Trump has instructed to raise Canadian tariffs on aluminum and steel to 50%
Trump orders more tariffs on Canada after Ontario levies tax on electricity exports
Donald Trump has ordered an increase in tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and threatened to impose more levies, after Ontario yesterday slapped a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to three US states.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said he would “permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada” if the country did not end unspecified tariffs it had placed on US goods:
Based on Ontario, Canada, placing a 25% Tariff on “Electricity” coming into the United States, I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to ad an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. This will go into effect TOMORROW MORNING, March 12th. Also, Canada must immediately drop their Anti-American Farmer Tariff of 250% to 390% on various U.S. dairy products, which has long been considered outrageous. I will shortly be declaring a National Emergency on Electricity within the threatened area. This will allow the U.S to quickly do what has to be done to alleviate this abusive threat from Canada. If other egregious, long time Tariffs are not likewise dropped by Canada, I will substantially increase, on April 2nd, the Tariffs on Cars coming into the U.S. which will, essentially, permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada. Those cars can easily be made in the USA!
Ontario’s addition of a 25% electricity surcharge affects New York, Minnesota and Michigan, which receive electricity from the province.
#News #Canada #USA #TheGuardian
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Arab Leaders have an alternative to Trump's GAZA plan - "Draft" statement obtained by the BBC
A $53bn (£41.4 billion) reconstruction plan to rival President Donald Trump's idea for the US to "take over Gaza" and move out more than two million Palestinians has been approved by Arab leaders at an emergency summit in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
"The Egypt plan is now an Arab plan," announced the secretary general of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the end of this hours-long gathering.
Without referring specifically to President Trump's ideas, he underlined that "the Arab stance is to reject any displacement, whether it is voluntary or forced".
Egypt had produced a detailed blueprint, with a 91-page glossy document including images of leafy neighbourhoods and grand public buildings, to counter a US scheme labelled as a "Middle East Riviera" which shocked the Arab world and beyond.
#USA #US #GAZA #Egypt #News #BBC
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Artificial intelligence has been applied to some of the world's most famous works of art. See the impressive result of the technology era.
Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the art world by reinterpreting and recreating some of the most famous works of art. Through techniques like style transfer, AI algorithms can emulate the distinct styles of iconic artists, blending technology with creativity to produce stunning and innovative visual masterpieces. The results are a testament to the transformative power of AI in the modern era. #Art #IA Read More...
Stocks fall as Trump warns of US economy trade war 'transition'
A sell-off in the US stock market gathered steam on Monday, fuelled by rising concern about the cost of the trade war to the world's largest economy.
The S&P 500, which tracks the biggest American companies, fell about 2% in early trade, while the Dow Jones dropped 0.9% and the Nasdaq sank more than 3.5%.
The falls came after President Donald Trump ducked questions about whether the US economy was facing a recession or price rises as a result of tariff moves, while warning instead of a "period of transition".
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, however, insisted there would be no contraction in the US, although he acknowledged that the price of some goods may rise.
Investors fear that tariffs - which are taxes on goods applied as they enter the country - will lead to higher prices and ultimately dent growth in the world's largest economy.
"The level of tariffs that Trump is imposing, I think no doubt, will have to cause inflation somewhere down the line," Rachel Winter, investment manager at Killik & Co, told the Today programme.
Economist Mohamed El-Erian said investors had been optimistic about Trump's plans for de-regulation and lower taxes, while under-estimating the likelihood of a trade war.
He said the recent falls in the stock market, which started last week, reflect the adjustment of those bets.
"It's a complete change in what the market expected," he added, noting that investors are also responding to signs that businesses and households are starting to hold off on spending amid the uncertainty, which could hurt economic growth.
European stocks closed lower on Monday, with France's CAC and the London FTSE indices both closing around 0.9% lower. Germany's DAX closed 1.75% lower.
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at the stockbrokers Hargreaves Lansdown, said it was because of "unease around the impact of Trump tariffs". She added that concerns over the US economy entering a recession is worrying investors.
Tesla shares fell about 8% on Monday, while tech stocks Nvidia and Meta were both down more than 4%.
Speaking to Fox News in an interview broadcast on Sunday but recorded on Thursday, Trump appeared to acknowledge the concerns, responding to a question about whether the US was facing recession: "I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we're doing is very big. We're bringing wealth back to America. That's a big thing."
"It takes a little time, but I think it should be great for us," he added.
#BBC #News #Trump #USA
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Europeans looking at US tech right now
Not only Europe, but I believe much of the civilized world... Read More...
China strikes back at Trump tariffs with 15% levies targeting US farmers
WASHINGTON (AP) — China retaliated against President Donald Trump’s tariffs with an additional 15% tax on key American farm products, including chicken, pork, soybeans and beef.
The escalating trade tensions punished U.S. markets Monday as investors fearful of the damage from from Trump’s trade wars put their money elsewhere.
The Chinese tariffs, announced last week, were a response to Trump’s decision to double the levy on Chinese imports to 20% on March 4. China’s Commerce Ministry had earlier said that goods already in transit would be exempt from the retaliatory tariffs until April 12.
Imposing tariffs on imports is a key part of Trump’s agenda. He believes the import taxes can raise money for the Treasury, protect American industries and pressure foreign countries to do what he wants in a range of issues, including immigration and drug trafficking.
#China #USA #AP #News
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Skull and Bones’ Into the Dragon’s Wake kicks off a new season on August 22
Just when you finally got your pirate vessel fully insured, along comes a new ship and cannons to blow up your deductible. Yet look on the bright side of your sinking boat: You get a new Skull and Bones content update on August 22nd.
Into the Dragon’s Wake is about to arrive in Ubisoft’s naval combat sim next week: “Hailing from the Middle Kingdom, Li Tian Ning and Commander Zhang of the Dragon’s Claw make their prowess known to the Indian Ocean. Their arrival stirs tension between the Rempah and DMC in the East Indies, amidst a new seasonal story, world events and challenges.”
The update includes the Battle Junk juggernaut that can taunt other ships, an epic long gun named Divine Thunder, two new types of cannons, and special “immortal” armor for your vessel. Ubisoft is also introducing Imperial Jade as a trading resource, better controls, a new merchant convoy event, and a new third-person camera view.
Next up on Skull and Bones’ calendar after the patch is the Mooncake Regatta event, which is running from August 27th through September 17th.
#game #massive #preview
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Vegans: We Only Eat Plants. Also Vegans: * EAT MUSHROOMS*
Vegans: We Only Eat Plants. Also Vegans: * EAT MUSHROOMS*
MUSHROOMS: I N JOKE FOR YOU?
#meme #fun #funny
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NCSoft Just Announced Guild Wars 3
You know it’s a good day when you wake up and see news that one of the largest, most influencial, arguably most popular free to play MMOs get a confirmed sequel. That’s what just happened with Guild Wars 2.
When I first mentioned NCSoft were potentially developing a Guild Wars 3, people told me I was crazy, that there was no way that could be the case.
When I followed up several years later with confirmation that NCSoft were hiring programmers to create an MMO in an already pre-existing intellectual property, people said there was no way that could be Guild Wars 2. The game is too healthy, a staple of NCSoft’s roster of games, and by association, potential to make a quality game.
Yet according to multiple sources online – Inven – which documented NCSoft’s shareholders’ meeting on the 28th, and several websites that have since covered the reveal, Guild Wars 3 is already deep in development. Much further than any of us likely even thought possible after this announcement.
But what would a Guild Wars 3 look like? Will it differ from Guild Wars 2? Is it the same team working on it, and how will this ultimately affect Guild Wars 2? Especially given ArenaNet’s commitment to releasing more frequent expansions each year.
That’s what we’re going to try and find out.
The investor’s meeting began by acting chairman, Park Byeong-moo – who we’ll refer to as Park for the remainder of this video – stating that the global gaming market in 2023 is very unstable, and NCSoft has experienced difficulties both internally and externally, resulting in a decline in stock price.
With how poorly Throne & Liberty did in Korea, and NCSoft’s recent statement confirming it’s up to Amazon with the Global release to save the game, with Aion, Blade & Soul, and their mobile games all doing poorly – this was to be expected.
Park followed this up with a statement referring to the companies history over the last 20 years. “If you look back at NC’s history, there are a number of successful IPs that were developed independently in Korea.”
Which is true. Aion, Lineage, Blade & Soul. All exceptional MMORPGs that did fantastic, financially, until they were ruined by NCSoft’s mismanagement and greed.
“I am confident that NC will be able to develop its capacity for sustainable development again.” – With regards to new intellectual properties? Unlikely. Potentially, by expanding on already existing intellectual properties like Lineage, Aion or Blade & Soul because they already carry a fanbase.
He then goes on to confirm “Innovation for change has already begun,” further elaborating on NCSoft’s Global vision by stating “this year is NCSoft’s first step forward as a global game company.”
“I dare say it’s the first year,” explaining that they’re in the process currently of releasing numerous games that fill a variety of different genres – some of which haven’t been done before, like the new open-world Trailblazer game, among many others.
The CEO, Kim Taek-jin is in the process of traveling around the world at present, in an active effort to expand not only their brand, but also their scope and games by engaging in Global collaborations.
As noted, one of the most important routes for the companies’ success moving into the future, is “establishing a foundation for globalization,” along with “continuous investment to increase new IPs.”
2024 is going to be a very important year for NCSoft and its shareholders, with much of its potential success riding on how well received Throne & Liberty is Globally.
A question was asked of Park, “NC West has been running a deficit for 8 years, and I don’t understand why the person in charge remains the same.” NC West is the North American studio in charge of Lineage, Aion, Guild Wars, and Blade & Soul across America, Europe and Oceania.
Park goes on to respond to this by confirming that originally, NCSoft had six studios within the United States, and after extensive work, with likely quite substantial costs, every studio was integrated into one: ArenaNet. ArenaNet is the developer behind Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, and it’s at this point that the revelation was made concerning Guild Wars 3.
“ArenaNet are currently working on Guild Wars 3, looking at this process, we have considerable competitiveness. Although it is not completely profitable” – referring to ArenaNet – “I believe that it has increased its competitiveness.”
ArenaNet and the Guild Wars intellectual property have proven to be the continued driving force behind NCSoft in recent years, looking at their sales breakdown by region from the 4th quarter of 2023, you’ll see that “NA/EU sales grew by 15% quarter over quarter due to strong sales of Guild Wars 2.”
Park further elaborates on NC West by reiterating this is their “first year Global leap forward,” but they are also “reorganizing the Global headquarters.”
Park talked a little about he, the COO and CEO’s claims of excessive financial compensation, even in light of their continued stock price decline, but navigating further down, we see a question asked concerning NCSoft’s reputation – and how brand value has fallen recently.
I just want to point out, this isn’t a recent occurence. This is a reputation that has been deteriorating for the better half of 2 decades.
Park states that NCSoft has a “negative image among streamers in the gaming industry,” and that these creators will likely change their opinion about them after seeing the quality games they plan on releasing in 2024.
I haven’t seen a single game announced by NCSoft that screams a significant alteration in terms of quality. Or a drastic departure from what they’ve become synonymous with.
The rest of the Investor’s meeting went over topics that were unrelated to Guild Wars, but it looks as though they’re anticipating Guild Wars 3 will be a large driving force behind the studio’s expansion into the Western gaming market.
Which could very well be true. Guild Wars 2 is keeping the studio afloat right now. Guild Wars 3 could bring an entirely new audience to their games. But let’s take a look at what people have to say.
Honestly, I think Guild Wars 3 has the potential to be a phenomenal game so long as the people that made Guild Wars 2 stick to a formula that people love. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, just optimize and improve on what worked.
But at the same time, I don’t forsee this game releasing for many years. Probably sometime after 2030. So they have plenty of time to craft the perfect formula.
Until then, there’s always Blue Protocol or Throne & Liberty, right? Right?
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