Toronto, Mar 14 (AP): Former central banker Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada's new prime minister on Friday, and will now try to steer his country through a trade war brought by US President Donald Trump, a threat of annexation and an expected federal election.

Carney, 59, replaces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader. Carney is widely expected to trigger a general election in the coming days or weeks.

The governing Liberal Party had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared economic war and threatened to annex the entire country as a 51st state. Now the party and its new leader could come out on top.

Carney has said he's ready to meet with Trump if he shows “respect for Canadian sovereignty" and is willing to take ”a common approach, a much more comprehensive approach for trade."

Trump put 25 per cent tariffs on Canada's steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products April 2. He has threatened economic coercion in his annexation threats and suggested the border is a fictional line.

The US trade war and Trump's talk of making Canada the 51st US state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games. Some are cancelling trips south of the border, and many are avoiding buying American goods when they can.

The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered the Liberal Party's chances in a parliamentary election expected within days or weeks, and Liberal showings have been improving in opinion polls.

Carney, who navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada from 2008, and then in 2013 when he became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England — helping to manage the worst impacts of Brexit in the UK — will now try to steer Canada through the trade war brought by Trump.

“He will do very well. He's respected internationally,” former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told reporters Friday. But, he added: “There is no magic solution. This is not a normal situation. We've never seen someone who changes his mind every five minutes as president of the United States. It creates problems everywhere, not only in Canada.”

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Munger (Bihar) (PTI): An assistant sub-inspector died after he was allegedly assaulted by a group of people in Bihar’s Munger district, police said on Saturday.

The deceased has been identified as ASI Santosh Kumar Singh, who was posted at Mufassil police station in Munger.

In a similar episode on Wednesday night, an ASI died after a scuffle between police personnel and a group of people in Araria district.

The latest incident took place in the Nandlalpur village under the jurisdiction of Mufassil police station on Friday evening.

“This happened when the ASI along, with other officers, had gone to Nandlalpur village to investigate a case of scuffle around 8.30 pm on Friday. He was attacked with a sharp weapon on his head by some people involved in the scuffle during the investigation.

“The ASI suffered severe injuries and was immediately taken to the nearest government hospital, and later shifted to Patna for better treatment,” Chandan Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of Mufassil police station, told PTI.

Singh succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a Patna hospital in the early hours of Saturday, Kumar said.

A case was registered and four persons have been detained, he said.

The incident in Araria happened in Lakshmipur area under the jurisdiction of Phulkaha police station on Wednesday night, when a police team went there to nab a person, and subsequently a brawl broke out between the personnel and those protesting the arrest, SP Anjani Kumar had said.

The deceased ASI was identified as Rajeev Ranjan.