logo
Trump hosts Netanyahu at the White House as US pushes for Israel-Gaza ceasefire

Trump hosts Netanyahu at the White House as US pushes for Israel-Gaza ceasefire

US President Donald Trump has hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dinner at the White House as America pushes for a new ceasefire in Gaza.
Mr Trump also confirmed the US would hold new talks with Iran following last month's American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
"We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to talk," he said.
Mr Netanyahu — whose freedom to travel to many parts of the world has been curtailed because he is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant — is expected to spend several days in the US as Israeli and Hamas representatives take part in ceasefire negotiations in Qatar.
The Israeli prime minister used a White House dinner table press conference to tell Mr Trump he had nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize, and said: "I think we can work out a peace between us and the entire Middle East with President Trump's leadership."
After almost 21 months of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza — which has flattened most of the enclave's buildings, displaced most of the population and killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Gazan health ministry — the Trump administration is proposing a new 60-day ceasefire deal.
The deal would involve the phased release of hostages and withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of Gaza while negotiations take place to bring the war to a permanent end.
Mr Trump has said he is optimistic a deal will be struck this week. He last week said he would be "very firm" with Israel in his effort to secure one.
Mr Netanyahu has vowed to continue Israel's assault on Gaza until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.
And Hamas has sought a guarantee that a ceasefire would lead to an end to the war, which it says must happen before the hostages are released.
Those two seemingly irreconcilable positions threaten to create a barrier to progress in the ceasefire talks, which Qatar is mediating with support from Egypt.
But at the White House, Mr Netanyahu said: "We will work out a peace with our Palestinian neighbours, those who don't want to destroy us, and we'll work out a peace in which our security, the sovereign power of security, always remains in our hands."
The US's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Doha to rejoin the talks later this week.
Mr Witkoff also said talks between the US and Iran would happen "very quickly, in the next week or so".
Before the strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities last month, the US had been negotiating with Iran over a possible deal to relax economic sanctions in return for a guarantee Iran would end its nuclear program.
US outlet Axios and Israel's Channel 12 last week reported the nuclear talks would soon restart in Norway.
But Mr Trump would not confirm the location or other specifics. "I'd rather not say, but you'll be reading about it tomorrow or seeing it tomorrow," he said.
Asked what the focus of the talks would be, he said: "It's a really good question, because if you remember when it [the US attack on Iran] was done, I sort of said: 'What's the purpose of talking? It's been knocked down and knocked down completely.'
"But they've requested a meeting and I'm going to go to a meeting, and if we can put something down on paper, that would be fine."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Top Tesla analyst urges board to rein in Musk
Top Tesla analyst urges board to rein in Musk

News.com.au

time20 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

Top Tesla analyst urges board to rein in Musk

A leading wall street Tesla analyst has issued a warning to Tesla's board of directors, urging immediate action over chief executive Elon Musk. Wedbush managing director Dan Ives, one of Tesla's most bullish analysts, laid out a three part strategy in a Tuesday morning note that calls for greater oversight of Musk. Tesla 'needs to act now and set the ground rules for Musk going forward around his political ambitions and actions,' Ives said. Tesla's share price has dipped of late, thanks to Elon Musk's fight with President Donald Trump. Shares dropped 6 per cent on Monday following Musk's announcement of his intention to create a new political party, wiping more than USD $15 billion from his personal wealth. The stock slightly rebounded yesterday by 3 per cent, however remains down by more than 10 per cent since Musk started publicly criticising Trump last month. Ives, who has been a long-term supporter of Tesla, said Musk's attention has become increasingly fragmented as he pivots his interests towards SpaceX, xAI and politics. He suggested Tesla introduce a new compensation package that would increase Musk's voting stake to 25 per cent, up from 13 per cent if he agrees to spend a guaranteed amount of time actually working on Tesla, not just side projects like SpaceX, X or political ventures. Ives also suggested tying Musk's pay to his behaviour. He wants Musk's massive bonus to be conditional, meaning if he spends too much time on politics or things that hurt the Tesla brand, he could lose some of that bonus. Lastly, Ives suggested a watchdog group for Elon, a special board that would keep an eye on Elon's public behaviour and make sure they don't damage the company's reputation. The Board should 'create a special Board oversight committee for Musk around his political ambitions and ground rules that would violate his pay package,' Ive said. Musk responded directly to Ives' comments via a post on X, writing 'Shut up Dan'. Tesla is facing its most challenging sales period in years, with global deliveries falling in both first and second quarters of 2025. A decline that analysts believe is due to Musk's behaviour.

‘Screw over': Truth about Donald Trump's plan to impose crippling 200 per cent tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals
‘Screw over': Truth about Donald Trump's plan to impose crippling 200 per cent tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals

News.com.au

time20 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

‘Screw over': Truth about Donald Trump's plan to impose crippling 200 per cent tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals

US President Donald Trump's plan to drop a 200 per cent tariff bomb on Australian pharmaceuticals is set to 'screw over' the sickest and most vulnerable in the United States suffering rare and life-threatening conditions including burns patients. As the Albanese Government scrambles to secure more information about the US government's latest plans, Australian officials are sounding the alarm given that pharmaceutical exports are worth over $2 billion a year. All plasma products collected in Australia stay here and are not exported to the US. Instead, the export issue relates to vaccines and blood products collected overseas and sent to Australia for processing before being returned to the US. President Donald Trump has threatened to introduce 200 per cent tariffs on pharmaceuticals – one of Australia's biggest exports to the US. Speaking to the media before a cabinet meeting, the President suggested the 'very, very high' levies on pharmaceuticals would not go into effect immediately, saying he would give drug manufacturers 'about a year, year and a half' to respond and relocate their operations to the US. 'They're going to be tariffs at a very high rate, like 200 per cent,' Mr Trump told reporters. 'We'll give them a certain period of time to get their act together,' he added, seemingly referring to drug manufacturers bringing back manufacturing into the US. Australia is subject to a 10 per cent 'baseline' tariff, which was the minimum rate imposed on all US trading partners by Mr Trump earlier this year. Australia's plasma exports to the US One of the biggest sections of the market includes blood products such as plasma products including exports linked to CSL Plasma which collects blood plasma in the United States. In 2023, Australia exported $1.42 billion of vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures, making it the 20th largest exporter of 208 in the world. Blood collection is a commercial operation in the United States, with plasma donors typically paid for their blood. CSL Plasma operates one of the world's largest and most sophisticated plasma collection networks, with nearly 350 plasma collection centers in the US and elsewhere. The blood products are mostly processed in the US but some are sent back to Australia to manufacture therapies for a variety of rare and life-threatening conditions. These conditions include primary immunodeficiencies, bleeding disorders like hemophilia, neurological disorders, and critical care needs like those arising from trauma or burns. One Australian official predicted that demand for the products would continue but the tariffs would 'screw over' patients relying on the notorious US healthcare system. Vulnerable patients will be hit with cost increases because the tariffs are paid by importers, not Australian exporters. CSL has a factory in Melbourne Biotech giant CSL has a plasma fractionation facility in Broadmeadows in Melbourne. The impact of the threatened tariffs relates to the commercial arm of CSL. which uses US blood products which are sourced in America and then processed in Australia before being sent back. 'Plasma manufacturing is a really fragile supply chain because it starts in a human vein,'' an industry source said. 'It's not a tap that you can turn on or off. You need people to vote with their feet to go into a facility that is enabled to collect plasma, and the demand for plasma products is growing globally each year.' 'Tariffs on pharmaceuticals impact the end user.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers 'very concerned' The Treasurer said on Wednesday that Washington's latest announcement was 'very concerning'. 'These are obviously very concerning developments,' Mr Chalmers told the ABC, adding that it had 'been a feature of recent months that we've had these sorts of announcements out of DC'. 'It's still early days. Obviously, we'll make a more detailed assessment of what's come out of the US in the usual way.' 'Our pharmaceuticals industry is much more exposed to the US market, and that's why we're seeking - urgently seeking - some more detail on what's been announced. 'But I want to make it really clear once again … our Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme is not something that we're willing to trade away or do deals on – that won't change.' 'We've made it very clear that we think these tariffs are bad for the US, bad for Australia and bad for the global economy.' Mr Chalmers said one of the things the Albanese Government was 'most concerned' about was in addition to the direct impact on Australian workers and industries caused by this tariff, was the 'impact on global demand more broadly'. 'That's why we've been … at every opportunity, making the case that these tariffs are unjustified, they should be removed in line with our free trade agreement,' he said. The Prime Minister has described the taxes on Australian exports to the US as an 'act of economic self-harm'. 'Tariffs are a penalty on the country that is imposing them, because what they require is for goods to be purchased with a tax on top, and the US has made that decision,' the Prime Minister said. How plasma exports are used to help patients CSL Behring uses a process called plasma fractionation to separate the collected plasma into different components, such as immunoglobulins, coagulation factors, and other proteins. One example is helping people with bleeding disorders, with doctors utilising coagulation factors that are used to help patients with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. Plasma-derived products are also used in emergency situations like severe trauma, burns, and shock to replace lost blood volume and proteins. For now, Australian officials concerned about the impact on blood product exports don't have full clarity on how it will impact the supply chain process.

ASX 200 sinks as US President Donald Trump vows 50 per cent tariffs on copper, 200 per cent levies on pharmaceuticals
ASX 200 sinks as US President Donald Trump vows 50 per cent tariffs on copper, 200 per cent levies on pharmaceuticals

Sky News AU

timean hour ago

  • Sky News AU

ASX 200 sinks as US President Donald Trump vows 50 per cent tariffs on copper, 200 per cent levies on pharmaceuticals

The ASX 200 is down on Wednesday as Donald Trump revealed he is considering 50 per cent tariffs on copper and eyes 200 per cent tariffs on pharmaceuticals in about a year's time. The index is down about 0.3 per cent after the first hour of trading with gold and copper company Evolution Mining sinking 7.9 per cent, Genesis Mineral shedding 5.8 per cent and copper miner Sandfire Resources slumping 5.2 per cent. Retirement village company Lifestyle Communities is down about 29 per cent after a court ruling found its lucrative exit fees were invalid. Investors are also watching Rio Tinto (up 0.4 per cent) and BHP (flat) which will face a hit from a copper mine they jointly run in Chile. Trump told reporters he is considering a raft of tariffs as the deadline for his 'Liberation Day' tariffs suspension looms. 'I believe the tariff on copper, we're going to make it 50 per cent,' Trump told reporters. He also plans to hit pharmaceuticals which could threaten major Australian companies such as the ASX's third largest company CSL. Medicinal and pharmaceutical products continue to be Australia's third largest export to the US behind gold and meat. 'They're going to be tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200 per cent,' Trump said. 'We'll give them a certain period of time to get their act together.' Wall Street sank again on Tuesday with the Dow Jones falling 0.4 per cent, the S&P 500 sliding 0.1 per cent and the Nasdaq finishing flat. London's FTSE 250 jumped 0.2 per cent, Germany's DAX added 0.6 per cent and the STOXX Europe 600 rose 0.4 per cent. New Zealand's NZX 50 Index has shed 0.8 per cent while Japan's Nikkei 225 is flat.

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