Qantas crowned world's safest airline

Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Qantas has been crowned the world's safest airline, with its pilots considered the best trained, most disciplined and most professional in the industry.
In a study conducted by 42kft.com and analysing 142 airline carriers across the globe, Qantas was named the leader for airline safety.
Editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas said the airline's safety performance was 'unmatched'.
'According to independent audits, Qantas pilots are considered the best trained, most disciplined and most professional in the industry,' he said.
'The airline has led nearly every significant operational safety advance over the past 60 years.'
The second-safest airline, according to the study, was Qatar Airways, followed by Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific Airways and Emirates.
Virgin Australia was named the sixth safest airline in the line-up, with Jetstar named the second-safest low-cost airline.
HK Express was named the leader in the top five low-cost airline groups, followed by Jetstar Group, easyJet, Ryanair and AirAsia Group.
Mr Thomas said the top safest airlines were separated by narrow margins,
'Unlike traditional safety assessments that rely on certification check boxes, 42kft.com uses a dynamic, data-driven methodology,' he said.
'We track real-world safety outcomes and update our rankings daily.'
Originally published as Airline experts rank Qantas the world's safest airline

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Courier-Mail

12 hours ago

• Courier-Mail

I'm a beach club aficionado, these are the world's best beach clubs

Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. You can't skip the beach clubs of Mykonos. Or so I told my friends a few summers ago as we marched along the sand of Psarou like a troop of pleasure-seeking boy scouts. Nammos is king of the beach clubs, the Mount Olympus of revelry, whose sunbeds are snapped up like hotcakes and whose teal-striped parasols have a mythical aura. 'Space for three?' I asked brightly, surveying the heaving scene. 'We're full,' a staffer replied with a mix of pity and disdain. Flustered, I broke out my broken Greek – miraculously the sea of bodies parted. 'Why didn't you tell me you were Greek?' said the now effusive hostess, before ejecting three unsuspecting German guests from their loungers. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY I felt a twinge of guilt, but as we sipped our Frozen Spritzes, lolled in the viridian water and swayed to electronic beats under the Aegean sun, it soon subsided. The chaises were €100 each (they go for even more these days) but our afternoon at Nammos was one for the ages – a euphoric day out, which somehow justified the Croesus-level spend. Nammos is one of Mykonos' most glamorous beach clubs. Beach clubs are my (sandy) Achilles' heel. There's something irresistible about the combination of sun, sand and Daiquiri-fuelled hedonism. It may have something to do with not really having beach clubs here in Australia. We're too egalitarian for such elitist pursuits, apparently. In comparison to the louche playgrounds of southern Europe, our coastal gatherings seem puritanical and parochial. When orderly rows of sunbeds meet disorderly carousing it's almost always a gas. Beach, blanket, bada bing! When I'm abroad, I seek them out. As its name attests, Carpe Diem on the Croatian island of Hvar is all about seizing the day. I found that it's also about nabbing the night. We arrived at the waterfront for sunset drinks bar and, galvanised by our new clique of international friends, migrated to the nearby isle of Marinkovac for a raucous after-party. A fleet of water-taxis ferried revellers back and forth. A fan of exit strategies, I asked our driver to wait – handy when everyone bolted at the same time. Carpe Diem beach club on the Croatian island of Hvar. One of the headiest beach boites is Bagni Fiore near Portofino. On the day I visited it resembled a shoot for Italian Vogue, not least because its bamboo furnishings were dressed in Dior's signature pattern. The apex of aperitivo, the menu included Caprese salad with anchovies, tuna carpaccio and vermouth cocktails. My lounger was on a deck cantilevered over the water. From this picture-perfect vantage, I watched the sun bounce off Paraggi Bay like a strobe light. Another favourite is Maçakizi on the Turkish Riviera, a beach club so buzzing it doesn't even need a beach. An extension of the hotel in Bodrum, festooned with chains of bougainvillea, its waterfront deck is protected by a retractable awning. A little wave caught the attention of staffers who used a long rod to adjust the glare. The regulars tend to dazzle, too. Maçakizi is a magnet for stylish Istanbulis, jet-setters and yachties who leap across each other's boats to reach the dock. The food is a drawcard at Mykonos' Nammos beach club. Judging by the lissome individuals who gravitate to these places, you might assume food isn't a priority. But the leading beach clubs of Europe, in an attempt to stand out from the pack, have ratcheted up their culinary offerings. Nammos has a glammed-up taverna serving hearty plates of grilled octopus, baked saganaki and mussels in white wine as good as anywhere. At Assaona in Mallorca, a chiringuito with fringed umbrellas, I was wowed by its exquisitely grilled sea bass topped with Padrón peppers. At Beachouse Ibiza, it was the spinach croquetas and pineapple cócteles that inspired me to return for another spell. You could write a hefty coffee-table book on the history of beach clubs, and their fusion of grit and glamour. The French era of the '50s was pivotal to the genre's development. That's when venues like Club 55 in Saint-Tropez emerged, and Hollywood starlets Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot flocked to the Riviera. In the 1956 film And God Created Woman, Roger Vadim captured Bardot gambolling on the sand of the Tahiti Beach club – launching both to the world. The French are also responsible for 'Hamptons water', aka Whispering Angel rosé from Provence, which seems to be the dainty drink of choice for so many beachside revellers. Personally, I can't stand it. Too insipid. Nikki Beach has expanded from Miami (pictured) to locations around the world. Nikki Beach, born in Miami in 1998, was one of the earliest clubs to champion a bacchanalian vibe with DJ sets, all-white decor and spontaneous dancing in crochet bikinis. Its approach has clearly worked: the brand has expanded to St Barts, Santorini and Dubai among other urbane stops. It's also spawned a glitzy hotel, for guests who never want the party to end. Here's where I draw a line in the sand. The Nikki version feels formulaic and flashy. It verges on Real Housewives terrain – like it was scripted for cameras. Maybe I'm a lush but I enjoy a tipple by the water and it doesn't need to come with an exorbitant entry fee. For that, nowhere can compete with Rio and the ramshackle bars on Ipanema with waiters shaking up fruit-filled cocktails – an Amazonian jungle of citrus arrayed on rickety tables. Before me were some of the most genetically gifted people in the world, preening, parading and playing soccer in the shallows. I needed a bracing drink to match this cavalcade of beauty, and the lush Passion Fruit Caipirinha was it. Not every sandy soirée puts decadence above all else. Potato Head Beach Club in Bali is devoted to 'regenerative hospitality' – accenting sustainability and hosting a raft of wellness workshops. You can enjoy an arak-fuelled sundowner while watching Seminyak's skyline, and you could also arrive earlier for a meditation, sound healing or breathwork session. It's a holistic hotspot – I'm ready for it. Originally published as I'm a beach club aficionado, these are the world's best beach clubs

The Advertiser

16 hours ago

• The Advertiser

Fleetwood takes charge, on track for first PGA title

Tommy Fleetwood has issued Jason Day and company a catch-me-if-you-can challenge after storming to a big third-round lead at the PGA Tour's Signature Travelers Championship in Connecticut. Arguably the best player on tour yet to break through for a victory on golf's most prestigious tour, Fleetwood fashioned a brilliant bogey-free round of 63 to surge to 16 under for the tournament. The Englishman started the day in a share of the lead with superstar Americans Justin Thomas and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, one shot of ahead of Australian Day. But in extraordinary, million-to-one scenes, Scheffler and Thomas racked up disastrous triple and quadruple bogeys respectively in their rounds to crash out of contention. Instead fellow Americans Russell Henley and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley emerged as Fleetwood's closest pursuers at the end of a most dramatic moving day at TPC River Highlands. Henley amassed nine birdies in his own blemish-free round of 61, while Bradley matched Fleetwood's 63 to also finish three shots behind the hot pacesetter. Day followed up two 68s with a 69 to be two strokes further back in solo fourth spot entering championship Sunday. The former world No.1 looked to have slipped out of contention with two mid-round bogeys before conjuring a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th to 15th holes to give himself a shot at claiming a 14th PGA Tour victory. With US trio Brian Harman (65), Wyndham Clark (66) and Harris English (67) next best at eight under and eight shots off the pace, it looks a race in four to the $US3.6 million ($A5.56 million) winner's cheque. Fleetwood, though, will take some catching. The Paris Olympics silver medallist has his best chance yet to clinch a maiden Tour triumph following a record 41 top-10 finishes without a win, the most in 52 years. "I'm on top of a lot of stat lines for people that haven't won on the PGA Tour, so to always be a No.1 at something is always nice," he said wryly. "Yeah, of course I would love to win on the PGA Tour. It's like an element of your career that everybody wants, and I of course want it. "I've given myself a back-end chance a couple of times this year, but I've not been in contention. So this is like my first real chance." After ambling along for much of the first two days, Fleetwood has played his last 24 holes in 12 under, reeling off three eagles and six birdies in an electrifying stretch to seize command at the $US20 million ($A30.9 million) event. Eyeing a fourth victory in six starts, Scheffler was the clear favourite entering Saturday's third round (Sunday AEST) level with Thomas and Fleetwood at nine under. But the PGA champion dropped three shots on a diabolical opening hole, and never 's third-round 72 left the triple major champ in a five-way tie for eighth at seven under, nine shots adrift of Fleetwood, with Rory McIlroy (67), Lucas Glover (68), Patrick Cantlay (68), Nick Taylor (69) and Danny McCarthy (70). Thomas is another shot back at six under after racking up a nine on the par-5 14th hole. Day's fellow Australian former world No.1 Adam Scott rebounded from his final-round horror show at last week's US Open with a sizzling round of 62 to rocket 34 places up the leaderboard to a share of 25th at four under. Tommy Fleetwood has issued Jason Day and company a catch-me-if-you-can challenge after storming to a big third-round lead at the PGA Tour's Signature Travelers Championship in Connecticut. Arguably the best player on tour yet to break through for a victory on golf's most prestigious tour, Fleetwood fashioned a brilliant bogey-free round of 63 to surge to 16 under for the tournament. The Englishman started the day in a share of the lead with superstar Americans Justin Thomas and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, one shot of ahead of Australian Day. But in extraordinary, million-to-one scenes, Scheffler and Thomas racked up disastrous triple and quadruple bogeys respectively in their rounds to crash out of contention. Instead fellow Americans Russell Henley and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley emerged as Fleetwood's closest pursuers at the end of a most dramatic moving day at TPC River Highlands. Henley amassed nine birdies in his own blemish-free round of 61, while Bradley matched Fleetwood's 63 to also finish three shots behind the hot pacesetter. Day followed up two 68s with a 69 to be two strokes further back in solo fourth spot entering championship Sunday. The former world No.1 looked to have slipped out of contention with two mid-round bogeys before conjuring a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th to 15th holes to give himself a shot at claiming a 14th PGA Tour victory. With US trio Brian Harman (65), Wyndham Clark (66) and Harris English (67) next best at eight under and eight shots off the pace, it looks a race in four to the $US3.6 million ($A5.56 million) winner's cheque. Fleetwood, though, will take some catching. The Paris Olympics silver medallist has his best chance yet to clinch a maiden Tour triumph following a record 41 top-10 finishes without a win, the most in 52 years. "I'm on top of a lot of stat lines for people that haven't won on the PGA Tour, so to always be a No.1 at something is always nice," he said wryly. "Yeah, of course I would love to win on the PGA Tour. It's like an element of your career that everybody wants, and I of course want it. "I've given myself a back-end chance a couple of times this year, but I've not been in contention. So this is like my first real chance." After ambling along for much of the first two days, Fleetwood has played his last 24 holes in 12 under, reeling off three eagles and six birdies in an electrifying stretch to seize command at the $US20 million ($A30.9 million) event. Eyeing a fourth victory in six starts, Scheffler was the clear favourite entering Saturday's third round (Sunday AEST) level with Thomas and Fleetwood at nine under. But the PGA champion dropped three shots on a diabolical opening hole, and never 's third-round 72 left the triple major champ in a five-way tie for eighth at seven under, nine shots adrift of Fleetwood, with Rory McIlroy (67), Lucas Glover (68), Patrick Cantlay (68), Nick Taylor (69) and Danny McCarthy (70). Thomas is another shot back at six under after racking up a nine on the par-5 14th hole. Day's fellow Australian former world No.1 Adam Scott rebounded from his final-round horror show at last week's US Open with a sizzling round of 62 to rocket 34 places up the leaderboard to a share of 25th at four under. Tommy Fleetwood has issued Jason Day and company a catch-me-if-you-can challenge after storming to a big third-round lead at the PGA Tour's Signature Travelers Championship in Connecticut. Arguably the best player on tour yet to break through for a victory on golf's most prestigious tour, Fleetwood fashioned a brilliant bogey-free round of 63 to surge to 16 under for the tournament. The Englishman started the day in a share of the lead with superstar Americans Justin Thomas and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, one shot of ahead of Australian Day. But in extraordinary, million-to-one scenes, Scheffler and Thomas racked up disastrous triple and quadruple bogeys respectively in their rounds to crash out of contention. Instead fellow Americans Russell Henley and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley emerged as Fleetwood's closest pursuers at the end of a most dramatic moving day at TPC River Highlands. Henley amassed nine birdies in his own blemish-free round of 61, while Bradley matched Fleetwood's 63 to also finish three shots behind the hot pacesetter. Day followed up two 68s with a 69 to be two strokes further back in solo fourth spot entering championship Sunday. The former world No.1 looked to have slipped out of contention with two mid-round bogeys before conjuring a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th to 15th holes to give himself a shot at claiming a 14th PGA Tour victory. With US trio Brian Harman (65), Wyndham Clark (66) and Harris English (67) next best at eight under and eight shots off the pace, it looks a race in four to the $US3.6 million ($A5.56 million) winner's cheque. Fleetwood, though, will take some catching. The Paris Olympics silver medallist has his best chance yet to clinch a maiden Tour triumph following a record 41 top-10 finishes without a win, the most in 52 years. "I'm on top of a lot of stat lines for people that haven't won on the PGA Tour, so to always be a No.1 at something is always nice," he said wryly. "Yeah, of course I would love to win on the PGA Tour. It's like an element of your career that everybody wants, and I of course want it. "I've given myself a back-end chance a couple of times this year, but I've not been in contention. So this is like my first real chance." After ambling along for much of the first two days, Fleetwood has played his last 24 holes in 12 under, reeling off three eagles and six birdies in an electrifying stretch to seize command at the $US20 million ($A30.9 million) event. Eyeing a fourth victory in six starts, Scheffler was the clear favourite entering Saturday's third round (Sunday AEST) level with Thomas and Fleetwood at nine under. But the PGA champion dropped three shots on a diabolical opening hole, and never 's third-round 72 left the triple major champ in a five-way tie for eighth at seven under, nine shots adrift of Fleetwood, with Rory McIlroy (67), Lucas Glover (68), Patrick Cantlay (68), Nick Taylor (69) and Danny McCarthy (70). Thomas is another shot back at six under after racking up a nine on the par-5 14th hole. Day's fellow Australian former world No.1 Adam Scott rebounded from his final-round horror show at last week's US Open with a sizzling round of 62 to rocket 34 places up the leaderboard to a share of 25th at four under. Tommy Fleetwood has issued Jason Day and company a catch-me-if-you-can challenge after storming to a big third-round lead at the PGA Tour's Signature Travelers Championship in Connecticut. Arguably the best player on tour yet to break through for a victory on golf's most prestigious tour, Fleetwood fashioned a brilliant bogey-free round of 63 to surge to 16 under for the tournament. The Englishman started the day in a share of the lead with superstar Americans Justin Thomas and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, one shot of ahead of Australian Day. But in extraordinary, million-to-one scenes, Scheffler and Thomas racked up disastrous triple and quadruple bogeys respectively in their rounds to crash out of contention. Instead fellow Americans Russell Henley and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley emerged as Fleetwood's closest pursuers at the end of a most dramatic moving day at TPC River Highlands. Henley amassed nine birdies in his own blemish-free round of 61, while Bradley matched Fleetwood's 63 to also finish three shots behind the hot pacesetter. Day followed up two 68s with a 69 to be two strokes further back in solo fourth spot entering championship Sunday. The former world No.1 looked to have slipped out of contention with two mid-round bogeys before conjuring a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th to 15th holes to give himself a shot at claiming a 14th PGA Tour victory. With US trio Brian Harman (65), Wyndham Clark (66) and Harris English (67) next best at eight under and eight shots off the pace, it looks a race in four to the $US3.6 million ($A5.56 million) winner's cheque. Fleetwood, though, will take some catching. The Paris Olympics silver medallist has his best chance yet to clinch a maiden Tour triumph following a record 41 top-10 finishes without a win, the most in 52 years. "I'm on top of a lot of stat lines for people that haven't won on the PGA Tour, so to always be a No.1 at something is always nice," he said wryly. "Yeah, of course I would love to win on the PGA Tour. It's like an element of your career that everybody wants, and I of course want it. "I've given myself a back-end chance a couple of times this year, but I've not been in contention. So this is like my first real chance." After ambling along for much of the first two days, Fleetwood has played his last 24 holes in 12 under, reeling off three eagles and six birdies in an electrifying stretch to seize command at the $US20 million ($A30.9 million) event. Eyeing a fourth victory in six starts, Scheffler was the clear favourite entering Saturday's third round (Sunday AEST) level with Thomas and Fleetwood at nine under. But the PGA champion dropped three shots on a diabolical opening hole, and never 's third-round 72 left the triple major champ in a five-way tie for eighth at seven under, nine shots adrift of Fleetwood, with Rory McIlroy (67), Lucas Glover (68), Patrick Cantlay (68), Nick Taylor (69) and Danny McCarthy (70). Thomas is another shot back at six under after racking up a nine on the par-5 14th hole. Day's fellow Australian former world No.1 Adam Scott rebounded from his final-round horror show at last week's US Open with a sizzling round of 62 to rocket 34 places up the leaderboard to a share of 25th at four under.

Herald Sun

a day ago

• Herald Sun

Opposition Leader Brad Battin committed to winning state election

Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's been a tumultuous first six months for Opposition Leader Brad Battin. Once asked what knocks a government off course former UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan famously said: 'Events, dear boy, events'. From his controversial cruise holiday, to his deputy being embroiled in a parliamentary allowances scandal, internal turmoil inside his party room, factional warfare and the never-ending saga that is the ongoing feud between John Pesutto and Moira Deeming, events have made the first six months of Battin's leadership a rough ride. Despite best efforts and intentions the party has slipped backwards in the polls, only narrowly, for the first time in more than 12 months and in recent weeks serious questions about whether he will lead the party to next year's November election have been raised among MPs and party members. There's no plan to topple him, numbers aren't being counted, and talk of change right now is only hypothetical. But Battin accepts the talk is happening and says while frustrating, it makes no difference to how he tackles his job. Battin has the will, the belief, and the want to succeed in spades, and believes his Opposition has become increasingly effective, even if admitting his focus couldn't have been wholly on the task of forming government over the past six months. Most of that was because of inherited, rather than created, problems. Less than 24 hours after he helped orchestrate a deal to save the political career of John Pesutto – via a $1.55m Liberal Party loan that will allow him to pay the $2.3m he owes Moira Deeming and avoid bankruptcy – Battin told the Sunday Herald Sun he can finally focus on winning government. 'It's now time to start talking about our vision and what we want to see for Victoria,' he said. 'We know that Victoria has struggled for far too long under this Labor government. 'We want to return Victoria to what it should be, which is to have fairness, opportunity and safety for everyone. 'And I think it's really important that we start to get back to the things that are important to people at home.' Battin knows his party has for too long failed to resonate with Victorians as its MPs waged war on each other instead of on the Labor government. But he feels there's been a shift under his watch, and points to a series of policy backflips by Jacinta Allan to prove his point. 'A good opposition obviously makes a more accountable government and we can already see we're having an impact,' he said. 'They're reversing some of their bail laws because they know we're holding them to account. 'We are being more effective, and I think the team knows that. 'So now we just got to get it so the only thing we're talking about is going to the next election.' The Coalition need to win 16 seats, and lose none, to form government at the 2026 election which will take massive swings against Labor across the state. A perceived policy vacuum remains a major stumbling block in achieving that plan. For years the Liberals have defined themselves by what they oppose rather than what they stand for. Battin talks in broad statements about his vision for Victoria, but little by way of detailed policy has been put forward, to the frustration of some of his party room. Battin is also facing a generational problem. Young voters have all but turned away from the Liberals because they see a party fixated on culture wars and nostalgia, not cost of living or climate. Battin knows the Liberals won't win again until they reconnect with voters under 40, and his challenge his dragging some of his party room with him. He sees housing and cost of living as election winning issues, followed by crime. 'We want to unlock the opportunity for home ownership. We know we're going to grow the economy, whether that's via cutting taxes or in creating opportunities for investment,' he said. 'We want to reduce the cost of living … and make sure we can get gas back into the market. 'Education is a big issue, and the health system, we're seeing it daily, people are genuinely dying now because of the state of the health system.' To keep on message and sell his Opposition as a viable alternative government Battin knows he needs to unite his team – a problem which has plagued many of his predecessors. He plans to do it by meeting with each and every MP in his stable and talking to them about their goals for government. 'I will speak to every single member and as when you first came into parliament, what did you say in your maiden speech, what were you going to deliver and can you do it from opposition? 'If the answer is no, then it's time to focus on getting into government. 'I believe that once we've had the conversations with people and they can get the realignment, I think people want to win. 'People in our party are sick of not just being in opposition, but sick of the worst government in Australia's history. 'You've got to find the common goal. It's like any football club, any sports team, any business.' That goal, forming government, has been seemingly too lofty an ambition to unite the team for much of the past decade, but Battin has faith he can turn that around. Even if he is facing accusations of picking sides in the feud between Pesutto and Deeming – a claim he vehemently rejects. The perception has put him off-side with a number of colleagues who he will need to placate if he stands any chance of party unity moving forward. Asked if he wants to see Mrs Deeming preselected to run in 2026 – a move which would all but secure her a second term in parliament – Battin says only that he wants to take his current team to the next election. It is a tacit endorsement. 'I know the reasons I got into politics, I know the things I want to deliver, and I can't do them from opposition,' he says. 'Sometimes it just takes that reminder again to say, we've only got 16 months. It is time now to start focusing on those outcomes, and to get those outcomes you need to win an election.'