Qantas announces big change for staff, photo shows Australia's 'new norm', frantic search for survivors from American Airlines crash

Yahoo

30-01-2025

Yahoo's live news blog for Thursday, January 30 has concluded. Qantas has announced it will redesign crew's uniforms as the airline looks to take its brand's perception into a new era.
An American Airlines flight has crashed after colliding with a helicopter in Washington DC. There were 64 people on board the flight and at least three personnel on the helicopter with a frantic search underway for survivors.
Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter several weeks prematurely. Buckingham Palace says King Charles is "delighted" with the arrival of baby Athena, who is the third child of the late Queen's granddaughter.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of hiding a suspected anti-Semitic plot where a caravan was found full of explosives with a note listing Jewish targets.
See all of the day's updates below.
Yahoo's live news coverage in Australia is now coming to an end, but for those wanting fresh updates on the American Airlines plane crash in Washington DC can follow along here.
Tracking site Flightradar 24 has shared the exact location of the crash above the Potomac , reporting the plane was roughly 100 metres from ground level as it flew into Reagan National Airport.
The FAA confirms tonight's collision near DCA involved #AA5342 and a US military H60. The helicopter was not broadcasting ADS-B data. The last received ADS-B position from the CRJ was at 01:48 UTC. AA5342 was en route from Wichita to Washington (DCA) and was on final approach… pic.twitter.com/2NT3LGCAlq
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 30, 2025
There are unconfirmed reports people have been pulled from the Potomac River alive.
"We have been told they are making water rescues," ABC News Live host Phil Lipof said.
NBC Washington said four people have been recovered and were rushed to hospitals. However CNN said sources have revealed there are no survivors at this stage.
The temperature in the river at the moment, shortly after 11pm (local time), is around 5C.
US President Donald Trump has issued a statement on the plane crash in Washington DC.
"I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise." he said.
There is a frantic search for survivors of the mid-air crash between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter involving at least 67 people.
US Senator Ted Cruz says "we know their are fatalities", with all law enforcement agencies deployed to Ronald Reagan Airport where crews are frantically searching in the Potomac River where the plane came down, a source has told CNN.
The search includes dozens of firefighters who have dived into the water.
We bring you some breaking news from the US now. There are grave fears for scores of people on an American Airlines flight after it collided with a military helicopter at Washington DC's airport.
The aircraft collided with the helicopter as it approached the runway at Ronald Reagan Airport, before crashing into the nearby Potomac River.
Kansas senator Roger Marshall described the situation as "nothing short of a nightmare". American Airlines say there are 64 people on the flight.
While plenty are feeling optimistic for February's RBA meeting, Judo Bank chief economic adviser Warren Hogan says no cut is more likely than a cut to the interest rate.
He told Sky News because there are obvious signs the economy is "actually improving", that's why there's "a question mark on whether inflation will get down into the target band and stay there".
He pointed to the US who have paused interest rate cuts due to inflation fears.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says he has a "really clear" commitment from the US over the future of our security pact AUKUS.
Labor heavily invested in the defence alliance while Joe Biden was US president, and Marles says after a call with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, DoanTrump is as committed.
"He was very positive in relation to AUKUS … it was a very warm conversation. There was very much a sense of common purpose," Marles told ABC Radio National.
The pact is widely seen as a counter to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and Beijing warned after Trump's inauguration that no group should be targeting a third party.
Great to speak with US Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth During our call today we reaffirmed the importance of the Alliance, our shared commitment to regional security and stability, and our cooperation under AUKUSWe look forward to meeting at the earliest opportunity. 🇦🇺🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6JHFhoZ6FJ
— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) January 29, 2025
Australian households paid almost 10 per cent more in bank fees in the 2023/24 financial year, with credit card and personal loan use soaring amid the rising cost of living.
That contributed to banks enjoying a five per cent jump in fee revenue in 2023/24 - the first annual increase in fee earnings in seven years, the Reserve Bank said in its January bulletin.
Australians paid 11 per cent more in credit card fees, mainly reflecting a rise in card-holders spending money overseas as international travel rebounded, said RBA analyst Robert Gao, who authored the report.
"With more households using their Australian credit and debit cards at overseas businesses, banks earned more fees on international transactions and foreign currency conversions," he said.
Meanwhile, personal loan fees shot up 34 per cent, reflecting growth in establishment and transaction charges as more Australians took out credit to cover cost-of-living challenges.
The increase in fee revenue came as Australian households saw their real disposable income fall below 2017 levels, battered by high interest rates and inflation.
Residents in Far North Queensland have been forced to evacuate after the state was battered by severe rain, storms and flash flooding overnight.
Overnight, heavy rain smashed areas of northern Queensland, with Cairns to Mackay being inundated with more than 100mm of rainfall on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
In the past 48 hours, more than 300mm of rainfall was recorded in Cairns and its surroundings, including 346mm at the Boulders and 321mm at Cairns Racecourse.
According to Weatherzone, some areas have copped 900mm in the past three days.
A slow-moving low pressure system has dumped more than 900 mm of #rain on parts of #Queensland's North Tropical coast over the last three days, causing flooding and cutting off roads. https://t.co/wBmlnaDXtQ pic.twitter.com/9SJbHXdshS
— Weatherzone (@weatherzone) January 30, 2025
A caravan laden with explosives that was potentially going to be used to target Jewish sites has been linked to a man already in custody after investigations into a spate of anti-Semitic attacks.
The van was found abandoned on a semi-rural road in Sydney's northwest outskirts and reported to authorities, sparking a massive, multi-agency probe that includes counter-terrorism investigators.
Police on Thursday revealed the owner of the caravan, the presence of which was reported to authorities on January 20, was already in custody on unrelated charges laid by a strike force set up to find those responsible for escalating anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney.
No detonator was found in the van alongside the explosives, but Premier Chris Minns described the find as a "potential terrorist event".
Read more here.
There feels like there's real momentum for a rate cut next month, with millions now very hopeful the RBA will deliver good news.
But how on top of their finances are Aussie homeowners?
According to new research from comparison site Your Mortgage, 40 per cent of mortgage holders couldn't tell you off the top of their head what rate they're on.
Experts have been calling for Aussies to check their rate long before any official cut, saying plenty of homeowners are missing out on big savings by shopping around for the best rate.
Qantas has announced it will change the uniforms of cabin crew for the first time in over a decade as part of a complete overhaul of the airline's image.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said a redesign for staff was 'the start of a new era for the airline and its people' and in the first instance, they would survey the 17,500 members of the uniformed workforce to assist".
'We have ambitious plans for the future and transforming the way we reflect the brand is critical to that,' Hudson said.
'Our uniform represents the Qantas spirit all over the world. With a vast and growing international and domestic network, a historic fleet renewal program underway and the final frontier of global aviation just around the corner it's time to define a new look for our people that reflects where we are heading.'
Qantas is now engaging with several designers with plans to roll out a new uniform in 2027.
The father found guilty of the manslaughter of his daughter by withdrawing her life-saving medication told police it is what the eight-year-old wanted and that he was 'happy for her'.
Police bodycam footage of Jason Struhs recorded on the day after his daughter Elizabeth was found dead was released by the Supreme Court of Queensland, with the 53-year-old defending his actions.
'So on Monday, she decided she'd had enough, so I haven't given her insulin since Monday,' Struhs tells Detective Sergeant Sharny O'Brien in the footage.
'And yesterday she fell asleep and passed away.'
Struhs tells Det Sgt O'Brien he helped Elizabeth with administering her medicine - sometimes up to nine times a day - while also managing her diabetic plan at school.
'The world can't heal her because she's got to do it for her whole life, and she wanted to have a go without insulin,' he tells Det Sgt O'Brien.
'So this is where we ended up.'
Read more from NCA NewsWire here.
A photo gaining traction online highlights what some say has become the "new norm" for homeowners across the country.
With return and earn schemes available in all states, more and more people are taking advantage of the scheme which allows people to earn 10 cents for every container returned.
But how far some go to retrieve containers has been at the heart of heated debate for several years now, with some going on private property to get a hold of containers.
In one Melbourne photo shared on Reddit, one woman can be seen in the front yard of someone's home, with the resident asking if this was normal.
While someone said this has become "pretty normal" now and was becoming accepted, others argued coming onto someone's property was "too cheeky to normalise".
So what do you think? Have your say below.
Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter several weeks prematurely, with the 4lb 5oz royal baby, named Athena, said to be healthy and doing well.
The late Queen's granddaughter, 36, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed their second child a week ago on January 22 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.
Beatrice and her daughter are now said to be at home, with the family enjoying spending time together with Athena's older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna.
The King and Queen have been informed and are delighted, Buckingham Palace said.
The princess and her husband released a photograph of their daughter taken by Mr Mapelli Mozzi, showing Athena with dark hair, wearing a white long-sleeved garment, and wrapped in a pink blanket with her face hidden by her arm.
Beatrice was due to give birth in early spring, and in December received medical advice and was told not to travel long distances.
She joined the royal family at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day after changing her travel plans to spend the festive period overseas, with doctors said to have warned that a premature arrival was a possibility.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of keeping an alleged plot to target Jewish people with a caravan of explosives from the public.
The discovery was made in Dural, northwest Sydney, on January 19, however the concerning incident was only shared with the public via media on Wednesday.
The Opposition's home affairs spokesperson James Patterson has questioned if Albanese knew about the incident long before the country found out.
"The apparent discovery of a roadside bomb in NSW targeting the Jewish community is an incredibly disturbing development in an escalating domestic terrorism crisis," he said, the ABC reported.
"The prime minister and minister for home affairs must explain when they were first briefed on this matter, what action they took to protect the community and why they thought it was appropriate to keep it a secret for this long."
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Yahoo's live news coverage in Australia is now coming to an end, but for those wanting fresh updates on the American Airlines plane crash in Washington DC can follow along here.
Tracking site Flightradar 24 has shared the exact location of the crash above the Potomac , reporting the plane was roughly 100 metres from ground level as it flew into Reagan National Airport.
The FAA confirms tonight's collision near DCA involved #AA5342 and a US military H60. The helicopter was not broadcasting ADS-B data. The last received ADS-B position from the CRJ was at 01:48 UTC. AA5342 was en route from Wichita to Washington (DCA) and was on final approach… pic.twitter.com/2NT3LGCAlq
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 30, 2025
There are unconfirmed reports people have been pulled from the Potomac River alive.
"We have been told they are making water rescues," ABC News Live host Phil Lipof said.
NBC Washington said four people have been recovered and were rushed to hospitals. However CNN said sources have revealed there are no survivors at this stage.
The temperature in the river at the moment, shortly after 11pm (local time), is around 5C.
US President Donald Trump has issued a statement on the plane crash in Washington DC.
"I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise." he said.
There is a frantic search for survivors of the mid-air crash between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter involving at least 67 people.
US Senator Ted Cruz says "we know their are fatalities", with all law enforcement agencies deployed to Ronald Reagan Airport where crews are frantically searching in the Potomac River where the plane came down, a source has told CNN.
The search includes dozens of firefighters who have dived into the water.
We bring you some breaking news from the US now. There are grave fears for scores of people on an American Airlines flight after it collided with a military helicopter at Washington DC's airport.
The aircraft collided with the helicopter as it approached the runway at Ronald Reagan Airport, before crashing into the nearby Potomac River.
Kansas senator Roger Marshall described the situation as "nothing short of a nightmare". American Airlines say there are 64 people on the flight.
While plenty are feeling optimistic for February's RBA meeting, Judo Bank chief economic adviser Warren Hogan says no cut is more likely than a cut to the interest rate.
He told Sky News because there are obvious signs the economy is "actually improving", that's why there's "a question mark on whether inflation will get down into the target band and stay there".
He pointed to the US who have paused interest rate cuts due to inflation fears.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says he has a "really clear" commitment from the US over the future of our security pact AUKUS.
Labor heavily invested in the defence alliance while Joe Biden was US president, and Marles says after a call with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, DoanTrump is as committed.
"He was very positive in relation to AUKUS … it was a very warm conversation. There was very much a sense of common purpose," Marles told ABC Radio National.
The pact is widely seen as a counter to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and Beijing warned after Trump's inauguration that no group should be targeting a third party.
Great to speak with US Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth During our call today we reaffirmed the importance of the Alliance, our shared commitment to regional security and stability, and our cooperation under AUKUSWe look forward to meeting at the earliest opportunity. 🇦🇺🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6JHFhoZ6FJ
— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) January 29, 2025
Australian households paid almost 10 per cent more in bank fees in the 2023/24 financial year, with credit card and personal loan use soaring amid the rising cost of living.
That contributed to banks enjoying a five per cent jump in fee revenue in 2023/24 - the first annual increase in fee earnings in seven years, the Reserve Bank said in its January bulletin.
Australians paid 11 per cent more in credit card fees, mainly reflecting a rise in card-holders spending money overseas as international travel rebounded, said RBA analyst Robert Gao, who authored the report.
"With more households using their Australian credit and debit cards at overseas businesses, banks earned more fees on international transactions and foreign currency conversions," he said.
Meanwhile, personal loan fees shot up 34 per cent, reflecting growth in establishment and transaction charges as more Australians took out credit to cover cost-of-living challenges.
The increase in fee revenue came as Australian households saw their real disposable income fall below 2017 levels, battered by high interest rates and inflation.
Residents in Far North Queensland have been forced to evacuate after the state was battered by severe rain, storms and flash flooding overnight.
Overnight, heavy rain smashed areas of northern Queensland, with Cairns to Mackay being inundated with more than 100mm of rainfall on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
In the past 48 hours, more than 300mm of rainfall was recorded in Cairns and its surroundings, including 346mm at the Boulders and 321mm at Cairns Racecourse.
According to Weatherzone, some areas have copped 900mm in the past three days.
A slow-moving low pressure system has dumped more than 900 mm of #rain on parts of #Queensland's North Tropical coast over the last three days, causing flooding and cutting off roads. https://t.co/wBmlnaDXtQ pic.twitter.com/9SJbHXdshS
— Weatherzone (@weatherzone) January 30, 2025
A caravan laden with explosives that was potentially going to be used to target Jewish sites has been linked to a man already in custody after investigations into a spate of anti-Semitic attacks.
The van was found abandoned on a semi-rural road in Sydney's northwest outskirts and reported to authorities, sparking a massive, multi-agency probe that includes counter-terrorism investigators.
Police on Thursday revealed the owner of the caravan, the presence of which was reported to authorities on January 20, was already in custody on unrelated charges laid by a strike force set up to find those responsible for escalating anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney.
No detonator was found in the van alongside the explosives, but Premier Chris Minns described the find as a "potential terrorist event".
Read more here.
There feels like there's real momentum for a rate cut next month, with millions now very hopeful the RBA will deliver good news.
But how on top of their finances are Aussie homeowners?
According to new research from comparison site Your Mortgage, 40 per cent of mortgage holders couldn't tell you off the top of their head what rate they're on.
Experts have been calling for Aussies to check their rate long before any official cut, saying plenty of homeowners are missing out on big savings by shopping around for the best rate.
Qantas has announced it will change the uniforms of cabin crew for the first time in over a decade as part of a complete overhaul of the airline's image.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said a redesign for staff was 'the start of a new era for the airline and its people' and in the first instance, they would survey the 17,500 members of the uniformed workforce to assist".
'We have ambitious plans for the future and transforming the way we reflect the brand is critical to that,' Hudson said.
'Our uniform represents the Qantas spirit all over the world. With a vast and growing international and domestic network, a historic fleet renewal program underway and the final frontier of global aviation just around the corner it's time to define a new look for our people that reflects where we are heading.'
Qantas is now engaging with several designers with plans to roll out a new uniform in 2027.
The father found guilty of the manslaughter of his daughter by withdrawing her life-saving medication told police it is what the eight-year-old wanted and that he was 'happy for her'.
Police bodycam footage of Jason Struhs recorded on the day after his daughter Elizabeth was found dead was released by the Supreme Court of Queensland, with the 53-year-old defending his actions.
'So on Monday, she decided she'd had enough, so I haven't given her insulin since Monday,' Struhs tells Detective Sergeant Sharny O'Brien in the footage.
'And yesterday she fell asleep and passed away.'
Struhs tells Det Sgt O'Brien he helped Elizabeth with administering her medicine - sometimes up to nine times a day - while also managing her diabetic plan at school.
'The world can't heal her because she's got to do it for her whole life, and she wanted to have a go without insulin,' he tells Det Sgt O'Brien.
'So this is where we ended up.'
Read more from NCA NewsWire here.
A photo gaining traction online highlights what some say has become the "new norm" for homeowners across the country.
With return and earn schemes available in all states, more and more people are taking advantage of the scheme which allows people to earn 10 cents for every container returned.
But how far some go to retrieve containers has been at the heart of heated debate for several years now, with some going on private property to get a hold of containers.
In one Melbourne photo shared on Reddit, one woman can be seen in the front yard of someone's home, with the resident asking if this was normal.
While someone said this has become "pretty normal" now and was becoming accepted, others argued coming onto someone's property was "too cheeky to normalise".
So what do you think? Have your say below.
Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter several weeks prematurely, with the 4lb 5oz royal baby, named Athena, said to be healthy and doing well.
The late Queen's granddaughter, 36, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed their second child a week ago on January 22 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.
Beatrice and her daughter are now said to be at home, with the family enjoying spending time together with Athena's older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna.
The King and Queen have been informed and are delighted, Buckingham Palace said.
The princess and her husband released a photograph of their daughter taken by Mr Mapelli Mozzi, showing Athena with dark hair, wearing a white long-sleeved garment, and wrapped in a pink blanket with her face hidden by her arm.
Beatrice was due to give birth in early spring, and in December received medical advice and was told not to travel long distances.
She joined the royal family at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day after changing her travel plans to spend the festive period overseas, with doctors said to have warned that a premature arrival was a possibility.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of keeping an alleged plot to target Jewish people with a caravan of explosives from the public.
The discovery was made in Dural, northwest Sydney, on January 19, however the concerning incident was only shared with the public via media on Wednesday.
The Opposition's home affairs spokesperson James Patterson has questioned if Albanese knew about the incident long before the country found out.
"The apparent discovery of a roadside bomb in NSW targeting the Jewish community is an incredibly disturbing development in an escalating domestic terrorism crisis," he said, the ABC reported.
"The prime minister and minister for home affairs must explain when they were first briefed on this matter, what action they took to protect the community and why they thought it was appropriate to keep it a secret for this long."