logo
Pacific call for clarity around deportee numbers from US

Pacific call for clarity around deportee numbers from US

An immigration crackdown of undocumented migrants in US cities has captivated the world in recent weeks, sparking fears a wave of deportees may be about to enter the Pacific.
US immigration documents have marked hundreds of Pacific migrants for deportation, most of which come from Fiji, Tonga and the Marshall Islands.
But as for how and when they'll be sent back remains anyone's guess. And and now a push is underway for Pacific leaders to hold a panel with US officials to get an idea of what to expect.
FEATURED:
Danielle Watson, associate professor with the Queensland University of Technology's School of Justice
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

7NEWS The Issue Podcast: Donald Trump's foreign policy aids China
7NEWS The Issue Podcast: Donald Trump's foreign policy aids China

7NEWS

time5 minutes ago

  • 7NEWS

7NEWS The Issue Podcast: Donald Trump's foreign policy aids China

President Donald Trump 's withdrawal of foreign aid is raising fears that China will increasingly dominate development in southeast Asia. A new report by the Lowy Institute shows Beijing is getting the upper-hand, putting pressure on the Albanese government to act. It's the third edition of Southeast Asia Aid Map, a comprehensive database tracking official development finance flows across the region. The map shows total official development finance to Southeast Asia increased modestly to US$29 billion in 2023, but the region is facing a much bleaker outlook, with the Trump administration's decision to scrap about US$60 billion in aid and European countries pulling back more than $US25 billion. Speaking to 'The Issue,' a 7NEWS Podcast, Senior Economist Alexandre Dayant says if Australia does nothing, 'China will become a bigger leader of development finance because others are retracting'. 'You could argue southeast Asian nations will have less agency to push back on Chinese aid projects but also to push for better quality of them. 'Foreign aid provides you with long and strong relationships, I think it is sometimes a tool that we forget.' China dominates the region by focusing on infrastructure, whereas Australia spends on health and education. Among China's development projects in Australia's backyard is a $16 billion mega railway in Malaysia, a 600MW coal fired power station in Vietnam, and a $5.6 billion industrial park in Indonesia dedicated to nickel production. According to the Lowy Institute China has committed 34 per cent of all aid funding in the region, Japan 12 per cent, South Korea 6 per cent, the United States 3 per cent and Australia just 2 per cent. To combat Beijing, experts like Alexandre Dayant want the Albanese Government to increase aid, and work with like minded partners, still invested in the region, such as Japan and South Korea. Australia's Minister for International Development, Anne Aly, has defend the Albanese's Governments handling of foreign aid. 'Our neighbours in the Pacific and Southeast Asia look to us, they look to us as a trusted partner,' Aly said.

Penny Wong avoids labelling Trump administration ‘chaotic'
Penny Wong avoids labelling Trump administration ‘chaotic'

Sky News AU

timean hour ago

  • Sky News AU

Penny Wong avoids labelling Trump administration ‘chaotic'

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has carefully declined to confirm whether she views the US Trump administration as 'chaotic', amid shifting dynamics in the diplomatic relationship. It comes after the US announced it would review the AUKUS defence pact, and called on Australia to confirm what it would do in the event of a China-Taiwan conflict. When asked by Sky News if she would describe the Trump administration as chaotic — a characterisation made by government insiders — Ms Wong did not confirm. 'I'm not going to get engaged in that sort of commentary,' she said on Tuesday. Ms Wong has instead pointed pointing to the evolving nature of the US-Australia relationship and her confidence in managing it. ' I understand that this is a time of change, and I was pretty upfront about that … before and after the election. 'President Trump envisages a different role for America and the world, and that does involve a change.' However, Ms Wong said that Australians should have 'confidence' in the Albanese government's capacity to navigate global diplomacy. There have been tensions in the US-Australia alliance, exacerbated by past public criticisms of Donald Trump from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ms Wong when in opposition. In 2021, Mr Albanese labelled Trump's conduct 'anti-democratic' and accused him of inciting violence. Ms Wong herself said Trump 'undermined American democracy' and was willing to 'trash alliances and partnerships for personal political interest'. Such rhetoric has been flagged by experts as potentially damaging to bilateral ties at a time when regional security challenges require close cooperation. Relations have also been complicated by the cancellation of a planned meeting between Mr Albanese and Mr Trump at the G7 summit. Mr Albanese recently downplayed concerns over the strength of the US-Australia alliance, saying he was 'not worried' about relations with President Donald Trump. Speaking at Sky News' Australia's Economic Outlook forum recently, he insisted that a meeting with President Trump would take place before the end of the year. 'Well of course we will have meetings, there will be a range of meetings between now and the end of the year with President Trump,' he said.

Asian stocks firm as investors eye tariff negotiations
Asian stocks firm as investors eye tariff negotiations

The Advertiser

time3 hours ago

  • The Advertiser

Asian stocks firm as investors eye tariff negotiations

Asian share markets have held their ground near a four-year peak, buoyed by Wall Street's closing record high ahead of a slate of corporate earnings, while investors take stock of tariff negotiations between the US and its trading partners. The Japanese markets returned to action after a holiday following a weekend when the ruling coalition suffered a defeat in upper house elections, although Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his post. Japanese shares briefly jumped at the open on Tuesday before trading modestly higher, while bonds had a muted reaction as the election results were largely priced in and were not as bad as investors had feared. The yen rallied one per cent on Monday, recouping some of the losses from past weeks and was last little changed at 147.46 per dollar on Tuesday. Kristina Clifton, an economist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the weakening of Ishiba's leadership will open the door to more fiscal expansion which is negative for Japanese assets, including the yen. "The bottom line is longer term Japanese government bond yields and JPY can fall if concerns about Japan's fiscal spending deepen." MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since October 2021 in the early Asian hours but was last little changed. The index is up nearly 16 per cent in 2025. Overnight, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched record-high closes on Monday, lifted by Alphabet and other megacaps ahead of a burst of earnings reports this week. Investor focus has been on tariff negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline with the European Union exploring a broader set of possible countermeasures against the United States as prospects for an acceptable agreement with Washington fade. The most important deals for the global outlook are with the EU and Japan, CBA's Clifton said. "The USD reaction to the announcement of trade deals with these countries would depend on the details of the deals in our view," Clifton said, noting the dollar could turn down again against the euro and the British pound. The euro was steady at $1.1689, after rising 0.5 per cent in the previous session but still away from the near four-year high it touched at the start of July. The single currency is up 13 per cent in 2025 as investors look for alternatives to US assets bruised by tariff uncertainties. The dollar index measure against six other key currencies was at 97.905. The rumblings around the Federal Reserve's independence and whether US President Donald Trump will fire Fed chair Jerome Powell have kept investors on tenterhooks in recent weeks. Trump appeared near the point of trying to fire Powell last week, but backed off with a nod to the market disruption that would likely follow. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday said the entire Federal Reserve needed to be examined as an institution and whether it had been successful, further exacerbating worries about the independence of the US central bank. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady in its July meeting but might lower rates later in the year. Market focus will be squarely on Powell's speech later on Tuesday for clues about when the Fed might ease policy. Goldman Sachs strategists expect the Fed to deliver three consecutive 25-basis-point cuts starting in September, "provided inflation expectations remain in check amidst worries about Fed independence". In commodities, oil prices edged lower on concerns the brewing trade war between major crude consumers the US and the European Union will curb fuel demand. Brent crude futures fell 0.35 per cent, to $68.97 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude eased 0.31 per cent to $66.99 per barrel. Asian share markets have held their ground near a four-year peak, buoyed by Wall Street's closing record high ahead of a slate of corporate earnings, while investors take stock of tariff negotiations between the US and its trading partners. The Japanese markets returned to action after a holiday following a weekend when the ruling coalition suffered a defeat in upper house elections, although Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his post. Japanese shares briefly jumped at the open on Tuesday before trading modestly higher, while bonds had a muted reaction as the election results were largely priced in and were not as bad as investors had feared. The yen rallied one per cent on Monday, recouping some of the losses from past weeks and was last little changed at 147.46 per dollar on Tuesday. Kristina Clifton, an economist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the weakening of Ishiba's leadership will open the door to more fiscal expansion which is negative for Japanese assets, including the yen. "The bottom line is longer term Japanese government bond yields and JPY can fall if concerns about Japan's fiscal spending deepen." MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since October 2021 in the early Asian hours but was last little changed. The index is up nearly 16 per cent in 2025. Overnight, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched record-high closes on Monday, lifted by Alphabet and other megacaps ahead of a burst of earnings reports this week. Investor focus has been on tariff negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline with the European Union exploring a broader set of possible countermeasures against the United States as prospects for an acceptable agreement with Washington fade. The most important deals for the global outlook are with the EU and Japan, CBA's Clifton said. "The USD reaction to the announcement of trade deals with these countries would depend on the details of the deals in our view," Clifton said, noting the dollar could turn down again against the euro and the British pound. The euro was steady at $1.1689, after rising 0.5 per cent in the previous session but still away from the near four-year high it touched at the start of July. The single currency is up 13 per cent in 2025 as investors look for alternatives to US assets bruised by tariff uncertainties. The dollar index measure against six other key currencies was at 97.905. The rumblings around the Federal Reserve's independence and whether US President Donald Trump will fire Fed chair Jerome Powell have kept investors on tenterhooks in recent weeks. Trump appeared near the point of trying to fire Powell last week, but backed off with a nod to the market disruption that would likely follow. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday said the entire Federal Reserve needed to be examined as an institution and whether it had been successful, further exacerbating worries about the independence of the US central bank. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady in its July meeting but might lower rates later in the year. Market focus will be squarely on Powell's speech later on Tuesday for clues about when the Fed might ease policy. Goldman Sachs strategists expect the Fed to deliver three consecutive 25-basis-point cuts starting in September, "provided inflation expectations remain in check amidst worries about Fed independence". In commodities, oil prices edged lower on concerns the brewing trade war between major crude consumers the US and the European Union will curb fuel demand. Brent crude futures fell 0.35 per cent, to $68.97 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude eased 0.31 per cent to $66.99 per barrel. Asian share markets have held their ground near a four-year peak, buoyed by Wall Street's closing record high ahead of a slate of corporate earnings, while investors take stock of tariff negotiations between the US and its trading partners. The Japanese markets returned to action after a holiday following a weekend when the ruling coalition suffered a defeat in upper house elections, although Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his post. Japanese shares briefly jumped at the open on Tuesday before trading modestly higher, while bonds had a muted reaction as the election results were largely priced in and were not as bad as investors had feared. The yen rallied one per cent on Monday, recouping some of the losses from past weeks and was last little changed at 147.46 per dollar on Tuesday. Kristina Clifton, an economist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the weakening of Ishiba's leadership will open the door to more fiscal expansion which is negative for Japanese assets, including the yen. "The bottom line is longer term Japanese government bond yields and JPY can fall if concerns about Japan's fiscal spending deepen." MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since October 2021 in the early Asian hours but was last little changed. The index is up nearly 16 per cent in 2025. Overnight, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched record-high closes on Monday, lifted by Alphabet and other megacaps ahead of a burst of earnings reports this week. Investor focus has been on tariff negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline with the European Union exploring a broader set of possible countermeasures against the United States as prospects for an acceptable agreement with Washington fade. The most important deals for the global outlook are with the EU and Japan, CBA's Clifton said. "The USD reaction to the announcement of trade deals with these countries would depend on the details of the deals in our view," Clifton said, noting the dollar could turn down again against the euro and the British pound. The euro was steady at $1.1689, after rising 0.5 per cent in the previous session but still away from the near four-year high it touched at the start of July. The single currency is up 13 per cent in 2025 as investors look for alternatives to US assets bruised by tariff uncertainties. The dollar index measure against six other key currencies was at 97.905. The rumblings around the Federal Reserve's independence and whether US President Donald Trump will fire Fed chair Jerome Powell have kept investors on tenterhooks in recent weeks. Trump appeared near the point of trying to fire Powell last week, but backed off with a nod to the market disruption that would likely follow. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday said the entire Federal Reserve needed to be examined as an institution and whether it had been successful, further exacerbating worries about the independence of the US central bank. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady in its July meeting but might lower rates later in the year. Market focus will be squarely on Powell's speech later on Tuesday for clues about when the Fed might ease policy. Goldman Sachs strategists expect the Fed to deliver three consecutive 25-basis-point cuts starting in September, "provided inflation expectations remain in check amidst worries about Fed independence". In commodities, oil prices edged lower on concerns the brewing trade war between major crude consumers the US and the European Union will curb fuel demand. Brent crude futures fell 0.35 per cent, to $68.97 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude eased 0.31 per cent to $66.99 per barrel. Asian share markets have held their ground near a four-year peak, buoyed by Wall Street's closing record high ahead of a slate of corporate earnings, while investors take stock of tariff negotiations between the US and its trading partners. The Japanese markets returned to action after a holiday following a weekend when the ruling coalition suffered a defeat in upper house elections, although Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his post. Japanese shares briefly jumped at the open on Tuesday before trading modestly higher, while bonds had a muted reaction as the election results were largely priced in and were not as bad as investors had feared. The yen rallied one per cent on Monday, recouping some of the losses from past weeks and was last little changed at 147.46 per dollar on Tuesday. Kristina Clifton, an economist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the weakening of Ishiba's leadership will open the door to more fiscal expansion which is negative for Japanese assets, including the yen. "The bottom line is longer term Japanese government bond yields and JPY can fall if concerns about Japan's fiscal spending deepen." MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since October 2021 in the early Asian hours but was last little changed. The index is up nearly 16 per cent in 2025. Overnight, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched record-high closes on Monday, lifted by Alphabet and other megacaps ahead of a burst of earnings reports this week. Investor focus has been on tariff negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline with the European Union exploring a broader set of possible countermeasures against the United States as prospects for an acceptable agreement with Washington fade. The most important deals for the global outlook are with the EU and Japan, CBA's Clifton said. "The USD reaction to the announcement of trade deals with these countries would depend on the details of the deals in our view," Clifton said, noting the dollar could turn down again against the euro and the British pound. The euro was steady at $1.1689, after rising 0.5 per cent in the previous session but still away from the near four-year high it touched at the start of July. The single currency is up 13 per cent in 2025 as investors look for alternatives to US assets bruised by tariff uncertainties. The dollar index measure against six other key currencies was at 97.905. The rumblings around the Federal Reserve's independence and whether US President Donald Trump will fire Fed chair Jerome Powell have kept investors on tenterhooks in recent weeks. Trump appeared near the point of trying to fire Powell last week, but backed off with a nod to the market disruption that would likely follow. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday said the entire Federal Reserve needed to be examined as an institution and whether it had been successful, further exacerbating worries about the independence of the US central bank. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady in its July meeting but might lower rates later in the year. Market focus will be squarely on Powell's speech later on Tuesday for clues about when the Fed might ease policy. Goldman Sachs strategists expect the Fed to deliver three consecutive 25-basis-point cuts starting in September, "provided inflation expectations remain in check amidst worries about Fed independence". In commodities, oil prices edged lower on concerns the brewing trade war between major crude consumers the US and the European Union will curb fuel demand. Brent crude futures fell 0.35 per cent, to $68.97 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude eased 0.31 per cent to $66.99 per barrel.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store