India, Jan. 21 -- US President Donald Trump has threatened to slap 200 per cent tariffs on French wine and champagne after Paris signalled it would not join a new US-backed "Board of Peace". The board was presented as a mechanism to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, but French officials say its mandate extends well beyond the Palestinian territory, which appears to have raised concerns.

"I'll put a 200 per cent tariff on his wines and champagnes. And he'll join. But he doesn't have to join," Trump said on Monday, targeting French President Emmanuel Macron. A source close to Macron said France "does not intend to answer favourably" to the invitation, adding that the board's charter "goes beyond the sole framework of Gaza". On Tuesday, t...