Australian Prime Minister says asked Trump for tariff exemption

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday he had asked US President Donald Trump in a phone call for an exemption from tariffs slapped on his country last month.

Australia was slapped with a levy of 12.5 percent last month over alleged forced labour concerns, along with 59 other countries. In what he described as a "warm and productive" conversation, the US president agreed to consider exempting Australia from that tariff, Albanese said.

The two leaders also discussed progress in AUKUS, under which Australia is expected to receive at least three so-called "Virginia-class" nuclear-powered submarines from the United States within 15 years.