In announcing the decision to postpone some tariffs on Mexico for another month, US President Donald Trump was at pains to praise his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum. "I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum", he wrote on his social media site, Truth Social. "Our relationship has been a very good one and we are working hard, together, on the border." The comments were in stark contrast to the kind of language he has used for the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who he continues to refer to as "Governor Trudeau", while calling Canada "the 51st State". The war of words – if not yet trade – continues between Canada and the Trump administration with Prime Minister Trudeau calling the entire tariffs policy "dumb" and the US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, calling him a "numbskull" in return. The difference in tone between the US neighbour to the north and the one to the south could hardly be more striking. Some, particularly in Claudia Sheinbaum's camp, see it as evidence of her deft handling of an unpredictable leader in the White House, one who has made several bold statements of intent, only for them to be rolled back or watered down. Certainly, President Sheinbaum has delivered a singular message from the start: Mexicans should "remain calm" over Trump, she has said, insisting that "cooler heads will prevail." In that sense, it has been so far, so good for the Mexican leader. Twice, now, in two months she has managed to stave off the imposition of sweeping 25% tariffs on Mexican goods through a last-minute phone call to President Trump – even though he said there was "no room" for negotiation. It is testament to her diplomacy that Trump seems to genuinely appreciate her tone, clarity and overall demeanour in their interactions. She has refused to accept publicly that Mexico hasn't done enough on either of the main border issues on which Trump is demanding action from his neighbours: fentanyl trafficking and undocumented immigration north. She began Thursday's morning press briefing by referring to new figures from the US Customs and Border Protection agency which show seizures of fentanyl have dropped to 263 kilos, their lowest levels in 3 years. It represents a 75% drop in the last six months of her presidency. When tariffs were avoided in February, Sheinbaum agreed to deploy 10,000 troops to the US-Mexico border. Her administration has also extradited (although they prefer the word "expelled") 29 drug cartel figures to the US to face trial on charges from murder to money laundering, including a top drug lord, Rafael Caro Quintero, who has been wanted by the US authorities since the mid-1980s. Those may well have been the measures Trump was referring to when he said the two countries were "working hard, together" on border security. Furthermore, she has often thrown the ball back in the US president's direction. Where do the guns which arm the cartels come from, she asks rhetorically, openly calling for the US to do more to curb the flow of weapons south and tackle its demand for illegal drugs. The drugs may come from Latin America, she points out, but the market for their consumption is overwhelmingly in the US. Even when the Trump administration recently designated six Mexican cartels as "foreign terrorist organisations", it seemed to strengthen her hand. That's because her administration is currently embroiled in a legal battle with US gun manufacturers over negligence. If US weapons-makers have allowed their products to reach terrorists rather than mere criminals, Mexico could expand its lawsuit, she said, to include a new charge of "complicity" with terror groups. And yet while President Sheinbaum is enjoying a strong start to her presidency – both domestically and in the eyes of the world – for her handling of Trump, it is worth stressing that these are early days in their bilateral relationship. "I think she has played the hand she has been dealt pretty well", said Mexican economist, Valeria Moy. "I'm not sure it's time for celebration just yet. But I think she has done what she can in the face of the threat of tariffs. It makes little sense for either of side to enter into a trade war." The key to Sheinbaum's success seems to have been in refusing to back down on unreasonable requests or matters of real importance, while similarly not appearing subservient or acquiescent to the White House's demands. That is not an easy path to tread. On some questions – the Gulf of Mexico being renamed by Trump as the Gulf of America, for example – she can afford to remain above the fray knowing that most people around the world are unlikely to adopt his preferred terminology. On others, particularly tariffs, the stakes are considerably higher; there's a danger that the constant back-and-forth and instability on the issue could push the Mexican economy into recession. The Mexican peso weakened again during this latest episode and, although Sheinbaum claims the country's economy is strong, the markets would clearly prefer a more reliable and solid relationship with the US. Mexico remains the US's biggest trading partner, after all. When I spoke to President Sheinbaum on the campaign trail last year, shortly before she made history by becoming Mexico's first woman president, she said she would have no problem working with a second Trump presidency and that she would always "defend" what was right for Mexicans – including the millions who reside in the US. "We must always defend our country and our sovereignty," she told me. With so much bluster between these three neighbours in recent days, it is easy to forget that the Trump presidency is still only six weeks old. The new relationship with the White House has a long way to go, with the USMCA trade agreement to be renegotiated next year. But certainly, amid all the political theatre, Claudia Sheinbaum will be more pleased than Justin Trudeau with how it has started.

Former Olympic snowboarder and Canadian national Ryan Wedding, 43, has been placed on the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives list for allegedly running a violent transnational drug trafficking network. Wedding is wanted for allegedly shipping hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and southern California, to Canada and US locations, and for orchestrating multiple murders and an attempted murder to further these drug crimes. The US is offering a reward of up to $10m (£7.7m) for information leading to Wedding's arrest or conviction. Investigators believe he is living in Mexico, but have not ruled out his presence in the US, Canada, other Latin American countries or elsewhere. It was not clear if he has a lawyer. Wedding competed in Giant Slalom snowboarding for Canada during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. His aliases include "El Jefe," "Giant," "Public Enemy," "James Conrad King," and "Jesse King," the FBI said. In June 2024, Wedding and his accomplice Andrew Clark, 34, also Canadian, were charged in California with running a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder in connection with the enterprise and assorted drug crimes, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. Clark was arrested last October by Mexican authorities and was among 29 fugitives extradited to the US from Mexico last week. The US indictment alleges that Wedding and Clark directed the 20 November 2023 murders of two family members in Ontario, Canada, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through southern California. Another family member survived the shooting but was left with serious physical injuries, the FBI said. Wedding and Clark allegedly also ordered the murder of another victim on 18 May 2024 over a drug debt, according to the FBI. "The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger," Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said in a press release on Thursday.

The three, who were tangled in sexual relationships with one of their handlers or each other, denied being in on the plot and claimed they didn’t know who they were working for. LONDON — Three Bulgarian nationals based in Britain were convicted on Friday by a London jury of spying for Russia on what prosecutors said was “an industrial scale.” The trio was accused of putting lives in danger as they acted on orders on behalf of Russian intelligence to carry out surveillance across Europe between 2020 and 2023. Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were convicted Friday at London’s Central Criminal Court after a trial that began in November. The three, who were tangled in sexual relationships with one of their handlers or each other, denied being in on the plot and claimed they didn’t know who they were working for or were lied to by their superiors. Prosecutors said that they spied on a U.S. air base in Germany where Ukrainian troops were said to be training, and had discussed kidnapping or killing opponents of the Russian state. They also allegedly tried to lure a Bulgarian journalist who uncovered Moscow’s involvement in the 2018 Novichok poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England, into a “honeytrap” romance with Gaberova. The ringleaders discussed robbing and killing Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev, or kidnapping him and taking him to Russia, prosecutors said. The spy ring also included two other defendants, ringleader Orlin Roussev and his underling Biser Dzhambazov. They previously pleaded guilty to espionage charges and having false identity documents. Roussev, 47, was directed by alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, an Austrian national, who was in touch with Russian intelligence agencies, prosecutors said.

Trump made the threat on Truth Social as his administration engages in talks with Hamas over the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to have members of Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza killed if hostages are not immediately released. "'Shalom Hamas' means Hello and Goodbye — You can choose. Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you," Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have just met with your former Hostages whose lives you have destroyed. This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance,” he added. “Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!” The White House said in a statement that Trump met Wednesday with eight hostages released from Gaza: Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher and Noa Argamani. The administration is engaging in direct talks with Hamas over the release of U.S. hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Wednesday. Trump believes the dialogue is part of a "good-faith effort to do what’s right for the American people," Leavitt said at a White House news briefing. "There are American lives at stake," she added, saying Israel had been consulted. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem responded to Trump's comments, telling Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency "These threats complicate matters regarding the ceasefire agreement and encourage the occupation not to implement its terms." "There is an agreement that was signed and Washington was a mediator in it, which includes the release of all prisoners in 3 stages," Qassem added, "and Hamas has implemented what it was required to do in the first stage, while Israel is evading the second stage." The six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended Saturday with no extension of peace negotiations in sight. It is the first time the United States has held direct talks with the group, which it has designated a terrorist organization. Axios first reported the talks between the United States and Hamas. Asked whether the scope of the talks included Trump's proposal to take over Gaza, Leavitt said she would not go into details and referred questions to the State Department. Initially, the idea for a second phase of a ceasefire included Hamas’ releasing more hostages in return for Israel's withdrawing from the Palestinian territory, with the aim of ending the war. But with no talks continuing, Israel reinstated a halt in the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza after the initial phase of the ceasefire ended. Hamas then accused Israel of violating their agreement by “evading the commitment to end the war and withdraw completely from Gaza.” Israel recently approved a plan from the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, that would have continued the first stage of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover instead of proceeding to the second phase of peace talks. Witkoff's plan called for the release of half of the remaining hostages, including the bodies of those who have died, on the first day and the remaining hostages once a permanent ceasefire deal is reached, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. But Hamas rejected the proposal, saying it didn't honor the original, multiphased ceasefire agreement. "Unfortunately, these positions by the United States strengthened the position of the Zionist right within the government and pushed for taking punitive steps, including closing the crossings in this manner and using the starvation policy against the people of the Gaza Strip," the group’s spokesman, Hazem Qassem, said in a statement Sunday. White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement Sunday that Israel has "negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists." Hughes added that the United States will support Israel's decision on next steps "given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire." On Monday, Netanyahu warned Hamas in remarks before the Knesset, Israel's legislature, that if the group didn't release more hostages, "there will be consequences beyond your imagination. We are preparing for the next stages of the campaign — not everything is visible, and that’s a good thing." The Biden administration announced initial ceasefire in January just days before Trump's inauguration. It required a pause of Israel's military operations in Gaza and the release of both living and dead hostages held there in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he's willing to cut off power supply to the US if President Donald Trump continues with tariffs against Canada. Ford announced his retaliatory plans shortly after Trump implemented a 25% tariff against Canadian imported goods and a 10% tariff on Canadian energy. He said he would implement his own 25% surcharge on Canadian electricity exports to three US states: Michigan, New York and Minnesota. If the US tariffs are escalated, he said, he would consider completely cutting those states off from Canadian power. About 1.5m Americans in those states get their electricity from Canada. Ford's response comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his own retaliatory measures – including an immediate 25% tariff on C$30bn ($20.7, £16.2) of goods from the US. As the leader of Ontario, Canada's most populous province and largest economy, Ford is able to wield his own carrot and stick. He banned US companies from bidding on Ontario infrastructure projects, and he cancelled a $100m deal with Elon Musk's Starlink internet provider. He also said he's reached out to lawmakers in those three US states to urge them to put pressure on Trump to back off tariffs against Canada - or risk leaving their own constituents in the dark. He also urged premiers in other Canadian provinces to follow suit. But the timing of Ford's promised tariffs is not clear. Ford told media he would implement the tariff on electricity if Trump's tariffs "persist". He said he is looking for ways to avoid passing new legislation, which could take weeks. "We need to act immediately," he said. "If they go further into April, then we'll cut off their electricity," he added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on Canada, calling it a "very dumb thing to do" and vowed to conduct a "relentless fight" to protect its economy. Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on products entering the US from Canada and Mexico, and has increased a levy on goods coming from China. The Canadian prime minister announced retaliatory tariffs on US exports and warned that a trade war would be costly for both countries. But Trump pushed even further in a post on Truth Social, saying: "Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!" Trudeau accused the US president of planning "a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us". "That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state," he told reporters on Tuesday. "This is a time to hit back hard and to demonstrate that a fight with Canada will have no winners." He said that Canada's main goal remains to get the tariffs lifted so that they "don't last a second longer than necessary". Trump said he is protecting US jobs and manufacturing, and trying to prevent illegal migration and drug trafficking. The US president said his goal is to clamp down on the powerful opioid fentanyl; he has variously blamed the other countries for the drug's arrival in the US. Responding to the accusations, Trudeau said on Tuesday there was "no justification" for the new tariffs, because less than 1% of the fentanyl intercepted at the US border comes from Canada. Trudeau's words were echoed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said there was "no motive, no reason, no justification" for Trump's move. Speaking on Tuesday, she too vowed to issue her own "tariff and non-tariff measures" - but said further details would be given on Sunday. Trump's tariffs are likely to push up prices for consumers in the US and abroad, said John Rogers, an economics professor at American International University. The items most likely to be affected the soonest are food - the fruits, vegetables and other produce the US imports from Mexico - followed by the large amounts of oil and gas imported from Canada, Prof Rogers said. "Prices could go up pretty soon", Prof Rogers warned, though he was reluctant to say by exactly how much or how quickly. "We are in pretty uncharted territory," he told the BBC. The bigger concern for prof Rogers was the potential damage he said was being done to America's longstanding trade partners. "This is kind of sticking your finger in the eye of your neighbour," he said, adding that, in a potential US-Canada-Mexico trade war, "everybody is a loser". The three countries targeted are America's top trading partners, and the tit-for-tat measures also prompted fears of that very trade war. "There's no way you can win a trade war. Everybody suffers, because everybody's just going to wind up paying higher prices and sacrificing quality," Prof Rogers said. Tariffs are a tax on imports from other countries, designed to protect against cheaper competition from elsewhere, and boost businesses and jobs at home. Canada's Immigration Minister Marc Miller warned that as many as a million jobs in Canada were at risk if the tariffs were implemented, given how intertwined trade was between the two countries. "We can't replace an economy that is responsible for 80% of our trade overnight and it's going to hurt," he said on Monday. Speaking to the AFP news agency, a car manufacturing employee in the Canadian province of Ontario said people were indeed "pretty scared" of being laid off. "I just bought my first house," Joel Soleski said. "I might have to look for work elsewhere." The sector is one that could be badly affected by the new tariffs regime in North America. Car parts may cross US-Canada border several times during the manufacturing process, and so might be taxed on multiple occasions. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is home to Canada's auto manufacturing industry, told reporters on Tuesday that he anticipates assembly plants will "shut down on both sides of the border" as a result of the tariffs. The tariffs were called "reckless" by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, whose president Candace Laing cautioned that the move would force both Canada and the US towards "recession, job losses and economic disaster". Ms Laing warned they would also increase prices for Americans, and force US businesses to find alternate suppliers that she said "are less reliable than Canadian ones". Canadian provincial leaders have vowed their own responses. Ford of Ontario mooted the possibility of cutting off Canadian electricity supplies and exports of high-grade nickel to the US, as well as putting an export levy of 25% on electricity sent to power homes in Michigan, New York and Minnesota. Canada exports enough electricity to power some six million American homes. Ontario and other provinces have also moved to remove US-made liquor off their shelves. In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston said his province will ban American companies from bidding on provincial contracts, as will Ontario. Ford also announced that a C$100m ($68m; £55.1) contract with Elon Musk's satellite internet company Starlink will be cancelled. Meanwhile China - which now faces tariffs of 20% after Trump doubled an earlier levy - has vowed to fight any trade war to the "bitter end". It has announced its own counter-measures - including tariffs on a range of US agricultural and food products.

US stock markets have tumbled over concerns that President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China will lead to a wider trade war and hurt the economy. The S&P 500 index, which tracks 500 of the biggest companies in the US, fell for a second day, ending at its lowest level since November when Trump won the election. The president has followed through on a threat to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 20% levy on China. The move drew swift retaliation, including from Canada, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Trump his decision to target the US neighbour and close trade partner was a "very dumb thing to do". Trump fired back, writing on social media: "Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!" US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested that Trump could be ready to do a deal with Canada and Mexico. "I think he's going to work something out with them," he told Fox News. Saying it would not be a "pause", he added: "I think he's going to figure out, 'You do more and I'll meet you in the middle some way', and we're going to probably be announcing that tomorrow." It is not clear if Trump will announce a new deal but markets will be closely watching the president's address to Congress on Tuesday. Goods worth several billions of dollars cross the borders of the US, Canada and Mexico each day and their economies are deeply integrated. Stock markets in the US and globally have fallen since Trump announced on Monday that the tariffs would go ahead. Canada and China have already announced retaliatory import taxes on US goods. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said the country would announce a response on Sunday that would include "tariff and non-tariff measures". The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.5%, while the Nasdaq, where many technology companies' shares are listed, fell 0.35%. The S&P 500 closed 1.2% lower. American retailers and carmakers were among the hardest hit, with electronics chain Best Buy's share price closing more than 13% lower. The company had warned earlier on Tuesday that the tariffs would lead to higher prices for its shoppers. "The giant wildcard obviously is how the consumers are going to react to the price increases in light of a lot of price increases potentially throughout the year," said Best Buy's chief financial officer Matt Bilunas. Trump said he was imposing the tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China in response to what he said was the unacceptable flow of illegal drugs and illegal immigrants into the US. Trudeau called that justification "completely bogus" and warned that Canada's retaliatory measures would hurt. He said Canada would first hit $30bn worth of products, and target the remaining $125bn over 21 days. Any fresh duties Canada imposes will be in place "until the US trade action is withdrawn", he said. "Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the wellbeing of every one in it is at stake," he said. Addressing Trump directly, he added: "Donald, you're a very smart guy. But this is a very dumb thing to do." China also swiftly announced its own counter-measures, which include 10-15% tariffs on some US agricultural goods including wheat, corn, beef and soybeans. China is the US's biggest buyer of these goods. "If the United States... persists in waging a tariff war, a trade war, or any other kind of war, the Chinese side will fight them to the bitter end," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. Trump said he would respond to retaliation with a plan, due in April, for "reciprocal" tariffs. These would be tailor-made to each country and take into account areas such as the trade balance with the US and other taxes, such as VAT. Trump has also threatened to impose 25% tariffs on the EU, recently claiming that the bloc had been "formed to screw the United States". Europe has pledged to hit back, but no tariffs have been implemented yet.

Canada's Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has told the BBC she takes US President Donald Trump's remarks on making Canada the 51st state of his country "very seriously". "This is not a joke anymore," Joly told Newsnight. "There's a reason why Canadians, when they go out on a hockey game, are booing the American national anthem... We're insulted. We're mad. We're angry." Her comments come after Trump imposed 25% tariffs on products entering the US from Canada on Tuesday. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called that a "very dumb thing to do" and announced retaliatory tariffs. However, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Trump would "probably" announce a deal to reduce tariffs on Wednesday. She said no Trump administration secretaries had contacted their Canadian counterparts on Monday or Tuesday about tariffs. Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico on 4 February, but delayed implementation until 4 March. Canadian energy imports face a 10% tariff. Ontario Premier Doug Ford implemented a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to three US states, and if tariffs escalated, said he would consider cutting Michigan, New York and Minnesota off from Canadian power. Trump also imposed a 10% tariff on goods worth more than $800 (£645) from China in February, which doubled in March. China responded with its own tariffs. The White House said when it introduced the tariffs that it was "taking bold action to hold [the three countries] accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country". Fentanyl is linked to tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the US each year. Trudeau said his country was responsible for less than 1% of fentanyl entering the US. Canada had introduced new border security measures in December, in response to Trump's tariff threats before he took office. "We didn't want this trade war. We did everything that was required under the executive order to make sure our border was safe and secure," Joly told the BBC, but said "this is a bogus excuse on the part of the Trump administration against us". Joly said Canada was the "canary in the coal mine", with the Europeans next, and the UK after that. Trump has threatened 25% tariffs on the European Union as well. She said Canada and the UK should work together: "That's also why I went to London to make sure that if there are tariffs imposed, we should work on counter-tariffs well." Joly said Canada's public displays of displeasure against the US are not "against the American people. We're the best friends of the American people". She called the tariffs on the US's biggest trading partner an "existential threat". "We cannot let our guard down," she said. "We need to make sure that we fight back."

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said President Donald Trump is considering a deal that would offer exemptions from tariffs on Canada and Mexico, including potentially for carmakers. The possibility of a rollback, which he said could be announced on Wednesday, came as many US businesses raised concerns about Trump's decision to hit US imports from its two closest trade partners with a 25% import tax. After two days of declines, the main US stock indexes were trading slightly higher early on Wednesday. Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly told the BBC's Newsnight on Tuesday that her office had not been contacted about any plans around reducing tariffs. US officials "can say many things" but "the only one that really takes a decision is President Trump," Joly said. The US president used a large part of his speech to Congress on Tuesday to outline his trade policies, but he did not say whether he planned to cut the tariffs that came into effect this week. Canada and Mexico announced retaliatory import levies on the US after Washington's 25% tariffs on its two neighbours came into effect on Tuesday. Goods worth billions cross the borders of the US, Canada and Mexico each day and their economies are deeply integrated. Trump says he wants to protect American industry and boost manufacturing, but many economists warn such tariffs could lead to prices rising for consumers in the US. On Wednesday, Lutnick said tariffs would be in place, but suggested some goods could be "left out". "There are going to be tariffs - let's be clear - but what he's thinking about is which sections of the market that maybe he'll consider giving them relief until we get to, of course, April 2," Lutnick told Bloomberg on Wednesday. "It will be 25% but there will be some categories left out - it could well be autos. It could be others as well," he added. A day earlier on Fox News, Lutnick had raised the possibility of a compromise and reduction of tariffs for Mexico and Canada, saying Trump was weighing offers to meet his allies "in the middle". Trump has said he would move ahead on 2 April with plans for reciprocal tariffs on other countries around the world that he sees as treating the US unfairly. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has slammed Trump's sweeping tariffs on his country, calling it a "very dumb thing to do" and vowed to conduct a "relentless fight" to protect its economy. Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs on US exports and warned that a trade war would be costly for both countries. But Trump pushed even further in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying: "Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!" Trudeau accused the US president of planning "a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us". "That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state," he told reporters. Washington also ramped up its trade war with Beijing on Tuesday as a new 10% levy on Chinese imports that came into effect - which adds to existing levies from Trump's first term and those announced last month. "China will fight to the bitter end of any trade war," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said after their country announced tit-for-tat tariffs on agricultural imports from the US.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese authorities say 22 people have been killed and 3 injured in a fire at a restaurant in the northern city of Liaoyang. No word was given on the cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after noon, but images from the scene showed huge flames spurting from the windows and doors of the two- or three-story building. Industrial accidents occur frequently in China, usually due to staff ignoring safety features due to a lack of training or pressure from their superiors. Poorly maintained infrastructure, illegally stored chemicals and a lack of fire exits and fire retardant, often abetted by corruption, are often factors in such disasters. If the fire began in the kitchen, it may be related to the traditional use of large open fires over which iron woks are used to braise dishes. Diners across China also enjoy a dish known simply as “hot pot” in which meat and vegetables are stewed over open flames. Liaoyang, in Liaoning province, is part of China’s rust belt, a former industrial powerhouse that has fallen on hard times with considerable population outflow.