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Monday’s CPI Could Decide Your Next Mortgage Payment

  Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September. Inflation is sitting at 3%. The Bank of Canada has to decide on October 28 which of those facts matters more, and on Monday morning one more number lands to help it choose. If you carry a variable-rate mortgage, a HELOC or a renewal this winter, that number has a price tag. Two reports pulling in opposite directions The jobs data came first. Statistics Canada reported on October 9 that employment fell by 68,000 in September, pushing the unemployment rate to 6.5% from 6.4%. It followed a drop of about 42,000 in August, which means more than half of the 181,000 jobs gained between April and July have now been wiped out. Ontario shed 20,000 positions on its own. Markets reacted within hours: the odds of a quarter-point Bank of Canada hike on October 28 dropped to roughly 25% from about 40%, according to LSEG data reported by Reuters. Inflation is telling the opposite story. The consumer price index rose 3.0% year over year in August, matching Ju...

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Maduro Makes First U.S. Court Appearance on Drug Charges

An armored vehicle carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrives at Manhattan Federal Court, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York.

Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was brought into a federal courthouse in New York on Monday for his initial appearance on U.S. drug‑trafficking and narco‑terrorism charges, marking a dramatic escalation in the long‑running standoff between Washington and Caracas.

Escorted by federal agents, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were transferred from a Brooklyn detention center to Manhattan for the brief hearing. The charges—filed years earlier—accuse Maduro of leading a criminal network that funneled large quantities of cocaine into the United States while leveraging state institutions to support armed groups involved in the drug trade.

Maduro has repeatedly denied the allegations. His legal team is expected to challenge the legitimacy of his capture and transfer, arguing that he should be shielded from prosecution as a former head of state.

The proceeding marks the beginning of what could become a lengthy and politically sensitive legal battle. Venezuelan officials still aligned with Maduro have condemned the operation and demanded his release, while U.S. prosecutors prepare for a case with significant geopolitical implications.

A trial date has not yet been set.


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