Canada says it will impose tariffs

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s deputy prime minister said Friday that the country plans to impose $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.69 billion) tariffs on U.S. imports in response to President Donald Trump saying the U.S. is reinstating a 10% import tax on Canadian aluminum.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the tariffs will match the U.S. ones dollar-for-dollar. Canada is considering imposing a tariff on dozens of products, including golf clubs, bicycles, refrigerators, washing machines, tripods, sports equipment like bats and hockey sticks and embossed aluminum cans for beverages.

Trump originally imposed the tariffs on aluminum imports in 2018. He then lifted them last year. Trump said Thursday that he was re-implementing tariffs because there was a surge in aluminum exports from Canada to the U.S. in recent months.

Turkish lira hits another historic low

LONDON (AP) — Turkey’s currency tumbled further Friday, hitting another record low.

The Turkish lira dropped to 7.3677 against the dollar before making a recovery. The lira is down about 19% versus the U.S. currency since the beginning of the year. It was trading around 7.17 on Friday afternoon.

The drop is fueled by high inflation, a wide current account deficit and the Turkish government’s push for cheap credit to drive an economy that was already fragile before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Analysts have expressed concerns over the level of Turkey’s reserves and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s aversion to high interest rates.

Turkey had been hoping for an influx of foreign currency through exports and tourism revenues, but the pandemic has sharply undermined the tourism industry and disrupted global commerce.