U.S. tariff exemptions grow. Trump issued a one-month reprieve from 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods traded under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). (In 2024, an estimated 50 percent of Mexican exports and 38 percent of Canadian exports to the United States were duty-free under the treaty.) Canada’s finance minister said the country would maintain tariffs applied Tuesday but postpone another round slated for later this month, while the country’s trade minister said Ottawa was ready to sit down for an early renegotiation of the USMCA in order to provide “stability and predictability.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a call with Trump before yesterday’s announcement; she said the countries will “continue working together.”
Beijing’s stance on U.S. tariffs. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said today that Beijing would continue to retaliate against “arbitrary” U.S. tariffs and that efforts to “suppress China and maintain a good relationship with China at the same time” harm bilateral relations. He said supporters of Taiwan’s independence are “playing with fire and will burn themselves.”
Tests in Syria’s transition. The United Kingdom (UK) yesterday became the first country to entirely unfreeze assets of Syria’s central bank following the December ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. The UK also ended sanctions on oil groups and commercial banks, saying it supports rebuilding. Separately, armed individuals loyal to Assad killed at least sixteen Syrian government security personnel yesterday, a war monitor said. The clashes—some of Syria’s worst violence since December—broke out in a coastal region home to many in the Alawite minority, which includes the Assad family.
Guyana-Venezuela tensions. Guyana asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to block Venezuela from carrying out an election in the Guyana-controlled, disputed region of Essequibo. Venezuela’s communications ministry did not immediately comment. The ICJ previously issued a 2023 order forbidding Caracas from changing the status quo in the territory. Last week, Guyana said a Venezuelan ship entered its waters near Essequibo without permission; Venezuela said it was an international zone.
Treason probe in Romania. Authorities detained six men on allegations of treason, saying they plotted with Russia to overthrow Romania’s government. Two senior Russian diplomats were also expelled from Romania on Wednesday, the country’s domestic intelligence agency said. Russia’s foreign ministry called the Romanian prosecutors’ accusations “speculations.” A former Romanian general who said his home was raided in the probe did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
DRC exodus to Burundi. Almost sixty-three thousand people have fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Burundi in less than a month, the UN refugee agency said. It is Burundi’s largest such influx in decades and has overwhelmed shelters and aid resources. As clashes between rebels and government forces in the DRC continue, the refugee agency has appealed for emergency funding.
U.S. exits global green transition aid program. The United States withdrew from a global climate initiative that aims to help Indonesia, Vietnam, and South Africa transition their economies away from fossil fuels, a U.S. Treasury Department spokesperson said. The UK’s climate envoy called the exit “regrettable” but said there was a path forward for the program, named the Just Energy Transition Partnership. The program also relies on contributions from donors such as the EU, the UK, and Japan.
Order for release of South Korea’s president. A court ordered the release of impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol, saying that the legal period for his arrest expired before charges were filed against him. Following his short-lived martial law declaration in December, Yoon is now a defendant in two separate cases: one criminal case for allegedly leading an insurrection and another on whether he should be removed from office.
