One person was killed when his mobile home was crushed as a powerful tornado tore through a community near the southern tip of Texas before dawn on Saturday.

The system damaged dozens of residences and knocked down power lines, authorities said.

At least 10 others were hospitalised, including two people who were listed in critical condition, said Tom Hushen, the emergency management coordinator for Cameron County.

Many residents also suffered cuts and bruises.

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The tornado hit at about 4 am as most people were in their homes asleep in the unincorporated community of Laguna Heights, located on the mainland across from South Padre Island, off the Gulf of Mexico.

The county has among the highest poverty rates in Texas and is dotted with substandard housing.

There was no advance warning.

Instead, the first warning of a tornado "went out at the same time it was touching ground," said Barry Goldsmith, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Brownsville.

"With hurricanes we have the benefit of getting some advance warning; we know it's probably on its way," Eddie Treviño Jr., the Cameron County judge, said during a Saturday press conference.

"With a tornado, like Barry mentioned, it's not a common scenario unless we have a hurricane/tropical cyclone in the area. So, we didn't have the benefit of a warning."

"The hour didn't help," Treviño added.

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Roberto Flores, 42, died after being "basically crushed as a result of the damage to his mobile home," Treviño said.

The storm was clocked with wind speeds of 138-177 kph and was categorised as an EF1 tornado, according to the weather service.

It lasted only about two to four minutes but it ravaged the area.

As many as 60 homes were damaged. The county judge signed a disaster declaration, and a temporary shelter in the nearby city of Port Isabel was providing help to 38 people.

"Apparently it went straight through that community," said county sheriff Eric Garza.

"Individuals don't want to leave their houses because they're afraid that somebody will go in there and start stealing stuff."

Garza said his department is helping provide security for the area, and Treviño said officials were considering a nighttime curfew to help victims of the storm who fear their properties will be looted if they leave their property.

Laguna Heights is about 32 kilometres northeast of the US-Mexico border at Brownsville and is not prone to having tornados, although this spring has been active, said weather service meteorologist Angelica Soria.

The area is also gearing up for the start of hurricane season.

The Texas tornado follows an outbreak of dozens of twisters in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado that caused damage but no reported deaths.

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Two people have been arrested following an alleged two-hour standoff with police in Sydney's western suburbs yesterday. 

Police were called to the home, on Samarai Road in Whalan, at 6.20pm on Saturday after reports a man, 25, was allegedly being held hostage at knifepoint.

It's believed the man was allegedly threatened by other occupants of the home – who were known to him – and demanded he hand over cash.

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During an altercation between the 25-year-old and another man, the younger man fell out of a window and allegedly ran off.

After police worked out a woman was inside with her three young children – two girls aged 14 and 11 and a seven-year-old boy – a perimeter was established with the assistance of the Public Order and Riot Squad (PORS), the Tactical Operations Unit (TOU), PolAir and the Dog Squad.

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After a roughly two-hour stand-off, the man and woman inside the property were arrested without incident after they exited the home at about 8.30pm.

The 41-year-old woman was taken to Mt Druitt Police Station and the 38-year-old man was treated by paramedics and taken to Mt Druitt Hospital.

He was later escorted back to the station.

Each have been charged with detain a person in company with intent to obtain advantage and have both been refused bail.

They will appear at Parramatta Bail Court today.

The children are now in the care of Family and Community services.

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Four Western Australians have woken to life-changing news, having each pocketed a share of the $20 million Saturday Lotto Superdraw.

Each are expected to take home over $1.4 million.

The four are among a total of 14 winners from across the country. 

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Two of the winning tickets were believed to have been sold from Nextra Dianella and Forum Newsagency in Floreat, north-west of Perth, while another two were purchased online.

"We have already celebrated 36 division one winners this year," Lotterywest spokesperson James Mooney said.

WA division one winners had won more than $124 million this year, he added.

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"Compared to this time last year, we were sitting on 26 division one winners, so it has been a solid start to the first part of the year," Mooney said.

The Superdraw's winning numbers were 33, 23, 24, 36, 22 and 6.

More than 322,000 Saturday Lotto players will take home a prize between Divisions Two to Six across WA.

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Cancel culture, the online trend of calling out people, celebrities, brands and organisations – rightly or wrongly – for perceived social indiscretions or offensive behaviors, has become a polarising topic of debate.

To some, it's an important means of social justice and holding powerful figures to account. But to others, it's often "misused and misdirected" and has become a form of mob rule.

But one country wants to put an end to the deeply contested online phenomena by introducing what legal experts and observers say would be the world's first law against cancel culture – raising alarm among rights activists who fear that such legal powers could be used to stifle free speech.

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Over the past year, Singapore's government has been "looking at ways to deal with cancel culture," a spokesperson told CNN – amid what some say is a brewing culture war between gay rights supporters and the religious right following the recent decriminalisation of homosexuality in the largely conservative city-state.

Authorities said they were "examining existing related laws and legislation" after receiving "feedback" from conservative Christians who expressed fears about being canceled for their views by vocal groups online.

"People ought to be free to express their views without fear of being attacked on both sides," law minister K Shanmugam said in an interview with state media outlets in August.

"We should not allow a culture where people of religion are ostracised (or) attacked for espousing their views or their disagreements with LGBTIQ viewpoints – and vice versa," he added.

His comments came ahead of the historic repealing of a colonial-era law that criminalised gay sex – even if it was consensual.

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"We cannot sit by and do nothing. We have to look at the right boundaries between hate speech and free speech in this context," Shanmugam said.

"There could be wider repercussions for society at large where public discourse becomes impoverished… so we plan to do something about this."

In a statement to CNN, his law ministry said the impact of online cancel campaigns could be "far reaching and severe for victims."

"(Some) have been unable to engage in reasonable public discourse for fear of being attacked for their views online… and may engage in self censorship for fear of being made a target of cancel campaigns," a ministry spokesperson said.

What would a cancel law look like?

The first thing any law tackling cancel culture must do, would be to define the act of cancelling – an extremely complex challenge according to legal experts, given how contentious cancel culture can be.

The phrase first originated from the slang term "cancel," referring to breaking up with someone, according to the Pew Research Centre, and later gained traction on social media.

The Centre published a study around the cancel phenomenon in 2021 which revealed deep public division across demographic groups in the United States – from the very meaning of the phrase as well as what cancel culture represents.

According to Eugene Tan, an associate law professor from the Singapore Management University (SMU), there remains "no accepted definition" of canceling and as such, any proposed law would have to be "very clearly defined and worded."

"What does it mean when a person claims to be canceled? How would alleged victims show proof of being canceled?" said Tan, who once served as a nominated member of the Singapore Parliament.

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"All too often, incidents are interpreted, described or remembered by people in different ways. The lack of precision could result in the law being over inclusive, covering acts which it shouldn't," added Tan.

"But if the definition is limiting, the law could be under inclusive and not cover crucial acts when it should," said Tan.

Given how most cancel cases take place online, the new law would also have to be specially drafted with the internet in mind and likely involve cooperation from social media giants, lawyers in Singapore told CNN.

"A cancel law will have to involve the platforms on which people typically discuss or propagate anything related to cancellation and where materials are published," said Ian Ernst Chai, a lawyer who once served as a deputy public prosecutor in Singapore's Attorney General's Chambers.

Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok could possibly be asked to police users or comply with court orders to a certain extent, Chai said – and this could also include taking down posts and tweets deemed to be "in infringement of the law."

Special legal mechanisms would also be needed to identify perpetrators ('cancelers'), said other legal experts. "With cancel culture, things can spread immediately online and people's reputations can be ruined in a matter of hours," said criminal lawyer Joshua Tong.

"It is clear that traditional legal processes are not suitable for cancel scenarios and a different process must be used. The (new) law could contain sections like intervention mechanisms to stop cancel campaigns before they gather steam," added Tong.

In Singapore's case, there are also already several laws governing the internet which include an anti fake news bill – punishable with fines of up to 50,000 Singapore dollars ($38,000) or possible prison sentences of up to five years – as well as laws governing cyberbullying and doxing.

So a cancel law would have to be one that's very distinct in nature.

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Victoria Police have issued a blistering response to violent protests attended by neo-Nazi's in Melbourne's CBD yesterday, branding the brawl "appalling".

The group clashed with anti-fascist counter-protesters on the steps of Victorian state parliament, with police forced to intervene using capsicum spray and making a number of arrests.

Two men were taken into custody during the ordeal, a 30-year-old – accused of stealing a body-worn camera and assaulting police – and a 20-year-old – accused of discharging a missile and assaulting officers.

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Both are working with investigators but are yet to be charged.

Members of a far-right group, who were dressed in black with masks covering their face, staged the anti-immigration rally in Melbourne's CBD starting early on Saturday morning.

They were outnumbered by counter-protesters, some of whom hurled objects at the group after they performed Nazi salutes, leading to swift police intervention.

"Like the community, police were appalled at the acts displayed in Melbourne," a police statement read.

"Everyone has the right to feel safe in our community regardless of who they are.

"We understand incidents of anti-Semitism can leave communities feeling targeted, threatened and vulnerable. Hate and prejudice has no place in our society."

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews moved to outlaw performing Nazi salutes following a protest in March.

The change has not yet been legislated.

Many of the counter-protesters left to join a different rally in support of Palestine, the neo-Nazis were marched away from parliament by officers before dispersing.

The far-right protests were roundly condemned by both national and state political figures, with federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen calling the rally "unspeakably un-Australian".

"It's unacceptable. It's not on," he said.

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"This is pure and simple racism and neo-Nazism is pure and simple evil.

"It has no place in our country, it needs to be condemned and it is condemned by this government."

He continued to say the neo-Nazis were "political lunatics who have no place in modern Australia".

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto, in a joint statement with deputy Liberal leader David Southwick, was similarly condemnatory.

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"The Victorian Liberals and Nationals condemn neo-Nazi thugs and their toxic bigotry and hate," the statement said.

"Australia has a proud history of an orderly immigration program where people from all backgrounds come together in shared liberal-democratic values.

"This sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable and against the values of an inclusive, tolerant and multicultural community."

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With La Niña officially over, an El Niño watch issued ahead of summer and this week's unseasonable May cold snapquestions are swirling about what winter may hold.

A May-July forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) paints some of the picture, revealing below-median rainfall is "likely to very likely".

But to get a better understanding of what the entire season will look like, 9news.com.au spoke to Brad Jackson, a senior climatologist with the BoM.

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He said the chance of another winter marked by floods is slim. 

"The chance of exceeding medium rainfall is low," Jackson said.

"There will still be some rain, but it will probably just be lower than average.

"The only areas likely to receive average, or above average rainfall, is around north-west Western Australia."

For those that fear the cold, Jackson also had some good news.

He said much of Australia can expect "above-average temperatures".

"It depends where you're located within Australia," he said.

"(But) in areas where you have an average maximum temperature of say 10 degrees it might be a bit more, so 12, 13 or 14 degrees.

"I'll add that minimum temperatures around Australia are looking still above average throughout eastern New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, the northern Northern Territory.

"Around central parts of Australia, you're looking around average.

"So you're still looking at some slightly warmer nights probably as well."

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When it comes to winter, there's no business like snow business, so are we likely to get a bumper dusting of the white stuff?

Jackson said you may want to hold off booking the ski holiday just yet.

"It's a bit too far out to really say what it is going to be like, but depending on what happens with the climate drivers and if we end up say, in an El Niño with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), these years usually deliver the least amount of snow," he said.

"Once we get through Autumn we will be able to firm up that outlook a bit more."

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A New South Wales woman who helped a friend after they were locked out of their Facebook account ended up falling for a scam that railroaded her small business page.

Patricia Lyons thought it was a "feasible scenario" when her friend contacted her on Messenger while she was making dinner, asking her to take a screenshot of a text message to help her get back into her account.

But the text message she sent back to her 'friend' allowed a hacker to infiltrate her woodturning business' Instagram, which took away an important marketing tool.

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Australians lost more than $3.1 billion to scammers last year, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, but it's not just the dollar value that's at risk.

Lyons had followers all over the world and then found herself locked out of her account, watching her posts be deleted one by one from her son's phone.

She had also taken the necessary security precautions to keep her account secure, including a strong password and two-factor authentication, when she responded to her friend who had contacted her through her own account.

"She would arrange for the text to get sent to me and it stressed 'do not click the link'," Lyons said.

"All I had to do was screenshot the message and then send it to my friend on Messenger, and that would prove that we are friends.

"What I didn't know was that there is a screenshot hacking scam out at present."

Lyons said once she sent back the screenshot, the hackers were able to access her phone remotely with a session token.

"On my phone, of course, I never log in and out of Instagram, which means the session token was open for them to go in," she said.

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Lyons believes it is possible the loss of followers has affected her future sales and while she has a new Instagram account, she does not have as many followers as she did before.

Small businesses can be particularly vulnerable to hacking due to a lack of resources and dedicated IT departments, according to My Business general manager Phil Parisis.

The latest data from Microsoft shows hackers are conducting 921 password attacks every second, a 74 per cent increase from 2021.

Parisis said weak passwords are "one of the top causes of data breaches and cyberattacks" for small businesses.

"Make sure staff undergo regular security training exercises to follow password hygiene best practices, including identifying and reporting suspicious emails and messages" he said.

Two-factor authentication is also strongly recommended for extra protection.

Lyons' advice to other small business owners is to "confirm everything first".

"If it's something different that doesn't happen every day, ignore it or confirm with the person via a phone call that it's them."

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A woman has refused help by allegedly threatening emergency services with an axe after she became trapped in her crashed car in Adelaide.

The 33-year-old flipped her car onto its side and became stuck in Goodwood near Rosa Street just before 11pm last night.

South Australia Police said emergency services went to the scene but when they attempted to help the woman she allegedly threatened them with the axe.

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Police allege she eventually dropped the weapon and was helped out of the car.

"She was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment and a mental health assessment," SA Police said in a statement.

The woman is expected to be released into police custody later today.

She is facing numerous charges including driving without due care and assaulting police.

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Lotto winner – are you New Zealand’s latest multi-millionaire?

Napier Old Boys Marist scored 15 tries in a near record-breaking match.