Economic policy

The Trump administration has moved to exclude a wide range of electronic goods—including smartphones, laptops, and semiconductors—from sweeping reciprocal tariffs, offering a measure of relief to American consumers and tech companies amid escalating trade tensions with China and other global partners.

Calls to boycott American brands like Starbucks and KFC are rapidly spreading across Chinese social media, as patriotic fervour intensifies in response to the United States' latest tariff hikes. Chinese users on Douyin — the domestic version of TikTok — have taken to the platform in droves, urging citizens to reject US goods and rally behind domestic brands.

In a stunning reversal that has sent shockwaves through global financial markets, US President Donald Trump announced a pause to the sweeping global tariffs he imposed just a week ago — except for China, where tariffs have been raised even higher. This latest development comes amid conflicting messages from the White House and senior officials, leaving world leaders and investors scrambling to make sense of what happens next.

United States President Donald Trump has flagged a significant shift in American pharmaceutical policy, announcing plans to introduce a “major tariff on pharmaceuticals” during a speech to Republican lawmakers. The policy, he said, aims to force multinational pharmaceutical companies to relocate their manufacturing operations to the United States—a move that could have global implications, particularly for close allies like Australia.

Britain’s Chief Secretar...

A group of Israeli parliamentarians has taken an unprecedented step by urging Australian MPs to abandon the country’s long-held two-state policy on Israel and Palestine. In a letter distributed at a high-profile event at Parliament House in February, eight Knesset members representing both governing and opposition factions warned that maintaining the current approach would ultimately reward Hamas and jeopardize the security of Israel.

The Coalition has announced a bold promise ahead of the upcoming federal election: if they win, they will repeal Labor’s legislated tax cuts and replace them with an immediate, temporary reduction in the fuel excise. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has indicated that his government will halve the fuel excise—from 50.8 cents to 25.4 cents per litre—for one year, aiming to deliver swift cost-of-living relief for Australian families.

In a tumultuous day on the markets, building materials supplier James Hardie shares tumbled over 14% after the company announced a $14 billion acquisition of US outdoor products manufacturer AZEK. Despite this setback, the broader ASX 200 managed to eke out a marginal gain, closing at 7,937 points, as investors weighed mixed signals ahead of the upcoming federal budget.