Questions swirl around Donald Trump's upcoming visit to the UK
British lawmakers are debating whether to allow the US leader the same honour of addressing the houses of Parliament presented to their cross-channel neighbour.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Trump has flagged 200 per cent tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals. What do we produce here, and what's at risk?
This article first appeared in The Conversation. US President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Australia's pharmaceutical exports to the United States has raised alarm among industry and government leaders. There are fears that, if implemented, the tariffs could cost the Australian economy up to A$2.8 billion. That's both in direct exports and as inputs to third countries that produce drugs also hit by tariffs. The proposed tariffs come amid growing pressure from pharmaceutical lobby groups in the US for Trump to use trade negotiations as a tool to make changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and raise Australian drug prices. In response, Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated the government would not compromise the integrity of the PBS to do a deal with the Trump administration. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie also confirmed bipartisan support for the PBS. Our largest export market for pharmaceuticals The US is Australia's biggest pharmaceutical export market, accounting for 38 per cent of total Australian pharmaceutical exports and valued at $2.2 billion last year. About 87 per cent of exports to the US consist of blood plasma products, mainly from manufacturing giant CSL. These are used for transfusions in a range of medical and surgical situations. In a submission to the US Commerce Department, which is reviewing the sector, CSL called for tariffs to be phased in over five years, and for an exemption for certain biotech equipment. Trump floated proposed tariffs potentially as high as 200 per cent. But he also said these would not be imposed for 'about a year, a year and a half' to allow negotiations to take place. If tariffs are eventually implemented, there are fears domestic manufacturing may suffer, with negative flow-on effects for Australian research and innovation in the sector. How does the PBS work? The PBS is an Australian government program aimed at providing affordable prescription medicines to Australians. It helps reduce the cost of essential medications, ensuring access to treatments for a wide range of medical conditions. Medicines included on the PBS are subsidised by the government, with the patient making a capped co-payment. More than 900 medicines were listed on the scheme in 2023–24, costing the government $17.7 billion. Decisions to list medications on the PBS are made by the health minister based on recommendations from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The committee evaluates the clinical effectiveness, safety, cost-effectiveness ('value for money') and estimated financial impact of new medications. If approved, the PBS uses this information to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies, helping to keep prices affordable. How does the US system compare? This contrasts with the US system, which operates more under free-market principles. In the US, pharmaceuticals are subsidised through private health insurance or government programs such as Medicaid. Neither directly negotiates with pharmaceutical companies. The fragmented nature of the US system enables pharmaceutical companies to maintain higher prices, as there is no central authority to enforce cost controls. Studies have shown that prices for pharmaceuticals in the US are, on average, 2.78 times those in 33 other countries. In addition, in the US pharmaceutical companies are granted extensive patent protections. These provide exclusive rights to sell their drugs for a certain period. This exclusivity often leads to monopolistic pricing practices, as generic competitors are barred from entering the market until the patent expires. In Australia, patents also exist. But the PBS mitigates their impact by negotiating prices and promoting the use of cost-effective alternatives, such as generics, once they become available. Industry lobbying US pharmaceutical industry bodies have long criticised the PBS. They claim the scheme 'undervalues new innovative medicines by setting prices based on older inferior medicines and generics, and through use of low and outdated monetary thresholds per year of life gained from clinically proven treatments'. The slow process to list drugs on the PBS has also attracted criticism. The advisory committee meets only three times a year, with resources currently being stretched beyond capacity. In response to these criticisms, the Australian government commissioned a review, which was completed in 2024. It provided 50 recommendations to ensure Australians can continue to access effective, safe and affordable medicines in an equitable and timely way. The government has established an advisory group to work on implementing these recommendations. However, it is unclear whether proposed changes will appease the powerful US pharmaceutical industry.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
US President Donald Trump reflects on assassination attempt one year on
The first anniversary of Donald Trump's near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, has served as a stark reminder of the lingering impact of that day when a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally, grazing the ear of the then-Republican presidential candidate, and killing one of his supporters in the crowd. One year after coming millimetres from a very different outcome, Mr Trump is, according to friends and aides, still the same, but they see signs — beyond being on higher alert on stage — that his brush with death did change him in some ways. "I think it's always in the back of his mind," said South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, a long-time friend who was in close touch with Mr Trump after the shooting, and joined him that night in New Jersey after he was treated at a Pennsylvania hospital. "He's still a rough and tumble guy, you know. He hasn't become a Zen Buddhist. But I think he is, I'll say this, more appreciative. He's more attentive to his friends," he said, pointing to Mr Trump sending him a message on his birthday earlier this week. Senator Graham added: "It's just a miracle he's not dead. He definitely was a man who believed he had a second lease on life." The attack dramatically up-ended the 2024 campaign and launched a frenzied 10-day stretch that included Mr Trump's triumphant arrival at the Republican National Convention with a bandaged ear, with then-US president Joe Biden's decision to abandon his re-election bid, and the elevation of then-vice president Kamala Harris as his successor. While many who survive traumatic events try to block them from memory, Mr Trump has instead surrounded himself with memorabilia commemorating one of the darkest episodes in modern political history. He's decorated the White House and his golf clubs with art pieces depicting the moment after the shooting when he stood up, thrust his fist dramatically in the air and chanted: "Fight, fight, fight!" A painting of the scene now hangs prominently in the foyer of the White House State Floor near the staircase to the president's residence. Earlier this year, he began displaying a bronze sculpture of the tableau in the Oval Office on a side table next to the Resolute Desk. And while he said in his speech at the Republican convention that he would only talk about what had happened once, he often shares the story of how he turned his head at just the right moment to show off his "all-time favourite chart in history" of southern border crossings, that he credits for saving his life. During a press conference in the White House briefing room last month, he acknowledged lingering physical effects from the shooting. The president reflected on the shooting in an interview on Fox News with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, earlier this week. "Well it was unforgettable. I didn't know exactly what was going on. I got whacked, there's no question about that," he told Fox News. "Our sniper, within less than five seconds was able to get in from a long distance with one shot. "If he didn't do that, you would've had an even worse situation, it was really bad. His name is David, he did a fantastic job. He just went about his business. Less than about four seconds, and that's when it all stopped and he got him perfectly from a long distance, we got a little bit lucky in that regard," Mr Trump said. A year on from the assassination attempt and authorities say the shooter's motive remains unclear. Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was identified by the FBI as the person behind the attack that injured Mr Trump and killed a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter. Mr Crooks shot Mr Trump from the rooftop of a nearby building and was killed by Secret Service snipers shortly after he opened fire. Authorities said they have not found any kind of manifesto or motivation for the attack. Mr Crooks was a registered Republican and the 2024 election would've been the first time he was old enough to vote in a presidential election. He was a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about an hour away from where the rally was held. The FBI had to analyse Crooks's DNA because he did not have any form of identification on him during the attack. Mr Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who as his then-campaign chief was with him at the rally, said in a podcast interview that he walked away from the shooting believing he had been spared for a reason. "I would say, I think he believes that he was saved. I do. And he would never — even if he thought it before, I don't think he would have admitted it. And he will now," she told Pod Force One. As a result, she said, when Mr Trump says things that "are perfunctory — every president says 'God bless America' — well, it's more profound with him now, and it's more personal". She also credited the attack with helping change public perceptions of Mr Trump during the campaign. "For the American public to see a person who was such a fighter as he was that day, I think, as awful and tragic as it might have been, it turned out to be something that showed people his character. And that's helpful," she said. Roger Stone, a long-time friend and informal adviser, noted that Mr Trump has had other brushes with death, including a last-minute decision not to board a helicopter to Atlantic City that crashed in 1989, and another near-assassination two months after Butler when US Secret Service agents spotted a man pointing a rifle through the fence near where Mr Trump was golfing. Mr Stone said he's found the president "to be more serene and more determined after the attempt on his life" in Butler. "He told me directly that he believed he was spared by God for the purpose of restoring the nation to greatness, and that he believes deeply that he is protected now by the Lord," he said. Ralph Reed, chair of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, agreed. "I think for people who know the president, it is commonly believed that it changed him. I mean, how could it not? Imagine if you were who he was, and if you don't turn your head at that instant," he said. "He knew he was lucky to be alive." Given how close Mr Trump came to a very different outcome, Mr Reed said, "it's hard not to feel on some level that the hand of providence protected him for some greater purpose. And there are people that I've talked to who said they were confident that he would win for that reason. That there must have been a reason". Mr Trump will spend the anniversary of the assassination attempt, attending the FIFA Club World Cup soccer final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ABC/AP
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
France agrees to New Caledonian state and nationality, but not independence
France has announced an agreement aimed at granting more autonomy to New Caledonia in the south Pacific, but stopped short of the independence sought by many Indigenous Kanaks. The agreement — hailed by President Emmanuel Macron as ″historic'' — still needed final approval in New Caledonia, a nickel-rich archipelago east of Australia. The accord may face a vote in February by New Caledonians who are divided on their views on independence. It proposed the creation of a ″state of Caledonia″ within the French republic and inscribed in the French constitution, and the creation of a ''Caledonian nationality″ alongside French nationality, according to excerpts viewed by The Associated Press. It was reached after 10 days of negotiations — including a final overnight marathon — with representatives of the central government and those on both sides of the independence question. The talks stemmed from months of unrest that broke out in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-Indigenous long-term residents. Kanaks feared this would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence. As part of the agreement, New Caledonia residents will in the future only be allowed to vote after having lived 10 years on the archipelago. The accord will help "us get out of the spiral of violence,'' said Emmanuel Tjibaou, a Kanak politician who participated in the talks on Saturday evening in the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. He described a ''difficult path'' ahead but one that would allow Kanaks and other Caledonians to move forward together as ''us'' instead of divided. Those seeking to keep New Caledonia firmly in the French fold hailed the accord. Politcian Nicolas Metzdorf called it a compromise born of ''demanding dialogue,'' and described the Caledonian nationality as a ″real concession''. A special congress will be held to finalise next steps, which could include more sovereignty for New Caledonia over issues of international affairs, security and justice, according to excerpts published by New Caledonia's public broadcaster. The accord could also eventually allow New Caledonians to change the territory's name, flag and hymn. Cammi Webb-Gannon researched decolonisation in the Pacific at the University of Wollongong and said the agreement might not be what Indigenous groups wanted, especially young activists who called for their elders and leaders to push for more independence and justice. She also said the agreement still gave voting rights to long-term residents, a trigger for the protests, so more work needed to be done to improve political representation for the country's Indigenous population. But Dr Webb-Gannon said the accord is a "step in the right direction" and showed that France was listening to the sentiment coming from New Caledonia. Participants stressed the importance of rehabilitating and diversifying New Caledonia's indebted economy, which depends heavily on nickel mining, and making it less reliant on the French mainland. Last year's violence, which claimed the lives of 14 people, is estimated to have cost the territory two billion euros ($3.6 billion), shaving 10 per cent off its gross domestic product, he said. Both chambers of France's parliament are to meet in the fourth quarter this year to vote on approving the deal, which is then to be submitted to New Caledonians in a referendum in 2026. There have been three previous referendums since 2018, which all rejected New Caledonian independence. But the last referendum held in 2021 was boycotted by pro-independence groups who were mourning COVID-19 deaths which disproportionately affected the Kanak population. She said the violence last May was the "result of a sense of overall despair" from previous referendums that were seen not to take the Indigenous vote into account. Dr Webb-Gannon said it was still "unclear" what impact this accord will have in practice to quell pro-independence tensions but Kanak politician Emmanuel Tjibaou at the centre of negotiations was well supported by locals. He was also the son of assassinated leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, who sought interdependence with France, that means an independent state without animosity towards it or any of the other nations whose people settled in New Caledonia. "His really was a vision for peace with justice. "The legacy that [Emmanuel] is continuing to work towards his father's vision is promising." France colonised the Pacific archipelago in the 1850s, and it became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957. ABC/AP/AFP
