Jobless rate rises; Square Peg's hot AI stake; Trump slams MAGA
In today's news, Australia's jobless rate rises to 4.3 per cent, Square Peg emerges with a stake in a hot AI start-up, and Donald Trump calls MAGA 'stupid people' as fury over Jeffrey Epstein grows.
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West Australian
8 minutes ago
- West Australian
Trump says he will help Afghans stuck in the UAE
US President Donald Trump says he will help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country when the United States pulled out and the Taliban took power. Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, Trump's administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the US. "I will try to save them, starting right now," Trump said in a post on Truth Social that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there. Trump cited news website Just the News as saying that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. Reuters has not confirmed the report. The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans relocated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the US-backed government during the final stages of the US-led withdrawal. Nearly 200,000 Afghans were brought to the US by former president Joe Biden's administration since the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Kabul. Canada agreed in 2022 to resettle about 1000 of the Afghans still held in the UAE after a US request. It is unclear how many remain in the Gulf country. Some countries have forced Afghan refugees to return to Afghanistan. Nearly two million Afghans were returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past seven months, the United Nations said last week. Germany on Friday deported 81 Afghan men to Afghanistan amid a tightening of refugee admissions. Some other European Union countries are pushing to tighten asylum rules in the bloc. In the United States, Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government in place since 2021. Refugees include children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war. Shawn VanDiver, president of the #AfghanEvac advocacy group, urged Trump to follow up on his post with action. "President Trump has the authority to do the right thing. He should instruct DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the Department of State to expedite processing, push for third-country partnerships, and ensure that we never again leave our wartime allies behind," he said in a statement.


Perth Now
8 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Trump says he will help Afghans stuck in the UAE
US President Donald Trump says he will help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country when the United States pulled out and the Taliban took power. Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, Trump's administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the US. "I will try to save them, starting right now," Trump said in a post on Truth Social that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there. Trump cited news website Just the News as saying that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. Reuters has not confirmed the report. The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans relocated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the US-backed government during the final stages of the US-led withdrawal. Nearly 200,000 Afghans were brought to the US by former president Joe Biden's administration since the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Kabul. Canada agreed in 2022 to resettle about 1000 of the Afghans still held in the UAE after a US request. It is unclear how many remain in the Gulf country. Some countries have forced Afghan refugees to return to Afghanistan. Nearly two million Afghans were returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past seven months, the United Nations said last week. Germany on Friday deported 81 Afghan men to Afghanistan amid a tightening of refugee admissions. Some other European Union countries are pushing to tighten asylum rules in the bloc. In the United States, Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government in place since 2021. Refugees include children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war. Shawn VanDiver, president of the #AfghanEvac advocacy group, urged Trump to follow up on his post with action. "President Trump has the authority to do the right thing. He should instruct DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the Department of State to expedite processing, push for third-country partnerships, and ensure that we never again leave our wartime allies behind," he said in a statement.

Sydney Morning Herald
38 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
ASX set to fall, Wall Street takes a breather; $A steady
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite ended largely unchanged on Friday, having dipped earlier after a Financial Times report indicated US President Donald Trump was pushing for steep new tariffs on European Union products. The FT report, which said the Trump administration was eyeing a minimum tariff of between 15 per cent and 20 per cent in any deal with the European bloc, sent markets lower before they partly recovered. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 1.16 points to end at 6,296.20 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 9.33 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 20,894.98. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 142.40 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 44,342.09. The Australian sharemarket is set to fall, with futures pointing to a drop of 49 points, or 0.6 per cent, at the open. The Australian dollar was fetching 65.20 US cents at 5.25am AEST. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have been pushed to repeated record highs in recent weeks, as investors showed increased ambivalence to Trump's tariff threats, and confidence these policies may not damage the US economy as severely as once feared. Still, this week was seen as a proving ground for how Trump's economic policies are filtering into the wider economy. A raft of economic data offered mixed signals, including robust retail sales, a rise in consumer inflation, and flat producer prices for June. The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index increased this month, although consumers were still worried about future price pressures. Earnings season kicked off this week, giving an opportunity to US corporations to showcase how tariffs were, or were not, affecting their businesses.