Qantas is resuming its A380 service for the first time in almost two years and it comes with a special upgrade.

First class is also resuming and it's been revamped with a whole new style: 14 beautifully appointed seats in a secluded haven for the long haul.

"It's really a new first class experience with this refreshed on-board product," Qantas chief customer officer Stephanie Tully told 9News. 

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"Completely new colour scheme, completely new bedding, you've got a brand new first class menu designed by Neil Perry."

The airline's A380 fleet was mothballed as COVID-19 hit – parked in California's dry desert climate.

Each was checked and maintained daily by a team of engineers to ensure they were in top condition. 

"Many of our aircraft were being redone just as the pandemic started, so most of these seats have not been flown on before because customers never got the chance," Ms Tully said.

"We're so excited to have them back in service to Los Angeles."

Four of the aircraft were flown back to Australia in the past month. 

READ MORE: Flights to Bali return after two-year absence

9News spoke to first officer David Theiss as he and a small crew prepared to fly an A380 back to Sydney.

Like many of his colleagues, when he couldn't fly he had to find other work.

In his case, driving harvesting machinery in rural Australia. 

"Everyone's managed to keep themselves in some form of employment. To come back is such a relief and a joy for us," he said.

"It's actually quite emotional."

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As well as the refreshed cabin, first and business class passengers can enjoy a new bar area.

Business class has also been jazzed up with new seats and extra comfort.

The first class lounge has also been reinstated with a new menu and return of its spa, where the pampering can resume with massages and facials.

David Flynn, from executivetraveller.com, says this is an important step as Qantas tries to return to normal operating conditions.

"The A380 carries hundreds more passengers, which means it can get more Australians heading overseas and more tourists coming down under," he said.

"Plus, of course, it's a flagship for the airline."

And the response from travellers has been positive.

"Qantas says there have been very strong bookings even in the first class cabin," he said.

"And a lot of frequent flyers have been using their points to make those bookings because they've been earning points for the past two years with nowhere to spend them."

First class tickets to Los Angeles can be booked from March 27.

Until then, a select group of business passengers will be upgraded – enjoying the nicer, roomier seats but not the menu.

The A380 service between Sydney and London via Singapore will also resume in June with its new first class cabin.

Also resuming after almost two years on hold are Jetstar's flights from Melbourne to Bali.

More than 300 passengers took off this morning on the first flight aboard a Boeing 787.

The flights from Melbourne will initially depart only three times a week, with plans to increase that number as demand grows.

Prior to the pandemic, this was Jetstar's most popular route.

Flights to Bali from Sydney and Perth resume early next month, followed in May by Brisbane, Adelaide, Cairns and Darwin.

A group of first home buyers in Sydney have been left in limbo as two years after buying land in the city's south-west, construction is yet to begin.

That's because there's no sewerage on the site in Austral, near Liverpool.

Matthew Pyatt said he is "devastated."

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"(We) keep being told soon. Soon never realises," he said.

Another, buyer, Tariq Mamood, said: "I'm really frustrated."

Sydney Water promised to connect the Torana Estate by December 2020.

Now it won't happen until at least 2023.

Until then 35 families can't build, and are leaking cash.

Mr Pyatt said he's between $5000 and $10,000 out of pocket, as he had to pull out of a building contract.

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"It was great for first time buyers to get on the ladder, that's left in tatters now," he said.

Those buyers aren't alone, with confirmation thousands of new homes in Austral won't have sewerage until 2025.

Paul Plowman from Sydney Water said: "The density predictions for the area changed… had to redesign infrastructure to take into account more dwellings."

Councillor Nathan Hagarty from Liverpool Council called it, "a complete and utter planning failure."

"These lovely families are being stuck in limbo," he said.

NSW Labor Leader, Chris Minns criticised the government over the area's development.

"Hundreds of thousands of people moving to communities west of Parramatta when there is nowhere near enough public infrastructure to deal with the amount of people who live there today," he said.

Meanwhile, in October a three-year sunset clause will expire, meaning the developer could return the buyers' deposits and resell the land at a higher price.

The buyers say there's no way they can afford another likely extra $100,000, as the land has rocketed in value.

Australia is launching legal action against Russia for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.

In joint action initiated tonight with the Netherlands, the Russian Federation is accused of being responsible under international law for the downing of MH17, which claimed the lives of 298 victims, 38 of whom called Australia home.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Attorney-General Michaelia Cash made the announcement tonight.

READ MORE: Latest on the Russia-Ukraine conflict

"Today's joint action by Australia and the Netherlands is a major step forward in both countries' fight for truth, justice and accountability for this horrific act of violence," the ministers said in a statement.

The action will be taken in the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The ministers said Australia and the Netherlands will rely on overwhelming evidence that:

• Flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian Buk-TELAR surface-to-air missile system
• The missile system was transported from Russia to an agricultural field in the east of Ukraine on the morning of July 17, 2014 – an area under the control of Russian-backed separatists
• The missile system belonged to the Russian Federation's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Military Brigade, and was accompanied by a trained Russian military crew
• From the launch site, the Buk-TELAR fired the missile that shot down Flight MH17, killing all 298 people on board
• The missile could only have been fired by the trained Russian crew of the Buk-TELAR, or at least by someone acting under their instruction, direction or control
• The Buk missile system was returned to the Russian Federation shortly after the downing of Flight MH17

Tony Abbott, who was prime minister when MH17 was shot down, said in a statement posted on Twitter "it's been obvious since July 2014" that the victims "were dead at Russia's hands".

"The denials from Vladimir Putin down are simply bare-faced lies."

Ms Payne and Ms Cash said Russia unilaterally withdrew from negotiations with Australia and the Netherlands in October 2020 and had refused to return to the negotiating table.

"The Russian Federation's refusal to take responsibility for its role in the downing of Flight MH17 is unacceptable and the Australian Government has always said that it will not exclude any legal options in our pursuit of justice.

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"Today's joint action under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation is in addition to the Dutch national prosecution of four suspects for their individual criminal responsibility in the downing of Flight MH17.

"Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and the escalation of its aggression underscores the need to continue our enduring efforts to hold Russia to account for its blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, including threats to Ukraine's sovereignty and airspace.

"While we cannot take away the grief of those whose loved ones died as a result of Russia's actions, the Australian Government will pursue every available avenue to ensure Russia is held to account so that this horrific act never happens again. "

It's one of the biggest card games in the world, consistently producing new card sets for almost 30 years – and no, it's not Pokèmon. 

Magic: The Gathering has been a trading card and tabletop icon since 1993, with a recent resurgence of new players thanks to a new video game.  

9News sat down with Max McCall, the principal product designer for Wizards of the Coast, to talk about how Magic: The Gathering has grown over the past nearly three decades and to learn all about the latest set – Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.

"From a lore perspective, we think there's a few things longer-term fans will enjoy, as well as lots of fun stuff for new players too who aren't as familiar," Mr McCall said. 

"There are some awesome returning characters and new ones too, who set up some cool things for what's to come next.

"I encourage anyone who's interested in Magic's story to read the five-part series for Kamigawa on our website. It's an awesome read."

The Neon Dynasty is set 1200 years in the future from the original Kamigawa series, first seen in 2004 with Champions of Kamigawa.

Mr McCall said designing a new card set is a lengthy process, with the Wizard of the Coast team creating sets years in advance. 

"It involves a whole host of talented people. There were so many things we wanted to get right for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty; from the world design to the card mechanics, and then also ensuring that the whole thing was realised in a way that was respectful of Japanese culture," he said. 

Taking inspiration from traditional Japanese iconography, Neon Dynasty features 10 Ukiyo-e lands, a type of Japanese art first seen in the 17th century.

These cards are a standout for me; in fact, the artwork on all of the new Kamigawa cards are a sight to see.

There's something quite nostalgic about buying a fresh packet of trading cards and opening them to see what's inside.

These days it's more than just a hobby, collectors are making big bucks from the right cards.

The record amount for a Magic: The Gathering card was set last year, with the sale of the Black Lotus from the original 1993 set.

This one card, in particular, was signed by the artist and fetched around $700,000. 

Wizards of the Coast are now behind an increasingly popular video game version of Magic: The Gathering called Magic Arena.

Magic Arena has played a big part in the resurgence of Magic the Gathering players and collectors, Mr McCall told 9News. 

"When we released MTG Arena on mobile last year, it gave players the ability to play Magic anywhere, anytime.

"We certainly think that drove interest in the tabletop version, too.

"As for the game itself, I think we're getting better at appealing to a wider variety of player types with all our different product offerings.

"I think especially with people coming out of local lockdowns and quarantines with COVID, people are craving more social time with their friends when they can, and Commander really facilitates a group of people coming together to enjoy some quality time together."

For me, Arena was a great way to learn how to play.

There's no extra cost if you're just wanting to have a go, the game is free-to-play. 

As a new player to the game, taking on Arena's colour challenges was a great way to work out which cards are more suitable for your playstyle. 

I recently played part in a mini-tournament to test out the new card sets, it's safe to say I need a lot more practice before committing to the real thing. 

Magic Arena first launched on PC in 2018, coming to iPhone and Android users in March last year.

The latest Magic: The Gathering set, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, is out now.

Another new set titled Streets of New Capenna is scheduled for release at the end of April.

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A new ICU ward at the Royal Perth Hospital in Western Australia will be taking patients infected with COVID-19 from Wednesday, amid warnings case numbers will soon peak.

Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the $29 million facility would be integral in the state's COVID-19 response, equipped with the latest technology to prevent the spread of the virus within the hospital.

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"The facility been optimised for COVID-19 conditions with the last COVID controls and technologies," Ms Sanderson said.

"Whilst we are in this most serious period of the pandemic it will only be used for COVID patients."

The new unit contains 24 separate hospital beds, all enclosed by glass that can change from clear to frosted "with the flick of a switch" to protect patient privacy.

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The state today recorded 4037 new cases of COVID-19, with 109 people currently hospitalised with the virus.

One patient is in intensive care.

Ms Sanderson said case numbers were likely to "peak soon", resulting in a peak in hospitalisations by the end of the month.

"The peak is still yet to come," she said.

"The opening of this new unit could not come at a better time."

READ MORE: Sixth person diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis in NSW

https://twitter.com/MarkMcGowanMP/status/1503190390740250625

She added while case numbers had been doubling every few days, the number of patients requiring hospitalisation was relatively low.

"Infections are still high," Dr Sanderson said.

"This new unit was planned before the pandemic but when it struck we made the decision to provide additional funding so we had it when we needed it most.

"It will be an essential part of our pandemic response."

Dr Anton Leonard, the hospital's head of ICU, said while the additional beds and new facilities would provide a boost for health staff and patients, the state still faced severe nursing shortages.

"There's an international shortage of nurses, we are doing our best in the hospital to train up our own local nurses," he said.

He added plans were currently in place to recruit more nurses to Western Australia from interstate and overseas.

"In the absence of nurses, we will use other staff like physiologists, speech pathologists, anesthetic technicians to help fill in the gaps," Dr Leonard said.

Melbourne's streets came to life today with thousands turning up to celebrate the city's 68th Moomba Festival and parade.

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A sixth person in NSW has been confirmed to have Japanese encephalitis (JE).

Last week the state confirmed the first death from the disease, and officials are making a renewed call for people to take precautions against mosquito bites, which spread it.

The new case is a man in his 60s from the Balranald area in the Riverina region, close to the Victoria border.

READ MORE: What is Japanese encephalitis?

He's in hospital in Victoria.

NSW Health said "several" more people are being tested for JE.

A man in his 60s died in February in Victoria from the virus.

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There is no specific treatment for JE and it can cause severe neurological illness with headaches, convulsions and reduced consciousness in some cases.

Japanese encephalitis typically affects pigs and horses bitten by mosquitos carrying the infection, but was detected in animals and humans in Australia for the first time last month.

The mosquito-borne virus which causes the disease has been spreading in recent weeks, made worse by heavy rainfall and flooding on the east coast.

The best way to prevent it is to try and avoid mosquito bites.

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Symptoms typically occur between five to 15 days after a bite from an infected mosquito.

NSW Health advises avoiding going outside at dawn and dusk, especially close to wetland and bush, plus wearing long sleeves, pants, and shoes and socks.

Insect repellents which contain DEET are also effective, and should be reapplied after exercise or swimming, and after sunscreen.