Qantas makes big change for customers, US and Australia 'determined' to stop 'increasing threat', Biden's 'nice' move for Trump

A Senior Constable in Brisbane has been charged after they were allegedly found to possess child exploitation material.

The 30-year-old has been suspended from Queensland Police and will face court next month on one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material.

It will be alleged that the material was obtained whilst off duty.

Major changes are coming to the Qantas Frequent Flyers program, with members gaining better access to premium cabin reward seats and partner airlines both domestically and internationally.

The loyalty program will be putting an extra million seats on sale, including Classic Plus Reward seats, to members across 100 national routes from this week.

Qantas has also strengthened its partnerships with Finnair, Air France, KLM and Iberia in premium cabins, and across the entire Hawaiian Airlines network to provide an additional one million seats for its members.

Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance said Qantas Frequent Flyer has grown significantly over the last four decades.

“These changes are designed to further enhance the ways our members can book Classic Reward seats and the destinations and cabins they can access when they fly,” Mr Glance said.

“Classic Plus, which represents a $120 million investment in the program, has been a game changer since launching last April.

“Bookings are up threefold on initial expectations and over the December holiday period we saw an 80 per cent increase in members travelling overseas with their points.

“We’ve also launched nearly 20 sales since Classic Plus was introduced and announced another sale yesterday, discounting millions of reward seats for members across all cabin types.”

From July, members will also be able to boost the number of points members when travelling on Qantas domestic flights by up to 25 per cent.

The earn cap for tiered members travelling in premium cabins will also be removed.

Read more from NCA NewsWire here.

An aquarium in Japan says putting up cardboard people in the window of a lonely sunfish has managed to cheer it up.

Kaikyokan Aquarium tried the bizarre tactic after the sunfish appeared unwell when the attraction closed for renovations. One worker suggested the sunfish was missing visitors and despite other staff being skeptical about its chances of success, it actually worked.

"The next day, it was in good health again!” the aquarium declared on X. Check out the set up below.

Gold Coast Airport has been hit with delays after passengers boarding a Sydney-bound flight were sent through security checks again.

An isolated security incident was the cause, leaving other flights delayed, the airport confirmed.

An Instagram story from BBC radio presenter Joel Mitchell shows huge queues at the airport on Wednesday.

The airport said it was working to get flights back on track.

We take you to a distressing story now from Turkey where 76 people have died after a fire ripped through a ski resort hotel.

Panicked guests desperate to escape were forced to jump from hotel windows to escape the inferno at the Kartalkaya ski resortin the Bolu mountains.

"It was like the apocalypse. The flames engulfed the hotel immediately, like in half an hour," witness Mevlut Ozer said.

Another witness Omer Sakrak said he saw a guest jump from as high as the 11th floor.

"They tried to climb down using bedsheets. The bedsheets ripped as one friend tried... and he unfortunately fell on his head," he said.

"One father was yelling about his one year-old child: 'I will throw my child or he will burn'."

- With Reuters

Following the success of its $6.95 McSmart Meal, McDonald's has expanded what customers can get as part of the deal.

Previously Aussies were able to select from a cheeseburger or Chicken n Cheese for their two burgers as part of the meal, but now McDonald's has added a regular sundae and three-piece McNuggets to the options.

“Now, McSmart combines everything you loved about the original – including the incredible price – and offers our customers even more value by giving them the choice to add one of their favourite sides," Tobi Fukushima, Marketing Manager for McDonald’s Australia said.

The meal is complete with a small soft drink of your choice and a small fries.

Getting tough on immigration was one of Donald Trump's big election plays and he is wasting no time in delivering his promise.

On his first day back as US president, Trump has pushed through a change to the Department of Homeland Security's rules which previously prevented immigration officers entering schools and churches.

"This action empowers the brave men and women in Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens - including murderers and rapists - who have illegally come into our country," a DHS spokesman said.

The spokesman said the Trump administration "will not tie the hands" of law enforcement, and wants them to "use common sense" while performing their duties.

There are calls for Woolworths and other major retailers to follow Coles' lead in removing kitchen knives from their shelves after a worker was allegedly stabbed on shift.

"We put cigarettes behind the counter, we put spray can paints into locked cabinets so that people cannot come up and just grab them off the shelf," Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) Queensland Secretary Justin Power told AAP.

"Most major retailers put mobile phones and expensive items into locked cabinets.

"It is not too much of an ask to say these items for sale which can be used as a weapon to assault a staff member or a customer should be put under the same lock and key."

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder following the alleged stabbing at a Coles in Ipswich earlier this month and remains in custody to face court in February.

P&O Cruises has defended staff after a bunch of costumes they wore during a cruise between Melbourne and Hobart were interpreted by shocked passengers as KKK outfits.

"No one can seriously think that was their intentions," Lynne Scrivens, communications director of P&O Cruises Australia, told 2GB on Wednesday.

Scrivens says the housekeeping workers were unaware their outfits could cause offence and were actually dressed as snow cones as part of a family fun day on the cruise. "They were horrified when management said to them please take those outfits off," she said.

Scrivens said crew had limited supplies to create a costume and this is what they were able to come up with using their cleaning uniforms.

Take a look at the outfits for yourself below.

Australia's top cop Reece Kershaw says a rise in anti-Semitic attacks is a "disease in our community".

"We know this is changing the movements and behaviour of a community that is in fear,” the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner said.

“When a community feels they need to self-segregate or hide to stay safe, this has a greater impact on social cohesion and crime in general.”

Kershaw said officers were investigating whether the acts had been committed by “overseas actors,” or local criminals which have been paid by individuals.

Police are also investigating whether the acts have been committed by young people, and if so whether they have been “radicalised online and encouraged to commit anti-Semitic acts”.

Elon Musk appears to have responded to accusations he performed a Nazi salute at Donald Trump's inauguration.

Responding to an X post criticising the practice of labelling people Nazi's, Musk responded in agreement, saying: 'Yeah exactly'. His brief response was accompanied by a yawning emoji.

The gesture with his arm has triggered widespread debate over Musk's intentions.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University who self-identified as a “historian of fascism,” said the raising of Musk's arm "was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too".

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organisation which fights antisemitism, said it was not a Nazi salute and called it an "awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm".

Temperatures are soaring in Australia's east, with Queensland and NSW to cop the brunt of a "really hot few days".

The mercury could rise to 46C in Birdsville near the Queensland - Northern Territory border while plenty of inland communities will top 40.

While it'll be cooler closer to the coast, millions in Brisbane and Sydney are still expected to swelter with temperatures set to rise to 36 and 35 respectively.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Angus Hines said temperatures would rise to 5-8C warmer than usual across southeastern Queensland.

“[We'll see a] really hot few days ahead … really warm nights as well, mid 20s through the night,” Hines said.

“You’ve got to look after yourself – stay out of the sun, stay hydrated … don’t forget about your animals, your pets, your livestock.”

WA is also copping a fair bit of heat from dry easterly winds flowing over the west coast in response to Severe Tropical Cyclone Sean.

"This is causing a severe to extreme heatwave to impact southwestern WA, with Geraldton equalling its highest record temperature of 49.3C on Monday. Meanwhile Perth Airport hit 44.7C and the city 43.6C," Weatherzone explained.

There's also been hot nights for the state with temperatures Monday night lingering around 27C in Perth. The state capital could reach 37C on Wednesday.

The Oz Lotto jackpot has risen to $70 million after there were no division one winners in Tuesday's draw.

“While the year is young, this $70 million draw is the biggest prize we’ve seen from any Australian lottery game in 2025,” The Lott spokesman Matt Hart said.

“It is biggest prize offered by Oz Lotto in over a year and the fourth-biggest jackpot offered by Oz Lotto in the game’s 31-year history.”

Despite no-one holding the winning numbers for division one, there were 856,606 wins in division two to seven that collected more than $18.9 million.