A report claiming Australia faced a potential war with China within three years has been branded as "scaremongering" by an expert on international relations.

James Curran, a professor of modern history at Sydney University and a former federal government adviser, spoke with 9news.com.au after The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald newspapers published a special report under the headline "Red Alert: War risk exposed".

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The report was based on the findings of five national security experts, who in a joint statement said they believed Australia "faces the prospect of armed conflict in the Indo-Pacific within three years", and the nation was unprepared for such a war.

It also pointed to a move by China against the self-governing territory of Taiwan as a potential trigger for conflict involving China, the US and its allies such as Australia.

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the mainland and China's President Xi Jinping has said he would never rule out the use of force to achieve "reunification".

But Curran said there was no evidence from authoritative sources supporting the claim of a potential war by 2026, or that the federal government was blind to the potential threat from China.

The "Red Alert" findings were based on "the crudest type of realism that ironically could potentially bring on the war no one wants to see", Curran said.

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But he stressed Australia must recognise rising Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific as a potential threat and did not back any form of "appeasement" to Beijing.

"The sabre-rattling by Xi in Beijing is of concern," Curran said.

"And any war between China and the US would have disastrous consequences for East Asia."

His comments come as the federal government prepares its response to a landmark defence strategic review by the former Australian Defence Force chief Angus Houston and the former Labor defence minister Stephen Smith.

The government response is due next month before the May federal budget that is expected to include a rise in defence spending.

On the diplomatic front, Australia has worked to rebuild more stable relations with China, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meeting XI on the sidelines of a G20 summit late last year and Foreign Minister Penny Wong holding a series of meetings with her Chinese counterparts.

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Curran said the Albanese government working for more stable relations, while striving to improve Australia's defence capability, had unsettled some "hawkish" commentators.

"There is bi-partisan consensus that Australia wants to ramp up the nation's defences," Curran said.

"Albanese has said there is no way Australia will not increase defence spending." 

Curran also said Australia had a role to play in encouraging Washington and Beijing to resolve their issues, particularly over Taiwan.

"There is a role for statecraft and developing guard rails against conflict … things like (former prime minister) Kevin Rudd has put forward," he said.

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For those battling addiction, rock bottoms can come in different forms.

Jordyn Bateman, 28, hit his while collecting empty cans for 10 cents a pop so he could go and play one of the 86,000 pokie machines scattered around New South Wales.

After 10 years of losing on the pokies, as the gambling machines are known in Australia, the painter from the Central Coast was broke.

Whatever wages came into Bateman's pocket were going straight back out.

"I'd lose a lot," he said.

"And then I'd have to borrow money from friends and family," he added, describing to 9news.com.au the demoralising cycle familiar to all problem gamblers.

"I was even crushing cans. You know, how you get 10 cents from the cans?

"It got to a stage where I was doing that.

"Then I sort of realised, 'What am I doing?'"

Bateman was 18 the first time he played the machines, just as he was able to go into pubs and legally buy a beer.

Inside, it didn't take long for a bank of pokies to capture his attention.

He dropped in some cash, and so it began. Slowly at first.

"It's pretty easy to just go and do," is how he remembered it.

He had some wins early on.

"It wasn't a lot. But it definitely hooked me in."

Last year The Washington Post reflected on the omnipresence of pokies across Australia, and especially in NSW.

The ubiquity of pokies has become normal in Australia; not so for international visitors.

The paper reported Australia has less than half-a-per cent of the world's population but 20 per cent of its pokies – and 80 per cent of those located outside casinos.

There are around 86,000 electronic gaming machines (EGMs) in NSW, so it's little surprise Bateman found himself reeled in.

According to a 2017 government report looking at the risks of EGMs, one of the key findings was that the machines have computers which run "sophisticated techniques, designed to maximise spending and time on device per user".

The report said the EGMs very successfully employ complex "game maths" and "psychological principals" to maximise bet sizes and usage.

"These characteristics have the effect of increasing the addictive potential of EGMs," it warned.

Bateman began to spend hours playing.

Where he was once gambling on trips to the pub with friends, he was soon playing on his own.

It had become a secret.

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Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have announced that their daughter was christened in a private ceremony in California, publicly calling her a princess and revealing for the first time that they will use royal titles for their children.

Princess Lilibet Diana, who turns two in June, was baptised on Friday by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor, Harry and Meghan said in a statement. Lilibet's title and that of her brother, Archie, who will be four in May, will be updated on the Buckingham Palace website later.

The announcement marked the first time that the children's titles had been used in public.

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The question of the children's titles took centre stage two years ago during Harry and Meghan's television interview with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan, who is biracial, said that when she was pregnant with Archie "they" — presumably the palace — "were saying they didn't want him to be a prince … which would be different from protocol."

Meghan suggested that this was because Archie was the royal family's "first member of colour" and would have marked the first time a royal grandchild wasn't given the same title as the other grandchildren.

At the time, royal experts said Meghan's comments appeared to be based on a misunderstanding of the way royal titles are conferred.

Titles are conferred in line with a decree issued by King George V in 1917 that limits the titles of prince and princess to the male-line grandchildren of the sovereign.

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As long as the late Queen Elizabeth II was alive, Harry and his older brother, Prince William, were the sovereign's grandchildren. Harry and William's children, as great grandchildren, didn't receive the titles automatically.

But Elizabeth had the power to amend the rules, and in 2012 she decreed that the children of Prince William and his wife, Catherine, would be princes and princesses. This decree didn't apply to Harry and Meghan.

However, the situation changed when King Charles III ascended the throne on the death of his mother last September. William and Harry are the king's sons, meaning their offspring are now royal grandchildren and so entitled to be known as prince and princess.

Nonetheless, they have remained a plain "master" and "miss" on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.

There are calls for more thorough checks on character references after a reference from a former fundraising manager contributed to a lighter sentence for Jeffrey "Joffa" Corfe in his sexual abuse case.

Jeremy Maxwell has told 9News he had no knowledge his reference would be used in court, saying he had written it many years before the Collingwood superfan pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually penetrating a child under the age of 16.

Corfe was last month spared jail time after sexually abusing a child in 2005.

READ MORE: Man arrested after allegedly killing brother, injuring mother in Melbourne's north

The 62-year-old admitted to sexually abusing the boy, who was 14 years old, at Corfe's home in Melbourne's north.

In sentencing last month, Judge Mullaly noted Maxwell had given the following reference.

"I regard Jeff as one of life's great characters and truly believe the world is a better place with him in it," Maxwell said in the reference.

But Maxwell said he was "shocked" to find that the reference was used.

"It is really shocking, and I don't get how it can happen," he said.

READ MORE: Brawl breaks out at Melbourne intersection

There are now calls to impose stricter rules when it comes to character references, considering the weight that is put on them.

"Perhaps we do need to make sure that, when people are vouching for others or people are handing up material, it is as contemporary as possible," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said.

Corfe's victim, Alex Case, told 9News in a statement that he was "shocked" but not surprised.

"I am concerned about how often this has happened and the impact it has had on sentencing in other cases," he said.

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The massive backlog caused by the complete shutdown of the Sydney trains network has spilled over into other public transport.

Trains in Sydney have resumed service after a communication issue brought the entire system to a standstill, but travellers are facing a nightmare commute with "serious delays" for the rest of the day. 

Normal service isn't expected to resume until Thursday morning.

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Buses, trams and ferries remain packed with commuters seeking an alternative way home.

All trains were stopped at station platforms for about an hour and a half after an "extremely rare" network-wide radio communication system failure, with station doors shuttered and hoards of people gathering outside.

Trains are back up and running again, but massive delays are still expected for the rest of Wednesday evening and Transport for NSW said commuters should look to take alternate options if they can, or delay their trip for at least 60 minutes to avoid further congestion.

In addition to the delays on the train network, disruptions are also impacting other transport services, with one 9news.com.au reporter on his way home describing bus stops as "absolute chaos".

Adding to the confusion, some commuters were told a bus ride was their only option as station gates were shut, only for services to be unable to pick up new travellers due to massive overcrowding.

Buses were still seen at full capacity after trains had started running again. 

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As the issue began around 3pm, many schoolchildren on their way home were impacted by the disruptions, with large groups of students seen among the huge crowds of delayed travellers. 

As a result of the chaos, the cost of rideshare services soared as surge pricing kicked in.

An Uber from Central Station to the airport was quoted at almost $90 around 3:30pm, while a trip from North Sydney to the Shire was seen as high as $280.

"Sydney Trains apologises to our customers for the delays experienced across the train network this afternoon," Transport for NSW said in a statement shortly before 7pm.

"Train services were restored around 4pm, however customers are advised to avoid train travel where possible and consider alternative arrangements as there will be disrupted services with significant gaps in some areas.

"Trains are expected to return to a normal service for tomorrow morning's peak."

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Sydney Trains chief executive Matthew Longland said the network had to be halted for safety reasons after the "critical" radio system's failure at about 2:45pm.

"We experienced failure of our critical train radio system across the Sydney rail network," he said during a press conference.

"For safety reasons, that meant we had to bring trains back to platforms so that customers could safely hop off those trains.

"Engineers tried to reset the system. Unfortunately, they weren't able to reset the train radio system. As a result we cut the system across to our back-up site.

READ MORE: Revealed: NSW's worst roads for congestion and driving conditions

"That switching took place around (3:45pm). And … at around 4:00pm this afternoon, trains have progressively recommenced operations across the Sydney Trains network.

"Whilst trains are running again, we will see significant delays for the remainder of the peak period."

Longland said that while the radio system had been upgraded over the weekend, that is not believed to have caused the failure.

He also said a cyber attack is not suspected, and promised an investigation into the incident.

"We've got trains running again, and we will fully investigate the root cause of this particular incident," Longland said.

NSW shadow transport minister Jo Haylen described the rail shutdown as a "complete failure".

"The lights are out across the Sydney transport network and the lights are out in the transport minister's office too.

"No-one knows who's in charge and passengers are paying the price yet again."

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https://twitter.com/lizziepearl/status/1633331917214089216

Crowds form as confused commuters denied train home

Stations were closed off to customers in an attempt to stop huge crowds from building up, but large crowds of commuters were still seen waiting on platforms on the city's third-straight day of 30-degree temperatures.

Station gates have since been reopened.

Transport for NSW earlier said no one had been trapped on trains during the period they were brought to a standstill.

"We have managed to move all trains to platforms and there are no people trapped on trains," it said just before 4pm.

"People were able to safely get off trains.

"Air conditioning and public announcement systems are working."

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Development of the parks will take place this year and next.

A Sydney couple has lost their life savings after being duped by a highly-sophisticated scam.

Ben and Jessica were fleeced out of more than $100,000 in less than two hours.

"It's years of savings gone up in smoke. It's a lot of hard work, a lifetime of hard work," Ben told 9News.

READ MORE: Victims fight for stake of Sydney fraudster's multi-million dollar assets

It began with an email to Ben claiming to be from PayPal with a payment request, and a number to call if he thought the transaction was fraudulent, which he did.

"The people were telling me on the phone there were multiple fraudulent transactions and I had to go through a series of steps to get rid of those transactions."

Those steps included handing over personal details, debit card numbers and a series of one-time passcodes he thought were cancelling the fraudulent transactions.

"Every time they were making a purchase Ben was actually authorising it with that one-time password," Jessica said.

In less than two hours the scammer, who was in Perth, spent more than $100,000 in India and Kuwait using Ben and Jessica's debit card details linked to their offset account.

"The purchases ranged from about $500 to $1100, so it's extremely unusual activity," Jessica said.

READ MORE: Angela has never met a female colleague in 38 years on the job

They don't know how the criminal accessed their account but once in, they transferred $55,0000 from their home loan account into their offset – which has no spending limit – maximising the amount they could steal.

While Ben was on the phone with who he thought was PayPal, Macquarie Bank was calling about the suspicious activity – but couldn't get through.

Macquarie eventually put a block on the couple's cards but $100,000 was already gone.

"It's always a balance between protection and customer convenience, sometimes putting a block on a payment is something customers don't like," Anna Bligh from the Australian Banking Association said.

Police told Ben and Jessica the money can't be tracked because the purchases were with overseas companies.

Macquarie Bank also informed the couple their money can't be retrieved because they provided the scammer with the one-time passcodes.

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In a statement, it reminded customers to never share passwords or authentication passcodes with any third party.

"We want the federal government to reimburse victims of scams who lose money on their platforms," Tom Abourizk from the Consumer Action Law Centre said.

Banks can and in some cases do reimburse victims – in 2021 they refunded more than $102 million to customers duped by scams.

Tips for determining what is legitimate and what is a scam include knowing that your bank will never call and ask you to transfer funds.

You'll also never be asked to provide account or personal details in an unsolicited text or email. 

Financial institutions also won't ever demand online banking passcodes or passwords. 

And if the person on the phone is rushing you or has a sense of urgency that's a red flag.

"There's an element of shame that comes with it: you were tricked, you fell for it," Ben said.

"I consider myself savvy, I've fended off so many scams in the past."

Jess is going back to work to help with mortgage repayments – and they're changing banks.

A first date has ended in flames after an alleged drunk driver crashed his date's car into a parked vehicle, causing it to burst into flames.

The 23-year-old woman and 26-year-old man were on a first date in Revesby, in Sydney's south-west, when the man crashed his date's Audi SUV into a parked Mazda 3.

The pair managed to escape as the car burst into flames about 10.30pm last night.

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Witnesses said they saw the driver "stumbling" out of the car as they rushed out after hearing the crash.

"We heard a large bang while we were watching TV and then we came out and there were fumes everywhere," Robyn Hancock said.

Police arrested the 26-year-old and took him for a blood alcohol test, the results of which are still pending.

The woman, who lives on the street, told neighbours she had met the man that day.

Her Audi SUV was burnt out in the crash but she and her date were uninjured.

The area around Courtenay Place has been a hotspot location for alcohol-related harm.

The main stadium area to be closed for event access for at least three months.