TORONTO — Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, warned that middle powers must resist economic coercion, and the United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods on Saturday, prompting Canada to announce retaliatory duties effective September 8.

Negotiations broke down after Carney said the United States introduced language that would restrict Canada’s ability to negotiate other trade agreements, a demand he called unacceptable and a question of sovereignty. British Columbia Premier David Eby said accepting the condition would have reduced Canada to the economic equivalent of a 51st state, a status former President Donald Trump has referenced.

Carney announced that Canada will impose dollar‑for‑dollar duties on selected U.S. imports beginning September 8. He said Washington’s final‑hour demands threatened Canada’s independence and its capacity to pursue separate trade deals. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer rejected that account, stating Ottawa introduced new demands and withdrew from commitments even after the United States offered to lower tariffs on steel, autos, lumber and other goods, and said additional measures are planned.

The dispute reflects broader concerns that middle powers such as Canada must withstand pressure from larger economies, a point Carney highlighted in a January speech at the World Economic Forum where he described the international order as undergoing a rupture. Analysts including historian Robert Bothwell and political scientist Nelson Wiseman said Canada’s reliance on the U.S. market, which accounts for about 75 percent of its exports, makes independence difficult, but they noted the confrontation could influence how other allies respond to U.S. trade pressure. Public opinion in Canada has shown increasing displeasure with the administration, and premiers such as Christine Fréchette of Quebec and Wab Kinew of Manitoba have urged residents to purchase locally and to prepare for a prolonged economic standoff that may extend beyond the 2024 U.S. elections.

The outcome will determine whether Canada can preserve its economic autonomy under U.S. pressure and may shape the approach of other allied nations.

Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have reached 5,515, with 2,642 deaths, according to government figures. The update, released on Sunday, added 51 new infections in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. The case fatality rate has risen from about 20 percent in early June to nearly 48 percent, meaning almost half of those infected are dying. Contact tracing has improved from 30 percent in June to more than 85 percent. About 160 health workers have been infected, and roughly 45 have died, the World Health Organization reported. Efforts to control the outbreak are hampered by armed conflict, displacement, attacks on medical personnel and facilities, a mobile working population, and limited infrastructure. No approved vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain, which is rarer than the virus type behind previous outbreaks. The WHO has pledged 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, and 16,250 doses arrived in the DRC on Friday. WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other officials said the response must be scaled up two to threefold to reach all affected areas and called for additional support and protection for front‑line health workers. Abdulsalami Nasidi, a public health consultant, told Al Jazeera that the outbreak is “getting out of hand,” citing weak infection control and low community trust. He warned that spread to neighboring areas with lower immunity could be disastrous. The WHO rates the global risk as low but says the danger within the DRC remains very high. Uganda and several health zones in Ituri and South Kivu have halted transmission, showing that rapid detection and community cooperation can stop the chain of spread. At the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Leo called for global action to save lives, urging the international community to involve local communities in prevention efforts.

British prime minister Andy Burnham traveled to Kyiv on Monday and will deliver blueprints for long-range missiles to Ukrainian officials during a meeting of the coalition of the willing. The coalition, created under former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, includes the United Kingdom and France and seeks to coordinate support for Ukraine. Burnham said the United Kingdom will continue to back Ukraine for as long as needed and emphasized that its support is enduring.

He will chair the coalition meeting and accept an award recognizing British assistance, and he will attend Ukraine's independence day events. The government has approved declassification of United Kingdom components for the Scalp missile, the French equivalent of the Storm Shadow, allowing defense firm MBDA to share technical data. Burnham noted that Russia has warned of consequences over Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian infrastructure. Kyiv has increased long-range attacks on Russian targets such as oil refineries and warehouses. The Russian embassy in London accused Britain of deliberately escalating the conflict, while Burnham said the UK remains a steadfast supporter. Russia's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, has left his post, though no replacement has been announced and the embassy said the move does not indicate a downgrade in diplomatic relations.

The visit underscores continued British commitment to Ukraine's defense as the war enters its third year, with no clear timeline for a diplomatic resolution.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al‑Shaibani met with the head of Israel’s Mossad, Roman Gofman, in Jordan as part of United States‑mediated talks aimed at reducing tensions after an Israeli airstrike on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border.

Israel has launched numerous strikes on Syrian territory since the fall of President Bashar al‑Assad in December 2024, including an attack on the Abu Duhur airbase in Idlib on Thursday. The United States has pursued a security agreement between Israel and the new Syrian government for more than a year, and the two sides previously engaged in US‑mediated negotiations that stalled in February.

The talks in Jordan focused on mechanisms to halt Israeli strikes, arrests and targeting operations, and on reviving discussions for a lasting security arrangement. Syrian officials said they sought an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before the 2024 regime change and the full restoration of the 1974 disengagement agreement, while also affirming Damascus’s sovereignty over the Israeli‑occupied Golan Heights. Israeli participants said they insisted on preventing Turkish military activity in Syria, maintaining a demilitarised zone on the Syrian side of the Golan, ensuring the security of the Druze community and limiting Syrian acquisition of certain strategic weapons. Israel tied any withdrawal from occupied territories to concrete diplomatic outcomes.

Political analyst Hassan Mneimneh of the Middle East Institute said the current round of talks was unlikely to reduce tensions, noting Israel’s history of adding demands during negotiations and the lack of a set date for resuming dialogue.

Syria reiterated its desire for diplomatic engagement while emphasizing its right to rebuild its army and choose its alliances, and the United States said it would continue to facilitate discussions.

Iran announced on Sunday that it had discovered more than 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the southern region of Fars province, with more than 160 billion cubic meters potentially recoverable. The discovery comes after months of conflict that has disrupted the country's energy sector. Since late February, joint strikes by the United States and Israel have targeted Iran's gas production facilities, oil depots and transport routes, reducing output. Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on state television that the new gas is classified as sweet, containing little hydrogen sulfide, which lowers production costs. He added that extracting the identified reserves would likely take several years. Bloomberg reported that new production from the field is expected to be years away, indicating a long development timeline. The find may add to Iran's energy capacity, but the ongoing war and infrastructure damage continue to constrain immediate increases in output.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans would retain control of the House in November even if the conflict with Iran continues. He told Fox News that ending the war before the election would be helpful but that Republicans are confident they will win. Johnson said the United States had taken steps to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He added that the war has contributed to higher oil prices and inflation as the national debt rises. Polls indicate that many voters, including Republicans, favor ending the fighting. The United States and Israel conducted strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials, prompting Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz and launch drones and missiles. Since an April ceasefire, sporadic fighting has occurred. The Trump administration has imposed additional sanctions on Iran and entities doing business with it. Oil prices remain above $4 per gallon despite reports that U.S. forces control the southern corridor of the strait. Johnson said the United States is making progress and expects allied nations to assist in concluding the conflict.

The U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey walked back remarks that Israel continues to occupy the Golan Heights, comments that conflicted with President Donald Trump’s 2019 recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the area occupied Syrian land and do not recognize Israel’s annexation. In 2019, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Israeli sovereignty, and the current U.S. position was set by that decision and remains unchanged, according to the envoy.

In a statement to the Associated Press on Sunday, Envoy Tom Barrack said his earlier description of the Golan as still occupied reflected its historical status, not an endorsement of U.N. policy. He said he was explaining why he does not expect annexation in Lebanon, where Israeli forces occupy parts of the south after recent fighting with Hezbollah, and argued that negotiated agreements, rather than fixed territorial maps, are more durable. He cited the Golan as an example that territory taken by force remains contested for generations.

Barrack also criticized Israel’s airstrikes on a Syrian airbase last week, saying the strikes were based on intelligence and recommended by the Israeli army. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on social media that critics who called the strikes unnecessary had changed their view after the government said they were based on clear intelligence and army recommendations. He added that Israel would not allow Turkey to establish a presence in Syria that threatens Israeli security.

The strikes highlighted growing tensions between Israel and Turkey over Ankara’s expanding influence in Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad. Turkey and Syria deny that Turkish forces were to be deployed at the Abu Duhur base. Barrack’s remarks on the Golan also drew criticism in Washington; Senator Rick Scott said the ambassador appeared to have forgotten Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty. Barrack responded that he was describing the difficulty of negotiations, not proposing new parties, and stressed that the United States does not negotiate with Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization. He said his comments about Iran’s financial support for Shiite groups in Lebanon were not meant to confer standing on anyone.