Asbestos Corporation Limited (ACL) announced on Wednesday that an order from the Superior Court of Québec granting ACL protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (the "CCAA") has been granted, according to a company press release. Raymond Chabot Inc. has been appointed pursuant to the Initial Order as monitor of ACL in order to assist the company with its restructuring efforts and to report to the Court. The application was filed by third parties and the Company became a co-applicant. ACL also filed a petition under Chapter 15 of the U.S.
Read more
Pelican International Inc, one of the world’s largest kayak manufacturers, is in the process of being bought out by former executives in partnership with real estate developer Groupe Mach, according to reporting by Quebec-based La Presse. The deal follows a two-step insolvency process: first Pelican sought insolvency protection under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) in Canada in February 2025, before transitioning to court-supervised restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) in March.
Read more
President Trump announced an agreement on trade with the U.K. on Thursday, the first in what the White House hopes is a series of such developments since it imposed tariffs against allies and adversaries, the Wall Street Journal reported. Trump teased the announcement on Truth Social earlier, calling the agreement “full and comprehensive,” and added: “Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!” U.K. officials said the pact isn’t a comprehensive trade agreement and will instead focus on reducing tariffs in specific sectors.
Read more
The Federal Reserve warned that the economy faced growing risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation due to tariff increases when officials agreed to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. “If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they’re likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth, and an increase in unemployment,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference. Tariffs represent a shock that can decrease an economy’s ability to supply goods or services while sending up prices.
Read more
The European Commission will announce on Thursday details of its next countermeasures against U.S. tariffs should negotiations with Washington fail, European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. "Tomorrow we will announce next preparatory steps, both in the area of possible rebalancing measures, and also in the areas important for the further discussions," Sefcovic told a news conference in Singapore after the signing of a digital trade agreement with the Southeast Asian country.
Read more
Vietnam's imports from China and exports to the United States both reached a post-pandemic record in April, amid talks with Washington to reduce Hanoi's trade surplus and a crackdown on Chinese goods being shipped to the U.S. via its territory, Reuters reported. The Southeast Asian nation faces the risk of 46% duties on its exports to the U.S. if the White House confirms this rate at the end of a global tariff pause in July. This could undermine Vietnam's growth model and hit multinationals exporting from the country, including Samsung and Nike.
Read more
An Ontario judge has decided which law firm will represent employees in the Hudson's Bay creditor protection case, the Canadian Press reported. An endorsement filed by judge Peter Osborne on Monday named Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP as representative counsel to the faltering department store's more than 9,000 employees and 3,000 retirees.
Read more
India has proposed zero tariffs on steel, auto components and pharmaceuticals on a reciprocal basis up to a certain quantity of imports in its trade negotiations with the U.S., Bloomberg News reported. Beyond this threshold, imported industrial goods would attract the regular level of duties. The offer was made by Indian trade officials visiting Washington late last month to expedite negotiations on a bilateral trade deal expected by fall this year. Read more.
Read more
A manufacturer of capsules and tablets for the pharmaceuticals industry is scouting Asia for new partners. A steel component maker, with a client base in the United States stretching back 35 years, is telling customers to expect to pay higher prices, Reuters reported. Another company, that produces mascot costumes for sporting or school events, is lowering its prices so as not to lose American customers.
Read more
U.S. prosecutors said on Monday that UBS, which rescued Credit Suisse from the brink of collapse two years ago, would pay $510 million in fines for the role Credit Suisse played in helping clients evade taxes, the New York Times reported. Credit Suisse, among other moves, helped clients hide more than $4 billion from the Internal Revenue Service in at least 475 accounts, prosecutors said. Credit Suisse’s Singapore office was singled out for holding undeclared accounts for people who owed taxes. The bank pleaded guilty to, in the words of prosecutors, enabling “U.S.
Read more