From Trump’s return to AI fears, 2025 reshaped global and Kiwi life.

Westpac has hiked its fixed-rate mortgages, despite predicting the Reserve Bank will hand down two interest rate cuts next year.

The big four bank announced this morning it is increasing the rate on its fixed-rate home loans by between 0.25 and 0.35 percentage points.

Its lowest offer, for a one-year fixed term, is now sitting at 5.49 per cent, while its rate for four and five years is up to 5.89 per cent.

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Westpac is the 12th bank to have hiked a fixed rate in the past week, and its move comes just days after RBA Governor Michele Bullock suggested she and her monetary policy board are done cutting rates this cycle.

"With what we know at the moment, I don't think there are interest rate cuts on the horizon for the foreseeable future," she said after holding the official cash rate at 3.60 per cent on Tuesday. 

"The question is, is it just an extended hold from here, or is it a possibility of a rate rise?"

According to analysis by Canstar, there are now just 23 lenders offering a fixed rate below 5 per cent.

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A month ago, that number was sitting at 43.

"This latest round of fixed rate hikes from Westpac comes as no surprise on the back of a hawkish RBA, which has now put the country on notice that rate hikes are a possibility," Canstar data insights director Sally Tindall said.

"The ink is barely dry on the RBA's latest statement and Westpac has already jumped. 

"When the governor indicates a rate hike is on the cards, lenders listen and fixed rates move. 

"This won't be the last fixed-rate hike we see before the year is out.

"Right now, NAB and ANZ have the lowest fixed rates out of the majors, however, these banks could hike their rates in coming weeks."

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However, Westpac's decision to increase fixed rates for borrowers comes despite it being the last remaining big four bank to forecast the cash rate will come down in 2026.

It is still predicting two rate cuts next year, while Commonwealth Bank, NAB and ANZ have forecast rates to remain steady, while warning the risk of a hike is rising.

Following Tuesday's RBA decision, the market was pricing in a 27 per cent chance of a rate increase in February, and that the cash rate will sit at around 4.1 per cent at the end of 2026.

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McCain Australia has announced an immediate recall of a frozen pizza pocket product after a consumer found plastic inside.

The recall affects McCain Pizza Pockets Cheese & Bacon 400g with batch codes of 1005481714 and best before dates marked October 2026 289, October 2026 290 or October 2026 291.

The recall affects consumers in all Australian states and territories where the product has been sold.

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McCain said the plastic may cause injury or illness if consumed.

McCain says it is working closely with food safety authorities and retailers to ensure the recall is carried out quickly and thoroughly.

"McCain takes the safety and well-being of our consumers very seriously," McCain said in a statement.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused."

Consumers are being advised not to consume the product and to either dispose of it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.

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Footage has surfaced of a four-metre tiger shark that was caught on a drumline on the southern Gold Coast on Monday.

Drone footage of the dead shark being hauled onto a boat by a government contractor in waters off Snapper Rocks at Rainbow Bay have been circulated on social media.

The extraordinary footage received a mixed response online with some commenters glad the shark was no longer in the water and others upset that the shark had been killed.

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A Department of Primary Industries spokesperson said the 4.1m shark was one of 11 tiger sharks caught at Rainbow Bay this year to date.

"Tiger sharks can grow up to approximately six metres in length so while this is a very large shark, it is far from the largest for this species," the spokesperson said.

"Tiger sharks are a target species for the (Shark Control) program.

"The purpose of the shark control program is to reduce the risk of shark attacks along Queensland's coastal beaches."

Tiger sharks are one of seven target shark species in the program.

Snapper Rocks, at the southern end of Rainbow Bay, is a world-famous surf spot popular with swimmers and surfers.

In 2020, surfer Nick Slater was killed by a great white shark bite at nearby Greenmount Beach.

It was the first fatal shark bite in Gold Coast waters since 1958.

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US President Donald Trump has announced that his long-promised "gold card" was officially going on sale, offering legal status and an eventual pathway to American citizenship for individuals paying $US1 million ($1.5 million) and corporations forking out twice that per foreign-born employee.

A website accepting applications went live today as Trump revealed the start of the program while surrounded by business leaders in the White House's Roosevelt Room.

It is meant to replace EB-5 visas, which Congress created in 1990 to generate foreign investment and had been available to people who spend about $US1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people.

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Trump sees the new version as a way for the US to attract and retain top talent, all while generating revenue for federal coffers.

He's been promoting the gold card program for months, and once suggested that each card would cost $US5 million, though he more recently revised that to the $US1 million and $US2 million pricing scheme.

The president said all funds taken in as part of the program will "go to the US government" and predicted that billions would flow into an account run by the Treasury Department "where we can do things positive for the country".

The new program is actually a green card, effectively offering permanent legal residency with the chance for citizenship.

"Basically, it's a green card but much better," Trump said.

"Much more powerful, a much stronger path."

The president made no mention of requirements for job creation for applying corporations or on overall caps on the program, which exist under the current EB-5 program.

Instead, he said he'd heard complaints from business leaders who had been unable to recruit outstanding graduates from US universities because they were from other countries and lacked permission to stay.

"You can't hire people from the best colleges because you don't know whether or not you can keep the person," Trump said.

Investors' visas are common around the world, with dozens of countries offering versions of "golden visas" to wealthy individuals, including the UK, Spain, Greece, Malta, Australia, Canada and Italy.

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Molly Ticehurst's killer will finally be forced to face her family in person when he is sentenced for her murder more than two years after he broke into her bedroom and stabbed her.

Daniel Billings, 30, was arraigned in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney today and confirmed his plea of guilty over Ticehurst's 2024 murder.

"Guilty, Your Honour," Billings told Justice Dina Yehia via audio-visual link from the supermax wing of Goulburn jail.

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The judge set a two-day sentence hearing to be held in Orange, central western NSW, on June 1, 2026.

He will be required to appear in person.

Ticehurst, a 28-year-old childcare educator, was found dead in her home at Forbes, in the state's central west, in the early hours of April 22, 2024.

Billings stabbed her 15 times in a ferocious attack that lasted less than a minute, after repeatedly threatening to kill her in the weeks and months before.

Police had taken out a provisional apprehended violence order against Billings.

He had been charged with several counts of raping Ticehurst and a string of domestic violence offences on April 5, 2024, but was freed on bail by a local court registrar the next day.

Violent and possessive during their on-and-off relationship, Billings became enraged after being charged and was angry to be branded a rapist, according to an agreed statement of facts.

In a folder of scrawled notes discovered by police after the murder, Billings wrote a declaration in green text: "Innocent!!!"

Another note said: "Make me out to be a monster, treat me like an animal, then OK, I'm going to play the f—ing part."

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When police arrested an agitated Billings at a friend's house hours after the murder, he admitted killing Ticehurst.

"I'd just been arrested over word-of-mouth and I think that's when I just snapped," he told an officer.

"I'm going to get treated like a monster … I'll play the monster in the story then."

Those sexual assault charges were withdrawn and dismissed when Billings pleaded guilty to murder at Forbes Local Court on November 14.

The local court case took 18 months to proceed, with lengthy legal negotiations, a mental health assessment and repeated adjournments.

Despite those delays Billings may still be eligible for a sentence discount of up to 25 per cent, as a guilty plea in the local court is considered an early plea under NSW law.

However, the sentencing judge may opt not apply a discount if Billings' culpability is found to be extreme.

When the case was adjourned for the final time before the pleas, Ticehurst's father Tony Ticehurst said the legal delays had caused their family deep distress.

"It seems to me that in life, the system let Molly down and in death continues the same route," he told reporters in Forbes.

"Instead of getting closure, all we get is anxiety, sadness and heartache."

Billings has also admitted property damage and animal cruelty offences, along with a charge of breaching the apprehended violence order.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.

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

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A man has died in hospital after becoming stuck in mud at a boat ramp in Logan this morning.

Emergency services were called to Logan Boat Ramp on Albert Street at Waterford at 12.30am overnight and found the man stuck in the mud.

The 34-year-old from Tanah Merah was freed and taken to shore.

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Paramedics treated him at the scene and he was taken to Logan Hospital but died shortly afterwards.

Police say their investigation into the man's death is ongoing.

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Australians are being warned about travelling to an incredibly popular tourist hotspot after the local government expanded the death penalty.

The Maldives will introduce harsher penalties for drug offences from March 2026, including death, life without parole and fines. 

While drug offences are relatively common in Australia, SmartTraveller said that anyone caught with even a small amount of illegal drugs in the Maldives could be charged with trafficking.

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This includes weed or cannabis-based products like edibles, cannabis oil and cream, hemp, hash, CBD and THC.

A medical prescription does not make it legal.

"If you take such products to Maldives, purchase or use them in Maldives, you can be arrested and face imprisonment, fines, deportation, life without parole or the death penalty," SmartTraveller said.

"Do not possess or use illegal drugs in Maldives."

Drug-related crime typically occurs in urban areas, including Greater Malé and inhabited non-resort islands.

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Republic of the Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said the harsher rules would crack down on drug use and addiction.

"One of the most important goals of this government is to save society from the scourge of drugs and build a generation free from drugs," he said in a statement in July.

But his decision has drawn ire from international human rights organisations, which say the death penalty violates human rights and the country's international commitments on two grounds: introducing the death penalty for a crime not previously punishable by death and restricting the death penalty for the most serious crimes.

"The introduction of the death penalty for drug-related offences would lead to additional violations to the already alarming human rights record of the Maldives, including in connection to its use of the death penalty," nine human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said in a joint statement in August.

The Maldives also has the death penalty for serious crimes such as murder. 

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The Maldives is an archipelagic country consisting of more than 1000 islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka and India.

It is famed for its idyllic resorts and is particularly popular among honeymooners.

But the current civil unrest and threat of terrorism in non-resort areas have SmartTraveller advising Australians to exercise an overall high degree of caution when travelling to the country.

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Emergency department doctors are urging parents to avoid a "naughty list" of presents for children this Christmas.

E-scooters and toys containing magnets and button batteries are among the most hazardous, doctors from The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne warn.

While they may seem like great gifts, trauma surgeons say they can pose a serious safety risk in the hands of young kids.

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Button batteries are often found in small toys or car keys, and are easily swallowed by a child.

The director of trauma at the RCH, Warwick Teague, says they can cause serious harm in just two hours.

"A button battery creates a chemical reaction and electrical charge between the walls of a child's oesophagus or swallowing tube, which can fry that tube, causing serious bleeding," he said.

Teague says other small items such as magnetic balls, often found in construction or sensory toys, can also be easily swallowed.

"Unfortunately, they're the perfect size and shape for a little one to put in their mouth. If swallowed, sometimes the magnets in these balls stick together inside children, twisting and causing holes or tears in the bowel," he said.

"They can make children dangerously sick and they're really difficult to remove."

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Doctors are also warning parents to avoid e-scooters, pointing to a spike in serious injuries, such as broken bones, every Christmas from children riding the machines.

They should ensure toys meet Australian Safety standards and avoid buying cheap products sold in variety stores or online.

If you think your child has ingested a button battery or a magnet, call triple zero immediately, or head to your closest emergency department.

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The "Architects of AI" have been named Time magazine's person of the year with the publication citing 2025 as when the potential of Artificial Intelligence "roared into view" with no turning back.

"For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the possible, the Architects of AI are TIME's 2025 Person of the Year," Time said in a social media post on Thursday (Friday AEDT).

The magazine was deliberate in selecting people – the "individuals who imagined, designed, and built AI" – rather than the technology itself, though there would have been some precedent for that.

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"We've named not just individuals but also groups, more women than our founders could have imagined (though still not enough), and, on rare occasions, a concept: the endangered Earth, in 1988, or the personal computer, in 1982," wrote Sam Jacobs, the editor-in-chief, in an explanation of the choice.

"The drama surrounding the selection of the PC over Apple's Steve Jobs later became the stuff of books and a movie."

One of the cover images resembling the "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" photograph from the 1930s shows eight tech leaders sitting on the beam: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the CEO of Google's DeepMind division Demis Hassabis, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, who launched her own start up World Labs last year.

Another cover image shows scaffolding surrounding the giant letters "AI" made to look like computer componentry.

Five of the eight people selected — Musk, Zuckerberg, Huang, Altman and Su — are already billionaires with a collective fortune of $US870 billion, based on the latest estimates compiled by Forbes magazine. Much of the wealth has been accumulated during the past three years of AI fever.

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It made sense for Time to anoint AI because 2025 was the year that it shifted from "a novel technology explored by early adopters to one where a critical mass of consumers see it as part of their mainstream lives," Thomas Husson, principal analyst at research firm Forrester, said by email.

The magazine noted AI company CEOs' attendance at US President Donald Trump's inauguration this year in Washington DC as a herald for the prominence of the sector.

"This was the year when artificial intelligence's full potential roared into view, and when it became clear that there will be no turning back or opting out," Jacobs wrote.

AI was a leading contender for the top slot, according to prediction markets, along with Huang and Altman. Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope whose election this year followed the death of Pope Francis, was also considered a contender, with Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani topping lists as well.

The magazine's selection dates from 1927, when its editors have picked the person they say most shaped headlines over the previous 12 months.

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