All the top stories and other headlines from the day

An albatross injured in last week's lower North Island storm is due for release off the coast of Napier today and two others hurt in the same wild weather are on the road to recovery. They've rehabilitated at Palmerston North's Wildbase Hospital, where they're treated to a diet of salmon, and swim in an indoor pool. The hospital's manager said the increasing frequency of storms is keeping the service busy. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham paid a visit.

The goverment wants to cap rate increases at between two and four percent a year, saying double digit increases year after year are unsustainable for households. It plans to bring in a new law by January 2027, with a two year transition to caps. S & P said councils don't look ready to comply, only 5 out of 78 managed to deliver a rate increase below four percent for the 2025, 2026 year. LGNZ Board member and Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith spoke to Lisa Owen.

An international crew of 10 women, including one New Zealander, sailed out of Auckland today on an expedition to trace plastic in the ocean. Their first stop is Aotea, Great Barrier Island, where they'll conduct a plastic cleanup. From there, they'll sail to the Bay of Islands. The South Pacific expedition, which also includes Tonga, is the first stage of a global voyage by eXXpedition's to map plastic pollution from sea to source. Jessica Hopkins spoke to crew members onboard eX-Xpedition's steel boat before they left.

The NRL's newest club, the Papua New Guinea Chiefs, have secured one of the biggest names in the game, while the Warriors are fending off rumours one of their stars is set to leave. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A rural support network is bracing for what may be on the horizon for isolated commuties that rely on fuel as the conflict in the Middle East drags on. The US president has told his officials to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iranian ports, spiking oil prices. Rural Women New Zealand chief executive Sandra Kirby said its members feel like there's a long winter ahead. She spoke to Lisa Owen.

"Armed to the teeth." That's how Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of trying to assassinate the US President, was described in court. Prosecutors shared a photo of the 31-year-old equipped with a knife and ammunition, which they say he took in a hotel room before heading to the White House correspondents' dinner. Meanwhile, questions remain over who fired the shot that struck a Secret Service agent when the suspect rushed the lobby of the event. Washington DC correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen.

Supermarkets and cities are facing a problem with borrowed and abandoned shopping trolleys. A New World in Auckland's Point Chevalier has posted on social media that it's gutted at the sheer number of trollies that are AWOL just eight months after it opened. It effectively had an amnesty on Thursday, park it on the foot path and it was cruising the streets to collect them. Reporter Bella Craig went to talk to locals about trolley-gate. Meanwhile, hundreds of trolleys are being dumped around Hamilton. Vanessa Williams, General Manager of Love the Centre, the Hamilton Central Business Association spoke to Lisa Owen.

Mary Holm is with Jesse to talk money matters and today she's focusing on KiwiSaver: ACT's KiwiSaver idea and the two KiwiSaver changes Mary would most like to see.

The latest RNZ Pacific news.