‘Shouldn't be a prison': Netanyahu calls for ‘free choice' for Palestinians in Gaza to relocate
'Free choice – you know, people [who] want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,' Mr Netanyahu told reporters on Monday, Washington time.
'It shouldn't be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice.'
President Trump suggested 'something good will happen' as he's had 'great cooperation' from the surrounding countries around Israel on taking in Palestinians.
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News.com.au
35 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.
Sky News AU
an 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.
Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
‘Historic': Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he's nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — presenting the commander in chief with the letter he sent to the committee responsible for bestowing the honour. 'I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee,' Netanyahu told Trump at the White House. 'It's the nomination of you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved. And you should get it.' Netanyahu then reached across the table separating the US and Israeli delegations to hand the letter to Trump. 'This I didn't know,' a surprised Trump said as he inspected the nomination. 'Well, thank you very much. 'Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much.' Trump's efforts to secure an Israel-Iran ceasefire, essentially ending the 12-day war between the two nations, had previously earned him nomination for the prize from Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.). President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House. Picture: AP In a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Carter recommended Trump for the prestigious prize 'in recognition of his extraordinary and historic role in brokering an end to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran and preventing the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet.' Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House for high-level meetings ahead of a private dinner between the two world leaders. The Trump administration and Netanyahu's team were expected to discuss the future of Gaza and the possibility of the Jewish state normalising relations with Arab nations — but details of any potential progress made on both fronts were scant. 'I think our teams together make an extraordinary combination to meet challenges and seize opportunities,' Netanyahu said ahead of dinner with Trump. 'But the president has already realised a great opportunity to forge the Abraham Accords. He's forging peace as we speak, and one country and one region after the other.' Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House, the president's guesthouse, for an extended meeting, but a readout was not released. 'I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee.' Picture: AFP Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff also met with the Israeli prime minister, but similarly, no details were made available about what was discussed. Trump has pushed for Netanyahu to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that would also result in the release of hostages being held by the terror group in Gaza. The prime minister, however, has insisted that Israel will not enter into any agreement that allows Hamas' continued existence in Gaza — a massive sticking point in ending the war. Netanyahu recently said his delegation meeting with mediators in Qatar has been instructed to reach a deal under those terms. The Israeli prime minister also maintains that the Israeli military should occupy Gaza indefinitely, with the role of governors transferred to local officials without any known ties to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank. Meanwhile, Israel's military launched air strikes early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen's Houthis, with the group responding with missile fire targeting Israel. Reports of a security incident in Gaza resulting in Israeli Defense Force casualties broke during Netanyahu's White House visit, but Trump indicated that he doesn't expect it to hamper progress on a ceasefire deal. Benjamin Netanyahu says the nomination is 'well-deserved' for securing an Israel-Iran ceasefire Picture: AP 'I don't think so,' Trump said when asked if the reported ambush of IDF soldiers in Gaza would impact negotiations. 'They want it. They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire. So, I don't think so.' Witkoff described the incident as 'terribly unfortunate' but, directly addressing Netanyahu, argued, 'We have an opportunity to finally get a peace deal, Mr. Prime Minister, as we discussed, and I'm hopeful for it very quickly.' On potentially relocating Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild the strip, as Trump suggested earlier this year, Netanyahu said Israel is working with the Trump administration to find countries 'that will seek to realise what they always say: that they want to give the Palestinians a better future.' 'You know, if people want to stay, they can stay. But if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn't be, you know, a prison,' Netanyahu said of Gaza. 'I think we're getting close to finding several countries [that will take in Palestinians], and I think this will give, again, the freedom to choose.' This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission. Originally published as 'Historic': Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
