Qantas and Jetstar set to cancel flights, IKEA's surprise customer reveal, Aussie two-bed home sells for $2k

OK bit of a strange one now. A colleague recently cracked open a tin of tuna on a Sydney bus and it's sparked a bit of debate in the office. One person went as far as calling it "disgraceful" behaviour.

The culprit did reassure us she had a plastic bag to put the empty can in, but added it was a particularly hot bus.

According to the official rules from Transport NSW, buses are a no-food mode of transport, despite some other services like ferries allowing food. So I'm not sure what they'd make of a pungent can of tuna.

So what do you think? Is it acceptable to eat a can of tuna on public transport? Have your say below.

Qantas and Jetstar will be forced to temporarily halt flights to Vanuatu as the island nation shut its airport for 72 hours following a devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake.

Qantas only began flying to capital Port Vila in September in what was described by the airline as a "significant milestone" for the country's tourism.

Jetstar has a flight out of Sydney to Port Vila scheduled for Thursday, while a Qantas flight from Brisbane is scheduled for Friday morning with an announcement expected toda

Jetstar cancelled its Wednesday flight out of Port Vila earlier, as did Virgin Australia.

A flight from Brisbane was en route to Port Vila when the earthquake struck on Tuesday and was forced to divert to Noumea before passengers were returned to Brisbane.

More and more Aussies are seeking value when it comes to dinner time and IKEA has become an unlikely destination.

The flatpack giant said it had seen a spike in restaurant sales and that the food side of the business was actually outperforming the rest.

“Usually, it’s a reaction to when people have less money. People tend to eat out where they can afford and in this case Ikea food is very affordable with a very good choice,” Ikea Australia chief financial officer Ricardo Pereira said.

While IKEA offers more than just its famous meatballs, it said it will look to expand its menu as popularity increases.

Read more here from NCA NewsWire.

As the heat soared in Sydney yesterday, you might have seen WOLO signs pop up at some stations.

The signs had one Reddit user asking what they stand for, believing they're an acronym for something.

But they're actually an old telegraph code that's been used on the railway network for decades and is deployed when the weather heats up as a warning to drivers.

It was the code sent out to drivers to slow down when there was an increased risk due to the tracks heating up and swelling.

So now you know.

GoFundMe has revealed insights into its year today, with Bundaberg declared the most generous city in Australia.

The Queensland city topped the list and is based on the number of donors per capita.

GoFundMe also revealed the most generous donor globally comes from Australia. The Victorian woman has donated to more than 1,300 fundraisers this year, giving on average $14 each time.

The fundraiser to generate the most funds was for Ash Good, one of the victims in the Bondi Junction Westfield attack. More than $846,000 has been raised for her family.

Former Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander has heaped praise on Nick Kyrgios and believes he has what it takes to win the Australian Open next month on his return to Melbourne.

"If Nick goes out, and he plays his absolute best tennis, and if he wins the Grand Slam, I believe maybe for the first time ever, a single player would have ticked every single box that you can tick," Wilander, who won three Australia Open titles in the 80s, told Eurosport.

"He is competitive, the level is high, the mental attitude is brilliant, the repertoire and the variety of crazy shot-making and the jokes he cracks, no one has ever done it all.

"Nick Kyrgios has a chance to do it all."

Aussie Facebook users are in line for a payout after Meta agreed to a historic $50 million settlement with the country’s information commissioner. The cash boost will be open to users impacted by the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which happened nearly a decade ago.

In the 2010s, personal data belonging to tens of millions of Facebook users was harvested by British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. The infamous firm then used the data for political advertising, including the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump.

Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said the settlement was the “largest ever payment” dedicated to addressing the privacy concerns of Aussie individuals.

“It represents a substantive resolution of privacy concerns raised by the Cambridge Analytica matter, gives potentially affected Australians an opportunity to seek redress through Meta’s payment program, and brings to an end a lengthy court process,” she said.

Read more from Yahoo Finance here.

Here's a reminder to never forget about a lottery ticket or scratchie.

A NSW woman has won $100,000 weeks after discarding an Instant Scratch-Its card at the bottom of her handbag.

“It was a Christmas present I received last month, and I’ve been carrying it around in my handbag completely oblivious," she told lottery officials.

“I’ll never leave a ticket in my handbag again! Can you imagine if I’d never remembered?!"

Well thankfully for her, she did remember.

While Aussies trying to get on the property ladder often lament inflated prices, there are still bargains to be had. Just take a look at this home, which could well be the country's cheapest.

Despite all its problems, this detached two-bed property in the remote town of Morawa, 350km north of Perth, has sold for a remarkable $2,000.

The property was sold by the local council and needed extensive work to fix the roof and the removal of asbestos, as well as a complete renovation.

And that meant very few were interested in the property. "I could not get a bid at all," selling agent Tony Maddox told Domain.

Reminding those in the auction room the property was in fact a house at the end of the day, someone offered $2,000. Glancing at the shire's CEO, Maddox was told to accept. Council also sold a shop and residence for $25,000 and a transportable home for $28,500.

Other properties in a better state in the town, which has a hospital, local swimming pool, high school and IGA, are selling around the $200,000 mark.

How's this for an act of Christmas generosity?

Hollywood star Tom Hardy reportedly offered a bunch of construction crew working on his latest TV series a collective $250,000 to cover outstanding wages after their company suddenly collapsed, The Times reported.

Once Paramount heard of Hardy's offer, they reportedly stepped in and covered the bill.

Qantas will be forced to pay more than 1800 illegally sacked ground handlers a total of $120m, ending a four-year legal saga and landmark industrial relations battle.

The airline confirmed details of its settlement with the Transport Workers Union in a statement published to the ASX on Tuesday afternoon following the end of trading.

Qantas Group boss Vaness Hudson reiterated her apologies to the affected workers.

“This is an important step in bringing closure to these individuals and I want to reiterate our sincere apologies to those impacted and their families,” she said.

“We know this has been a difficult period for those affected and are pleased we have been able to work closely with the Transport Workers Union to expedite this process and resolve it ahead of Christmas."

Read more here from NCA NewsWire.

The death toll from Vanuatu's 7.3 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday is climbing. While the exact death toll remains unclear, the Red Cross has said at least 14 people have died.

The quake has been followed by second this morning, which measured 6.1 as aftershocks continue to rattle the island nation northeast of Australia. More than 200 people are being treated for injuries.

The Australian government says it is aware of Australians impacted in the capital Port Vila however is unaware if any are among the deceased.

Witnesses have described the heroic efforts of bystanders who rushed to pull people out from under the rubble of collapsed buildings. There were reports of buildings and vehicles "jumping up and down" when the quake hit.

A building housing the US, UK, French and New Zealand diplomatic posts was among the worst hit, with the bottom floor of the US embassy crushed by the above floors.

Local journalist Dan McGarry says landslides at the international shipping terminal will hamper recovery efforts.