House prices have doubled over the past 10 years in suburbs across Australia.

A Victorian residential builder has reassured it will complete its customers' homes after it "had no choice" but to enter voluntary administration.

The Harmac Group, which is the parent company of Harmac Homes, Harmac Constructions, Harmac Urban Living and Ridge Homes, yesterday appointed Shaun Matthews and Barry Wight from Cor Cordis to restructure the business.

The Harmac Group is an experienced new home builder in Melbourne and regional Victoria and has display homes in Bendigo, Werribee, Ballarat, Donnybrook, Mickleham, Sunbury and Leopold.

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The group has admitted that is is facing economic challenges, but has emphasised that it has not collapsed, telling customers in a letter that it plans to get the "business back on track" to complete their homes.

"We understand this is disappointing news for our customers, but want them – and our trades, suppliers and other stakeholders – to know Harmac Homes has not collapsed and is not in liquidation," a statement from Harmac Homes reads.

"Our intention is to work closely with the Administrators on a plan to get the business onto a stronger footing and to get customers' homes built.

"It's no secret that builders are facing many challenges right now, with spiralling materials and labour costs and rising inflation putting unprecedented pressure on the construction sector.

"Given these economic challenges, we had no choice but to enter voluntary administration."

The company has told its customers that work on all its build will stop for the next five weeks.

"This is a pause, not a stop," managing directors Paul McMahon and Bryan Milne have reassured in a letter.

It's understood about 50 homes will be affected. However, a spokesperson for the group has told 9news.com.au the company hopes about 15 of the homes will be able to be completed and handed to customers during this time.

Cor Cordis has said in a statement that it will "urgently assess the business operations and explore all options to restructure or recapitalise the businesses, including through a deed of company arrangement" while construction is halted.

The Harmac Group is the latest in a series of construction companies to be sent into administration by the construction industry crisis.

It could soon be time to say goodbye to the familiar sight of a Coles Express at your local servo, with one major fuel retailer awaiting approval for a new merger with a South Australian store chain.

Viva Energy is waiting for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to rule on its proposed merger with OTR, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

The decision is expected next month.

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Viva is building a network of convenience petrol stations around the country that it would rebrand Coles Express locations with the OTR label if the deal is approved.

"We intend to take the OTR offer and brand nationally by implementing this progressively across the existing Coles Express network and within all stores that get opened over the coming years," Viva chief executive Scott Wyatt said when the deal was announced earlier this year.

"OTR will be our flagship convenience brand, replacing Coles Express over time, and very much representing the future of our convenience business."

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Over the next three years the combined group aims to build a network of nearly 1000 convenience stores, and more than 250 specialty stores across Australia, employing more than 12,000 people.

OTR's website says the company has 180 stores across South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, Northern Territory, and Western Australia.

As well as groceries and petrol, the stores also serve food from major brand such as Subway, Hungry Jacks and Oporto.

Eight people were killed in Moscow after they became trapped underground by flood waters during a guided tour of the city's sewers.

Russian media reported on Tuesday the bodies of the eight people who took part in an unauthorised group tour of Moscow's sewers have been found by authorities.

"As of today, all eight members of the group have been found dead. The search operation is over," a spokesman for the city's emergency services told TASS.

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Water levels in the sewers rose quickly after a torrential downpour on Sunday and the victims couldn't flee to the surface.

The group was reported to have been exploring the underground Neglinka river, a tributary of the Moskva River.

Russian authorities have charged three organisers of the tour with failing to meet safety standards and causing death through negligence.

The offences carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Originally more than 20 people signed up for the tour, the Ria news agency said, although most of them later withdrew because heavy rain was forecast.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the apologies offered by Luis Rubiales, President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), for giving Spain midfielder Jennifer Hermoso an unwanted kiss on the lips are "not enough."

Amid widespread criticism of the incident, including from the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), Sánchez answered questions from reporters on Tuesday and said that "what we saw was an unacceptable gesture".

"Regarding Mr. Rubiales and all the controversy that has taken place, in the first place I believe that they, the players, they have done everything to win," Sánchez said.

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"But it is true that there has been some behaviour, in this case of Mr. Rubiales, which shows that in our country there is still a long way to go in terms of equality and respect and in this equalisation of rights between women and men.

"The apologies made by Mr. Rubiales are not enough. I even think that they are not appropriate and that, therefore, Mr. Rubiales needs to continue to take steps to clarify what we all saw," added Sánchez.

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Rubiales and Sánchez met earlier on Tuesday and shook hands when the Spain squad visited the Moncloa Palace – the Spanish prime minister's residence – to receive the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit.

"The president of the federation is chosen, or fired, by the federation's members," Sánchez added in response to a question about whether he would look to remove Rubiales from his post.

"I've already said in my first response to your colleagues, that his explanation was insufficient, that Mr. Rubiales has to take more steps to clear up his behaviour, which in any light, is unacceptable.

"It doesn't connect with the majority sentiment of the citizenry, which clearly bets on equality between men and women and which, logically, well we've seen his statements of apology, which I don't know if you've all seen it, but I think that they're insufficient."

CNN has reached out to the RFEF for comment on Sánchez's remarks but did not hear back by the time of publication.

On Monday, Rubiales admitted he "made a mistake" by giving Hermoso a kiss on the lips after the 33-year-old had collected her winners' medal following the Women's World Cup final victory over England.

Rubiales has faced widespread criticism for the incident, with his behaviour labelled "unacceptable" and "simply disgusting".

"Hey, I didn't like it, eh," Hermoso said as she apparently answered questions about the incident in an Instagram live video, a clip of which was shared by Spanish journalist Irati Vida on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Later in the Instagram live video – taken in Spain's locker room – Hermoso fields a question from another woman: "But what were you doing, sis?" The 33-year-old replies: "But what am I supposed to do?"

On the radio program El Tiempo de Juego on Cadena COPE, Hermoso spoke of the kiss on Sunday, saying "she didn't expect it" but that "it was because of the emotion of the moment, there's nothing more there. It's just going to be an anecdote [of the time]. I'm absolutely sure it won't be blown up more."

Reaction

AFE, which seeks to defend the rights of Spanish soccer players, called Rubiales' actions "lamentable."

"The physical gestures directed towards any person, in this case a footballer, are never appropriate or acceptable in whichever context without the express consent of the affected person," a statement from AFE read.

"It's especially serious given what happened with Jennifer Hermoso who found herself in a state of clear vulnerability before a person in a position of power over her who initiated an approach or realising a physical gesture."

The independent body called for authorities to seek legal remedies through the Law of Sport, should Rubiales not resign "immediately."

The issue has been widely condemned in Spain, including from politicians across the political spectrum.

"We maintain our asking of the resignation of the gentleman who belittled and assaulted a woman. His excuses serve absolutely nothing," Yolanda Díaz, Spain's acting second deputy prime minister and leader of the Sumar party, said in a press conference.

Cuca Gamarra, parliamentary spokesperson and secretary general of the Partido Popular, also said: "All institutional leaders should have exemplary behavior and that exemplary nature should be respect towards women and what we saw in that final in this sense was shameful. Only shame comes to my mind, at a minimum."

We should not feel bad about getting taken in, according to psychology professor.

Jacob Ramsay was beaten, chained to a car and dragged to his death.

A Queensland mother is calling for change after she claims she was denied food at a hospital because she wasn't breastfeeding her baby.

Brisbane lawyer Sarah Stoddard's 12-week-old daughter Sophie woke up in the middle of the night unwell three weeks ago.

"I knew something was wrong. She took the milk and then basically projectile vomited everywhere and just the temperature coming off her skin was crazy," Stoddard told 9News.

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For any parent or caregiver, this can be a stressful experience with the pain of watching a sick child suffering a fever, vomiting, or painful cries.

A frantic trip to an emergency department can ensue, which only adds to the stress.

For Stoddard, the emergency department visit turned into a bureaucratic nightmare.

Twelve hours after arriving at Prince Charles Hospital's emergency department where Stoddard's daughter was admitted, she asked staff whether she'd be able to get access to a meal.

She was then handed a welcome sheet.

"They had circled and brought to my attention that only breastfeeding mothers were entitled to meals," she said.

"First of all [it] made me feel devastated and guilty but then quite enraged, that that is a decision that is being made in this country and this state in 2023."

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Stoddard was given an exception for one meal and was told the staff would "sneak through an approval". But with her partner at home taking care of the couple's other children, Stoddard said she was made to feel guilty for a decision she had made for the benefit of her and her baby.

Vowing to fight for change, Stoddard shared her experience with 9News to help other mums.

"In that first trimester and beyond they're already struggling with enough, they don't need the judgement from the government as to how they chose to feed their child," she said.

9News raised the issue with Metro North Health and can reveal as a result of Stoddard's complaint and experience the hospital has changed its policy at the Prince Charles Hospital and others in the region, including the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

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"The Prince Charles Hospital now provides meals to parents of children six months and under who are admitted into our care," it said in a statement.

"Parents of all patients admitted to the Paediatric Ward at The Prince Charles Hospital have access to food, water, tea and coffee.

"Further paid options, including fresh food vending machines, cafes and a stocked fridge, are accessible 24hrs a day."

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said: "In my view it shouldn't really matter whether you are breastfeeding or not, it should be about trying to make our parents who are doing the best they can to look after their sick kids as comfortable as possible."

Fentimen said she will be working with other hospitals across the state to make sure mothers – breastfeeding or not – are provided with food during a hospital stay with their child.

This is the third time a person has been struck by a car in the country today.

An urgent rescue effort is underway in Pakistan for eight children and two adults trapped in a chairlift dangling 365 metres over a mountainous region in the country's northwest.

The children were traveling to school in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when one of the chairlift's cables snapped at 9am local time on Tuesday, according to rescue official Bilal Ahmad Faizi.

Tanveer Ur Rehman, a local Battagram district official, said rescue efforts were being conducted from the ground due to the height of the chairlift system.

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"The chairlift is hanging 365 metres above ground," he said.

"Rescue efforts are impossible without a helicopter, and experienced rescue officials are needed to ensure the rescue goes smoothly."

The country's disaster management authority has requested helicopter assistance to rescue the stranded passengers, according to a statement seen by CNN.

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The chairlift connects two communities in the region and runs on two cables, one of which snapped, Faizi said.

Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has ordered all "dilapidated and non-compliant chairlifts" to close immediately, according to a statement from his office.

Many children who live in remote and mountainous parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province rely on cable cars to ferry them to school and back.

Some of these lack regular maintenance and can be a risky form of travel.