Good morning. Today, fighting enters Day 10 of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. More on that below, along with federal by-elections and a renewed push for paperbacks. Let’s get to it.
Plumes of smoke rise over oil depot tanks hit by joint Israel-U.S. strikes overnight north west of Tehran on March 8.Hossein Esmaeili/The Globe and Mail
TOP STORY
Khamenei’s son is Iran’s next Supreme Leader
The latest: Iran’s Assembly of Experts has named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, state media reported on Sunday. The reclusive hard-liner had already been expected to be next in line. Israel has threatened whoever is chosen and the move could also draw the ire of the U.S. President who says he should have a role in the selection.
On the ground: Fighting continued to escalate over the weekend as thick black smoke hung over Tehran after strikes on oil-storage facilities. The U.S. military on Sunday reported a seventh American has died and Israel continued to target senior Iranian figures with military strikes.
In the air: Middle East Airlines, which earned the moniker of “most badass airline on the planet” for continuing to fly in and out of Beirut throughout a two-month Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, is living up to that reputation once again.
From Ottawa: The first flight chartered by the federal government to evacuate Canadians from the Middle East landed in Istanbul early Sunday, though with only half the number of Canadian passengers for which it had capacity.
What’s next: Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was not seeking negotiations to end the conflict, which has driven up global energy prices, disrupted business and snarled air travel.
Opinion: Canada’s rhetorical support for the war on Iran has an audience of one.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with reporters on the final day of a three-country tour, in Tokyo on March 7.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Politics
PM Mark Carney announces three federal by-elections
The latest: The by-elections aim to fill vacancies in the Ontario ridings of Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale, as well as one in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, near Montreal. A Liberal sweep of all three ridings would bring the party’s seat count in the House of Commons to 172, which is technically the minimum threshold for a majority government.
What’s next: The three federal by-elections will take place April 13. The Conservative Party has not yet announced a candidate in any of the ridings.
Indigo sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers.Photo illustration by Christie Vuong/The Globe and Mail
How We Live
The push into non-fiction “pocket paperbacks”
The latest: Remember paperback books that fit in your pocket? A recent campaign by Indigo Books & Music Inc. to reintroduce the cheaper, compact book format to readers has found early success after years of mass-market paperback struggles. Now, the retailer sees an opportunity to help another category that has been persistently struggling: Canadian non-fiction.
What else: This spring, a wide range of promising books invite readers into worlds both familiar and strange. Intimate or expansive, grounded or fantastical, this season’s crop reveals the many ways personal and global narratives can transform how we see the world. For The Globe’s Spring books preview, we have 39 titles to add to your reading list.
Exclusive
Library and Archives Canada plans to cut its access to information team
The latest: Library and Archives is planning deep cuts to its access to information division that will put at risk its ability to comply with access and privacy laws, the department has acknowledged in a document that plans to save about $13.6-million a year.
The context: The inability to access historical records from the archives has become so dire that Canadian historians often rely on the public archives of other countries to do research. The Globe and Mail had first included a report about these struggles based on interviews with dozens of researchers, archivists and academics in our Secret Canada project.
Trade
How Canada is bulking up business ties with India
The latest: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to India was an effort to give Canadian companies more traction in the country’s market. He met the leaders of some of India’s great business houses in Mumbai last weekend, then travelled to New Delhi to patch things up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after several years of diplomatic strife.
What’s next: The goal is to get more Canadian uranium into Indian nuclear reactors, more Canadian code into Indian software systems and more Canadian-branded coffee into India’s rapidly growing middle class. In a speech to Indian business leaders in Mumbai last weekend, Carney also pitched Canada as a secure supplier of energy and critical minerals.
Bookmarked
- At home: For decades, the towing industry has shown to be a consistent thread in police corruption cases.
- Abroad: A Nepali political party led by an ex-rapper is set for a landslide victory in the country’s first election since the Gen Z protests.
- For your finances: Bank-stock valuations are rich. Here’s why that might not be a problem.
- For your health: The most common misconceptions about starting to run.
- Conversation starter: The World Cup’s gravitational pull can’t solve our bigger problems.
The Quote
Without Paralympic exposure, many potential athletes simply never discover that the sport exists, or never see it as a realistic dream. So many of us, myself included, got into para hockey because we watched it on TV during the Games. The problem is, it’s only men.
— Raphaëlle Tousignant, para women’s hockey player
Para ice hockey is the only event at the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympic Games that is classified as a mixed-gender sport. Yet in practice, it has been anything but.
The Shot
Makeup artist Hung Vanngo counts Emily Blunt, far left, and Zoey Deutch, far right, as clients; hairstylist Harry Josh often works with Kate Hudson, top, and Irina Shayk, centre; Karla Welch styles the looks for (bottom row, left to right) Kristen Wiig, Anna Sawai, Tessa Thompson and Sarah Paulson.Photo illustration by The Globe and Mail. Sources: Getty Images (celebrities); REUTERS (Kristen Wiig); iStock (photographers)/The Globe and Mail
We met the Canadians who style Hollywood A-listers for their big red-carpet moments. They spoke with The Globe about navigating a shifting media landscape, how it feels to be in Hollywood right now and what it takes to stay at the top.