Two people have died and one person is in hospital in a critical condition after a house fire at Werribee in Melbourne's south-west this morning.

Emergency services were called to a fire at a two-storey unit on Manor Street around 7.25am today.

When they arrived, two people were found dead at the scene.

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A third man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

READ MORE: Million dollar reward leads to Toyah Cordingley alleged murder suspect arrest

The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage as police investigate.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact authorities.

A 28-year-old man has been charged with raping a woman in the back of the store he worked at in a Canberra shopping centre.

Police allege the employee of a retail store in Westfield Belconnen closed the security shutters and began taking photographs of the woman while she was out of view of the public around 5pm on Thursday, November 3.

He then allegedly encouraged her to enter a small office at the back of the store where he allegedly had sex with her without her consent.

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The woman went to hospital afterwards and underwent a forensic medical examination, before reporting the alleged rape to police.

Police executed a search warrant and arrested the man at the store yesterday.

The man from the Canberra suburb of Phillip will face ACT Magistrates Court today after being charged with sexual intercourse without consent.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

Former President Donald Trump hosted White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and rapper Kanye West at his Mar-a-Lago estate this week, demonstrating his continued willingness to associate with figures who have well-publicised antisemitic views as he embarks on another White House run.

West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, posted a video Thursday on Twitter in which he claimed that Trump "is really impressed with Fuentes," who has repeatedly made antisemitic and racist comments as chronicled by the Anti-Defamation League.

Fuentes, West said in the Twitter video, "is actually a loyalist" to Trump, unlike others who he said abandoned the former president after the 2020 election.

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In a text message conversation tweeted by West on Thursday, he and Fuentes said they both met with the former president.

A source confirmed to CNN Trump's dinner with Fuentes and West, who became engulfed in controversy after repeating antisemitic conspiracy theories and making other offensive claims during an appearance on a podcast in October.

Trump acknowledged the dinner in a post on Truth Social Friday stating: "This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago".

READ MORE: Million dollar reward leads to Toyah Cordingley alleged murder suspect arrest

"Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about.

"We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport."

West's recent antisemitic remarks caused companies that he was affiliated with, including Adidas and Balenciaga, to sever their relationships with him.

He has made numerous inflammatory statements over the years, including assertions that slavery was a "choice" and "racism is a dated concept".

The Anti-Defamation League has identified Fuentes as a White supremacist and he has been banned from most major social media platforms for his White nationalist rhetoric.

Fuentes was present on the grounds of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and he has promoted Trump's unsubstantiated claims about fraud in the 2020 election.

The House select committee investigating the events of January 6 issued a subpoena to Fuentes in January.

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West tweeted late Tuesday night that he had kept Trump waiting during his first visit to Mar-a-Lago due to rain and traffic.

And Right Wing Watch, a project of the left-leaning group People for the American Way, posted Tuesday footage of West and Fuentes walking through the Miami airport together.

That footage was included in the video West posted on Twitter.

The $50 million Powerball winner is from the New South Wales town of Forster, lottery officials have confirmed.

The mid north coast resident holds the only division one winning entry nationally, which was drawn on Thursday.

Officials have named the town in hopes the winning ticket holder will come forward to claim their prize, for draw 1384.

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"The multi-million-dollar winning entry was registered, however, officials from The Lott have not been able to reach the ticketholder on the contact details provided to let them know of their life-changing win," a lottery spokesperson said.

The winning entry was purchased at Tull's Newsagency, Shop 1, 32 Wharf Street, Forster.

"The Lott officials are urging anyone who purchased an entry into last Thursday's Powerball draw from Tull's Newsagency to check their ticket as soon as possible and make contact to claim their prize."

READ MORE: Million dollar reward leads to Toyah Cordingley alleged murder suspect arrest

Officials said it was the second multi-million dollar prize in the town this month, as a Forster man scored $20 million in Oz Lotto on November 2.

Tull's Newsagency manager Vanessa Deland said it's the biggest win the newsagency had ever had.

"We're always telling our customers, 'we're due for one soon', and it's happened," Deland said.

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The Lott spokesperson James Eddy said in NSW lottery players had up to six years to claim their prize.

"However, we're in the business of paying prizes, so we do hope the wonderful winner comes forward soon so we can start the process of paying the prize into their bank account," Eddy said.

The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1384 on Thursday 24 November 2022 were 14, 6, 9, 25, 27, 31 and 33. The all-important Powerball number was 15.

The $1 million reward posted by Queensland Police has led to the arrest of the main suspect in the alleged murder of Toyah Cordingley, which is a relief for police, family and friends.

Rajwinder Singh was arrested in India yesterday, after Cordingley's body was found by her father Troy in sand dunes on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, in October 2018.

Singh, a nurse in Innisfail who boarded a plane for India days after she was killed, has now been identified by police as the main suspect in the case.

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The information given to police, after the appeal on the four year anniversary, was in relation to the religious sect Singh was allegedly living with.

9News understands there was a tip-off he was travelling to a doctor's appointment and that's when police locally swooped on his vehicle.

Family, friends and police are relieved by the arrest, four years after the alleged murder.

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"This part of the story is the closest to the end it's ever been, and it's a good feeling, believe me," family friend Wayne Trimble said.

"We've been waiting a long time for this."

Rajwinder Singh fronted court yesterday and details of what he's been doing over the past couple of years are all starting to come to light.

Yesterday Commissioner Carroll described the years-long investigation as "intense and comprehensive" and said it was a joint operation between local and international authorities.

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Police Minister Mark Ryan said while the development was promising, "this is very early days in this next step of delivering justice for Toyah".

Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus released a statement saying extraditing Singh was a "high priority" for the Commonwealth.

In the four years since Cordingley's death, her father Troy and the 24-year-old's mother Vanessa Gardiner have been making appeals to find the person who allegedly killed the "beautiful and spiritual" woman since then.

"It was a turning point for me. It meant someone believed in me."

Kathy was the victim of a domestic violence shooting at her home in Queensland 12 years ago. She was shot through the hip and needed major surgery but she has been left with the lasting impacts of the injury.

She was left in financial and emotional disarray after the traumatic incident and was unable to afford essential items like menstrual products.

"I was so demoralised and traumatised after years and years of domestic violence and I felt so powerless," Kathy told 9news.com.au.

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But one day she received an "It's in the Bag" handbag from Share the Dignity, a charity aiming to end period poverty, which contained necessary hygiene and menstrual products.

"To me, that handbag was a statement of empowerment," she said.

"We got to choose our own handbags. When you're given something it's nice, but we were given a choice and for us even choosing a handbag that was unconditionally given was a beautiful gift.

"It had products we needed but the idea of choice, of empowerment.

"I'd never had a handbag and it was the most beautiful gift."

When Kathy was shot, she was an apprentice baker and 12 years later she now works as a baker full-time with Woolworths.

"I've made it to where I thought I would never be," she said.

For domestic violence survivors like Kathy, their financial situation can mean buying products like pads and tampons isn't something they can afford.

Data shows one in five Aussie women have been forced to improvise on period products and 50 per cent admitted to wearing sanitary products for more than four hours because they didn't have enough to get by.

The startling statistics of Australian women facing period poverty weren't well known to Townsville Fire basketball player Lauren Nicholson.

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"Not enough people talk about it and it's something that when you have access or the funds you don't think about it too much," she told 9news.com.au.

"Now we're aware of the statistics and how many people don't have access it's eye-opening."

In light of the "alarming" statistics, the Cygnett Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) has partnered with the national charity Share the Dignity to raise awareness about period poverty in Australia.

Like Nicholson, the head of WNBL Christy Collier-Hill said the period poverty statistics were alarming and wasn't aware of how prevalent the issue is.

"I think in Australia it should never be an issue," she said.

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Collier-Hill said the partnership with Share the Dignity to raise awareness and funds is an important cause for the women's league.

"We're all women, we have periods, we get it and feel the same," she said.

"It is a part of life and our objective is to normalise conversations around periods."

Share the Dignity Founder and Managing Director Rochelle Courtenay said she hopes the themed round will raise more awareness about the crisis.

"I want to ensure there is not a single person in Australia who doesn't know period poverty exists. With the help of the WNBL, our voice will be amplified," she said.

To combat period poverty, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has pledged to introduce free period products in public places if he wins the election.

Andrews promised to install 1500 product dispensing vending machines in public places like train stations, hospitals and libraries.

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Round four of the WNBL will be the "Fighting Period Poverty Round" starting on November 30 until December 4.

Throughout the round, the WNBL will be holding a donation appeal to raise $25,000 for a vending machine that supplies period products.

Players will wear a "fighting period poverty" t-shirt during warmups and there will be period product donation boxes at all games during round four.

"We're doing as much as we can to have an impact on a serious issue in our society," Collier-Hill said.

Perth brick layer Nicola La Falce was 37 when he vanished without a trace in a suspected murder mystery.

Nearly 30 years on his family are still waiting for answers.

His father Antonio La Falce said the family has had no information about Nicola's disappearance.

READ MORE: Man arrested in India over alleged murder of Toyah Cordingley

The brick layer vanished after visiting a pizza store in Wembley in 1994 – a mystery that made headlines at the time.

The 37-year-old left the shop around 9pm and hasn't been seen since.

In a puzzling twist, 24 hours after disappearing, an airfare to Adelaide was booked in his name.

The brick layer's car had been dumped at Perth Airport but he never boarded the flight.

WA Police assistant commissioner Tony Longhorn said investigators have had several instances in the past where "offenders go to elaborate lengths to conceal a homicide".

"That includes vehicles being left at the airport to give the illusion that the person has left the state," Longhorn said.

There has been no major breakthrough in the case but detectives have no doubt he is dead.

"He's not a missing person – he was a victim of homicide," Longhorn said.

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After decades of searching for answers, the state's police force are turning to the public for help, offering up a $500,000 for information that leads to a conviction.

"People keep secrets. We hope that this amount of money is enough to help person reconsider keeping any secrets.

Police have asked the public to contact them if they can offer information.

"We are immensely grateful for your help," La Falce said.

All future planned strike action on Sydney's train network has been paused after the deed at the centre of the industrial dispute between the rail union and government was signed.

It was confirmed on Friday that the deed, which involves safety modifications to the New Intercity Fleet, was signed.

All planned industrial action has been called off, including a network-wide action planned for next week.

READ MORE: Family of tradie killed in scaffolding collapse calls fine 'laughable'

Several other issues, however, still need to be resolved before the dispute between the union and government is over for good.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) secretary Alex Claassens said he felt pleased to announce the in-principle agreement after a "long-running dispute".

"Today we reached an agreement with Transport for NSW and the government that they will go ahead and make those alterations as we've heard many times before but today we've actually got a signature on a deed and I personally signed it as did the transport secretary," Claassens said.

Transport Minister David Elliott said he felt "very confident" the dispute has been resolved after a deed was signed.

"I have just signed the deed with (Transport for NSW) secretary Rob Sharpe," Elliott said on Friday afternoon.

"The unions have agreed to withdraw industrial action with only one or two minor issues still to be arbitrated but that certainly won't affect the matter going to a vote.

"The modifications will be made in accordance with the deed and of course, we've got industrial action withdrawn and a new enterprise agreement will go out to the members."

Claassens described the development as a "massive step forward" but said there is more negotiating to be done.

"We've also agreed on an arbitration process to deal with some of the outstanding items that we're still trying to resolve," he said.

"Over the next couple of weeks, we're still going to continue to sit down and negotiate with Sydney trains, NSW Trains and Transport for NSW to try and land an enterprise agreement.

"There is a process for that and at the end of that process if we can't reach an agreement, there will be an arbitration around those issues."

The family of a young tradie killed in a Sydney building site collapse has called a $2 million fine for the scaffolding company involved "laughable".

A judge fined Synergy Scaffolding Services $2 million today after apprentice Christopher Cassaniti was crushed when 30 metres of scaffolding suddenly collapsed at his building site at Macquarie Park in Sydney in April 2019.

"It's not a deterrent for any company. Two million dollars for a big builder is nothing," Cassiniti's mother Patrizia said.

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"It's laughable but the thing is that is our maximum penalty, the judge has only got to go by the book."

The teenager and his 39-year-old colleague Khaled Wehbe had worked through their lunch break to finish some extra work.

The scaffolding fell and they became trapped. Wehbe, though seriously injured, survived the ordeal, holding Cassaniti's hand until the end.

"Wehbe suffered severe injuries but was conscious when he saw Christopher die," Judge Andrew Scotting said in his judgement.

"The impact of his injuries and the horror of that moment continue to affect him."

Cassaniti's parents, Rob and Patrizia, revealed the young man had been "asking for help, asking for his mum" for 20 minutes as workers frantically tried to pull away the metal.

Today, the judge said the incident continues to plague Cassaniti's family.

"Christopher's parents, brothers, family and friends continue to suffer immense heartache, grief and loss," Scotting said.

Patrizia said despite today's ruling the loss of her son never gets easier.

"Christopher's loss is forever. It is a life sentence," she said.

"There's no difference to what we're feeling, it's not going to change our lives."

Patrizia and Rob carry a teddy bear with their ashes as they continue to process the loss.

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Two other people on the scaffolding jumped to safety, while three others working nearby had to run to avoid injury.

An investigation found the scaffold was capable of holding 675 kilograms per level however at the time of the collapse, it was grossly overloaded with 17,905 kilograms of building materials.

Scotting said the case is about Synergy Scaffolding Services' "culpability" for the incident but there were multiple contributing factors to the collapse, including workers on the site removing ties to the building to do their own work without authorisation.

"This case should serve as a telling reminder that unsafe acts on a building site can and do lead to catastrophic consequences," Scotting said.

"Workers contemplating such unsafe acts should pause to consider what they might say to the people whose lives are torn apart by the possible consequences of their actions."

The fine issued to Synergy Scaffolding Services is not the largest of its kind as the maximum penalty in NSW is $3 million.

Cassaniti's parents are calling for industrial manslaughter laws to be introduced in NSW.

"Every other state has got industrial manslaughter in place, so should our state," Patrizia said.

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A woman being murdered by her current or former partner every 10 days is just one of many alarming domestic violence statistics plaguing Australia.

Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to raise awareness about domestic violence, a blight that has devastating effects on those involved, ranging from physical injuries and psychological trauma to homelessness or drug dependency.

And when children learn "hurt people, hurt people" that trauma can become a dark cycle that continues causing huge personal, social and economic impacts.

"It is passed on. It's intergenerational because people don't identify that trauma changes, shapes and moves and it presents differently in people," Sydneysider Aiman Naba told 9news.com.au.

https://twitter.com/FullStopAus/status/1595917265349722112?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

"Our parents are our protectors, they're our guardians, they teach us.

"But unfortunately, a lot of parents from a lot of cultures experience their own trauma – it does get passed on to their children, but it might not look the same."

Naba said domestic and family violence was prevalent and "normalised" while she was growing up even though it was well-known something was not right.

Parents in violent situations may unable to think long-term, instead focusing on meeting basic needs, which can impact children heavily, she said.

"It is very hard, often times emotional well-being gets overlooked and children's welfare is neglected," Naba said.

"We often don't really think about how trauma is carried and people live with it daily, people aren't able to address it."

Now, she works at Marrickville Legal Centre's domestic violence service to empower women and promote self-determination.

"I wasn't inspired to go out there and tell people what to do but to put information out," she said.

"To say 'hey look guys, this isn't right, I know you can't understand the real damage these behaviours cause but they do hurt, especially the children and women'."

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Long-term housing for domestic violence survivors needed

For women fleeing domestic violence situations, it is not only finding support from services like Marrickville Legal Centre but it is seeking long-term housing.

Homeless Australia says only 3.1 per cent of people fleeing family violence in 2019-20 found permanent housing.

"A secure home is absolutely central to the safety of those fleeing family violence," Homelessness Australia chief executive Kate Colvin said.

"Without a home, women and children must choose between homelessness and violence. This is not a choice anyone should have to make.

"We urgently need to expand the number of properties available to women to achieve safety."

	2019-2020 (no.)	2020-2021 (no.)	2019-2020 (%)	2020-2021 (%)
People experiencing family violence	119,182	116,180
Needed long-term housing	39,408	39,680
Nothing provided	30,486	30,607	77.4	77.1
Referred only	7689	7931	19.5	20
Provided	1233	1142	3.1	2.9

Breaking the cycle up to individuals

But Naba said it's not only up to domestic violence services to break the cycle of generational trauma and reduce the prevalence of violence, it's up to individuals.

"As much as there is a need for services like ours, there is also an imperative on community intervention," she said.

Naba said generational trauma will be shifted when the community is "strong enough" to discuss uncomfortable behaviours.

"When you are isolated, it's incredibly powerful to have someone reach out for a cup of coffee, a conversation that validates your experience, and provide you with some information that might help," Naba said.

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https://twitter.com/Refugees/status/1595918699608780800

She said to make as many safe places in the community as possible for victims to come forward, to embed wellness efforts like checking in on friends in every interaction, and to raise awareness about "what trauma looks like".

"We need to send a message for women to feel safe. The more people that engage, the better chance we have of addressing domestic violence as a societal issue," she said.

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

Help is available from the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491.