General Motors workers went on strike at a Canadian plant for the first time in 21 years over jobs lost to Mexico, with the union’s president calling the situation “the poster child for what’s wrong with Nafta”.

Warnings of weaker profits helped pull the US stock market down yesterday, despite some positive economic news.

Surging gold and energy prices dragged stocks lower today as inflation fears curbed Wall Street’s enthusiasm over solid first-quarter earnings from financial services firm Citigroup Inc.

WORLD stock markets rose yesterday in sharp contrast to a year ago when the September 11 triple hijacking disasters in the US sent stock prices tumbling.