A delivery driver has been left with serious facial injuries after being assaulted inside a fast-food restaurant in Melbourne's west last month.

The incident unfolded at McDonald's Sunshine on Ballarat Road about 1.45am on February 1.

Police allege an unknown offender got into a physical altercation with the delivery driver.

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The offender punched and kicked the victim, before tackling him to the ground.

The victim, a 31-year-old Springvale man, suffered facial injuries and was taken to hospital.

The unknown offender fled the scene, last spotted running along Ballarat Road.

He is perceived to be Middle Eastern/Indian, in his 30's, about 175cm tall with a solid build.

He was last seen wearing a black cap, black t-shirt, navy pants, gold necklace and has a religious cross tattoo on right arm.

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The death of a woman who was partially paralysed in the Columbine High School shooting in the US has been ruled a homicide, raising the death toll of the 1999 attack to 14.

Anne Marie Hochhalter died February 16 of sepsis – a reaction to infection – and complications from her paralysis were a "significant contributing factor" in her death, the Jefferson County Coroner's Office said in an autopsy report obtained overnight.

She was 43.

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At the time, her family and friends suspected her death was due to natural causes related to her injuries in the shooting, which immediately led to the deaths of 12 students and a teacher.

The two student gunmen died in the attack.

Due to the role her paralysis was suspected of playing in her death, the investigation was transferred to the office that also reviewed the deaths in the school shooting.

Hochhalter struggled with intense pain from her gunshot wounds in the years following the shooting, but fought hard to to overcome the complications of her injuries and remain positive, family and friends said.

She was tireless in her drive to help others, including people with disabilities and members of her family, and she loved dogs, they said.

Hochhalter chose to forgive the mother of one of the gunmen, writing in a 2016 letter to Sue Klebold: "'A good friend once told me, 'Bitterness is like swallowing a poison pill and expecting the other person to die.' It only harms yourself. I have forgiven you and only wish you the best."

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On the 25th anniversary of the shooting, Hochhalter posted on Facebook, "This anniversary has been the most healing for me."

"25 years have gone by but it doesn't seem that long.

"I wasn't able to attend the ceremony for the 20th anniversary 5 years ago due to PTSD, but I attended the vigil last night. I've truly been able to heal my soul since that awful day in 1999."

The shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, shot and killed 12 classmates, a teacher, and then themselves.

Hochhalter advocated for victims of mass violence, attending a vigil for the victims of the Aurora theatre massacre in 2012.

She said she wanted to offer hope to the victims' loved ones and survivors.

At the vigil, she advised that "trying to figure out the shooters' motives was a waste of time, and it gives them exactly what they want."

She forgave Klebold's mother, who released a book about her own experience, stating she was happy the profits from the book would be donated to charities focused on mental health.

-with CNN.

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The mini heatwave in south-eastern Australia over the coming days will be short and sharp, and the message from weather forecasters is make the most of it.

Temperatures will nudge 40 degrees in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney from today until Sunday as warm, dry north-easterly winds blanket multiple states and territories.

But the millions of people impacted should enjoy the blast of summer-like conditions while it lasts because, come Monday, the mercury will plummet, reports Weatherzone.

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An advancing cold front will take hold by late Monday, paving the way for the first burst of autumnal weather this year.

Here is how the change in conditions will be felt in your region:

Sydney

On Sunday, some parts of the western suburbs will bask in temperatures of 40 degrees. Spare a thought for NRL players and fans as Parramatta host West Tigers, when at the 4.05pm kick-off, the mercury is forecast to hit 37 degrees.

The encounter will likely feature additional drinks breaks to provide heat relief for players.

But by Tuesday, temperatures across Sydney will have fallen to a maximum of 24 degrees.

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Melbourne

Qualifying sessions for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne will take place at 4pm tomorrow when temperatures are forecast to reach their highest at 37 degrees over the city centre street circuit.

Some outer Melbourne suburbs are heading for even hotter conditions, with the mercury peaking at a scorching 39 degrees in Tullamarine.

But Formula One fans can expect much cooler and wetter weather at 3pm on Sunday when the main race begins.

On Monday, residents will be waking to a top temperature of just 17 degrees, the coolest day of the year to date.

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Adelaide

The South Australian capital will begin feeling the heat from today before it peaks tomorrow when the maximum temperatures hits a scorching 38 degrees.

In sharp contrast, the warmest it will get on Monday is just 21 degrees. Unfortunately for farmers hoping for rain, they're forecast to receive falls of 5mm when the cold front rolls in.

Canberra

The national capital is perhaps the city where the change in conditions will be felt most.

Following a top temperature of 35 degrees tomorrow, the overnight lows from Monday will plunge to single digits, making for some cold mornings.

From Tuesday, sub-zero temperatures and frost are forecast for the NSW ski fields.

Hobart

Conditions across the Apple Isle will also dramatically change from early next week.

Hobart residents can look forward to a very pleasant maximum of 28 degrees tomorrow before the cold front advances and the mercury nosedives to a top of 17 degrees by Monday.

Snow showers are also heading for parts of Tasmania above 1000m, including Mount Wellington above Hobart.

Seasonal weather change

The approaching chillier weather comes ahead of the March equinox next Thursday night and the end of daylight saving early next month in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT.

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A Melbourne surfer is presumed dead after he was attacked by a shark in front of his girlfriend and helpless onlookers at a popular beach in Western Australia.

Steven Payne, 37, and his girlfriend were five weeks into a six-month holiday around Australia when they visited Wharton Beach in Condingup, about 60 kilometres east of Esperance, yesterday.

He was surfing in chest-deep water about 50 metres from shore with two others when he was attacked by the shark.

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The incident dragged on for minutes as his girlfriend, pet dog and crowds of people at the beach watched on.

"She's distraught, her life was turned upside down yesterday. You can imagine how she is, it's just horrible," Senior Sergeant Chris Taylor told reporters this afternoon.

Witnesses described hearing screams from the water.

"There were screams. There were people saying like 'get out', everything – it was a very panicked moment," bystander Joscelin Boissieux said.

"We heard a scream and everyone got out of the water."

"A lot of people on the beach just standing, staring out. A lot of people in disbelief," witness Tony Carmichael said.

There was only a surfboard left floating about 30 metres from the shore.

"The water next to it was dark, with a shark's fin circling around," Boissieux said.

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Police were called to the scene about 12.10pm yesterday, when a search was launched for Payne.

Today, police said they believe he is now dead. 

"Unfortunately, that search has not uncovered the surfer's body and I can also confirm our search is a recovery, not a rescue," Taylor said.

Payne's family are heading to Warton Beach as the investigation is passed on to the coroner.

"The family, they're distraught and trying to come to terms with what happened yesterday," Taylor said.

Wharton Beach remains closed.

There have been no reports of further shark sightings.

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A man has been charged after allegedly throwing a meat pie at another supporter during a clash between the Dragons and Bulldogs on Saturday.

Footage of the incident shared to social media, recorded by the alleged pie thrower, showed the man buying a pie at the stadium before throwing it into a crowd at Kogarah Oval.

Police at the stadium during the game were alerted to the incident.

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No injuries were reported, but police said the pie was "believed to have struck several people".

On Monday, police issued a Field Court Attendance Notice, charging the man with common assault and behaving in an offensive manner in public.

He is due to appear in Sutherland Local Court on April 15.

9News understands he will be banned from future NRL games.

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Australian medical professionals have issued an urgent warning to parents following a sharp rise in the number of young children swallowing button batteries. 

This year alone, two toddlers have undergone emergency surgery due to battery ingestion in South Australia, and authorities fear the situation could worsen.

One-year-old Adele recently endured a harrowing ordeal after swallowing a button battery. 

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"The first whole week in ICU was… the biggest nightmare we could have," mother Gintare Wilhelm said, while father Daniel said there were moments "that we thought she might not make it".

Initially, Adele's odd behaviour prompted her parents to seek medical attention. X-rays revealed that she had swallowed a button battery, which had lodged in her esophagus. 

The one-year-old underwent several emergency surgeries to remove the battery and treat the burns in her esophagus and now, after two months of recovery, she is doing well.

However, her parents are determined to raise awareness and urge others to take precautions.

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"Baby-proof your home, double what you think you could, secure your button batteries, dispose of them correctly," Daniel said.

Adele is one of two young children saved by medical staff this year after ingesting button batteries, prompting an urgent warning to other parents.

"Children can die from swallowing a button battery, if the burn is significant enough," Dr Sonja Latzel, from Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital said.

The hospital has witnessed a spike in cases, with three incidents already recorded in the first three months of this year, compared to only three cases in the entire previous year.

"You will not be wasting our time if you suspect a battery has gone missing, and your children are retching or struggling to swallow, drooling and refusing to eat or drink," Latzel said.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

Victoria's government is expected to announce sweeping reforms to bail laws as early as tomorrow.

Premier Jacinta Allan is set to announce the toughest bail laws in the country in an official announcement in the morning, with punishments connected to serious offending including carjacking and aggravated burglary expected to be tightened.

9News understands a ban on machetes is also on the cards, after ministers discussed proposals in a 2.5-hour cabinet meeting today.

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It comes as the premier was accused of rejecting a plan by then-police commissioner Shane Patton to fix Victoria's troubled bail system weeks before he was axed.

It's understood Patton suggested putting a three-strike limit on bail chances, but sports minister Steve Dimopoulos today quashed any suggestion the government dismissed the top cop's proposal.

"It's an assumption that we've rejected something. The premier said nothing's off the table," Dimopoulos said.

"The premier's made it clear that they're coming to us very soon with proposed responses."

The overhaul could be a major breakthrough for dozens of protesters and victims of crime who marched through the Victorian city of Bendigo, calling for tougher bail laws.

Rally leader Tanya Mallia, a victim of a home invasion, shared that she has been left traumatised after being held at knifepoint inside her home.

Protesters held up handwritten signs saying "bail laws need to change" and "youth crime do the time" as they walked through the city centre from Premier Jacinta Allan's electoral office and towards the law courts precinct.

"We want to make a change because our children are our future. We are sick of looking over our shoulders, Jacinta Allan needs to hear us now and something needs to be done," Mallia said.

"Our children are turning into preparators of crime and something needs to change now.

"Jacinta Allan please don't wipe this under the mat, we need to be heard now. We want action taken immediately. Do something now, we need to be safe."

The Bendigo woman said she struggles to sleep at night after an intruder broke into her home.

"I had an intruder come through my back door, didn't know him. He jumped the fence and he came in with a knife and he came charging and threatened myself and a bystander that I had in my home at the time," she said.

"He was chased out. Police were called and got him immediately. We feared for our life that night, it was scary. I haven't slept, every time I hear a noise I fear he is out there.

"The justice system just lets them off. No one needs to go through that it's trauma and it needs to be done now."

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The protest comes a week after nine teenagers were filmed allegedly punching, kicking and dragging a security guard at Bendigo Marketplace.

Police said the guard was set upon after he had asked the youths to leave the centre.

Acting Chief Commissioner Rick Nugent revealed last month he had already been in talks with the government about bail reforms and emphasised the need for the force to reset.

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Despite urgent treatment, the 39-year-old died at the scene.

A teenager has been charged today with allegedly assaulting two elderly women during a string of home invasions in south-western Sydney last week.

The 18-year-old boy was arrested yesterday when police raided a home at Merrylands and seized items linked to their investigation.

He's accused of breaking into five homes in Merrylands between 4am and 6am last Thursday.

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In two of the separate home invasions, women in their 80s were allegedly sexually assaulted and touched.

At one of the homes, the man is accused of holding a knife while attempting to sexually assault a woman. In another home, he allegedly sexually touched a second woman.

Crime scenes were established at each home, and an investigation into the attacks by detectives from Strike Force Beigy began.

The man was arrested at Dee Why police station on the Northern Beaches and faces 16 charges, including armed, aggravated sex assault, break and enter, and sexually touching without consent.

He was refused bail and is scheduled to appear in court later today.

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

The man was punched in the face and chased with a baseball bat in the late-night attack.