After their weeklong journey turned into a months-long stay on the International Space Station, two Boeing Starliner astronauts are now within reach of the spacecraft that will eventually bring them home.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, chosen by NASA to carry astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth after their Starliner spacecraft was deemed too risky for crew, has arrived at the space station.

The vehicle, on a mission called Crew-9, docked at the ISS at about 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

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On board the SpaceX vehicle were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Alongside them were two empty seats, saved for Williams and Wilmore to occupy when the group returns to Earth next year.

The capsule's hatch opened at about 7:04 p.m. ET, allowing Hague and Gorbunov to enter the space station.

A welcome ceremony with Hague, Gorbunov, Williams, Wilmore and the other seven crew members currently on board the orbiting laboratory took place shortly after.

Hague and Gorbunov launched aboard the Crew Dragon on Saturday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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Though they reached their intended orbit without a hitch, SpaceX later revealed that the second stage, or upper portion, of the Falcon 9 rocket that powered the first part of their journey experienced an issue after it broke away from the capsule.

"After today's successful launch of Crew-9, Falcon 9's second stage was disposed in the ocean as planned, but experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn," the company shared in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

"As a result, the second stage safely landed in the ocean, but outside of the targeted area."

SpaceX indicated it would pause flights using Falcon 9 – the world's most frequently launched rocket – as it explored the anomaly.

"We will resume launching after we better understand root cause," the company said in the X post.

CNN has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for comment.

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Months in space

Together, Hague, Williams, Wilmore and Gorbunov will complete SpaceX's Crew-9 team.

The group will spend about five months on board the space station before returning home no earlier than February.

Williams and Wilmore first traveled to the International Space Station in early June aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft for what was expected to be a weeklong test mission.

But issues with helium leaks and malfunctioning thrusters left engineers scrambling to figure out what went wrong – and NASA ultimately decided the Starliner's problems were not well enough understood for the space agency to allow Williams and Wilmore back on board.

The Starliner instead flew home empty on September 6.

After deciding not to return Williams and Wilmore to Earth on the Starliner, NASA opted instead to rearrange SpaceX's flight plans, booting two other astronauts – spaceflight veteran Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman, who was set to make her first trip to space – off the Crew-9 mission to make room for the Starliner team.

But that meant Williams and Wilmore would have to fulfill the duties of the original Crew-9 staff, taking up months' worth of routine work on the space station before their return trip.

Space agency officials said spacecraft availability and ISS needs played a role in the decision to keep Williams and Wilmore in space for a full crew rotation rather than bringing them back to Earth sooner.

"We talked a lot about what to do in terms of when to rotate them back down," said Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, in news conference on Friday.

"When we look at the vehicles that we have ready – and the flights – it just made a lot of sense to rotate them back down with Crew-9 and have the two empty seats. Obviously the Crew-8 vehicle wasn't the right time to bring them back down."

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He added that NASA's next mission to the space station will involve a new capsule.

"We could schedule it a little shorter, but we'd have to have another vehicle ready. So when we worked with SpaceX, that next vehicle for Crew-10 that's going to be in the February time frame, that's a brand-new Dragon we're trying to get ready," Stich said.

"We'd like to fly that Dragon and space out the flights across the Dragons. And so really that's the reason we'll just keep Butch and Suni there a little longer."

Both Williams and Wilmore – veterans of earlier missions to the space station – have said they easily adjusted to the idea of staying in space until next year, with Williams noting the microgravity environment is her "happy place."

Rounding out the staff currently on board the International Space Station are NASA's Don Pettit and Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

The three arrived at the space station aboard a Russian Soyuz vehicle on September 11.

Pettit and Gorbunov rode aboard spacecraft developed outside their home countries as part of a seat-swapping agreement between NASA and its Russian counterpart.

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Millions of Aussies admit they've had their credit or debit card details stolen recently as scammers turn to more sophisticated methods.

One in six Australians have had their debit or credit card skimmed in the past 12 months alone, research from Finder has revealed.

The survey uncovered the concerning truth about credit card fraud in the country – and found some people don't even bother reporting it.

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Finder surveyed 1049 people and found 17 per cent of Aussies – which is equivalent to 3.6 million people – had been the victim of credit card fraud in the past year.

And 4 per cent of them admitted they "didn't report it".

Another 3 per cent of respondents said they had been scammed but didn't realise until much later.

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Rebecca Pike, Finder's money expert, said the worrying statistics indicate scammers are becoming more sophisticated and can often operate undetected.

"It seems almost impossible for someone to steal your credentials without having your physical card, but it happens quite often," she said.

"Phishing is one of the most common schemes scammers will use to coerce you into providing your credit card information willingly, but there are also a number of other ways scammers are targeting vulnerable individuals."

Pike said unsecure Wi-Fi networks and card skimming machines are responsible for many of the scams.

She recommended people opt-in for phone notifications when you make transactions which will make it easier to identify fraud.

"Take every step you can to minimise the risk – don't save passwords on sites, be really certain you can trust anywhere you enter your card into and check ATMs for skimmers," Pike added.

"Importantly, don't give your card information to anyone over the phone or via text or email – if someone calls and asks for your number over the phone, assume it's a scam."

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A New South Wales man discovered he'd been a multi-millionaire for almost a week after realising he'd bought the sole division one winning lotto ticket for last Tuesday.

The Bathurst man takes home the entire $15 million Oz Lotto jackpot.

The winning entry was unregistered, meaning lotto officials had to wait for the mystery ticketholder to discover their life-changing news and come forward to claim their prize.

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"I'm still in shock," the winner said.

"When I checked my ticket, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

"I seriously didn't know what to do at that moment. All I remember was that my spine was tingling."

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He said he would use his prize money to look after his family.

The winning ticket was purchased at Wilberforce Newsagency in Wilberforce Shopping Centre, Wilberforce.

Newsagency owner Allison Griffith said the outlet had been buzzing with excitement ever since they found out they'd sold the ticket.

"We've had the newsagency for 17 years now and this is our first major win," she said.

"Our customers and local community are over the moon to hear someone from the region has won such a big prize."

There are many different ways to get help and information about gambling. You can visit the National Gambling Helpline or call on 1800 858 858.

American country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor Kris Kristofferson, who was also a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma, has died.

Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii on Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88.

McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No cause was given.

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Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas native wrote such classics standards as Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down, Help Me Make it Through the Night, For the Good Times and Me and Bobby McGee.

Kristofferson was a singer himself, but many of his songs were best known as performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning For the Good Times or Janis Joplin belting out Me and Bobby McGee.

Kristofferson, who could recite works by English 18th-century poet William Blake from memory, wove intricate folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music.

With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a new breed of country songwriters along with such peers as Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T. Hall.

"There's no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson," Nelson said during a November 2009 award ceremony for Kristofferson held by BMI.

"Everything he writes is a standard and we're all just going to have to live with that."

As an actor, he played the leading man opposite Barbara Streisand and Ellen Burstyn, but also had a fondness for shoot-out Westerns and cowboy dramas.

Bushfire season kicks off tomorrow, and residents in New South Wales are being warned to prepare for a long, warm summer.

Already since July 1, firefighters across the state have responded to more than 1600 bushfires and grass fires.

Hazard reduction burns have already taken place around Sydney, with 100 extra crew members put on by the state government as they continue to reduce fuel loads.

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Residents are encouraged to take steps themselves to reduce fire risk, including by trimming overhanging trees and shrubs, mowing grass, cleaning the gutters, and preparing a sturdy hose that can reach around their homes.

People are also urged to remove burnable material from around their residents – everything from mulch, to wood piles, to door mats.

The bushfire season runs from October 1 to March 31 next year.

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"Consecutive years of wet weather have fuelled growth of vegetation like grasslands, particularly west of the Great Dividing Range," Rural Fire Service Commissioner Rob Rogers said.

"Grass fires can be especially dangerous because they start quickly and spread rapidly, destroying homes and stock.

"There can never be a fire truck outside every home, so people need to have a plan in place if threatened by fire. Make sure your whole family knows whether you will stay and defend your home or will leave early – and if so, where you will go."

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Bush Fire Survival Plans and information on preparing your property and family are available on the RFS website.

Residents can stay up to date on fires in their area using the RFS website, the Hazards Near Me app, listening to your local radio station, or by calling the RFS Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737.

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A fire at a US chemical plant apparently caused by a sprinkler head malfunction overnight is forcing evacuations and road closures in the area, according to local officials.

The incident unfolded around 5am local time (7pm Sunday AEST) at BioLab in Conyers, Georgia. Water from the malfunctioned sprinkler head "came in contact with a water reactive chemical and produced a plume," county officials explained on their website.

CNN has reached out to BioLab, described as a manufacturer of pool and spa treatment products, for comment.

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A fire broke out on the roof and firefighters were able to contain the blaze, but the fire reignited hours later, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett said in a video message posted on Facebook.

"I want to strongly ask all of you to please spread the word to stay away from this area at this point," Levett said.

"It's burning pretty good. We're trying to get that under control, but at the same time we're also trying to get the traffic under control."

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Roads are closed in the area, and residents between Sigman Road and Interstate 20 were asked to evacuate. Additionally, the interstate is blocked in both directions between Salem Road and Turner Hill.

The sheriff said he will ask for assistance from the Georgia Department of Public Safety and the Georgia State Patrol.

Those north of Sigman were asked to shelter in place and keep their windows closed.

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The Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments also asked nearby residents to turn off air conditioning "to minimise exposure to potential hazards."

In September 2020, BioLab experienced a "thermal decomposition event" that also led to a fire that temporarily closed Interstate 20.

In its final report on the incident, the US Chemical Safety Board found that strong winds from Hurricane Laura damaged the lab's warehouse, allowing rainwater into the building. The water came in contact with a chemical and initiated a reaction that caused the fire.

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The family of a toddler who died at a Perth hospital is ramping up their bid for change.

Sanjoy Dhar is asking the public to sign a petition calling for the government to cancel a 15-year contract with Ramsay Health Care to run the Joondalup Health Campus.

"I'm not talking about myself because I know that I will not get back my son, but we want that no one feels the same consequences," Dhar said.

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Dhar's son Sandipan was just 21 months old when he died in March from an undiagnosed but treatable leukaemia.

His parents claim he was refused blood tests at Joondalup Health Campus that would have picked the cancer up, despite a GP referral requesting them.

The father is now launching two wide-ranging petitions.

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One includes a call for Ramsay Health Care, which runs the facility to be stopped from operating services in WA.

The other demands mandatory protocols to ensure diagnostic tests are undertaken.

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said she's in contact with the family.

'We have been working closely with them on the changes they want to see," she said.

A Ramsay Health Care-initiated report has already cleared medical staff working when the toddler was there of wrongdoing.

Today, the health provider declined to comment on the petitions, telling 9News it's expecting results of an independent review into the hospitals' paediatric emergency services in the coming weeks.

"We have now seen a number of times where West Australians haven't received the health care they desperately need," opposition MP Steve Martin said.

The petitions are set to be tabled in state parliament in November, with the family hoping to receive 100,000 signatures.

"I didn't able to get the time to cry. The day we get the justice, I will do that," Dhar said.

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These are the Australian suburbs where median house prices have boomed.

Homeownership has become near impossible for most Australians as new data shows that it would take the average person about a decade to save for a deposit. 

The 2024 Helia Home Buyer Sentiment Report found it would take 14 years to save up for the traditional 20 per cent deposit for a home in Sydney and nine years for a home in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

In Adelaide and Perth, it would take eight years. In Hobart, it would take seven years and in Darwin, it would take six years.  

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"The size of the deposit is huge so that task is almost insurmountable for a number of people. Just that sheer length of time is a barrier in and of itself," University of Sydney senior urbanism lecturer Laurence Troy said.

"If you find yourself in a private rental paying the very high rents we have now and also trying to save, that just becomes an impossible task."

It comes as house prices inch out of reach with the average price of a home in Australia rising to $973,000 in June, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

"As prices have been escalating quite significantly, the challenge just gets further and further in front of you and you can't actually keep up with the pace of change," Troy said.

Troy said some have given up while others are waiting to inherit their parents home. 

"There are some people that we've spoke to that have decided, or acknowledged, that they won't be able to achieve homeownership during their working lives and their parents aren't in a position to support them to get homeownership," he said.

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Meanwhile, others are consequently filling in the gap by turning to their family for support to keep up with ballooning prices.

The report found 42 per cent of adults under the age of 29 are living with their parents to save for a home, compared to 37 per cent the previous year. 

Another 11 per cent are pooling with friends and family to buy a home and 16 per cent are turning to the bank of mum and dad. 

"I've had people buying with friends and co-borrowing with family, sisters and brothers co-borrowing, pooling their money together," Mortgage Choice broker Ben Williams said.

Troy said the average Australian can't achieve homeownership without family support.

"There are possibilities in other cities if you can make some tradeoffs and find yourself in cheaper housing markets on the fringe but in Sydney, those tradeoffs don't exist anymore," he said.

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The future for generation rent

The term refers to young Australians who are forced to rent because they have been shut out from homeownership or have had to wait longer to purchase a home.

"They won't find homeownership unless families can help them out along the way," Troy said.

"All these wider structural changes in housing, labor markets and wealth inequality has meant there's people that just can't achieve it and often we call them generation rent."

Troy said those within generation rent could face a lifetime of rental housing which can impact wealth into retirement.

"If you're not in home ownership when you retire, you will face problems because your income is fixed, is relatively low and you just can't afford rents in capital cities. People find themselves pushed into fringe areas or regional areas," he said.

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"There is a kind of wealth inequality and it creates poverty in older generations."

Despite the dire future outlook for many young people, the generation appear eager to break into the housing market.

"It might not be today but people are still keen. This is what people want to do. You know, that's the dream," Williams said.

"The conversations haven't stopped."

The Bureau of Meteorology has apologised after a tsunami warning was sent for Australia's east coast today in error.

The bureau said there was no threat after the tsunami alert was sent to users of the BOM Weather app between 11am and 12pm today.

"The Bureau acknowledges and apologises for any confusion that this test may have caused," it said in a statement.

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"The test warnings were sent to the BOM Weather app for various locations. The test warnings were cancelled immediately after they were issued."

The false alerts were sent during a planned transition to a new tsunami early warning software.

In the BOM Weather app, users were warned via a notification of a "tsunami threat to the marine environment" on the NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania coast.

The warnings were marked "TEST" inside the app.

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The warning was live about 11.42am, as seen in screenshots shared with 9news.com.au.

The alert was later cancelled.

"There is NO tsunami threat to Australia," the bureau said.

Testing is important for the bureau and partners to plan for real tsunami threats, the bureau added.

It works in tandem with the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) which operates 24 hours a day to detect, monitor and warn of any tsunami threat to Australia.

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