Emergency services are at the scene of a serious two-vehicle crash on Rodda Rd, Rangiriri in the Waikato District. Police were called about 4.10pm and the road has been closed. Diversions are in place and motorists are being asked…

A young woman has died after an e-scooter and car collided in Canberra, marking the territory's 12th road death involving an electric scooter.

A car and an e-scooter collided at the intersection of Drakeford Drive and O'Halloran Circuit in Kambah about 3.10pm yesterday.

The rider, a 19-year-old woman who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown "a substantial distance across the intersection" upon impact, according to police.

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She was rushed to the Canberra Hospital with serious head and leg injuries but died.

Police are investigating the crash and will prepare a report for the Coroner.

Crashes involving e-scooters are becoming more common as many cities across Australia offer them for public use at a low cost.

There have been numerous fatalities involving e-scooters around the country this year.

In Brisbane, a 15-year-old died after he fell off one of the scooters and hit his head on the footpath in July, while a 55-year-old man died after he crashed his e-scooter into a concrete wall in April.

In Perth, a 46-year-old father-of-four was killedafter he collided with a cyclist while riding an e-scooter in May, while a 13-year-old boy was killed in February after falling from an e-scooter.

In Melbourne, a record number of e-scooter riders have been ending up in intensive care units.

From high speed collisions to late-night crashes, the number of e-bike and e-scooter-related admissions at The Alfred Hospital's trauma centre in Melbourne has doubled from 24 last financial year to 49 this financial year.

Australian Road Safety Foundation CEO Russell White has said "unfortunately, tragedy is often not very far away" when e-scooters are involved.

"In fact, it can be just around the next corner."

There have been calls for stricter laws surrounding e-scooter uses, with the scooters also involving in numerous incidents where they have hit pedestrian.

A Perth father has been pushing for tougher laws after his young daughter was knocked to the ground by a rider in June.

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A NSW man and his wife had an incredible – and "lucky" – close encounter with a large pod of killer whales or orcas, on the state's south coast over the weekend.

Rick Carlson, and his wife, were on their boat watching dolphins and whales cruise the waters off Narooma on Sunday.

While they were onboard they received a call from his part time employer, Narooma Montague Island Adventures, informing him the apex predators were also in the area.

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Carlson told 9news.com.au they immediately headed over to the spot to try and catch a glimpse of the large black and white mammals. 

"On arrival we immediately caught our first glimpse of the unmistakably large dorsal fin of a killer whale break the surface," he said.

"My wife and I then were treated to around an hour or the whales swimming around at times right beside the boat.

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"Being our first ever sighting we were just amazed at the size and beauty of these animals.

"We also observed a pod of around 12 or more killer whales from a distance, but were unable to get close enough to get any photos."

Carlson added Killer Whales Australia had positively identified one of the males as EA_0057; an animal regularly sighted off southeast Tasmania.

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It comes months after a pod of orcas were filmed frocking meters from shore on the Sapphire Coast.

The "rare" sight delighted onlookers.

Despite what their name suggests, killers whales are actually the largest member of the dolphin family.

They are considered the apex predator of the ocean, but there's no record of an orca ever killing a human in the wild.

Uluru Statement leaders have revealed their first ad in a campaign to encourage everyday Australians to vote "yes" to an Indigenous Voice to parliament.

In the ad, actor Trevor Jamieson – a Pitjantjatjara and Nyungar man – tells a story about how First Nations Peoples achieved their voice with the help of all Australians.

"I have a story to tell you," he tells a group of children.

"It's a good one, about how the people, the First People, got a voice."

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A succession of clips then shows Australians spreading the word about the upcoming referendum.

The ad closes with a child asking: "Is that story true?"

"It could be," Jamieson responds. 

The ad is part of a broader campaign called "History is Calling".

It was directed by Kamilaroi man Jordan Watton, shot by cinematographer Arrernte and Kalkadoon man Tyson Perkins, with music composed by Yuwaalaraay man James Henry.

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Professor Megan Davis – a Cobble Cobble woman, the Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law at UNSW and Uluru Dialogue co-chair – spoke of the importance of the call for action on the journey to referendum.

"The ad shows Australians from all walks of life that they have an opportunity to play a part in shaping this pivotal moment in our nation's history," she said.

"It's vital in these next few months that we continue this momentum and educate Australians on what the Voice is, why it matters and what it will do for the future.

"We know this will take time, as many Australians are only joining us on this long journey now, but we are closer than ever to real, tangible change.

"We hope this ad will encourage Australians to learn more and support a First Nations Voice to Parliament."

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A date for the referendum has not yet been set but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to hold it in Labor's first term of government.

Earlier this month, it was announced a group of legal experts and leaders had begun the consultation process to "pressure test" the plan for a Voice to Parliament.

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An unmanned drone has given insight into what the inside of a violent hurricane looks like.

US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Saildrone deployed a recording device into Hurricane Fiona as it barreled towards Canada last week.

The Saildrone was tossed about by 15 metre waves and winds of more than 160 kmph as it ventured inside the Category 4 storm.

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NOAA said the Saildrone provides critical information about how hurricanes form.

"It collects critical ocean data that will help scientists better understand the physical processes of hurricane," it wrote on Twitter,

The powerful storm made landfall in in Atlantic Canada before dawn on Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, after it surged north from the Caribbean.

The system battered Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, rains and waves; leaving thousands without power and washing homes away.

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Fiona has been blamed for at least five deaths in the Caribbean, and one death in Canada.

Authorities found the body of a 73-year-old woman in the water who was missing in Channel-Port Aux Basques, a town on the southern coast of Newfoundland.

Police said the woman was inside her residence moments before a wave struck the home Saturday morning, tearing away a portion of the basement.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a release on social media that with assistance from the Canadian Coast Guard, as other rescue teams her body woman was recovered late Sunday afternoon.

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"Living in coastal communities we know what can happen and tragically the sea has taken another from us," said Gudie Hutchings, the Member of Parliament from Newfoundland.

As of Sunday evening, more than 211,000 Nova Scotia Power customers and over 81,000 Maritime Electric customers in the province of Prince Edward Island – about 95 per cent of the total – remained in the dark.

So were more than 20,600 homes and businesses in New Brunswick.

More than 415,000 Nova Scotia Power customers – about 80 per cent in the province of almost 1 million people – had been affected by outages Saturday.

Utility companies say it could be days before the lights are back on for everyone.

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Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Amanda McDougall said Sunday that over 200 people were in temporary shelters. Over 70 roads were completely inaccessible in her region. She said she couldn't count the number of homes damaged in her own neighborhood.

She said it was critical for the military to arrive and help clear debris, noting that the road to the airport is inaccessible and the tower has significant damage.

McDougall said it is amazing there are no injuries in her community.

"People listened to the warnings and did what they were supposed to do and this was the result," she said

Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King said that over 100 military personnel would arrive Sunday to assist in recovery efforts.

Schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday.

He said many bridges are destroyed.

"The magnitude and severity of the damage is beyond anything that we've seen in our province's history," King said, and that it would take a "herculean effort by thousands of people" to recover over the coming days and weeks.

Kim Griffin, a spokeswoman for Prince Edward Island's electricity provider, said it would likely take "many days" to restore power across the island.

"The sense on the street is one of shock and awe over the magnitude of the storm," said Sean Casey, a member of parliament who represents Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. He added that locals are also determined to mount a recovery effort. A long line quickly formed after the first gas station opened in his community on Sunday afternoon.

"Everywhere you go around town you hear generators and chain saws," Casey said.

Bill Blair, minister of emergency preparedness, said the federal government would also send approximately 100 military personnel to Newfoundland and Labrador as it shifts to recover from the storm.

Entire structures were washed into the sea as raging surf pounded Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland.

"This is not a one-day situation where we can all go back to normal," Mayor Brian Button said on social media. Unfortunately, this is going to take days, it could take weeks, it could take months in some cases."

Much of the town of 4,000 had been evacuated and Button said asked for patience as officials identify where and when people can safely go home. He noted that some residents are showing up at barricades angry and wanting to return.

In Puerto Rico, too, officials were still struggling to grasp the scope of damage and to repair the devastation caused when Fiona hit the US territory a week ago.

As of Sunday, about 45 per cent of Puerto Rico's 1.47 million power customers remained in the dark, and 20 per cent of 1.3 million water customers had no service as workers struggled to reach submerged power substations and fix downed lines.

Gas stations, grocery stores and other businesses had temporarily shut down due to lack of fuel for generators: The National Guard first dispatched fuel to hospitals and other critical infrastructure.

"We're starting from scratch," said Carmen Rivera as she and her wife mopped up water and threw away their damaged appliances, adding to piles of rotting furniture and soggy mattresses lining their street in Toa Baja, which had flooded.

Officials across Eastern Canada also were assessing the scope of damage caused by the storm, which had moved inland over southeastern Quebec.

Mike Savage, mayor of Halifax, said the roof of an apartment building collapsed in Nova Scotia's biggest city and officials had moved 100 people to an evacuation center. He said no one was seriously hurt.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre tweeted that Fiona had the lowest pressure – a key sign of storm strength – ever recorded for a storm making landfall in Canada.

"We're getting more severe storms more frequently," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said more resilient infrastructure is needed to withstand extreme weather events.

– WITH ASSOCIATED PRESS 

A State Memorial was held in Wellington to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history.The service was held during a national day of mourning and began at 2pm in Wellington Cathedral of…