Le Journal

One Antiques Roadshow expert certainly didn't hold her tongue as she urged the proud owner to take better care of his antiques.

New York: US President Donald Trump has cut tariffs on food imports as “affordability” is emerging as a potential political force, and India’s mango, pomegranate, and tea exports may benefit. Tropical fruits and juices, tea, and spices were among the imports that won’t be hit by reciprocal tariffs, the White House announced on Friday. The other items mentioned in the White House Factsheet were coffee and tea, cocoa, oranges, tomatoes, and beef. Trump imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on imports from India and added a punitive 25 per cent for buying Russian oil. But to contain inflation, Trump earlier exempted generic medicines from tariffs, benefiting India, which supplies 47 per cent of generic medicines prescribed in the US. Some of the increases in food product prices were due to the higher tariffs, which were passed on, in whole or in part, by importers and retailers to the customers. In the recent elections in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia, Democrats’ campaign focus on “affordability” — higher costs overall straining the voters’ budgets — contributed to their victories. While Trump has been engrossed in international affairs, tariffs, and investments, voters were concerned with the more mundane issue of prices. In an NBC News poll released this week, 63 per cent of all registered voters said that Trump had fallen short of their expectations on the cost of living and the economy, and 30 per cent of Republicans concurred. Trump dismissed the “affordability” issue as a “complete con job” by the Democrats, pointing to the lower petrol and energy prices and the higher inflation rate under former President Joe Biden, when it hit 19.7 per cent at one point. Although the galloping inflation during Biden’s tenure has been wrangled, it is still trotting along, recording 3 per cent in September. But some food products have recorded higher prices fueled by tariffs. Roasted coffee prices rose by 18.9 per cent, and beef and veal by 14.7 per cent, according to the September Consumer Price Index data. The prices of spices and food imports from India are up by about 30 per cent in Indian grocery stores. India’s mango imports from have a special place in India-US relations after former President George W Bush lifted the ban with much fanfare in 2006. Alongside missiles, nuclear cooperation, and technology innovation, mangoes found a place in the joint statement of Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his February visit. “India also expressed appreciation for US measures taken to enhance exports of Indian mangoes and pomegranates to the United States”, the statement said.

Germany escaped Luxembourg with a 2-0 victory, which sets the team up for just needing one point against against Slovakia on Monday. However, do not expect head coach and former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann to just settle for a draw. “I’ve never told my teams to aim for just one point. We’ll try to win the game. That is, and must be, our standard. If we play better than we did today then we can win,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). In reality, Germany does not have the luxury of playing for a draw. This squad needs work…maybe a lot of it. With Slovakia totally outplaying Germany in the last match-up between the two squads, this would be a great opportunity for the German to exact a little revenge on a very good team. If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

On Friday night, Nick Woltemade scored his first international brace for Germany. Woltemade’s one-touch goals in the 49th and 69th minute led Germany to a 2-0 win over Luxembourg. Woltemade’s three goals in the FIFA World Cup Qualifying group stage is the most for Germany’s squad, followed closely by two goals each from Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry. Woltemade had the opportunity to go prima donna and claim full credit and praise but sounded more like a manager in his postgame interview. “The performance in the first half was not good,” said Woltemade (via @iMiaSanMia). “There was a lot of back and forth and we conceded many dangerous situations. The second half was better, we were more precise and got the goals we needed. At this point the most important thing is the three points. We knew Luxembourg can play football. Everyone admitted at half time that the first half was not good. We were then significantly better, with more control and more chances. Getting a brace here is very nice, but as long as we get the win it doesn’t matter who scores.” If Woltemade continues to speak maturely and loudly, he might become the unexpected vocal leader for the next wave of Germany’s young attack. If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

Germany nearly went down as took their own sweet time to wind down an energetic Luxembourg. Backed by a fantastic home crowd, the Luxembourgers showed up big time and challenged the visitors with everything they had. However, poor finishing, several bookings and running out of energy forced Jeff Straser’s men to settle for 0-2 defeat. Without further ado, here the observations from the game: Luxembourg nearly got Germany Due credit to Germany and by no means is this observation made lightly. Luxembourg had Germany. They built up a wall that the Germans had a lot of trouble getting near while making great progressive plays. Had their finishing been any better, the visitors would have been lucky to get a draw. The tenacity, drive and precision of the homeside outdid the visitors for most of the game. It was only past the hour mark and after several yellow cards did Nagelsmann’s squad finally gain some sense of control. The Luxembourgers had a fairly simple plan. Absorb the German attack in their half and play very directly. In the first, they had 20 successful long balls coming with an accuracy of 77 percent! This level of precision amplified the threat to the German goalpost. Luxembourg’s gaffer Jeff Straser deserves a lot of praise for marshalling his troops very well against a very strong opponent. Several players deserve mentioning, namely Dirk Carlson, Olivier Thill, Aiman Dardari and goalie Anthony Moris who made four saves on the night. Frantic Germany Germany were severely lacking any sense of control for most of the game. It was a real shame to see a stacked German lineup looking clueless on several occasions. The opposition’s pressing had no answer from the Germans. The pressure often forced several mistakes. The absence of Joshua Kimmich made things worse. The midfield was totally invisible and it was honestly a poor showing from the duo of Leon Goretzka and Aleksander Pavlović. The stats have evened out over the two halves. However, the point is, Germany needs to be able to handle pressure better. Waiting for the opposition to tire out does not work against the best teams. And a major part of handling pressure comes from being able to make forward plays against the press. This forces the opposition to commit less vigorously. Pavlović for instance, made just seven passes into the final third compared to 12 from his previous game against the same opponent. Without Kimmich, Pavlo’s contribution needs to be higher. Goretzka too had a similar dip in this game. Having said that, credit where it is due. Germany seized two important moments and found goals despite being a bit of a hot mess all night. Sane, Pavlo, Woltemade, the fullbacks made good connections and with better finishing than the opposition turned it around for Germany. While we do expect a better performance overall, having the ability to suddenly switch up gears is a vital ability in tournaments and can pull the team out of tight spots such as this game. Return of Leroy Sané After switching clubs in the summer, it was natural that Sane would have to perform very well to be in the eyes of the selectors. However, in his game where he was recalled he left a strong mark. Playing a key role in both goals, Sane exploited the opposition’s right flank and made some good connections. Fan-TAH-stic It has to be said. Vincent Kompany has transformed Jonathan Tah into a defensive beast. He was the coolest cucumber throughout the game. Even when Germany was all over the place Tah was the one to hold the fort. Tah made several clearances and two important blocks. His partner Waldemar Anton did aid Tah admirably but was the shakier of the duo. Nonetheless, the German defense had to bear the brunt of several attacks due to the precise long passes of the opposition and came out with a clean sheet. Tah’s composure in a chaotic game such as this deserves praise. If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of…