World Briefing: March 10, 2025
Technocrat Mark Carney has stepped into an unprecedented moment by winning a race to lead the ruling Liberal Party of Canada. He is expected to be sworn in as prime minister within days, replacing the beleaguered Justin Trudeau. A 59-year-old father of four, Carney has a long list of formers: governor of the Bank of Canada, governor of the Bank of England, deputy minister in the Department of Finance, UN special envoy for climate action, chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, banker with Goldman Sachs. But he is the 14th leader of the Liberal Party and he will soon become the 24th prime minister of Canada. The question now is how long he will occupy that office — whether he is the man for this moment or a man who will only momentarily be prime minister, the CBC reported. The soft-spoken Carney handily defeated second runner-up Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent and held the posts of deputy prime minister and finance minister until she had a falling-out with Trudeau. The seismic political changes happen as Canada is embroiled in a punishing trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. Although the spat has boosted the popularity of the Liberals, the opposition conservatives lead the polls and are expected to win power.
Syria's interim leader has appealed for unity, as violence and revenge killings continued in areas loyal to ousted former leader Bashar al-Assad on Sunday. Hundreds of people have reportedly fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus - strongholds of Assad support. Local residents have described scenes of looting and mass killings, including of children. In Hai Al Kusour, a predominantly Alawite neighbourhood in the coastal city of Banias, residents say the streets are filled with scattered bodies, piled up and covered in blood. Men of different ages were shot dead there, witnesses said. The Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam and makes up around 10% of Syria's population, which is majority Sunni Muslim. Assad belongs to the sect - BBC
Israel announced Sunday it is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza. The full effects were not immediately clear, but the arid territory’s desalination plants receive power for producing drinking water. Hamas called it part of Israel’s “starvation policy.” Israel last week cut off all supplies of goods to the territory of over 2 million Palestinians, in an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of its war with Hamas. It seeks to press the militant group to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire. That phase ended last weekend. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Hamas instead wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which would see the release of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace. Hamas is believed to have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
President Donald Trump has privately made clear to aides that a signed minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv won’t be enough to restart aid and intelligence sharing with the war-torn country, according an administration official and another U.S. official. Trump wants the deal, which would give the U.S. a stake in Ukraine’s mineral resources, signed. But he also wants to see a change in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attitude toward peace talks, the officials said, including a willingness to make concessions such as giving up territory to Russia. Trump also wants Zelenskyy to make some movement toward elections in Ukraine and possibly toward stepping down as his country’s leader, the officials said. News of Trump’s hardened stance comes as U.S. and Ukrainian officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia this week. The officials said the U.S. is still sharing defensive intelligence with Ukraine — that is, information that helps Ukraine’s self-defense against attacks — explaining that they still have a duty to warn. But they are not providing targeting information against Russian targets. That means the U.S. can warn Ukraine when intelligence shows that Russians are preparing an attack, but they can no longer provide the targeting coordinates for Ukraine to strike first. The U.S. has provided Ukraine with targeting information, satellite imagery and signals intelligence for most of the past three years. European allies are now working to bridge some of the gaps, but the lack of U.S. intelligence is already having an impact on Ukraine every day, according to a Western official - NBC News
Ukraine will try to persuade the US to resume intelligence and military support in high-stakes bilateral talks this week by convincing Donald Trump that Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants a swift end to the war with Russia. Officials briefed on preparations for the negotiations in Saudi Arabia said Kyiv was set to propose a partial ceasefire with Russia for long-range drone and missile strikes and combat operations in the Black Sea, in the hope that the talks’ progress would lead Washington to reverse its decision to freeze intelligence sharing and weaponry supplies. One Ukrainian official added that Kyiv would in the short-term prioritise fixing its ties with the US, while two European officials said Kyiv saw progress in the ceasefire talks as a quid pro quo for restarting military and intelligence aid - FT
King Charles will deliver a unity message for Commonwealth Day on Monday. According to the extracts of the speech published Saturday, the king would deliver a message of unity. "In these uncertain times, where it is all too easy to believe that our differences are problems instead of a source of strength and an opportunity for learning, the Commonwealth's remarkable collection of nations and peoples come together in the spirit of support and, crucially, friendship," the message reads.
Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes. Their nightmare was supposed to be over. Last month, a dramatic and highly publicized operation by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities led to the release of more than 7,000 people from locked compounds in Myanmar where they were forced to trick Americans and others out of their life savings. But survivors have found themselves trapped once again, this time in overcrowded facilities with no medical care, limited food and no idea when they’ll be sent home. One young man from India said about 800 people were being held in the same facility as him, sharing 10 dirty toilets. He said many of the people there were feverish and coughing. The armed groups who are holding the survivors, as well as Thai officials across the border, say they are awaiting action from the detainees’ home governments - AP
