Author: staff

The tariffs proposed by the Trump administration would be a blow to major Japanese carmakers like Honda and Toyota. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday his government is making last-ditch efforts to get US President Donald Trump to exclude his country from an increase in auto tariffs due to take effect from Wednesday.Ishiba told reporters he is willing to fly to Washington to negotiate directly with Trump.The US will begin collecting 25% tariffs on auto imports on Thursday, with taxes on fully-imported cars kicking in at midnight, US time. The tariffs are set to expand to applicable auto…

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Japan is home to major auto and electronics firms, whose exports to the US are a major driver for the Japanese economy. Business sentiment among large Japanese manufacturers has worsened for the first time in a year, partly because of worries about US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a survey by Japan’s central bank released on Tuesday.The Bank of Japan’s “tankan” quarterly survey said an index for large manufacturers that shows the percentage of companies foreseeing good conditions minus those feeling pessimistic fell to plus 12 from plus 14 in December, the first dip in four quarters.Major manufacturers include…

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Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy look ahead to the day in British politics. There’s a cabinet meeting this morning – so it’s a good time to discuss the dynamics around that table and why who is in what WhatsApp group matters. And what are the potential repercussions of one gang being in favour and another being out of favour? Meanwhile, as Donald Trump’s tariffs “liberation day” looms, what sort of expectation management is the UK government conducting? Are ministers having to water down some of their more hopeful signals on what deal they’ll get? 👉Listen to Politics…

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“Members who are on the speakers’ list and do not inform of their absence at the Plenary will no longer be given priority for speaking time in the next 6 months,” reads the document, threatening lawmakers with inclusion on a so-called blacklist if it happens repeatedly.  Moreover, the EPP tracks attendance. Lawmakers who don’t show up for allocated speaking times will be left with no speaking times during the following plenary session, per the document.  To ensure discipline, the EPP checks lawmakers’ voting records against the political direction from the leadership. Tables and charts are compiled for each member and…

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In reality, there’s a legal expectation that school curriculums should reflect that traditions in England are “in the main Christian”. Viral social media posts are claiming that the UK is forcing children aged nine to 16 to study Islam as one of its main subjects.Some make over-the-top accusations that the UK’s education system has fallen and that parents should take their children out of school.Others say that the teaching of Islam will replace Christianity and Hinduism in schools.While the most prevalent posts share the claims in a negative light, some appear to share them as a good thing to be…

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Wind power in Finland has more than doubled since 2020 to supply a quarter of the country’s energy. The closure of a coal power plant in Finland today brings the country to the brink of a full coal phase-out – four years ahead of schedule. Power utility company Helen officially decommissioned its Salmisaari plant in Helsinki on 1 April, dropping coal to a less than 1 per cent share of the country’s energy mix. Alongside reducing emissions and increasing energy independence, it says the switch is also helping it to cut customers’ electricity bills. “We have been able to improve…

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– Ostdeutschland im Kabinett:Wie wird Ostdeutschland im künftigen Bundeskabinett vertreten sein? Union und SPD stehen vor einem Repräsentationsproblem: Es fehlen prominente ostdeutsche Politikerinnen und Politiker – vor allem in der CDU. Wie wollen beide Koalitionspartner den Osten künftig besser einbinden? Gordon Repinski und Rasmus Buchsteiner analysieren die Frage rund um die ostdeutsche Repräsentation in der Bundesregierung. – Dazu im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Philipp Amthor, CDU-Bundestagsabgeordneter, Generalsekretär in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Mitgliederbeauftragter seiner Partei.– Marion Sollety von POLITICO in Frankreich berichtet aus Paris über das Urteil gegen Marine Le Pen – und welche Konsequenzen es für Le Pen und ihren rechtspopulistischen Rassemblement National haben…

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“It is unrealistic to ban a party that has over 20 percent of the popular vote,” said Hannes Gnauck, leader of the AfD’s youth branch. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images A ban on Young Alternative would have been far easier to implement legally, which explains why members moved to dissolve it. The group’s former leader said as much in the lead-up to Germany’s nation election on Feb. 23. “It is unrealistic to ban a party that has over 20 percent of the popular vote,” said Hannes Gnauck, leader of the AfD’s youth branch. “But attacking where we are weakest, namely the…

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Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6am Monday until 6am Tuesday. The Chinese military said it had launched large-scale drills in the waters around Taiwan on Tuesday, as it warned the self-ruled island against seeking independence.The joint exercises involve navy, air ground and rocket forces and are meant to be a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence,” according to Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command.It comes after Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-Te called Beijing a…

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