#OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new advisory council on Canada—U.S. trade met for the first time today, ahead of trade negotiations with President Donald Trump’s White House that are set to begin over the coming months.

Carney recently struck the new committee in preparation for the scheduled review of the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA, which must start by July.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc chaired the closed-door meeting of the council’s roughly two dozen members, which include leading Canadian business and labour leaders.

LeBlanc’s office says the committee reviewed Canada’s priorities for CUSMA renewal talks but did not say what those priorities are.

The trade advisory group includes former Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole and former premiers Jean Charest and P.J. Akeeagok.

The advisory panel also welcomed a new member today: Eliot Pence, the founder of the Canadian defence tech firm Dominion Dynamics.

This report by The Canadian Press .

Le #Bénin se penche sur l’adressage numérique, pour fluidifier les transports et la logistique urbaines

Nigerian Gas Association forum calls for clearer regulations, disciplined implementation and alignment to boost investment and unlock gas sector growth.

The US has extended its ceasefire with Iran to allow more time for negotiations, despite uncertainty over Tehran’s response; the future of Druzhba pipeline oil supplies remains unclear as political disputes over #EU funding and sanctions persist; and Russia’s seaborne oil exports have rebounded after weeks of decline thanks to recovering shipments in the Baltic. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia. #TradeNews

#Afreximbank report says poor infrastructure drives high #logistics costs in #Africa, limiting intra-African #trade, which remains far below global levels.

U.S. forces board a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon says. The Tifani was captured in the Bay of Bengal — between India and Southeast Asia — and was carrying Iranian oil, according to a U.S. defence official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation. The U.S. military will decide in the next four days what to do with the vessel, such as tow it back to the U.S. or turn it over to another country, the official said.

It’s the latest move in the U.S. war on Iran to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government, from weapons and oil to metals and electronics. The announcement comes ahead of the expiration of an already tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, and as Pakistan attempts to broker talks between Washington and Tehran.

It is the second vessel linked to Iran that has been interdicted by the U.S. military. The U.S. navy attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship Sunday that it said had tried to evade its blockade of Iranian ports, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying an American destroyer blew a hole in the ship’s engine room.

The #trade turnover between Russia and Armenia amounted to $6.4 bln in 2025, President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

"The turnover was [$]11 bln in the year before the last one," the head of state said. "For the last one, the year of 2025 - $6.4 bln," he noted. "I would like to draw attention that [it] is less than [$]5 bln - [$]4.9 bln with the neighboring country, with Azerbaijan. This is telling," Putin stressed.

"Of these six and a half, $1.2 bln are agricultural products. These are vegetables, fruits, wine - everything Armenia is exporting," the Russian president added.

Brent oil futures with delivery in June 2026 surged by 42.02% on London-based ICE to $103.97 per barrel in this March, according to #trading data.

WTI futures with the settlement in May 2026 gained 50.66% to $101.38 per barrel over this month.

Brent futures peaked on March 9, 2026 to as high as $119.5 per barrel for the first time since June 17, 2022. WTI futures reached their maximum on the same day and stood at $119.48 per barrel first time since June 15, 2022.