Latest News from Otago Daily Times
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
US to double steel, aluminium tariffs to 50%: Trump
US President Donald Trump says he plans to increase tariffs on foreign imports of steel and aluminium to 50% from 25%, ratcheting up pressure on global steel producers and deepening his trade war. "We are going to be imposing a 25% increase. We're going to bring it from 25% to 50% -- the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States," he said at a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump announced the tariff increase on steel products at a speech given just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was talking up an agreement between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel. Trump said the $US14.9 billion deal, like the tariff increase, would help keep jobs for steel workers in the US. Later, he added the increased tariff would also apply to aluminium products and that it would take effect on June 4. "Our steel and aluminum industries are coming back like never before," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Shares of steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc surged 26% after the market close as investors bet the new levies will help its profits. The doubling of steel and aluminium levies intensifies Trump's global trade war and came just hours after he accused China of violating an agreement with the US to mutually roll back tariffs and trade restrictions for critical minerals. Trump spoke at US Steel's Mon Valley Works, a steel plant that symbolises both the one-time strength and the decline of US manufacturing power as the Rust Belt's steel plants and factories lost business to international rivals. Closely contested Pennsylvania is also a major prize in presidential elections. The steel and aluminium tariffs were among the earliest put into effect by Trump when he returned to office in January. The tariffs of 25% on most steel and aluminium imported to the US went into effect in March, and he had briefly threatened a 50% levy on Canadian steel but ultimately backed off. Under the so-called Section 232 national security authority, the import taxes include both raw metals and derivative products as diverse as stainless steel sinks, gas ranges, air conditioner evaporator coils, horseshoes, aluminium frying pans and steel door hinges. The total 2024 import value for the 289 product categories came to $US147.3 billion with nearly two-thirds aluminium and one-third steel, according to Census Bureau data retrieved through the U.S. International Trade Commission's Data Web system. By contrast, Trump's first two rounds of punitive tariffs on Chinese industrial goods in 2018 during his first term totalled $US50 billion in annual import value. The US is the world's largest steel importer, excluding the European Union, with a total of 26.2 million tonnes of imported steel in 2024, according to the Department of Commerce. As a result, the new tariffs will likely increase steel prices across the board, hitting industry and consumers alike.
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Seymour sworn in as Deputy PM
Act leader David Seymour (left) has taken over from Winston Peters as Deputy Prime Minister. File photo David Seymour has taken over from Winston Peters as Deputy Prime Minister. A ceremony marking the Act leader's transition took place at midday at Government House in Auckland. Seymour has vowed to keep speaking freely as he takes over the role, at the halfway point of the current government. He told RNZ the transition - in most respects - would be "business as usual", adding, "I've actually been the acting prime minister several times and we're all still here, so don't worry".
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
'What a load of crap': MP caught 'ranting' during singer's performance
Cabinet minister Chris Bishop says he should have kept his comments to himself after saying "what a load of crap" during a performance at Thursday night's Aotearoa Music Awards in Auckland. Video footage shows Bishop seated, with a bottle in his hand during pop singer Stan Walker's segment. Some people in front of him were on their feet dancing and waving tino rangatiratanga, or self-determination, flags. In a statement to RNZ, Bishop admitted he said something about performative acclaim and said "what a lot of crap". He said it referred to what he called the overtly political branding on display. Musician Don McGlashan was seen on the video confronting Bishop, but McGlashan said he did not realise at first that it was the minister. "I could hear an enormous amount of ranting, kind of against the whole thing. I didn't get the full gist of it, but it was basically - 'the hīkoi is ages ago, sit down everybody' - so this geezer was just ranting away and telling everybody to sit down," McGlashan said. "After a while I turned to him and said 'ah, shut up you dickhead' and I looked at him and I thought, 'oh, I know that face'. Then he said, 'What did you say to me?'". McGlashan said that he again told Bishop to "'shut up you dickhead', and he said, 'I could say the same to you,' and I said, ,Well, I wasn't talking and you were.' And then I realised I was talking to the leader of the House". Another witness said the minister appeared to them to be drunk. "For him to take an instant dis-gratification towards Toitū Te Tiriti and that movement and to say that it's a load of crap is actually highly offensive. I'm very worried for somebody of high power in this country to be making those sorts of remarks in public," they said. In a statement to RNZ, Bishop said that, on reflection, he should have kept his thoughts to himself. A spokesperson said he strongly denied any other allegations - including making comments about the hīkoi - and said it was a political smear job: "Chris is a long-time supporter of New Zealand music and went to the Awards to celebrate successful Kiwi artists."
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
World Boxing to introduce mandatory sex testing
World Boxing will introduce mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions, the body said on Friday, adding that Paris Olympics gold medallist Imane Khelif will not be allowed to compete until she undergoes such a test. The global body, which will oversee boxing competitions in the 2028 Olympics after being granted provisional recognition by the IOC, said it aimed to deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women. The new policy comes less than a year after Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting both won gold in Paris amid a gender-eligibility row. "Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at... any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing's rules and testing procedures," World Boxing said in a statement. World Boxing said they had written to the Algerian Boxing Federation stating that Khelif would not be allowed to compete at the upcoming Eindhoven Box Cup from June 5-10 until she underwent the test. Women's welterweight Olympic champion Khelif could not be reached for comment, and the Algerian Boxing Federation did not immediately respond when contacted by Reuters. The country's federation joined World Boxing in September, one of more than 100 national federations that have joined the body since it was established in 2023. While amendments to competition rules are typically done by the World Boxing Congress, the new policy was adopted by the body's executive board which holds the authority to make immediate amendments under "special or emergency circumstances". 'NEW ELIGIBILITY RULES' "These new eligibility rules were developed with the express purpose of safeguarding athletes in combat sports, particularly given the physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing," it added. All athletes over the age of 18 will have to undertake a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test, which can be conducted by a nasal or mouth swab, saliva or blood, World Boxing said. "The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex," World Boxing said. "Athletes that are deemed to be male at birth, as evidenced by the presence of Y chromosome... or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenization occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category. "Athletes that are deemed to be female at birth... or with a DSD where male androgenization does not occur, will be eligible to compete in the female category." In February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. In March, Khelif said she was determined to defend her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, adding that she would not be intimidated by Trump as she is not transgender. At the 2023 world championships, Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association after a test that the body said rendered her ineligible to fight as a woman on the grounds of gender. The IBA lost its Olympic recognition over governance issues, however, and the International Olympic Committee cleared Khelif to compete in Paris.
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Late try seals win for Crusaders
A late try to Crusaders replacement hooker George Bell secured them a 33-31 win over the Brumbies in Canberra. The result means the Crusaders finish second in the overall Super Rugby Pacific standings going into next weekend's play-offs, while the Brumbies finish third. The home side struck almost straight away, with Feao Fotuaika rumbling over after the Brumbies had pinched the opening kick-off. The lead didn't last long though - only five minutes later Christian Lio-Willie hit back with a barge-over of his own. A Rivez Reihana penalty and an Ethan Blackadder try pushed the lead out, but the Brumbies stayed in touch with a lovely try to Len Ikitau. Reihana then hit back for the Crusaders, before Sevu Reece knocked over a rare drop goal before the break. In hindsight, while Reece's decision to take three points was the ultimate difference at the end, it was a bit rash as the Crusaders were 30 metres out and the chances of winning a penalty and subsequent attacking lineout were high. Reihana added another penalty after the break, before Rhys van Nek and Andy Muirhead scored tries for the Brumbies within six minutes of each other, to make the score 28-28. It set up a pulsating last quarter, with the Brumbies dominating possession only to be denied time and again by some staunch Crusaders defence. After successfully defending an attacking lineout, the visitors found themselves offside and Noah Lolesio sent the penalty goal over to give the Brumbies the lead for the first time in the game. It didn't last long. The Brumbies were penalised a few minutes after the restart and the Crusaders opted to go for the win with a lineout only five metres out. When the drive stalled, Bell peeled off the back to a defenceless blindside, crashing over for the winning try. Reihana's kick drifted wide, which meant that the Crusaders had to withstand a furious late charge by the Brumbies. Wing Corey Toole almost slipped through the defence to score the winner, but was hauled down short of the line and lost the ball forward. Both sides will now keep an eye on Saturday's games as all three have permutations for next week. They will play either the Hurricanes or Reds; however, just who faces who won't be known until Saturday night. If the Hurricanes can beat Moana Pasifika, they will head to Canberra. If the Hurricanes lose and the Reds can beat the Drua, the Reds will face the Brumbies and the Hurricanes will head to Christchurch to play the Crusaders.
