Today’s headlines at a glanceBy Hello and welcome to our national news live coverage for Friday, July 24. Here’s what’s making headlines today.Trade: The United States will increase tariffs on Australian products to 12.5 per cent – up from 10 per cent – under the guise of human rights.Middle East at War: Oil is trading at above $US100 for the first time since the last phase of the Iran war after Houthi rebels fired at two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, prompting US President Donald Trump to warn of bigger strikes against the Iranian regime and its surrogates.Politics: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended an exclusive dinner hosted by an uber-rich 25-year-old whose billionaire father was accused by the Tax Office of repeatedly deceiving authorities to funnel huge sums of money from China into Australian bank accounts and mansions.AUKUS: Billions of dollars of additional funding for the US defence industrial base have not improved the production rate of Virginia-class submarines, a top Pentagon official says, casting further doubt on whether Australia will receive its AUKUS subs on schedule.Business: Macquarie Group chief executive Shemara Wikramanayake is retiring as boss of the investment giant after eight years in the job. When she departs in November, she does so with about $370 million in shares, the fruits of a four-decade career with the investment banking giant. She has another $89 million in deferred share units that are yet to vest.International: More than 20,000 people are fleeing a wildfire in southern France after flames spread rapidly through a bayside area busy with families on school holidays, in the latest emergency of a European summer marked by intense heat and dry conditions.Commonwealth Games: The 2026 Games are under way in Glasgow. The opening ceremony kicked off at 5am and featured King Charles and Queen Camilla emerging from a Dr Who Tardis. Follow our coverage here.Latest Posts7.37amTrump hikes tariffs on Australia to 12.5 per centBy Michael KoziolWashington: The United States will increase tariffs on Australian products to 12.5 per cent under the guise of human rights. The US trade office claims Australia and 59 other countries are not doing enough to eliminate forced labour.The decision means tariffs on Australian goods will rise from 10 per cent, which was the rate set under a temporary measure after the US Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” were unlawful.The Australian government made a submission arguing that Australia maintained a robust legal architecture against modern slavery, albeit in a different form to the US. It also pointed out that Australia and the US have a 20-year-old free trade agreement.But in a notice issued on Thursday (Washington time), the US trade office said it had decided to impose the tariffs anyway, based on public comments, testimony, the advice of its own committee, “and in accordance with the specific direction of the president”.Dozens of other countries were hit with the new forced labour tariffs, though many escaped with a lower 10 per cent rate, including Argentina, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.7.24am‘Lack of empathy’: Former treasurer takes aim at Hanson’s DV commentsBy Cindy YinFormer treasurer Wayne Swan has taken aim at Pauline Hanson’s remarks about domestic violence, saying the One Nation leader had a “lack of empathy” and a “lack of understanding” for people in difficult situations.Pauline Hanson labelled paid family and domestic violence leave a “holiday”, described it as a “scam” that encouraged false claims and argued child support had become a “cash cow” in another broadside against Australia’s family violence laws.The One Nation leader speaks to Broken Fathers podcast host Jared Purcell.YouTubeThe One Nation leader made the comments late last year on the Broken Fathers podcast, hosted by Jared “Purcy” Purcell, during a discussion about fathers’ rights, child custody and the family court system.Swan, a former treasurer and deputy prime minister, said Hanson’s comments were “very disappointing”. He also said she was hostile to the industrial relations system.7.09amUS prosecutors drop subpoenas in Trump plane-leak probeBy New York: The Trump administration will withdraw subpoenas issued to New York Times′ journalists who reported on security concerns about the president flying on a Qatari-donated Air Force One.The subpoenas issued by Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton on July 10 were the latest instance of the Trump administration seeking to force journalists to divulge their sources.A prosecutor with Clayton’s office informed US District Judge Arun Subramanian of the decision after the judge spent more than an hour questioning government attorneys about procedural issues in the leak investigation.“The government is prepared unilaterally to withdraw the subpoenas,” prosecutor Sean Buckley said, noting that the probe was ongoing and that the government could subpoena the reporters again.The Times had asked Subramanian to throw out the subpoenas, arguing they were issued improperly and infringed on free press protections under the US Constitution’s First Amendment.Clayton, US President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next US director of national intelligence, issued the subpoenas after the Times reported that Trump left Turkey on the old Air Force One because a new plane donated by Qatar lacked anti-missile and other defensive features.Reuters6.46amEvacuations at French holiday spot as fires spreadBy London: More than 20,000 people are fleeing a wildfire in southern France after flames spread rapidly through a bayside area busy with families on school holidays, in the latest emergency of a European summer marked by intense heat and dry conditions.French authorities said more than 700 firefighters were trying to contain the blaze around the Bay of Arcachon, west of Bordeaux, as they asked families at beachside campsites to leave overnight to avoid being trapped by the flames.A water bomber fighting wildfires in the Arcachon basin area in western France on Thursday.AP Photo/Caroline BlumbergAuthorities have ordered the evacuation of about 12,000 people from the area around the Bay of Arcachon, while another 8800 are being moved as a precaution.Wildfires have also spread in Spain and Italy after the heatwaves of the northern summer, while a fire also spread in a district south of Paris, blamed on arsonists who lit the flames in the Fontainebleau forest near the capital.6.43amOil surges over $100 for first time in monthsBy Oil is trading at above $US100 for the time since the last phase of the Iran war after Houthi rebels fired at two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, prompting US President Donald Trump to warn of bigger strikes against the Iranian regime and its surrogates.The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose more than 8 per cent on Thursday (US time), its highest price since May.President Donald Trump on Thursday.AP Photo/Alex BrandonTrump warned that if the Iran-backed militants in Yemen fired on another ship, he would inflict “major military punishment” on Iran and the Houthis themselves – “who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart”.It touched $US102 during the day for the most actively traded Brent contract in the market. The cause: attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. That threatens another avenue that oil companies use to move their crude from the Middle East to customers worldwide, along with the Strait of Hormuz.Pinned post from 6.27amToday’s headlines at a glanceBy Hello and welcome to our national news live coverage for Friday, July 24. Here’s what’s making headlines today.Trade: The United States will increase tariffs on Australian products to 12.5 per cent – up from 10 per cent – under the guise of human rights.Middle East at War: Oil is trading at above $US100 for the first time since the last phase of the Iran war after Houthi rebels fired at two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, prompting US President Donald Trump to warn of bigger strikes against the Iranian regime and its surrogates.Politics: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended an exclusive dinner hosted by an uber-rich 25-year-old whose billionaire father was accused by the Tax Office of repeatedly deceiving authorities to funnel huge sums of money from China into Australian bank accounts and mansions.AUKUS: Billions of dollars of additional funding for the US defence industrial base have not improved the production rate of Virginia-class submarines, a top Pentagon official says, casting further doubt on whether Australia will receive its AUKUS subs on schedule.1 of 1