Thursday’s weather event caused wastewater overflow into many of the city’s swim spots.
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Gisborne vape sales crackdown: One-third of stores tested broke law
Four stores were caught selling vaping products to people under 18.
NZME business panel: Christchurch is booming – and Aucklanders are increasingly moving south
Lower house prices, a healthy economy and attractive lifestyle are drawing people in.
White House posting heavily pixelated images on social media
The White House's official social media accounts have been posting heavily pixelated images of administration officials, with no explanation why.
For the last few hours, The White House's Instagram and X accounts have posted three images with heavy pixelations.
One appears to be of Donald Trump in his trademark red cap, while another seems to be of Vice President JD Vance.
READ MORE: Trump on shaky ground after Democrats win Mar-a-Lago seat
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2037345520398528770
It is not readily apparent who the third image is of.
None of the images are captioned in any way.
The White House also posted a seven-second video of a black-and-white White House logo which flickers and disintegrates as discordant noise plays.
The video is captioned with only an emoji of a smiley face with a hushing finger over its mouth.
A four-second video posted yesterday showed someone's feet and a female voice saying "It's launching soon, right?"
That video was deleted after 90 minutes.
READ MORE: Iran looking to turn Strait of Hormuz into massive toll booth
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2037326888285122788
The Federal Communications Commission has also posted a pixelated image, perhaps of chairman Brendan Carr.
What the administration is doing with the posts remains a mystery.
But it is far from unprecedented for the Trump administration to seek to change the subject when it is mired in an unpopular scandal.
In the past few months it has been beset with what is turning into a quagmire in Iran as well as unflattering revelations in the Epstein files.
The administration is also copping flak for massive queues at airport security, rapidly rising petrol prices and a sluggish economy.
Trump's approval rating is now at record lows.
READ MORE: Donald Trump to put his name on all US paper money
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Big banks hike rates – but not all customers will feel it right away
Australian mortgage holders will soon feel the sting of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) latest rate hike as the big four banks pass it on in full from today.
The RBA raised the official cash rate target to 4.10 per cent last week, a hike of 0.25 basis points.
Variable borrowers with CBA, NAB and ANZ had their mortgage rates increased this morning.
LIVE UPDATES: Trump hits out at Australia, UK and NATO over lack of help against Ira
CBA and NAB have also increased fixed rates by up to 0.30 and 0.35 percentage points respectively.
Their lowest advertised fixed rates for a one-year term are now 6.49 per cent and 6.04 per cent, respectively.
ANZ's lowest advertised fixed rate is hovering at 5.99 per cent.
Westpac customers won't be slugged with the rate hike until Tuesday, March 31.
READ MORE: Donald Trump to put his name on all US paper money
It will offer the lowest advertised variable rate at 5.74 per cent once the new rates are in effect across all four big banks.
The only other big four bank offering an advertised variable rate under 6 per cent is CBA at 5.84 per cent.
Westpac also currently offers the lowest fixed rate, but that could change in the coming days.
Most mortgage holders will be hit with higher rates right away, which will sting when combined with the RBA's February rate hike.
"Variable borrowers across the country are now having to brace for the second cash rate hike in as many months, while staring down the barrel of a potential third hike as soon as May," Canstar data insights director Sally Tindall said.
Mortgage holders with a debt of $500,000 could pay at least $151 more per month with the cumulative increase from February and March, according to data from Canstar.
READ MORE: Iran could develop nuclear suicide bomb vests, claims JD Vance
Those paying the minimum on their monthly repayments will have a few weeks to prepare for this latest rate increase before it hits.
That's because the big four banks must provide written notice of the changes; at least 20 days' notice for CBA, and at least 30 days' for the other three.
"Make no mistake, banks are starting to charge customers higher rates from today, but be aware there's a significant delay between today and when that extra money comes out of your bank account, for those paying the minimum," Tindall said.
"Customers might think they've successfully accounted for two hikes, when in actual fact they might not have even started paying for the first one."
READ MORE: Aussie households set for triple-whammy bill price hike next month
Borrowers who can't meet the higher repayment amount can request a rate review or rate reduction.
They can also contact their bank, which may be able to help them switch to interest-only or make reduced payments for a period of time, or extend the loan term.
The National Debt Helpline also offers free financial advice.
READ MORE: Kyle Sandilands addresses media after exiting court in $100 million showdown with ARN
"There's almost certainly more pain ahead for borrowers, with all four big bank economists forecasting another 0.25 percentage point hike in May," Tindall said.
"If you've got a mortgage, work out what your repayments might look like if rates rose not just in May but again later in the year.
"You want to make sure this figure fits in your budget alongside the other rising cost-of-living pressures."
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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.
Donald Trump to put his name on all US paper money
Donald Trump's signature will be added to all US banknotes in a first for a sitting president.
Historically, the only signatures to appear on American money are the Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer.
But Treasurer Brandon Beach's name will be taken off the cash to make room for Trump.
READ MORE: Trump on shaky ground after Democrats win Mar-a-Lago seat
The announcement was made in a statement by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
"Under President Trump's leadership, we are on a path toward unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability," Bessent said.
"There is no more powerful way to recognise the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J Trump than US dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial."
The United States is marking its 250th anniversary this year.
Beach will become the first treasurer of the United States since 1861 to not have their name on American paper money.
But in a statement, Beach did not mention his own name getting bumped.
READ MORE: $800m in trades before Trump announcement 'is treason'
"The President's mark on history as the architect of America's Golden Age economic revival is undeniable," Beach said.
"Printing his signature on the American currency is not only appropriate, but also well deserved."
The decision has been panned by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
"Now Americans will know exactly who to blame as they're paying more for groceries, gas, rent, and health care," he wrote on Bluesky.
"Americans now have to pay a dollar more on average for a gallon of gas because of Donald Trump's war with Iran.
"But don't worry! Our beloved president is moving heaven and earth to make sure he…can golf all day at his private golf course this weekend."
READ MORE: How a stationery store owner crashed an entire economy
As Trump staffers tout his economic achievement, Wall Street has seen its biggest drop since the beginning of the Iran war overnight.
The S&P 500 fell 1.7 per cent, as it braces for its fifth week of losses.
The Dow Jones and the Nasdaq composite also saw steep falls.
The ASX 200 also began the morning down on the back of Wall Street's drop.
READ MORE: Iran looking to turn Strait of Hormuz into massive toll booth
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Judge blocks Pentagon’s Anthropic blacklisting for now
A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security and cutting off the AI company’s work with federal agencies
Iconic outback music festival Big Red Bash cancelled due to flooding
Queensland's iconic Big Red Bash music festival has been cancelled due to widespread outback flooding.
Organisers had been attempting to relocate the festival from its Birdsville location after intense rainfall flooded the region.
"After careful consideration of the available options, we decided that relocating the Birdsville Big Red Bash was not feasible for 2026," event founder and managing director Greg Donovan said.
READ MORE: Fines for dodgy petrol pricing doubled as fuel crisis continues
"Mother Nature is the highest authority; this year she has spoken and we have heard the message."
He said patrons were surveyed before the decision was made to cancel.
The event was 90 per cent sold out.
The 2026 line-up included Missy Higgins, Hoodoo Gurus, The Teskey Brothers, The Living End, Birds of Tokyo, Jessica Mauboy, Shannon Noll, Kate Ceberano, The Whitlams, Tim Finn, among others.
Organisers say next year's event will go ahead with the majority of this year's line-up confirmed for 2027.
The three-day event has drawn thousands of campers to the edge of the Simpson Desert for more than 10 years.
"We fully understand and appreciate the planning, excitement and anticipation all our adventurous patrons have when they buy tickets and lock in plans to head into the great Australian outback for the Bash," Donovan said.
"We also know our own team's excitement and passion for delivering the festival in this unique and amazing location. It's a very special and spiritual place."
Ticketholders can request a refund via Oztix, transfer their tickets to the 2027 Birdsville Big Red Bash or transfer to the 2026 Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash from 20–22 August 2026.
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Iran could develop nuclear suicide bomb vests, claims JD Vance
US Vice President JD Vance has warned of the possibility of Iran carrying out attacks using suicide bombers with nuclear weapons on their vests.
The vice president was speaking at a cabinet meeting in the White House about the risks Iran posed to the United States.
"People who walk into a crowded supermarket and have a vest on, and they blow up the vest and a couple of people get killed," Vance said.
READ MORE: Trump on shaky ground after Democrats win Mar-a-Lago seat
"What happens when what's on the vest is not something that can kill a couple of people but can kill many, many, tens of thousands of people?"
The smallest nuclear bomb the United States acknowledged they had built was a 23kg warhead.
That bomb had the equivalent impact of ten tonnes of TNT.
Smaller bombs have been theorised but never officially acknowledged to have been built.
Vance's comments come as Iranian hardliners push to exit its membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"Membership in the NPT has not only yielded no benefits for Iran in gaining access to peaceful nuclear energy, but it has also, beyond the NPT, merely aided the espionage activities of Israel and the United States against Iran," an editorial from Tasnim News Agency read.
"Iran must withdraw from this treaty as soon as possible."
READ MORE: $800m in trades before Trump announcement 'is treason'
Prominent commentator Nasser Torabi went further, by insisting Iran acquire a nuclear weapon as soon as possible.
But former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared a fatwa saying that nuclear weapons were not permissible in Islam.
That fatwa could be revoked by new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei if Iran's government wanted to proceed with a nuclear weapons program.
Meanwhile, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un said the US attack on Iran validated his own country developing nuclear weapons.
"Today's reality clearly demonstrates the legitimacy of our nation's strategic choice and decision to reject the enemies' sweet talk and permanently secure our nuclear arsenal," Kim said in a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang earlier this week.
"I affirm that our nation is no longer a country under threat — we now possess the power to pose a threat if necessary."
READ MORE: What North Korea's nukes would do to Australia's cities
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United States: Consultations Advance On Strengthening NGO Governance Framework In Saint Lucia
Stakeholder engagement on the strengthening of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) governance framework in Saint Lucia, has moved one step further with the convening of a national consultation with civil society partners. Held in the latter part of February, the session overseen by the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Gender, Older Persons, Labour, Cooperatives and Consumer […]