Le Weekend: Caravaggio Scam, Tulip Influencers, Presidential Photobomb

⬇️  STARTER 

Here are the domino effects of a U.S.-China trade war — military risks included

A “day of liberation” for America, a day of anguish for China: Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs are hitting the People’s Republic harder than almost any other industrial power. “China firmly rejects the imposition of these tariff measures by the United States,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said on Thursday. The Ministry of Commerce added, “These so-called reciprocal tariffs violate international trade rules, undermine the legitimate rights and interests of the parties concerned, and are a classic example of unilateral bullying.”

By Friday, China had already retaliated with an array of countermeasures, including additional tariffs of 34% on all U.S. goods and curbs on export of some rare earths. The Chinese finance ministry said the additional tariffs would be imposed from April 10.

With a flat rate of 34%, China sits near the top of the affected countries. And these new tariffs are likely to pile on top of the 20% punitive tariffs that were slapped on shortly after Trump first took office. Back then, Trump justified the measures by pointing to China’s failure to cooperate in cracking down on the international fentanyl trade. This time, he claims China’s own tariffs on U.S. imports effectively amount to a 67% rate when you factor in currency manipulation and other trade barriers. Compared to that, he argues, America’s counter-tariffs are merely a “reduced reciprocal tariff.” That claim, however, is at least controversial.

Taken together, the U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods now total 54% and are inching closer to the 60% threshold Trump floated during the campaign. Including tariffs already imposed on certain Chinese imports under the Joe Biden administration, the rate on some goods could now exceed 70%.

For China’s already faltering economy, which had recently turned more toward exports amid weak domestic consumption, Trump’s tariff blitz amounts to a full-on frontal attack with consequences that are nearly impossible to predict. Some analysts are already estimating the fallout could shave one to two percentage points off China’s growth this year.

The U.S. offensive is also likely to make China’s trade tensions with the European Union even worse. As access to the American market tightens, Chinese companies will be under increasing pressure to unload their goods elsewhere — especially in Europe.

But Brussels and several national governments in Europe have long bristled at the glut of industrial overcapacity China has been pumping into their markets. With local producers unable to match China’s prices, the flood of exports is accelerating Europe’s deindustrialization.

In response, the EU has already imposed punitive tariffs on certain Chinese goods, particularly electric vehicles. Trump’s tariff wave will likely pour more fuel on the fire. [...]

— Read the full piece by Jens Mühling for Die Zeit, translated from German by Worldcrunch.

🎲  OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ

What do you remember from the news this week?

1. What has U.S. President Donald Trump nicknamed his new wave of tariffs?

2. Japan and the U.S. agreed to urgently boost deterrence measures in response to military drills by which country?

3. Hungary announced it was withdrawing from which intergovernmental organization?

4. Director Sam Mendes announced the stars of four interconnected films set for release in April 2028. What will they be about?

The British Royal family / The four seasons / The Beatles / The four horsemen of the Apocalypse

[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]

#️⃣  TRENDING

The Netherlands’ ultimate spring social media hotspot, Keukenhof Gardens, has opened for tulip season, welcoming camera-wielding visitors to its increasingly selfie-friendly grounds. For the next eight weeks, flower lovers and influencers alike can visit the floral paradise to admire the 7 million flower bulbs, including the country’s iconic tulips, in full bloom. While the garden embraces the influx of photo-seekers, nearby farmers have set up barriers to protect their fields from overzealous influencers.

🎭  5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW

• Lost Caravaggio painting scam exposed. Experts from Madrid’s Prado Museum have denounced a painting, which was believed to be a lost masterpiece by Italian artist Caravaggio, as a forgery, saying that the artwork was made by an unknown artist with “not particularly refined workmanship.” The painting titled Ecce Homo with Two Executioners was sold for €275,000 ($297,000) in early 2023 by Spanish dealer Herennia Trillo, who, according to Spanish digital newspaper El Confidencial, may have conspired with a woman posing as a Caravaggio specialist. Trillo is now under investigation for potential fraud.

• In memoriam: U.S. actor Val Kilmer, who starred in some of the biggest movies of the 1980s and ’90s, portraying Iceman in Top Gun, Batman in Batman Forever and Jim Morrison in The Doors, died at the age of 65 from pneumonia in Los Angeles; Kathan Brown, the founder of the San Francisco-based company Crown Point Press who helped revive the centuries-old tradition of intaglio printing in the U.S., passed away aged 89; Turkish singer Volkan Konak, known for his music inspired by famous poems from Turkish literature, died at 58 years old after collapsing on stage during a concert in Cyprus; veteran Bollywood actor and director Manoj Kumar, who rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s for his patriotic films, died in Mumbai at age 87.

• Nintendo unveils the Switch 2 video game console. In a live presentation eagerly anticipated by gaming fans and investors alike, the Japanese gaming giant revealed that the Nintendo Switch 2 will officially be released on June 5. The new model promises enhanced graphics, a faster processor, and a revamped design, with early reviews already creating a buzz among gaming enthusiasts. Nintendo’s most expensive console to date, retailing for $449.99. The company also confirmed that Mario Kart World will be launched on the same day as the console, which will introduce interactive chat and screenshare functions to connect gamers.

• ChatGPT sees record usage after rollout of new Ghibli feature. OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT registered a record surge in users following the rollout of a new feature enabling the generation of images based on the hand-drawn style of the famed Japanese animation outfit, Studio Ghibli, founded by renowned director Hayao Miyazaki. According to data from market research firm Similarweb, average weekly active users for the chatbot breached the 150 million mark for the first time this year. The viral trend has also raised questions about potential copyright violations, while 2016 comments from Miyazaki on AI-generated images resurfaced: “I am utterly disgusted.”

• China opens exhibition to celebrate 20 years of lunar exploration. The National Museum of China in Beijing launched this week a special exhibition featuring lunar samples collected from both the near and far sides of the moon, as a way to celebrate 20 years of China’s lunar exploration program. The two-month event covers the Chang’e program’s historical background, milestones in research and development, as well as its future plans.

📸 SMILE OF THE WEEK

As Portia Moore and her husband were doing a photo shoot of their two children, Preston and Belle, with professional photographer Briana Innel among the cherry blossoms of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., a passerby walked in the background — seemingly ruining the moment. But the photobomber, followed by his bodyguards, turned out to be none other than former U.S. President Barack Obama. After Innel published the picture on her Instagram account, Obama apologized for the intrusion, commenting: “Preston and Belle, I hope you enjoyed peak bloom! My bad for stepping into the shot.”

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇺🇸 Donald Trump has cultivated his image as a “disruptor,” a term coined by tech startups. But by launching a global trade war, the U.S. president risks achieving the opposite of what he intends. What's the opposite of “great again”?
— FRANCE INTER

🎖️ While voluntary enlistment is still strong in Ukraine, it is no longer enough. Kyiv has begun allowing prisoners to apply for early release in exchange for military service. While Russia's similar policy was criticized, Ukrainian officials insist there are crucial differences.
— LA STAMPA

🇵🇸 Gazans who had long sought to leave the enclave are suddenly getting permission, but now they're wondering why. Are we witnessing what can be called "voluntary" forced displacement?
— DARAJ

🤰 The surrogacy agency Gestlife — which is registered in the U.S., where this activity is legal — operates from Barcelona and uses a complex network of companies to do so. An investigation into this shady business network.
— LA MAREA

🏋️ Physical activity has profound effects on brain performance, cognition and resilience. How often and how intensely should you train to maximize these benefits?
— DIE ZEIT

🥐🌭 BRIGHT IDEA

Julien Maia, a restaurateur in Dinan, France, teamed up with baker Alexandre Lux and boat operators Laurent Ogel and Gemma Garrido to create the chipolatine — a chocolate bread twist where chipolata sausage replaces chocolate. Inspired by an AI-generated image, it can be, erm… “enjoyed” hot or cold. Available from April 5 — if that’s your thing?

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⏩  LOOKING AHEAD

• The U.S. and Ukraine are expected to finalize a long-awaited mineral deal next week, which will focus on increasing critical mineral supply chains for both countries. This agreement follows months of diplomatic discussions and could have significant implications for the global market.

• Amazon is set to launch its first batch of Kuiper satellites into space next week, marking a major step in its mission to provide broadband internet access to underserved areas worldwide. The launch could pave the way for a more connected future, especially in remote regions.

• The Netherlands is rolling out the next phase in its groundbreaking cannabis trial, with the government planning to expand its test cultivation of cannabis for recreational use in select cities, starting Monday. This is a key step in the country's long-term plan for cannabis regulation.

News quiz answers:

1. U.S. President Donald Trump dubbed “Liberation Day” tariffs the new series of measures on goods imported in the country, which he unveiled from the White House’s Rose Garden on April 2.

2. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, agreed to accelerate efforts to strengthen deterrence amid China's growing assertiveness in the region. This week, Chinese ships and fighter jets surrounded the island of Taiwan as part of military drills.

3. Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), its government said Wednesday, as the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed Israeli Prime Minister and ICC fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest.

4. Filmmaker Sam Mendes announced the casting for its upcoming Beatles movies — with all four installments scheduled to be released theatrically in April 2028. The films will star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

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*Photo: Prado museum