An Air New Zealand flight has landed safely in Sydney after suffering a technical issue while in the air.

Passengers were notified of the issues after the Air New Zealand plane reportedly suffered hydraulic and steering issues while flying over the Tasman Sea.

"NZ221 from Christchurch to Sydney reported a technical issue while in flight," Air New Zealand Chief Safety and Risk Officer Nathan McGraw said in a statement.

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"Emergency services met the aircraft on arrival as a precaution.

"The aircraft landed safely, and our engineering team will now carry out inspections to ensure the aircraft is safe to return to service."

The plane arrived in Sydney at around 9am and was met by emergency vehicles on the tarmac.

More to come.

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A specialist taskforce will take over the search for accused cop killer Dezi Freeman, as the national park where he was thought to have fled reopens to the public.

Freeman has not been seen since he allegedly shot and killed police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart and wounded a third officer, as they attempted to serve a warrant on him at his residence in Porepunkah on August 26.

The so-called sovereign citizen then fled the scene, heavily armed and on foot, triggering a massive, months-long manhunt.

READ MORE: 'Kill crew' trio charged with murdering alleged drug syndicate member's wife

The search so far has involved hundreds of Victoria Police officers conducting extensive searches of Mount Buffalo National Park, Porepunkah and surrounding areas, and more than 1700 pieces of intelligence.

Mount Buffalo National Park reopens to the public today and anyone who sees Freeman is urged to phone triple zero and not approach him.

Taskforce Summit will now officially take over the ongoing search.

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Led by a detective inspector from the state's Anti-Gangs Division, the taskforce includes specialist resources from the Fugitive Squad, Armed Crime Squad, VIPER Taskforce, Special Operations Group, Search and Rescue Squad, and local Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems members.

The homicide squad will continue investigating the murders of Thompson and De Waart-Hottart.

Assistant Commissioner Martin O'Brien said the investigation was "far from over" but relied on assistance from the public.

"I strongly urge anyone with any information at all, no matter how small you think it may be, to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers," O'Brien said.

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"This could be sightings of Freeman, information you're hearing in your local communities, even suspicious activity on your property – whatever it is, we want to hear from you. As always, this can be done anonymously.

"It has been an extremely challenging investigation but are we incredibly determined to see this to resolution."

A reward of up to $1 million remains for information leading to Freeman's arrest.

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Warning: This story contains graphic content.

An alleged "kill crew" charged with the kidnap and murder of an organised crime network member's wife in Sydney sent a picture of the woman to her husband before killing her, police claim.

Thi Kim Tran, 45, was at her home in Bankstown about 10.30pm on April 17 when a group of men allegedly forced their way in and kidnapped her at gunpoint.

They allegedly assaulted an eight-year-old boy with a baseball bat, putting him in a coma, before forcing the woman to strip naked on the street and forcing her into an SUV.

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A 15-year-old boy at the home was also taken to hospital for assessment.

About an hour later, a car was found burning on Welfare Avenue in nearby Beverly Hills.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze, but the car was destroyed and police found Tran dead inside.

She had been bound and gagged, but had died before the car was set alight, Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi told media today.

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Police allege the woman was likely targeted due to her husband's involvement with a Victoria-based organised criminal network.

Strike Force Bushfield detectives yesterday arrested three men, aged 31, 20 and 21, allegedly part of a "kill crew" tasked with finding and killing Tran's husband.

They were charged with murder, conspiring to murder, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, kidnapping in company and participating in a criminal group.

Doueihi said the matter would be heard in court today.

Families no longer 'off limits'

Doueihi said the husband was in hiding after his superiors in the crime syndicate suspected he had stolen up to 80kg of drugs from their operation.

Attempts to lure him out failed, Doueihi said, and so they had visited his home after attempting to contact him.

However, Doueihi said police will allege Tran would have been targeted regardless.

"It obviously appears those days are gone," he said when asked by media about whether old underworld prohibitions against targeting uninvolved family remembers had been discarded.

"These young criminals are ruthless, they don't care about the 'code', if I can use that word.

"It's no longer 'families are off limits', it's whatever's in their best interest."

He claimed the alleged killers also sent Tran's husband a photo of her before her death.

Tran was unaware of any supposed criminal activity her husband had been involved in, Doueihi said, and police were now in contact with the husband, who was cooperating with the investigation.

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'Guns for hire'

Doueihi said the kill order had come from much higher up in the crime syndicate, but it was uncertain whether it originated in Victoria or overseas.

He characterised the three men arrested yesterday as "guns for hire" who were "extremely well known" to police and organised crime groups alike.

And the investigation is still ongoing.

"There may have been other people at the house, but we're not quite certain," Doueihi said.

The Anh Nguyen, 29, was charged in August with facilitating the alleged kidnapping and murder.

Nguyen is not alleged to have killed Tran himself, but to have brought the three men who allegedly did to her home and facilitated it.

The eight-year-old injured with the bat had made a "remarkable" physical recovery, Doueihi said, after it was initially feared he would be left with life-long injuries.

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The entirety of the White House East Wing appears to have been knocked down, new photos show, as US President Donald Trump moves swiftly ahead with plans to construct a massive new ballroom.

The images from the Associated Press show the demolition work reaching almost to the main executive mansion, with piles of debris left behind.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday to "trust the process" as the ballroom project continues to evolve and insisted that the Trump administration has been transparent about its plans.

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"When this plan was presented, and when these renderings, as soon as they were complete, the president directed me to come out here and to share them with all of you. I did an entire opening remarks about what this ballroom project was going to look like," Leavitt said.

"With any construction project, there are changes over time, as you assess what the project is going to look like, and we'll continue to keep you apprised of all of those changes, but just trust the process."

Appearing to acknowledge changes in demolition plans for the East Wing, Leavitt said, "We've shown you the renderings, and if you look at the renderings, it's very clear the East Wing was going to be modernised instead."

"The plans changed," Leavitt said, "when the president heard counsel from the architects and the construction companies, who said that in order for this East Wing to be modern and beautiful for many, many years to come, for it to be a truly strong and stable structure, this phase one that we're now in was necessary."

The sections that have been demolished include both the East Wing, where first ladies have maintained their offices for several decades, and the East Colonnade, which connected the wing to the main building.

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All the historical components of the East Wing, such as elements from Rosalynn Carter's original Office of the First Lady, have been preserved and stored under the supervision of the White House Executive Residence and the National Park Service with support from the White House Historical Association, a White House official told CNN.

Plans are in place for future use, they added.

The East Colonnade, with its herringbone brick floors and large windows along one wall, was often where visitors entered the White House for events.

It also housed the family movie theatre along its north wall, which was used for screenings since it was built in the early 20th century. Major American film studios often made first-run films available to the White House for presidential viewing.

The photos also show the grass and plantings in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, to the south of the colonnade, torn up.

During a dinner with donors to the ballroom in the East Room last week, Trump had the gold curtains behind the podium opened up and forecasted the demolition to guests.

"We collapse that over the next few days, it's going to be demolished. Everything out there is coming down, and we're replacing it with one of the most beautiful ballrooms that you've ever seen," Trump said.

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A Queensland mum who says her daughter is lucky to be alive has joined growing calls for the meningococcal B vaccine to be made available to all children and teens in Australia.

Pamela Appleton's daughter, Kristy, was 17 when she fell suddenly and gravely ill in August last year.

Kristy, an extraordinarily fit athlete, had just returned from competing in the waterskiing world championship in Canada, where she was crowned overall world champion and placed second in the jump division.

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"The day we arrived back home in Brisbane, that's when our world was rocked by meningococcal B," Appleton said.

The family was trying to beat jetlag by staying awake, but Kristy was tired and Appleton said she was alarmed to hear her daughter moaning in the afternoon.

"I ran downstairs. Kristy couldn't move, and her neck was really sore, so I rang triple zero," Appleton said.

Kristy was taken to a local public hospital, where blood tests showed she had COVID-19. 

Appleton said that despite her protests, Kristy was discharged from the hospital early the next morning, with doctors believing it was just COVID-19 to blame for her illness.

Back home, Kristy was still extremely sick and complaining of a sore head, neck and sensitivity to light.

She then began vomiting.

Both thoroughly exhausted, Appleton and her daughter tried to rest.

"We woke up at 1am in the morning with Kristy delusional and screaming. I went in and turned the light on, and she just screamed, 'Turn the light off'," Appleton said. 

"So I grabbed a mask, and I masked her, and then I rang the ambulance. 

"They turned up immediately under sirens, and I said, 'There is something seriously wrong.'"

At her mother's request, Kristy was taken to a local private hospital, where, suspecting she had bacterial meningitis, the doctors sprang into action.

"The doctor said, 'I don't want to alarm you, but if I don't treat this now, we're going to lose her'," Appleton said. 

Kristy was put on IV antibiotics and given a lumbar puncture, which showed she had meningococcal B.

After receiving the right treatment, Kristy turned a corner and recovered, even managing to go home from hospital a week later.

More than a year on, Kristy still suffers from some fatigue, but has made a remarkable recovery. 

Back to competing in waterskiiing, the Year 12 student was crowned world jump champion in August.

"I just want no-one else to go through what I went through," Kristy told 9news.com.au.

"It's not nice, it's really cruel.

Appleton said she had no idea there was a meningococcal B strain when Kristy got sick.

Last year, the Queensland government rolled out a free meningococcal B for young people under 20, with teens in Year 10 receiving the free shot at school alongside a federally funded vaccine for strains A, C, W and Y.

However, Kristy was a year too late to receive the free vaccine for the B strain.

"Kristy was in Year 10, in 2023, so she missed out," Appleton said, adding she was horrified to learn that her daughter and other kids the same age were unknowingly going around unvaccinated.

In addition to Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory are the only other states and territories choosing to fund their own meningococcal B vaccination programs to make up the shortfall in the National Immunisation Program.

Victoria, NSW, the ACT and Tasmania are yet to do so.

Appleton and Kristy are sharing her story following the tragic news of the death of 16-year-old Melbourne schoolboy Levi Syer.

Levi died last month, within 24 hours of contracting meningococcal B.  

Levi's devastated mother Norliah Syer-Peterson told 9news.com.au she was determined to spread the message that vaccines were needed for all Australian children and teenagers.

A Change.org petition calling on the federal government to make the meningococcal B vaccine free for all Australians, started by one of Levi's school friends, has so far attracted almost 19,000 signatures.

Appleton said she was heartbroken to hear of Levi's death.

"I just don't understand why it's not part of the vaccination program for all Australians, to me, it's just ludicrous," she said. 

"Why are they playing Russian roulette with children's lives?"

In response to Levi's death, the Royal Australian College of GPs in Victoria (RACGP) said the Victorian government needed to act. 

"If we don't boost vaccination rates, more lives will be at risk, including young people like Levi with their whole life ahead of them," RACGP Victoria chair Dr Anita Muñoz said.

"By providing the meningococcal B vaccine free of charge for at-risk groups we can save lives across Victoria. 

"Meningococcal B is a devastating disease, it kills 5–10 per cent of patients and leaves 10–20 per cent of those who survive with brain damage, hearing loss or a learning disability." 

A Department of Health spokesperson told 9news.com.au the inclusion of any vaccine on the federal program was contingent on a positive recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), based on an assessment of clinical and cost-effectiveness. 

"To date, the PBAC has not received an application from pharmaceutical companies seeking expanded eligibility for meningococcal B vaccine," the spokesperson said.

There have been 13 cases of meningococcal B in Victoria so far this year.

A spokesperson for Victoria's Health Department said: "The Chief Health Officer monitors the prevalence of meningococcal cases in Victoria, which informs their independent health advice on vaccination settings.

"The Commonwealth's Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee does not currently recommend a meningococcal B vaccine for the broader community."

Civet coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world and now scientists might have figured out why people are willing to pay more than $1540 ($US1000) per kilo of it.

Even though it's made from animal poo.

Also known as kopi luwak, the rare and pricey coffee is made from beans harvested from the faeces of the Asian palm civet.

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These furry critters are native to South and Southeast Asia, including countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

They eat ripe coffee berries, digest the pulp and poop out the beans, which are then harvested and sold as civet coffee.

It has been around for more than a century and is usually so expensive because of the labour-intensive harvesting process, which often involves farmers hunting through forests for beans civets have pooped out.

The beans are usually found in small clusters, so it takes a long time to harvest a single kilo, and need to be laboriously cleaned before they can be roasted.

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But many coffee afficionados claim civet coffee is worth the cost because of its unique flavour profile.

Now scientists have revealed they might be on to something.

Indian researchers discovered that civet coffee beans had higher levels of fats and other key flavour-enhancing compounds than traditionally harvested beans.

That could be why civet coffee has its unique taste and is so pricey.

The researchers analysed coffee beans collected from the faecal matter of wild civets on five robusta coffee estates in India, then compared them to the beans harvested from ripe coffee berries on each estate.

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They discovered that civet coffee beans had a higher total fat content, which would affect the coffee's aroma and taste profile.

They also had higher levels of two fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) than the other beans, which may add a dairy-like flavour to the coffee.

According to the research, the chemical differences between the civet coffee and the traditionally harvested beans comes down to the animals' digestive systems.

Civet coffee beans undergo fermentation while being digested, causing chemical changes that likely affect the coffee's final flavour.

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However, these findings are based on unroasted beans and the researchers said the roasting process can alter the beans' chemical composition.

They also only analysed robusta beans, but most civet coffee is produced using arabica beans, so there may be differences between the two.

Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla have prayed with Pope Leo XIV in an historic visit to the Vatican to forge closer relations between the Church of England and the Catholic Church, a welcome spiritual respite for the royals from the turmoil at home over the Epstein sex scandal.

Charles, who is the titular head of the Church of England, and Camilla sat in golden thrones on the raised altar of the Sistine Chapel, in front of Michelangelo's Last Judgment, while Leo and the Anglican archbishop of York presided over an ecumenical service on Thursday.

The event marked the first time since the Reformation that the heads of the two Christian churches, divided for centuries over issues that now include the ordination of female priests, have prayed together.

The accompanying music reflected a shared Anglican and Catholic musical heritage: Hymns were sung by members of both the Sistine Chapel choir and visiting members of two royal choirs: the St George's Chapel choir of Windsor Castle and the children's choir of the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace.

The visit comes as the British royal family is once again under intense scrutiny over Prince Andrew's ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The scandal that has long dogged the king's brother was reignited this week after a memoir by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre was published.

The 65-year-old prince has said he will stop using his titles, including Duke of York, but has "vigorously" denied Giuffre's claims. Buckingham Palace and the U.K. government are under pressure to formally strip Andrew of his dukedom and princely title, and kick him out of the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle where he lives.

Charles and Camilla's visit and exchange of titles had actually been planned for earlier this year but was rescheduled after Pope Francis got sick and then died. Charles had strongly wanted to visit the Vatican during the 2025 Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century celebration of Christianity.

A visit to strengthen ties between two churches

Anglicans split from the Catholic Church in 1534 when English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment. While popes for decades have forged warm relations with the Church of England and the broader Anglican Communion on a path toward greater unity, the two churches remain divided.

The Sistine Chapel service, though, marked a historic new step toward unity and included readings and prayers focused on the unifying theme of God the creator.

Later Thursday, Charles was also to formally receive a new title and recognition at a pontifical basilica that has strong, traditional ties to the Church of England, St. Paul's Outside the Walls. The title "Royal Confrater" is a sign of spiritual fellowship and was reciprocated by Charles: Leo was given the title of "Papal Confrater of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle."

At the basilica, Charles will be given a special chair decorated with his coat of arms, bearing the Latin exhortation "Ut Unum Sint" (That they may be one), the mantra for Christian unity. The chair will remain in the basilica for Charles and his heirs to use, officials said.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Catholic archbishop of Westminster, said the king's visit strengthens the relationship forged by Queen Elizabeth II, who came to Rome six times during her reign, including during the 2000 Holy Year.

"Pope Leo and King Charles coming together before God in prayer is an example of a genuine and profound co-operation," he told The Associated Press. He recalled that Charles accepted his constitutional role as supreme governor of the Church of England, "but also his role in protecting freedom of religion and the important role of faith in society across his kingdom."

The visit comes just weeks after the election of the first female archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. She did not join the king and queen at the Vatican since she hasn't been formally installed as the Church of England's spiritual leader. In her place was the archbishop of York, the Most. Rev. Stephen Cottrell.

Visit comes amid strains in Anglican Communion

While the king copes with tensions over the Epstein scandal at home, Mullally's election has heightened tensions within the Anglican Communion abroad.

The Anglican Communion has more than 85 million members spread across 165 countries, with the archbishop of Canterbury considered the "first among equals" among its bishops. But following Mullally's appointment, a long-building schism in the Anglican Communion appears close to a final rupture.

An organization of conservative Anglican primates — representing a majority of the communion's membership, primarily in Africa — announced it is rejecting all of the bureaucratic links that have historically connected the Anglican Communion.

The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, known as Gafcon, says it's forming a new structure, although it claims it represents the historic Anglican Communion in a "reordered" form.

Its statement denounced the LGBTQ-affirming stances of some parts of the Anglican Communion as precipitating the break, a reference to positions taken by the Church of England and the Episcopal Church in the United States.

But it closely followed another Gafcon statement lamenting Mullally's appointment, saying that many believe only men can be bishops and rejecting her office as a defining point of Anglican unity.

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The Western Australia police commissioner has referred to a notorious bikie as a middle-aged man playing dress-ups after he was charged with displaying a Nazi symbol on his face.

Perth's most recognisable bikie Dayne Brajkovich's head-to-toe ink has resulted in another charge on his rap sheet.

The tiny swastika on his chin caught the attention in court of gang crime squad officers, who charged him.

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"We draw the line legislatively at swastikas on your face," Commissioner Col Blanch said.

The 45-year-old left Perth Magistrates Court yesterday in a bold outfit, hinting he may have defected to the Mongols.

The ex-Hells Angel was arrested last night at his home, charged for displaying a Nazi symbol in a public place. 

"If middle-aged men want to play dress-ups other than Nazi things, I've no comment to make. You can do what you want as a middle-aged man playing dress-ups," Blanch said.

Brajkovich's tattoo isn't new but the laws about displaying hate symbols are.

The legislation came into effect late last year, including a maximum penalty of five years' jail. 

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It's not the first time his tattoos have landed him in trouble. 

The notorious gangster was the first to successfully challenge WA's anti-insignia laws – cleared of flaunting his gang colours in public.

He claims his wife covered them up with make-up and black Texta at Belmont Forum in 2022.

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Just when you thought the idea of a snake bite couldn't get scarier, Australian scientists have captured the deadly precision of vipers, cobras and other snakes in slow motion.

The snakes were filmed on high-speed cameras to reveal how these intimidating animals attack in unprecedented detail.

The resulting videos and photos are striking, to say the least.

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They were captured as part of a study led by Monash University that compared how 36 venomous species from all over the world strike and deliver venom into their prey.

"Venomous snakes have perfected the art of speed, accuracy and control," lead author Dr Silke Cleuren said.

"Some vipers can reach their prey in less than one-tenth of a second, faster than the human eye can blink.

"But what's really remarkable is how differently each group achieves the same deadly goal."

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He worked with other researchers to develop a clever way to trick some of the world's most dangerous snakes into biting a fairly unappealing target – a gel cylinder.

They heated the muscle-like gel so that it would mimic an animal's flesh and then coaxed the snakes into attacking.

Then they filmed at 1000 frames per second as species like the western diamondback rattlesnake, West African carpet viper and rough-scaled death adder did what they do best.

Bite.

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Cleuren admitted that "annoying a venomous snake with a piece of gel on a stick" was a huge adrenaline rush and he deinitely "flinched a few times".

But the footage they captured was worth the scare.

It showed "behaviour that's impossible to see with the naked eye" and offer new insight into how individual snake families have evolved strikes that perfectly suit how – and what – they hunt.

Vipers strike within 100 milliseconds but don't deploy their venom right away, instead 'walking' their fangs into prime position before letting loose.

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Members of the elapid family, like Australia's king brown snake, creep in slowly then strike fast and bite repeatedly to pump their prey full of venom.

And colubrids like the green tree snake strike, then sweep their jaws side to side to tear at flesh and maximise venom delivery.

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Kevin Rudd was subject to two rounds of humiliation by Donald Trump at a crucial meeting, but the awkward exchange was just the US president creating "good TV", according to an outspoken senior Liberal.

After months of criticism for failing to land a meeting with Trump, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's first face-to-face at the White House this week was hailed a success after the signing of a landmark $8.5 billion deal.

The visit went without a hitch until one reporter asked Trump whether Rudd's disparaging past comments about him had at all contributed to why it took nine months into his second term as president to finally meet with Albanese. 

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That set off Trump, who said he would never like Rudd.

According to Liberal frontbencher-turned-backbencher Andrew Hastie, the exchange was "theatre" and "good TV".

"That was theatre," he told 2GB.

"(Trump) does really good reality television and trolling the Australian ambassador was good TV, but in the end, Kevin Rudd copped it on the chin for the country, and we move forward."

Hastie brushed off the moment, saying "we don't need to relive the humiliation" and praised Rudd for his efforts in pushing the minerals deal over the line.

"Kevin Rudd got the job done in the end. He got the minerals deal and he got a seat at the table with President Trump and the prime minister," he said.

"Frankly, he made some unwise comments prior to becoming the ambassador, and we all make unwise comments.

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"And he sat there, and he was humiliated by Donald Trump."

Trump claimed not to even know who Rudd was, and asked the Australian ambassador to the US sitting across from him if he had said anything bad about him. 

"Before I took this position, Mr President," Rudd replied.

Trump then proceeded to say, "I don't like you either, and I probably never will", which prompted laughter from the room full of journalists and officials, including Albanese.

Albanese downplayed the exchange following the meeting, and Trump reportedly accepted an off-camera apology from Rudd.

Hastie has joined the growing voices of Coalition members backing Rudd and deviating from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's criticisms, in which she said his position as ambassador was "untenable" due to his past comments about Trump.

It was a remark she was forced to later backtrack.

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Liberal Senator Jane Hume and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie have also commended Rudd.

"The work clearly has been done on critical minerals and rare earths by Kevin Rudd personally, and I think that he should be acknowledged for that good work," Hume told Sky News.

"That would have taken months of painstaking negotiation to get the deal done. So credit where it's due," McKenzie told Today.

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