Hundreds of Serbian nationalists have rallied in Belgrade, demanding that President Aleksandar Vucic reject a Western plan to normalise ties with breakaway Kosovo, and pull out of negotiations.

It adds to fears the conflict could continue to simmer on Europe's edge, potentially igniting into an armed clash.

Shouting "Treason" and carrying banners reading "No surrender," the right-wing protesters blocked traffic as they gathered near the Serbian presidency building in central Belgrade.

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The protesters are also strongly pro-Russian, and one banner read: "Betrayal of Kosovo is betrayal of Russia!"

Serbian media reported that one group pushed though metal fences toward the entrance at the end of the rally but was prevented by riot police from reaching the door.

The protest comes amid efforts by US and European Union officials to mediate a solution for the long-standing dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, a former Serbian province whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade does not recognise.

Serbia has relied on Russia and China in its refusal to acknowledge Kosovo's independence, which is backed by Washington and most EU countries.

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Western officials fear Russia could use simmering tensions in Kosovo to try to destabilise the Balkans and avert some attention from the invasion of Ukraine.

A NATO-led international peacekeeping force remains in Kosovo.

Australian expert Dr Gorana Grgic has told nine.com.au Putin would "welcome" any destabilisation of Western plans to integrate with the Western Balkans.

At the end of last year, fears of a second armed conflict in Europe flared up as Serbian troops were placed in combat residence on the Kosovo border.

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Vucic ultimately stood the country's forces down, but it prompted this urgent tour of the region by US and EU officials bent on negotiating normalisation. 

The populist president has said he was ready to consider the Western plan.

Its provisions have not been published but it reportedly stipulates that Serbia would not object to Kosovo's membership in international institutions, including the United Nations.

In Kosovo's capital Pristina late Wednesday, scores of students protested peacefully against aspects of the proposed agreement with Serbia.

In Serbia, pro-Russian right-wing groups have demanded that Belgrade stop all negotiations over Kosovo and publish the Western plan.

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Vucic has said this would mean the end of Serbia's integration into the EU and the country's international isolation.

Serbia formally seeks EU entry but Vucic has also nurtured close ties with Moscow.

Serbia remains the only country in Europe that has not joined sanctions against Russia, though it has condemned the invasion.

Kosovo declared independence after a war in 1998-99 that killed around 13,000 people.

Following an armed uprising by ethnic Albanian separatists, Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown that ended after a NATO bombing campaign.

The Serbian Council of Australia, a peak representative body of the Serbian-Australian community, said there were concerns about the prospects of stability in the region.

"SCOFA calls on the Australian Government to echo messages of peace in relation to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija," the organisation said in a statement.

"Australia is a model of a stable and peaceful democracy in an era where international rules are continually being challenged."

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A confused woman asked her rescuers "What day is it?" when pulled alive from the rubble of last week's earthquake after 228 hours.

The miracle rescue happened as another woman, aged 77, was also rescued from the debris, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu reported on Wednesday.

More than nine days after a powerful quake shook Turkey and Syria, rescuers were still pulling people from the rubble, defying predictions that the time for survival had passed.

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On Wednesday, Turkey's Ministry of National Defence released video showing rescuers extricating the 77-year-old woman from debris in the city of Adiyaman on Tuesday, some 212 hours after the earthquake struck.

Anadolu identified her as Fatma Gungor, and said her family hugged her after she was saved.

The other woman questioned "What day is it?" after surviving under the rubble with her two children for 228 hours, according to Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu.

Rescue personnel Mehmet Eryilmaz talked about the moment they found the mother and said, "The mother was happy to see us. I held her hand at first. We talked, chatted, and calmed her down."

Eryilmaz also mentioned more of his dialogue with the mother and said she first asked for water, but he said they did not give anything without the intervention of the paramedics.

Eryilmaz told Anadolu that the first thing she asked was "What day is it?"

She also told Eryilmaz that her name was Ela and she had two children, a girl and a boy, who were pulled from the rubble with her.

Anadolu reported that she is a foreign national but did not mention what nationality.

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Also on Wednesday, another woman, identified as 45-year-old Melike İmamoğlu, was rescued after 222 hours in rubble in the city of Kahramanmaras, according to Turkey's state television TRT Haber.

Earlier, teams in southern Turkey said they were still hearing the voices of trapped survivors.

Live images broadcast on CNN affiliate CNN Turk on Tuesday showed rescuers working in two areas of the Kahramanmaras region, where they were trying to save three sisters – but it's unclear if the sisters survived.

In the same region, emergency workers saved a 35-year-old woman believed to have been buried for around 205 hours, according to state broadcaster TRT Haber.

Others were rescued too – two brothers, two men and a woman – all on Tuesday, eight days after the quake.

Sanjay Gupta, CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, who's in Turkey's Hatay province, says it's unusual for people to survive more than 100 hours trapped in rubble – most are rescued within 24 hours.

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However, he says freezing temperatures in the quake zone may be extending survival times for people trapped.

"The cold weather is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it makes it very difficult, it is below freezing right now … On the other hand, it may reduce the demands for water. Perhaps that is playing into this," he said.

"There is not a lot of data on how long people could survive in these situations but we are seeing those rescues 200 hours out."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed an additional $8 million to the earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.

The funds will go towards supporting ongoing search and rescue efforts, as well as protecting those made vulnerable by the disaster.

'Traumatised population'

Meanwhile in Syria, rescue operations are starting to shift to recovery efforts, and UN workers are racing to funnel aid to survivors in the country through two new border crossings approved by the government in Damascus.

Eleven trucks with UN aid crossed into north-west Syria via the Bab Al-Salam passage on Tuesday, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths tweeted, adding that 26 more trucks passed into the region via the Bab Al-Hawa crossing.

On both sides of the border, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed the need to "focus on trauma rehabilitation" when treating populations affected by the disaster.

The WHO's Turkey Representative Batyr Berdyklychev highlighted the "growing problem" of a "traumatised population," stressing the need for psychological and mental health services in the affected regions.

"People only now start realising what happened to them after this shock period," Berdyklychev told a media briefing in the Turkish city of Adana on Tuesday.

The WHO is negotiating with Turkish authorities to make sure quake survivors can access mental health services, Berdyklychev added, noting that many people displaced by the quake to other areas of the country "will also need to be reached".

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said the "immediate priority" for the 22 emergency medical teams deployed by the WHO to Turkey was "to deal with the high number of trauma patients and catastrophic injuries".

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Some residents of a Queensland community have spent the night in darkness after their power and utilities were cut off.

The services were shut down for many residents Couran Cove on South Stradbroke Island after tensions boiled over due to a dispute over unpaid fees.

The decision was unpopular with residents, including Margaret Woods, who described the situation as "just ridiculous".

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"We pay all our body corporate fees and everything, and they think they own everything," Woods said.

Fellow resident Jan Pitt camped out on her electricity box to stop her lights being turned off but her efforts were in vain.

"It's stressful. In my old age, I thought I was going to have nice peace and quiet," the 89-year-old said.

The director of the company that supplies utilities to the island, Simon Napoli, earlier warned residents in writing their services were being suspended from 10am on Wednesday.

The warning came after a long-running dispute with the bodies corporate over claims of unpaid levies.

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A spokesman for the Couran Cove resort operator told News Corp one more of the bodies corporate on the island had agreed to pay, leaving two in limbo.

"The forecast situation has improved and the proposed restrictions have not been fully implemented," the spokesman said on Wednesday.

"One of the bodies corporate has agreed to advance unpaid levy funds to the operator and these funds will be used to continue electricity services to residents in the Marine precinct as well as other areas of Couran Cove.

"The issue remains focussed on the refusal by the Eco and Broadwater Bodies Corporate to pass onto the operator levies that have already been paid by the owners but which the two bodies corporate are refusing to release."

One resident said he hadn't expected the situation to escalate in this way.

"I knew there was concerns with the island, but I didn't realise it was going to go to cutting off power and things like that," he said.

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Another said he bought 100 litres of water because he was told the supply would be cut off.

"You've just got to take all the precautions you can," he said.

Residents said the general store, which is the only place on the island to get basic supplies, had been closed.

Vulnerable guests in the over-fifties and disability accommodation were relocated overnight.

"None of us really have known what is going on, so we're just hanging in there," one woman said.

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Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday that she plans to step down after more than eight years in office, amid criticism of her drive to expand transgender rights and her strategy for achieving independence from the United Kingdom.

Sturgeon made the announcement during a news conference at her official residence in Edinburgh, Bute House, saying the decision wasn't a response to the "latest period of pressure".

But she added that part of serving well was knowing when to make way for someone else.

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"In my head and in my heart I know that time is now," she said. "That it's right for me, for my party and my country."

Sturgeon, 52, has led Scotland since 2014, when Scots narrowly voted to remain part of the United Kingdom.

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While the referendum was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision on independence, Sturgeon and her Scottish National Party have pushed for a new vote, arguing that Britain's departure from the European Union had changed the ground rules. The UK government has refused to allow a second referendum.

The first female leader of Scotland's devolved government, Sturgeon said she planned to remain in office until the SNP elects a new leader. Scotland is part of the UK but, like Wales and Northern Ireland, has its own semi-autonomous government with broad powers over areas including health care.

Sturgeon's announcement caught political observers by surprise amid her staunch support for both independence and legislation that would make it easier for people in Scotland to legally change genders.

"This is as sudden as Jacinda Ardern … Geez," tweeted SNP lawmaker Angus MacNeil, referring to the resignation last month of New Zealand's prime minister.

Sturgeon has come under pressure in recent weeks after she pushed her gender recognition bill through the Scottish parliament over the objections of some members of her own party. That raised concerns that Sturgeon's position on transgender rights could undermine support for independence, the SNP's overarching goal.

Joanna Cherry, an SNP member of Parliament, said the resignation provided an opportunity for the party.

"We must restore the SNP's tradition of internal party democracy, open respectful debate and intellectual rigour and we must also put the welfare of everyone living in Scotland back at the heart of our endeavours," Cherry said on Twitter.

Sturgeon said she had been "wrestling" with whether it was time step down for a number of weeks. She said she wasn't resigning because of recent criticism, though she acknowledged that the "physical and mental impact" of the job had taken their toll.

Sturgeon led Scotland through the coronavirus pandemic and guided her party during three UK-wide elections and two Scottish elections.

"If the question is, can I battle on for another few months, then the answer is yes, of course I can," she said.

"But if the question is, can I give this job everything it demands and deserves for another year, let alone for the remainder of this parliamentary term, give it every ounce of energy that it needs in the way that I have strived to do every day for the last eight years, the answer honestly is different."

For the past few months, much of that energy has been focused on a renewed drive for independence and the gender recognition bill, which would allow people aged 16 or older in Scotland to change the gender designations on identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

Hailed as a landmark by transgender rights activists, the legislation faced opposition from some SNP members who said it ignored the need to protect single-sex spaces for women, such as domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers.

Criticism of the bill increased after reports that a convicted rapist was being held in a women's prison in Scotland while transitioning. The inmate was transferred to a men's prison after being assessed by prison authorities.

While the Scottish parliament approved the legislation, it has been blocked by the British government because it would present problems for authorities in other parts of the UK, where a medical diagnosis is needed before individuals can transition for legal purposes.

Sturgeon had vowed to take the British government to court, arguing that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's administration had made a "profound mistake" by vetoing the legislation.

Sturgeon also came under fire for saying she would make the next Scottish parliament election a de facto referendum on independence after the government in Westminster refused to sanction a new vote on Scotland's links to the UK.

The party is set to hold a conference on the strategy next month, with some members saying it won't work and others criticizing Sturgeon for waiting too long to press ahead with independence.

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The fixed rate cliff: it's a term you may have heard thrown around by economists following the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) run of successive interest rate rises.

As the name suggests, it's a phenomenon that impacts homeowners who purchased a property and then fixed the rate on their mortgage – and according to the RBA, it's going to come into play for hundreds of thousands of Australians in 2023.

So what actually is the fixed rate mortgage cliff, and how is it going to affect the economy this year?

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What is the fixed rate mortgage cliff?

The fixed rate mortgage cliff describes when people on fixed interest rate home loans come to the end of the period when their rate is locked in, and therefore get hit by an unusually high jump in repayments.

This is exactly what is about to happen to hundreds of thousands of Australians with home loans.

Around the time the cash rate dropped to its historic low of 0.10 per cent in November 2020, many Aussies took advantage by securing a fixed-rate loan to buy property.

However, because the rate is not fixed for the entirety of the loan and instead only a short period – generally in Australia it's five or fewer years – many are now about to be hit by all of the recent interest rate hikes in one go.

Contrast that to variable rate customers, and you can see why the phenomenon is described as a cliff:

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How many borrowers in Australia will be impacted this year?

We don't know precisely how many Australians are heading towards the cliff this year, but the RBA estimates the number isn't far off a million.

"The number which you would be looking at is somewhere in the high 800,000s," Marion Kohler, the head of the RBA's economic analysis department, said when asked about the number of fixed rate loans "rolling off" in 2023 by the Senate Select Committee on the Cost of Living on February 1.

"But that is not necessarily 800,000 households; there are people who have more than one loan facility… so it's likely to be a little less, but that's a really rough, 'back of the envelope' calculation as I understand it from the team."

Kohler said that equates to about $350 billion in credit rolling off from fixed to variable interest rates in 2023.

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Will people default on their loans?

With fixed-rate borrowers set to be hit by monthly repayment increases of $1000 and more, there is concern that some people may not be able to afford their mortgages anymore.

While some borrowers may end up defaulting on their home loans, it is likely that the majority will tighten their belts, cutting back on other spending so they can afford their repayments.

That will have a flow-on effect on the wider economy – one that is already evident in current forecasts. In the RBA's February 2023 statement on monetary policy, its predicted economic growth will go from 2.75 per cent in 2022 to 1.5 per cent for both 2023 and 2024.

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What can people do to prepare for a fixed rate increase?

If you're on a fixed rate loan and are approaching rolling off to variable rates, RateCity CEO Paul Marshall says it's critical to act.

"The worst thing you can do is nothing," he said.

"When your fixed term home loan is coming to end, make sure to seriously consider your options."

Taking out a new fixed term loan is an option – although Marshall notes there are drawbacks.

"Not every lender will allow you to re-fix your loan, or allow you to do so multiple times, so you may need to switch lenders to stay on a fixed rate," he said.

"And since the cash rate has changed significantly since you last fixed your loan, you should be prepared for higher fixed rate options this time around."

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You could also look at splitting your mortgage between fixed and variable rates, or shop around for a cheaper variable rate than the one your existing lender will offer.

"You could consider contacting your bank and ask them to switch you to a lower rate," he said.

"The bank may be willing to make concessions in order to keep you as a customer. Staying with the same lender could save you the hassle of moving your mortgage elsewhere.

"If your lender can't or won't make you a deal, you could consider taking your ball and going home and switching to a different lender. Some mortgage lenders are eager to secure the business of refinancers, and are willing to not only offer discounted interest rates, but other features and benefits such as cashback deals."

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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.

Quarter of a million people were left without power yesterday, entire communities cut off.

The captain of the Thai boys' football team that was trapped in a cave for two weeks in 2018 has reportedly died.

The BBC is reporting Duangpetch Promthep died in the UK, after enrolling at Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester last year.

The plight of the 12 trapped boys and their coach captured the world's attention as rescuers spent days planning an operation to get them out of the Thai cave they'd been trapped in due to rising floodwaters.

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Their emergence was greeted with scenes of joy in Thailand and overseas.

Zico Foundation, a Thai non-profit that counted Duangpetch as a former student, confirmed his death this afternoon in a post expressing condolences.

Supatpong Methigo, who described himself as a former teacher of the boy commonly known as "Dom", described him as a great kid who studied and prayed hard.

Writing on Facebook, he said Duangpetch's grandmother told him the boy had suffered an accident. There were reports he had a head injury.

Supatpong said he hoped his "dharma", a Buddhist word with multiple meanings, would follow the boy into his next life.

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The Wild Boars team, then aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach became trapped on June 23, 2018 while exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in the northern province of Chiang Rai when a downpour flooded the tunnels.

British divers found the team hungry and huddled in darkness on a muddy bank in a partly flooded chamber several kilometres inside the caves but it took days to figure out how to rescue them.

Divers painstakingly threaded their way through the complicated cave system in rescue missions that lasted as long as 11 hours.

Volunteers from as far away as Australia and the United States helped with the effort to rescue the boys.

A 14-year-old boy has died after being hit by a bus outside a school in Sydney's south-west.

9News understands the boy was walking on the footpath when the bus appeared to leave the road while navigating a roundabout and struck him.

Emergency crews were called to Macarthur Anglican School in Cobbitty after the boy was hit just after 3pm.

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Paramedics treated the boy at the scene before he was taken in a critical condition to Liverpool Hospital, where he later died.

"The bus driver, a 54-year-old woman, has been taken for mandatory testing and is assisting police with their inquiries," police said in a statement.

The school entry was closed after the boy was hit, with drivers told to wait while picking up their children after school.

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Macarthur Anglican School principal David Nockles sent out a letter to parents and caregivers about the accident, which he said "occurred in the bus zone" at the front of the school.

"The incident required considerable police and ambulance presence, including a helicopter," Nockles said in the letter.

"Many students, parents and staff witnessed the accident so I would encourage you to speak with your children and if needed provide support for them.

"Tomorrow morning we will hold age-appropriate assemblies where we can begin debriefing the students and provide pastoral care support.

"Your prayers are very much appreciated at this time of distress in our community."

Woman still missing after property she was housesitting was suddenly inundated.

Sally Ann Pritchard says Te Aranga Marae requires towels and blankets but has enough kai.