This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Valerie Sanderson, and in the early

hours of Saturday, the 1st of February, these are our main stories. The White House says the Trump

administration will impose steep new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China from today. The United

Nations says fighting between Congolese forces

and Rwanda-backed rebels for the city of Goma

has killed at least 700 people in less than a week.

German MPs have rejected tough immigration measures

proposed by the Conservative opposition

and backed by the far-right AFD.

Also in this podcast, why does scratching an itch feel so good?

A new study highlights the benefit of scratching.

For decades, trade wars look to be a thing of the past.

The future instead seemed to belong to globalisation, to China and to the big regional trading

blocks. No more. From today, Saturday, the United States says it's imposing tariffs on

its three biggest trading partners.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, President Trump said he would deliver on his campaign pledge to impose tough tariffs on imports from China, Canada and Mexico.

We have about a $200 billion deficit with Canada, getting close to $200 billion.

They've treated us very unfairly. And I say, why should we be subsidizing Canada?

It's wonderful. I have so many friends in Canada. It's a great place. We'll see what happens.

So with Mexico, it's the same thing. We have a $250 billion deficit.

As we record this podcast, it's still not clear if there'll be any exemptions. But the threat

of high tariffs brought this response from the former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney,

...