Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, appealed for calm and unity after violence erupted last week between fighters affiliated with his government and those loyal to the ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad. More than 1,000 people have been killed, including about 700 civilians, mostly by government forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Canadian elections were taking place yesterday, with two centrist policymakers vying to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of both the Liberal Party and the country. China announced this weekend tariffs of up to 100 percent on canola, pork and other foods from Canada. The move was retaliation for Canada's decision last August to collect steep taxes on imports of Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum.