Australians will be forgiven for wondering what's happening with the age pension, road rules and superannuation today after a fresh bout of misinformation was spread by what appear to be AI-based websites.

Multiple websites claimed an age pension "update" was scheduled for April 1.

Other sites claimed new rules for superannuation and drivers aged over 65 would also be coming into effect today.

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The claims were often accompanied by AI-generated images and misleading articles that appeared to be written with the use of AI.

And this isn't the first time misinformation spread on AI-based websites have fooled Australians.

Health insurance premiums increased today, and many Australian households will be already feeling the full effects of the RBA's latest rate hike this month.

But nothing will happen to the age pension, which was last adjusted on March 20.

The government hiked the age pension last month to reflect cost-of-living pressures.

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It also increased deeming rates on March 20, which affected age pension recipients.

The lower deeming rate rose from 0.75 per cent to 1.25 per cent for financial assets under $64,200 for singles and $106,200 for couples combined.

The upper rate rose from 2.75 per cent to 3.25 per cent for assets over those amounts.

Increased deeming rates may result in a lower age pension for some Australians, as they will affect income tests.

But all of these changes have already come into effect, and no additional updates are planned for April 1.

There are also no new road or licensing rules coming into effect today for drivers over the age of 65.

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Changes are on the horizon for superannuation with the introduction of Payday Super, but that won't come into effect until July 1.

Last year, some Aussies were tricked by similar AI-based websites that spread wild claims about road rules that didn't exist.

For example, one of the rumours spread was that a new law would ban drivers over the age of 60 from being on the road between the hours of 10pm and 5am.

Sites generating fake infringements, fine amounts and demerit point penalties gained traction on social media, sparking panic among some drivers.

Transport authorities eventually issued statements to disprove the claims.

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A tiny find inside some three-billion-year-old rocks by NASA's Perseverance rover is adding to a growing body of evidence that life once existed on Mars.

The Perseverance rover made its way through Neretva Vallis – an ancient river channel that once carried water into a lake in a Martian crater – in 2024.

The rockbed is believed to be more than three billion years old.

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Using laser, infrared and X-ray technologies, Perseverance examined 126 sedimentary rocks and eight rock surfaces on Neretva Vallis.

A team of researchers led by Henry Manelski from Purdue University in the United States say among the discoveries was a large number of nickel-rich rocks with a similar chemical composition and shape of the iron sulfide arrangements to pyrite – sedimentary rocks found on Earth.

This is significant because previous research has found that pyrite is primarily formed by chemical reactions from living microbes.

Even if the nickel-rich rocks were not produced by microbial lifeforms, it is another point of evidence suggesting that Mars was once conducive to life.

Nickel is an essential component of enzymes in many ancient lifeforms, including archaea and bacterial species.

The find adds to a growing body of evidence that life could have once existed on the Martian planet.

It's not the first discovery that Perseverance has made on the topic.

In 2024, the rover discovered rocky "leopard spots" in the Jezero crater, indicative of ancient microbial chemical reactions.

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NASA's acting administrator Sean Duffy called that find "the closest we have ever come to discovering life on Mars".

"The identification of a potential biosignature on the Red Planet is a groundbreaking discovery, and one that will advance our understanding of Mars," he said at the time.

The new findings were published in the journal Nature Communications today.

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A petrol station in Perth's south-east has been forced to sell Western Australia's most expensive diesel because of a mistake that could not be rectified.

Independent fuel retailer Burk is now demanding an immediate change to FuelWatch, the state's fuel-monitoring platform

The retailer in Cannington was forced to sell diesel for almost $4 a litre today after accidentally entering the new price with a costly error.

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"We won't sell it at that, it's just a rip-off," Burk managing director Umar Farooq told 9News.

The service station tried to sell the cheapest diesel in the state but instead, a typo made it the most expensive, at $3.97 per litre.

"We tried to rectify it with FuelWatch, multiple calls, multiple emails but we were just told, 'You can't sell it at the price other than what's been reported'," Farooq said.

Petrol companies must report prices to FuelWatch by 2pm every day, something which is required by law to be locked in for 24 hours.

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"That means it's almost like a reverse auction," Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake told 9News.

"They have to tell us what their best price is without knowing what their competitors are doing."

But Burk is now pleading for common sense when it comes to genuine errors.

"This is a very unfortunate case," Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said.

"Happy to take it up with the relevant ministers."

In the meantime, the independent retailer found its own workaround by offering a discount on diesel to customers: simply smile for $1.04 per litre off the advertised price.

Across 17 stations, it's the first mistake for Burk in six years.

As for the employee responsible, Farooq said, "she's going to be really fine".

"She's going to say with us for very long I reckon," he added.

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Police were led to double police killer Dezi Freeman by tracking a car which made repeated trips between Porepunkah and the Thologolong property where the fugitive was killed in a tense shootout, 9News has been told.

9News understands police received a tip-off to an individual close to Dezi Freeman who repeatedly made the near-200km journey from Porepunkah to the town near the Victoria-NSW border.

Detectives used traffic cameras to track the vehicle completing the trip several times, which led them to Freeman's hideout.

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While the search for Freeman himself has come to a close, police are now turning their attention to his associates.

Anyone who may have helped harbour Freeman, or transported him from Porepunkah to Thologolong, could face up to 20 years in prison.

"We're going to track backwards, work backwards from yesterday and find out to work out who did assist him and those people, when identified, will be held to account," Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said.

One neighbour said she does not believe the owner of the Thologolong property would have been connected to Freeman.

He is not suspected of any involvement and nine.com.au does not suggest he is involved in any way.

"I don't think so. He's a quiet guy, he makes fertiliser with fish, that what he likes to do, no I don't think so," the neighbour said of the owner.

"I think I met him once, he's a good friend of my husband."

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The owner has been living in eastern Tasmania since December and is battling a serious illness, The Age reports.

He has called a police station to make himself available whenever Victorian officers are ready to interview him, an anonymous friend told The Age.

The Age also reports the gate to the property had been left unlocked since January to allow the fire department access.

Police are expected to remain on scene for several days, combing across the property for traces of other people who may have been there recently.

Freemans body has been taken to Melbourne to be examined by the state coroner, who will hold independent review into his death.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said the sovereign citizen movement has been a major concern for Australia's intelligence services.

"The mentality of the sovereign citizens, the head of ASIO has made very clear, warning about what this ideology represents," Albanese said.

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"They don't respect any processes, they regard the police and government and our entire society as not being legitimate."

Freeman's former friend Ray Kompe, who distanced himself from the 56-year-old father because of his extremist views, said there a small portion of the local Porepunkah community is mourning Freeman.

"I've got good friends and some of them had sympathy for him and of course there's other ones who didn't, Kompe said.

"With his sovereign citizen push, I dare say he felt an affinity for them and they felt an affinity for him."

Kompe claims his relationship with Freeman deteriorated when the self-described sovereign citizen started showing him graphic combat videos.

"I said 'listen, I know that exists but why watch it?' And he said 'because it's the reality of life'," Kompe said.

"That's why I just decided it might be best if we terminate our friendship."

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In the past few weeks, just about every positive swing on the markets has stemmed from Donald Trump flagging a possible end to his war with Iran.

But every time the US president suggested there were peace talks going on with Iran's leaders, Tehran has contradicted him.

As market analysts are now beginning to note, it takes two to TACO.

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On tariffs, government shutdowns and threats against Greenland, Canada or Panama, Trump has a history of backing down in the face of strong opposition or an economic slump.

It is why Wall Street has coined the phrase Trump Always Chickens Out (TACO).

But it's not so simple dealing with Iran.

Early today the president said the US had been in communications with Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baghar Ghalibaf.

"The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our military operations in Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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But Ghalibaf swiftly knocked back the claims.

"The enemy promotes its desires as news while threatening our nation at same time. Big Mistake," he said.

"God willing, the people of Iran, under the leadership of the Supreme Leader, will make the enemy regret the aggression and reclaim their rights."

Ghalibaf suggested investors assume the opposite of what Trump has said is the truth.

"Basically, it's a reverse indicator," he said.

"Do the opposite: If they pump it, short it. If they dump it, go long."

Wall Street didn't take Ghalibaf's advice overnight. After Trump's comments, the Dow Jones jumped.

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In anticipation of a major TACO move from the president, Deutsche Bank has constructed a "stress index" to predict when investors should get in.

"If the index rises, the probability of a strategic adjustment by the government increases," Deutsche Bank's Maximilian Uleer said.

"If all four 'pain points' deteriorate simultaneously, the motivation for an adjustment becomes very strong."

But even if Trump wants out of the war with Iran, it won't immediately mean peace in the region.

This morning an oil tanker was struck off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, presumably by the Iranian military.

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Meanwhile, an Iranian parliamentary panel has approved a move to establish an effective toll booth in the Strait of Hormuz.

If codified in Iranian law, all tankers passing through the strait will need to pay a substantial fee.

About 20 per cent of the world's oil passes through the narrow body of water in the Persian Gulf.

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Ladies and gentlemen, this is iconic Australiana, manifest.

A 1991 arrest outside a restaurant in Brisbane's Chinatown, which nearly 20 years later became one of the world's first viral video memes, has officially become one of the Sounds of Australia.

On the afternoon of August 11 that year, reporters received a tip police were about to make a major arrest at the China Sea restaurant in Fortitude Valley.

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As originally reported by Seven, police expected to find one of Australia's most wanted men dining there.

What they found instead was Jack Karlson.

It's never quite been clear why Karlson, a bit-part actor who had done time behind bars, was subjected to a police arrest outside the restaurant.

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But his outraged response ultimately made him a legend.

"I'm under what?" he asked the officers, before struggling against their attempts to cuff him and force him into a car.

In a ringing baritone, Karlson declared to the crowd, "This… is… democracy manifest".

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He also taunted the arresting officers, remarking to one: "Ah yes – I see you know your judo well".

And it's also hard to forget his furious bellow: "Take your hand off my penis!"

But perhaps what sealed Karlson's immortality came when he asked – perhaps rhetorically, "What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?"

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The original footage was uploaded to the then-nascent video sharing site YouTube by Nine presentation co-ordinator and tape operator Russell Furman found, who found the tapes in 2009.

Seen and shared on the same site by US content creator Ray William Johnson in 2013, the video exploded, being viewed millions of times all over the world.

Karlson, who died in 2024, also returned to the limelight, conducting multiple interviews on the subject, and admitting he wasn't sure what prompted the famous outburst.

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Now, the original Seven news broadcast has been named one of nine Sounds of Australia for 2026 by the National Film and Sound Archive.

Others included Scar by Missy Higgins, Rosie Batty's Australian of the Year acceptance speech, the Reading Writing Hotline jingle, and the sound of a PB/5 pedestrian crossing button.

You can find all of them – and the stories behind them – at the NFSA website.

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Police are combing through CCTV as they work to determine who set three Teslas alight at a dealership in Sydney's west, damaging the rest of the showroom.

The fire was originally thought to have started due to a battery explosion, but it was quickly ruled an arson attack after jerrycan lids were discovered near the Parramatta dealership.

Three cars were destroyed, and a showroom was badly damaged, but there were no injuries.

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"We dispatched a pretty heavy weight of attack on this fire, it did extend into the ceiling space, but we were able to quickly contain the fire to the area of origin," Aaron Ross from Fire Rescue NSW said.

"It is quite obvious and just taking a quick look there that these fires have started at the front of some of these vehicles."

Authorities are in the process of reviewing CCTV footage from nearby streets as they try to determine who was responsible and the motive.

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Severe penalties, including jail time, face those who try to rip off drivers at the bowser.

The public has been warned to stay away as police seek anyone else involved.

A couple only allowed their alleged slave to eat Weet-Bix as she cleaned their home and looked after their children, without compensation and under threat of violence, a jury has heard.

The 61-year-old woman was denied freedom, medical help and performed unpaid domestic work, including massaging the man's feet, while sleeping on stairs or in a garage, prosecutors allege.

The victim, who cannot be legally identified, died in 2024. However, her evidence to police, friends and family will be shown to the jury of 14.

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Accused slave-keeper Chee Kit "Max" Chong, and his wife Angie Liaw, sat in the back of Victoria's County Court in Melbourne as prosecutors opened their case against the couple on Tuesday.

Chong is charged with intentionally possessing a slave between January and October 2022, and three counts of assault, while Liaw is charged with assisting Chong to keep the woman as a slave.

Both have pleaded not guilty and deny all of the alleged offending.

Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg SC said Chong met the woman at church in Malaysia in 2015, and their relationship was like mother and son.

The crown prosecutor alleged Chong tried to get money out of the woman on a number of occasions, including $30,000 just before she moved to Australia with them, which she asked a woman from her church for.

After moving to Australia in 2017, the victim lived with the couple initially, before Ginsbourg said they left to Malaysia without telling her and she became homeless.

The woman allegedly moved back in with the couple in January 2022, to help Liaw with their newborn baby, which is when the prosecutor said the slavery began.

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By this point, she had multiple vulnerabilities as she was homeless, on a tourist visa with no independent income and isolated from her family in Malaysia, he said.

"Chong described her to other people as his 'maid or helper'," Ginsbourg said.

"Mr Chong threatened and coerced (the victim) to provide domestic services, repeatedly told her she had to work to repay supposed debts.

"When (the victim) failed at her duties, or failed to complete them to Chong's satisfaction, he would often hit or kick her, or punish her by telling her she could not sleep or eat that day."

Ginsbourg alleged Chong kicked the woman in the head, hit her with a vacuum after she fell asleep while massaging his legs and knocked her head into a wall.

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Chong allegedly banned her from eating certain foods and "said she could only eat Weet-Bix", the prosecutor said as he read messages where the woman asked Chong for permission to use the kitchen facilities.

He said the woman was at times forced to sleep on the stairs or inside the garage, instead of a bedroom at their Point Cook home, in Melbourne's south-west.

She was not allowed to leave the home without Chong, including for medical help after his alleged assaults, the jury heard.

Chong's barrister Diana Price said her client never assaulted the woman, denied ever possessing a slave and asked jurors to question why the victim may have exaggerated her claims.

She said Chong denied restricting the woman's freedoms, including her access to food, how and when she slept, and whether she was able to leave the home.

Price asked the jury to look at whether the woman's contribution to the household was different from what you might expect for a family of three adults and two small children.

Ginsbourg accused Liaw of benefiting from the woman's domestic services and asking Chong to give her instructions or tasks, helping Chong in controlling her.

Liaw's barrister Daniel Gurvich KC said she did not commit any crime as there was no evidence she did beyond a reasonable doubt, and the jury's true verdict will be a verdict of not guilty.

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