Widespread flooding has cut off towns and submerged homes.

Donald Trump's dogged pursuit of Greenland has wreaked havoc on the US dollar, triggering a stock market bloodbath as investors scramble to shield themselves against a fresh wave of tariffs.

The president's retaliatory tariff threats in Europe have reignited fears of an escalating trade war, spooking traders into a mass sell-off today as Wall Street returned from the Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend break.

The Dow, S&P and Nasdaq each had their biggest daily losses on the trading floor since October 10, when Trump said he would hike tariffs on imports from China

READ MORE: Shark survivor recounts moment of attack

But a small silver lining is the boost it gave to the Australian dollar.

The US dollar index plunged 0.8 per cent when markets returned today, the worst day for the US currency since August.

This index compares the US dollar against six major currencies, including the euro.

It resulted in the Australian dollar soaring to a 15-month high, rising 0.3 per cent to 67.66 US cents.

The last time the Australian dollar strengthened to 67 cents on the US dollar was in October 2024.

READ MORE: Millions of Australians starting 2026 with money trouble, survey says

The euro was also up 0.65 per cent against the US dollar today.

Meanwhile, the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) 200 index dropped 0.5 per cent to 8775 points by lunchtime today.

World stock markets had been bracing for more volatility amid Trump's latest tariff face-off in Europe.

The president threatened eight European countries with tariffs if they opposed his plans to seize Greenland.

READ MORE: Trump rants at Norway over Nobel Prize during rambling press conference

The 10 per cent tariffs were placed on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.

Trump also threatened to place a 200 per cent tariff on champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron declined his invitation to join his international organisation "Board of Peace".

Investors are rattled by fears the trade turbulence which kicked off last year – dubbed "Sell America" – could return to Wall Street.

It appears many are hedging bets that Trump's NATO appearance in Davos, Switzerland, could result in another wave of tariffs if Denmark does not cede Greenland.

Last April, the Aussie dollar had its best day since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), surging against the US greenback to 61.75c.

The currency's renewed strength followed Trump's announcement of a 90-day pause on tariffs into the US on most countries.

Trump told reporters at the time that he pulled back on many global tariffs – but not on China – because people were "yippy" and "afraid" due to the stock market declines.

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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.

Beaches across Sydney's north will remain closed tomorrow in the wake of four shark attacks across NSW in 48 hours.

"Due to ongoing water clarity issues, all beaches in the Northern Beaches area will remain closed for at least an additional 24 hours, being the full day Thursday, and we will continue to review conditions on an ongoing basis," the council said in a statement this afternoon.

The decision to keep the beaches shut was made by the Department of Primary Industry and Surf Lifesaving NSW following an assessment of water quality throughout the day.

READ MORE: 'Worst possible outcome': Grave fears for boy mauled by shark in Sydney

The assessment found that water clarity is still murky following the recent heavy rainfall and floods that have swept across the state.

These conditions increase the risk of shark activity.

Northern Beaches Council will keep the community updated as they continue to review water conditions.

The closure comes after four shark attacks in the span of 48 hours across NSW up until yesterday. 

The youngest victim, 12-year-old Nico Antic, remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Twenty beaches were closed yesterday as authorities warned swimmers of safety after the string of attacks.

The closures come as authorities have also warned of "sewage debris balls" washing up at Malabar Beach in Malabar and Foreshore Beach in Botany Bay following the weekend of heavy rain.

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Three Nationals senators who refused to join the Liberals in voting for the federal government's new hate speech laws have quit the shadow cabinet.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley confirmed in a statement today she had accepted the resignations of senators Susan McDonald, Bridget McKenzie and Ross Cadell.

"Yesterday, in several conversations, I made it clear to David Littleproud that members of the shadow cabinet could not vote against the shadow cabinet position," Ley said.

READ MORE: PM concedes hate speech and gun control laws are 'not as strong' as he hoped

READ MORE: Emotional scenes as parliament honours Bondi terror victims

"The shadow cabinet was unanimous in its endorsement to support this bill subject to several amendments that we did then secure.

"This has been acknowledged by Nationals' senators this morning."

Ley said McDonald, McKenzie and Cadell have been asked to continue to serve the Coalition but from outside of the shadow cabinet.

She said Nationals leader David Littleproud has been asked to put forward three replacement ministers.

The new hate speech and gun laws were passed last night after a long night of voting in the Senate.

The hate laws will create powers for authorities to designate certain organisations as "hate groups", allowing members and donors alike to face possible jail time.

It will create new aggravated offences for religious or spiritual leaders who advocate violence, as well as penalise religious leaders who preach hate to children.

The new framework will also give ministers more powers to cancel or refuse visas to those who spread hate or extremist views.

The new gun laws, which were voted against by the Coalition, One Nation and United Australia Party senators but supported by the Greens, will limit the imports of guns to Australian citizens.

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Firefighters were directing water at the Hotel Grand Chancellor’s upper façade.

A man who stabbed his defenceless wife to death and then called emergency services has pleaded guilty to murder.

Father-of-four Jessie James Tumaliuan, 42, accepted a sentence indication of 20 years as he pleaded guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court this morning.

His wife, Czarina Tumaliuan, was found stabbed to death in the back yard of a Werribee home in Melbourne's west on March 27.

READ MORE: 'Worst possible outcome': Grave fears for boy mauled by shark

Tumaliuan's barrister Chris Hooper previously told the court the couple had been separated before the murder but his client was continuing to attend their home.

On the day of the killing, Tumaliuan used a key to enter the home intending to confront his wife verbally about money, Hooper said on Friday.

CCTV footage captured some of the murder, including Ms Tumaliuan's screams as she ran into the back yard, but 10 seconds later the video went quiet.

Hooper said his client accepted the woman was unarmed, while he had equipped himself with a knife.

"No fault is laid at her feet at all," he said.

"She was defenceless and there were multiple stab wounds."

But he said Tumaliuan had not visited the house with murderous intent as he was initially unarmed.

READ MORE: 'Saw it shake the board': Shark survivor recounts moment of attack

"Circumstances occurred off-camera … where his intention was not to kill, but to cause really serious injury, that's his position," Hooper said.

Tumaliuan called triple zero for assistance three times, the court was told.

Prosecutor Nadia Kaddeche said an assault occurred inside the home before the victim ran outside and she could be heard saying she had been hurt.

"There is no desisting from when she goes outside and it (the assault) continues not on camera, around the side of the house," Kaddeche said.

Justice Amanda Fox indicated to Tumaliuan she would sentence him to up to 26 years behind bars if he pleaded guilty to murder.

READ MORE: Father pays tribute to 'beautiful daughter' found dead and mauled by dingoes

He would have to serve 20 years of that sentence before becoming eligible for parole, she said.

Tumaliuan's sentence will be formally decided following pre-sentence hearings later in the year.

He appeared distressed after hearing the sentence and refused to stand as Justice Fox exited the courtroom on Friday.

However, after discussing the matter with his lawyer, Tumaliuan accepted the sentence indication as he pleaded guilty to one count of murder today.

"Guilty your honour," he said, as he stood in the court dock.

Tumaliuan's trial, which was set to begin in early February, was vacated.

He was taken back to prison and will return to court on March 13 for a pre-sentence hearing.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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Deputy Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has again reminded Victorians to save Triple Zero calls for emergencies after the emergency call and dispatch service failed to meet a key benchmark.

Triple Zero Victoria (TZV) aims to 'action' ambulance dispatches for a Code 1 emergency within 2.5 minutes at least 90 per cent of the time.

But the service only achieved this for 80 per cent of the most urgent emergencies in the 2024-2025 period.

READ MORE: Trump threatens to seize Greenland, Canada, Venezuela and Cuba in Truth Social images

TZV has pointed out "longstanding structural issues" with the methodology behind the performance and said the target has not been reached since 2010.

The call-and-dispatch service received more than three million calls last year, an average of 8500 each day.

Deputy Premier Ben Carroll came to the defense of the agency and urged Victorians be considerate when calling Triple Zero.

"Sadly there are way too many calls that are nuisance calls, that are unwarranted calls," Carroll said.

"We've all got a role to play in making sure that we do not do any unwarranted calls or even worse, nuisance calls to Triple Zero that tie up resources and simply waste taxpayers funds."

In February 2025, TZV received almost 500 nuisance calls in a 24-hour period, according to the annual report.

READ MORE: 'The miracle': 6-year-old girl is the sole survivor of a family that perished in Spanish train wreck

"When you look at more than three million calls a year, you see the workload of Triple Zero, They do an outstanding job. That's why they've had more funding, more resources and more staffing," Carroll said.

"We're continuing to make sure they're fully staffed, we're doing everything we can to make sure they're responding, and they are, but we've all got a role to play in making sure Triple Zero is there for emergencies."

TZV cited a constrained Ambulance fleet and operational capacity as part of the reason it failed to meet the target, according to the annual report.

The report also said performance data was skewed due to cases where patients who were initially triaged as lower-priority were escalated to Code 1.

In December 2024, a record-breaking 95,374 calls were made to TZV.

"The most consistent demand driver is Victoria's growing and ageing population; the over 80s age group account for more than 20 per cent of ambulance activity," the annual report read.

READ MORE: Millions of Australians starting 2026 with money trouble, survey says

The release of the annual report comes as healthcare workers across the state remain embroiled in a bitter pay dispute with the government.

More than 10,000 workers from more than 80 healthcare services walked off the job yesterday in a Health Worker's Union-led strike that caused thousands of elective surgeries to be cancelled.

Workers are seeking a six per cent wage increase in a dispute Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas today said the government was "really focused on resolving".

"I have met with the union, we're working hard right now to resolve the dispute," Thomas said.

"I look forward to us being able to do that and getting in place a fair EBA for the hard-working members of the HWU."

The union has rejected two wage offers from the government since August 2024, which it claimed were both "below-inflation" increases.

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A young woman has allegedly been stabbed by a man she knew, who waited outside her Melbourne home.

As police were calling for the man to hand himself in, his body was then found in the state's far west.

Police said the 18-year-old woman was dropped home to Miller Grove in Kew at 1am today after an evening with friends and was immediately attacked by an 18-year-old man from nearby Camberwell.

READ MORE: Police investigating if driver error to blame for train crash that killed two

READ MORE: Surfer's chilling warning before Manly attack

Victoria Police superintendent Wayne Cheesman said the man had waited outside in the dark.

"He approaches her in her driveway as she's about to enter the family home, and he stabs her multiple times," Cheesman alleged.

"Just a young girl who was minding her own business walking home in the safety of her own driveway."

Police said the attacker fled the scene.

The woman was taken to hospital with what police initially feared were life-threatening injuries.

She is now in a serious condition and recovering in hospital.

Her neighbours in the close-knit street were shaken and scared for the girl who is from a "very lovely family".

"I just heard like a cry out for help," a witness said.

9News understands it was another young woman who reported the attack to police.

Despite searches in the area early this morning, the young man could not be found.

However at the same time as officers were combing the scene, police responded to a Triple Zero call in Victoria's west.

Officers said they found the man's body about 360 kilometres away at Antwerp, near the SA border. 

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Millions of dollars are up for grabs tonight.

The 37-year-old barrister was pulled from the water at Hāhei Beach on Monday.