Headline

Trump Threatens Huge Tariffs On European Wine, Others

Published

3 months ago

March 13, 2025

Editor

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.

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.

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.”

“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.”

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.

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.”

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.

– ‘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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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

Headline

US Visa Adjudication Sparks Concerns Over Diplomatic Relations

Published

3 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The US Department of State has responded to questions regarding a proposed expansion of the travel ban to 36 countries, including 25 in Africa, following intense global debates and concerns, with many questioning its potential impact on diplomatic relations, travels, and economies.

According to the spokesperson for the Department of State, Ms Bruce, the proposal aims to protect US national security and public safety by ensuring that foreign travelers do not pose a threat to the country, saying ,

As laid out in Trump’s Executive Order 14161, ‘Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other National Security and Public Safety Threats’, the visa adjudication process has got to ensure that US-bound foreign travellers do not pose a threat to the national security and public safety of the United States.

She said that the Department of State assesses countries’ security capabilities, information sharing, and identity management practices to determine whether they can be trusted to provide reliable information for visa adjudication.

Countries that fail to meet certain security standards may face travel restrictions or entry bans. The goal is to ensure that US-bound foreign travelers do not pose a threat to national security and public safety, Bruce explained.

When asked about a deadline for countries to come up with an action plan, the spokesperson clarified that there is no immediate deadline, stating that countries will have a considerable amount of time to rectify any issues affecting the nature of the US trust in how they issue visas.

However, the proposed travel ban has sparked concerns about its potential impact on diplomatic relations and travels between the US and affected countries.

The African Union has expressed opposition to the ban, emphasising the need for balanced and evidence-based decision-making.

GLOBAL REACTIONS
Caribbean Leaders

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica expressed frustration over the lack of transparency surrounding the ban, emphasizing that his government is prepared to address any concerns raised by US officials.

Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and other Caribbean nations have issued diplomatic notes to the US State Department, requesting official confirmation about their status on the list and clarification on how the policy will be enforced.

AFRICAN NATIONS

Some countries, like Chad, have already retaliated against previous travel bans by suspending visas for US citizens.

Regional leaders are concerned about the potential economic and diplomatic fallout, particularly for tourism-dependent economies.

US IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES

Critics argue that the ban disproportionately targets African and Caribbean nations, labeling it xenophobic and discriminatory. They warn that the expanded scope could face court challenges, particularly from those with existing US ties.

ECONOMIC CONCERNS
Tourism Impact

The Caribbean is one of the most tourism-dependent regions in the world, and any major restriction will have devastating economic consequences, according to a regional economist based in Bridgetown, Barbados.

CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAMS

The US has raised concerns about the security risks associated with these programs, which allow foreign nationals to acquire second citizenships in exchange for financial investments. Antigua and Barbuda’s government has defended its screening process, stating that all applications are rigorously vetted by recognized international agencies.

DIPLOMATIC FALLOUT
Strained Relations

The proposed ban has also raised concerns about strained diplomatic ties, especially for countries reliant on American tourism or investment

DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS

Caribbean officials are mobilising for diplomatic action, with the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) convening high-level talks with US officials to press for more transparency on the proposed travel ban.
(VANGUARD)

Headline

Trouble Looms As Trump Gives Iran Two Weeks To Avoid US Airstrikes

Published

10 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran had a “maximum” of two weeks to avoid possible US air strikes, indicating he could make a decision before the fortnight deadline he set a day earlier.

Trump added that he was not inclined to stop Israel attacking Iran because it was “winning,” and was dismissive of European efforts to mediate an end to the conflict.

“I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,” Trump told reporters when asked if he could decide to strike Iran before that.

He added that the aim was to “see whether or not people come to their senses.”

Trump had said in a statement on Thursday that he would “make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks” because there was a “substantial chance of negotiations” with Iran.

Those comments had been widely seen as opening a two-week window for negotiations to end the war between Israel and Iran, with the European powers rushing to talks with Tehran.

But his latest remarks indicated Trump could still make his decision before that if he feels that there has been no progress towards dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump meanwhile dismissed talks that European powers Britain, France, Germany and the EU had with Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva on Friday.

Europe ‘didn’t help’

“They didn’t help,” he said as he arrived in Morristown, New Jersey, ahead of a fundraising dinner at his nearby golf club.

“Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the talks in Geneva that Tehran would not resume negotiations with the United States until Israel stopped its attacks.

But Trump was reluctant.

“It’s very hard to make that request right now,” Trump said.

“If somebody’s winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody’s losing, but we’re ready, willing and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens.”

Trump meanwhile doubled down on his claims that Iran is weeks away from being able to produce a nuclear bomb, despite divisions in his own administration about the intelligence behind his assessment.

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s director of national intelligence, said in a report in March that Iran was not close to having enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon.

“She’s wrong,” Trump said of Gabbard, a longtime opponent of US foreign intervention whom Trump tapped to coordinate the sprawling US spy community.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

AFP

Headline

Trump Orders Mass Layoffs At Voice Of America, Other US-funded Media

Published

10 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday ordered mass layoffs at Voice of America and other government-funded media, moving ahead with gutting the outlets despite legal disputes and criticism that US adversaries will benefit.

Kari Lake, a fervent Trump supporter named to a senior role at the US Agency for Global Media, said the notices were a “long-overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.”

Lake said in a statement that she would work with the State Department and Congress to “make sure the telling of America’s story is modernized, effective and aligned with America’s foreign policy.”

Trump issued an order in March that froze Voice of America (VOA) for the first time since it was founded in 1942.

Termination notices were sent to 639 employees on Friday, after previous offers of voluntary departures and dismissals of contractors.

Some 1,400 positions have been eliminated, with only 250 remaining, Lake said.

Voice of America layoffs included journalists from its Persian service who had briefly been brought back to work after Israel attacked Iran a week ago.

Employees have filed a lawsuit challenging Lake’s actions, which come even though Congress had already appropriated funding.

The mass firing decision “spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds the US ideals of democracy and freedom around the world,” the three plaintiffs wrote in a statement.

“Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and extremist groups are flooding the information space with anti-American propaganda. Do not cede this ground by silencing America’s voice,” said the three complainants, Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the “decimation of US broadcasting leaves authoritarian propaganda unchecked by US backed independent media and is a perversion of the law and congressional intent.”

“It is a dark day for the truth,” she wrote on X.

Trump frequently attacks media outlets and has scoffed at the so-called editorial firewall at VOA which prevents the government from intervening in its coverage, something he at times has considered too critical of his administration.

One outlet preserved by the mass cuts has been Radio Marti, which broadcasts into Cuba and enjoys support from anti-communist Cuban-American Republican lawmakers.

Other outlets funded by the US government have included Radio Free Asia, which was set up to provide news to Asian countries without a free press and is now operating in a limited capacity.

Radio Free Europe, formed with a similar mission for Soviet bloc nations during the Cold War, has survived thanks to support from the Czech government.

AFP