Author: DW

US President Donald Trump ordered his officials earlier this year to develop reciprocal tariffs on imports to the United States, keeping to an “eye for an eye” campaign promise on matters of world trade. “I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff, meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them. No more, no less,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump’s return to the White House has been marked by several tariff announcements — and numerous backtracking — including an additional 20% levy on imports from China that took effect in March, along with 25%…

A British tourist who was seriously injured after a suspected gas explosion destroyed a three-storey B&B in Rome has died.Grant Paterson, 54, from East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, was left severely burned following the blast in the Monteverde area of the Italian city on 23 March. Mr Paterson, an employee with Scottish ferry operator CalMac, was pulled out of the ruins by firefighters and was taken to Sant’Eugenio Hospital for treatment.Hospital officials told Sky News that Mr Paterson died on Tuesday morning. Image: The B&B was destroyed in the explosion Diane Burke, CalMac’s chief operating officer, said: “Everyone at CalMac…

Frustrated by the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, John Francis no longer wanted his British passport after Brexit officially took place on February 1, 2020. Instead, he applied for German citizenship and was thus able to continue traveling as an EU citizen. Now, he lives in the small German town of Obertshausen, where he runs his own company, Britain.de, which arranges vacation homes for tourists in England, Scotland and Wales. “At times, there was a lot of uncertainty among my customers,” he said. “They had many questions, such as: ‘What will be required to enter the country in future? Is…

Privacy experts are concerned about the risk of “genetic discrimination” after 23andMe, which offered a direct-to-consumer genetic testing service, filed for bankruptcy this week. 23andMe stores and analyzes its customers’ genetic material from saliva samples to provide insight into ancestral heritage and potential health risks. More than fifteen million 23andMe customers have spat into a vial and sent their DNA material for genetic analysis since it was founded in 2006. 23andMe said the bankruptcy process will not affect how it stores, manages or protects customer data. But privacy experts say this is precisely the problem — 23andMe’s privacy policy allows…

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office with immediate effect on Monday after a court found her guilty of misappropriating European Union funds. The court ruled that Le Pen and her National Rally party (RN) misused €3 million ($3.25 million) in European Parliament funds meant for parliamentary assistants. What did Le Pen say about the ruling? “Let’s be clear, I am eliminated but in reality its millions of French people whose voices have been eliminated,” Le Pen told broadcaster TF1, adding she had no confidence in an appeal being heard before the 2027 French…

A Nigerian professional boxer passed away after collapsing during a fight in Accra, Ghana, local media have reported. Gabriel Oluwasegun “Success” Olanrewaju, a former Nigerian and West African light-heavyweight champion, was fighting Ghanaian boxer Jon Mbanugu in a Ghana Professional Boxing League bout on Saturday. However, he collapsed onto the ropes in the third round — without having received a punch. After receiving first aid in the ring at the Bukom Boxing Arena, he was rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he was pronounced dead 30 minutes after arrival, the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) confirmed. “Oluwasegun, a few seconds before…

Over the weekend, the interim Syrian government announced a new set of 23 cabinet ministers, who are to run the country for the next five years until elections can be held. At a ceremony in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday evening, the interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, proclaimed that, “we are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national journey, and the formation of a new government today is a declaration of our shared will to build a new state.” Up until now, the caretaker government had been dominated by allies or members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS,…

It’s a Friday morning in February, and we are driving through Maryland to speak with US soybean farmers. US President Donald Trump had just announced plans to establish sweeping trade levies on a number of major US trading partners, including Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and China.  As I pass by corn and soybean fields, I can’t help but wonder what farmers think about these developments. Can they navigate the uncertainty of an unpredictable Trump administration? Trump has long enjoyed strong support from the US farming community, often citing his understanding of their struggles. However, this time, many farmers face uncertainty…

Marine Le Pen’s political career lies in tatters.After decades of plotting her ascent to the very pinnacle of French politics, she has now been pushed down the mountain, and her fall could be long and painful. The far-right leader, who had been the narrow favourite to win the 2027 French presidential election, will now be banned from running for public office for five years as part of a criminal conviction. Image: Marine Le Pen. Pic: AP Marine Le Pen latest: ‘Catastrophic end of political career’Le Pen, along with politicians and assistants from her National Rally (RN) party, has been found…

Richard Chamberlain, who rose to fame as the star of the 1960s American television series “Dr. Kildare,” has died at the age of 90, publicist Harlan Boll said. Chamberlain, who starred in a series of mini-series of the 1980s, like “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds,” died on March 29, in Hawaii, following complications from a stroke, Boll said in a statement on Sunday. The 90-year-old enjoyed a six decade-career after becoming a teen idol when he starred as Dr. James Kildare in the series that ran from 1961-1966. Chamberlain, whose career spanned theater, films and television, was dubbed the “king of the mini-series” after appearing in several…