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Trump Threatens Huge Tariffs On European Wine, Others

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United States President, Donald Trump, on Thursday, threatened to impose 200 percent tariffs on wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages from European Union countries, in retaliation against the bloc’s planned levies on American-made whiskey.

Trump has launched trade wars against competitors and partners alike since taking office, wielding tariffs as a tool to pressure countries on commerce and other policy issues.

His latest salvo was a response to the European Union’s unveiling of tariffs on $28 billion in US goods, to be imposed in stages starting in April.

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The EU measures — including a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey — were a tit-for-tat measure against Trump’s levies on steel and aluminum imports that took effect Wednesday.

“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

READ ALSO: Trump To Revoke Legal Status For 240,000 Ukrainians Who Fled War With Russia

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Criticism of the move was swift from European spirit makers.

French wine and champagne company Taittinger said that a 200 percent tariff could bring the cost of some bottles from about $60 to more than $180.

France’s federation of wine and spirit exporters, known by the acronym FEVS, put the blame on the European Commission for placing its members “directly into the crosshairs of the US president.”

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“We are fed up with being systematically sacrificed for issues unrelated to our own,” said the group’s director general Nicolas Ozanam.

– ‘Hostile and abusive’ –

Trump called the EU’s planned levy on US whiskey as “nasty” and dubbed the bloc “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World.”

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The Republican billionaire president has also said the European Union — which for decades has been at the heart of a US-led Western alliance — was formed to take advantage of the United States.

READ ALSO: Trump To Sell US Residency Permits To Wealthy People For $5m

He told reporters he would not bend on his aggressive tariffs policy, while European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc is ready to negotiate over escalating duties, though she insisted that tariffs are “bad for business.”

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French Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said his country would “not give in to threats” and was “determined to retaliate,’ while Spanish agriculture minister said he hopes to negotiate.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg Television he had plans to speak with his European counterparts, while an EU spokesperson said its trade chief has reached out to Washington.

EU economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis meanwhile held an introductory call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in which he expressed concern over US tariffs and their negative economic impact on both sides.

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– ‘Devastating’ –

The European spirits trade group, Spirits Europe, called on both sides to stop using the sector as a “bargaining chip” in their tariffs fight.

US wine merchants and restaurant owners also eyed Trump’s threats with trepidation.

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READ ALSO: Trump Backs Off Mexico, Canada Tariffs After Market Blowback

A 200 percent tariff would send business costs “through the roof,” said Francis Schott, a restaurant owner based in New Jersey who serves European and American wines.

“It’s just business that will go away. It’s devastating,” he told AFP. “If I lose half of the profit I make on alcoholic beverages, my business is no longer viable.”

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Europe exported nearly $5.2 billion worth of wine and champagne to the United States in 2023, according to the World Trade Organization.

– EU levy ‘disappointing’ –

US distillers have called the EU’s levy on American whiskey “deeply disappointing.”

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A 2018 imposition of similar tariffs led to a 20 percent drop in American whiskey exports to the European Union.

Trump’s tariff wars have taken aim at Canada, Mexico and China over allegations they are not doing enough to curtail fentanyl smuggling or illegal immigration into the United States — even if in the case of Canada, the border sees negligible smuggling.

He has also taken aim at commodities including steel, aluminum and copper.

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Some countries like China and Canada have already imposed retaliatory tariffs, while uncertainty over Trump’s trade plans and worries that they could trigger a recession have roiled financial markets.

AFP

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Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

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A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

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READ ALSO:Indian National Arraigned In Lagos Over Alleged N22m Supermarket Fraud

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

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The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

READ ALSO:NDLEA Intercepts Indian Lady With 72 Parcels Of Heroin ON n Chocolate Wraps

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

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Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

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Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

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The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

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READ ALSO:Strait Of Hormuz: Pakistan Thanks Trump For Pausing ‘Project Freedom’

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

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Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

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US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

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The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

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READ ALSO:US Restricts Entry Routes For Travellers From DRC, Uganda, South Sudan Over Ebola Outbreak

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

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Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

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