The complexity behind Crown's hotel refurbishment ambitions
Wynn had provided plenty of assistance, including the architect Joel Berman. But the result was something he'd never seen.
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Perth Now
39 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘On notice': Trump's new beef demand
US President Donald Trump has issued a scorching demand for any global bans on US beef to be lifted, following the relaxation of importation rules in Australia. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump said 'After many years Australia has agreed to accept American Beef'. 'For a long time, and even though we are great friends, they actually banned our Beef.' He insisted that the US would now sell 'so much to Australia'. 'This is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that U.S. Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World. 'The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE. 'All of our Nation's Ranchers, who are some of the hardest working and most wonderful people, are smiling today, which means I am smiling too. He ended the post with a call to 'keep the Hot Streak going'. It comes after the Albanese government's decision to lift restrictions on US beef imports, which came after a lengthy science-based review. The relaxation of the rules has however faced criticism from the Coalition for its 'exquisite' timing as Labor enters trade negotiations with the US. The Trump Administration claimed credit for the change in a Department of Agriculture press release titled 'Make Agriculture Great Again Trade Wins: President Trump Secures Greater Ag Market Access to Australia for American Beef'. The US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the change removed 'non-scientific trade barriers'. 'Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines,' Ms Rollins said. 'This is yet another example of the kind of market access the President negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way.' The Albanese government has insisted that there are no biosecurity risks in lifting the restrictions. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia The change was also praised by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a statement on Thursday that singled out US President Donald Trump's 'leadership' for the change. 'Yesterday's decision by Australia marks a major milestone in lowering trade barriers and securing market access for US farmers and ranchers,' he said. 'President Trump is taking decisive action to confront unfair trading practices, and Australia's decision to unlock market access for US beef is a direct result of his leadership.' US beef was first banned in Australia in 2003 following an outbreak of mad cow disease. It was a total ban until 2019, when it was lifted, albeit restrictions remained on US exports that originated in Canada or Mexico. Australia had maintained the ban under the banner of biosecurity, but Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry was 'satisfied' with the 'strengthened control measures' put in place by the US. Local Australian beef producers have said the expect the new import rules to have minimal effect, citing high demand in the US and Australian's preference for homegrown meat. 'The potential for US beef to be imported into Australia in large volumes is minimal, given the high demand for beef in the US, the low US cattle herd, the strength of the Australian dollar, our competitive domestic supply, and most importantly Australians' strong preference for high-quality, tasty and nutritious Australian beef,' Meat and Livestock Australia said in a statement.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
US regulators greenlight contentious $8 bn Skydance-Paramount merger
US regulators on Thursday approved an $8 billion deal for Skydance to acquire Paramount Global amid tumult in the latter's news and late night programming on CBS, a leading American broadcaster. Clearance of the acquisition comes after Paramount settled US President Donald Trump's lawsuit over election coverage on CBS News' flagship show "60 Minutes," and a week after CBS canceled "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The comedian had blasted the $16 million settlement of Trump's lawsuit as "a big fat bribe" to win approval of the merger with Skydance. Colbert's show is slated to end in 2026, and is staple of late-night US television that often mocks Trump. CBS said in a statement the cancellation was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," and was "not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." Paramount reached the settlement with Trump this month in a lawsuit the entertainment giant itself had described as meritless. The Republican president had sued Paramount for $20 billion last year, alleging that CBS News' "60 Minutes" news program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor. To promote the show, "60 Minutes" had shown a shortened clip or "tease" of Harris speaking on earlier network programming, and the full quote was aired on the Sunday evening broadcast. Trump objected to the use of the shorter clip. The FCC chair doubled down on the Trump administration's criticisms of CBS News. 'Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately and fairly,' Carr said in the statement. 'It is time for a change. That is why I welcome Skydance's commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network.' - Suspicious timing? - The FCC's approval of the merger "reeks of the worst form of corruption," Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Ben Ray Lujan said in a joint statement. "The timing speaks for itself," Markey and Lujan said. "Paramount settled with Trump on Tuesday and the FCC approved the merger on Thursday." Markey last week sent a letter to Paramount Global Chair Shari Redstone demanding details about the decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," specifically whether anyone in the Trump administration asked for the show to be cancelled, according to a copy posted at his official website. Colbert said on Thursday the cancellation was not just the end of his show but the end of the decades-old "Late Show" franchise, which has been broadcast continuously on CBS since 1993 and was previously hosted by David Letterman. Trump celebrated the cancellation, writing on his Truth Social platform, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings." Trump's political opponents and other critics drew attention to the timing of the decision. "CBS canceled Colbert's show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump -- a deal that looks like bribery," Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on social media platform X. Colbert, once a regular on Comedy Central, made use of humor in his incisive political commentary and succeeded Letterman as the host of "The Late Show" in 2015. The late-night television landscape has long been dominated by satirical comedy shows that blend entertainment with news and political commentary. As a condition of approval, Skydance will put in place an "ombudsman" who will evaluate complaints of bias, according to Carr. "Skydance, which has no DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs in place today, has committed that it will not establish any such initiatives at the new company," Carr said in a release.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Australia locks in for 50-year defence pact with major ally
Australia has locked itself into a new 50-year treaty with one of its most influential global allies. The UK government announced the signing of a new AUKUS-aligned pact with Australia in what it called a 'commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific'. The AUKUS agreement has found itself on shaky ground as an increasingly erratic Trump administration undergoes a 'review' of the defence pact announced in September 2021. Spearheaded by American bureaucrat Elbridge Colby, the AUKUS review has shrouded the multibillion-dollar agreement in doubt since it began in June, prompting Australian and UK officials to announce their renewed enthusiasm for the tri-lateral security pact. The announcement comes as the UK Foreign and Defence secretaries arrive in Australia to discuss the strengthening of the relationship between the two historically tied countries with their Australian counterparts Penny Wong and Richard Marles. Mr Marles said he was enthusiastic about the opportunity to 'address shared strategic challenges in an increasingly complex and uncertain world'. Senator Wong said 'Australia and the United Kingdom are longstanding friends and partners'. 'We take the world as it is – but together, we are working to shape it for the better,' she said. The treaty ratifies the UK's commitment to produce components of the Virginia-class nuclear subs that Australia hopes to incorporate into its fleet by the early 2030s. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the ties that bind Australia and the UK together were like 'no other'. 'In our increasingly volatile and dangerous world, our anchoring friendship has real impact in the protection of global peace and prosperity,' he said. UK Defence Secretary John Healey said AUKUS was 'one of Britain's most important defence partnerships'. 'This historic treaty confirms our AUKUS commitment for the next half-century. Through the treaty, we are supporting high-skilled, well-paid jobs for tens of thousands of people in both the UK and Australia,' he said. 'Our deep defence relationship with Australia – from our work together to support Ukraine, share vital intelligence, and develop innovative technology – makes us secure at home and strong abroad.' Mr Healey's comments come as a UK carrier group joins the Australian Defence Force and various branches of the US military in Operation Talisman Sabre, a biannual war game exercise that takes place across Far North Queensland and Papua New Guinea over three weeks. More than 3000 British military personnel are taking part in the exercise, which marks the first time in more than 20 years that a British aircraft carrier has entered Australian waters.
