There is “great enthusiasm” from Australia that Chinese tariffs on Australian wine, lobster and meat products will be removed by the end of 2024, Sky News Political Reporter Cameron Reddin has revealed. The Chinese Ambassador to Australia made a rare address to the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. “There was no additional progress on the trade tariffs announced today but certainly a degree of enthusiasm from both China and Australia to have the issues resolved,” Mr Reddin who was at the press conference Wednesday revealed to Sky News Australia contributor Steve Price. “A review is under way into the sanction on Australian wine with a view to having them removed within the next few months. “Great enthusiasm on the Australian side that those tariffs will be removed by the end of 2024.”

China's Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian has delivered a rare public address setting the scene for relations between the two countries in the new year. The address comes just days after the Taiwan election. Mr Xiao made strong references to a new chapter in Australia–China relations during his speech. There was also confirmation that there was not yet any further progress on tariffs. Mr Xiao commented on the Chinese naval ship incident in November, saying the ship in question “did not use” sonar pulse. It was reported at the time that Australian divers had been injured as a result of such a usage.

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is endorsing Donald Trump ahead of this year’s presidential election. Mr Ramaswamy spoke at a rally held by the former US president in New Hampshire ahead of next week's primary vote. “We are in the middle of a war in this country,” Mr Ramaswamy said. “It’s between the permanent state and the everyday citizen, between those who love the United States of America and a fringe minority who hates this country and what it stands for. “Right now, we need a commander-in-chief who will lead us to victory in this war.”

The US election is getting serious and with each party in the process of choosing their nominees, the heat is really on. Amongst all the polling, town hall’s and campaigning, the focus is well and truly on Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Polling indicates a tougher run for Joe Biden than Donald Trump, with the president struggling to maintain popularity in light of his cognitive and age-related issues. Sky News All Stars Joe Siracusa, James Macpherson and Piers morgan take a look at the current state of play in this crucial time of the US election.

An electric scooter battery is being blamed for a unit fire in Adelaide. The tragic blaze took the life of one man. The man, Trevor Fielden, is being remembered as a devoted husband who was often seen pushing his wife around their retirement village in her wheelchair. His wife Grace Fielden escaped the blaze with minor injuries. Reportedly, the fire is being blamed on an electric scooter battery which was charging overnight.

Mauritius is assessing flood damage after Cyclone Belal hit the Indian Ocean island nation. The population of Réunion – 860,000 – were ordered to shelter at home during the storms. One person has died in Mauritius and another in Réunion Island. The island's meteorological service upgraded the storm to a level four – the maximum level, on Monday. By Tuesday they announced the storm was moving away as flooding eased, but environmental risks remain.

Democratic senator Joe Manchin was swarmed on Tuesday by fossil fuel activists while at a New Hampshire diner. 'Climate Defiance' began yelling anti-fossil fuel chants at Manchin while he was delivering a speech. The senator seemed to have sparked the protest after he announced border security was his “greatest concern”. The group’s demonstration in the diner forced Manchin to leave through the kitchen while the activists were escorted outside by police. Manchin entered a black SUV as he exited the diner, but not before an activist attempted to leap in front of the vehicle. It is the second time the group have targeted the senator after he was subjected to protests last Friday while in Goffstown, New Hampshire. The group forced Manchin to hide inside a building during the New Hampshire Institute of Politics forum or “Politics & Eggs”.

The Australian’s Washington Correspondent Adam Creighton questions whether Republican donors will continue forking out millions of dollars for a “poor performance” by Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. “You can spend a lot of money, you can have a lot of debates and so forth, but at the end of the day – people made up their mind,” Mr Creighton told Sky News host Sharri Markson. The campaigns of Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley spent roughly US$35 million each in Iowa while Donald Trump’s campaign spent only about US$18 million in the state. “It’s been a very expensive business for the two losing candidates. “You have to ask – will this continue ... and the answer is probably no.”

Republican candidate Nikki Haley issues a warning over the “unholy alliance” between China, Russia and Iran, claiming they are bound together in their hatred for “freedom, democracy and the United States of America”. The former UN ambassador finished third in the Iowa caucuses behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former president Donald Trump. Ms Haley reinforced that America must appear strong on the international stage. “There is a reason the Taiwanese want the US and the West to support Ukraine – because they know if Ukraine wins, China won’t invade Taiwan,” Ms Haley said. “There is a reason the Ukrainians want the US and the West to support Israel – because they know if Iran wins, Russia wins, and they don’t want that to happen.”

YourVoice America host Bill Mitchell has warned against making Donald Trump the Republican nominee despite the former president’s caucus win in Iowa. The former US president won the Iowa caucuses on January 16, solidifying himself as the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination in the upcoming election. “Trump is not going to escape 91 counts for indictments without any convictions,” Mr Mitchell told Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan. “If we nominate Trump, we are going to put a Democrat in the White House, and we are also going to split the vote and lose the House and the Senate, and then we are going to get the Supreme Court in the Democrats' hands. “It is going to be a disaster, so we cannot nominate Donald Trump. It would be a disaster for America if we did that.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has announced $21 million in extra assistance for the humanitarian crisis stemming from the Israel and Hamas conflict in Gaza. The funding boost announced on Tuesday night in Jordan takes Australia’s total contribution since Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on October 7 to over $46 million. The subsequent conflict has seen the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, meaning the funds will go to humanitarian aid. Ms Wong in her tour of the Middle East has continued to advocate for peace, however, she is walking a diplomatic tightrope trying to reach a middle ground between both sides. The Foreign Affairs Minister has also received criticism from Australia for her decision to not visit the sites of the October 7 massacres.

Australian actress Sarah Snook has won her first Emmy for her role in the hit TV show 'Succession'. The HBO series along with 'The Bear' and 'Beef' dominated the 75th Emmy Awards, with 17 gongs between them. The ceremony was pushed back by four months as result of Hollywood strikes but that didn't take any shine off a glittering night for an Australian star. Succession also triumphed as Best Drama Series, scooping six Emmys from its 27 nominations. The Bear tied with Succession for most wins on the night, with Beef sitting in third place with five gongs.

Fresh water in New Zealand’s capital city is compromised as supply dwindles from thousands of leaking pipes. The city of Wellington has now begun promoting a set of tougher water restrictions which will be implemented on Wednesday. An estimated 3,000 leaks across the region have prompted stage two restrictions to be enforced. Authorities have expressed concerns over an impending water shortage as New Zealand’s summer warms up. Wellington Water blames the leaking pipes primarily on under-investment in an ageing network.

Thousands remain without power in Western Australia after the state was battered by severe storms. Wind gusts of 100 kilometres an hour brought down trees and powerlines across the Perth Hills and Wheatbelt region. Western Power says electricity was cut to 33,000 homes and businesses in both regions. Some areas went from sunshine to torrential rain in just half an hour as the temperature plummeted 15 degrees. The wet weather has helped crews to battle blazes in Perth's north which have been downgraded to advice level.

Donald Trump has been declared the clear winner of the Iowa caucuses, the first-in-the-nation vote to decide the Republican nominee for president. The result went resoundingly in the former president’s favour – winning every county in the state and just over 50 per cent of the vote. However, he's been denied a clean sweep of Iowa's 99 counties by one vote. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has claimed second place, giving his campaign an edge over Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley. The turnout in Iowa was down on previous years due to extreme weather.

A nationwide hacking scheme has reeled in thousands of unsuspecting victims. Customers with accounts to stores such as Guzman y Gomez, Dan Murphy's and Event Cinemas have had their data compromised. At least 15,000 people are believed to be affected. It is believed scammers bought stolen login details from overseas cyber criminals and accessed customers' online accounts to carry out fraudulent transactions. Authorities believe it is a targeted attack.

Sky News host James Macpherson has questioned the “strangest” of all the “flexes” a politician could do as New South Wales Premier Chris Minns bragged about his state having the longest escalator in the Southern Hemisphere. Chris Minns posted on X that ‘NSW is now home to the longest escalators in the southern hemisphere.’ “Of all the flexes a politician could do, this one was the strangest,” Mr Macpherson said. “When the electricity grid fails, does that mean we will have the longest stairs in the southern hemisphere? “And speaking of flexes, southern hemisphere: the people in Congo must really be kicking themselves that their escalators aren’t as big.”

Sky News James Macpherson says the FBI is eating “humble” pie after their post on X honouring Martin Luther King was flagged by X with a fact-checking community note. The FBI’s post on X read, "This #MLKDay, the #FBI honours one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement and reaffirms its commitment to Dr. King’s legacy of fairness and equal justice for all," The post was hit with a community note fact check from the social media platform, pointing out that the King family believes the FBI was responsible for King’s death. "The FBI engaged in surveillance of King, attempted to discredit him, and used manipulation tactics to influence him to stop organizing," the note read. "King’s family believe the FBI was responsible for his death."

Sky News host Andrew Bolt says the “Bible of the Left” calling JK Rowling Britain’s nastiest novelist in a “huge rant” shows people are losing their ability to disagree without wanting them “treated like a leper”. The New Statesman ran an article on Monday titled ‘JK Rowling, Britain’s gloriously nasty novelist’ because of her views on transgender issues. “One of the worst things that has happened to us is that we are losing the ability to disagree with someone without now wanting them sacked or punched or abused or treated like a leper or even killed, ruined in some way. “JK Rowling: she has given huge pleasure to millions and millions of people with her Harry Potter books, where good children fight evil … but then she said, well actually, I think transgender women aren't the same as women born women, and women born women should now and then have their own spaces. “So now, the New Statesman, which is a magazine that was for years very serious, the Bible of the Left … has run a huge rant against her, calling her Britain's nastiest novelist, despite all her charity work, and also called her a liberal pariah and much more.”

Sky News contributor Joe Hildebrand has criticised the “most insane plan” requiring Australians to seek out prescriptions for nicotine vapes because it will “cripple” a stretched GP system and will make it easier for people to buy cigarettes. 450,000 more Australians are expected to get prescriptions for vapes each year, which will require almost a million new GP visits, according to a newly released Health Department analysis, which backs the government’s world-first vape reform. However, it is expected if the regime becomes too cumbersome, young people could turn to tobacco. “You’ve already got a situation where it’s impossible to find a bulk-billing doctor if you can find a doctor at all,” Mr Hildebrand said. “This is just the most insane plan I have ever heard in my life. “It will cripple an already stretched GP system; it will make it easier for people to buy cigarettes from a 7-Eleven, which we know will kill you – cigarettes will kill two-thirds of the people who smoke them. “Vaping – there is not much evidence there; there is a lot we don’t know, but it is almost certain, and the evidence we do have is maybe it’s about a 10th as bad for you as smoking tobacco.”