Woman accused of shocking Bunnings act, wildfire threatens exclusive homes, three confirmed dead in seaplane crash

We take you to the US now where dramatic images are emerging from Los Angeles where a wildfire has destroyed luxury homes and seen tens of thousands flee for safety.

In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways were clogged and scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.

A traffic jam on a major road in the impacted area of Pacific Palisades prevented emergency vehicles from getting through and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path, according to the LA Fire Department.

There are fears more than 13,000 buildings are at threat.

Read more from the Associated Press here.

A childcare centre in southern NSW has been shut after children allegedly ate scraps of food off the floor among a string of other horrific allegations.

The Angel’s Paradise early education childcare centre in Wagga Wagga was closed immediately upon inspection in September last year after education officials deemed there was an “an immediate risk” to the safety of its children.

According to allegations contained in court documents, CCTV from the centre showed breaches of the health and safety of children, including children being left unsupervised repeatedly and suffering falls.

Other concerns raised by the Department of Education included the training of staff after it was found at least one staff member was working without a working with children check and did not have any formal early childhood education training.

Staff members were also alleged to have been using their phones at times when they were meant to be supervising children.

The centre is also alleged to have had a general “lack of hygiene” after children allegedly ate food scraps off the floor.

The concerns were first raised in August last year by a parent whose child returned home from the centre with an injury that required medical attention.

CCTV footage from the centre came into the investigation and was central to the department’s case.

In the footage, the department alleged a child climbed onto a cupboard and fell off while unsupervised.

They then appeared distressed, crying or asleep until the end of the day when they were picked up.

Read more from NCA NewsWire here.

Well this has divided Aldi shoppers.

A woman says she's been repeatedly fooled by buying this pack of sausages at her local store, believing she's getting 12 sausages instead of the seven included.

She blames the big number 12 which indicates the cooking time instead of how many sausages are inside.

Posting about it online, some Aussies said they too had been fooled and it was a clear "marketing ploy" but others said it was obvious you're not getting 12 sausages.

So do you think this is a sneaky move by Aldi? Have your say below.

WA Police have confirmed the three people missing in the seaplane crash off Rottnest Island have died.

"The search was suspended at 8.30pm and sadly three people were confirmed deceased; a 60-year-old male Danish national, a 65-year-old female Swiss national and the 34-year-old male pilot," police said on Wednesday afternoon.

WA Premier Roger Cook confirmed the bodies were recovered by divers.

Three others from the plane were taken to hospital with serious injuries after they were recovered from the water.

Police believe the plane struck a rock moments after it began taking off.

A search for a young bushwalker continues two weeks after his disappearance in NSW.

Police and more than 150 SES members have been searching for 23-year-old Hadi Nazari since Boxing Day after he failed to meet friends at a camp in the Kosciuszko National Park. A campsite of Nazari's has been found, police say, where his camera was located, giving hope to searchers he is still alive.

On Wednesday, the SES shared details of the ongoing search, noting members of the search party are covering 12 kilometres a day across "some of the steepest and thickest terrain" in the state.

“The teams have been rising to the occasion and have been continuously working through tough conditions – hoping to get a positive outcome for the family," Superintendent Matt Price said.

There's growing hope Aussie mortgage holders will be dealt relief in just a matter of weeks following the latest inflation data.

Australia's headline inflation rate rose to 2.3 per cent in November, up from 2.1 per cent in October. But a rise was widely expected due to the government's energy subsidies.

With the rate remaining in the RBA's target between 2 and 3 per cent, economist Stephen Koukoulas declared "inflation has been beaten".

The trimmed mean rate, which removes items with the biggest price changes, dropped to 3.2 per cent from 3.5 per cent.

The RBA will meet in mid-February and will decide whether or not to deliver a rate cut for homeowners

Well this is not the news Kyrgios fans were hoping for.

An abdominal strain has thrown his Australian Open comeback bid into disarray, as he was forced to withdraw from an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic on Thursday night.

Kyrgios, who made his return from a serious wrist injury at the Brisbane International last week, was due to face the Serbian superstar to kick off his “A Night with Novak” event at Rod Laver Arena.

“Unfortunately won’t be able to play my good friend @djokernole this Thursday on the 9th as I’ve had an ultrasound on my abdominal and have a grade 1 strain,” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.

He said he will be doing everything he can to be fit for the Australian Open but the news certainly isn't good this close to the tournament.

The 29-year-old could have his first-round match scheduled as early as Sunday, with the singles draw to be held on Thursday afternoon.

- With NCA NewsWire

A man has died after he became trapped under a fallen water tank in a workplace incident in Sydney’s northwest.

Emergency services have been on scene at Auld St in Eastwood since about 8.45am Wednesday.

Officers found a man believed to be in his 60s trapped under a fallen water tank upon arrival.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the man, however he died at the scene.

The man is yet to be formally identified.

A NSW Police spokeswoman confirmed the incident had been referred to SafeWork NSW.

- NCA NewsWire

Now this is a pretty wild photo.

Residents say the state of an intersection near two idyllic coastal communities on NSW's Central Coast is evidence why police need to step up and get to grips with illegal hoons reportedly terrorising the area.

The stretch of road has been left covered in tyre marks and locals in Patonga and Pearl Beach have met with council and local MPs in a bid to get more police resources tackling the problem, Coast Community News reported.

One former resident told Yahoo the issue has been going on for years.

"From down in the town of Pearl Beach, you regularly hear cars doing burnouts through the night. I'd often call the police, but they were always busy, and by the time they'd arrive the hoons were long gone," he said.

And a quick search of the intersection Google Maps shows the road in a similar state when captured in 2020.

An Australian photographer accused of causing a drunken scene with her partner on-board a Jetstar flight from Hobart to Sydney last year has been revealed as the daughter of late Philippines dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.

Analisa Josefa Corr, 53, and partner James Alexander Corr, 45, pleaded not guilty at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Monday to a string of charges related to alleged scenes on-board flight JQ720 on December 29.

Australian Federal Police allege the pair were intoxicated and drinking alcohol they had brought aboard the flight, with Ms Corr further accused of grabbing and shaking another passenger while exiting the aircraft toilet.

Ms Corr is the daughter of Mr Marcos, who ruled the Philippines from 1965 until he was ousted by a pro-democracy movement 1986, her half-brother, Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr, is currently the president.

Ms Corr, who was raised in Australia, is the daughter of former Sydney model Evelin Hegyesi and describes herself as an interior designer and boudoir photographer.

According to her website she is based out of the Gold Coast.

The couple’s social media, much of which has since been restricted following their arrest, stated they had intended to return to Australia for the holidays, with their YouTube channel displaying travels around Southeast Asia.

The couple both face one count each of failing to comply with the safety instructions of cabin crew and being a passenger consuming alcohol not provided by crew/ or not permitted on board the flight on December 28.

Ms Corr is further charged with doing or omitting to do an action on-board a Division 2 aircraft, namely “common assault” which documents tendered to court state occurred in Jervis Bay, which is administered by the ACT.

The couple are expected to reappear before the court on Friday for a review of their bail conditions.

Ms Corr’s business phone number and the Filipino embassy were contacted for comment.

- NCA NewsWire

Witnesses have described the horror moment a seaplane crashed into water off popular tourist destination Rottnest Island in Western Australia, with three people still missing.

WA Police confirmed on Tuesday that three people were unaccounted for, while four others were rescued and taken to hospital.

Their injuries were described as serious.

Water Police and civilian vessels were on the scene to help with the rescue.

Witnesses described the moment the plane hit the water to 9 News.

“It just smashed straight into the water — for myself, it’s obviously like a sort of drop in the heart,” one witness said.

Tourist Greg Quin earlier told the ABC he saw the plane take off then crash before members of the public rushed to help.

“We were watching the seaplane take off and just as it was beginning to get off the water, it just tipped over and it crashed,” he told the ABC.

“It was a complete shock."

Anthony Albanese said his thoughts were with those involved in the incident while speaking on the ABC on Wednesday morning.

“This is terrible news,” the Prime Minister said. “The pictures would’ve been seen by all Australians as they have woken up. My heart goes out to all those involved.”

- NCA NewsWire

McDonald's is really embracing the best of Australia of late. The end of last year they brought us the Cherry Ripe McFlurry and now they're teaming up with Vegemite.

Bringing you the Vegemite McShaker Fries, customers can add our favourite spread as seasoning in what it is calling the "ultimate collab".

They're part of Macca's summer menu and are available from today.

Police in the ACT are continuing their search for a woman who is accused of spitting on a staff member at a Bunnings store before allegedly making off with stolen items.

It comes as the hardware giant defended increased surveillance in its stores, citing a spike in violence against staff as a reason behind it. Bunnings was recently found to have breached the privacy of potentially hundreds of thousands of customers by collecting their personal and sensitive information without consent – a ruling Bunnings rejects.

ACT Policing released vision of the woman this week after she allegedly dried to take a boced Ryobi kit from the Belconnen store on December 22. "When confronted by staff, the woman engaged in a physical altercation and allegedly spat on an employee," police said.

ACT Policing told Yahoo on Wednesday the search for the woman continues.