UK prosecutors found there was evidence to charge but chose not to pursue the matter.

Warning: This story contains the name and images of a deceased Indigenous person.

A mother and two boys who died in a Gladstone house fire have been remembered as "beautiful souls".

The trio were found dead in the charred remains of a Gladstone house last Wednesday after it was destroyed by fire.

Their families released a statement today that was shared by Glenn Butcher, the member for Gladstone in Queensland's state parliament, paying tribute to Johnson, 36, and the two 12-year-old boys.

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"Three beautiful souls who were tragically taken from us on Wednesday 15th October, in Yallarm (Gladstone)," the statement began. "Jordana Johnson, Jordan Norris and Chazz Mather are our nutchum, our whanau, our family."

Johnson was remembered as a devoted mother to Jordan whose loving presence touched her friends and family.

"Jordana was a devoted mother with a big heart, her children were her world," the statement said.

"Her love extended to her family and friends and she always willing to help anyone in need."

The two boys were said "to be more than friends, they were brothers", and are remembered for their outgoing personality and fun-loving nature.

"Jordan was fun, playful and cheeky, protective of his Mum, his sisters, and his friends," the statement said.

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"Chazz was an outgoing and loving soul with a cheeky attitude who always looked out for the people he loved."

The families thanked Butcher and Gladstone Mayor Matt Burnett, as well as first responders from Queensland Police and Queensland Fire Service.

They have also requested no distressing images or footage from the house fire.

A community gathering will be held at Barney Point Beach on Saturday from 9,30am AEST, where "family, friends and members of the community" will be invited to pay their respects and remember the lives of Johnson, Norris and Mather.

A GoFundMe page has also been created that has raised over $23,000 at the time of writing.

"The donations received will go directly to Jordana's two daughters to start over who lost everything of their mother's home and Chazz's mother and seven siblings as both families navigate and rebuild after such a devastating loss," the page said.

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China has accused Australia of "severely infringing" on its sovereignty, hitting back at claims of "unsafe and unprofessional" behaviour during an encounter between the two countries' air forces.

Yesterday, Defence Minister Richard Marles said a Chinese aircraft had released flares dangerously close to an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea.

While no one was injured in the incident, the ADF said the manoeuvre "posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel".

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However, Beijing has since hit back at the criticism of its behaviour, claiming instead that the RAAF surveillance aircraft had "illegally" entered Chinese airspace over the Paracel, or Xisha, Islands without permission.

"Australia's actions seriously infringe upon China's sovereignty and are highly likely to lead to maritime and air incidents," Chinese Senior Colonel Li Jianjian said in a statement. 

"We urge Australia to immediately cease its infringing and provocative actions."

Beijing claims the entire South China Sea as its own territory despite an international tribunal in 2016 ruling against any legal basis to its claim of the region.

The Paracel Islands, while controlled by China, are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Asked about the incident this afternoon, Marles reiterated that the Australian plane had been legally patrolling international airspace.

"[It] was a routine maritime surveillance patrol that happened in international airspace above international waters," he said.

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"Every moment, our crew was adhering to international law, let me be really clear about that…

"What occurred on two occasions with the release of those flares being as close as they were, were unsafe and unprofessional."

While tensions between the two countries flared earlier this year over a similar incident when a Chinese aircraft dropped flares within 30 metres of an Australian plane, also in the South China Sea, Marles said most encounters in the region occurred without issue.

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"There are a lot of interactions between the military of Australia and of China in places like the South China Sea, and the vast majority of those are safe and professional," he said.

"But where there are occurrences which are unsafe and unprofessional, we walk through a process and a procedure and we absolutely stick to that."

The timing of the encounter is unlikely to have been a coincidence, coming shortly before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's meeting with US President Donald Trump, where a critical minerals deal was signed and the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pact given further backing.

Both developments came with China firmly in mind – the former looking to help the US get around Beijing's dominance of the crucial rare earths market (and the restrictions it has recently introduced), and the latter improving Australia and the US's defence presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Thousands of ANZ customers were unable to access their accounts for hours this afternoon due to an outage which hit several of the bank's services.

Customers first reported issues on outage website Down Detector and ANZ's social media accounts from about 12.30pm (AEST).

An ANZ spokesperson said in a statement at 2.30pm (AEST) the issue had since been resolved.

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"For a short period this afternoon customers may have experienced issues with some services including ANZ App and Internet Banking," a spokesperson said.

"We apologise for any inconvenience."

Customers who logged into internet banking were met with an error message.

"We are working to resolve this as soon as possible and apologise for the inconvenience this is causing," the error message said during the outage.

"ANZ ATMs and EFTPOS facilities continue to be available during this time."

During the outage, customers took to social media to detail their difficulties with accessing services.

"I can't pay after my grocery shopping, I can't get into my ANZ app," one customer said.

"App isn't working, lucky I have cash," another customer said.

It is unknown the outage is linked to a technical issue with Amazon Web Services.

Last night some of the world's biggest websites and apps were impacted by the widespread outage including Snapchat, Roblox, Fortnite and Duolingo.

Reports of problems with the hugely popular services began to surge between 6pm and 7pm yesterday and remained high for more than an hour in many cases.

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Treasury has quietly released the draft regulation for its proposed cash mandate on essential goods, which hard cash advocates have labelled as a "series of loopholes" for businesses.

Under the nine-page draft published late on Friday, grocery and fuel retailers must accept up to $500 in cash payments.

Small businesses — which the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates make up 97.2 per cent of all businesses — that earn less than $10 million a year will be exempt from the mandate, including small grocery and fuel retailers.

READ MORE: Why the Australia-US rare earths deal matters so much for Trump

Treasury noted that small businesses "find it harder to deal with cash".

The bigger grocery and fuel retailers that are captured under the mandate can still, however, be granted an exemption if they can prove an exceptional circumstance. 

"The mandate will apply to fuel and grocery retailers as this will best meet consumer expectations to be able to pay for essential goods in cash, while minimising the costs and risks to businesses," Treasury said.

"This is a balanced, practical, and sensible step to support cash users and give consideration to businesses."

The essential goods included in the draft regulations stripped-back some of the goods envisaged to be included.

Late last year, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the list of essential goods being considered for the cash mandate included food and drinks, medicines, medical and dental services, children's clothing and shoes, petrol and vehicle servicing, and utility bills.

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Treasury noted that utility bills were not included in the draft regulation as people can still make cash payments via Billpay at Australia Post.

Cash advocate Jason Bryce said this was not what was promised to Australians and excludes some essential goods and services needed to live, particularly medicine.

"The cash mandate is not so much a mandate as a series of loopholes," he said.

"This mandate will not protect the role of cash in Australia. This mandate will help businesses to reject cash. It exempts so many businesses."

Bryce is one of many Australians petitioning to ensure cash remains a viable payment option, with elderly and regional and remote people believed to be most affected by the growing move to digital payments.

The latest Reserve Bank of Australia data showed that 13 per cent of all payments are made with cash compared to 76 per cent made with card.

But an estimated 1.5 million Australians still use cash to make more than 80 per cent of their in-person payments.

READ MORE: Records tumble across Australia after scorching Monday

Bryce labelled the draft regulation as a win for the big banks.

"There's nothing wrong with paying with your card, but it benefits the banks. They make a profit out of every time we tap and they profit from the data they collect from us," he said.

"Cash is not necessarily more expensive, but they're making it so it's not viable for most businesses."

The proposed mandate would begin on January 1, 2026, and continue for three years.

Then, the government will review the mandate to ensure it is effective, consider whether it should be expanded and assess the impact on businesses.

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Demolition of the White House East Wing has begun as US President Donald Trump adds a $US200 million ($307 million), 8360 square metre ballroom.

CNN observed an excavator tearing down portions of the East Wing, and close-up video and images captured areas of the roof torn down and an excavator tearing through the interior.

Renderings released earlier by the White House showed that the ballroom, which the administration has said will be funded by Trump and other private donors, would be built over this area.

READ MORE: 'I don't like you': Trump blasts Rudd during Albo meeting

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this year that the "state ballroom" would occupy space housing the East Wing of the executive mansion, where first ladies have traditionally maintained offices.

The project fulfills a 15-year ambition by the president to construct an event space on the White House grounds that expands the building's entertaining capacity — but also resembles the gilded spaces of his private clubs.

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The ballroom is just one part of Trump's efforts to transform the buildings and grounds to his liking, which have included adding large flagpoles, paving over the Rose Garden, and decorating the Oval Office in gold.

"I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom," Trump posted on social media on Monday.

"Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!"

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Renderings provided by the White House depict a vast space with gold and crystal chandeliers, gilded Corinthian columns, a coffered ceiling with gold inlays, gold floor lamps and a checkered marble floor. Three walls of arched windows look out over the White House's south grounds.

The new ballroom — which will maintain the "theme and architectural heritage" of the neoclassical executive mansion, the White House said — will have a seated capacity of 650 people, more than three times the space in the East Room, the largest event space in the White House.

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US naval assets are massing off the coast of Venezuela, while President Donald Trump's administrations boasts about blowing up alleged "drug boats" departing those shores.

Trump has hinted at carrying out "land strikes" in Venezuela and the White House earlier this year threatened to place 25 per cent import tariffs on any country that imported Venezuelan oil.

What's going on in the South American country and why is Trump so angry about it?

READ MORE: 'I don't like you': Trump blasts Rudd during Albo meeting

Troops building up in the region

The US military has been steadily massing a large number of troops, naval and air assets in the Caribbean over the last two months, conducting training missions off the coast of Venezuela, reopening a military base in Puerto Rico that had been shuttered for decades, and attacking speedboats carrying suspected drug traffickers from Venezuela and Colombia.

As of Tuesday, a significant percentage of all deployed US naval assets globally are also now located in US Southern Command, the US military's command responsible for operations in the region, according to a fleet tracker published by the United States Naval Institute's news portal.

That includes the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, amounting to more than 4500 Marines and sailors, three guided-missile destroyers, an attack submarine, a special operations ship, a guided missile cruiser and P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft.

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At the same time, the US has deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, which has become a hub for the US military as part of the increased focus on the Caribbean.

The US has also deployed at least three MQ-9 reaper drones to the island, according to images captured by Reuters in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico, a US military installation that had been shuttered since 2004, is now back up and running, according to satellite imagery and photos taken at the base.

At least one AC-130J Ghostrider, a heavily armed plane capable of providing air support to ground troops, was photographed equipped with Hellfire missiles at José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Puerto Rico, which is used by the installation.

Why is the US putting these forces in place?

The administration has said repeatedly that the military presence is part of a counter-drug trafficking campaign, but Trump has also been weighing strikes inside Venezuela itself as part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening leader Nicolas Maduro, CNN has reported.

Experts generally agree that at this point, the US does not have enough assets or troops in place to launch an incursion to control Venezuela itself.

"The military presence in the Caribbean is too big for just hitting a few speedboats, though it is not big enough for an invasion of Venezuela," Elliott Abrams, who served as the US envoy to Venezuela during Trump's first term, told CNN on Thursday.

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"What's in the middle, I think, is a pressure campaign, meant to rattle Venezuela."

The US does have the ability now to conduct strikes inside Venezuela from afar. Trump could order Tomahawk missile strikes, for example, from the guided-missile destroyers, cruiser and submarine stationed in the Caribbean.

"It's enough to cause pain but not to seize terrain," Peter Singer, a strategist and Senior Fellow at New America focusing on defense issues, told CNN, referring to the military buildup.

"We're not talking about an invasion and occupation force," Singer said.

How has Venezuela responded?

President Nicolas Maduro has responded in kind, repositioning troops, mobilizing "millions" of militia and denouncing US activity in the region – a sign of defiance from the strongman as the two leaders are locked in a standoff.

Maduro has claimed that his volunteer militias now have more than eight million reservists, though experts have called into question that number as well as the quality of the troops' training.

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As of October 17, 20 out of 23 Venezuelan states have been militarised as part of the Maduro's military mobilisations, called Independence 200.

Maduro has also cracked down on civil liberties, signing an emergency declaration designed to expand his powers and limit the scope of the national constitution.

What is the ultimate goal of the US?

Trump administration officials have privately acknowledged that the intensifying US pressure campaign is aimed at ousting Maduro, a goal that was also a target of Trump's first term in office when the White House recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate president of the country in 2019.

The US has been quietly laying the groundwork for potential military action inside Venezuela for months by tying Maduro to drug traffickers and cartels that officials have designated as terror groups who pose an imminent threat to the US.

But to date, there is no indication that Trump has decided to take that step or target the Venezuelan leader directly.

Instead, the goal has been to pressure Maduro to step down on his own, sources told CNN, in part by establishing a credible threat of US military action if he does not.

The recent strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean are a clear message to Maduro, the sources said, noting the administration has been very intentional about linking the Venezuelan leader to trafficking groups and cartels.

Trump said Wednesday that he authorized the CIA to operate inside Venezuela to clamp down on the flows of migrants and drugs from the South American nation, but stopped short of saying they would be attempting to remove Maduro.

The remarks are Trump's most expansive comments on his decision to expand the CIA's authority to conduct lethal targeting and carry out covert action in the region, which CNN first reported last week.

Maduro has accused the Trump administration of seeking control over Venezuela's substantial oil wealth.

Reported with CNN.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump have signed an $US8.5 billion ($13 billion) critical minerals and rare earths agreement in a move to break China's stranglehold on the market.

The US–Australia Critical Minerals Framework puts rare earths squarely at the forefront of the Australian-US relationship, with Albanese saying there is a "pipeline that we have ready to go".

The deal will kick off with both countries paying $US1 billion over the next six months for new projects.

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Trump was delighted in securing the agreement with Australia. China earlier this month ramped up restrictions on its rare earth exports. That didn't sit well with the US president, who threatened to call off an upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

"We work together very much on rare earths, critical minerals and lots of other things, and we've had a very good relationship," Trump said as he sat beside Albanese at the White House.

"We've been working on that for quite a while.

"In about a year from now, we'll have so much critical mineral and rare earths, and you won't know what to do with them."

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What are rare earths?

Rare earths include 17 metallic elements in the periodic table made up of scandium, yttrium and the lanthanides.

The name "rare earths" is a bit of a misnomer, because the materials are found throughout the Earth's crust.

They are more abundant than gold, but they are difficult and costly to extract and process and are also environmentally damaging.

The minerals are used to make everyday technologies, from smartphones to wind turbines to LED lights and flat-screen TVs.

They're crucial for batteries in electric vehicles, as well as MRI scanners and cancer treatments.

Rare earths are also essential for the arms industry and the US armed forces, the world's biggest.

They're used in F-35 fighter jets, submarines, lasers, satellites, Tomahawk missiles and more, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank.

READ MORE: Chilling warning over 3D-printed guns flooding Australia amid crackdown

Why is Australia so crucial?

The US sees Australia, a long-standing ally, as an alternative source for rare earths as the critical minerals shape up to become a major hurdle in Washington-Beijing relations.

China is the world's largest producer of rare earth elements, with 61 per cent of mined rare earth production, according to the International Energy Agency, and 92 per cent of the global output in the processing stage.

Trump hopes the Australia deal will help break that monopoly.

Australia offers three major attractions: it has some of the world's biggest geological reserves: a share market with a record of successfully investing in mining; and a skilled labour force.

Are there any hurdles ahead?

Economic geographer Lian Sinclair, of the University of Sydney, says vast sums of money are pouring into the Australian rare earths industry: $3.2 billion by Australian government agencies; $2.9 billion from foreign allied governments, including the US, Japan, South Korea and Canada.

"This is a large amount for an industry with a total global trade of less than US$4 billion ($6 billion) every year," he said.

It means without investment in refineries and magnet production in allied countries, Australian miners will continue to either sell into or be outcompeted by Chinese domestic industry.

Sinclair says apart from Australian rare-earths mining company Lynas, which sells into the Japanese market, miners are struggling to find potential international buyers.

To wean themselves off Chinese rare earths for wind turbines and electric vehicles, the US, Europe and South Korea need to heavily invest in magnet and advanced metal processing industries.

Sinclair also points to the environmental cost of Australia becoming a big player in rare earths, with more work needed to be done in planning for managing radioactive waste and building partnerships with First Nations people.

– With CNN

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Law enforcement have warned "the threat is real" as increasing numbers of high quality, high-power home-made and 3D printed guns flood into Australia.

A multi-agency operation led by the Australian Border Force and spanning every state and territory in Australia as well as New Zealand, saw police engage in a week-long crackdown on illegal guns around the country.

ABF Commander Graeme Campbell said around the country, police had made 184 arrests and laid 854 charges.

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They seized 719 whole guns, 489 firearm parts, 64 imitation firearms, and 281 3D-printed or privately made firearms and parts.

Campbell said many of home-made and 3D-printed guns and parts were intercepted at the border from a broad range of overseas sources.

In NSW alone, police executed 20 warrants between October 13 and October 19.

In total, 45 people were arrested, 206 charges laid, and 270 guns seized.

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Police also collected 89 gun parts, 19 imitation guns, 10 home-made or 3D-printed guns and 130 home-made or 3D-printed gun parts.

The home-made firearms were a major focus of the operation, and were involved in some of the biggest busts.

Just before 7am on Monday, October 13, police carried out a search warrant in Hinchinbrook, Sydney, where they allegedly found a 3D printer attempting to print a gun part.

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Officers also allegedly seized numerous other firearm parts, electronics, and crypto-currency wallets.

A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene and charged with multiple firearm-related offences.

The next day, on Tuesday, October 14, in a search warrant in Gosford north of Sydney, police seized another 3D printer and three home-made Glock-style pistols, magazines, holsters, and other items.

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A 52-year-old man was arrested and charged with 14 gun-related offences.

NSW Police Detective Superintendent John Watson said the quality of the guns was increasing and newer models had displayed semi-automatic and high-powered capabilities.

"Privately manufactured firearms present a fast-evolving challenge, but this operation shows what's possible when agencies collaborate effectively," he said.

Watson said many people who were involved in 3D-printing guns and gun parts may not even be aware they were breaking the law, and that they were more interested in the technology.

Others may be licensed firearm holders with an interest in the guns.

Watson said a public education campaign was needed to warn such people away from printing or privately manufacturing guns, which is highly illegal, even if the weapon is non-functioning.

He said police wanted to focus on "the real threat" of the guns in the hands of organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gang elements.

And he said there was "no question" so-called sovereign citizens and "doomsday preppers" were making use of the technology.

"The threat is real. The threat is right across Australia," he said.

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Donald Trump has reportedly "forgiven" Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd over the latter's old remarks labelling the US president a "traitor to the West".

Rudd, a former prime minister and now Australia's ambassador to the US, was present this morning at the landmark meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The meeting saw Trump and Albanese sign off on an $8.5 billion critical minerals deal, while warm behaviour was on show between the two leaders.

READ MORE: Awkward Trump and Rudd moment in historic meeting

But there was an awkward moment when one reporter asked Trump why it had taken him nine months into his term as president to meet with Albanese – and whether Rudd's since-deleted remarks had anything to do with it.

Trump said he didn't "know anything about" who the reporter was referring to and asked Albanese where Rudd was and if he still worked for him.

When Albanese pointed out the former Labor leader sitting across from Trump at the cabinet table, Trump asked Rudd if he "said bad", to which Rudd replied, "before I took this position, Mr President".

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"I don't like you either and I probably never will," Trump replied.

The comments prompted laughter in the room.

The Sydney Morning Herald has since reported that after the cameras were turned off, Rudd approached Trump to apologise for his comments.

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"All is forgiven," Trump said, according to sources in the room.

Prior to being appointed ambassador in 2022, Rudd had posted remarks online labelling Trump "the most destructive president in history" and "a traitor to the West".

Those have long since been deleted but they have prompted ongoing calls from the Coalition for Rudd to be recalled from Washington.

READ MORE: Why the Australia-US rare earths deal matters so much for Trump

Foreign Minister Penny Wong brushed off the exchange this morning, telling Today it was "tongue in cheek".

"Full credit to Kevin, ambassador Rudd has worked so hard on, firstly getting this agreement," she said.

"He's worked so hard on assuring AUKUS and the delivery of the submarines in our national interest.

"And he's worked so hard on the critical minerals deal."

She said Rudd had been instrumental to the "success" of Albanese's meeting with Trump.

Rudd would be far from the first fierce critic the president has "forgiven".

Vice President JD Vance once referred to Trump as "America's Hitler", while current Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with whom Trump sparred in his first election campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, described him as a "con artist".

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