ATA Consulting's Peter Kerr has weighed in on why one of the largest energy companies has quietly shelved its plans for an offshore wind farm. Shell has quietly shelved plans for an offshore wind project in Victoria. The move is a massive blow to the state's target of generating 20 per cent of its energy from offshore wind by 2032. “I think there are two reasons, although Shell is one of the biggest energy companies in the world, they're not the leading offshore wind place,” Mr Kerr told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo. “So, they were probably beaten to the punch by some of the more experienced types. “The second one is that their CEO has recently made a big play about winding back some of Shell's renewable energy ambitions. “So, I suspect this project was marginal for them and became … for requirements.”

Sky News Washington Correspondent Annelise Nielsen joins Sharri Markson to discuss the latest on Donald Trump’s hush money trial as jurors continue to deliberate. The jury yesterday during their first day of deliberation asked to re-hear some testimony from Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. “This is the really interesting bit because this is all we really have access to gain idea of what the jury is thinking while they are deliberating,” Ms Nielsen said. “Remember in this case like any criminal case just one juror going against the rest of the group is enough to have a hung jury and then it's all over unless the prosecution and courts decide they want to do it again.”

ABC Managing Director David Anderson has conceded Laura Tingle made an “error” when she labelled Australia a “racist” country. Mr Anderson fronted Senate Estimates on Thursday following uproar over Ms Tingle’s comments. “I'm not embarrassed by it. I wish it hadn't happened, to be honest with you, Senator," he said. “I think what Mr Stevens' note sets out – it does a number of things. One is that he is stating quite clearly that that error by Miss Tingle – that she regrets – is not something that we expect to see from our journalists.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has decided to “throw the kitchen sink” at the upcoming election after polls revealed he was trailing the Labour Party, says GB News host Patrick Christys. “He has gone for national service which would mean that anyone who is 18-years-old would have to serve in our military or do community work like delivering prescriptions to the elderly one weekend every single month,” Mr Christys told Sky News host James Macpherson. “This has gone down quite well with older voters, less so as you would imagine, with younger voters. “And there is a lack of clarity; would this, for example, mean that half of the England football team would have to actually take a year out to do national service? “We await clarity on that.”

Former US president Donald Trump’s New York trial is turning moderates toward his side as they see it as a “travesty of justice”, Sky News contributor Kosha Gada says. “It also seems to be making a lot of people who are moderates … see this as a travesty of justice, and for that reason are supporting him,” she said. “It is a high-stakes manoeuvre.”

Morningstar’s Equity Analyst-Mining Jon Mills says the timing of BHP’s takeover attempt of Anglo American “wasn’t the best” given the “political situation in South Africa”. BHP has walked away from its $74 billion takeover bid of South African mining giant Anglo American. This takeover came in the middle of a South African election campaign. “BHP was pretty clear … they were trying to minimise their exposure to South Africa,” Mr Mills told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood. “Then they realised maybe that was a bad thing to actually admit. “Probably wasn’t the best time to make an offer for Anglo given the political situation in South Africa.”

Morningstar’s Equity Analyst-Mining Jon Mills says BHP’s attempted acquisition of Anglo American got “too expensive”. BHP has walked away from its $74 billion takeover bid of Anglo American. “I think, just got too expensive for them,” Mr Mills told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood. “It’s good to see actually.”

Sky News Business Editor says the ASX 200 – “under the weight of market expectation” the next move in interest rates “will be up – fell at the outset on Thursday and closed down 0.49 per cent. Best performing stocks included radiology imaging software company Pro Medicus, which rose 3.61 per cent, and KFC and Taco Bell master franchise company Collins Food, which closed up 3.31 per cent. Worst performing stocks included gold miner Genesis Minerals, which was down 5.76 per cent, and gold explorer Regis Resources, which fell 6.51 per cent.

Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association Executive Director Chris Todd discusses China’s lifting its ban on most of Australia’s beef exporters. “We export 70 per cent of what it produces, and it’s great they have lifted those bans,” Mr Todd told Sky News Australia. “It’s just a positive, it just gives us another outlet for our quality meat.”

China has lifted bans on beef exports from five more Australian meatworks which could generate sales of up to $1 billion a year. Last December, China lifted suspensions on three abattoirs, which Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said had an immediate effect. The bans will lift on Kilcoy Pastoral, Meramist at Caboolture, the JBS-owned Beef City Operations and Northern Cooperative at Casino. Two other meatworks remain affected.

Sky News Chief Election Analyst Tom Connell has warned politicians the “microphone is always hot” after Acting Speaker and LNP MP Scott Buchholz was overheard swearing to himself twice in Parliament on Thursday. As the government business order of the day was being read out, Mr Buchholz could be heard saying “F**k me” to himself while sorting through papers on his desk before he repeated the word a second time while shaking his head. “In this job, the saying is the microphone is always hot,” Mr Connell said. “A couple of MPs quite not catching on with that today.”

Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien discusses the Coalition’s plan to develop nuclear energy if elected. “Right now, under the Albanese government, we are looking at 90 per cent of our 24/7 baseload power exiting the grid over the next ten years,” Mr O'Brien told Sky New Australia. “If you look at mainland Australia, there is only one form of clean energy that provides 24/7 baseload power, and that is zero-emission Nuclear energy.”

BHP has walked away from a $74 billion attempt to take over South African-based mining company Anglo American. The talks were called off in the early hours of Wednesday night. “It’s going to be fascinating to see what BHP does next – BHP wanted Anglo American for its copper assets because copper is such an important asset when it comes to the energy transition,” says Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood.

US President Joe Biden has been called out online for again "rambling incoherently" during a recent appearance at a campaign event in Philadelphia. "My dad moved us back down to where he had been raised in Wilmington, Del— he was raised in Baltimore, then Wilmington, his father moved to Wilmington. Then we moved down ... some of you know Claymont. It's about a good long driver from here," President Biden said on Wednesday. X user account 'RNC Research' claimed Biden's handlers were even forced to "crank the music" following his remarks in order to drown out reporters' questions. The 81-year-old also was called out for using a number that was not real, when describing the wreckage of the “$60 zillion” Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. He even went as far to claim he had visited the site the next day following the collapse, however he didn’t visit the site until more than a week after.

Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie discusses China lifting its ban on most of Australia’s beef exporters. “It is passing strange that the minister is championing the opening up the, I think it’s five out of seven remaining bans on processors,” Ms McKenzie told Sky News Australia. “Whilst flying from beef week in Rockhampton into Perth, a couple of weeks ago, to shut down the sheep industry in.”

Sky News host Caleb Bond says the market “has really softened” for electric vehicles. “People are not buying them in the same numbers that they were,” Mr Bond said. “They have worked out that it is all a bit of a sham.”

A trans woman has claimed biological men can produce milk, reveals Sky News host Rita Panahi. ‘There you go, just add more hormones and you’ll be lactating like a natural born woman in no time,’ she said.

New Zealand’s Finance Minister Nicola Willis will release the recently elected government’s first federal budget on Friday. The Minister is focusing on taming public sector spending and delivering cost of living relief for Kiwis. It comes as the country’s economy experiences a recession and high inflation.

Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister James Paterson has praised Opposition Leader Peter Dutton saying his record on immigration detention and protection of the community “couldn’t be stronger”. “He personally cancelled 6,300 visas in the portfolio - more than any other minister since federation,” Mr Paterson told Sky News Australia. “If the Labor party wants to have a debate about who is tougher on foreign criminals in our community … that’s a debate we’re happy to have every single day of the week.”

A Japanese man has given up his “lifelong fantasy” of becoming a collie after spending $22,000 two years ago on a hyper realistic costume, according to Sky News host Liz Storer. Toco gave up on his dream after realising how difficult it was to walk like a dog as a human. He told Japanese outlet WanQol he is considering becoming another animal someday.