Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
Donald Trump has announced his intention to implement a 25% tariff on all products coming into the US from Mexico and Canada, and additional tariffs on China.
Trump said the tariffs would remain in place until Mexico and Canada clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing the border illegally.
He said the reason for the additional tariff on China was its failure to curb the number of drugs entering the US.
In response, China has warned that “no one will win a trade war.”
Top news
Australians won’t have to hand over ID when using social media | The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, has pledged that Australians won’t have to hand over personal identification to big tech companies as part of the government’s world-first under-16s social media ban. The government is resolved to ram the bill through parliament by Thursday after less than a week of a hasty Senate inquiry.
Eastern Australia heatwave to make way for ‘volatile’ stormy weather | The heatwave baking several states will rapidly make way for conditions offering the “perfect ingredients” for thunderstorms later this week, raising risks of heavy rainfall and even flash floods.
Boy accused of murdering Queensland woman to remain in custody | A 16-year-old boy accused of murdering grandmother Vyleen Joan White, 70, during a carjacking west of Brisbane will remain in custody for several months before a magistrate decides if he will stand trial.
‘Silent majority’ of Australian farmers support renewable energy | Seventy per cent of regional Australians in renewable energy zones support the development of renewable energy projects on local farmland, a new survey has found, with 17% opposed to renewable energy developments and just 8% strongly opposed.
Albanese government defends public service growth | The number of public servants has risen to more than 185,000 as of June, an 8.9% increase on the previous year, as Labor warns the Coalition’s proposed cuts to the federal public service could cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Anti-vilification laws to be introduced to Victorian parliament | Victoria’s exisiting legal protections against vilification only cover race and religion, and are being expanded to cover disability, gender identity, sex and sexual orientation. The state’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, says the bill has been years in the making, with significant community consultation over two years.
Romance scam allegedly lured men with fake crypto offer | An alleged scam call centre in the Philippines has been busted for targeting Australian men over the age of 35 on dating apps and social media, the Australian federal police say, resulting in the arrest of more than 250 people.
John Longmire quits as Sydney Swans coach | The 2012 AFL premiership-winning coach, who was contracted for next season, will immediately step into another role at the Swans and will be replaced by his longtime assistant Dean Cox.
Drake launches legal action against UMG and Spotify | A petition filed by attorneys for the rapper’s company alleged Universal Music Group and the streaming service conspired to artificially inflate interest in Kendrick Lamar’s diss track about him, Not Like Us, while suppressing his own music.
In pictures
What does the PM want for Christmas?
And has he been naughty or nice, asks the Guardian Australia cartoonist Fiona Katauskas.
What they said …
***
“I knew they were sick, but I never thought they would die. We learned the hard way.”
In 2019, RFK Jr travelled to Samoa and met anti-vaccine figures, contributing to what health experts claim was a “significant disinformation campaign”. Samoans, like mother Shuvourn Samuelu, remember the deadly measles outbreak that came soon after.
In numbers
The maximum amount, known as the load-up limit, will be slashed by 90%, making Victoria’s new poker machine rules the strictest in Australia. The reforms will create the framework for carded play, which requires punters to insert a player card to operate a poker machine.
Before bed read
‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year
In 2022, the author Cory Doctorow coined the word “enshittification”, which has just been crowned Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year. Honourable mentions went to “right to disconnect” and “rawdogging”.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: LACK. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter.
And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters, including The Stakes, your guide to the twists and turns of the US presidential election.
