World Briefing: January 7, 2025

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he plans to step down once the Liberal Party has chosen a successor, bringing his time leading the country to a tumultuous end. Trudeau, who became Liberal leader in 2013 and prime minister in the fall of 2015, announced his long-awaited decision outside his official residence, Rideau Cottage, on Monday morning following weeks of speculation and weakened support from his caucus. “This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it’s become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” a sometimes teary-eyed Trudeau told reporters.

Trudeau also announced that he met with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on Monday morning and that she has agreed to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament until March 24. Trudeau’s decision will set off a competitive leadership race to replace him and find a contender to take on the Liberals’ key rival, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, in the next federal election. - CBC News

Whatever the eventual outcome of the political process now underway, Canada’s support for Ukraine will remain - geopolitical analyst and Atlantic Council senior fellow, Michael Bociurkiw, told Voice of America. “The signals we’ve received from the Conservatives, who I think many Ukrainians support both politically and financially, are quite good,” he said. In addition, he pointed to the large Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, whose political goals are also supported by other diasporas from the countries of the former Soviet Union, and which remains the dominant political force in Canada.

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said that he saw no “quick and easy solution” to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine as he outlined his foreign policy priorities for 2025 at the annual ambassadors conference in Paris. “There will be no quick and easy solution in Ukraine,” Macron said in a speech to French ambassadors gathered at the Elysee Palace. But he also warned that Ukrainians needed to have “realistic discussions on territorial issues”, clearly urging Kyiv for the first time to consider territorial concessions - France 24

Houses collapsed and casualties were reported after an earthquake struck Xigaze city in China’s Tibet region on Tuesday morning, according to Xinhua News Agency. The magnitude 7.0 tremblor hit about 90 kilometers (56 miles) northeast of Lobuche, Nepal at 1:05am UTC, according to the US Geological Survey.

US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of America’s coastline, weeks before Donald Trump takes office. The ban covers the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska. It is the latest in a string of last-minute climate policy actions by the Biden administration ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. During his campaign, Trump pledged to “unleash” domestic fossil fuel production in a bid to lower gas costs, despite the US already seeing record high extraction rates. Announcing the new drilling ban, Biden said: “My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs. “It is not worth the risks.” In a radio interview, Trump branded the ban “ridiculous”. He added: “I’ll unban it immediately,” he said. “I have the right to unban it immediately.” - BBC

President Joe Biden angrily snapped at reporters when asked a question about his age following a White House event to celebrate the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act into law. “My being the oldest president, I know more world leaders than any one of you ever met in your whole goddamn life,” Biden said. This is not the first time the president has snapped at reporters, with a November 2024 incident seeing the president tell a reporter “Do you think you can keep from getting hit in the head by a camera behind you?” after being asked whether or not he could reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas by the end of his term. The president also reportedly became agitated when asked about his past comments about his successor, President-elect Donald Trump, being a potential “threat” to democracy. “I think what he did was a genuine threat to democracy,” Biden said - Daily Beast

Melania Trump is said to be ‘glad to have’ Elon Musk as a ‘babysitter’ for her husband and President-elect, Donald Trump. The former and future first lady has “no issues” with Musk and views his relationship with Trump, and his temporary tenure at Mar-A-Lago, as a positive, People magazine reported, citing sources close to the Trump family. “Melania is glad to have a babysitter for Donald, and she will find some kind of project to team up with him herself if he stays around,” a Palm Beach source told the outlet. “Melania has her own life and isn’t bothered by political dealings her husband has with others,” they continued. “But so far, she has no issues with Musk.”

This Briefing is reprinted with the author’s permission. Please find the original here.