TRANSCRIPT
- The Coalition scraps plan to end work-from-home arrangements
- The Trump administration says more than 50 countries have sought to negotiate over new tariffs
- Australian boxer, Tim Tszyu, defeats American Joey Spencer
US officials say more than 50 countries targeted by President Donald Trump's new tariffs have reached out to seek negotiations over the import taxes announced last week.
Countries are scrambling to figure out how to respond.
It's an issue expected to come up when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation is facing a 17 per cent tariff, visits the White House in coming hours.
The higher rates are set to be collected beginning Wednesday, ushering in a new era of economic uncertainty with no clear end in sight.
Speaking to the American Broadcasting Company, the Director of the White House National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, says there is no need for countries to retaliate with tariffs of their own.
"But if US consumers are bearing the costs, there's no reason for the countries to be angry. So the fact is the countries are angry and retaliating. And by the way, coming to the table, I got a report from the USTR (Office of the United States Trade Representative) last night that more than 50 countries have reached out to the president to begin a negotiation. But they're doing that because they understand that they bear a lot of the tariff."
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The Coalition has backflipped on its plan to change current flexible working arrangements, including work from home policies in the public service.
That decision coincides with new Labor modelling, which has found that women forced back into job sharing under the proposal would leave families hundreds of dollars a week worse off in their pay-packets.
Labor has estimated that the families of women who will need to reduce their hours to the equivalent of three days a week will sustain a gross loss of $740 per week, amounting to $38,000 annually.
The opposition spokesperson for finance, Jane Hume, now says she understands "flexible work, including working from home, is part of getting the best out of any workforce."
Minister for Women and the Public Service Katy Gallagher has been critical of the proposal, saying "women have embraced flexible full-time work" and such a reversal will be "bad for the economy, bad for families, and bad for the services that Australians rely on".
Over 2.6 million women regularly work from home, with 750-thousand more working from home on a regular basis compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Liberal party has dumped its candidate for the New South Wales seat of Whitlam, Benjamin Britton, after it emerged he believes women should not be allowed to serve in army combat corps.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton previously praised Mr Britton as an "outstanding candidate" but he has now been replaced by Nathaniel Smith, CEO of Master Plumbers Association of New South Wales.
In a podcast episode with rightwing figure Joel Jammal last year, Mr Britton said he had served with "tremendous" women in the army, but maintained they were unsuited to infantry roles.
"The concept of diversity and equity, and these woke Marxist ideologies, young women are been put on the altar and sacrificed for this for this ideology."
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A coalition of community groups have gathered in Sydney to condemn anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia in Australia, that have surged since the 7th of October attacks in 2023.
Protest organisers have called on authorities to do more to ensure public safety, with many in the Arab diaspora and Muslim community saying they live in fear.
Mariam Tohamy's personal experience of Islamophobia gained national attention, after she filmed a woman abusing her in Kmart last year.
In the footage, a woman can be seen verbally attacking Ms Tohamy, while making a throat-slitting gesture toward her and her child.
She says she is among other Muslim women who are fearful of going about their daily lives.
"Due to their visibility, Muslim women have borne the brunt of these horrible, racist attacks. Three out of four attacks have targeted Muslim women. Some women have expressed so much fear that they cannot go to their local grocery store without being accompanied by somebody. No one in Australia should be feeling this level of fear."
Last month alone, during the holy month of Ramadan, three mosques in Sydney received online bomb threats.
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Pope Francis has appeared in Saint Peter’s Square for a special Jubilee Mass for the sick, marking his first public event at the Vatican since being hospitalised with pneumonia.
Arriving in a wheelchair, the Pope smiled and waved to the applauding crowd before being brought to the front of the altar where he greeted those present.
The pontiff then received the Sacrament of Reconciliation inside the basilica, prayed, and then passed through the Holy Door to greet pilgrims.
Among them was Jessica Cardenas from the United Statess.
''It was a beautiful experience. I started crying, I never imagined I would be able to be here and it was, I don't know how to explain it. It was just a feeling that I have no words for it. It was beautiful, it was beautiful.''
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In boxing, Australian Tim Tszyu has restored his reputation and reignited his international career, with the defeat of American Joey Spencer in Newcastle.
The victory is Tszyu's first in 18 months, following two world-title defeats in the U-S last year.
The former WBO world champion told Foxtel's Main Event program the referee stopped the fight two minutes and 18 seconds into the fourth round.
"Yeah, I started feeling him. I had this laser jab from mid distance that started working, and when you have that jab that sort of just going through the middle you're able to control with upstairs, downstairs, upstairs, downstairs, uppercuts, hooks and mix it all up."
