News from March 11, 2025 at 2 AM

On March 10, 2025, former Bank of England governor Mark Carney was elected as Canada's Prime Minister. In his acceptance speech, he strongly opposed Donald Trump's policies, referring to the US as bringing 'dark days' and expressing pride in Canadians resisting the US 'with their wallets'. Carney vowed to maintain retaliatory tariffs until the US shows respect for Canada. He反驳ed Trump's suggestion of making Canada the 51st state of the US, asserting that Canada will never be part of America. Carney has experience in handling acute political-economic crises and has regularly attended G20 meetings. He plans further tariff retaliation to impact US inflation and interest rates. The Canadian election is due in October, but Carney might call an earlier one. His election has significant implications for the UK, as he aims to diversify trade with 'more reliable' partners.

Israel cut power supplies to Gaza ahead of new ceasefire talks to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Israeli Energy Minister Cohen announced the immediate halt, which Hamas criticized as 'extortion.' A Hamas spokesman warned the move threatens Israeli prisoners' safety. The German government called the power cut unacceptable and a violation of international law. With the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire ended, Israel sent a delegation to Doha for negotiations. Hamas demands moving to the second phase, while U.S. Chief Hostage Negotiator Boyle expressed confidence in reaching a hostage release agreement within weeks.

On March 10, 2025, a US-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Immaculate, and a Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel, the Solong, collided and caught fire in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire, UK. One person is missing and over 30 have been rescued. Both ships remained on fire late Monday, with environmental impact still being assessed. The tanker was carrying military jet fuel, some of which leaked into the sea. The cargo vessel held 15 containers of sodium cyanide, posing potential environmental risks. The cause of the collision remains unclear.

Mr Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian protest leader at Columbia University, was arrested over the weekend. On March 10, US President Donald Trump stated this was “the first arrest of many to come,” accusing Columbia and other universities of harboring students involved in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, and anti-American activities. Khalil, a prominent figure in last year's protests against Israel's war in Gaza, was detained by immigration officials. The Department of Homeland Security cited support for Trump's executive orders against anti-Semitism and coordination with the State Department. Khalil, a Columbia graduate, held a permanent residency green card at the time of his arrest. Trump threatened further action against campus protesters, alleging some were “paid agitators.” The American Civil Liberties Union condemned the arrest as “unprecedented, illegal, and un-American,” while the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman emphasized the importance of respecting freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. US campuses, including Columbia, saw widespread protests against Israel's war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, sparking accusations of anti-Semitism.

According to the European News Network, the autonomous territory of Greenland, Denmark, will hold its parliamentary election on the 11th. The election has drawn significant attention amid US President Trump's claims of wanting to acquire Greenland and not ruling out the use of force. Approximately 80% of Greenland is covered by permanent ice and snow, with a total population of about 56,000, mostly Inuit. All five political parties in Greenland unanimously oppose Trump's takeover plan but see global attention as an opportunity to advance their long-standing efforts for independence. Greenland gained self-rule in 1979 and voted overwhelmingly for greater autonomy in a 2009 referendum. Experts suggest that true independence for Greenland could take 10 years or longer.

Australia's east coast was hit by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, causing power outages in 250,000 homes, one death, and over ten soldiers injured. Severe flooding occurred in southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, with knee-deep waters. As of the afternoon of March 9th, 268,000 households in southeastern Queensland and 12,500 in northeastern New South Wales remained without power. New South Wales Emergency Services reported that 14,600 people received emergency alerts, with 17 accidents occurring in the past 24 hours. In Argentina, the port city of Blanca experienced heavy rains leading to floods, resulting in 13 deaths, two missing persons, and over 1,000 evacuations.

Canada's most populous province, Ontario, has announced a 25% retaliatory surcharge on electricity exported to the US in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods. Ontario leader Doug Ford confirmed the move in a Monday news conference, stating it will increase costs by about $10 per megawatt-hour for US customers. Approximately 1.5 million American homes in northern border states will be affected. Ford said the surcharge will remain until US tariff threats are completely removed. Canada's federal government has also imposed dollar-for-dollar reciprocal tariffs on $30bn worth of US exports. Trump has threatened a blanket 25% tariff on all Canadian exports, which economists warn could lead to job losses in Canada and higher prices for Americans. Last week, Trump temporarily spared carmakers from tariffs until April 2 and granted exemptions for some goods under the USMCA agreement. Market tensions due to the trade war have caused the S&P 500 index to plunge to its lowest since September.

On March 10, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis, 88, is showing signs of improvement and doctors are no longer concerned about his life, with expectations that he could be discharged within days. The Pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia in both lungs, experiencing a breathing crisis on March 3. After a week of steady progress, his prognosis is no longer considered uncertain. Despite the complexity of his clinical condition, he will need to continue pharmacological treatment in the hospital for several more days. Pope Francis has been undergoing physical and respiratory therapy in his hospital suite and participating in Vatican prayer activities via video link. Global faithful have been praying for him, and the Pope has expressed gratitude to medical staff.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, plans to visit Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff, who serves as Trump's Middle East envoy, has been increasingly involved in efforts to end the three-year-old Ukraine war. A source confirmed a Bloomberg News report about Witkoff's planned trip to Moscow but provided no further details. Since taking office in January, Trump has sought to improve relations with Russia. Last month, Witkoff met Putin in Moscow and secured the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who had been sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukrainian officials about the war, with U.S. officials aiming to gauge Ukraine's willingness to make material concessions to Russia to end the conflict.

The Trump administration has repurposed the CBP Home mobile app, originally designed for asylum appointments, to facilitate self-deportation for undocumented migrants in the US. The app allows migrants to submit an 'intent to depart,' which US Customs and Border Patrol says avoids harsher consequences. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that self-deporting migrants may have future legal return opportunities. The app also handles I-94 entry and exit card applications. This move is part of the White House's extensive immigration system overhaul, including mass detention promises. In late February, the administration announced a national registry for undocumented migrants, with potential criminal prosecution for non-compliance.

The US Government is in negotiations with four potential buyers for the sale of TikTok's US operations, with an agreement expected soon. The deadline for TikTok's sale or ban is April 5. On March 9, President Trump revealed the negotiation progress on Air Force One but did not disclose the identities of the buyers. TikTok's estimated market value last year was $50 billion. Interested buyers include a consortium led by real estate mogul McCourt and Reddit co-founder Ohanian, and another group comprising tech entrepreneur Tinsley and influencer MrBeast. Perplexity AI has proposed a merger. Trump has previously expressed openness to Oracle's acquisition of TikTok, with whom TikTok collaborated to store US user data.