A friend of a man who passed away in a boating incident near Bluff yesterday is lamenting the loss of a “good friend and brother”.The man, known commonly as Richard, was one of two people who died after a boat got into difficulty…

A Tairua woman picked and delivered more than 300 bunches of flowers for people in her town in just two weeks with the sole purpose of spreading joy.Linda Hart usually spends hours a day gardening at her home in Tairua, overlooking…

Hundreds of leopard sharks have been filmed cruising in the shallows of a Californian beach.

The video was captured by photographer Scott Fairchild yesterday as he flew his drone above the clear waters of La Jolla in the city of San Diego.

Mr Fairchild told 9News seeing leopard sharks this far into November "is unusual".

READ MORE: Crowds descend on Australian capitals for pandemic protests

"They usually show up in the summer, July to October, but for some reason they are still here in high numbers," he said.

Every year, thousands of leopard sharks make their way to the warm waters to breed and hatch their young.

Despite growing to an average length of 2.4 metres, Mr Fairchild said the animals are very gentle.

"I see them and swim with them daily," he said.

READ MORE: Why great white shark population is booming in California

Mr Fairchild is no stranger to large sharks.

He routinely photographs great whites off the San Diego coastline.

Just last month he captured an incredible encounter between a large great white who circled a young child on his board.

The pair regarded each other with curiosity before the shark swam away.

Experts say great white shark populations are thriving in California and along parts of the east coast of America.

The Auckland District Health Board has fully vaccinated 90 per cent of its residents, but the programme lead warns the work is not done yet. The DHB, which has partially vaccinated 95 per cent of its people, has just now hit the…

A person is seriously hurt after a motorcycle and a car crashed near Whangamatā. Emergency services are responding to the crash, which police say happened on State Highway 25/Tairua Road just before 4pm. The road is closed…

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New South Wales residents are being warned to prepare for the possibility of flooding as severe weather is expected to hit parts of the state tomorrow.

There is a warning in place for hail, strong winds, heavy rain and possible flooding on Sunday.

The NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) has warned residents to be prepared for the wild weather.

READ MORE: Huge crowds descend on Melbourne, Sydney and other capitals for pandemic protests

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) advised thunderstorms are likely across the Blue Mountains and the north-east of NSW.

Weatherzone said yesterday rainfall between "20-40mm is forecast in the state on Sunday, while some areas could see 50-100mm, particularly with thunderstorms".

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan added the severe weather could cause flash flooding.

"Our catchments are very wet, and our dams are full, so it will not take a lot for floods to occur," Ms Hogan said.

"We need people to be mindful of their flood risks and be prepared."

Flood watches have already been issued for the Upper Macintyre, Gwydir, Peel, Castlereagh, Belubula, and Macquarie to Bathurst.

"In the event flooding does occur, there is a very real chance that roads can be impacted," Ms Hogan said.

READ MORE: What the most in-demand jobs in Australia are right now

Hail and strong winds are also expected.

It comes after Coffs Harbour only recently was hit by a freak storm which caused extensive damage to homes and businesses.

"Some of our communities, including Coffs Harbour, are still recovering from previous severe weather," Ms Hogan said.

"It is important you do what you can to protect your homes before the weather hits.

READ MORE: Sydney petrol prices reach record-high and expected to continue climbing

NSW SES urged people to avoid driving, walking or riding through floodwaters.

Residents are also advised to prepare their homes for the storm including moving cars away from trees and powerlines, tying down loose items in backyards and clearing gutters.

Public health experts say letting Auckland’s bars, cafes and hairdressers open next week wouldn’t be wise but one thinks the Government may make the move anyway with cases and hospitalisations remaining steady. Nearing 100 days…

Protesters have streamed into major Australian CBDs as part of nationwide protests against COVID-19 vaccination mandates and pandemic legislation.

Thousands of people held "freedom rallies" in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane today.

Counter rallies were also organised by pro-vaccination protesters.

READ MORE: Sydney petrol prices reach record-high and expected to continue climbing

Ant-vax crowds marched through Melbourne's CBD. Protesters were seen carrying signs saying "freedom" and wearing t-shirts with "my body, my choice" written on them as they marched down the street.

A smaller counter rally with pro-vaccination protesters also took to the Melbourne CBD.

The protesters carried "pro vax, anti-fascist" signs.

Protests also unfolded across other parts of Australia; crowds flocked to the Sydney CBD.

Thousands of protesters congregated in Hyde Park as part of the "freedom rallies".

The protests have now wrapped up.

No arrests were made, and no infringements were issued during the protests, NSW Police said.

Central Metropolitan Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Peter Thurtell, said he was pleased with the conduct of attendees.

"Overall, the protests were conducted peacefully with minimal disruption to the community, and I'm pleased to see that the vast majority of people complied with police directions," he said.

"I want to thank the community who did the right thing today and acknowledge the more than 600 police officers who were deployed across the Sydney CBD and inner west for their professional response during today's activities."

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People arrived at the Sydney rallies both carrying and draped in Australia and Eureka flags.

The protesters were heard chanting "freedom" along with the sound of drums.

9News reporter Airlie Walsh said many of the people in Sydney's CBD were protesting vaccine mandates and previous lockdown measures.

READ MORE: What the most in-demand jobs in Australia are right now

Thousands of people also packed Rundle Park in Adelaide today as part of the "freedom rally" protests.

Similar to the protests in Melbourne and Sydney, crowds were seen carrying Australia and Eureka flags.

9News Reporter Kelly Hughes said people in the crowd told her they have lost their jobs or will lose their jobs due to vaccine mandates.

Protesters include social workers, teachers, health care workers, and lawyers.

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Counter protests were held in Queensland with crowds flocking to the city. There was also an anti-vaccination rally in Brisbane, when marchers met in the CBD to walk towards parliament.

The leader of the United Australia Party, Clive Palmer, attended the protests in Brisbane.

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Today's rallies come after ongoing protests had been held in Melbourne CBD for the past week against the state's proposed pandemic legislation.

Protests became violent this week and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews described it as "ugly behaviour" by extremists.

The crowd protested the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (pandemic management) Bill 2021, which passed the lower house in October.

Other rallies around the nation have been held over previous months as people protest vaccine mandates, lockdown measures and now pandemic bills.

Police fired warning shots, injuring an unknown number of people, as riots broke out on Friday night in downtown Rotterdam in the Netherlands at a demonstration against plans by the government to restrict access for unvaccinated people to some venues.

Police said in a tweet that “there are injuries in connection with the shots” during the violent unrest. Riot police used a water cannon in an attempt to drive hundreds of rioters from a central street in the port city.

Video from social media shown on Dutch broadcaster NOS appeared to show a person being shot in Rotterdam, but there was no immediate word on what happened.

READ MORE: NSW, Victoria record drop in COVID-19 cases

Police said in a tweet that it was “still unclear how and by whom” the person was apparently shot.

Late Friday night, police said downtown Rotterdam remained restive and there was still a heavy police presence on the streets.

Police said they arrested dozens of rioters and expected to detain more. They said about seven people were injured, including police officers. They did not give further details.

Photos in Dutch media showed at least one police car ablaze and another with a bicycle smashed through the windshield.

READ MORE: Queensland PCR test requirement under review

Local political party Leefbaar Rotterdam condemned the violence in a tweet.

“The centre of our beautiful city has this evening transformed into a war zone,” it said.

“Rotterdam is a city where you can disagree with things that happen but violence is never, never, the solution.”

Police said in a tweet rioters started fires and threw fireworks during the rioting and authorities closed the city's main railway station.

Local media say gangs of soccer hooligans were involved in the rioting.

The government has said it wants to introduce a law that would allow businesses to restrict the country's COVID-19 pass system to only people who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from the virus — that would exclude people who test negative.

READ MORE: What the most in-demand jobs in Australia are right now

The country has seen a record numbers of infections in recent days and a new partial lockdown came into force a week ago.

In January, rioting broke out in Rotterdam and other Dutch cities after the government announced a curfew in an attempt to rein in soaring coronavirus infections.

Earlier Friday, the government banned fireworks on December 31 for the second straight year. The ban is intended “to prevent, as much as possible, extra strain on health care, law enforcement and first responders,” the government said on Friday.