Australia Post's record-breaking update, De Minaur's sad response to defeat, China delivers stern message to Albo

Well it's happening.

Putricia, Sydney's corpse flower that hasn't bloomed in years, is blooming.

There's nearly 10,000 people on the livestream of the flower as we speak and a few got a bit upset when a man appeared from behind the curtain and started touching the flower.

"We do not touch Putricia," one person declared, while another said looking was done with our eyes.

Well that man is John Siemon, Director of Horticulture & Living Collections at the Botanical Gardens of Sydney and he was giving the lucky few in the room witnessing the event a little rundown of what's going on. So we'll let him off.

A man has been charged in WA after he allegedly posed as a firefighter, where is accused of donning an official uniform and installing sirens and lights to his car.

"It will be alleged whilst wearing overalls and a helmet with DFES embroidery, he got into a parked Holden Rodeo utility. The vehicle was marked with reflective signage and stickers which depict a DFES vehicle," WA Police said after the man was seen in Kewdale last week.

Police attended a Belmont address where they arrested a 60-year-old man in relation to the incident.

The man has been charged with impersonating an officer and is due to front court next month.

The death of a four-month-old baby at a NSW hospital is under investigation by police.

Police on Tuesday were notified about an injured boy at Gunnedah Hospital, west of Tamworth.

The boy was transferred to the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle where he died later that evening.

Police said the child abuse and homicide squads were now assisting with investigations into the circumstances surrounding the boy's death.

Emergency services are bracing for a “perfect storm” this Australia Day long weekend, with double demerits coming into effect on Friday for millions of motorists.

NSW residents are expected to flock to the state’s beaches and waterways over the holiday, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting highs of 30C.

The state’s emergency service heads described the forecast on Thursday as a “perfect storm” and urged residents to be safe both on the road and in the water.

“Over the past three years, we’ve had 50 serious incidents, three fatalities and 11 serious injuries over Australia Day,” NSW Maritime executive director Mark Hutchings said.

“We want to make sure that this doesn’t occur again over this Australia Day long weekend, knowing the weather is going to be pretty well perfect for boating.”

The holiday weekend comes after a spike in drownings over the summer, with residents urged to not drink and drive, wear a life jacket, and know their limits.

NSW Police said it was looking at performing record numbers of water-based RBT and drug tests over the weekend as well as targeting road user safety.

Read more from NCA NewsWire here.

In bad news for music fans in Australia, Splendour in the Grass will not go ahead for a second year in a row.

Organisers said on Thursday the festival "needs a little more time to recharge" and won't be back for 2025.

But they stressed they would be returning amid what has been a difficult period for music festivals across the country, which has seen a host of cancellations as struggling ticket sales paired with increasing costs putting the industry's future in serious doubt.

Last year the federal government put aside millions in funding in a bid to halt the decline.

Donald Trump's immigration crackdown is well underway and we bring you images from the US - Mexico border where workers are installing new boundaries to stop illegal migration from happening.

The photos are from the Rio Grande river which separates the US's Eagle Pass from Mexico's Piedras Negras.

Large buoys have been placed in the water while military personnel have been deployed along the river.

Australians have been urged to fill up their cars now, as fuel prices are set to soar to more than $2 per litre ahead of the long weekend.

NRMA reported the average price for unleaded petrol in Sydney was $1.84 per litre, with the cost tipped to rise to just more than $2 per litre.

About 27 per cent of service stations across Sydney are already charging upwards of $2 for unleaded, with NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury warning there could be further steep rises on the way.

“If you didn’t fill up last week while prices were at the bottom of the cycle, now would be a good time to fill up, as prices are only going to rise and rise quickly,” Mr Khoury said.

He said prices in Sydney would “continue to increase well over the long weekend”.

“For families going away this long weekend, absolutely do your research,” he said.

“They may well be going to a town that’s cheaper than where they are right now, so it’s important to do that little bit of research before getting in the car and heading into the long weekend.

“Please do not wait.”

- NCA NewsWire

A manhunt is underway after two cars were stolen in WA, both with children in the back seat.

WA Police say the man got behind the wheel of a sedan on the Great Eastern Highway in West Kalgoorlie shortly before 4pm before driving off. Two children were in the back of the car and were later located by police.

Just 15 minutes, police allege the same man drove off with another car on the same highway, this time with one child in the back. Again, police were able to locate the child a short time later.

Both vehicles have also been recovered. Police have released CCTV in their attempt to identify the man they believe is responsible for the two incidents.

See the vision below.

A Queensland couple who forgot about a lottery ticket in their car have landed $580,000 after finally remembering about it.

The Jimboomba pair had a ticket for the Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4537 earlier this month but forgot all about it. And it was only on Wednesday they realised they had the ticket and went and checked if it had won anything.

It turns out they were one of 17 division one winners.

“My daughter started jumping up and down and my wife was just shaking. She’s still shaking this morning!" the husband told lottery officials.

Concertgoers were reportedly injured after parts of a ceiling collapsed at Melbourne's Festival Hall.

Video shared to social media shows ceiling panels falling onto the crowd during Bad Omens' concert last night. The band appeared unaware of the incident, and occurred when confetti was blasted into the air.

One witness account shared online said one attendee was knocked out by one of the ceiling panels.

Yahoo has reached out to Festival Hall for comment on the incident. Check out video of the incident below.

China has swiftly responded to Australia and the US after they declared their commitment to fighting "increasing threats" in the Indo-Pacific.

The US reiterated its position as a key member of both the Quad and AUKUS, which have been heavily focused on China's rapid military growth and their increased strategic plays on Australia's doorstep.

On Wednesday (AEDT), Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with the US's new Secretary of State Marco Rubio and said both governments shared the same vision on the region.

While official statements repeatedly avoid naming China directly, Beijing knew exactly who the Quad's latest statement was aimed at.

"China believes that cooperation between countries should not target any third party," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday night.

"Engaging in group politics and bloc confrontation will not bring lasting peace and security, and is not conducive to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole.

"China’s activities in relevant waters are lawful, legitimate and completely justified. We hope that relevant parties will do more things that help enhance mutual trust and cooperation between countries."

Australia continues to find itself in a precarious position as a key ally to the US, with Sino-Australian relations improving considerably since Anthony Albanese became prime minister. Wong has previously spoke of Labor's calculated approach with China to ensure differences between the two countries are carefully managed.

A deflated Alex de Minaur has promised Australian fans he can make it beyond a Grand Slam quarter final, saying his difficult loss to Jannik Sinner was hard to take with such a strong support behind him.

De Minaur lost 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 to Sinner and said the nature of the defeat meant it felt like he was "slapped across the face".

"After playing some great tennis on home soil and gaining so much, you feel like you just have been slapped across the face, to finish off like that," he said after the defeat.

"I know that whole crowd has got my back. They want me to go out there, make it competitive, try to make it into a match, and I'm trying my best.

"It's frustrating that I can't do it. I'm doing my best, but I can't make it into even a match where the crowd can get behind and start supporting.

"It is disappointing. I don't want to leave like this."

De Minaur has now lost 10 straight matches to Sinner and has vowed to try and find a way to break the World Number 1 down.

De Minaur has now made four consecutive Grand Slam quarter finals, failing to proceed to the last four in all four.

While we're constantly being told we're in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, we're certainly not cutting back on our spending.

Australia Post has revealed data from the end of 2024, saying Australians made 7.6 million online purchases in November and December, a 2.4 per cent rise on the year prior.

That equated to 103 million parcels delivered by Australia Post, the most in the national courier's history.

Australia Post said there was a "growing appetite for online shopping" and that Australians were capitalising on sale periods like cyber weekend.