on friday the united states government followed through on its threat to introduce import tariffs on foreign companies to the tune of twenty five percent on steel imports and ten percent on aluminum. the decision was a blow for european steel works as well as for any hopes that europe might be spared these measures however don't just affect europe canada and mexico will also have to pay also countries which exclude it from the u.s. steel markets. when you mock its and lies more closely in the open europe and markets so we expect a deflection of steel trade flows from countries such as turkey. or iran coming to the european union. germany's economy minister also voiced his disappointment. i think and today's decision by the us government is

a mistake it's harmful for europe as well as for the united states. the e.u. isn't taking the decision lightly and is already preparing retaliate torrie measures. for. you opinion in kind looked. react to that we've all done you kind of reaction so really you need to introduce a settlement dispute. with the e.u. is considering import duties on u.s. products such as motorcycles whiskey cranberries and oranges mexico and canada have also announced counter measures a threat brushed off by the u.s. commerce secretary. there. is still. unlikely to be. europe is the united states largest trading partner which means

a trade war between the two economies would likely be damaging for both sides and especially for consumers. it was a difficult birth but after a week of back and forth italy finally swore in its new government political newcomer just seventy conte a little known law professor will lead an anti-establishment coalition as the country's new prime minister. for the italians will give it our best. the country needs confidence. it needs to lay the groundwork to take everyone forward with dignity and pride. words intended to build trust currently in short supply in italy's markets italian debt securities have been in freefall and there are major concerns about how a new government will behave towards the euro and the european union and whether

italy will try to leave the block any time soon the new government has a huge hole to climb out of. italy has two point three trillion euros in debt that's the equivalent of one hundred thirty two percent of its g.d.p. should the e.c.b. and its low interest rate policy italy would face higher interest payments which could lead to financial collapse unemployment in the country stands at around ten point two percent. but labor market reforms are progressing slowly and previous governments have yet to bring the immense national debt under control. that i found this government will not last long but given the current situation especially economically it's important to have a government divided up a lot it will have to wait and see what they're capable of doing especially in light of what they've promised. but honestly i don't expect much.

with the new government in place the hard work begins getting the economy back on track will be an important first step. air quality in german cities got so bad the e.u. commission filed a lawsuit to make them deal with it this has led to restrictions on diesel vehicles hamburg is the first city to ban diesel cars on two of its main thoroughfares only new diesel vehicles meeting the strict euro six exhaust emissions standards are allowed to drive here but until the city issues wind shield badges police can't readily see if a vehicle meets the required standards or not and the ban has upset almost everyone from shop owners to environmentalists some say the ban doesn't go far enough others think it's not well thought out. they're just doing this for the sake of doing something but it's not coherent it's

a rush job. i went and listened all they gave were just stock answers it made me feel sick really. they say the ban is about protecting people but in fact it just means others will suffer more pollution i think that's terrible especially since i also live along one of the detours. a major goal of the ban is to drastically reduce the area's high levels of nitrogen oxide pollution long exposures to these gases can cause respiratory ailments. hamburg's environment minister however rejects claims that thousands living along bypass routes will be worse off. assumption made without attention to the facts these measures will reduce the pollution on affected streets and we've done careful calculations to ensure that limits won't be exceeded on other roads as a result. for noncompliance but after

a transition period. between twenty five and seventy five euros. company has taken another major step towards the planned acquisition of us agricultural giant monsanto the u.s. department of justice approved the approximately fifty six billion euro deal on condition that buyer divest about nine billion dollars of its agriculture businesses the deal with the world's leading supplier of seeds and crop protection products. shareholders may be excited about the deal but the merger isn't going down well with environmental activists. management has come to an agreement with its workers council over restructuring plans for the automakers german factories the number of job cuts will be capped at less than four thousand and on a voluntary basis the remaining fifteen thousand workers will receive protection

from layoffs until summer twenty twenty three and return employees agreed to defer a negotiated pay hikes the carmaker has been in the red for the past twenty years. the e.u. parliament has approved a labor reforms designed to protect posted workers the revised rules are designed to keep workers coming from other e.q. countries from being exploited and paid lower wages from mid twenty twenty a same pay for equal work rule will apply to everyone with travel costs and accommodation no longer deducted from workers' wages the rules cover more than two million people from four e.u. countries coming to work in wealthier countries in germany alone there are some four hundred thousand postal workers the majority from poland. the e.u. commission has presented plans to combat plastic waste in the environment specifically in the oceans throw away items such as disposable tableware cotton swabs or straws are to be banned and replaced with more environmentally friendly

alternatives. such products get washed up on beaches across the globe manufacturers of certain disposable articles would also have to contribute to the cost of environmental cleanup. greek public and private sector workers staged a twenty four hour general strike on wednesday to protest the planned extension of austerity measures demanded by the country's creditors the walkout affected services like hospitals air travel and public transportation since two thousand and ten greece has received two hundred sixty billion euros in bailout loans exchange for imposing measures like public sector layoffs tax hikes and pension cuts but greeks are tired of years of belt tightening and want to take back control of their economy. share price fell sharply on the frankfurt stock exchange on thursday and stock plunged seven percent to a record low after it emerged that the us federal deposit insurance corporation and put the german lender on a list of problem banks this follows the u.s.

federal reserve's labeling of the banks u.s. business as troubled. he's only twenty four years old but already a well rounded craftsman. worked as a carpenter in syria for six years he also sewed in his father's tailor shop there he made everything from curtains to upholstery and car interior fabrics. we had a big workshop space where. lots of other businesses provided us with work. we did all our sewing and tailoring there. my father made his living with that workshop and. has been working for this maker for two years. stitches and installs resistent. a young company in a nice market its owners worry about finding enough skilled workers there aren't

enough qualified sowers in germany. staff or in high demand among. those who learn the trade are often turned off by the heavy work it's very difficult to always be looking for a new people. in. the company has to permanent employees and a steady stream of turns like. he's from aleppo which was a textile hub before the syrian war. there the thirty nine year old ran a workshop with twenty five employees. and i have experience as a tailor of men's and women's fashion i could easily open a tailor shop maybe even a large workshops or lots of people could come and work for me i could easily employ fifty people perhaps just even one hundred eighty two i. must stop as

employers are giving him a good start to achieve his goal they're confident about the syrians abilities even if on paper they have no qualifications. to name it comes down to companies not insisting on certificates or exam results a typical german obsession thinking that these are the most important employment criteria. speaking good german is still a must however no matter how good their employees skills are it's important to avoid misunderstandings and improperly cut fabric. so the staff take german language courses that self-evident to use have also honey after all he says now lives in germany. has.

on freedom and hope. where i come from the region is rich in history style and talents but so poor in education opportunity and freedom this makes it specially difficult for can depend on drugs i see many of the younger promising. now making names for themselves all over the. song might get along the way some might follow some with continue. their experience of freedom in a sense is life experience of the day you can visit but your call come back for. mining industry for the one i work at the end of it. every journey begins with the first step and every language the first word published in the. eco is in germany to learn german why not learn something simple

online on your mobile and free themselves from the w z e learning course nikou speak german made easy. they make a commitment they find solutions. they inspire. africa to move. stories of those people making a difference shaping their nation. and their continent africa on the move the stories about to move the vision of change makers taking their destinies into their own hands w.'s new multimedia series for. d w dot com africa on the move.