The United States and Canada have entered into uncharted territory.

The longtime allies and economic partners, who have enjoyed free trade for decades, are now in an escalating trade war with no clear off ramp.

And for Prime Minister Mark Carney, the late night decision to suspend talks with President Donald Trump and to retaliate instead of agreeing to a deal that seemed in reach will be a significant political test.

He is one of the first world leaders to walk away from the negotiating table with the White House – and the outcome will be closely watched.

Both sides have blamed last-minute changes for torpedoing the tentative deal, with Carney saying the US “asked too much” and “offered too little”.

Carney’s decision will challenge the appetite among Canadians to accept some economic pain as Ottawa pushes for more US concessions.

After rejecting Trump’s high pressure tactics, and in choosing to hit back against the latest duties, Carney will need to convince Canadians that the economic pain is worth the cost of standing up to the Trump administration in search of a better agreement in the long run.

In remarks on Saturday, he said “we take this step confident this is in the best interest of Canada” and accused the US of a “power play” by seeking eleventh-hour changes.

Asked by a reporter whether the US and Canada were locked in a trade war, he replied: “You’re at war when you’re attacked – we got attacked.”

Switching to French, he said the spiralling trade dispute “wasn’t our choice”, adding: “Canada is strong, Canada is ready, Canada is united.”

There is no doubt this will cause pain on both sides of the border, with business facing more pressure from US duties and Canadian counter-tariffs.

Canada sends about 70% of its exports to the US, and the country is the top trading partner for a number of US states, with Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio among the most exposed.

Carney came to power with a call for “elbows up” – an ice-hockey term for an aggressive approach – vowing to fight for Canada in the face of a Trump administration keen to exert economic pressure for its America First agenda.

Many Canadians have told pollsters that they are willing to fight.

A recent survey by Abacus Data suggested that around 36% of Canadians would support retaliating to US tariffs, while a Leger poll indicated that 56% of Canadians want the federal government to take a hard line and make no more concessions.

Canadians frustrated with the US tariffs have already chosen to avoid travelling there. The boycott has meant a loss of about C$3.3bn ($2.35bn; £1.75bn) in travel revenue for the US last year.

A decision by most provinces to remove US alcohol from store shelves has hammered that sector.

Based on US government trade data, US wine exports to Canada fell 78% year over year, a $357m loss in export value. The US distillers association reported similar numbers – saying provincial bans have caused exports of American spirits to drop by more than 70%.

The ban quickly became a point of frustration for the Trump administration.

Canada’s prime minister will also need to convince the provinces who have been less affected by the US trade dispute so far that walking away is a risk worth taking.

He briefed them on Saturday on the current state of affairs, and for now, they are showing a united front.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said he was committed to the “national project we are on”, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford said “we didn’t start this fight, but I can assure you, we’re going to win this fight.”

It’s still unclear exactly how the talks fell apart in the final hours, but by all accounts it came down to the wire.

Carney said that late US proposed terms “were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal”.

He added on Saturday those terms included demands on the automobile sector and “unacceptable” restrictions on trade deals with other countries.

In one biting line, he said of the Trump administration: “We recognise sometimes its signature is written in pencil.”

US trade representative Jamieson Greer, meanwhile, pointed to “new demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada”.

In a statement on Friday, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States suggested “Canadian provinces’ continued refusal to return US spirits products to store shelves has led to this outcome”.

There were also reports by Canadian media that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was unhappy with the deal.

And as details on an interim trade agreement with the US trickled out over last week, some provincial leaders, industry groups and political opponents raised concerns that the prime minister had not delivered on the fight he promised – though Carney denied that swayed his thinking.

Ford, usually one of the most vocal Canadian politicians on US tariffs, had been silent on the tentative deal all week. But in a letter sent to Carney, he raised concerns that an agreement under pressure would “embolden the United States to seek concession after concession”.

The province, which has a large manufacturing and vehicle sector, has been among the hardest hit regions in this trade dispute.

Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said that any agreement that included “one-sided” tariffs on Canadian industry would be “a bad deal”.

On Saturday, he backed Carney’s decision to walk away for now, saying: “Canada cannot accept one-sided tariffs that will de-industrialise our country.”

The collapse of this agreement calls into question the future of such talks, including an ongoing review of the US-Mexico-Canada free trade pact.

Now Carney – and Canada – must wait to see how Trump responds.

More than 50 co-ordinated arson and incendiary attacks “aimed at creating unrest” have been carried out across Thailand’s insurgency-hit south, the Thai military has said.

At least two people were injured, with a local government office building, a convenience store, and a stolen vehicle among the targets set on fire.

The incidents took place across the country’s southern border provinces between 20:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and midnight on Saturday, the military’s Internal Security Operations Command said in a statement.

Most were reported in Narathiwat province, with others occurring in neighbouring Yala and Pattani.

According to the Bangkok Post, two women were injured when a bomb exploded in Muang district in Narathiwat province.

Telecommunication towers were set on fire in several locations, and security officials warned residents not to touch suspicious objects.

Authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the Narathiwat province that was lifted on Sunday morning. No further attacks had been reported on Sunday.

No group has claimed responsibility for the arson attacks.

Since 2004, a low-level conflict has simmered in the southernmost provinces of Buddhist-majority Thailand, as rebels in the Muslim-majority region battle for greater autonomy. More than 7,000 people have been killed in the violence so far.

The insurgency is mainly led by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional.

Since talks facilitated by Malaysia began in 2013, the peace process has repeatedly stalled amid changing governments in Bangkok, with internal divisions on both sides.

In July, five soldiers were killed in a gun and bomb attack at a checkpoint in Narathiwat prompting the authorities to postpone a planned dialogue process.

Thai media report insurgents often target security officials and government buildings, sometimes ahead of visits by officials to the region.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and members of his cabinet are scheduled to make a two-day visit to the city of Hat Yai in southern Songkhla province next week to discuss investment projects, flooding prevention and security issues

The Democratic Republic of Congo government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group have agreed on a roadmap for peace talks.

In a joint statement after five days of talks in Switzerland, they said they had pledged to “pursue negotiations towards comprehensive peace and conflict resolution” and set up a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire.

The roadmap sets out a timeline for talks under a US-brokered peace framework which they signed in 2025 – only for fighting to then continue in eastern DR Congo, which has been engulfed in conflict for decades.

But disagreements remain over issues including sanctions against M23, the release of detainees and the timing of political reforms.

The latest negotiations were attended by M23, the government of DR Congo, Qatar, the US, the Republic of Togo, the African Union Commission and host Switzerland.

“The parties agreed to establish a mechanism tasked with reviewing progress and addressing challenges in implementation of obligations and commitments under the Doha Framework Agreement,” the statement added, referring to the 2025 deal.

They developed “sequenced steps and timelines” while also committing to “flexibility and creativity”, the statement said.

They also agreed to implement a mechanism to monitor ceasefire violations. Its secretariat has been established and the first verification mission is due to take place on Monday in Minembwe, an area of South Kivu affected by fighting.

Fighting has continued in North and South Kivu despite repeated ceasefire commitments, with the government and M23 accusing each other of violations.

The conflict is closely linked to tensions between DR Congo and neighbouring Rwanda.

Rwanda says DR Congo has failed to dismantle the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group that Kigali considers a security threat.

DR Congo denies supporting the FDLR and accuses Rwanda of backing M23 with troops and weapons.

In January 2025 the conflict got worse when the M23 seized parts of eastern DR Congo, including Goma and two airports.

Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes during the decades of fighting.

Eastern DR Congo is rich in coltan and other resources vital to the global electronics industries.

Rwanda has always denied supporting the M23, despite overwhelming evidence. It has always said its military presence in the region is defensive – and only there to counter threats posed by other armed groups.