| | 28/02/2025 Trump tariff turmoil, new groups target Greens and teals, Gene Hackman’s death ‘suspicious’ |
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| | | Morning, everyone. Donald Trump says his planned tariffs on Canada and Mexico will begin on Tuesday, despite opponents saying they would “drive the US economy straight into a wall”. We have full reports, plus how the UK prime minister played his ace card on a trip to Washington. At home the Greens and teals are being targeted by third-party groups in the lead-up to the election, Choice names and shames the most expensive insurers, and Hollywood is morning one of the all-time great actors after Gene Hackman died with his wife under what police are calling “suspicious” circumstances. |
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| Australia | | Greens targeted | Third-party groups are preparing federal election campaigns that include accusations that the Greens and teal independents threaten “Australia’s economic and social stability”, and highlight their views on the Israel-Gaza war. | Homeless crackdown | Dozens of homeless residents of Moreton Bay in south-east Queensland will soon be liable for fines for sleeping in parks after the local council changed its local law to effectively ban homelessness. | Premium price | The consumer advocacy group Choice publishes research today on home and contents insurance and identifies Kogan, RAC and Honey as the companies with the highest price hikes in the past year. | Apple aid | Social media platforms may soon be able to tell if children under 16 are attempting to use their iPhone apps, as Apple brings in new technology that could play a role in enforcing Australia’s social media ban. | Campus rules | Universities have confirmed they will enforce a new definition of antisemitism after a parliamentary inquiry recommended institutions align more closely with an international benchmark criticised by Palestinians. Here’s what you need to know. |
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 | World | | ‘A great artist’ | Hollywood has paid tribute to the screen legend Gene Hackman, who was found dead in his home aged 95 along with his wife, the classical musician Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog. The cause of death has been deemed “suspicious enough” for police to launch an investigation. Francis Ford Coppola called the double Oscar-winning star “a great artist” while our obituary deems him one of Hollywood’s great character actors. | Tariff ‘turmoil’ | Donald Trump says he plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting next Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China. The announcement brought warnings of “economic turmoil” for the world. The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is the latest world leader to arrive in Washington for talks – and he brought an invitation to Buckingham Palace for the White House’s biggest royals fan. Follow his visit live. | Musk conflict | Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest from his role in the Trump administration “should scare every American”, legal and ethical experts have warned. Republicans on Capitol Hill are shying away from criticising Trump’s policies over fears for their physical safety and that of their families, a Democratic member of Congress has said. The US supreme court has handed Trump a temporary victory by overturning a lower court’s decision on USAid. | Uyghur risk | Dozens of Uyghurs have been deported from Thailand to China in the face of warnings from human rights experts that they will face a high risk of torture, enforced disappearance and imprisonment. | Kurdish hope | The imprisoned leader of the PKK Kurdish militant group has called for fighters to disarm, signalling the start of a fragile peace with Turkey after four decades of guerrilla warfare. | Tate exit | The self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, have left Romania on a private jet and landed in Florida after their travel ban was lifted. Who is Tate and why did he fly to the US? Read our explainer for more. |
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| Full Story | | Newsroom edition: Jeff Bezos, Donald Trump, and their attacks on the media After Trump’s attacks on the media this week, Bridie Jabour talks to the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, about the increasing threat to press freedom. | |
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| In-depth | | The tie-up between Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways means those who want to book overseas travel with an Australian carrier on one ticket, and earn and spend points across domestic and international flights, have a new option. The strong position enjoyed by Qantas for so long doesn’t look as secure. But, as Jonathan Barrett and Elias Visontay explain, it’s not going to solve all our air travel problems. |
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| Not the news | | Melbourne’s World Naked Bike Ride will celebrate its 20th anniversary this weekend as cyclists pedal through the city’s streets. Participants tell James Norman about the joy of spreading a message of body positivity and environmentalism. |
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| Sport | | NRL | Rugby league’s second annual pageant in Las Vegas has more matches, more fans and more coverage but the game still has work to do before it makes a full breakthrough in the US. | Formula One | Lewis Hamilton has delivered a stinging rebuke to criticism of his move from Mercedes to Ferrari, dismissing it as an irrelevance from older, white men and insisting he “welcomes” the negativity. | Football | West Ham take on Leicester in the Premier League this morning. Follow the match live here. |
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| Media roundup | The Sydney Morning Herald boasts an exclusive with news that the Coalition has ruled out income tax cuts and is scrambling to find budget savings. The Daily Telegraph says Senator Fatima Payman has apologised for appearing on an Iranian media network sanctioned by Australia. A mother from the Sunshine Coast has urged parents to be aware of cancer dangers after her young son lost an eye to rare form of the disease, the Courier-Mail reports. |
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| What’s happening today | Business | Star Entertainment and AusPost will release their latest results. | Politics | The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, will speak at Business Sydney. |
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| id: 'cb55'}} | Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. | |
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A message from Lenore Taylor editor of Guardian AustraliaI hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wonder if you would consider supporting our work as we prepare for a pivotal, uncertain year ahead.
The course of world history has taken a sharp and disturbing turn in 2024. Liberalism is under threat from populist authoritarianism. Americans have voted to install a president with no respect for democratic norms, nor the facts that once formed the guardrails of public debate.
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| Lenore Taylor
Editor, Guardian Australia |
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