Manchego cheese has become the centre of a standoff hindering a major trade deal between Mexico and the European Union.

Manchego makers in Spain argued their nation was the origin of the cheese, and want Mexico to stop using the same name, claiming it ruins the authenticity of the cheese.

Ismael Alvarez de Toledo, president of the Spanish Brotherhood of the Manchego Cheese said their cheese is made from the milk of sheep only found in the elevated region of La Mancha, unlike their Mexican counterpart.

Australian Islamic State terrorist Neil Prakash has been connected to a failed plan to attack New York’s Statue of Liberty, according to court documents.

Prakash was identified by US federal prosecutors as an ‘attack facilitator’ during the sentencing of ISIS extremist Munther Omar Salek.

Director of George Washington University extremism program, Seamus Hughes, said it may take years to uncover the full number of terrorism plots Prakash was involved in.

Australia has experienced a tropical cyclone, snow, severe thunderstorms, and some unusually chilly evenings - and now we are in for another heatwave.

Residents should brace themselves for a heatwave that could reach as high as 40 degrees for the next five days across South Australia, south-west Western Australia and western Victoria.

Weatherzone however said the heatwave will not be as fierce as the one that hit Australia at the beginning of the year.

Hobart has been identified as the next location for the federal government’s City Deal, just months out from a state election.

The City Deal, which will be the fourth under the federal government’s Smart Cities Plan, will provide up to $400 million in funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) facilities, to be added to Hobart’s CBD.

Mr Turnbull said the City Deal will help guide and sustain the long-term development of Hobart, and ensure the city’s livability is not compromised.

Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan has attacked Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander’s openness to weakening Australia’s strict gun laws.

Mr Mander said in a March 2017 video that he wants ‘less regulation’ and is ‘an open canvas’ regarding access to semi-automatic rifles.

Mr Ryan today responded to the video, saying he will not stand for watering down of John Howard’s gun laws.

Shipments of liquified natural gas from Gladstone are helping China tackle its air pollution crisis.

China is currently taking action to reduce air pollution, particularly in Beijing, by forcing millions of homes and businesses to switch from coal to natural gas.

Last year China imported almost 12 million tonnes of coal from Gladstone and an additional 11.5 million tonnes of liquid natural gas.

An explosion in the Belgium city of Antwerp has brought down a residential building, injuring dozens of people and damaging adjacent buildings.

Local authorities have ruled out terrorism, instead linking the explosion to a gas leak.

Belgium remains on high terrorism alert following the 2016 suicide bombings and wave of Islamic attacks across Europe.

A further 3000 people are being urged to evacuate islands off the north coast of Papua New Guinea amidst the possibility of tsunamis caused by a nearby volcanic eruption.

This follows the evacuation of 1500 people from the island of Kadovar, after the volcanic island started to erupt on Friday.

According to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Australia will be contributing more than $19,000 in humanitarian supplies for the evacuees.

The Greens have listed their plan to change the date of Australia Day as one of their top priorities for 2018.

Federal leader Richard Di Natale urged more local councils to follow the lead of Yarra, Darebin and Fremantle by moving Australia Day celebrations from January 26 to another day.

The change the date campaign has gathered attention over the past few years, and has proven divisive.