The victory-party din for Mark Carney and his Liberal Party had only just faded when Donald Trump chimed in with a less than ringing endorsement of the winners. "It was the one that hated Trump, I think, the least that won," the US president said on Wednesday of Carney, whose party had just retained power by winning a near outright majority of the seats in Canada's general election. The Canadian prime minister may accept being the lesser of two evils in Trump's mind, however. The US president also said that he thinks the former Bank of England governor "couldn't have been nicer" in the first post-election phone conversation. The two men are expected to meet at the White House sometime within the next week. For Trump, politics is often personal. The president's affinity for Vladimir Putin colours US relations with Russia, for instance. His respect for Xi Jinping has kept US-China relations on a relatively even keel even as the two nations are engaging in an extended trade war. Canada, on the other hand, has spent an extended time on the other end of this equation. Trump's distaste for former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was palpable practically from the US president's first day in office in 2017. Their lengthy, aggressive handshake during their first in-person visit just a few weeks after Trump's inauguration foreshadowed what would be a long and trying relationship. It was punctuated by passive-aggressive jabs, snide comments and, upon Trump's return to the White House, the president's derisive reference to "Governor Trudeau" and repeated talk of turning Canada into America's "cherished 51st state". Trump's annexation talk continued even after Trudeau was replaced by Carney, but the temperature has seemed to drop somewhat, as the smooth international banker with a Harvard and Oxford pedigree replaced the younger, boyishly good looking Trudeau. Trump, while he likes to rail against global elites, is drawn to Ivy League backgrounds and accumulated wealth, which Carney has in spades. And Carney has another attribute Trump tends to value - he's now a winner. Even if he owes some of his victory to Trump's (negative) influence, the Liberal leader did engineer a remarkable reversal of fortune for his party when the outlook appeared gloomy just a few months before. Carney and Trump are still a study in contrasts, something that presents risk for the former as their first meeting looms. The Canadian is measured, controlled and organised. Trump is impulsive and unpredictable. Both can be impatient at times, with little tolerance for the trivialities of modern politics. There were reports that Trump brought up annexation during his first conversation with Carney after he became prime minister, but the Canadian leader kept that to himself and word only leaked weeks later - a characteristically cool response that may offer a hint of how he will handle Trump's bluster. Paul Samson, president of the Centre for International Governance Innovation who has held various senior positions in Canadian government over 30 years, has seen Carney in action first-hand. "Carney likes to get things done," Mr Samson said. He is also calm, easy going and could connect with Trump on a personal level. "But he certainly does not want to come across as subservient." If Carney heads into his first full term in office with a somewhat cleaner slate in dealing with the US president, it will still be a precarious situation. While Canada has won a reprieve from some of the most onerous tariffs Trump initially announced on his nation, the clock is ticking - and striking some kind of settlement with the Americans will be no easy task. "We will have a partnership on our terms," Carney told the BBC on Tuesday. "I would distinguish between what the president wants and what he expects." Carney went on to say that Trump's "territorial views" on his country are "never, ever going to happen". It was a familiar message, one he delivered repeatedly on the campaign trail and in his election night victory speech. "America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country," he said on Monday. "But these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us." Carney's rejection of an American takeover of Canada may not be enough to satisfy the US president, however. And it may not be possible for Carney and the Canadians to determine exactly what it is that Trump expects, either. He has said Canada must do more to limit undocumented migration into the US, which is low, and cross-border fentanyl drug trafficking, which is minimal. He has also inflated the US-Canada trade deficit and said that the nation is "ripping off" America. Given the population disparity between the two nations and Canada's vast natural resources, a balanced trade ledger between the two could be an unreachable ask. Whatever Trump and the Americans ultimately want, the US, as Canada's largest export market, has considerable power over its northern neighbour should it wish to exercise it. But, as Carney noted in his talk with the BBC, Canada isn't powerless either. "We are the biggest client for more than 40 states," he said. "We supply them with vital energy, conventional energy and potentially could supply them with critical minerals." He also said Canada could look to "like-minded countries" for more reliable trading partners, such as the UK or the EU, cutting the US out of the equation. Doing so, however, would be abandoning a long and reliable partnership with the US, one that had been based on shared ideals as well as shared geography. Trump's first 100 days back in the White House has called all of that into question, however. It's a rift that seems unlikely to be fully mended, no matter how well Trump and Carney hit it off when they sit down in person to talk.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to work with each other to de-escalate tensions after last week’s Islamist militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, the State Department said. Rubio spoke separately with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while expressing support to India in combating extremism and urging Pakistan to cooperate in investigating the attack, the State Department said after Rubio’s calls. Wednesday’s calls mark the highest levels of publicly known simultaneous diplomatic engagements from Washington aimed at reducing India-Pakistan tensions since the April 22 attack. India is an important U.S. partner to counter China’s rising influence. Pakistan remains Washington’s ally even as its importance diminished after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan. State Department statements after the calls termed the Kashmir attack as “terror” and “unconscionable,” and said Rubio spoke to Pakistan “of the need to condemn” it. Rubio “urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack,” the State Department said. Sharif’s office said he asked Rubio to urge India “to dial down the rhetoric.” Rubio urged the Asian nuclear-armed neighbors to work with each other “to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace.” Washington urged other countries to help reduce tensions while asking India and Pakistan to work on a “responsible solution.” Washington has condemned the attack without criticizing Pakistan. India blamed Pakistan, which denied responsibility, calling for a neutral investigation. Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, which each control only part of it and have fought wars over it. After the attack, India suspended a treaty regulating water-sharing, and both countries closed airspace to each other’s airlines. They also exchanged fire across their border. Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those responsible. Pakistan says military action by India is imminent

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to work with each other to de-escalate tensions after last week’s Islamist militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, the State Department said. Rubio spoke separately with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while expressing support to India in combating extremism and urging Pakistan to cooperate in investigating the attack, the State Department said after Rubio’s calls. Wednesday’s calls mark the highest levels of publicly known simultaneous diplomatic engagements from Washington aimed at reducing India-Pakistan tensions since the April 22 attack. India is an important U.S. partner to counter China’s rising influence. Pakistan remains Washington’s ally even as its importance diminished after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan. State Department statements after the calls termed the Kashmir attack as “terror” and “unconscionable,” and said Rubio spoke to Pakistan “of the need to condemn” it. Rubio “urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack,” the State Department said. Sharif’s office said he asked Rubio to urge India “to dial down the rhetoric.” Rubio urged the Asian nuclear-armed neighbors to work with each other “to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace.” Washington urged other countries to help reduce tensions while asking India and Pakistan to work on a “responsible solution.” Washington has condemned the attack without criticizing Pakistan. India blamed Pakistan, which denied responsibility, calling for a neutral investigation. Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, which each control only part of it and have fought wars over it. After the attack, India suspended a treaty regulating water-sharing, and both countries closed airspace to each other’s airlines. They also exchanged fire across their border. Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those responsible. Pakistan says military action by India is imminent

“To be honest, I did have some thoughts about, oh, why am I going out here?” Core recalled on Thursday. “As we were going out, my young son, Parker, turned to me and said ... ‘My heart’s pounding.’ I said, ‘Yeah, mine’s beating pretty fast too,’” Core added. The three men had used crab rakes — a garden rake-like tool for digging small crabs from sand — to move the shark into deeper water by the time the father and son arrived. Core said he decided against pushing the shark himself. “They … got it into deeper water where I thought it’s probably not a good idea to go any further. That’s its territory and I’ll stay back,” he said. Core said the rescuers later told him they’d never seen a beached shark before. Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said while shark strandings were not common, they were becoming more visible through social media. There could be a number of reasons why marine animals like sharks might strand, including illness and injury. The shark could also have chased prey into the shallows, Pirotta said. “If you see something like this, human safety comes first and foremost,” Pirotta said. “You can contact environmental authorities … who will get someone appropriate to come and assist.”

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s Supreme Court overturned on Thursday an earlier ruling that had cleared election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of violating election law, throwing into doubt his eligibility to run for the presidency. Lee, the candidate of the liberal Democratic Party that controls parliament, leads opinion polls to win a snap presidential election set off by the ouster of conservative former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his imposition of martial law. The election law violation case against Lee had been closely watched since a ruling that removes him from the ballot could further deepen divisions in society, after months of political turmoil that has hampered efforts to steer Asia’s fourth-largest economy through the choppy waters of U.S. tariffs. In March, an appeals court had cleared Lee of violating the election law, but prosecutors had appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. Lee is embroiled in several criminal trials, but the election law case was in the spotlight because if the Supreme Court overturned Lee’s not guilty verdict and it is finalized, it would bar him from contesting elections for at least five years. The Supreme Court said that Lee violated election law by publicly stating false facts and ruled to send the case back to the appeals court. While the Supreme Court moved unusually fast to consider Lee’s election law case, it gave no deadline for the lower court, which usually takes months to revisit rulings and it was unclear if it would come before the June 3 election. Meanwhile, South Korea’s acting leader, Han Duck-soo, resigned on Thursday in order to clear a path for him to join the race to become the country’s permanent president. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok was expected to stand in as acting president as required by law. Speculation had grown that Han, 75, would decide to contest the election after opinion polls showed an increase in support for the experienced technocrat, who was thrust into the top post in December after Yoon’s removal from office. Han was impeached less than two weeks into the role after clashing with lawmakers in the opposition-controlled parliament. South Korea’s Constitutional Court overturned that impeachment in March, restoring Han to the acting president position.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said the construction of a new bridge linking it to Russia is a “significant” development in relations between the two countries, state media reported Thursday. Russia and North Korea on Wednesday began construction of a road bridge that will span the Tumen River. It had been in discussion for years but was agreed on during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in 2024. “It provides a substantial guarantee for laying down and reinforcing... important infrastructure for economic cooperation and for vitalizing bilateral cooperation including travel of persons, tourism and circulation of commodities,” state news agency KCNA said. The bridge is being built near the existing “Friendship Bridge,” a rail bridge that was commissioned in 1959 after the Korean War. At a ceremony marking the start of construction, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin also said it was a significant event in Russian-North Korean relations, Russia’s TASS news agency reported Wednesday. “The significance goes far beyond just an engineering task,” Mishustin was quoted as saying. “It symbolizes our common desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighborly relations and increase inter-regional cooperation.” The new road bridge, which has been under discussion for years, will be almost 2,800 feet long and link up with the Russian highway system. Russia’s Kommersant newspaper said it would be ready by the summer of 2026. Mishustin said the bridge “will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase transportation volumes and reduce transportation costs, ensure reliable and stable supplies of various products, which will contribute to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation,” TASS reported. North Korea appears to have gained economic and military benefits in exchange for sending arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Pyongyang is discussing industrial modernization in 14 sectors with aid from Russia, including in metals, aviation, energy and tourism, South Korean lawmakers said Wednesday, citing the country’s intelligence agency. The lawmakers also said about 600 North Korean troops had been killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine out of a total deployment of 15,000.

Pakistan has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch military strikes in the next “24-36 hours,” the country's information minister said Wednesday as tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors ramp up. “Any such military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively,” Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X without elaborating on what intelligence Pakistan has. His comments came amid a sharp war of words between the two nations after last week's deadly terrorist attack on tourists in the Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. All but one were Indian nationals; the one was from Nepal. A previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance has claimed responsibility for the attack, but New Delhi is still pointing the finger at Islamabad, which it has long accused of supporting cross-border terrorism. India has said that two of the three attackers identified were Pakistani nationals. Pakistan has denied any connection to the attack and has called for a neutral investigation, saying it will defend its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” at all costs. The April 22 attack took place in the Baisaran Valley in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region that is the only Muslim-majority part of India and one of Kashmir’s top tourist destinations, known for its lush green meadows, dense pine forests and snowcapped mountains. The massacre set off tit-for-tat diplomatic measures between India and Pakistan that included cancellation of visas and a recall of diplomats. New Delhi also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad and ordered its border shut with Pakistan. Indian and Pakistani troops have also exchanged gunfire along the Line of Control that divides Kashmir. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has insisted that the security situation in Kashmir was stabilized after a decadeslong separatist insurgency, has vowed retribution. He was expected to convene a security committee meeting on Wednesday, following a meeting with his top military and security officials. “India has signaled a certain posture vis-a-vis Pakistan to domestic audiences in ways that makes it difficult for them not to carry out a strike in the face of a terrorist attack,” Srinath Raghavan, a professor of international relations and history at Ashoka University in India. Tensions have ramped up between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Experts have said that the U.S. presence historically deterred violence between India and Pakistan. President Donald Trump said the two countries will figure it out "out one way or the other." “There’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been," he told reporters last Friday. The strategic and policy decisions surrounding Indian military actions have historically been the prerogative of its elected government, Raghavan said. He added that the military has the “operational attitude to decide what kinds of targets they want to respond to and how they want to carry out these operations.” “This means that there is no restraint on them,” he said. “Of course, the military will make a presentation to Modi, but after that, they will get a go-ahead.”

HONG KONG — China’s Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft landed in the north of the country on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, after a one-day delay due to weather conditions at the landing site. The spacecraft and its three crew were sent into space in October last year to work on China’s “Tiangong” permanently inhabited space station. Shenzhou crewed spaceflights have been a regular fixture of the country’s space program for the past two decades and have increased in frequency in recent years after China officially completed “Tiangong” in November 2022. The fast development of China’s manned and unmanned space program has alarmed the United States, which has encountered issues with its own crewed spaceflights. China is aiming to achieve a manned landing on the moon by 2030. The Shenzhou-19 crew was made up of two male astronauts ages 48 and 34 and China’s third female astronaut, age 35. It was the first spaceflight for the two younger astronauts. All part of the Chinese military’s air force, the crew have been conducting experiments, some related to the construction of human habitats. One of these experiments was expected to involve exposing bricks made from simulated lunar soil to conditions in space. Should the tests prove successful, the bricks could be a key material used in the construction of a permanent lunar research station, which China hopes to complete by 2035. Shenzhou missions have involved trios of astronauts and six-month stays in space, with an overlap period of several days where the departing crew hand over the station to the newly arrived group.

As Mark Carney settles into the role of Canada's prime minister, he will not only have to take on US President Donald Trump, but also wider divisions within his own country. Among those is a generational divide, with young voters who are concerned about housing unaffordability, crime and the cost of living coalescing around the Conservatives. It's a reversal from 2015, when youth voted in record numbers, helping sweep Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau to power. But this election, "baby boomers" - those over the age of 60 - "were an essential component to the Liberal success", pollster David Coletto of Abacus Data told the BBC. Meanwhile, younger Canadians, particularly young men, rallied behind the Conservatives. One of them is Connor from Toronto. The 28-year-old told the BBC that he was drawn to the party because of its focus on housing and the cost of living. "We're getting stuck in a system right now that doesn't seem to be working," he said. "It worked for our parents, but not for us." He added that he has grown "tired of the same Liberal policies for the last 10 years". Another voter, AS, a 29-year-old woman from Montreal who like Connor did not want her full name used, said she has been disheartened by the lack of economic growth in Canada in recent years. "I make six figures and I don't see my dollar going nearly as far as it should be, and that is alarming to me," she told the BBC. Ahead of the election, support for the Conservatives outpaced the Liberals by 44% to 31.2% among 18 to 34 year olds, a Nanos poll on 25 April indicated. The issues that resonated with Canadians depended on age, too. Carney campaigned heavily on standing up to Trump, while affordability and a broken "Canadian promise" were central to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's message. Abacus Data polling indicated about 18% of 18 to 29 year olds were worried about Trump. That jumped to 45% for voters over 60, suggesting a diversion on key issues between generations. A big challenge for Carney and the Liberals will be how they can win back the confidence of those younger voters, Mr Coletto said, who "feel really let down and frustrated". In Monday's election, the Liberals managed to gain more than a dozen seats in a historic comeback election. But the rival Conservatives also made significant gains - enough to block the Liberals from forming a decisive majority government. The Liberals won 169 seats, three shy of a majority, and captured 43% of the popular vote. The Conservatives won 144 seats - 25 more than the previous 2021 election - and 41% of the popular vote. Smaller parties, namely the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), suffered significant losses as voters migrated to the two larger parties. Carney's platform did feature proposals on how to tackle affordability, including a pledge to build 500,000 homes annually and a small income tax cut for some Canadians. Laura Stephenson, chair of the political science department at Western University, noted the two platforms were not too different on cost of living issues. "It is a question of differences in degree, rather than completely different approaches," Prof Stephenson said. In his victory speech, Carney preached a message of unity as he acknowledged the millions of Canadians who cast ballots for other parties. "My message to every Canadian is this: no matter where you live, no matter what language you speak, no matter how you voted, I will always do my best to represent everyone who calls Canada home," he said. Carney will also face a restive western Canada, where there is a festering sense of alienation from the power centre in Ottawa. Those tensions were on display quickly after the election. In a post congratulating Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Poilievre's vision "inspired millions", while the Liberals had "demonized and demeaned" her oil-rich province. She called on Carney to "reset the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta with meaningful action rather than hollow rhetoric". Without a majority, Carney will also have to work with other party leaders to get legislation passed. The Liberals could try to convince members of the NDP - and even the Conservatives - to cross the aisle, which could turn their strong minority to a majority. Forming an effective government, as well binding regional and demographic fractures in Canada, is now one of the many items on Carney's to-do list.

Catholic Africans think it would be a long shot, but some are cautiously optimistic that Pope Francis’ successor could be a Black cardinal from their continent. If the next pope is from sub-Saharan Africa, he would be the first in Catholic Church history. Catholic Africans think it is a long shot, though some are cautiously optimistic that Pope Francis’ successor could be a Black cardinal from their continent. The answer will come soon, as the cardinals eligible to elect the new pope open their conclave next Wednesday at the Sistine Chapel. Who are the Africans considered ‘papabile’? At least three African cardinals are among those currently cited as “papabile,” the term used by Vatican observers to describe possible contenders to lead the Catholic Church. They are Cardinals Robert Sarah of Guinea, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Fridolin Ambongo of Congo. If any of them is selected, he would be the first African pope in more than 1,500 years and the first ever from sub-Saharan Africa. That historical record makes many in Africa eager for change — but not overly hopeful. Before the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, there was much media attention around Francis Arinze, a highly respected cardinal born in Nigeria, raising questions even then about whether the world was ready for a Black pope from Africa. A continent where Catholicism is growing Two decades later, Catholicism continues to decline in Europe while it grows in the developing world. The number of Catholics is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else. At least 20% of global Catholic community is in Africa, which “is characterized by a highly dynamic spread of the Catholic Church,” according to a recent Vatican report. Some say having a pope from Africa, or Asia — which is also seeing strong Catholic growth — would signal a powerful message of inclusion. But as Francis’ papacy showed, inclusive efforts can alienate many others and even breed dissent. The three possible papal candidates from Africa — Sarah, Ambongo, and Turkson — are seen as holding orthodox views on some of the hot-button issues that the Catholic Church is grappling with, reflecting wider social conservatism on the continent of 1.3 billion people. Catholic orthodoxy in Africa was at odds with Pope Francis’ pastoral vision of mercy and understanding for all marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ Catholics. The real-life situation was reflected in the fictional Oscar-nominated film “Conclave,” in which one of the four contenders vying for the papacy was a socially conservative cardinal from Nigeria. What stances have the African contenders taken? Congo has the highest number of baptized Catholics in Africa. Ambongo — the archbishop of Congolese capital, Kinshasa, since 2018 — last year signed a statement by the conference of African bishops rejecting a Vatican declaration to allow priests to offer spontaneous, non-liturgical blessings to same-sex couples seeking God’s grace. That statement, seen as a rebuke of Francis, asserted that same-sex unions were “contrary to the will of God.” It cited biblical teaching condemning homosexuality and asserted that same-sex relations are “contradictory to cultural norms” in Africa. But it is Sarah, the Guinean cardinal who is the Vatican’s former liturgy chief, who posed a more public challenge to Francis. A favorite of traditionalists, Sarah prefers silent prayer and is an adherent of the old Latin Mass. He is a staunch defender of longstanding doctrinal faith. After Francis in 2021 reimposed restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass that Benedict had relaxed, Sarah responded with tweets quoting Benedict’s original 2007 law to relax the restrictions. His posts were accompanied by a photo of Benedict wearing the red cape that Francis had eschewed the night of his election. A year earlier, Sarah had orchestrated a media firestorm by persuading Benedict to co-author a book reaffirming priestly celibacy at a time when Francis was considering ordaining married men to address a clergy shortage in the Amazon. As the scandal grew, Benedict removed himself as a co-author. Sarah, 79, officially retired in 2021 but remains eligible to attend the conclave. Since the death of Francis on April 21, he has emerged as a favorite of European traditionalists who want to see a reversal of Francis’ progressive policies. For many Africans, Pope Francis was beloved But in Africa, where Francis was widely loved for his engagement with the continent’s crises, many Catholics simply want a pope who will be a faithful leader for everyone. “For us, it does not matter whether he is African, white, or Black. What matters is having a good, holy pope who can unite Catholics across the world,” said Luka Lawrence Ndenge, an emergency officer with the Catholic charity Caritas in the remote town of Wau in South Sudan. The father of two said he believes an African can rise to the papacy, especially as “we already have African cardinals who are fully capable.” Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin, primate of Adigrat in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, said he hopes the next pope will be as compassionate as Francis, who repeatedly called attention to war in Tigray in 2021 and 2022. But the prospect of having a Black African pope is exciting, he said. “For me, having a passionate, dedicated and competent African leading the Catholic Church is very important to me as an African and to see it in my lifetime is my absolute wish,” he said. Emily Mwaka doesn’t like speculating about the next pope, especially on the color of his skin. So when the head of the Catholic laity in Kampala, Uganda, recently came upon a small group of Christians discussing a newspaper article about possible papal contenders — including some from Africa — she asked them to stop it. Even if the next pontiff is “green,” she said, he “will be for all of us.”