Rock stars to politicians, movie icons and sporting legends, here are some of the greats who have died in the past year.

A former head judge of Miss Russia NZ wants the event cancelled or be used as a voice for women in Ukraine.Organisers confirmed that the pageant celebrating Russian culture will go ahead as planned at the Alexandra Park Raceway…

Government officials have estimated 50,000 New Zealanders will leave the country over the next year to head off on an OE or for work as the borders reopen after two years of Covid-19 restricting travel. The estimate was included…

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese's unemployment rate gaffe shows he has "no idea what has happened with Australia's economic recovery".

Mr Albanese was yesterday unable to say what the the current unemployment rate, or the RBA cash rate was when asked at a press conference.

Mr Albanese later addressed the mistake by saying he would always 'own up' to errors, quoting a Taylor Swift lyric by insisting he would 'Shake It Off'.

However, Mr Morrison seized on the mistake.

"Leaders will not get every single figure right," Mr Morrison said today.

ANALYSIS: Albanese makes first gaffe of election campaign and can't afford another

"His fundamental understanding of the economy is wrong. He doesn't know what's happening in the economy," he said.

"The issue is no that there's something Anthony Albanese should be apologising for, it should be that he doesn't have an economic plan."

Mr Morrison later doubled down on his criticism of Mr Albanese after his unemployment numbers gaffe.

"He didn't know the number, but he didn't miss it by that much," he said, using his hands to gesture a small amount.

"He missed it by that much," he said, stretching his arms out.

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https://twitter.com/ElizaEdNews/status/1513679267020029952

He added the Labor leader's criticisms of him over his term were, "not a substitute for having an economic plan".

"He raised as one of his great credentials, as being the acting prime minister in this country," Morrison, said.

"I don't think he got through a total of 48 hours in that job.

"If he thinks filling in for 48 hours is preparation for this job, he's got no idea," the prime minister said.

Mr Albanese sparked immediate back-and-forth yesterday, with people from all sides of politics weighing in.

The moment was reminiscent of a time earlier this year where Prime Minister Scott Morrison was unable to name the price of a loaf of bread or a litre of petrol.

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But today Mr Albanese brushed off a question about whether forgetting the unemployment and interest rate has hurt his campaign.

Mr Albanese said he was concentrating on something else when he blanked on the numbers.

"There are no consequences for real people as a result for what I said," he said.

"From time to time, if ever I make a mistake, I will own it and I will accept responsibility.

"Here is a Taylor Swift comment for you, my theory is, 'Shake it off'."

He noted he is "usually very good with numbers".

READ MORE: How is Australia's unemployment rate measured and why does it matter?

Australia's unemployment rate is dominating headlines – and not because it is one of the lowest in the world for a major developed economy.

Yesterday, Labor leader Anthony Albanese failed to name the jobless rate on day one of the 2022 federal election campaign, spawning a thousand think-pieces about why it does or doesn't matter.

For a party campaigning on the basis that it is a good economic manager, it certainly wasn't – to use political speak – good "optics".

But what actually is the unemployment rate and why does it matter?

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What is the unemployment rate?

Australia's current unemployment rate is 4.0 per cent.

It is the lowest rate since August 2008.

In basic terms, the unemployment rate is a single number that indicates the number of Australians who are ready and willing to work but do not have a job.

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Who measures the unemployment rate? Is it just a political football?

The unemployment rate is measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

It is a critical – but not perfect – way to measure one aspect of the nation's economic performance.

Presumably the more people who are employed, the better a nation's economy is performing.

Politicians have no influence on how the rate is measured or what it is.

A sitting government may be able to change the unemployment rate with policies that centre on job creation.

As recent headlines have proven, the unemployment rate is often used in political campaigns to prove or disprove a government's economic performance.

The ABS is part of the Australian Government and is accountable to the Parliament and the public, but acts independently and objectively.

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What does the unemployment rate actually measure?

The unemployment rate has been measured in the same way since 1966.

In order to be classified as "unemployed", a person must meet three criteria:

• They must not work more than one hour in the reference week
• They must be actively looking for work
• They must be available to start work in the reference week

By looking at this criteria, you can see that the unemployment rate doesn't measure the total number of Aussies who don't have jobs – but rather only those who are ready and willing.

FULL COVERAGE: Federal Election 2022

So if I work just one hour a week I'm counted as being employed? That's not enough to live off!

Correct.

I'll let the ABS explain this one directly.

"The ABS counts everyone who works for at least one hour in the reference week as employed. While a one hour cut-off point could be argued to be insufficient to sustain a family or person financially, there are several reasons for including everyone who works at least one hour a week as employed," the organisation says on its website.

"From an economic perspective, any time in paid work, no matter how small, contributes to economic production and is therefore included in the national accounts.

"Labour force statistics are economic indicators and need to be coherent with other economic measures."

The one-hour criterion is consistent with numerous established economies around the globe – it's not a weird quirk of the Australian system.

Does that mean the unemployment rate is inaccurate in the 'real world'?

No, not at all.

The unemployment rate measures what it says it measures – the ABS is extremely transparent about its methodologies.

It's important we can measure Australia's economic performance to other countries on international consistent standards.

But, with the one-hour criterion in mind, the ABS also charts "underemployment".

Underemployment is defined as people who work fewer than 35 hours per work but would like to work more and are available to work more hours.

Australia's underemployment rate is 6.6 per cent.

How does the ABS find out if people are working or not?

The ABS conducts a monthly survey of about 26,000 households as well as a selection of hotels, hospitals, boarding schools, colleges, prisons and indigenous communities throughout Australia. 

This encapsulates over 50,000 people, which then forms a "representative sample" of the nation's population.

The survey is done via self-guided online questionnaires or trained interviewers.

How often does the unemployment rate change and when is the next release?

Whether the unemployment rate changes is dependent on the data, which is released monthly.

We are due for the March figures in just a few days' time on Thursday at 11.30am.

The most distant planet in our solar system has presented a new mystery.

Astronomers observing Neptune for the past 17 years with multiple ground-based telescopes tracked a surprising drop in the ice giant's global temperatures, which was then followed by a dramatic warming trend at the planet's south pole.

Neptune, which orbits the sun at a distance of 4.5 billion kilometres, experiences seasons like Earth does — they just last much longer.

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One year on Neptune lasts for about 165 Earth years, so a single season can last around 40 years. It's been summer time in Neptune's southern hemisphere since 2005.

Astronomers decided to track the planet's atmospheric temperatures once the southern summer solstice occurred that year.

Nearly 100 thermal images of Neptune taken since then showed that much of Neptune gradually cooled, dropping by eight degrees Celsius between 2003 and 2018.

A study on the phenomenon published Monday in the Planetary Science Journal.

"This change was unexpected," said lead study author Michael Roman, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Leicester, in a statement.

"Since we have been observing Neptune during its early southern summer, we expected temperatures to be slowly growing warmer, not colder."

Then, a dramatic warming event occurred at Neptune's south pole between 2018 and 2020 and temperatures rose by 11C. This warm polar vortex completely reversed any cooling that occurred before.

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This kind of polar warming has never been seen on Neptune until now.

"Our data cover less than half of a Neptune season, so no one was expecting to see large and rapid changes," said study co-author Glenn Orton, senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement.

Images were taken using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and Gemini South telescope in Chile, along with Hawaii's Subaru Telescope, Keck Telescope and the Gemini North telescope, as well as data from NASA's now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope.

The infrared light emitted by Neptune's stratosphere, or the atmospheric band above the active weather layer, helped astronomers detect the temperature fluctuations.

Frosty Neptune has an average of -220C, and astronomers still don't know what caused these temperature shifts.

For now, they have considered that the unexpected changes could be due to a number of factors.

"Temperature variations may be related to seasonal changes in Neptune's atmospheric chemistry, which can alter how effectively the atmosphere cools," Roman said.

"But random variability in weather patterns or even a response to the 11-year solar activity cycle may also have an effect."

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More observations will be needed to truly explore these possibilities. The James Webb Space Telescope will observe Uranus and Neptune later this year.

The space observatory's mid-infrared instrument can map the chemistry and temperatures in Neptune's atmosphere and could identify what caused the shift.

Neptune is more than 30 times as far from the sun as Earth, and it's the only planet in our solar system that isn't visible to the naked eye from Earth. So far, only NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has flown by Neptune up close, which occurred in 1989.

"I think Neptune is itself very intriguing to many of us because we still know so little about it," Roman said. "This all points towards a more complicated picture of Neptune's atmosphere and how it changes with time."

The Easter weekend is fast approaching and for many this presents the chance to unwind and spend time with friends and family.

This long weekend is also a time where business owners and their workers take their time off, meaning closed store doors during the four-day period.

If you're in need of some last-minute shopping, we have you covered with key opening hours across the country.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Easter holidays

What is open on Good Friday?

Good Friday is a national public holiday and recognised as a "restricted trading day".

This means that some major retailers and venues may be open, but expect the large majority of them to be closed.

Bottle shops are closed on Good Friday.

Find out the long weekend trading hours for your local your local Woolworths supermarket here.

Major supermarkets such as Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi will be closed on Easter Friday across NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland.

The vast majority of Coles stores in South Australia will be shut with just the Mount Barker and Victor Harbour stores to open from 8am until 8pm.

Find out the long weekend trading hours for your local Coles supermarket here.

In Western Australia, the following Coles stores will be open from 8am till 8pm: Vasse, Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River, Eaton Fair and Busselton Central.

In Victoria, Doncaster Westfield and Airport West Westfield open from 9am till 9pm.

The Booragoon Westfield in Western Australia will also be open on Good Friday from 9:30AM till 5:30PM.

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Although shopping centres may be open to shoppers, individual stores may operate on their own hours and not be in business during the long weekend.

What is open on Easter Saturday?

On Easter Saturday business is back on with the vast majority of stores opening their doors to their usual trading hours.

All major supermarkets and shops will be open with regular trading hours. This includes all Westfield shopping centres, Woolworths, and Aldi stores.

All Coles stores across the Northern Territory will be open from 8AM to 8PM instead of the usual 6AM to 10PM hours.

Stores in Alice Springs will be open from 9AM to 9PM. 

These hours will be in place for the whole duration of the long weekend.

What is open on Easter Sunday?

Easter Sunday will see each state enforce their own rules regarding trading hours and openings.

All Woolworths stores will open with standard trading hours in Victoria, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania. The Moama store in Victoria and Esperance store in WA, however, will be closed until Tuesday (19/04).

In NSW and the ACT, most Woolworths supermarkets will be closed along with South Australian stores in Adelaide and Millicent.

The Woolworths in Rundle Mall and regional South Australian stores will be open.

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All Queensland Woolworths stores are to be open except for the following: Ayr, Blackwater, Bowen, Charters Towers, Childers, Chinchilla, Kingaroy, Mission Beach, Mt Isa, Pittsworth, Proserpine, Roma, Weipa.

Similarly, Coles supermarkets in Victoria, ACT, NT, Tasmania, and WA will remain open with reduced trading hours.

In New South Wales and South Australia Coles stores will be closed.

The Croydon North and Little Knox Coles stores in Victoria will also be closed on Easter Sunday.

In South Australia, all Adelaide Coles metro stores will be closed. CBD stores will open 11am to 5pm and regional stores will be open from 8am till 8pm.

Westfield shopping centres in NSW will be closed on Easter Sunday, but the centres in Victoria, SA, WA, QLD, and ACT will be open to the public.

What is open on Easter Monday?

Easter Monday will see most businesses in full operation.

With most regular retailers such as Kmart and Target being back to their regular business hours, you can also expect individual retailers to be open as well.

Woolworths stores in every state will be open with regular trading hours, except for the Millicent store in SA, and Esperance and Katanning in WA.

In Queensland, all Woolworths stores are open for regular hours except for Ayr, Blackwater, Bowen, Charters Towers, Childers, Chinchilla, Kingaroy, Mission Beach, Mount Isa, Pittsworth, Proserpine, Roma, and Weipa.

In Perth, Coles supermarkets will be open with reduced trading from 8am until 5pm, while operating hours at regional stores vary.

Adelaide stores will close early at 5pm in the CBD and metro areas. The Melton West Coles store in Victoria will not be open for business on Easter Monday. 

The provided trading hours and information are subject to change according to individual stores. We highly encourage readers to check the operating hours of their local stores online before making the venture. 

The dreams of more would-be homeowners have been dashed following the collapse of another major building company in Western Australia.

Home Innovation Builders plunged into administration yesterday, just days after the WA-based New Sensation Homes was wound up.

Both companies have struggled in turbulent headwinds striking the construction sector, where the rising costs of materials, worker shortages and unviable fixed-cost contracts have sunk major building players across Australia.

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The fallout has left suppliers and clients in the lurch.

WA mum Tiarna Nouwland told 9News her family's life had spiralled into an "absolute nightmare" because of Home Innovation Builders going bust.

Ms Nouwland, her husband and four children have been forced to live in a shed since September as construction of her home ground to a complete halt.

The family of six was set to move into their new home this month, but there is no chance of that happening.

"We have never built and it was a dream of ours that we always wanted to do," she said.

"Unfortunately that dream has turned into an absolute nightmare."

The Nouwland family are now facing the uncomfortable prospect of living through winter in a shed on their plot of land in Gabbadah, 80 kilometres north of Perth.

Frustratingly, their half-finished home sits adjacent to the white tin shed.

READ MORE: More construction giants to fold as 'perfect storm' hits building sector

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A wave of Australian building companies have gone bust in the past nine months.

Construction giants Probuild and Condev collapsed earlier this year, throwing a cloud of doubt over billions of dollars of major projects, and leaving sub-contractors and tradies out of pocket.

A building insolvency expert last month warned building companies will continue to fold throughout the year, with a domino effect rippling down the supply chain.