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Justin Trudeau, who has served as Canada\u2019s prime minister for almost a decade, said that he would step down<\/a> in the coming months, bowing to an angry electorate at a time of uncertain economic prospects and political infighting. He has suspended Parliament until March 24, he said.<\/p>\n The announcement has left Canada in political flux just as the incoming Trump administration has vowed to impose punishing tariffs on Canadian imports. Trudeau\u2019s replacement will be chosen through a nationwide Liberal Party election.<\/p>\n He is the latest leader in the West to be swept aside by a mood of anti-incumbency, a backlash against immigration and anger at the lingering effects of a spike in inflation during the coronavirus pandemic. Although inflation in Canada has receded to below 2 percent, unemployment remains high, at above 6 percent.<\/p>\n Quotable: <\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s time for a reset,\u201d Trudeau said, adding: \u201cI truly feel that removing the contention around my own continued leadership is an opportunity to bring the temperature down.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n By the numbers: <\/strong>According to a poll released last month by Ipsos, 73 percent of Canadians \u2014 including 43 percent of Liberal voters \u2014 believed he should step down as party leader.<\/p>\n Weeks after rebel forces toppled the Assad family\u2019s 50-year authoritarian grip on the country, the Biden administration lifted some restrictions<\/a> on humanitarian aid to Syria but kept sweeping sanctions in place.<\/p>\n The Treasury Department\u2019s decision, which lasts six months, allows humanitarian groups to operate more freely without running afoul of U.S. sanctions, including by helping to provide basic services such as electricity, energy, water and sanitation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Sanctions remain one of the most pressing concerns for Syria\u2019s new administration, as it tries to chart a path forward, and Ahmed al-Shara, the leader of the rebel coalition that overthrew the government, has called on the U.S. to begin easing restrictions.<\/p>\n Background: <\/strong>During Syria\u2019s civil war, the U.S. and its allies routinely looked to apply economic pressure on the now-ousted President Bashar al-Assad, his inner circle and the country\u2019s economy writ large. Washington is now taking cautious steps to navigate its approach to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel faction that took down the government in Damascus.<\/p>\n From the region:<\/strong><\/p>\n Russia said yesterday that it had seized control<\/a> of Kurakhove, a town in the southern Donbas region of Ukraine, closing in on its forces there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ukrainian forces made their own advance with a renewed push into the Kursk region of southern Russia. Combat footage, located by military analysts, indicated that Ukraine was trying to break through Russian defenses in at least three directions \u2014 its first significant attempt to advance in the region since Ukraine\u2019s initial incursion in August.<\/p>\n The stakes:<\/strong> Taking Kurakhove and the surrounding towns could allow Russia to broaden its assault on the city of Pokrovsk, a focal point of the war in recent months, military analysts said. Russia is trying to encircle the city, hoping to avoid brutal and prolonged urban combat.<\/p>\n Analysis:<\/strong> The dueling offensives underscored how both the Kremlin and Kyiv are seeking to demonstrate strength, as Donald Trump prepares to take office, experts said. Trump has vowed to bring the war to a quick end but has not said how.<\/p>\n The Taliban is desperate for a cash injection after losing billions in international aid. Now, they\u2019re looking underground to an estimated $1 trillion of mineral deposits and gemstones<\/a> beneath Afghanistan\u2019s rugged landscape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But it remains to be seen whether the Taliban can do what the U.S. couldn\u2019t: control the country\u2019s deeply chaotic industry enough to profit from it.<\/p>\n Lives lived: <\/strong>The drag star James Lee Williams, who performed as The Vivienne and who won the inaugural season of \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race UK,\u201d died over the weekend<\/a> at 32.<\/p>\n Many creators online have trained their pets to communicate by stepping on multicolored plastic buttons on the floor, expressing concepts like FOOD, MORE and even I DOG. For some commenters, the posts incite fervent ridicule; others are amazed and even inspired.<\/p>\n But what do scientists think? \u201cOstensibly, the interest in having dogs is that they\u2019re another species. There\u2019s something unknown about them, and that\u2019s wonderful,\u201d said Alexandra Horowitz, the head of a dog-cognition lab at Barnard College. \u201cWhy do we lean into forcing them to wear clothes and speak our language?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n That\u2019s it for today\u2019s briefing. See you tomorrow. \u2014 Natasha <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Reach Natasha and the team at <\/em>briefing@nytimes.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe U.S. has eased some restrictions on aid to Syria<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRussia seized a key town in Ukraine<\/h2>\n
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