0 Controversial Indian guru Asaram Bapu convicted of rape

An Indian spiritual guru who

 claims to have millions of followers worldwide has been found guilty of rape. 

A court in the northern city of Jodhpur ruled that Asaram Bapu raped a 16-year-old girl in 2013 at his ashram there. He is likely to appeal against the verdict in a higher court. 

The guru, who is 77, has 400 ashrams around the world where he teaches meditation and yoga. 

He is also on trial in another rape case in Gujarat state. 

Jodhpur is on high alert because of concerns there could be violence from the guru's supporters, reports BBC Hindi's Priyanka Dubey who is in the city. The court is expected to announce his sentence later in the day. 

Utsav Bains, the victim's lawyer, told NDTV that he was expecting the court to give Asaram a life sentence.

"But nothing can compensate for the trauma that the victim and the family have gone through," he said. 

The security measures come after followers of another guru, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, ran amok after he was found guilty of rape last year. The resulting violence killed 23 people. 

What was the case against him? 

Asaram was arrested in 2013 after a case of sexual assault was filed against him by two of his followers, who alleged that he had assaulted their daughter. 

Police say that the couple, who had sent the girl to one of his ashrams for spiritual lessons, were summoned to see her as she was "under the influence of some supernatural ghostly powers". 

They were then told to take their daughter to Jodhpur to meet the guru.

The family reached the Jodhpur ashram on 14 August. The following night, Asaram called the victim to his room on the pretext of "curing" her. He then raped the victim while her parents waited outside chanting his prayers, police say. 

Police say the guru forced the victim to perform sexual acts on him and threatened to murder her family if she spoke about the incident. 

The victim told her parents what had happened the following day. They tried to confront Asaram, but were refused entry to his ashrams. 

Who is Asaram Bapu? 

Asumal Harpalani was born in April 1941 in a village called Bernai in Sindh region in present-day Pakistan. 

His family migrated to Ahmadabad city in Gujarat after the partition of India.

In the 1960s, he started practising spiritualism with different gurus - one of whom gave him the name Asaram. 

In 1972, he formed his first ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati river in Motera town of Gujarat. 

His influence spread to different parts of India and around the world in the following decades. 

According to his website, he has 40 million followers around the world. 

Important Indian politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have attended his sermons in the past. 

He also has properties worth millions of dollars across India. The police are also investigating him for corruption and forgery.

Controversies around his trial 

Asaram is also accused of raping another woman in Surat city in Gujarat between 2002 and 2004. The trial in this case is under way. 

At least nine witnesses in both cases have been attacked over the past five years - three of them have since died. 

Police are investigating these attacks. 

The victims' families insist that the guru and his followers are behind these attacks - an allegation he denies. 

The Jodhpur rape case, for which he has been convicted, has also seen the victim's family threatened by his followers.

Protesters shutdown Benue over killings

Makurdi, the capital of Benue State has been brought to a standstill by protesters over the ongoing killings in the state.

The protesters, Press gathered have taken over major streets of the state, calling on the federal government to come to their aide.

PRESS reports that over 100 persons have been killed between yesterday and today in Guma, Gwer and Logo areas of the state by suspected herdsmen.

Our reporter observed that the protesters, mostly women garbed in black attires are currently matching around the Bishop of Makurdi Dioceses house, weeping while singing corrosively, ‘Go and tell Buhari they are killing us.’

Iran to replace US dollar with euro in financial reports

The government of Iran has announced plans to replace the US dollar with the euro in official financial reporting, according to state-run media.

The move on Wednesday is seen as part of efforts to circumvent restrictions on accessing the US currency amid tensions with Washington, as well as prevent market instability generated due to fluctuations in the value of Iranian rial against the dollar.

In a cabinet meeting, the government decided that all ministries, state organisations and companies should report based on a euro-rial exchange rate, which the Central Bank of Iran will be tasked to report frequently, state-run IRNA news agency said.

It was not clear when the decision would become effective, but business owners said they waited for the new policies to take effect.

"I assume if they use euro as the official currency, this will reduce the psychological impact of fluctuations of rial against the dollar," Newsha Sheikh Soleimani, a Tehran-based importer of raw materials for the tile and ceramic industry, told Al Jazeera.

"Our company trades mostly in euro, but still some of the invoices are issued based on rial-dollar exchange rate."

She said her firm had recently put on hold all transactions amid uncertainty over the value of foreign currency.

"I welcome any move to bring back stability to the foreign exchange market."

Losing value

Valiollah Seif, the Central Bank chief, had earlier said it is not "logical" to use the dollar in financial reporting.

Iran's trade revenues are obtained mostly in euro due to sanctions on the US dollar, he said. Therefore, added Seif, the country's financial reports should use a reference currency that is more stable and widely used in trade.

As part of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers, all sanctions related to Iran's controversial nuclear programme were lifted.

Nevertheless, due mostly to lingering tensions with the US, limitations still remain on Iran's access to the US currency.

These restrictions have contributed to a fall in the value of rial against the dollar in the past months.

Each dollar was traded for an all-time high of 60,000 rials last week, triggering serious concern among Iranians over the stability that President Hassan Rouhani had brought to the economy by controlling the foreign exchange rates.

Since summer last year, the rial has lost roughly 50 percent of its value against the US currency, which some Iranians buy in large numbers as an investment at times of economic uncertainty.

A sudden decline in rial's value is expected to result in an increase in the price of imported goods and push up the inflation rate.

To control the currency crisis, the government last week froze the free market trading of the US currency by introducing an official rate of 42,000 rials for each dollar.

The Central Bank said it will only provide dollars for registered consumers for specific purposes, while free trading of the foreign currency would be deemed illegal.

Seif, the Central Bank chief, faced furious legislators last week when he took the parliamentary podium to explain the new forex policies.

He said he suggested to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the country should use the euro in foreign trade instead of the US dollar.

Short-term remedy?

Meanwhile, a currency trader told Al Jazeera that the new policies are "good news for importers and exporters", but added that there was still a lot of uncertainty, which has created confusion for his business.

"Even if the government does officially replace the dollar with the euro, still the dollar is traded and invested in by many in the free market," he said, preferring to stay anonymous.

"I hope these decisions are not just temporary measures - as if short-term remedies to reduce a fever - as international restrictions on the dollar affect our economic stability."

There have been mounting concerns among Iranian businesses over a possible withdrawal of the US from Iran's nucl

Swaziland king renames country 'the Kingdom of eSwatini'

Swaziland's King Mswati III has announced he is renaming the country as the Kingdom of eSwatini.
The monarch announced the official change at Golden Jubilee celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Swazi independence.
The celebrations also marked the king's 50th birthday. The southern African nation is an absolute monarchy.

Mourinho reveals why Manchester United cannot win title

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has admitted that his team is too inconsistent to win the Premier League title.

United lost 1-0 to West Brom last weekend, to hand the title to rivals Manchester City.

Mourinho believes a better mental approach will further United’s chances of returning to the top of the Premier League.

“The change has to be based on their attitude, their mentality,” he said.

“This season of course was a much better season in the Premier League for us than the last one — the last one we finished sixth.

“We are quite safe now in the top four and we have a big chance to finish second. We already have more points than at the end of last season.

“But we need to be more consistent in our approach. I know why you win, I know why you don’t win. OK, no doubts about City’s quality, and that in any circumstances they would win this title because they are the better [team].

“I’ve spoken with my players – I think we are inconsistent. And we are inconsistent many times in our attitude.

“We didn’t lose points in the duels against direct opponents, we lost points against teams that were promoted. And we’ve lost points against teams that are probably going to be relegated.

“We were not consistent, and we’ve paid the price.”

African nations, UK seek a new profitable future of trade at Commonwealth Summit

The 2018 Commonwealth Summit happening in London has provided African leaders with yet another opportunity to reassure the international community of stability in their countries, as they seek much needed foreign direct investments to drive their economies.

The Commonwealth Secretariat estimates that bilateral trade between members costs about 19% less than global averages, a phenomenon commonly refereed to as the ‘Commonwealth Effect’.

The biennial meeting (CHOGM) that brings together the heads of government of the Commonwealth’s 53 member states, who this year will be taking on climate change, as well as international development support, trade and investment.

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, who on Monday, appointed a team to hunt the globe for $100 billion in investment to boost the ailing economy, met with the British prime minister and Queen Elizabeth II ahead of CHOGM.

Zimbabwe which had withdrawn from the country under former president Robert Mugabe’s rule will also attend the meeting in observer status. The country’s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa has relentlessly reached out to potential investors with one message; ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’.

Rwanda is one of the Commonwealth members who were not part of the British Empire, but joined th organisation in 2009. The other such member is Mozambique who joined in 1995.

Ahead of this year’s meeting, Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame has met with Prince Harry and the British Foreign secretary, Boris Johnson.

Kagame also had a meeting with Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo, who is also on a mission to revive the fortunes of his country’s economy.

Mozambique’s president, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, sought to reassure the international community that his government is committed to pursuing peace through dialogue with the opposition militant and political organisation in his country.

‘‘Mozambicans and international community alike want peace. The message I was given in the provinces was to continue dialogue with RENAMO. There is national momentum to continue the process and I believe Dhlakama feels the same.’‘

Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta equally explained that he has to reach out to the opposition leader, Raila Odinga and initiate a reconciliation process following the disputed 2017 elections.

‘‘In regard to the handshake with Odinga: we can’t continue shouting at each other. We can’t ensure food security, affordable housing and access to healthcare if we are not working together,’‘ Kenyatta said.

This year’s summit which features a People’s Forum, a Business Forum, a Women’s Forum and a Youth Forum runs from 16th to 20th April.

About the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association whose 53 member states are home to 2.4 billion people, a third of the world’s population.

Some of the Commonwealth’s notable members include Britain, Canada, India, Nigeria and Australia which hosted this year’s Commonwealth Games that ended last week.

The association which started with a shared past as a common denominator, has many members sharing English as an official language and using a common legal system.

De Gea, Salah, De Bruyne make PFA Team of the Year

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has announced its team of the year for 2017/2018 season.

Manchester City dominates with five players: Kyle Walker, Nicolas Otamendi, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero.

Manchester United goalkeeper, David De Gea, makes the cut, while Tottenham Hotspur provides Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen.

The team also include Liverpool winger, Mohammed Salah and Chelsea wingback, Marcos Alonso.

China opens car market after US tensions

China will allow full foreign ownership of car firms by 2022 in a move that could open up the world's biggest car market.

The plans will change rules that require global carmakers to work through state-owned partners.

The US says this forces them to share technology with potential competitors.

The restrictions helped fuel its trade dispute with US President Donald Trump, but Chinese officials said the plans were not to ease tensions.

China's state planner said on Tuesday it would remove foreign ownership caps for companies making fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2018, for makers of commercial vehicles in 2020, and the wider car market by 2022.

China imposed ownership restrictions in 1994, limiting foreign carmakers to owning no more than a 50% share of any local venture.

The policy was designed to help domestic carmakers compete.

Flexible industry

The relaxation of restrictions reflects growing official confidence in China's young but fast-growing carmakers and a desire to make the industry more flexible as the country promotes the development of electric cars.

Mr Trump has threatened tariff hikes on $150bn of Chinese goods, partly in response to complaints that China puts pressure on foreign companies to hand over technology.

There have been a series of tit-for-tat measures made by the two countries recently.

US tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium came into effect last month. China placed retaliatory duties on more than 100 US imports, including pork, fruit and wine, soon after.

Further tariffs on $50bn worth of the each country's products are in the offing.

China's President Xi Jinping vowed to open up parts of China's economy last week, warning against a "Cold War mentality".

But on Tuesday China's Commerce Ministry ordered importers of US sorghum to post bonds to pay possible anti-dumping duties.

Coachella: Nigerians react as Beyonce honors Fela, Chimamanda

Some Nigerians on Twitter have applauded the American music star, Beyonce for paying tribute to Afro beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and honouring Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie.

Beyonce, who became the first black woman to headline Coachella on Saturday, did so with a two-hour performance and had her band perform a rendition of Fela’s 1976 classic ‘Zombie’.

Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician and activist, who launched Afro-beat, which then fused American blues, jazz and funk with traditional Yoruba music.

The News Agency of Nigerian reports that Nigerians were excited that Beyonce decided to honour two of their countrymen, alongside other black legends including Nina Simone and Malcolm X.

Below are some comments on social media.

Nigerian singer, @emmanyra wrote, “Beyonce just made me so proud to be who I am. Unapologetically black, female and talented. Our voice matters. She even paid tribute to Fela! I will forever be a fan.”

@Blackdot_Mandy; “Beyonce just paid a tribute to Afroking and Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti during her Coachella performance. I stan Beyonce Knowles.”

@Erhuwrites , “Who else got chills when they heard Chimamanda’s voice at the end of Beyonce’s glorious performance at Coachella? I still have goose bumps.”

@DrDendere: “Beyonce is now new level amazing. Chimamanda blasting out during her Coachella performance is life.”

@Ganga_A wrote: “Within Beyonce’s Coachella performance in the little bit where the band was going off, they play Fela Kuti’s Zombie. This is why she is number one, a cultured queen and an unshakeable throne.”

@KLCHII: “Beyonce really brought Fela to Coachella with that lil hook.”

Beyonce also featured Chimamanda Adichie’s speech ‘We Should All Be Feminists’, which was sampled on her song ‘Flawless’, at the end of her performance.

Adichie is a multi-award winning writer whose second book, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ won the Orange Prize.

Britain's biggest carmaker cuts 1,000 jobs

Jaguar Land Rover -- which is owned by India's Tata Motors (TTM) -- employs about 40,000 workers in the UK who produce over 500,000 vehicles a year.

The company is cutting the jobs at a factory in Birmingham that manufactures the Jaguar F-Pace along with the Land Rover Discovery and various Range Rover models.

It said that a sharp decline in British car sales caused by a loss of consumer confidence contributed to the decision. Jaguar Land Rover's UK sales in March were down 26% compared to the same month last year. Car sales across the industry were down nearly 16%.

Brits have cut back on big-ticket purchases as their wages have been squeezed by a rise in inflation, a side effect of the Brexit referendum in 2016. A sharp drop in the pound following the vote made imported products more expensive and ultimately caused inflation to spike above 3%.

Demand for Jaguar Land Rover cars has also fallen in Europe due to fallout from the diesel emissions scandal.

Jaguar Land Rover pointed out that "the huge drop in demand in diesels" led to its decision not to renew the contracts of 1,000 workers.

European governments are looking to clamp down on diesel sales after an outcry over the environmental damage caused by the engines. This has even led to calls for bans on heavily polluting diesel cars in some cities.

Drivers are holding off buying new diesel cars as they await clear government guidance on the future.

The UK's auto manufacturing sector employs over 800,000 workers but Brexit presents a big risk to the industry.

Carmakers rely on free, frictionless trade to get parts and make sales across the 28 nations in the European Union.

Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth said earlier this year in an interview with Reuters that Brexit uncertainly was "really challenging" his company and the auto industry as a whole.

"You hardly see inward investment any more or every decision is taking longer," he said.

Auto makers are concerned that Brexit could lead to new tariffs, taxes and transit slowdowns at the UK border.

"A final deal that keeps our frictionless trade links with our biggest market, the EU ... is now a pressing priority," Mike Hawes, the head of the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said in a statement last month.

Music artiste, Craig Mack is dead

Popular American music artiste, Craig Mack, is dead.

Mack, the Long Island rapper, who was hailed as the starting foundation of Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment, died at age 46.

The artiste producer, Alvin Toney, confirmed to Daily News.

Mack, who became popular in hip-hop with his platinum summer hit “Flava in Ya Ear” in 1994, died of heart failure at a hospital near his Walterboro, S.C., home Monday.

Toney, who produced Graig’s debut album, “Project: Funk Da World”, said, “God bless my friend. He was a good friend of mine.”

Toney saw his friend one final time last week.

He visited the former emcee at the Overcomer Ministry church he attends in Walterboro to film a documentary about the retired rhymer, and his decision to pass on fame for a life of deep religious conviction.

He added, “Nobody got to understand his story. I wanted the world to know the talent he had. It was something I wanted people to enjoy, but it was cut short because he was very religious and wanted to go to church.

He said Mack then told him that he had been ill for some time.

“He was prepared for whatever comes, to go home to the Lord,” Toney said. “He was prepared to do that. He wasn’t scared. He was ready.”

Mack is survived by a wife and two children, both adults, Toney said.

Compensate us – Capital, UT bank staff

Some former workers of defunct Capital and UT banks are demanding their redundancy packages and other entitlements due them.

In August last year, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) revoked the licences of Capital Bank and UT Bank due to financial challenges.

The main offices and branches of the two banks were placed under the control of GCB Bank.

Following the development, some workers of the two banks lost their jobs and were expected to be paid their end-of-service benefits and redundancy packages.

Two of the former workers of the banks, Raymond Addai and Phillip Yawson who spoke on Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM hosted by Chief Jerry Forson on Thursday, 12 April, claimed the non-payment of their entitlements is a threat to their lives.

Mr Yawson said: “The economic hardship we are saddled with at the moment because of unemployment is too much; some can even commit suicide over this, and, so, we are appealing to the authorities to heed our demand.

“We made contributions into the Provident Fund, and, so, we expect that our contributions should be given to us to bring some relief into our lives.”

Ghana’s economy grew by 8.5 percent in 2017

Ghana’s economy grew provisionally by 8.5 percent in 2017 compared to 3.7 percent recorded in 2016, the Ghana Statistical Service said on Wednesday.

Acting Government Statistician, Mr Baah Wadieh, who announced this, attributed the growth to increased oil and gas production. Oil production grew by 80.4 percent in 2017.

The Industry sector recorded the highest growth rate of 16.7 percent, followed by Agriculture 8.4 percent and the Services 4.3 percent sectors.

Services remained the largest sector but its share of GDP decreased from 56.8 percent in 2016 to 56.2 percent in 2017.

The sector's growth rate also decreased from 5.7 percent in 2016 to 4.3 percent in 2017.

However, two of the subsectors in the services sector recorded double-digit growth rates, including Information and Communication 13.2 percent and Health and Social Work 14.4 percent.

The Industry sector, the highest growing sector with a GDP share of 25.5 percent, had its growth rate increasing from -0.5 percent in 2016 to 16.7 percent in 2017.

Of all the industrial activities the Mining and Quarrying subsector recorded the highest growth of 46.7 percent in 2017.

The Agriculture sector expanded from a growth rate of 3.0 percent in 2016 to 8.4 percent in 2017. Its share of GDP, however, declined from 18.7 percent in 2016 to 18.3 percent in 2017. Crops remain the largest activity with a share of 14.2 percent of GDP.

The Non-Oil annual GDP growth rate decreased from 5.0 percent in 2016 to 4.9 percent in 2017. The 2017 Non-oil GDP for industry recorded a growth rate of 0.4 percent, compared with 4.9 percent in 2016.

Growth in the fourth quarter of 2017 reached 8.1 percent compared to 9.7 percent in the third quarter.

Senate suspends APC lawmaker

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege representing Delta Central senatorial district on the platform of the APC, was on Thursday suspended by the Senate for 90 legislative days.

The Senate Committee on Public Petitions, Ethics and Privileges, which had investigated him over his comment that “the re-ordered electoral timetable was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari” recommended his suspension.

The report, which was submitted by the Committee Chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, explained that the erring lawmaker declined to speak to the Committee when he appeared.

According to the report, Omo-Agege told the Committee that he has taken the matter to court already.

The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, in his contribution, pleaded that the lawmaker should not be suspended.

However, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki could not be dissuaded by pleas from Lawan and Senator Kabiru Marafa.

Saraki insisted that political leaders must be disciplined to serve as deterrence to others.

He however reduced the recommended suspension from 180 legislative days to 90.

Dwayne Johnson shares Vin Diesel feud backstory

What we would have given to be a fly on the wall in the trailer with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vin Diesel.

Johnson revealed in a recent cover story with Rolling Stone that the meeting was part of the meltdown of their friendship, leaving fans all abuzz.

The pair have famously starred on the "Fast & Furious" franchise together, but have since reportedly not seen eye to eye.

"Vin and I had a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer," Johnson told Rolling Stone. "And what I came to realize is that we have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating."

"It took me some time, but I'm grateful for that clarity," the star added. "Whether we work together again or not."

In 2016, Johnson posted a photo on Instagram -- which he has since removed -- in which he talked about filming "The Fate of the Furious."

"Some [male co-stars] conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don't," Johnson wrote. "The ones that don't are too chicken s**t to do anything about it anyway. Candy a**es."

That set off a tizzy, as fans theorized Johnson was talking about Diesel.

Johnson posted an Instagram of a clip from filming and wrote, "You guys reading this know how much I believe in the idea of TEAM EFFORT. That means respecting every person, their time and their value when they step on to my set or partner with our production company. And like with any team - that's a family - there's gonna be conflict."

"Family is gonna have differences of opinion and fundamental core beliefs," Johnson continued. "To me, conflict can be a good thing, when its followed by great resolution."

Things got so heated that costar Tyrese Gibson weighed in on social media, seeming to side with Diesel.

"I'm sorry to announce that if Dewayne [sic] is in Fast9 there will no more Roman Peirce [sic]," Gibson wrote on an Instagram posting. "You mess with family and my daughters survival I mess with yours......... close your eyes dude you're a 'Clown.'"

Johnson confirmed to Rolling Stone that he and Diesel's scenes were shot separately.

"That is correct," the superstar said. "We were not in any scenes together."

The actor is set to star in a "Fast & Furious" spinoff, "Hobbs and Shaw," which costars Jason Statham and is due out next year.

As for where Johnson and Diesel go from here, The Rock said "I wish him all the best, and I harbor no ill will there, just because of the clarity we have."

"Actually, you can erase that last part about 'no ill will,'" Johnson said. "We'll just keep it with the clarity."

Diesel told USA Today last year he felt some things with Johnson had been "blown out of proportion."

"It's not always easy being an alpha" the actor said. "And it's two alphas. Being an alpha is sometimes a pain in the (butt)."

Trump threatens further $100bn in tariffs against China

US President Donald Trump has instructed officials to consider a further $100bn (£71.3bn) of tariffs against China, in an escalation of a tense trade stand-off.

These would be in addition to the $50bn worth of US tariffs already proposed on hundreds of Chinese imports.

The proposal comes after China retaliated to that by threatening tariffs on 106 key US products.

The tit-for-tat moves have unsettled global markets in recent weeks.

Analysts have said a full blown trade war between the US and China would not be good for the global economy or markets - and that ongoing behind-the-scenes negotiations between the two giants are crucial.

However, market reaction in early Asia trade on Friday suggested investors were not as troubled, and that trade war fears were somewhat exaggerated.

In China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was in positive territory, up 1.5%. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was trading higher after the morning session.

Tit-for-tat tariffs

Last week Washington set out about 1,300 Chinese products it intended to hit with tariffs set at 25%. That followed an announcement earlier this year that the US would impose import taxes on aluminium and steel, which would include China.

The White House said its latest tariffs were a response to unfair Chinese intellectual property practices, such as those that pressure US companies to share technology with Chinese firms.

China responded swiftly and robustly by proposing tariffs on 106 key US products, including soybeans, aircraft parts and orange juice, narrowly aimed at politically important sectors in the US, such as agriculture.

But in a statement on Thursday Mr Trump branded Beijing's retaliation as "unfair".

"Rather than remedy its misconduct, China has chosen to harm our farmers and manufacturers

"In light of China's unfair retaliation, I have instructed the USTR (United States Trade Representative) to consider whether $100bn of additional tariffs would be appropriate under section 301 and, if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs," Mr Trump said.

He said he had also instructed agricultural officials to implement a plan to protect US farmers and agricultural interests.

Meanwhile, China has initiated a complaint with the World Trade Organisation over the US tariffs, in what analysts say could be a sign that this will be a protracted process.

The WTO circulated the request for consultation to members on Thursday, launching a discussion period before the complaint heads to formal dispute settlement process.