A cyclist has tragically died after a crash involving a van in the Auckland suburb of Royal Oak.The crash was reported to police at around 11:25am.The cyclist died at the scene.Manukau Rd was initially closed, with cordons being…

Russia is poised to deploy up to 1000 more mercenaries to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, as a senior Western intelligence official warned Moscow could "bombard cities into submission," an escalation that could lead to significant civilian casualties.

The US has already seen "some indications" that Russian mercenaries may be involved in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine "in some places", a senior defence official said earlier this week, but it wasn't clear exactly where or in what numbers.

"We've seen some indications that they're being employed," the official said.

READ MORE: 'Putin must not be able to escape justice'

Now, a US official tells CNN that Russia is planning to deploy up to 1000 more mercenaries in the near future.

Some Russian forces have struggled with morale issues and setbacks on the battlefield, including a massive convoy north of Kyiv that has remained largely stalled for the past several days.

The mercenary forces would fortify the flagging units, the official said, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its second weekend.

READ MORE: Russia to punish 'fake' war reports with 15 years in prison

The official added the US believes the mercenaries already in Ukraine have "performed poorly when facing the stiffer-than-expected resistance from the Ukrainians," and that as many as 200 such mercenaries have already been killed in the war as of late February.

Meanwhile, US and western officials expect Russia to increase the pace and strength of its strikes on key Ukrainian population centres, including the capital of Kyiv, from which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has broadcast steady but defiant messages against Russia's aggression.

Russia now seems prepared to "bombard cities into submission," one senior western intelligence official said on Friday, which could include a significant increase in the number of civilian casualties.

"It's a very crude approach," the official said.

"The heavier weapons are not just heavier in the weight, they're also heavier in terms of the damage that they can inflict. And they're far less discriminant."

Other officials have noticed a shift in Russian strategy from military targets to civilians, with more attacks becoming focused on population centres. The new approach comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to get the quick victory he wanted, and the Russian military has faced stiff and determined Ukrainian resistance across the country.

READ MORE: How Zelenskyy went from an actor to wartime leader

In the face of the resistance, the attacks will increase, officials warned.

"The days to come are likely to be worse, with more death, more suffering, and more destruction, as the Russian armed forces bring in heavier weaponry and continue their attacks across the country," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier today.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the sentiment during a news conference in Brussels, where he is meeting with European allies.

"The Kremlin's attacks are inflicting an ever-increasing toll on civilians there," Mr Blinken said.

"Hundreds if not thousands of Ukrainians have been killed, many more wounded, as have citizens of other countries. More than a million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries.

"Millions of people across Ukraine are trapped in increasingly dire conditions as Russia destroys more critical infrastructure."

Queensland's flood death toll has risen to 11 after police divers recovered the body of a woman in waters at the Gold Coast this morning.

The 42-year-old woman from Mudgeeraba was reported missing on Tuesday.

She was last seen travelling in a vehicle near Bonogin Creek on February 27.

READ MORE: Ukrainian drone enthusiasts sign up to repel Russian forces

Police air crew and dive squad officers were searching floodwaters in the area.

Forensic examination will be needed to confirm the woman's identity and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.

NSW flood recovery amid more wet weather

Residents in some parts of Sydney are being warned not to start the flood clean-up yet as more rain is forecast this afternoon.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is urging people still under evacuation orders in flood-hit areas to follow the instructions of emergency services authorities.

"Please continue to follow those instructions of the SES. They're there to keep you, your friends and your family safe, and that's incredibly important as we move through this difficult time," Mr Perrottet said.

"We can't be complacent. There are still challenging weather forecasts that lie ahead."

The soon to be sworn in NSW Flood Recovery Minister Steph Cook is in Lismore and says the scale of the flood damage is "unbelievable".

READ MORE: 'Kidnap victim' Sherri Papini allegedly faked abduction, FBI says

"There's no doubt we've got a long road in front of us," Ms Cook said.

"I'll be leading a multi-agency response to ensure that this recovery goes as quickly and as smoothly for people as it possibly can."

"I want to acknowledge how much people are enduring at the moment… It's indescribable. There's a lot of people who are feeling shock still. There's people that are understandably really angry. There's people who are grieving already."

Water in Wisemans Ferry, on the outskirts of Sydney, has receded but there is still a lot underwater, including the local golf club and tennis courts.

Up to 100mm could fall in some areas at around 3pm, and if that happens the full and fast-moving rivers will rise again and some of those homes which have already been flooded once could go under again.

READ MORE: Residents along Sydney rivers survey damage

Thunderstorms are possible across most of eastern NSW, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

Suburbs along the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers will remain on flood watch into tomorrow, and there is a hazardous surf warning stretching from Byron in the north to Eden near the Victorian border.

In northern NSW, flood-affected communities are begging the government for more support.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1499908046419640326

There are still people and properties that are inaccessible by road, and essential supplies such as fuel, food, and medication is scarce.

More ADF personnel being sent to NSW

Ms Cook says she is asking for as much ADF assistance as possible to help flood recovery efforts in the state.

It was announced this morning that an additional 900 ADF personnel will roll out across flood-hit areas of NSW tomorrow.

Ms Cook said the availability of ADF personnel to assist has increased from 2000 to 5000.

READ MORE: State funeral offered after Australian cricket legend Shane Warne dies aged 52

"We asked for everything they could give us. Today they've increased that offer to 5000 and we've said we'll take every one of those as well," Ms Cook said.

"So far, starting from tomorrow, they've offered us 900. We'll start to see those roll out and we're very grateful for that, but we're really hoping that that does ramp up closer to that 5000 mark really quickly, and we would really welcome that."

Queensland Mud Army 2.0

In Queensland, the Mud Army 2.0 has mobilised after nearly 15,000 volunteers signed up.

They are currently going through a registration process and will then get on buses and be deployed throughout the region.

Radio host Jay-Jay Feeney was awoken at 2.30am this morning by a call from her distraught mother announcing “your brother’s been shot”.The broadcaster has spoken to the Herald about how her 33-year-old brother Poull Andersen was…

The Federal and Victorian governments have made the offer of a state funeral following the shock death of Australian cricket legend Shane Warne.

Warne passed away overnight from a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Thailand. He was aged just 52.

Tributes have poured in from around Australia and the world following his passing, with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announcing the MCG's largest grandstand — the 45,000-seat Great Southern Stand — will be permanently renamed in Warne's honour.

READ MORE: World in shock following Shane Warne's death

"The Government will rename the Great Southern Stand at the MCG — the place he took his hat-trick and 700th wicket — to honour Shane and his contribution to the game," Mr Andrews said on Twitter.

"The S.K. Warne Stand will be a permanent tribute to an amazing Victorian."

Mr Andrews had earlier offered Warne's family a state funeral, as had Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

"We have lost one of Australia's greatest cricketers and today we are bewildered by this sad and sudden loss," Mr Morrison said in a statement.

READ MORE: How Shane Warne captivated a generation

"In recognition of Shane Warne's national achievements, his family will be offered a state funeral by the Commonwealth Government.

"This will be done in consultation with the Warne family, Cricket Australia and the Victorian Government to ensure we honour Shane's passing and memory."

Cricketers past and present were quick to pay tribute to Warne.

Australia's leading run-scorer of all time, Ricky Ponting, who captained Warne in the final years of his career, labelled the spinner as "the greatest bowler I ever played with or against".

READ MORE: The King of Spin's life in pictures

"Hard to put this into words," Ponting wrote on Twitter.

"I first met him when I was 15 at the [Australian Cricket] Academy. He gave me my nickname.

"We were teammates for more than a decade, riding all the highs and lows together.

"Through it all, he was someone you could always count on, someone who loved his family, someone who would be there for you when you needed him and always put his mates first."

READ MORE: Ten of the most celebrated moments of Shane Warne's legendary career

Current skipper Pat Cummins, currently in Pakistan for a Test series, posted a heartfelt video message.

"Warney was an all-time great, a once-in-a-century-type cricketer, and his records will live on forever," Cummins said.

"We all grew up watching Warney, idolising him, we all had posters (of him) on our wall, had his earrings.

"We love so much about Warney: his showmanship, his charisma, his tactics, the way he just willed himself and the team around him to win games for Australia and, probably above all else, his incredible skill as a leg-spinner.

READ MORE: Pat Cummins' moving tribute to 'all-time favourite' Shane Warne

"There's so many guys in this team and squad who still hold him as a hero, their all-time favourite player, and the loss we're all trying to wrap our heads around is huge."

Tributes also came in from across the world, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and British comedian and actor Stephen Fry just some of the notable overseas names to react to Warne's death.

One of the greatest bowlers of all time, and arguably Australia's finest cricketer behind only Sir Donald Bradman, Warne finished his career with 1001 international wickets.

READ MORE: Eddie McGuire's final chat with Shane Warne

708 of those came in Test cricket, a record at the time of his retirement which has only been bettered since by Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

Warne was the first bowler in the sport to reach both the 600- and 700-wicket mark, and is one of only nine Australians to have taken a Test hat-trick.

He was also a World Cup winner, taking home player of the match honours in the 1999 final when Australia defeated Pakistan.

Firefighters have managed to stop a large bush fire on Auckland’s North Shore from threatening three or four homes.Fire and Emergency were alerted to a fire in trees and thick bush near Okura River Rd about 2.20pm today. DO YOU…

Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz for the morning quiz tomorrow. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

People in parts of the NSW Northern Rivers have been cut off by floodwaters for nearly a week and are desperate for essential items such as fuel, food, and medication.

Kate Caddle and her best friend Ellie Smith have so far sent two semi-trailers of supplies into the communities that are accessible by road.

They are based on Queensland's Gold Coast, just across the border from the devastation.

READ MORE: How you can help with the flood crisis in Queensland and NSW

"It feels like it's part of our community, it's literally our next-door neighbour. It's where we holiday, it's where we go for day trips." Ms Caddle told Nine.com.au.

She described the devastation in Lismore as "heartbreaking".

"You drive down there and you see these people's lives on the curb just ready to be picked up.

"There's debris in the trees and cars smashed up against poles and walls… It was confronting, you can smell it from a kilometre away," Ms Caddle said.

READ MORE: Food, water, petrol shortages as ATMs run out of cash in Mullumbimby

Ms Caddle, along with Ms Smith, their families, and other community members have been organising a privately funded operation to helicopter in supplies.

"We've been working with a helicopter crew that are sending goods out to the places that are unreachable," she said.

"The helicopter crew that we're working with have spent over $500,000 of their own money, and they lost their house, they have a baby."

Everyone in the region has banded together, but they are civilians and are desperate for funding, supplies, and skilled help.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has pledged to help in the recovery issue for as long as necessary, and immediate disaster payments are available.

However, locals are frustrated with the government's response time, and say they desperately need rescue helicopters to help search for those still missing.

"We can't do any search and rescue with the helicopters, they are too small," Ms Caddle said.

"There are people that we dropped off to today that haven't had any contact in a week."

Ms Caddle and her mum have bought kids clothes, and tomorrow she will travel back to Lismore with her dad to put on a sausage sizzle.

They are far from alone, as locals — even those who have lost everything — are all pitching in.

"I think the thing that is really hard at the moment is that we are getting tired, civilians are not trained for this," Ms Caddle said.

"Everyone is tired, we need support from the government, I hate to think about what if the civilians didn't step up."

In a bitter and emotional speech, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised NATO for refusing to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying it will fully untie Russia's hands as it escalates its attack from the air.

"All the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your lack of unity," he said in a nighttime address.

"The alliance has given the green light to the bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages by refusing to create a no-fly zone."

NATO refused to impose a no-fly zone earlier today, warning that to do so could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia.

READ MORE: 'Putin must not be able to escape justice'

"All that the alliance was able to do today was to pass through its procurement system 50 tons of diesel fuel for Ukraine. Perhaps so we could burn the Budapest Memorandum," Mr Zelenskyy said, referring to the 1994 security guarantees given to Ukraine in exchange for the withdrawal of its Soviet-era nuclear weapons.

"You will not be able to pay us off with litres of fuel for the litres of our blood, shed for our common Europe."

He said Ukrainians will continue to resist and have already destroyed Russia's plans for a lightning invasion "having endured nine days of darkness and evil."

"We are warriors of light," he said. "The history of Europe will remember this forever."

War crime accusation

The US Embassy in Ukraine is calling Russia's attack on a nuclear plant a war crime.

"It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant," the embassy statement said.

"Putin's shelling of Europe's largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further."

Russian troops seized the plant yesterday in an attack that set it on fire and briefly raised fears of a nuclear disaster. The blaze was extinguished and no radiation was released.

LIVE UPDATES: Tributes pour in for Shane Warne after shock death

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia's action "nuclear terrorism" and appealed to the UN Security Council for action to safeguard Ukraine's endangered nuclear facilities.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the EU to send representatives to all five of Ukraine's nuclear power plants.

"This is a question of the security of the whole world," he said in a nighttime video address.

READ MORE: Russia to punish 'fake' war reports with 15 years in prison

Safe passage

The head of Ukraine's security council called on Russia to create humanitarian corridors to allow children, women and the elderly to escape the fighting.

Oleksiy Danilov said Friday more than 840 children have been wounded in the war. A day earlier, the Ukrainian government put the death toll among children at 28.

He spoke ahead of the latest talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, planned for this weekend.

READ MORE: How Zelenskyy went from an actor to wartime leader

"The question of humanitarian corridors is question No. 1," Mr Danilov said on Ukrainian television.

"Children, women, elderly people – what are they doing here?"

Russian troops have encircled and blockaded several large cities in the south of the country, including Mariupol, trying to cut Ukraine off from the Black and Azov seas.

Ukrainian officials have asked for help from the Red Cross in organising corridors, describing the situation in the blockaded cities as "close to a catastrophe".

Hugs and tears flowed freely as hundreds of Kiwis from across the globe started flying into New Zealand and going home or into the community without isolating. It comes as New Zealand – from today – opened up for isolation-free…