his virtues long after his death – cannot simply be dismissed as political chicanery. So it may yet prove with his son. Whether or not he is embroiled with the Firework songstress, Monsieur Trudeau can be sure of one thing. As Streisand wrote of Justin in her memoir: 'Pierre would have been so proud of him.'
