Canada's Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has said he won his leadership "fair and square" following reports that India allegedly meddled in the party's 2022 leadership race. Citing a source with top-security clearance, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported allegations that Indian agents were involved in fundraising and organising within Canada's South Asian community to support Poilievre. There is no evidence that Poilievre or his team were aware of the alleged interference. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney also faced scrutiny over whether a candidate was ousted due to alleged ties to India. Both leaders fielded questions as they campaigned ahead of Canada's 28 April election. India has been accused of election interference in Canada before, but its government has repeatedly denied the allegations. The Globe and Mail reported on Monday that Canadian intelligence agents could not raise concerns about India's alleged involvement with Poilievre because he had not obtained the necessary security clearance. The report said India's alleged attempts to interfere were part of a larger effort to influence Canadian politicians of all parties. Poilievre is the only federal party leader running for prime minister who has refused security clearance. He defended his stance on Tuesday, calling the process politicised and arguing it would prevent him from speaking publicly on national issues. "What I will not do is commit to the oath of secrecy the Liberals want to impose on me," Poilievre said. "They don't want me to speak about these matters, so they bring me into a dark room and they say: 'We're going to give you a little bit of bread crumbs of intel and then we'll tell you you can't talk about this stuff any more.'" Poilievre won the 2022 leadership race with 68% of the vote. Canadian intelligence agents said there is no indication the alleged interference attempt influenced the outcome, the Globe and Mail reported. Broadcaster Radio-Canada also confirmed the Globe's reporting. On Wednesday, the Globe also reported that the Liberal Party revoked an Ottawa MP's leadership bid and nomination over foreign-interference concerns related to India. MP Chandra Arya, barred from the leadership race won by Carney in March, denied the allegations. "The sole point of contention with the Liberal Party has been my outspoken advocacy on issues important to Hindu Canadians and my firm stance against Khalistani extremism," he said. Responding to questions on the campaign trail, Carney said that Liberal Party has "a very robust and serious process of vetting candidates" and some don't get the "green light". Foreign meddling in Canadian elections has become an increasing concern, prompting a public inquiry last year. The report concluded that China and India attempted to interfere in Canada's last two elections. While these attempts were "troubling" they had "minimal impact", the report said. But it warned that disinformation posed an "existential threat" to the country's democracy. A Canadian election integrity task force cautioned on Monday that foreign agents from China, Russia, and India may attempt to influence the ongoing campaign using AI, proxies, and online disinformation targeting diaspora communities. Officials said Canadians will likely see a "more active" federal government response on issues of disinformation as a result.

Prosecutors outlined their reasons to impose a roughly three-year prison sentence for Ray Holmberg, but the judge said Holmberg is still a threat to underage boys. A once-powerful former North Dakota lawmaker was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for traveling to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with a minor. Former state senator Ray Holmberg’s attorney, Mark Friese, confirmed the sentence to The Associated Press but declined to comment after the hearing, which KFGO radio reported included seven hours of testimony, victim statements and an apology from the shackled 81-year-old. Holmberg pleaded guilty last year in U.S. District Court in Fargo, North Dakota, to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity. KFGO reported that during Wednesday’s hearing, the defense and prosecution agreed that Holmberg should serve about three years because of his age and poor health, but federal Judge Daniel Hovland said Holmberg is still a threat to underage boys. Hovland called Holmberg’s character “egregious and despicable” and said that a 37-month sentence wouldn’t deter others. While Holmberg denied actually having sex with anyone under 18, Hovland said he can “read between the lines,” the radio station reported. Prosecutors said Holmberg traveled at least 14 times from 2011 to 2021 to Prague, Czech Republic, to pay for sex with adolescent-age boys. In court last year, Holmberg admitted to paying young male masseuses, some of whom he had sexual contact with at an alleged brothel. But he claimed not to know for certain how old they were. Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl said the crime was “an assault of the dignity of many young boys.” And the majority and minority leaders in the North Dakota Legislature described Holmberg’s crimes as “evil” in a statement that vowed additional resources to law enforcement to help combat increases in criminal sexual assaults and human trafficking, KFGO reported. Holmberg served 45 years in the North Dakota Senate. He resigned in 2022 after The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported on his many text messages with a man in jail in connection with child sexual abuse material. Holmberg chaired two powerful legislative panels, including the Senate’s budget-writing committee. Records previously obtained by The Associated Press show that Holmberg made dozens of trips throughout the U.S. and to other countries since 1999. Destinations included cities in more than 30 states as well as Canada, Puerto Rico and Norway. At least one of Holmberg’s trips to Prague was state-funded through a teacher exchange program, the Klemetsrud Puhl wrote in court filings last week. “Holmberg’s offending conduct over the course of decades ... can only be described as corruption,” she wrote. “That is, he used his position to serve his own ends.” In one example the prosecutor described, Holmberg brought a University of North Dakota student to the university president’s suite for hockey games, representing “a right to access some of the most influential people in the state” — including the UND president, governor and congressmembers — with the expectation of him engaging in sexual activity with Holmberg, she wrote. In 2012 and 2013, Holmberg posed as a teenage boy in an online chatroom for teens who had undergone circumcision, and misled and manipulated a 16-year-old Canadian boy into sending him explicit photos, the filing said. The full story of the relationship is unclear because the boy later took his own life in 2021, “but no doubt Holmberg’s conduct contributed to his struggles,” Klemetsrud Puhl said. Former U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon said the acts described in the prosecutor’s filing paints a picture for the judge of Holmberg’s overall character. “What we see here is a defendant who has a decades-long track record of identifying extremely vulnerable young men, grooming them and eventually using them for sex,” Purdon said. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support. by

Demonstrators could be seen calling for Hamas to go “outside” in a video verified by NBC News, which showed scores of people amassed in the city of Beit Lahia. In a rare show of dissent, anti-Hamas slogans were shouted by some protesters as hundreds of people gathered in northern Gaza to call for an end to the war. Demonstrators could be seen calling for Hamas to go “outside” in a video verified by NBC News, which showed scores of people amassed in the city of Beit Lahia on Tuesday. Most were calling for an end to the 17-month-long conflict and Israel's military offensive, which has seen more than 50,000 people killed in the Hamas-run enclave since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Children were also pictured carrying signs saying “We refuse to die” at the rally in the city, much of which has been reduced to rubble during the conflict. Others in the crowd, which appeared to be mostly made up of men, shouted "Hamas out" and "Hamas terrorists," according to the Agence France-Presse news agency, which had at least one reporter on the scene. “I think the protests are coming really at an important time where Hamas is really being pushed from all sides — the Israeli government, the U.S. government, Palestinians writ large,” Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “The protest really signifies that there is indeed frustration, if not opposition, to Hamas,” she added. While there have been small protests calling for an end to the war in Gaza, Tuesday’s demonstration appeared to be the biggest since the start of the current conflict. Israel has routinely called for Palestinians to mobilize against Hamas and has maintained a land, air and sea blockade on the enclave since Hamas took power in 2007 following Israel’s withdrawal from the territory after 38 years of occupation. But levels of discontent are hard to gauge. A poll released in September by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, a think tank based in the occupied West Bank, found support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be at 35%, compared to 38% three months before. Israel resumed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza after the first phase of a 42-day ceasefire deal with Hamas ended March 1. Since then, more than 700 people have been killed in the enclave. Negotiations on the second stage of the truce deal were meant to begin 16 days after the start of stage one — but this did not happen. As a result, dozens of hostages, both alive and dead, remain in Hamas’ captivity as efforts by mediators to resume the truce and see them released remain in limbo. Israel has pushed for Hamas to agree to a proposal pitched by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, which would have seen an extension to the first phase of the deal. Hamas has demanded a return to negotiations aimed at implementing the second part of the three-phase deal, which was expected to pave the way to an end to the war. The militant group has previously signaled that it would be willing to cede political power and administrative governance of Gaza to a Palestinian unity government but maintained it would not disarm until an internationally recognized independent Palestinian state is realized. Hamas leaders are likely to feel “very much backed into a corner” and “can’t figure out a way to achieve all of their aims, which are of course to remain a political force in Gaza, obtain a pathway for Palestinian statehood and of course, end the war,” Vakil said. Eventually, she added, “they’re likely going to have to compromise … but systems like Hamas’ don’t generally put the needs of their citizens before their own.”

An Israeli settler kicked his head “like a football” during an attack on his village, Ballal said. Only a few weeks ago, Hamdan Ballal stood on a stage in Los Angeles accepting an Oscar for the film “No Other Land,” a documentary depicting his West Bank village’s struggle against Israel’s occupation. On Tuesday, Ballal — his face bruised and clothes still spotted with blood — recounted to The Associated Press how he was heavily beaten by an Israeli settler and soldiers the night before. The settler, he said, kicked his head “like a football” during a settler attack on his village. The soldiers then detained him and two other Palestinians. Ballal said he was kept blindfolded for more than 20 hours, sitting on the floor under a blasting air conditioner. The soldiers kicked, punched or hit him with a stick whenever they came on their guard shifts, he said. Ballal doesn’t speak Hebrew, but he said he heard them saying his name and the word “Oscar.” “I realized they were attacking me specifically,” he said in an interview at a West Bank hospital after his release Tuesday. “When they say ‘Oscar’, you understand. When they say your name, you understand.” The Israeli military did not immediately respond to the claims that Ballal was beaten by soldiers. The settler whom Ballal identified as his attacker, Shem Tov Luski — who has threatened Ballal in the past — denied he or the soldiers beat him and told the AP that he and other Palestinians in the village had thrown stones at his car. He said he didn’t know Ballal was an Oscar winner. The Israeli military said Monday it had detained three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks as well as one Israeli civilian, who was soon released. Ballal denied throwing stones. The attack took place Monday night in the southern West Bank village of Susiya. It’s part of the Masafer Yatta region featured in “No Other Land,” which depicts the Palestinian residents’ attempts to fend off settler attacks and the military’s plans to demolish their homes. At around sunset, as residents were ending their daylong Ramadan fast, roughly two dozen Jewish settlers along with police entered the village, throwing stones at houses and breaking property, witnesses say. Around 30 soldiers arrived soon after. Jewish Israelis in an activist group supporting the villagers showed video of themselves also being attacked, with settlers hitting their car with sticks and stones. Ballal said he filmed some of the damage caused by the settlers. Then he went to his own home and locked it, with his wife and three young children inside. “I told myself if they will attack me, if they kill me, I will protect my family,” he said. Ballal said Luski approached with two soldiers. He said Luski hit him on the head, knocked him to the ground and kept kicking and punching him in the head. At the same time, one soldier hit him on the legs with his gun butt, while the other pointed his weapon at him, he said. Lamia Ballal, the director’s wife, said she was huddling inside with their children and heard him screaming, “I’m dying!” Luski told the AP that he and other settlers had come to the village to help a fellow settler who said he was being attacked by Palestinian stone-throwers. He said dozens of masked Palestinians attacked his car with stones, including Ballal. “He broke my window, threw a stone at my chest,” he said. He said when soldiers arrived, he led them to Ballal’s house to identify him as one of the attackers but denied that he hit him or that settlers attacked any property in the village. Luski said he had footage of the night’s events but when asked to show it to the AP, he responded with a string of expletives. On Tuesday, a small bloodstain could be seen outside Ballal’s home, and the family car’s windows were shattered. Neighbors pointed to a nearby water tank with a hole in the side that they said had been punched by the settlers. Under detention Lea Tsemel, the attorney representing Ballal and the two other Palestinians detained with him, said they were taken to an army base, where they only received minimal care for their injuries from the attack. She said they had no access to them for several hours after their arrest. Ballal said he had no idea where he was being held, could see nothing and was “freezing” from the hours spent blindfolded under the air conditioner. The three were transferred to an Israeli police station at the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba and were released Tuesday afternoon. “All my body is pain,” he told the AP immediately after his release as he walked, limping, toward a hospital in the nearby Palestinian city of Hebron. Doctors at the hospital said Ballal had bruises and scratches all over his body, abrasions under his eye and a cut on his chin but no internal injuries. The two other detained Palestinians also had minor injuries. Confrontations with settlers In a widely circulated video from August, Luski and several other masked settlers are seen arguing with Ballal. Luski shouts profanity at him and tries to provoke him into a fight. “This is my land, I was given it by God,” Luski says. “Next time it won’t be nice.” He taunts Ballal with the prospect of being sent to Sde Teiman, a notorious military prison holding Palestinians detained from Gaza, where five soldiers have been charged with raping a detainee with a knife. “Rape for a higher cause,” he says in Hebrew, then blows Ballal a kiss. The film “No Other Land,” a joint Israeli-Palestinian production, chronicles the situation in Masafer Yatta, which the Israeli military designated as a live-fire training zone in the 1980s and ordered the expulsion of the residents, mostly Arab Bedouin. Around 1,000 residents have largely remained in place, but soldiers regularly come in to demolish homes, tents, water tanks and olive orchards. Settlers have also set up outposts around the area and at times destroy Palestinian property. Palestinians and rights groups say Israeli forces usually turn a blind eye or intervene on behalf of the settlers. The film has drawn ire in Israel and abroad, as when Miami Beach proposed ending the lease of a movie theater that screened it. Basel Adra, another of the film’s co-directors and a prominent Palestinian activist in the area, said there’s been a massive upswing in attacks by settlers and Israeli forces since the Oscar win. “We’re living in dark days here, in Gaza, and all of the West Bank,” he said. “Nobody’s stopping this.” Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for their future state. Israel has built well over 100 settlements, home to over 500,000 settlers who have Israeli citizenship. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal. The 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers. The war in Gaza has sparked a surge of violence in the West Bank, with the Israeli military carrying out widescale military operations that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands. There has been a rise in settler violence as well as Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Activists say “No Other Land” co-director Hamdan Ballal is missing. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said it arrested three Palestinians after “violent clashes” broke out. A Palestinian filmmaker who was part of a team that won an Oscar for “No Other Land,” a documentary depicting life under Israeli occupation, was beaten by West Bank settlers and then arrested by Israeli forces, his co-director said Monday. Director Yuval Abraham said on X that co-director Hamdan Ballal was beaten by a “group of settlers” and had sustained injuries to his head and stomach in the Palestinian village of Susiya, Masafer Yatta. He added that Ballal was able to call an ambulance but that Israeli soldiers took him from it. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said, “Contrary to claims, no Palestinian who was inside an ambulance was arrested” Monday. The IDF spokesperson said “violent clashes” between Israelis and Palestinians erupted near Susiya in the Yehuda Brigade. The “clashes” developed after, the IDF said, “several terrorists threw stones at Israeli civilians and damaged their vehicles. “When IDF and police forces arrived at the scene to disperse the clashes, several terrorists began throwing stones at the security forces,” the spokesperson said in a statement, which NBC News translated from Hebrew. “In response, the forces arrested three Palestinians suspected of throwing stones at the force and an Israeli citizen who was involved in the violent clashes. The detainees were taken to the Israel Police for further questioning. An Israeli citizen who was injured in the incident was taken for medical treatment.” The spokesperson did not say whether Ballal is in custody. Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers and forces has soared since the start of the war in Gaza. Masafer Yatta, a collection of hamlets in the southern part of the West Bank that is the subject of “No Other Land,” has been a focus of Israeli demolitions since the 1980s, after the Israeli military declared the area a restricted military zone. Anna Lippman, an activist with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, an organization that promotes Palestinian-led nonviolent civil resistance, said she was among the group of international activists who were attacked by “over a dozen Israeli settlers.” Lippman said in a message that Ballal, who does not appear in the video she captured, was hurt earlier Monday and “is still in custody and we are unsure where.” Five Jewish activists, including Lippman, were in the West Bank participating in a “three-month long coresistance project,” the Center for Jewish Nonviolence said in a news release. The group went to the village of Susiya after it responded to “calls to come and support residents who were under attack.” A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed last week when Israel resumed its bombing campaign in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 700 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave run by the militant group. Israel and the Trump administration have blamed Hamas for the resumption of hostilities, citing the militant group’s refusal to meet Israel’s demand to release more hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, in return for the resumption of talks. But that was not part of the original three-phase ceasefire agreement, which went into effect Jan. 19. The first phase of that deal ended March 1. Phase two never began. Abraham and Ballal were at the Oscars this month, when they accepted the award for best documentary feature onstage alongside filmmakers Rachel Szor and Basel Adra. “No Other Land,” one of the best-reviewed documentary features of last year, did not secure theatrical distribution in the United States — a fact that the filmmakers attributed to political sensitivities around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The documentary screened at independent cinemas in selected cities; digital screeners were made available for academy voters and some members of the media. A spokesperson for Cinetic Media, which handles media inquiries for “No Other Land,” told NBC News that the company is aware of Abraham’s post on X about Ballalis, but did not have any other information to share Monday afternoon. In their acceptance speech, Abraham and Adra pleaded for an end to the conflict. “We made this film, Palestinian and Israelis, because together our voices are stronger,” Abraham said. “We see each other. The atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people must end. The Israeli hostages brutally taken in the crime of Oct. 7 must be freed.” In his statement to NBC News on Monday, Abraham also issued a call for viewers of the documentary to “take action.” “Hamdan, who was beaten up, came up with the idea to make ‘No Other Land,’” he said. “So that this brutal reality ends. It is now up to the millions who have seen our film to take action to change it.”

A U.N. spokesperson said strikes that hit a U.N. compound in Deir Al Balah that killed a U.N. worker on March 19 came from an Israeli tank. The United Nations said on Monday it is reducing its international staff numbers in Gaza by about a third after Israeli strikes in the enclave that have killed hundreds of civilians, including United Nations personnel. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a regular news briefing the move was taken for security and operational reasons and would involve the withdrawal of about 30 of the 100 or so international staff currently in Gaza. “What we’re doing is reducing the number of international staff members by about one third this week, maybe a bit more likely to come. It’s a temporary measure. We hope to have people return to Gaza as soon as practicable,” he said. He stressed that the U.N. was not leaving Gaza. “The Secretary-General has taken the difficult decision ... even as humanitarian needs soar and our concern over the protection of civilians intensifies,” he said. “The organization remains committed to continuing to provide aid that civilians depend on for their survival and protection.” Dujarric said that based on information currently available, strikes that hit a UN compound in Deir Al Balah on March 19, killing a Bulgarian U.N. worker and leaving six others — from France, Moldova, North Macedonia, the Palestine territories and the United Kingdom — with severe injuries, came from an Israeli tank. “The location of this U.N. compound was well known to the parties to the conflict,” he said, noting that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres had demanded “a full, thorough and independent investigation.” Gaza’s health ministry attributed the strike to Israel, but Israel denied this, saying it hit a Hamas site where it detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory. Asked if the U.N. believed the compound had been deliberated targeted, Dujarric said: “I think that’s one of the reasons we need to have a pretty clear and transparent investigation. The point is that the Israelis knew exactly where this UN facility was, and it was hit by a shell from one of their tanks.” The Israeli military said its forces had fired on Monday at a building belonging to the Red Cross in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah as a result of incorrect identification, after an office belonging to the aid organization was damaged by an explosive projectile.

Canada's general election campaign is under way, a 36-day sprint taking place in unprecedented circumstances. Voters will consider which party should govern the country just as the US - its neighbour and largest economic partner - launches a trade war and President Donald Trump muses about making Canada the 51st US state. Domestic issues like housing and immigration will still be important, of course, but for the first time in decades, Canadians will also be grappling with fundamental questions about the country's future when they head to the ballot box on 28 April. Here are five things to watch as the campaign unfolds. Candidates talking tough on Trump Canada and the US share deeply integrated economies, a long-standing security partnership and the longest "undefended" border in the world. So when President Donald Trump says he wants to use "economic force" against America's neighbour, calls the border an "artificially drawn line" and imposes steep tariffs, it marks a profound shift in the relationship between the two allies. "It is impossible to overstate the impact of the president's actions on Canadian politics, on Canadian psyche, on Canadian business," said Marci Surkes, chief strategy officer at public affairs firm Compass Rose and a former policy director to ex-prime minister Justin Trudeau, a Liberal. Trump's interventions have already reshaped politics in Canada, helping transform what seemed like a certain Conservative victory into a too-close-to-call battle with the Liberals. And on Sunday, as campaigning began, all the party leaders focused their launch messages heavily on the US threats. What the US president says and does over the next few weeks will inevitably factor into the race. On April 2, for example, in just the second week of campaigning, the White House is expected to announce more global tariffs. He has already started to make his views on the election known, telling Fox News host Laura Ingraham on 18 March that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is "stupidly, no friend of mine" and that it may be "easier to deal actually with a Liberal". Questions about experience Canadians know their next PM will have no choice but to deal with Donald Trump. So the question on many voters' minds is: who can most capably handle the unpredictable US president? The contest essentially boils down to the new Liberal leader Mark Carney and Poilievre, who has led the Conservatives since 2022. Two other major parties will be contesting seats in Parliament - the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP) and the the Bloc Québécois - but Canadians have historically elected Conservative or Liberal governments. Carney, 60, is a former central banker who is new to politics - after taking over from Justin Trudeau earlier this month, he became the first prime minister in Canada never elected to Parliament. He brings experience on the world stage - he governed the Bank of England from 2013-2020 - but lacks time spent in the cut and thrust of political campaigning, and will get his first real test in this general election. If the Liberals fail to win the election, he could have the shortest tenure of any PM in the country's history. At 45, Poilievre may be significantly younger, but he is a political veteran. First elected to the House of Commons at age 25, he has two decades of experience in federal politics, including time in cabinet, and is known for his political acumen. As party leader, he was quick to highlight the pain that inflation was inflicting on Canadian families, and capitalise on broader anger at Trudeau and the Liberals on issues like immigration. His tag line "Canada is broken" has in recent weeks become "Canada first". The shift in message from a country in decline to one of patriotism and strength comes as he presents himself as able to stand up to Trump. He is "the consummate retail politician", Ms Surkes said, but "suffers from having - right now - a brand and a narrative that no longer fits the moment". Sovereignty playing big It will be the first time in decades that a Canadian election is not focused mostly on domestic issues. Instead, this election is about the big, national questions: Canada's sovereignty and what the country must do to face an uncertain future with uncertain allies. Ms Surkes compared the situation to the 1988 elecftion, when Canada's relationship with the US also took centre stage as the country mulled joining the North American Free Trade Agreement. "The same types of questions were being asked in terms of whether there would be a forfeiture of Canadian sovereignty, economic sovereignty, economic independence," she said. This time, both main parties are pushing a vision of growth and independence - building much-needed housing, moving forward on major energy and resource projects, retaliating against US tariffs and bolstering Canada's defence capabilities. So where are the differences? Carney has moved the Liberals more towards the political centre as he seeks to distance himself from Trudeau, who left office deeply unpopular. He has promised to "spend less and invest more" and to boost capital investments in things like housing, and military infrastructure and computing resources. Poilievre, a fiscal hawk, pitches cutting red tape and taxes to boost industry and spur infrastructure investment and home building. The Conservatives have also focused more sharply on issues like crime. Cost-of-living concerns fighting for space The core domestic concerns that Canadians have had in recent years - affordability, housing, healthcare - haven't gone away. But pollster David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, says they have been subsumed by the "existential threat" of the trade war with the US. "Even if the cost of living is still the top issue, it may not be as powerful a motivator to drive voting behavior," he adds. So the parties will be challenged to come up with convincing policies to address these concerns - but frame them in the context of the wider economic threat. The US tariffs, the uncertainty caused by their on-again-off-again nature, and Canada's C$60bn in counter-tariffs, are already being felt by businesses and communities across the country. This week, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development more than halved its economic growth outlook for Canada this year and next. More shifts in polling? National opinion polls have seen a stunning reversal in recent weeks, with the Conservatives losing the 20-point lead they had over the Liberals for the better part of a year. As the race officially begins, it's a toss-up. Mr Coletto said three factors led to the "perfect storm" in polling: the resignation of the deeply unpopular Trudeau, the Liberal leadership race which that sparked, and the return of Donald Trump to the White House. Both candidates now are trying to "bring their enemies to the battlefield" to eke out an advantage, he added. Carney is seeking to paint Poilievre as "Trump-light", while Poilievre suggests Carney is "just like Justin". Each campaign enjoys natural advantages, he says. The Conservatives have "an animated base who desperately want a change in government", along with a well-funded political machine. The Liberals currently "have the advantage on narrative" that has helped shift the polls more in their favour. The other two official parties - the NDP and the Bloc - have both seen their popularity diminish. The left-leaning NDP, which had 24 seats in the last Parliament, helped prop up the Liberal minority government in recent years in exchange for support for progressive policies like dental care for low-income Canadians. But leader Jagmeet Singh has been pushing hard against Carney, seeking to frame him as someone who will "protect billionaires and big business". Bloc leader Blanchet said on Sunday he would fight for Quebec companies and workers struggling under US tariffs, especially in the aluminium industry.

The U.S. hasn't offered specifics. Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said the attacks have “taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer.” U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels pounded sites across the country into Monday, with the group saying the one attack in the capital killed at least one person and wounded more than a dozen others. The American strikes entered its 10th day without a sign of stopping, part of a campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump targeting the rebel group that threatens maritime trade and Israel while also trying to pressure Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor. So far, the U.S. has not offered any specifics on the sites it is striking, though Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz claimed the attacks have “taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer.” That’s something so far that’s not been acknowledged by the Houthis, though the rebels have downplayed their losses in the past and exaggerated their attacks attempting to target American warships. “We’ve hit their headquarters,” Waltz told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities.” An apparent U.S. strike Sunday hit a building in a western neighborhood of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killing at least one person and wounding 13 others, the rebel-controlled SABA news agency said, citing health officials. Footage released by the rebels showed the rubble of a collapsed building and pools of blood staining the gray dust covering the ground. A building next to the collapsed structure still stood, suggesting American forces likely used a lower-yield warhead in the strike. The Houthis also described American airstrikes targeting sites around the city of Saada, a Houthi stronghold, the Red Sea port city of Hodeida and Marib province, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government. The campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people immediately after they began March 15, started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well. The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far. The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war that’s torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.

Around two dozen people were killed in fresh strikes overnight, hospitals in Gaza told NBC News, while experts said they believed an "all-out war" could be in the cards. With the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip having collapsed after Israel resumed its bombing campaign, the Israeli military is expanding its activities in the shattered enclave. What comes next could set the stage for a sea change by Israel in Gaza and the broader region. Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 700 people in Gaza in just over a week since the country shattered its two-month-old ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave run by that the militant group. Meanwhile, statements from the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering troops to seize parts of Gaza to be "annexed to Israel" unless Hamas meets its demands are fueling fears of those in the region and among experts of a significant escalation in this bloody near-year-and-a-half-long war. What's changed? The renewed assault comes after Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas after the militant group refused a proposal pitched by White House envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the first phase of the truce deal, rather than negotiate and implement the second phase as had been previously agreed. Speaking with Fox News on Sunday, Witkoff blamed the breakdown of the ceasefire on Hamas' refusal to accept the proposed extension. Meanwhile, Hamas has blamed Israel for refusing to continue negotiations about phase two. Strikes on Gaza over the weekend pushed the death toll of people killed in the territory past more than 50,000 since the war began, according to local health officials. Israel launched its offensive after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decades-long conflict. Since relaunching the Israeli military's campaign, far-right member of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition government Itamar Ben-Gvir has rejoined the Cabinet. He and his Otzma Yehudit party left the fragile coalition over opposition to the ceasefire deal, which he said was "reckless" and would undermine Israel's progress. Now, Israel appears prepared for the possibility of a new phase of the war if Hamas does not accept the extension proposal, experts told NBC News, warning of the possibility of a broader Israeli occupation of Gaza. "It is pretty clear and understood that the objective of the current military operation is to pressure Hamas to accept Witkoff's proposal, not to come back to the negotiation table," Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank, said Monday. If Hamas continues to refuse the proposal, Michael said he believed Israeli forces would "increase the military pressure," with the possibility of Israel looking to "occupy the Gaza Strip" at least with a "temporary military administration" that would aim to dismantle Hamas. For the families of those whose loved ones remain in Hamas' captivity, the resumption of fighting delivered a major blow, with many calling for a return to the ceasefire to see their relatives freed. Just under 60 hostages are believed to remain under Hamas' captivity, both dead and alive. "We must say this clearly: Returning to war could lead to hostages being accidentally harmed by our forces, or tortured and murdered by terrorists," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a press release Thursday. "This is not an outcome the Israeli people can accept." All-out war? On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he was ordering troops to permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip to be "annexed to Israel" unless Hamas hands over remaining hostages in the enclave. “The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel," Katz said. Michael said that Israel was getting "closer and closer to an all out war in the Gaza Strip that will lead to the full occupation of the Gaza Strip unless Hamas will change its mind" about refusing to extend the ceasefire deal. "And I don't see any signals that Hamas is in that direction." Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London’s school of security studies, said that if the objective of continued fighting is a reoccupation of Gaza, temporary or otherwise, then another aim that could be "looming in the background" is President Donald Trump's recent proposal of the U.S. taking over the enclave and turning it into the "Riviera of the Middle East." While it remains unclear what the plan for the day after the war will be in Gaza, Netanyahu's government has signaled its support for Trump's proposal. Asked to comment on the report and on Israel’s future plans for Gaza, a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond. "Naturally, we will not comment on future operational plans," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement sent to NBC News on Monday, adding that the military acted "accordance with operational plans that were devised by the appropriate professional bodies, and by the directive of the political echelon." A spokesperson for Katz pointed to a statement that the defense minister issued on X Monday. “We will not stop until our hostages are released and Hamas is no longer in control of the Gaza Strip and is no longer a threat to Israel and Israelis," Katz said.

Canada's Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has told the BBC she believes Canada can win the trade war which was sparked by a series of tariffs ordered by US President Donald Trump. "We are the biggest customer of the US," Joly told the BBC's World Service Weekend programme. "We buy more from the Americans than China, Japan, the UK and France combined." Joly said tariffs and increased prices are a priority for Canadians as voters prepare to head to the polls to elect a new prime minister later this year. The US president has imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada. Trump has also vowed to impose a sweeping range of "reciprocal" tariffs on 2 April. Joly said that because the US and Canadian economies are so intertwined, "we have the most leverage in the world when it comes to the US". She noted it is not just Canadians feeling the pain from tariffs, but "hardworking Americans" too. But Joly said it could be Americans who are the most successful in urging an end to the trade war. "We think that ultimately the only ones that will be able to help us win this war... are the Americans themselves because they're the ones that can send a message to their lawmakers," she told the BBC. "We can win the hearts and minds of Americans, because ultimately they're the ones paying for this" she added, noting that both American and Canadian jobs are at risk because of the tariffs. The trade war is expected to be at the forefront of Canadians' minds when they head to the polls. Reports suggest Prime Minister Carney could call for a snap election on Sunday. That election is expected to be held on 28 April. And it is not just the Liberals making the case against US tariffs, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also been on the trade war. He has argued he is best equipped to take on Trump. "There is no good reason to do this to these good people," Poilievre said earlier this week. "Stop the tariffs, stop the chaos." Trump has vowed to impose further tariffs Canada, and other countries around the world, on 2 April - calling these tariffs "the big one". Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to impose reciprocal tariffs if Trump's tariff threats come to fruition. It will bring to head a weeks-long back and forth between the North American countries. The frustration over trade war has led some Canadians to start protesting. In Toronto on Saturday, Canadians held an "elbows up" protest to push back against President Trump's stated desire of making Canada the 51st state of the US, and the ongoing trade war. The phrase, used in hockey to describe defending oneself or fighting back, has been repurposed by protesters in Canada. In the BBC World Service Weekend interview, Joly was also asked about the upcoming federal election. She said the Liberal party is "very keen" to make sure Canadians give the party "a clear mandate" to deal with Trump and the threat of tariffs. Joly said Canadians are "preoccupied" by what is happening in the White House and they are looking for a prime minister who has "strong values". The race will likely come down to a choice between Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. Why is Trump using tariffs? Tariffs are a central part of Trump's overall economic vision. He says tariffs will boost US manufacturing and protect jobs, raising tax revenue and growing the domestic economy. He also wants to restore America's trade balance with its foreign partners - reducing the gap that exists between how much the US imports from and exports to individual countries. But he has refused to rule out the prospect of a recession as a result of his trade policies, which sent US stocks sharply down in the days before the metal tariffs took effect. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later said the tariffs were "worth it" even if they did lead to an economic downturn. Trump's tariffs initially targeted goods from China, Mexico and Canada. These accounted for more than 40% of imports into the US in 2024. But Trump has accused the three countries of not doing enough to end the flow of migrants and illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the US. All three countries have rejected the accusations.