Amna Nawaz:
He takes over from longtime leader Justin Trudeau and enters office at a time when many Canadians are angry at the comments and the conduct of President Trump.
In a speech, the 59-year-old repeated his criticisms of Mr. Trump’s trade war and his threats to annex Canada as the 51st state. Carney said he’s ready to meet with Trump, but only if the American leader shows respect for Canadian sovereignty. He’s expected to call a general election in the coming days or weeks.
In The Hague, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared before the International Criminal Court today as he faces charges for crimes against humanity. The 79-year-old appeared briefly via videoconference from a nearby detention center where he’s being held. Duterte was arrested this week in Manila on murder charges linked to his deadly war on drugs.
Human rights groups say as many as 30,000 people were killed. His defense team slammed his arrest, calling the case political score-settling, and a pretrial hearing has been set for September 23.
In the Middle East, Hamas says it has agreed to a proposal to release one living hostage and the bodies of four others who died in captivity in Gaza. The group did not specify when it would release 21-year-old Edan Alexander, a soldier and an American-Israeli dual national. Special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said today that Hamas is publicly offering the release, but in private is making entirely impractical demands.
In a statement, he writes — quote — “Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It’s not. Hamas is well aware of the deadline and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes.”
The U.S. has not made public when that deadline is.
On Wall Street today, stocks rallied to close out an otherwise brutal week for the markets. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 670 points. The Nasdaq added roughly 450 points on the day. The S&P 500 jumped more than 100 points after falling into correction territory a day earlier.
And a passing of note. Former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson has died. At 6’7″, Simpson was quite literally a towering figure in American politics. Senate colleagues, friends and relatives remember the moderate Republican as a man gifted in bridging the partisan divide. He did so both through his views — he was a rare Republican who supported abortion rights, for example — but also with his famous sense of humor.
He used it to melt barriers, even when taking shots at himself.
