Briefer News

U.S. to end South Africa, Rwanda trade benefits.

Today's events

• South Africa and Rwanda.

  Trump notified Congress and both governments that he will remove them from the African Growth and Opportunity Act's duty-free program on January 1, 2027, after an annual eligibility review.¹Nov 2 · USTR
• Election-eve charges.

  The Justice Department charged 63 people with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and false citizenship claims; it has charged 195 foreign nationals across 25 states in the past nine weeks.²Nov 2 · DOJ
• Venezuela talks.

  Secretary Rubio met Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco at the State Department, reviewed Venezuelan-led reconciliation talks and institutional reforms meant to enable credible elections, and pressed for the release of remaining political prisoners.³Nov 2 · State
• Mexico labor case.

  U.S. trade officials invoked the USMCA rapid-response labor mechanism over alleged union interference at Madobox, a box plant in Uruapan, and suspended customs liquidation of its goods.⁴Nov 2 · USTR
• Nuclear licensing rules.

  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalized a rule streamlining contested hearings in licensing cases, effective December 3, implementing the 2024 ADVANCE Act and Executive Order 14300.⁵Nov 3 · Fed. Reg.
• Gas terminal safety.

  Pipeline regulators proposed updating liquefied-natural-gas facility safety rules to current industry standards, citing two decades of technological change and congressional mandates for risk-based oversight. Comments close January 4.⁶Nov 3 · Fed. Reg.
• Gene-therapy potency.

  The FDA issued final guidance replacing its 2011 potency-testing recommendations, telling cell and gene therapy makers to verify each batch's biological activity before it reaches a patient.⁷Nov 2 · FDA
• Fertilizer duties.

  Commerce kept countervailing duties on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer after its first full sunset review, finding that revoking the 2021 order would likely renew subsidies to producer OCP.⁸Nov 3 · Fed. Reg.
• Apprenticeship payments.

  The Labor Department opened applications for incentive payments of up to $6,000 per apprentice, including $40 million for shipbuilding and the defense industrial base and $40 million for semiconductor, nuclear and superintelligence occupations.⁹Nov 2 · DOL

Allied Governments

• Ukraine peace exercise.

  Britain and France will jointly lead Exercise Koalicja in Poland from November 9 to 22 — 2,800 troops from 11 nations, including 300 British personnel, rehearsing how to rebuild Ukraine's armed forces once the fighting stops.^aNov 3 · UK MoD
• Deep-strike weapon.

  Britain and Germany held their second Defence Ministerial Council under the Trinity House Agreement, reporting progress on a joint precision-strike weapon with ranges over 2,000 kilometres and signing an implementing arrangement on joint Sting Ray procurement.^bNov 2 · UK MoD
• Submarine programme.

  Britain's and Australia's prime ministers met before the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and agreed the AUKUS submarine build programme is making strong progress; both also backed a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.^cNov 3 · UK No.10

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