Biden to Meet With Canada’s Trudeau to Discuss Migration, Haiti Crisis |
U.S. President Joe Biden is beginning a two-day visit to Canada’s capital (CBC), Ottawa, where he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will discuss the security crisis in Haiti, defense cooperation, and how to address cross-border migration. It is Biden’s first visit to Canada as president.
As gang violence has escalated in Haiti in recent months, Washington has urged Ottawa (WaPo) to lead a multilateral security force to address the crisis, though the two governments have been reluctant to get involved given the ineffectiveness of past military interventions in Haiti. On migration, the leaders are expected to discuss a bilateral border policy (NYT) that Trudeau’s political opponents say is fueling a rise in unauthorized entries into Canada. The country’s relatively open immigration policy fueled a record population increase of more than one million people last year.
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“[Haitian Prime Minister Ariel] Henry seeks international forces to subdue the gangs and keep himself in power. Haiti needs a representative transitional government to give its people a voice and reestablish trust and institutional capacity until secure and free elections are possible,” journalist Monique Clesca writes for Foreign Affairs.
“Relations between the [U.S. and Canada] are in a relatively good place. A potentially damaging spat over electric vehicles was resolved, as was a smaller tiff over the NEXUS trusted-travel program, while perennial irritants persist over dairy and lumber,” CBC’s Alexander Panetta writes.
This Backgrounder unpacks Canada’s immigration policy.
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Australia Prepares for Referendum on Indigenous Representation |
Australia unveiled the details of a referendum (SMH) that, if approved, would recognize Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders in the country’s constitution and create a government advisory body on Indigenous issues. The vote is set to be held in October.
China: At least a dozen research institutions from around the world told Nikkei they were notified that their access to China’s largest academic database will be cut on April 1. The restrictions reportedly aim to comply with data security laws that China tightened last year.
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Indian Opposition Leader Sentenced to Two Years in Prison on Defamation Charges |
Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress party said he will appeal his sentence (The Hindu), which he received for comments he allegedly made in 2019 about the surname shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other prominent politicians. Gandhi has been granted a thirty-day bail.
Afghanistan/UK: A judge from the United Kingdom (UK) opened a probe (The Guardian) into the alleged extrajudicial killings of fifty-four Afghans by UK soldiers in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Saudi, Iranian Foreign Ministers Agree to Meet |
The meeting will begin the process (Al Jazeera) of reopening embassies and consulates as part of the countries’ recent deal to reestablish diplomatic ties, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said.
Yemen: At least sixteen combatants (AP) from Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels died in clashes between the two sides in the central province of Marib. Until this week, fighting had largely come to a lull even though a truce between the adversaries ended in October. |
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Ethiopia Names Rebel Official as Head of Tigray Region’s Interim Government |
Senior Tigray People’s Liberation Front leader Getachew Reda will be president (AFP) of the new transitional government, the formation of which is a central provision of a November peace deal between Tigrayan rebels and Ethiopia’s federal government.
Somalia: An African Union official said that the bloc’s peacekeeping force in Somalia is $90 million short of the funds (AP) it needs to battle extremist group al-Shabaab, in part due to the European Union redirecting its contribution toward other interests.
This Backgrounder looks at al-Shabaab.
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World Bank: $411 Billion Needed to Rebuild Ukraine After a Year of War |
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Inter-American Court Hears Case Challenging El Salvador’s Total Abortion Ban |
The suit at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights centers on the case (El País) of a woman who sued for the right to terminate a high-risk pregnancy in 2013. The lawsuit led to a delay in the procedure, which left her severely weakened. She died four years later after a minor motorcycle accident. |
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TikTok CEO Testifies to Congress Amid Threat of Broader Ban |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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