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(Adds analyst's comments in paragraphs 5, 6 & 8) By Kumar Tanishk Oct 1 (Reuters) – Australian car dealership firm Eagers Automotive said on Wednesday it will acquire a 65% stake in dealership group CanadaOne's holding company for A$1.04 billion ($687.54 million) to expand into Canada. The deal, involving entities associated with CanadaOne founder Pat Priestner, comprises A$668 million cash and A$386 million in exchangeable Eagers shares, valuing the Canadian firm at A$2.72 billion including debt. Upon completion, Eagers will hold a 65% interest in the CanadaOne freehold property-owning companies alongside entities associated with Priestner, among others. The Australian firm said the acquisition is expected to lift earnings per share by mid-teens, with the deal expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. "Geographic diversification of earnings for Eagers is a highly strategic move to diversify earnings, shifting reliance away from Australia and into a growing market that is experiencing a rebound in vehicle sales," said Grady Wulff, a senior market analyst at Bell Direct. However, Wulff noted risks, including currency exposure, strategic dilution and the Canadian auto sector's cyclical nature. Eagers said in a separate announcement that it will partner with Japan's Mitsubishi Corp to explore collaboration opportunities across new vehicle dealerships, independent used car operations and other mutually beneficial areas. The Mitsubishi partnership adds strategic value, potentially evolving into deeper collaboration, such as joint ventures or operational tie-ups, particularly in new mobility sectors, Wulff said. "This is yet another strategic move by Eagers following the success of their BYD partnership over the last few years." ($1 = 1.5126 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Kumar Tanishk in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

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* South Koreans get assurance workers allowed to set up, service equipment in US under temporary visas * US repeats legal obstacles to fundamental change for greater access to South Koreans * US is committed to investment partnership, Deputy Secretary of State Landau says (Recasts with South Korea foreign ministry, more details) SEOUL, Oct 1 (Reuters) – The U.S. has agreed to allow South Koreans to work to set up facilities at U.S. investment sites under existing temporary visas and open new channels to help its ally send workers to do business there, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. But U.S. officials at a working group meeting offered no new answers to South Korea's argument for a wider access to U.S. visas for specialty workers despite reaffirming a commitment to advance trade and investment partnership, the ministry said. The U.S. side made up of Departments of State, Homeland Security and Commerce officials made clear South Korean workers can work to install, service and repair equipment needed as part of South Korean business investment in the U.S., it said. A new section dedicated for visas related to South Korean businesses will be set up at the U.S. embassy in Seoul and U.S. immigration authorities will open a new channel with South Korean missions to better coordinate visa matters, according to the foreign ministry. The working group was set up in the aftermath of a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor car battery facility under construction in the U.S. state of Georgia in September where hundreds of South Korean workers were arrested. The arrests, which stunned the South Korean government and public, highlighted the lack of access to the right class of U.S. visas for specialised South Korean workers needed at investment sites. The U.S. officials said a more fundamental change to U.S. visa systems to accommodate Seoul's demand for clearer and certain access for its specialty workers faced "practical legislative constraints," the South Korean ministry said. South Korea has pushed for years for a bill that would create or expand visa categories to accommodate skilled South Korean nationals who need to visit the United States. That bill has had difficulty getting through Congress because visas are linked to immigration, one of the most sensitive subjects in the United States, according to South Korea's foreign ministry. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stressed the "critical role" of the skilled workers of South Korean companies investing in the U.S. at the group's first meeting in Washington, the State Department separately said. The U.S. was committed to encouraging investment by companies from South Korea as one of the leading foreign investors in the country, it said in a statement. The working group will hold further meetings, South Korea's foreign ministry said. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Jamie Freed and Lincoln Feast.)

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Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc: * FARADAY FUTURE ISSUES A STATEMENT ON A RECENT FIRE INCIDENT AT ITS SATELLITE OFFICE BUILDING * FARADAY FUTURE INTELLIGENT ELECTRIC INC – NO INJURIES REPORTED, OPERATIONS UNAFFECTED * FARADAY FUTURE INTELLIGENT ELECTRIC INC – FF 91 SHOW VEHICLE BELIEVED TO HAVE CAUGHT FIRE * FARADAY FUTURE INTELLIGENT ELECTRIC INC – NO EVIDENCE FF 91 BATTERY CAUSED FIRE * FARADAY FUTURE INTELLIGENT ELECTRIC INC – POSSIBLE CAUSES: ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT OR LOOSE CONNECTION Source text: Further company coverage:

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(Adds Taiwan president meeting U.S. agriculture official, paragraphs 12, 13) TAIPEI, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Taiwan will not agree to a deal with the United States for half of all semiconductor production to take place in the country, the island's top tariff negotiator said on Wednesday after returning home. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told U.S. television network News Nation over the weekend that Washington's pitch to Taiwan would be a 50-50 split in making chips, the vast majority of which are now made on the island. Taiwan Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun, who is leading the tariff talks with Washington, told reporters upon getting back to the island that she had not discussed the 50-50 idea suggested by the U.S. during the talks. "Our negotiating team has never made any commitment to a 50-50 split on chips. Rest assured, we did not discuss this issue during this round of talks, nor would we agree to such conditions," she said, according to Taiwan's official Central News Agency. Neither the U.S. Commerce Department nor the Office of the United States Trade Representative responded to requests for comment sent outside of U.S. business hours. Taiwan, home to the world's biggest contract chipmaker TSMC , runs a large trade surplus with the United States. The island's exports to the United States are currently subject to a 20% tariff. TSMC, whose business is surging on strong demand for artificial intelligence applications, is investing $165 billion to build chip factories in the U.S. state of Arizona, though the bulk of its production will remain in Taiwan. Taiwan's government said last month that it hoped for a more favourable tariff rate from the United States after talks achieved "certain progress". Speaking in parliament in Taipei on Tuesday, Premier Cho Jung-tai said Cheng had had multiple talks with the United States on tariff issues. "The most critical substantive consultations are currently underway," he said. Cheng, speaking at the airport, said that "detailed" discussions had taken place which yielded "certain progress", the Central News Agency added. Separately, Taiwan's presidential office said late on Tuesday that President Lai Ching-te had met the visiting Luke J. Lindberg, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Lai said that a Taiwan agricultural delegation visiting the United States in September planned to buy $10 billion of U.S. agricultural goods over the coming four years, including soybeans, wheat, corn and beef. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Stephen Coates)

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SEOUL, Oct 1 (Reuters) – South Korea's factory activity expanded for the first time in eight months in September underpinned by improving overseas demand, a business survey showed on Wednesday, although uncertainty persisted over trade talks with the U.S. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for manufacturers in Asia's fourth-largest economy, released by S&P Global, stood at 50.7 in September, up from 48.3 in August. The index rose above the 50-mark, which separates expansion from contraction, for the first time since January 2025 and registered the highest reading since August 2024. Both output and new orders grew last month, after falling for six and five consecutive months, respectively, on the launch and mass production of new products, according to the survey. Overseas demand grew for the first time in six months, led by improvements in major Asia-Pacific markets, though it was partially offset by a subdued domestic economy. "It appears likely that improved conditions will be sustained in the near term, as firms cited a renewed rise in work outstanding," said Usamah Bhatti, economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. The trade-reliant economy grew at the strongest pace in the second quarter as consumer spending rebounded and exports remained robust, driven by technology demand despite headwinds from U.S. tariffs in other sectors. South Korea has yet to formalise an agreement on a preliminary trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump in July due to concerns about the foreign exchange implications and structure of a $350 billion investment package included in the pact. Wednesday's survey showed stocks of input purchases were depleted at the fastest pace since April 2024 driven by growing demand, while backlogs of work increased for the first time in six months. Firms responded by raising new purchases by the most in 13 months and employment by the most in two years. South Korean manufacturers remained optimistic about the outlook for the year ahead, albeit to a softer degree than the month before, on expectations of new product launches and improving momentum in the domestic economy, while some concerns remained about the impact of U.S. tariffs. (Reporting by Jihoon Lee Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

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By Diana Novak Jones CHICAGO, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Uber is not liable for the sexual assault of a woman who said she was attacked by her driver on a ride she ordered from the app, a California jury said on Tuesday, according to an attorney for the plaintiff. At the end of a three-week civil trial in San Francisco Superior Court, the jury rejected the woman’s argument that Uber was to blame for her assault. The case was the first to go to trial out of more than 500 lawsuits consolidated in California state court. There are also more than 2,500 lawsuits making similar claims that have been centralized in a federal court in California. The woman, who went by Jessica C. at trial, sued in 2021, claiming she was assaulted by an Uber driver in 2016. During the ride, her driver pulled off on a side street, restraining, groping and kissing her, according to her attorneys. Her lawsuit was chosen to serve as the first "bellwether" for the state court litigation. In litigation with many plaintiffs asserting similar claims, bellwether trials are used to test the claims and establish what they may be worth. Judges may use the outcome of the trial to manage the remaining cases, or lawyers can use them to inform settlement negotiations. The woman's attorneys had asked the jury for between $175,000 and $1.2 million in compensatory damages for each year of her life, suggesting larger figures for the years closest to the assault. They did not suggest a number for punitive damages. SAFETY PRACTICES IN THE SPOTLIGHT The lawsuits allege Uber was aware it had a problem with drivers assaulting riders, but kept data on how many assaults took place from the public and did not take action to address the issue. The plaintiffs have argued that Uber knew that things like assigning female riders to female drivers or requiring dash cams to record driver and passenger interactions would reduce assaults, but failed to broadly implement such programs. Uber has maintained it should not be liable for criminal conduct by the drivers it connects with passengers, and that its background checks and disclosures about assaults were sufficient. The litigation threatens to reopen wounds from Uber's early years, when the company was dogged by safety controversies, allegations of lax driver vetting, and a culture critics said prioritized growth over protecting passengers. With hundreds of millions of dollars potentially at stake, the outcome could weigh on Uber's balance sheet and complicate its relationships with regulators and investors who have closely tracked its safety record. The company has made safety a central talking point in recent years, publishing U.S. Safety Reports that detail reported sexual assaults, rolling out features such as in-app ride verification, video and audio recording of rides, anomaly detection, and partnering with survivor advocacy groups to reform driver training. Uber has also touted the formation of a Safety Advisory Board chaired by former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and pledged $10 million through its “Driving Change” initiative to support organizations working to end gender-based violence. Despite these measures, Uber’s safety reputation has remained fragile. In its latest safety report published last year, covering the 2021–2022 period, Uber said reports of serious sexual assault on its platform have fallen by 44% since its first report in 2017–2018. But with thousands of cases still documented, critics say systemic risks remain. Prompted by an August New York Times report on the issue, a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee sent a letter last week to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi seeking information on the company’s protocols for responding to and preventing sexual assaults on its rides. (Reporting by Diana Novak Jones in Chicago and Akash Sriram in Bangalore; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)

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JUDGE DENIES SEAN “DIDDY” COMBS’ MOTION TO SET ASIDE PROSTITUTION CONVICTION

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NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WILL FURLOUGH 25% OF STAFF DURING SHUTDOWN, AGENCY SAYS

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JAPAN'S NIKKEI AVERAGE FUTURES DOWN 0.24% IN EARLY TRADE

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(Updates with revised death toll, adds government sources) Oct 1 (Reuters) – At least 22 people have been killed following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake in the Philippines, a government official said, marking one of the country's most devastating disasters this year. The earthquake that struck off the coast of Cebu City in the Philippines' central Visayas region just before 10 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Tuesday led to power outages and damaged buildings in the region. Alfie Reynes, vice mayor of the town of San Remigio, confirmed the death toll of 22 in an interview with DZMM radio. Another government official told Reuters by phone that at least 21 people have been reported dead in Cebu province, adding that verification is underway on the reported fatalities. The New York Times earlier reported that at least 37 people have been injured due to the quake, along with the collapse of a few buildings and infrastructure including bridges. Earthquake monitoring agencies had pegged the depth of the quake at around 10 km (6.2 miles) and recorded multiple aftershocks, the strongest having a magnitude of 6. Another monitoring agency said there was no tsunami threat following the quake. Cebu City has a population of nearly 1 million, according to the USGS. Philippine seismology agency Phivolcs warned of aftershocks and damage from the offshore tremor. It also warned that "strong currents and rapid changes of seawater level are expected." "The concerned public is advised to be on alert for unusual waves," it said in an advisory. The warning was canceled three hours later. The Philippines lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. The country had two major earthquakes in January with no casualties reported. In 2023, a 6.7 magnitude offshore earthquake killed eight people. (Reporting by Gursimran Kaur, Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema, additional reporting by Surbhi Misra; Editing by Alistair Bell, Stephen Coates and Richard Chang)

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