Lead guitarist of Australia-based New Zealand rock band Dragon, Robert Taylor, has died, his former bandmate has revealed.

Taylor was the lead guitarist for the band during arguably its most prominent period in the late 1970s, playing on hits like Are You Old Enough and April Sun in Cuba.

The band's drummer during much of that same period, Kerry Jacobson, took to social media to share the "unexpected and devastating news" of Taylor's death.

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Jacobson said the "irreplaceable" Taylor was his "mentor", "partner in crime", "musical comrade", and a "dear friend of decades".

"Many admired his songwriting and his musical talent and, after all these years people would still speak to me with great reverence of his talent and contribution to Australian music," he wrote.

"I admired his loyalty, I treasured his mateship, I valued his consistency and I absolutely loved it when often the phone would ring and he was up for a chat."

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The New Zealand-born Taylor played with Dragon from 1974 to 1979, and then again from 1982 to 1985.

"He had a dry wit, was a keen observer and had a memory like a razor but mostly he was just one of the good ones," Jacobson said.

"That's what has stuck in my head today, 'he was one of the good ones' and I think that sums it up. I will miss him terribly."

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Up to 20 per cent of Australian households are skipping meals or going days without eating, a new report has found.

One in five Aussie households admitted to missing meals, whilst 3.5 million said they had experienced food insecurity in the last year, according to Foodbank's Hunger Report for 2025.

The Australian Government defines food insecurity as anxiety or uncertainty about the quality or access to food, or where meals are missed or inadequate from a nutritional standpoint.

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The concerning numbers are a small increase from last year, with renters and families feeling the pinch especially.

Almost half of all renters reported experiencing some sort of food insecurity, with 30 per cent saying they have had to skip meals.

The number of two-parent households with children struggling with food jumped to 39 per cent.

A staggering 68 per cent of single-parent households reported struggling for food.

Of these responders, 46 per cent said their food insecurity was severe.

Reasons for rising food insecurity include changes to living arrangements, natural disasters, and rising living expenses.

Aussies have also revealed the measures they are resorting to as cost-of-living pressures continue to bite.

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This includes cutting back on foods high in protein or on fresh produce, which has a significant impact on human health.

Nearly 30 per cent of people with severe food insecurity admitted they used buy now pay later apps or credit cards to pay for groceries, while 12 per cent said they have been forced to move to lower cost accommodation.

Experts say urgent action needs to be taken to fix a problem affecting millions of Aussies in the short-term and for years to come.

"For millions of Australians, the basics of life, food, shelter and security are still far from guaranteed in spite of what we hear about economic improvement," Foodbank chief executive and former politician Kylea Tink said.

"Greater investment in food relief, combined with action on the underlying causes of hunger including housing affordability, income inequality, and tax policy, is essential."

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One local New South Wales council is offering residents a free Aussie flag to help celebrate on January 26 – and the mayor says he's "surprised" at the publicity it gets.

Late in October, Maitland Mayor Philip Penfold announced that submissions would open in November for residents to put their hand up for a free Australian flag, in the lead-up to Australia Day celebrations.

There are two options – one flag suitable for flying from a flagpole, and another flag with a bracket-and-pole kit that can be installed to hang off the side of a house.

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The flags are intended for display on private residences.

Penfold told 2GB's Ben Fordham it was the second year the council had put forward the offer, after it proved massively popular the first time around.

"We want Maitland residents to know they can be proud of their flag, of their country, and we're doing our little bit to promote that," he said.

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"I wonder why we're a country now why we're a country now where it's controversial to promote flying your own flag."

He said he regretted that "unfortunately" the demand was expected to outstrip the $5000 to $10,000 budget allocated to the initiative, but that the council was determined to help people celebrate Australia Day.

"It's a small token gesture, but it means a lot to a lot of people," he said.

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January 26 marks the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove, about a week after its arrival in Botany Bay.

It has often – though not always – been the day chosen to celebrate the British arrival in Australia, or Australian nationality and identity, and was first declared a public holiday in 1818, though differences existed between the colonies and later the states and territories.

It became an officially fixed national public holiday in 1994 but by then the date had been consistently marked in some way for decades.

There has been longstanding opposition to January 26 as Australia's national day, headed by Indigenous people and organisations who see it as "Invasion Day" and a day of mourning.

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At least one person lost their licence after a council error that meant 172 drivers were wrongly issued speeding fines in central Wellington, New Zealand.

Last week reported that Wellington City Council admitted a lower speed limit on Aotea Quay could not be enforced because they had changed it incorrectly.

In 2023, the council introduced a temporary 50km/h limit on the busy arterial road between Sky Stadium and State Highway 1 while a roundabout was built. The permanent speed limit was 70kph.

After the roundabout was completed, in April 2024, the council installed 50km/h signs and consulted on lowering the speed limit permanently – a change it said was necessary due to the roundabout.

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There was no opportunity for public feedback and the council approved the change in August 2024.

However, the council failed to submit the change to the National Speed Limit Register before the new Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 was signed by the minister of transport, returning many recently reduced limits to higher levels.

50km/h signs 'not legal'

Following last week's story, Stuff obtained emails between the council and police, released under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.

The documents showed that in September 2024, the council's former chief of infrastructure, Siobhan Procter, emailed police to let them know about the speed limit change.

However, a month later, Gordon Keay from the Police Infringement Bureau replied, telling Procter the council had used the incorrect law to change the speed limit.

This meant the police had been enforcing a speed limit that was incorrect.

"The 50[km/h] signposted limit in place on Aotea Quay is not legal and as a result police have had to cancel and refund or withdraw from Ministry of Justice jurisdiction a total of 172 speeding infringements."

At least one of the infringements had resulted in disqualification over total demerit points, Keay wrote.

"Police have been enforcing that limit in good faith, but have now ceased any speed enforcement on Aotea Quay until the problem has been rectified.

"I recommend that the illegal and non-compliant 50[km/h] signs be removed or covered immediately and replaced with 70[km/h] signs which are compliant with the current legal speed limit for the area until this matter is resolved."

Inspector Peter McKennie, acting director of road policing, told Stuff that officers rely on the accuracy of speed limits set by local authorities.

If police find an inconsistency, they alert the controlling authority to fix it, as well as reviewing and cancelling any tickets issued in error.

For now, there are no speed limit signs posted along the several hundred metres of arterial route which takes traffic in and out of the city.

Wellington City Council referred Stuff to comments from the previous week's story, which said the public were getting a chance to comment on the speed change.

However, the consultation was going ahead for legal reasons and appeared unlikely to change the reality: without a lower speed limit, the roundabout would need to be rebuilt.

The consultation is open until early December, and the proposal will be decided by a council committee early next year.

This article was originally published on Stuff.co.nz and has been reproduced here with permission.

Plenty of Australians have tossed unwanted items on what they assume is a council clean-up pile, not realising they could be risking fines of up to half a million dollars.

Illegal dumping is an offence in every Australian state and territory, attracting on the spot fines of up to $15,000 and even higher court-imposed penalties.

The most common kind of illegal dumping is household waste and items left on the footpath or kerbside when there's no scheduled council collection.

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Examples include leaving an old nightstand or mattress on the median strip, or dumping green waste that doesn't fit in your green bin in a local nature reserve.

As well as making the street look messy, illegal dumping can negatively impact human health, plants and animals, pollute waterways, and make public places unsafe.

The impacts can be even more severe if the waste being dumped is dangerous, or blocks emergency access.

Not to mention that it costs millions of dollars in hard-earned taxpayer cash to clean up every year.

So even if you've never dumped waste illegally, you may still be paying for it.

As for the Australians who have been guilty of illegal dumping – knowingly or otherwise – here are the state and territory fines you could be risking.

NSW

Under NSW legislation, it is an offence to deposit more than 50L or 50kg of litter or waste in or on a public place, an open private place, or a 'sensitive place'.

Sensitive places include but are not limited to national parts, beaches, and the grounds of childcare centres, hospitals and schools.

Fines for individuals are as follows:

• $1000 on the spot fine for small-scale illegal dumping on public land or open private places, $25,000 maximum penalty if convicted in court
• $2500 on the spot fine for small-scale illegal dumping in or on a sensitive place, $50,000 maximum penalty if convicted in court
• $15,000 on the spot fine for larger-scale waste dumping offences, $500,000 maximum penalty with an additional daily penalty of $120,000 for a continuing offence if convicted in court

If the waste contains asbestos the maximum penalty is double.

If an individual is found guilty of wilful or negligent disposal of waste causing actual or likely harm to the environment, they may face penalties of up to $2 million and seven years in prison.

ACT

Under ACT legislation, it is an offence to dump or store rubbish in a public place, including on a nature strip.

Penalties for individuals include:

• $1000 fine for basic littering
• $5000 fine and six months in prison for aggravated littering that could cause injury to a person, animal or public place
• $200,000 fine and seven years in prison for dumping of illegal substances
• up to $7500 fine for dumping of concrete in a public place or open private space without occupier consent

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Victoria

Rubbish dumping on public land is illegal in Victoria, with maximum penalties of up to $800,000 and five years imprisonment for individuals.

Based on the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the current penalty unit of $203.51, penalties for individuals are as follows:

• $4070.20 (20 penalty units) for illegally dumping waste
• $12210.60 (60 penalty units) for illegally dumping waste that is dangerous
• $20,351 (100 penalty units) for illegally dumping more than 50 litres but less than 1000 litres of waste
• $48,842.40 (240 penalty units) for illegally dumping more than 1000 litres of waste

Queensland

Unlawfully leaving more than 200 litres (about the volume of a wheelie bin) of any type of waste in a public space counts as illegal dumping in Queensland.

Under current legislation, fines for individuals can exceed $160,000.

The current penalties for individuals caught illegally dumping waste are as follows:

• $333 for general littering, or up to $5007 if convicted in court
• $677 for dangerous littering, or up to $6676 if convicted in court
• $2670 for illegal dumping of less than 2500 litres of waste, or up to $66,670 if convicted in court
• $3338 for illegal dumping more than 2500L of waste, or up to $166,900 or twice the waste levy that was avoided if convicted in court
• $1669 for failing to comply with a compliance notice, or up to $50,070 if convicted in court

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South Australia

In South Australia, disposing of waste on public or private land without the appropriate licence, permit or approval counts as illegal dumping.

Penalties can be as high as $500,000 or four years imprisonment for individuals.

The current penalties for individuals include:

• up to $60,000 if convicted in court of knowingly allowing waste to be dumped on your property without an appropriate licence
• up to $120,000 and two years imprisonment if convicted in court of disposing of waste illegally
• up to $500,000 or four years imprisonment, or both, if convicted in court of dumping waste that causes serious environmental harm

Western Australia

Illegal dumping is an offence in WA and can attract maximum penalties of up to $62,500 for individuals.

The current penalties for individuals include:

• $500 for minor illegal dumping
• $2000 if convicted in court
• $62,500 maximum court penalty for more severe offences

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Northern Territory

Illegal dumping is an environmental crime in the NT, punishable by hefty fines if convicted in court.

The current penalties for individuals include:

• $1890 infringement notice for causing an environmental nuisance
• $14,553 if convicted in court

Tasmania

Under Tasmanian legislation, fines for illegal dumping must not exceed 50 penalty units.

Based on the current $205 value of one penalty unit, the total fine for an individual could be up to $10,250.

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A man has died after being hit by a train in South Australia's north-west.

At around 8.30am, emergency services were called to the crossing near Pym Street after reports that a man had been hit as he was crossing the tracks.

The 30-year-old man from Munno Para West died at the scene.

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His death is not being treated as suspicious, and police are preparing a report for the Coroner.

All road and rail services have resumed. 

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Former NRL star Trent Merrin has been charged after allegedly stealing more than $100,000 of cryptocurrency.

Detectives arrived this morning at the Barrack Point home of the former Dragon as part of an investigation into an alleged fraud.

Merrin is accused of accessing a crypto account of a 29-year-old man and transferring $140,000.

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The 36-year-old was arrested and taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station.

Following his retirement from rugby league in 2021, Merrin now describes himself as a "dedicated entrepreneur and investor with a passion for crypto".

9News understands that the investigation relates to Bitcoin.

Merrin has been charged and will face court next month. 

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The iwi chairs aim to bring both factions together for a hui in Pōneke this month.

A travel agent from Sydney's south has admitted to a fraudulent scheme which ruined overseas holidays and netted her more than $77,000.

Zahra Rachid booked international flights for customers to destinations including Portugal, Greece, Lebanon and Iran, but secretly cancelled the tickets to pocket the refunds for herself.

The director of Travel World at Arncliffe pleaded guilty to ripping off eight customers in 2023 and 2024.

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Many only realised their tickets were cancelled when they contacted their airlines to finalise the details for their international trips.

One victim discovered he didn't have a flight to Athens when he arrived at Sydney International Airport to depart for his five-week holiday to Greece in May last year, and was told at the check-in counter his ticket didn't exist.

His daughter and Etihad employees tried repeatedly to contact the travel agent, but they couldn't reach her.

He had paid Rachid $2499 for the Etihad flight in February 2024 and picked up the ticket, but she cancelled the booking the same day.

Another victim paid Rachid more than $50,000 in October 2023 to book business class flights and accommodation for a family trip to Lebanon and Portugal.

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Then, just days before Christmas that year, Rachid cancelled the booking through the third party flight consolidator Airtickets and emailed Emirates to try and speed up the refund.

The customer only discovered his bookings were cancelled the following year and never got his money back from the travel agent.

According to agreed facts tendered in court, Rachid's travel agency was in financial crisis when she embarked on the scheme, with the company's bank account in negative balance on 837 occasions between January 2023 and June 2024.

The 54-year-old pleaded guilty to eight counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

She had been facing 82 charges, but 72 were previously withdrawn and dismissed.

She'll be sentenced in Downing Local Court in January.

Xi Jinping is not known for his easy smiles.

China's most powerful Communist leader in decades has built a reputation reinforced by state media during his 12-year rule as a serious and steady hand.

But images released by the White House show a different side of Xi – and one not apparent in images published at home.

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Xi attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, where he met US President Donald Trump for a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base in Busan.

All eyes were on how the leaders of the world's two biggest economies would sort out their differences on a range of topics from soybeans and fentanyl to rare earth minerals and high-end computer chips.

But aside from the hard-hitting diplomacy, photographs released by the White House captured a rare candid moment between the two leaders.

In a room filled with suited diplomats, Trump was seen in one image with his arm stretched across the negotiation table to show Xi a piece of paper.

Whatever was written or printed on the paper remains unknown.

In another image, the Chinese leader appears to grin with his eyes shut, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi laughing by his side.

It's unclear if the images were arranged in chronological order.

Two days later, Xi was caught on camera cracking a joke when he exchanged gifts with South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, according to a Reuters video.

Lee first presented Xi with a wooden board for the chess game Go.

Then, the Chinese leader gave Lee and his wife two China-made Xiaomi phones, which an official said came with displays made in South Korea, home to electronic giants Samsung and LG.

Lee then jokingly asked: "How is the communication security?" drawing laughter from the room.

Xi, who was also laughing at this point, replied: "You can check if there's a backdoor."

A backdoor risk refers to a hidden method of accessing a user's device without them knowing.

The issue has prompted a raft of allegations between China and other countries.

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Beijing has recently expressed concerns over a US proposal to have advanced chips sold abroad fitted with tracking, a suggestion that prompted US chipmaker Nvidia to say its chips had no "backdoors."

Meanwhile, numerous Western countries have raised cybersecurity concerns regarding certain China-made devices.

The two off-the-cuff moments from Xi contrast with his carefully crafted image at home, where he was recently shown presiding over a military parade in a Mao suit, an outfit associated with Mao Zedong, Communist China's founding father.

Before his meeting with Trump, he chaired a party plenum, delivering speeches in a stoic demonstration of his tight control over China's political apparatus.

Not all Chinese leaders projected such a tightly constructed image.

Xi's predecessor Jiang Zemin, who served as president between 1993 and 2003, was known for his flamboyant personality, cosmopolitan flair and willingness to show off his language skills and interact with journalists.

However, Xi has charted a different course.

Along with curbing freedom of expression in China, he has maintained strict control of his image and the flow of information.

Elite politics has become so opaque under his rule that pundits look for any clue for China's direction – from parsing Xi's words for their real meaning to assessing the colour of his hair.

Xi's more relaxed international appearances in South Korea barely made it to China's tightly controlled internet.

Censors often remove any coverage of Xi that deviates from the official narrative in the country, where most Western news websites and social media platforms are banned.

Footage and images showing Xi's light-hearted exchanges with his US and South Korean counterparts were nowhere to be found on two of the country's most popular social media platforms: Douyin, China's version of TikTok, and Xiaohongshu.

A few posts by Chinese-language news outlets based outside of China that reported Xi's gift exchange with South Korea's Lee were available on X-like platform Weibo.

The posts only displayed a few users' comments despite hundreds of messages.

Among the reactions that survived, one user posted a thumbs-up emoji and another left a smiling face.

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