The news forced Canadian officials to rapidly arrange a meeting with their US partners. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland reportedly cut short her diplomatic trip to Europe to go to Washington on Tuesday for trade talks. A spokesman for the foreign minister said Canada will sign the new accord only if it is good for the country.

Under the current conditions, Ottawa essentially faces a take-it-or-leave-it offer, which is based on the US-Mexico trade pact. Though details of the new agreement are still unclear, it will predictably become less profitable for Canada than under NAFTA, which was condemned by the US president as the "single worst deal ever approved."

Though the US and Canada have traditionally enjoyed good trading relations, some 75 percent of Canada's exports are reportedly bound for the US with only 15 percent of American exports destined for Canada. American businesses could easily divert their exports away from Canada if trade barriers increase, according to research carried out by ScienceDirect. Moreover, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on imports of Canadian-made vehicles if Ottawa doesn't relent.

"I think with Canada, frankly, the easiest thing we can do is to tariff their cars coming in. It's a tremendous amount of money and it's a very simple negotiation. It could end in one day and we take in a lot of money the following day," said Trump.

The draft deal reached by the US and Mexico boosted American stocks to record highs on Monday.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has revealed himself as a huge fan of Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who he called his "hero" in advance of a meeting between the pair in Milan on Tuesday.

Orban did not mince words about his love for Salvini as he left a restaurant in the city ahead of the meeting, saying that the Italian politician is "a companion of destiny" and that he was "very curious" to learn more about his personality. "I'm a great admirer and I have some experiences that I could perhaps share with him. I have that feeling," he said. [...]

As Sicilian prosecutors launched an investigation last week into illegal detention and kidnapping over Salvini's refusal to let migrants disembark from a vessel docked in Catania, Salvini said he was prepared to be arrested and "proud" to defend Italy's borders. The migrants on board were rescued from an overcrowded boat by the coast guard vessel off the island of Lampedusa.

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"After looking into it, the relevant report is not true," she told a daily news briefing.

"Since the construction and training, this situation, it doesn't exist - it's not true. So anything related naturally is not true," Hua added, dismissing the assertion about China eventually sending its own soldiers.

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© ecoross1.livejournal.comTor-M2 surface-to-air missile system

The move, as well as deployment of Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Essen frigates armed with Kalibr cruise missiles near Syria, comes amid the growing threat of a new US-led missile strike on government facilities in the war-torn country.

According to him, the documents make it clear that the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group (outlawed in Russia) and some other terrorists pledged readiness to use chemical weapons against civilians in Idlib in order to put the blame on Syrian authorities and justify a foreign military aggression.