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Why is he so eager to go after us?😟 US tech giants lobby Trump to tackle Australian social media rules The US's tech lobby has used the Trump administration's trade review to complain about regulation in Australia, including plans to impose charges on American social media companies to support Australian news outlets. The sector says Australia is among countries imposing unfair "digital trade barriers", and it wants the White House to consider that when devising its new tariffs strategy. The Trump administration warns countries that impose unfair barriers on US companies will face new tariffs on April 2. America's big tech sector is lobbying the Trump administration to take up a new fight with the Australian government — over its rules governing social media and streaming services. Silicon Valley, whose top executives have cultivated close relationships with Donald Trump, is now pushing the new president to pressure Australia to relax its regulations or risk retaliation. The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), representing the sector, has made a formal submission as part of the White House's review of US trade policy. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-21/us-tech-x-meta-facebook-twitter-trump-australia-trade-review/105079442

Eddie Jordan, the charismatic Irish entrepreneur and motorsport team owner, has died of cancer at home in South Africa aged 76, his family says.

Will have zero effect on us but will put a stop to affordable medicine in the US for many Australia defends Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as US companies urge Trump to impose reciprocal tariffs A US pharmaceutical industry representative body said the PBS "undervalued American innovation". American medical giants have written to the Trump administration, urging it to consider Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as an "unfair trade practice" and to impose "reciprocal" tariffs. Labor says the Trump administration cannot exert any direct influence on the PBS, and there is "no way" it will change, but the government is alive to the possibility its own pharmaceutical exports to the US could come in line for tariffs. Donald Trump has promised tariffs on countries in retribution for a range of pricing practices he deems "unfair", a list that includes sale taxes such as the GST. American medical giants have labelled the federal government's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) "egregious and discriminatory" and have pressed US President Donald Trump to target Australia when he imposes sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on trading partners next month. A lengthy letter sent from a US pharmaceutical industry representative body to US trade representative Jamieson Greer said the PBS amounted to "damaging pricing policies" that undervalued American innovation and threatened billions of dollars in lost sales. Under the PBS, the government negotiates prices directly with suppliers to make them cheaper for Australians. Photo shows us president donald trump holds a signed executive order for tariffs increase The tariffs were not going into effect immediately but could begin to be imposed within weeks as Trump's trade and economic team study bilateral tariff and trade relationships. The independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommends which medicines are listed on the PBS, with about 930 prescription medicines currently on the scheme. The letter argues this process "systematically devalues US medicines" and fails to "appropriately recognise innovation" by preferencing cheaper "generic" versions of medicines rather than the higher-priced originals in some circumstances. "[Australia] penalises legitimate efforts by innovators to protect their intellectual property rights," the letter read. The Trump administration intends to impose fresh tariffs in April on countries it believes employ "unfair" trade practices, a term that has been applied extremely broadly, including to sales taxes such as Australia's GST. The purpose of the letter is to encourage the Trump administration to regard the PBS, and several other medicine schemes around the world, as an unfair practice and impose tariffs in response, for instance on Australia's own pharmaceutical exports into the US. 'No way' PBS will change, say Labor ministers Labor has already categorically ruled out touching the PBS in any trade negotiations, and ministers have been quick to emphasise the Trump administration could not exert any direct influence on the scheme. "There's no way we're going to change the PBS because of advocacy of any other country," Health Minister Mark Butler said on Sunday. "This is a cherished part of the Australian healthcare system, one that Labor has fought for 75 years."

Been seeing a lot of local restaurants lately promoting themselves as "Thai Street Food" or "Authentic Thai Street Food" Hardly delivering. While one of the restaurants I've been eating at for years, it's a shame we don't get the traditional food carts. Unfortunately our food and beverage regulation are strict, for a good reason, but there's nothing quiet like pull a plastic stool on the footpath an scoffing down a noodle soup. for around a $1 This is close but really just a sweet stand and TukTuk outside a restaurant. What's the scene like elsewhere

The Leningrad Cowboys Can't help but think of Donald

It's actually getting a bit of media attention here. Another reason to where a hazmat suit. Bacterial vaginosis can be sexually transmitted, less recurrence with partner treatment, study finds An infection that affects one in three women and often comes back after treatment can be wiped out in many cases if their male partner is treated too. That's according to an Australian clinical trial which also found the condition, called bacterial vaginosis or BV, can be sexually transmitted — a controversial idea in sexual health circles. The trial results make "the first inroads into improving cure for women through reducing [BV] reinfection and recurrence", according to study co-author Catriona Bradshaw, a sexual health physician at Melbourne's Alfred Health and researcher at Monash University. The research was unveiled today in the New England Journal of Medicine. A third of women get bacterial vaginosis. A new study found treating men cut recurrence rates. Learn more on Lab Notes. The Burnet Institute's Gilda Tachedjian, who has collaborated with Professor Bradshaw in the past but was not involved in the new research, called it a "landmark" study. "It's a really important proof of concept that BV recurrence is driven, in part, by transfer of bacteria from the male to the female," Professor Tachedjian said. "That is going to rewrite textbooks." But it will likely be some time, perhaps years, before the treatment regimen is available in clinics. From anecdotal to scientific evidence While some people with BV are asymptomatic, the most common signs of the condition are a thin, watery discharge and a fishy odour "which can cause enormous distress", Professor Bradshaw said. Most people do not go on to have serious complications, but BV can also increase someone’s risk of: catching and transmitting sexually transmitted infections pelvic inflammatory disease miscarriage premature birth low birth weight. Unlike chlamydia and gonorrhoea, which are caused by specific bacteria species, BV occurs when the balance between different species of vagina-dwelling microbes is thrown out of whack. For many people with BV, this "microbiome disorder" appears after sex with a new partner. Sometimes they can clear the condition on their own, while others are treated with a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Maybe quietly behind the scenes. There is some appetite for the rethinking of progressive politics. Trump cashed in on that with lies and false statements supported by news outlets like Fox. The truth hopefully will prevail in the end.

I tend to take the word of Ben Meiselas over anyone on Fox.....except for Jessica Tarlov

Netanyahu doesn't want peace. Even when all the hostages are released he will still find a reason to keep it up. Trump is a C*nt as well

Netanyahu is an absolute C*NT

If i want to know about the "real" news I tend to watch independent media like Meidas Touch or TYT

Well they could also be Cooking Schools but I thing I'll go with "Re-education" camps as reported by many Human Rights groups and media outlets. There has also been a number of leaked Government documents confirming it as well.

It's all about "Re-education". Practicing muslims go against the desires of the PRC Satellite images show rapid construction of camps in Xinjiang

Toyota Australia commercials

He's all heart is Donald 😟 What Trump's USAID freeze means for the rest of the world USAID cuts are set to impact millions of people around the world. Donald Trump's move to freeze USAID has experts sounding the alarm, with warnings that millions of the world's most vulnerable people could die as medical and other aid is cut. The freeze threatens life-saving programs in 50 countries, including projects battling against AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal deaths. Here's what's happening, and how the cuts will be felt in some of the world's most disadvantaged regions. In Zimbabawe, health care worker Sibusisiwe Ngalombi is uncertain about the future of USAID. What is USAID? USAID is an arm of the US government that responds to humanitarian emergencies and disasters and promotes international development in 177 countries and 29 regions around the world. The independent government agency was founded in 1961 by President John F Kennedy to counter Soviet influence during the Cold War, and it has been the world's largest single aid donor ever since. USAID's main mission is to promote education, human rights, environmental sustainability, health initiatives and economic growth in countries affected by conflict and underdevelopment. Ukraine, Israel, Ethiopia, Jordan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Somalia, Nigeria, Congo and Syria were the top 10 countries that received funding from USAID in 2023. Some of that was military aid, which accounted for just over 11 per cent of USAID's budget in the 2023 US financial year, according to the Pew Research Center. How will Trump's USAID freeze be felt around the world? Experts have warned Trump's move to freeze USAID's funding, which is currently being challenged in the courts affects more than 50 countries, including 26 of the poorest nations in the world, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Uganda. Affected programs include polio prevention, treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS, and fighting infectious disease such as cholera, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa. Donald Trump's aid freeze sparked protests in Washington DC. Trump's freeze has also disrupted USAID's global medical supply chain, as hundreds of millions of dollars of life-saving medical supplies are stranded in warehouses and on ships around the world, at risk of damage, expiry or even theft, according to a lawsuit filed by USAID contractors last week. US aid for Turkish earthquake survivors is loaded onto a US Air Force plane. South Africa: Is AIDS on the rise? South Africa has the world's largest population of people living with HIV, at more than 8 million. A generation has passed since the world saw the peak of the AIDS epidemic, but the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) has warned the decision to halt US funding could result in millions more deaths from the disease. An AIDS patient in South Africa at a USAID facility. The three-month freeze includes all work under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which fights AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The program, which was founded in 2003, has saved more than 26 million lives worldwide by investing in HIV prevention and treatment in 55 countries, according to UNAIDS. World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the freeze to PEPFAR had triggered an "immediate stop to HIV treatment, testing and prevention services" around the world. A volunteer gives condoms to a taxi driver as part of efforts to fight HIV in South Africa. HIV patients in Africa found locked doors at clinics. UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima fears the world could see more than 6 million AIDS-related deaths in the next five years, as well as millions more HIV infections. "I need to sound the alarm so that it's very clear that this is a big part [of AIDS relief funding]. If it goes away, people are going to die," she said. Nozuko Majola, 19, is one of millions of patients affected by Donald Trump's global foreign aid freeze. Nineteen-year-old South African Nozuko Majola, is one of millions of patients affected by Trump's freeze. Majola is struggling to access her HIV medication, which is usually delivered to her home in Umzimkhulu, a rural village in the KwaZulu-Natal province. In 2024, Majola's province recorded the second-highest number of HIV cases in the country, with at least 1,300 young people estimated to contract the disease every week. Trump's war on foreign aid derails HIV prevention The Asia Pacific region has the largest HIV epidemic outside of Africa and advocates fear an end to US aid could make matters worse. Afghanistan: Cutting aid for pregnant women Afghanistan has one of the highest death rates in the world for pregnant women, with a mother dying of preventable complications very two hours, says the United Nations Population Fund's (UNPFA) regional director Pio Smith. More Afghan women could die as aid programs are cut. "What happens when our work is not funded? Women give birth alone, in unsanitary conditions … Newborns die from preventable causes," he said. "These are literally the world's most vulnerable people." In three years, the absence of US support in Afghanistan "will result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths and 109,000 additional unintended pregnancies," he said. The funding pause would cut off millions of Afghans from sexual and reproductive services, including family health houses, which provide midwives to mothers living in rural areas. Afghan mother of five Bibi Gula, 29, is one of the many women who relied on USAID funding to deliver her baby safely. "I was so weak and pale, and my blood pressure was low,” she said. After complications with untrained birth attendants at home, she reached out to a family health house where she received medical treatment from a midwife. Across the Asia-Pacific region, UNFPA says it receives about $US94 million in USAID funding. Brazil: Is the Amazon in danger? In Brazil, USAID funds near $US14 million in general environmental protection for the Amazon, including improving livelihoods for Indigenous peoples and other forest communities. Brazilian enforcement at illegal gold mining site in the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon-based Roraima Indigenous Council, which operates a region larger than Greece, is trying to tackle illegal mining and drug trafficking. The council, which is apart of USAID's largest Amazon conservation project, uses funding to support local farmers, generate jobs for women, and help the region adapt to climate change. Now everything is at risk, says Edinho Macuxi, the tuxaua (leader) of the council. He said the decision to end funding after a seven-year partnership would shake the organisation. "Our message to President Trump is that he should maintain the resources not only for Brazil but for other countries as well." he said. "In Brazil, Indigenous peoples who access this funding are the ones who effectively keep most of the forest standing, ensuring life not just for people in Brazil, but also the world." USAID was also a key player in managing the over-fishing of the pirarucu, also known as the arapaima, a freshwater fish that can grow to up to 200 kilograms.

She is full of shit which is clearly shown in the original video US influencer apologises for snatching baby wombat away from its mother Woman poses with a baby wombat after taking it from its mother In short: An American influencer who was widely criticised for filming herself grabbing a baby wombat and carrying it away from its mother has apologised. Sam Jones says she was trying to remove the animal from the side of a roadway, where it might have been hit by a passing vehicle. In her apology, the influence also took aim the federal government, saying it allows Australian farmers to kill wombats and other animals in the process of harvesting and producing food. Link copied An American influencer, widely criticised for picking up a baby wombat and carrying it away from its mother, has apologised, saying she was trying to move the animal from the roadside to prevent it from being hit by a vehicle. The influencer, who is known as Sam Jones but also uses the name Samantha Strable, left Australia on Friday after earlier posting an Instagram reel of herself on an unidentified road picking up the joey and running towards the camera with the marsupial in her arms as its mother chased after her. The footage featured the joey squirming and screeching before the influencer put it back on the road. It showed the animal walking back into the scrub. US influencer Sam Jones has apologised after receiving intense criticism for taking a joey wombat away from its mother. (Instagram: samstrays) In an apology posted to Instagram on Saturday, Ms Jones said she had been trying to protect the wombat and said she has since received threats against her life by people angered by her actions. "When we found the mother and joey on a road, not moving, I was extremely concerned. As wombats are so often hit on Australian roads, I stopped to ensure they got off the road safely and didn't get hit," Ms Jones said. Wombat-snatching influencer leaves Australia Photo shows A US influencer holding a joey wombat that is in distress with its mouth open The Department of Home Affairs says a woman who posted footage of herself taking a joey from its distressed mother left the country today. "I was concerned it may have been sick or injured, and made a snap judgement to pick up the joey and see if this was the case. I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me. "The snap judgement I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey … I looked it over quickly and immediately returned it to its mother. "Over holding a wombat, thousands threaten my life. "I have done a great deal of reflection on this situation and have realized that I did not handle this situation as best as I should have. "I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused." The influencer deleted the original video after animal welfare advocates criticised her over her treatment of the joey. Immigration Minister Tony Burke also confirmed this week that officials were reviewing the conditions of Ms Jones's visa to determine whether immigration law had been breached, but she then left Australia of her own accord to return to the United States.

Rights groups have condemned Thailand's deportation of Uyghur detainees back to China where they fear persecution. (Reuters: Andrew RC Marshall/File) The US has imposed sanctions on Thai officials for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where the US says the Muslim group will face persecution. The US State Department stated that it is "committed to combating China's efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subject to torture and enforced disappearances." The move appeared intended to discourage Thailand and other countries from such deportations. In February, Thailand deported the Uyghurs, who had been detained for a decade, despite warnings from UN human rights experts that they were at risk of torture, and harm if returned. Uyghur children play at a square where a propaganda poster showing Han Chinese and Uyghurs posing together with the words "Hotan City Unity New Village The US-based Uyghur Project advocacy group welcomed the sanctions but called them "cold comfort" for the 40 deported Uyghurs. "The international community failed miserably in upholding basic norms for over a decade while these men languished in detention for committing no crime," said the Associate Director of the Uyghur Project, Peter Irwin, told the ABC. Mr Irwin also urged Australia to make a resettlement offer to Thailand to ensure the remaining Uyghurs are quickly brought to safety. Earlier this month the Reuters news agency reported that Canada and the United States offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs, but Bangkok feared upsetting China. A watchtower on a high-security facility near what is believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, in China's Xinjiang region. Since 2017, Chinese authorities have waged what they call a "people's war on terror" aimed at stamping out alleged extremism among Uyghurs. At least 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities are estimated to have been detained extrajudicially in detention camps, which Beijing says are vocational training centres. Thailand defends itself Thailand has defended the deportations, saying that it acted in accordance with laws and human rights obligations. Uyghurs are worried about deportations and possibly being jailed or even torture and death. "I am immediately implementing this policy by taking steps to impose visa restrictions on current and former officials for the Government of Thailand responsible for, or complicit in, the forced return of 40 Uyghurs from Thailand on February 27," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in his statement. Thailand's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rubio's announcement. "In light of China's longstanding acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghurs, we call on governments around the world not to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China," Mr Rubio said. The restrictions could extend to family members of people sanctioned. Tensions between US, Thailand and China Murray Hiebert, a leading regional expert with the South-East Asia program at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said he could not recall past US sanctions against Thai government officials. He noted that Thailand can be very sensitive to criticism, but its reaction could be softened by US President Donald Trump's tariff threats against countries with high trade surpluses with the US. "They might want to lay low," he said. "They already have a target on their back by having the 11th largest trade surplus with the US … it's not clear Thailand is out of the woods yet when Trump imposes reciprocal tariffs in early April." Uyghur detainees previously said they feared persecution if forcibly deported back to China from Thailand. Analysts say Washington has avoided taking tougher measures against Thailand in the past due to concerns that this might push its long-time ally closer to China. Mr Rubio has reiterated that Beijing's treatment of the group had amounted to "genocide and crimes against humanity." China denies allegations of abuse and forced labour toward Uyghurs, arguing it had established "vocational training centers" in recent years to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism. Elaine Pearson, Asia Director for Human Rights Watch, added, "the US government is taking concrete action to hold officials accountable for forcibly returning Uyghurs to China." She added, "it should have a deterrent effect around the world, and gives some hope for protection to Uyghurs living in fear of forced deportation to China."

I have a dart board on my balcony. It was mine and a few mates salvation during Covid. That and a fridge full of beer and a BBQ. Usually played Round The Clock. You can spend some serious money on flights.

Yeah onya Albo 👍

https://www.project2025.observer/

How does Karoline Leavitt even manage to cross the road safely 😳

US presidents, former presidents and vice-presidents are not allowed to operate vehicles on the open road. Instead, they must be driven by their security team, who is trained in evasive and defensive driving manoeuvres. The rule isn't an official law, but it's highly enforced and for the most part, presidents adhere. It also doesn't extend to when they're on private property, however, so golf carts and ranches seem to be popular spots for car-loving presidents to get behind the wheel.