Good afternoon. Labor is making urgent representations to the White House about Donald Trump’s threat to impose 200% tariffs on drug imports to the US, an announcement Jim Chalmers says is “very concerning” for the Australian economy.
The US president said on Wednesday that the punishing new border levies would come with a transition period of about a year, after sustained pressure from the US pharmaceutical industry over price controls on common drugs in countries like Australia.
Australia exports about $2.5bn in pharmaceuticals (mainly vaccines and blood products) as well as healthcare products to the US each year – a share of about 40% of medicines exports across the globe annually.
“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,” Chalmers told ABC radio.
“But I want to make it really clear once again, as we have on a number of occasions before, our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is not something that [we are] willing to trade away.”
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In pictures
A small pet dog is being hailed as a “four-legged hero” for helping to save his owner’s life after he fell down an eight-metre-deep crevasse on the Fee glacier in the Swiss Alps in Friday. The man was able to radio for help, but rescuers had trouble finding his exact location – until they spotted the shivering dog barking next to the hole its owner had fallen through. Both the hiker and dog were flown to a local hospital.
What they said …
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“It is of course upsetting to learn that one of my recipes – possibly the one I’ve spent more hours perfecting than any other – something I created to bring joy and happiness, is entangled in a tragic situation.” – Nagi Maehashi
The cook behind RecipeTin Eats requested that media “please stop calling and emailing and texting and DM’ing me about the Erin Patterson case” after the jury in the triple murder trial was told Patterson had used Maehashi’s beef wellington recipe – albeit with multiple changes – for the fateful lunch.
In numbers
Planet-heating pollution tripled the death toll in Europe’s June heatwave, scientists say, attributing 1,500 of the 2,300 heat-related deaths across 12 major European cities to climate breakdown. Milan was the hardest-hit city in absolute terms, with 317 out of 499 heat deaths attributed to climate breakdown, followed by Paris and Barcelona. London had 273 heat deaths, 171 of which the researchers attributed to human influence on the climate.
Before bed read
“Friendships of over six years were broken overnight,” Rosa says of the sudden, dramatic dissolution of her book club some months ago. What started as a chance to share notes on the finer points of dramatic literature had become a real-life drama.
So why do some book clubs go wrong – and what can be done to prevent it?
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ETA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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