Australia's PM says he expects 10% US baseline tariff to stay
SYDNEY : Australia will likely still be subjected to the 10% tariff rate on all exports to US but the government will continue to try and negotiate for an exemption, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday.
A 90-day pause in the US 'reciprocal' tariffs are set to expire early next week, with President Donald Trump threatening to send letters to countries laying out the tariff rates they will face on US imports.
When asked if Australia will stay on the 10% baseline tariff rate after July 9 during an event in Sydney, Albanese said, 'I assume that will be the case.' The US tariff deadline of July 9 is not expected to affect Australia, he added.
'We are in a position where on July 9 that won't really have an impact on us because that's about other countries who have higher rates,' said Albanese.
'No country has a better tariff level than 10%. Now we will continue to put our case as we do.'
Albanese's scheduled meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 was cancelled last month when Trump left the summit early due to tensions between Israel and Iran.
The government is still trying to get a meeting with Trump, and Albanese said on Friday there would be many opportunities to meet at various forums between now and the end of the year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
US-led coalition kills senior IS leader in Syria operation
ATME: Syrian state media confirmed that US-led coalition forces killed a senior Islamic State group leader during an operation in northwest Syria on Wednesday. State television reported that coalition forces conducted an air drop targeting a house in the town of Atme within Idlib province. The operation specifically targeted Iraqi national Salah Numan, known as Ali, who was described as 'a leader in the Daesh (IS) organisation'. The security source identified him as 'one of the most dangerous men wanted for his involvement in activating and mobilising IS cells in Syria'. The coalition has not released any statements about an operation in northwest Syria. Three witnesses, including the building owner where Numan resided, confirmed the raid occurred after midnight with reports of aircraft noise and gunfire. State television detailed that coalition forces raided the house where Numan lived with his family and mother, shooting him dead after he jumped from their first-floor balcony. An anonymous Iraqi security source revealed that Numan was the brother of a top IS leader killed in a 2020 coalition strike in Deir Ezzor province. Iraqi intelligence led to Wednesday's operation according to the security source, who added that Numan's wives were arrested during the raid. Building owner Mohammed al-Sheikh reported hearing noise around 2:30 am and encountering coalition forces who ordered his surrender. He stated that 'the translator's accent was Iraqi' during the encounter with the operation forces. Sheikh explained that forces blindfolded his family, led them away, and collected their details including fingerprints during the operation. Sheikh clarified that he rented the house to Numan 'via a real estate agency and had no connection to him' regarding the tenant's activities. Neighbour Abdel-Qader al-Sheikh confirmed Numan had lived in the area for two years, stating 'We didn't have anything to do with him' about their relationship with the IS leader. The US-led coalition has frequently conducted strikes in Idlib targeting IS officials, including a previously announced raid in June. Several former IS leaders have been eliminated in the province through coalition operations over recent years. Islamic State originally seized significant Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014 during Syria's ongoing civil war before suffering territorial defeat five years later. The group's fighters maintain an active presence in the region, particularly within Syria's vast desert areas where they continue operations. – AFP
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
AI fakes cloud Ukraine peace push with Trump-Putin memes
WASHINGTON, Aug 20 — From a fake image of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin dancing in the snow with a polar bear to a fabricated photo of European leaders waiting somberly outside the Oval Office, AI-enabled disinformation has clouded the diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine. The online fakery — dubbed widely as AI slop — underscores how easily artificial intelligence tools can flood the internet with false and satirical content around major global events. These creations also highlight the challenge of policing bogus content as tech platforms offer creators monetisation incentives for viral posts. In hundreds of online posts mocking European leaders as powerless mediators snubbed by Trump, one such image purported to show French President Emmanuel Macron and other top officials waiting somberly in a White House corridor with their heads bowed. 'This is utter humiliation of these corrupt scumbags. Absolutely beautiful,' said one post on X from a conservative political commentator that AFP has previously fact-checked for spreading misinformation about Ukraine. Such posts — in multiple languages including Greek, German and French — gained traction as European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Monday for talks with Trump following the US president's summit with Putin in Alaska. Red carpet brawl AFP fact-checkers identified visual inconsistencies that indicate the image including Macron was AI-generated. Some of the individuals depicted in the image also do not match those seen in official photographs from the high-stakes meeting. Macron and other European leaders represented a group of Ukraine's allies known as the 'Coalition of the Willing' for White House consultations. But multiple pro-Kremlin sources sharing the AI-generated image ridiculed them as the 'coalition of those in waiting.' The image was also amplified by sites operated by the Pravda network, a well-resourced Moscow-based operation known to circulate pro-Russian narratives globally, the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard said in a report. The falsehood was an illustration of how 'pro-Kremlin sources often seize on high-profile meetings involving European leaders to spread false claims,' NewsGuard said. In other viral posts, an AI-generated clip purported to show Trump and Putin skidding down snow-covered slopes, eating ice-cream beside a snowman, and waltzing with a polar bear to country music. And in another AI video, Trump and Putin were depicted brawling on a red carpet leading from an airplane staircase, trading punches and kicks as secret service agents idle in the background. The tongue-in-cheek posts offer a window into a social media landscape increasingly filled with AI-generated memes, videos and images competing for attention with — and sometimes drowning out — authentic content. As tech platforms scale back content moderation, AI videos spread rapidly, muddying the waters around serious diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war in Ukraine. Trump on Tuesday ruled out sending American troops to back up any Ukraine peace deal but suggested air support instead, as European nations began hashing out security guarantees ahead of a potential Russia summit. — AFP
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Singapore office demand soars 12-fold as Hong Kong ‘subdued': Colliers
Singapore's office leasing activity surged 12-fold in the first six months of the year, topping the Asia-Pacific region, while Hong Kong leasing remained subdued amid a stubborn supply glut, according to a report by Colliers. Tenants relocating to newly completed premium spaces drove the spike in demand in Singapore, the report said. The city state, widely deemed Southeast Asia's top finance hub, also saw rents improve by 1.3 per cent to S$12.10 (US$9.42) per square foot per month as of the second quarter, according to a separate report by CBRE. 'Singapore's office demand was spurred by companies attracted to its macroeconomic stability, geopolitical neutrality and suitability as a regional business hub,' said Mike Davis, managing director for occupier services at Colliers Asia-Pacific. 'There was also a spate of relocations due to a flight to quality.' With the supply of high-end office space in Singapore's central business district set to remain tight in the next two years, Davis said growth in prime office rents was likely to accelerate. Overall, leasing activity across 11 key markets tracked by Colliers in Asia-Pacific rose 9.6 per cent to 4.5 million square metres (48.4 million sq ft) in the first half from a year earlier, the report said. Besides Singapore, the Philippines and Japan also supported the regional growth, with leasing demand growing by 56 per cent and 55 per cent, respectively, the consultancy said. In absolute terms, India, mainland China and Japan accounted for more than 90 per cent of total office demand, pushing the region's leasing volumes higher, it added. 'Across Asia-Pacific, we're witnessing a pivotal shift in how occupiers engage with office space,' said Davis. 'The resurgence in demand – led by dynamic markets like Singapore, the Philippines and Japan – signals not just recovery but reinvention. 'As flexibility and sustainability priorities take centre stage, organisations are gravitating towards prime grade A assets that reflect their values and future ambitions. This flight to quality is reshaping the region's office landscape, and we expect this momentum to build through the second half of 2025 and beyond.' Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan recorded 'relatively subdued' demand, the report said, while not providing specific figures. Hong Kong prime office rents were projected to decline by 10 per cent this year as vacancy rates climbed to about 19 per cent 'with limited appetite for expansion', Colliers said. As of the first half, 17.3 per cent of the city's office space was empty. 'This ongoing imbalance will prompt landlords to enhance the competitiveness of their rental offerings,' the report said. Average office rents in Hong Kong were estimated at US$73.90 per square metre per month, about a third lower than the average office rents in Singapore at US$97 per square metre per month, the report said.
