McDonald's has been hit with a wage theft claim of up to $250 million over allegations it has denied paid breaks to more than 250,000 workers across Australia.

The case, which has been launched in the Federal Court claim by union SDA, will be one of the biggest in Australian history if it is successful.

The claim is being made against the fast food giant itself and 328 McDonald's operators across the country.

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The SDA is alleging the workers were not informed of their entitlement to an uninterrupted 10-minute break when working four hours or more, as is set out under the Fast Food Award.

The union is alleging that the workers not being given their breaks was "systematic and deliberate".

SDA secretary Gerard Dwyer said McDonald's attention to detail with its products made it unbelievable the breaks were missed by accident.

"Across their restaurants, McDonald's demands consistency," he said.

"They make sure each restaurant can put two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

"It's simply not believable that these breaks weren't denied on purpose.

"McDonald's has the capacity and the responsibility to ensure they're giving workers all their entitlements."

He said the reasons behind the lawsuit were even bigger than just compensating the workers involved.

"It's about sending a clear message that this systematic exploitation of young workers will not be tolerated," he said.

The SDA has said it has been investigating the issue for two years.

McDonald's has said it "intends to fully defend the claim" in a written statement.

"McDonald's believes its restaurants complied with applicable instruments, provided rest breaks to employees and were consistent with historic working arrangements," the statement reads.

"We are very mindful of our obligations under applicable employment laws, including the former enterprise agreement and the Fast Food Industry Award, and continue to work closely with our restaurants to ensure employees receive all correct workplace entitlements and pay."

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Prosecutors in South Florida have announced a second-degree murder charge against social media model Courtney Clenney related to the fatal stabbing of her live-in boyfriend.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the charge against the 26-year-old model during a news conference.

Clenney was arrested Wednesday in Hawaii. Fernandez Rundle said Clenney, who goes by the name Courtney Tailor on platforms like Instagram and OnlyFans, remains jailed in Hawaii while authorities work to have her extradited to Florida.

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Fernandez Rundle characterised Christian Obumseli's April 3 death at the couple's Miami apartment as the culmination of a "tempestuous and combative relationship" that began in November 2020.

The county medical examiner said in an autopsy report that Obumseli, who worked in cryptocurrency, died from a forceful downward thrust from a blade that went 7.6cm into his chest, piercing a major artery.

According to an arrest report, Clenney acknowledged killing Obumseli but said she was acting in self defense.

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She said Obumseli had pushed her and thrown her to the floor, which prompted her to grab and knife and throw it at Obumseli from about three metres away. The medical examiner said Obumseli's wound could not have been caused by a knife thrown from that distance.

Clenney's Miami defense lawyer, Frank Prieto, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment from The Associated Press. He previously told the Miami Herald that Clenney was in Hawaii while in rehabilitation for substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. He said they look forward to clearing her name in court.

A Melbourne woman has told how she was left coughing up blood and had difficulty speaking and swallowing for a week after a nightmare meal at a popular restaurant chain.

Madison, who does not want her surname published, spent 10 hours in hospital after she swallowed something sharp while eating a paella at a Nando's restaurant, and a month later is planning to see a specialist for an ongoing throat issue.

When Madison contacted Nando's, they offered her a $13 voucher to compensate for the inconvenience of the experience – less than the company's $15 birthday vouchers.

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The whole experience has left Madison in disbelief.

"It's almost comical," she said.

The 30-year-old business owner was eating paella at an inner Melbourne Nando's restaurant after work on July 10 when she swallowed something she shouldn't have.

Madison said she felt something sharp in her mouth, but automatically swallowed it before thinking to spit it up.

"I was so tired that I didn't compute," she said.

"It was super sharp. It went down the middle of my oesophagus, and it felt like it was lodged there."

She started choking so she ran to the bathroom to try to cough the object up.

But Madison said she couldn't seem to move the object in her throat, and was just coughing up blood.

She said she could not speak because of the pain and was terrified what had happened to her.

MONEY MATTERS: Is it legal for shops to offer discounts for cash?

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Days later Madison was sent an automated $15 voucher for her birthday.

Madison has said she found the offer of $13 "rather insulting", describing Nando's reaction to the serious situation as "comical".

"They're not seeing the severity of the situation."

Madison said Nando's made her favourite food, but the experience had turned her away from eating it.

"I've gone from eating there at least twice a week to probably never going again," she said.

A Nando's spokesperson told 9news.com.au the company acknowledges its response to the issue could have been better, and that steps have been taken to improve the handling of issues in future.

"Nando's takes food safety extremely seriously and has an internal team dedicated to reviewing, investigating, and responding to such queries," the spokesperson said.

"We acknowledge that our initial response to this query could have been improved and did not live up to our high standards of customer care.

"For that we have apologised.

"We have provided further training to our recently hired Customer Care representative to ensure prompt and appropriate action is taken for matters such as this.

"Nando's did undertake a full investigation at the restaurant, followed up with the customer to check in and the restaurant franchisee has extended an invitation to the customer to return for a complimentary meal so he can personally apologise for the inconvenience."

Every week we will break down, debunk and demystify your rights as a shopper in Australia. This week we are looking at whether it's legal for shops to offer a cheaper price if a customer offers to pay in cash?

We all know life is getting more expensive than ever before and how important it is to stretch every dollar you make.

That's why each week we'll answer a question surrounding what shoppers are – and aren't – entitled to when dealing with retailers and manufacturers.

MONEY MATTERS: Can a business refuse legal tender in Australia?

WHAT'S YOUR CASH PRICE?

Hi Stu,

Thanks for the weekly column. Maybe I'm too young for this, but I have a question about shops that knock money off for customers who pay in cash.

I recently moved out of home for the first time and my dad was helping me buy a fridge. We managed to get $200 off the price simply by telling them we could pay cash on the day.

This feels really dodgy – is it legal for shops to do this?

Hi there, to answer your questions – it's not illegal but it is a little antiquated.

Fundamentally it's between a business and a customer to set the terms of the transaction.

If both parties are happy for a lower price with cash, so be it.

MONEY MATTERS: Can restaurants legally charge more on weekends?

Once upon a time cash was cheaper to process for businesses than some other methods of credit.

But these days paying with card – whether it's credit or debit – is so ubiquitous that the real challenge is getting the sale, not how it's paid.

Remember cash is not totally cost-free either. Businesses still need to pay the wages of staff to count it, and to have someone drop it off at the bank. But you could argue that those wage costs are already accounted for.

So why does it feel dodgy?

This may stem from increased knowledge around the "shadow economy". That's what the tax office describes as the cash-only economy where businesses don't record those transactions as income, and therefore don't pay any tax.

MONEY MATTERS: Can you get a refund if you change your mind?

It's perfectly acceptable for a business to accept "cash only" – but they must keep good records and report all income, regardless of how it comes in.

At the end of the day, as long as you get an invoice or a receipt for your fridge, you still have your consumer rights.

Getting $200 off because your dad had cash on him is just the icing on the cake.

Do you have a consumer question you want answered? You can get in touch with reporter Stuart Marsh at sm****@******om.au.

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

Victorian Police say they've identified "at least" 25 victims of the "Hi Mum" mobile phone scam, issuing a warning about the hoax that's designed to "pull on the heartstrings".

Detectives are now investigating the scam, believed to have originated from Europe.

It involves a scammer sending a text message from an unknown mobile phone number to a victim, claiming to be their son or daughter.

As the conversation develops they will say they've lost their phone, before making a request for emergency money – generally they'll say they've been locked out of online banking.

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Once one transfer has been made, the offender will frequently request another sum of money, police say.

Detectives say they've found "at least" 25 victims of the scam believed to be linked to a series of offending dating back to January.

Detective Sergeant John Cheyne, Cybercrime Squad said police believe the true amount of victims are underreported.

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"A scam like this really pulls on the heartstrings – a child telling you they've lost or broken their phone and are in need of financial support is understandably a situation where parents would react without a second thought," he says.

"Often, matters of this nature are under reported and that can be for a range of reasons, including fear or embarrassment, and sometimes feeling unsure if an offence has occurred.

"We encourage anyone who has been subject to a scam such as this to speak to police."

Cheyne urges anyone who receives request for money from an unknown number to ask "for some kind of verification".

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"Give the number a call and ask them to prove who they say they are, or call the original number you have saved in your contacts for the person," he said.

"Alternatively, you could ask them to send a voice note to verify who they are.

"If they can't prove who they are or aren't willing to, don't transfer the money.

"If you've been victim to this scam, call your bank immediately and let them know, before reporting the matter via ReportCyber.

The warning comes after cybercrime experts revealed more than $2 million was stolen under the 'Hi Mum" scam "in a matter of months".

People who have lost money to a scam should contact their bank or financial institution as soon as possible and report the matter to police or online forums such as ReportCyber.

For more advice on how to avoid scams, visit the Scamwatch website.

MONEY MATTERS: Is it legal for shops to offer discounts for cash?

Anyone with information about cybercrimes and scams should contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.

As sea ice vanishes, Greenland melts and wildfires scorch the planet's northernmost forests, new research confirms what scientists are sounding alarms about: the Arctic has warmed much faster than the rest of the world in the past several decades.

The phenomenon, called Arctic amplification, is caused by the heat-trapping emissions from burning fossil fuels.

The pace of the temperature increase around the North Pole in recent decades was four times higher than the rest of the planet, researchers at the Finnish Meteorological Institute found in a study published this morning.

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Another problem: climate models, which scientists used to predict long-term change, are not capturing this high rate of warming, lead author and researcher Dr Mika Rantanen told CNN, which was part of this study's motivation.

That's concerning because if the models can't recreate what's happening right now, scientists can't be confident in their long-term predictions.

"Because of this discrepancy, we decided that this needs to be corrected," Rantanen said.

"This needs to be updated."

The study, published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, analysed temperature trends in the Arctic Circle between 1979 and 2021 — the modern era of satellite data.

The authors found the rate of warming was particularly high in the Eurasian region of the Arctic, especially the Barents Sea, which has warmed seven times faster than the global average.

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Recent data revealed that the annual average temperature in the Barents region climbed by as much as 2.7 degrees each decade in the past 20 to 40 years, making the Barents Sea and its islands the fastest warming location on the planet.

Climate change has triggered a rapid loss in sea ice in the Arctic region, which in turn has amplified global warming.

Bright white sea ice reflects solar energy back to space, but when it melts, the dark ocean absorbs that heat.

John Walsh, chief scientist at the International Arctic Research Centre in the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said the study's timeframe homed in on the Arctic amplification phenomenon, which has been more significant in the past several decades than the early and mid-1900s.

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"The Arctic amplification is unmistakable," Walsh, who is not involved with the study, told CNN.

"It's more than a factor of one; it's a factor of several — whether it's two or three or four — and I think that doesn't change the fact that the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world."

Last year's annual Arctic Report Card, which was published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, found that the Arctic region is warming faster than the rest of the Earth and is rapidly losing ice cover, transforming the typically frozen landscape to a greener and browner one than it was just roughly a decade ago.

All these findings also reflect the most recent UN state-of-the-science report on the climate crisis, which found the Arctic will continue to warm faster than the rest of the planet as long as humans continue to burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

"The Arctic is really more sensitive to global warming than previously thought," Rantanen said.

"Only time will tell. Let's see how this will evolve in the future."