The Taiwan People Party has “good traction” with younger voters and has “weakened” the Democratic Progressive Party’s vote, Foundation for Defence of Democracies Senior Fellow Mark Montgomery says. The TPP is a centre-left political party founded in 2019, aiming to become an alternative to the DPP and KMT. “They’ve had good traction with younger voters,” Mr Montgomery told Sky News Australia. “The younger vote for the last three cycles has been breaking very heavily towards the DPP and, not surprisingly, the vast majority of people under the age of 30 no longer consider themselves Chinese - they purely consider themselves Taiwanese. “That had been giving the DPP a strong base. “The TPP has run a campaign to really get at that younger voter, so it has weakened the DPP – the ruling party’s – hold on that group … and that will probably be why they lose the legislature, the ruling party.”

The warning from China’s Ambassador to Australia about miscalculations in Canberra’s ties with the new Taiwanese government is “grossly inappropriate” and an “overreaction”, Foundation for Defence of Democracies Senior Fellow Mark Montgomery says. China’s Ambassador to Australia has issued a dire warning, saying any ‘miscalculations’ in Canberra’s ties with the next Taiwanese government would see the Australian people ‘pushed over the edge of an abyss’. “Grossly inappropriate comments for an ambassador to make to his host country, but probably not inconsistent with what you hear all the time,” Mr Montgomery told Sky News Australia. “This is a democratic country protecting a democratic election, and that election will have a result, and that election will have consequences. “I think no matter who is elected, the United States and Australia, and Japan, will be able to work with that leader to continue to maintain security relationship and ensure that Taiwan has sufficient resources to defend itself.”

There has been “Chinese interference” in the Taiwan elections, with them putting “quite a bit of pressure” on the country, Foundation for Defence of Democracies Senior Fellow Mark Montgomery says. The Taiwanese elections have been described as a choice between peace and war in a race that has drawn global tension. “China has brought quite a bit of pressure on Taiwan – some of it’s visual: increased intercepts by aircraft and increased penetrations of security zones by ships,” Mr Montgomery told Sky News Australia. “Some of it has been malicious cyber activity that has created disinformation and false stories about the DPP, mostly about the DPP’s candidate for president. “There has been Chinese interference, but that’s consistent – there was Chinese interference in the 2020 and 2016 elections as well.”

Bondi Partners Senior Advisor Peter McGauran says Peter Dutton’s boycott of Woolworths for their “shameful” actions means he thinks Australians have “had enough” of the criticism of their long-held beliefs. Woolworths Group, which also owns Big W, has said it will not be selling any special Australia Day merchandise in 2024. In response, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for Australians to ‘boycott’ Woolworths. “For many … it’s Invasion Day … but they are a minority; a majority of Australians are just going to go about Australia Day as they always do and celebrate it in a uniquely Australian way – nobody should be interrupting that right,” Mr McGauran told Sky News Australia. “Peter Dutton has called for a boycott of Woolworth – obviously, that is not in the interest of the 200,000 Australians who work for Woolworths – it might have a bit of a sugar hit, but it won’t be sustained. “Peter Dutton is a deliberative politician; he never says anything off the top of his head or unprepared. “For him to call for a boycott of Woolworths, knowing that it’s an economic nonsense … means he believes, either by way of political judgement or by way of research, that Australians have had enough of minorities criticism of their long-held belief.”

Bondi Partners Senior Advisor Peter McGauran doesn’t believe anything “new” will come out of the Senate inquiry into Coles and Woolworths, but it will “hold them to account”. Coles and Woolworths are facing a Senate inquiry into their market power and pricing decisions. In response, Coles has reduced meat prices by 20 per cent. “Nothing new will come out of the inquiry that isn’t already known, because, remember, we’ve got the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which has all the powers in the world, but it’s a good diversion from the government away from the cost-of-living issues,” Mr McGauran told Sky News Australia. “It will morally shame the supermarkets … Coles has already reduced its beef and lamb prices by 20 per cent. “Look, it’s good theatre. I don’t think anything, in a legal sense, will come out of it, but it will hold them to account, the way we like to hold electricity companies and gas suppliers and banks and financial institutions to account. “There might be more transparency possibly, but, again, where’s the ACCC?”

Bondi Partners Senior Adviser Peter McGauran says Australia should have provided warships to help combat Houthi attacks in the Red Sea but there is “no evidence” any of Australia’s warships have counter drone capacity. “Yes definitely,” Mr McGauran said on whether Australia should have sent warships to the Red Sea to support the US. “I don’t know if we’ve got the capability in all honesty and that says something about our naval capacities because there’s no evidence that any of our warships have a counter drone capacity. “You can not enter that theatre of war unless you are able to repel drones and missiles.” Mr McGauran’s comments come after Australia supported the US and the UK in strikes against Iran backed Houthi rebels who have been disrupting a vital commercial waterway in the Red Sea.

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Sydney underworld figure Shayne Hatfield has died in prison. A spokesperson says he was found in his cell in Parklea Jail on Friday. Authorities are not treating his death as suspicious. Hatfield had only recently been released after serving an 18-year sentence over a drug smuggling operation worth 30 million dollars. He was released in December 2022, but was on remand at the time of his death over an alleged assault on his girlfriend.

The US Military is reporting it has conducted a new wave of attacks targeting Houthi rebel infrastructure in Yemen. The US confirmed it used tomahawk land missiles to conduct air strikes on what it believed to be a Houthi radar site in Yemen. They claim it was a direct follow from a targeted strike during Friday’s escalation of the conflict. Houthi rebels have attacked several ships in the Red Sea over the past few months, which they say is in retaliation to the war in Gaza. On Friday the UK and US bombed military facilities used by rebels in the west of the country - in the region controlled by Houthis. Their full control in Yemen is unclear, although they do control a large part of the strategic Red Sea border. It plays into a broader regional conflict, with Iran supporting not just the Houthi's in Yemen but also Hamas in its war against Israel.

Political strategist and Trump advisory board member Jason Meister says the American public are “engaged” in the 2024 election given how far the US has “fallen” under Joe Biden’s presidency. “We have a very interested public right now, people are engaged given how far our country has fallen since Joe Biden took office," Mr Meister told Sky News Australia. “You really have a very clean way of looking at this - you have four years under Donald Trump that you can now compare to four years under Joe Biden. “You have inflation at a 40 year high, you have wide open southern border, you have tremendous homicides and crime in the major democrat run cities in this country.” Mr Meister’s comments come amid fears there will be a poor turn out at the Iowa caucuses on Monday due to record cold temperatures.

Locals and tourism operators in far north Queensland are potentially facing another blow in their efforts to reopen after devastating flooding. Far North Queensland experienced horrific flooding, large scale landslides and cut off communities. The Captain Cook Highway is set to open on January 20, which will connect the rainforest community to tourism. The highway will also allow for locals to travel freely again. The arrival of the monsoon across the north is threatening plans for the reopening, which may affect the decision.

A woman is in critical condition after a suspected drug overdose at a Melbourne music festival. It comes one week on from a mass overdose near the same location which sparked calls for action. The 30-year-old woman has reportedly been left fighting for life and remains in a critical condition after a suspected drug overdose. A female teenager was also taken to Royal Melbourne hospital in a stable condition but also to be treated for substance abuse. Victoria police have said they were overall pleased with the behaviour of party goers at Juicy Fest music festival at Melbourne Showgrounds on Friday, but are urging partygoers to “watch out for their mates” and to not take illicit drugs.

UNICEF Spokesperson Tess Ingram says there is “absolute bedlam” in Rafah where over one million people have evacuated down the southern Gaza Strip since Israel began its invasion to annihilate Hamas following the October 7 terrorist attacks. “About 1.5 million people are estimated to be living here in this most southern part of Gaza Strip after being forced to evacuate from the north and middle areas of Gaza where the bombardments have been the most intense,” Ms Ingram told Sky News Australia. “The streets here in Rafah are incredibly, incredibly overcrowded. “So many people living in makeshift shelters built from plastic tarpaulins and blankets of ropes. “These shelters are very wet and muddy and people are incredibly cold hungry and exhausted.”

Australian Greens senator David Shoebridge hopes to get a “better understanding” of where Australian aid can be most effective in Indonesia during his visit to the country. The senator is embarking on a parliamentary tour focused on the country’s health issues with the aim of investigating how Australian aid can help alleviate some of the suffering. “It’s really focused on yes children’s health – some of the inequities, and how Australian aid can address some of those inequities,” Mr Shoebridge told Sky News Australia of his upcoming trip. “Ensuring that Australian aid is going to the places that it can be most effective - to get a better understanding of the needs from one our most important regional neighbours. “And to see how these country-to-country exchanges, our aid, our mutual programmes – see how they can be a benefit to Australia and Indonesia.”

GCTC Executive Manager Racing and Integrity’s Ian Brown has talked about the aspirations of the Gold Coast Turf Club to become a metropolitan club and how “amazing” it was to see the track conquer weather challenges faced in its reopening. “We had 200 millimetres from New Year’s Eve to the Tuesday morning before the meeting,” Mr Brown told Racing Dreams host Tim Gilbert. “Then we got a further seven millimetres on the Friday night – the night before the meeting. “We raced on a good four which was just amazing so its now our job to maintain it. “Gold Coast Turf Club has made no secrets that we want to be a metropolitan club and now we are comfortable we have got a metropolitan track.” In partnership with Aquis Park

Women and children in Gaza have had to have operations without anesthetic, says UNICEF Spokesperson Tess Ingram. “I heard of a 17-year-old girl in Shifa hospital in the north who had her leg amputated without any anesthetic,” Ms Ingram told Sky News Australia. “Also, today I spoke to a woman who had a cesarian without any anesthetic, so it is the stuff of absolute nightmares.” Ms Ingram said the tragedies were “due to a real shortage” of aid and supplies getting into the Gaza Strip. “We have been trying, the UN, to get in as much as we can but there are restrictions on what we can bring in, the process of examining the items in every truck is incredibly slow, so the trickle of aid getting across the border is barely enough.”

Sky News All Star Douglas Murray has been a vocal critic of Hamas since the terror group launched their assault on Israel on October 7th last year. The outspoken commentator has continued this tirade into the new year, publicly blasting individuals and organisations who he sees as supporting Hamas.

Voters in Taiwan are hours away from choosing the Island’s next President. It is a race that has drawn global tension. Countries around the world are concerned about how it will affect ties with China. China claims Taiwan as its own, which has caused hostility between the two nations for an extended period of time. The Chinese Communist Party calls DPP Presidential Candidate Lai Ching-Te a ‘Chinese separatist’.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced $4.7 billion in military funding for Ukraine. Mr Sunak has travelled to Kyiv this week to meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. They have signed a bilateral security arrangement. The visit sends a strong message to Russia to show the UK’s support for Ukraine will not stop regardless of the war in the Middle East. Rishi Sunak has said “Vladimir Putin needs to recognise, we’re not going anywhere, I’m here with one clear message, the United Kingdom stands with Ukraine.”

There is increasing pressure for Australia to boost its military presence in the Middle East. Security experts are calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to step up support for AUKUS partners. The calls come amid fears militant groups in the Middle East could launch retaliatory attacks following a US and UK joint airstrike into Yemen. Foreign Minister Penny Wong will travel to the Middle East on Monday. Ms Wong plans to visit Israeli and Palestinian Authority Leaders in the West Bank territory.