Keith Anthony McEwen abducted a Dutch couple on their honeymoon.

A man has died and seven people are in hospital after a bus with 26 passengers onboard and a car collided in a horrific crash in NSW's Central West this morning.

It's alleged officers were driving to a domestic incident but saw the Mazda being driven away from the location and identified the driver as "being involved in the domestic" on the Mitchell Highway in Dubbo.

Assistant Commissioner Rod Smith said officers attempted to pull the 32-year-old driver over but he failed to stop about 9am.

READ MORE: Aussie charity founder to run 1400km in memory of the Boxing Day tsunami

A pursuit was initiated for a short time but was "terminated due to safety concerns".

Smith said officers were attempting to find other ways to stop him before the crash at 9.15am, which occurred 1km east of the Mitchell Highway and Eulomogo Road intersection.

"That vehicle then crossed to the other side of the road and collided head on with a bus travelling in the other direction," Smith said.

"The 55-year-old woman that was driving the bus took evasive action and probably saved the lives of a lot of people.

"We are lucky that nobody else was seriously injured or killed."

READ MORE: One-punch killer walks free from prison

The 32-year-old driver of the Mazda died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified. 

Seven people have been admitted to Dubbo Hospital and are being treated for minor injuries.

The bus driver has been taken to hospital for mandatory testing.

Smith said it was the manner of driving, not speed, that caused the police chase to be terminated.

He said it was too early to say what the nature of the domestic incident was.

READ MORE: All six Bondi Junction Westfield attack victims stable in hospital as beach vigil announced

Premier Chris Minns confirmed that police are investigating the circumstances around the crash.

"There's been a major traffic incident just outside Dubbo," Minns said. 

"Emergency service personnel are on the scene, as are crash investigation officers

"Paramedics have been able to dispatch those that needed to go to hospital, to hospital."

‘Please have confidence we’re going to continue in this direction.’

Parents would have "every right to feel let down" after the latest breach of Victoria's child employment laws, the regulator says.

TK Maxx, which has more than 80 stores across Australia, has admitted one of its Victorian stores employed two young children without the required permit.

Wage Inspectorate Victoria charged the company with the breaches following a compliance blitz in December 2022.

READ MORE: Queensland expecting strong winds and heavy rainfall

The inspectorate found the Werribee store in Melbourne's southwest was employing a child aged under 15 without a permit.

It warned the business the child must stop work immediately but TK Maxx Werribee instead hired a second child without a permit the following week.

The inspectorate charged the company with seven offences, including the permit breaches and failing to ensure a child was supervised by someone with a Working With Children clearance.

TK Maxx Werribee on Tuesday pleaded guilty in Melbourne Magistrates Court to the charges, which were between September 28 and December 26, 2022.

In sentencing, Magistrate Malcolm Thomas described the offending as inadvertent and noted the business' lack of prior convictions and early guilty pleas.

He placed the business on a 12-month good behaviour bond with the condition it pay $5000 to the court fund.

READ MORE: Aussie charity founder to run 1400km in memory of the Boxing Day tsunami

The wage inspectorate's Commissioner Robert Hortle said TK Maxx Werribee had received clear warnings that it ignored.

"The parents who gave permission for their kids to work at (the store) have every right to feel let down," Mr Hortle said in a statement.

"It's behaviour that shows a disregard for child employment laws and for the wellbeing of its young employees.

"Kids don't have the same mental or physical stamina as adults, so they can't work the same hours and need to have regular rest breaks.

"It's concerning to see a workplace of this size fail to take the welfare of kids into account."

TK Maxx declined to comment.

It is the latest business to run foul of Victoria's child employment laws.

READ MORE: Second person charged over riot outside Sydney church

Wodonga Food Pty Ltd, which operated the Wodonga Red Rooster outlet near the Victoria-NSW border, was fined in February over 29 charges involving 10 children under 15, across 169 occasions in 2022.

The offences had been rolled up from an initial 355 charges.

Port Fairy business Cobb's Bakery was fined $5000 in December 2023 for repeatedly employing children under the age of 15 without a permit.

In Victoria, employers of children aged under 15 must have a child employment permit or licence before any work takes place.

The children must be supervised by someone with a valid Working with Children clearance, and there are restrictions on the length of the shifts and when the children must take breaks.

During the December 2022 compliance blitz, the inspectorate visited 169 businesses across eight shopping centres including Chadstone and Highpoint.

Four investigations stemmed from the blitz, with a further three businesses receiving official warnings.

The man convicted of manslaughter over the 2012 one-punch killing of 18-year-old Thomas Kelly has walked free from prison.

Kieran Loveridge was released from Broken Hill prison late on Friday after a decision from the NSW State Parole Authority earlier this month.

Neither the state nor Kelly's parents opposed granting parole to Loveridge at the time.

READ MORE: Netherlands man battled COVID-19 for longest case ever recorded

Kelly's father Ralph now claims they were denied facts about Loveridge's time behind bars before the submission was made to the parole board, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Ralph Kelly told the publication he felt "blindsided" by the process.

The corrections department is reviewing the reviewing the matter.

Loveridge was heavily drunk when he punched Kelly in the face during a night out in Sydney on July 7, 2012, knocking the 18-year-old down and fracturing his skull when he fell backwards.

Kelly died two days later in hospital.

READ MORE: Two charged months after alleged kidnapping plot

Loveridge also assaulted four other people that same night.

The incident was one of the contributing factors behind the introduction of Sydney's strict lockout laws, which were eventually removed in 2021.

He was originally sentenced to seven years and two months in prison, but that was increased to 13 years and eight months on appeal.

Of that, 10 years and six months was specifically for the manslaughter of Kelly.

He became eligible for parole last year, but it was denied by the authority, which found Loveridge's release would pose a risk to community safety.

Under his parole conditions, Loveridge is not allowed to drink alcohol, contact Kelly's family or his co-offenders, nor visit the City of Sydney and Shoalhaven local government areas.

He is also barred from going to the suburb of Neutral Bay and from having any contact with bikie gangs.

Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China, following an order from the country's internet watchdog which cited national security concerns.

"We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree," an Apple spokesperson told CNN on Friday.

"The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns.

READ MORE: Netherlands man battled COVID-19 for longest case ever recorded

These apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear."

The apps, both owned by Meta, were already blocked in China and not widely used.

They could be accessed in the country only by using virtual private networks (VPNs) that can encrypt internet traffic and disguise the user's online identity.

The removal of the apps by Apple represents a "further distancing between already separated tech universes" in the country and beyond, said Duncan Clark, chairman of Beijing-based investment advisory BDA China.

"It will cause inconvenience to consumers and businesses (in China) who deal with family, friends or customers overseas.

Even if they use VPNs to access their existing WhatsApp apps, these over time will become obsolete and require updating," he said.

Other popular Western social media apps including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and Messenger are still available on Apple's China app store, according to a check by CNN.

READ MORE: Opening statements set for Trump's trial as chaos erupts outside courtroom 

The tech giant's announcement comes against a backdrop of plunging iPhone sales in the world's second-largest economy.

Its smartphone sales tumbled a stunning 10 per cent in the first quarter of this year, according to market research firm IDC.

The company has lost momentum in China as nationalism, a rough economy and increased competition have hurt Apple over the past several months.

The resurgence of Huawei and other Chinese brands, including Xiaomi and OPPO/OnePlus, will likely continue, according to IDC.

Chinese consumers who once would have considered Apple are now turning to the country's national brands.

Besides being a key production centre, China remains an important market for Apple as it is the largest market behind the United States. The company continues to offer discounts in the country to help boost sales.

Its CEO Tim Cook visited Shanghai just last month to open the second-biggest Apple store in the world.

As a forensic investigations expert, Peter Baines has spent his career running towards disaster and tragedy – whether it be a grisly crime scene or an international disaster.

But it was Baines' deployment to Thailand after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 that would go on to change the course of his life forever.

"I often say that the only thing that remained the same in my life from that moment on was that I had three kids, because in the ensuing time, my marriage would break down and everything else in my life changed," Baines said.

With a team of Australian police officers, including from the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police, Baines helped lead the identification efforts of Thai locals and tourists who perished in the unprecedented disaster.

This December will mark 20 years since the Boxing Day tsunami, which claimed the lives of about 230,000 people worldwide, and 5400 in Thailand.

"Being exposed to death and loss and destruction, that was the nature of my work," Baines said.

Baines threw himself into the critical and monumental task. He soon found his interactions with the relatives of those who had died were among the most difficult but rewarding.

There was one particular meeting with a group of orphans that would remain in the minds of Baines and his colleagues long after they left. 

"We visited the kids that would come for support who were living in a tent within a temple in that region. 

"They had all lost their families." 

After his return to Australia, Baines was speaking with a colleague in the UK who brought up the kids they had met in the tent.

"She said, those kids need a home. Do you want to help build them at home?" Baines said. 

"And I said, 'Yeah, okay.'" 

Those simple words led to the formation of the Hands Across the Water charity.

Over the course of two decades, the registered charity has gone on to raise $30 million for social welfare projects in Thailand.

In addition to building a home for the original orphans Baines met, the charity has supported thousands of other children over seven locations in Thailand.

Many of the children living in the tent have now graduated from university, with Hands Across the Water providing scholarships.

While the charity gained momentum from the start, Baines – who has since written books and was awarded an Order of Australia medal for his efforts – said he initially wasn't so confident of its success.

"I had no idea how I was going to raise the money. And it was at that time that I was probably close to the lowest point in my life," he said.

"I had separated from my wife as a result of all the deployments and all the things around it. Financially, physically, mentally – I was exhausted and pretty broken.

"When you look at doing something for someone else, normally it's when you're in a good position. 

"Well, I was in the worst position, but by doing something for someone else, that put me in what would transform into being the best place in my life."

Baines began working on the public speaking circuit, using the fees he received and contacts he made to build the charity up.

These days, a major source of fundraising for the charity is the regular bike rides they run with Australian participants in Thailand.

With the 20th anniversary of the tsunami approaching, Baines said he wanted to mark the occasion with an even bigger challenge.

"There's obviously a personal journey with the 20 years and what it's meant for me," Baines said.

"There's been some incredible highs but there's also been some pretty desperate lows and I wanted to do something personal to kind of tie a bow around 20 years. 

"And I thought, what about a run?" 

Slowly, the "crazy" idea began to take shape.

Starting on December 1, Baines will run almost the entire length of Thailand – 1400 kilometres – over the course of 26 days. 

It will be the equivalent of running 33 marathons, or from Melbourne to Brisbane.

The run will begin at the charity's HIV home in the north-east of Thailand and end at the tsunami memorial in the south on December 26.

Although Baines is no stranger to running marathons, or even ultra-marathons, he said this would be his biggest physical challenge by far.

"I've run from Canberra to Sydney, that was 50km a day," he said.

"But Thailand has the heat and it's not an insignificant thing."

Baines hopes his epic journey, dubbed the "Run to Remember", will help raise the profile of the charity locally in Thailand – almost all of its funds still come from Australia.

But the run also has an ambitious fundraising goal in itself of $1 million, with the charity now looking for potential sponsors.

The money raised will go towards Hands Across the Water's education centres, which the charity had been almost ready to launch when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The initiative includes a hospitality training centre in the southern tourist hotspot, Khao Lak.

The centre will train students to meet the direct employment needs of the major hotels in the region, rather than focussing on qualifications.

The widow of a truckie killed in South Australia's far west has launched a campaign to fight for change after the deadly crash on the Eyre Highway.

Delphine Mugridge lost her husband Neville two weeks ago, with the 77-year-old remembered as a "compassionate" father and grandfather, and a legend to other truck drivers.

"He was very compassionate," she told 9News. "If you had him as a friend you had him for life".

READ MORE: New footage emerges from Westfield Bondi attack

Known as "Slim", the 77-year-old was one of three truck drivers killed on the job along the Eyre Highway at the start of this month.

"Sometimes I think 'Oh he's just gonna come home he's too good a driver'," she told 9News.

"Then other times I realise he isn't coming home".

She has started a petition to ensure heavy vehicle licenses require more experience and knowledge of Australian roads.

Leaders of the trucking industry are also pushing for safety improvements.

READ MORE: New camera rollout to watch drivers

"Ultimately I think the best thing would be a traineeship or an apprenticeship," Mugridge told 9News.

The petition has been rapidly gaining signatures since starting yesterday, especially among those who also lost loved ones in trucking accidents.

The Federal Transport Minister says he's seen the petition, and told 9News he will seek advice about the proposed reforms and what implications they might have for the industry.

The SA Road Transport Association agrees there's an urgent need for safety improvements, but say all states and territories need to get on the same page

They fear that one weak link will leave open a dangerous backdoor onto South Australian roads.

Slim leaves behind his wife, six siblings, and 20 children, step-children and grandchildren.

A man jailed for life over the murder of two people who were trapped inside a toolbox and dumped in a creek has lost an appeal against his conviction.

Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, then 28, was sentenced in February 2020 after a Brisbane Supreme Court jury found him guilty.

The decomposing bodies of Cory Breton, 28, and Iuliana Triscaru, 31, were found in a large metal box at Scrubby Creek, south of the city, on February 11, 2016.

READ MORE: Alcoholic jailed after boy, 9, killed in crash

They had been forced into the container at a home in Kingston 18 days earlier.

In sentencing, Justice Peter Davis said although Tahiata played no role in beating and restraining the pair, it was obvious he knew he was "driving them to their deaths".

Tahiata's appeal was subject to a hearing in October 2023 in which his barrister April Freeman claimed the jury had been influenced by inadmissible evidence.

Freeman said during that hearing the trial's jury were told Tahiata had confessed to police while their interview video camera was switched off.

A police officer testified at the trial that Tahiata said: "I did it. I killed them. I murdered both of them."

The specific words Tahiata used during the confession were later ruled inadmissible as they were not an acceptable record under legislation governing Queensland Police conduct.

Freeman said the quote from Tahiata was presented to jury members as a "pivotal moment" in the trial.

In a judgment handed down today, Justice Peter Flanagan found that Tahiata's inadmissible confession was materially corroborated by other evidence that included CCTV footage linking him to the scene of the crime.

"It remains the fact that the appellant did receive a text which requested him to attend (the unit where the victims were detained), to which he agreed," Flanagan said.

READ MORE: Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran

Throughout the trial, the court heard a dispute over drug debts resulted in Breton and Triscaru being bashed with a metal pole and forced into the toolbox by a group of Tahiata's schoolmates.

At sentencing, Davis described the victims' deaths as horrendous.

"Most likely the two deceased were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," he said.

"It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence."

Tahiata, one of three men convicted over the murders, will have to serve at least 30 years behind bars.

He will not be eligible for parole until February 2046.

A man has been charged after police found 200 tubs of psychedelic mushrooms in a Queensland property in what was allegedly a commercial-scale production operation.

Queensland Police searched two properties on First Avenue in Marsden, Logan and Rossmore Road in Chambers Flat yesterday.

Officers found 200 containers of hallucinogenic magic mushrooms and a large quantity of dried mushrooms at the property in Marsden.

READ MORE: Three young brothers and friend killed in 'very confronting' WA crash

The rooms in the home had been converted to cater to various stages of drug production, police alleged.

The 31-year-old man from NSW was charged with several drug offences, including production of a dangerous drug and possession of a dangerous drug.

Detective Inspector Craig Bowman from the Organised Crime Gangs Group said the investigations reflect police's ongoing commitment to disrupting criminal activity in Queensland.

READ MORE: Teenager dies in suspected crocodile attack on island in Torres Strait

"These criminal syndicates have no regard for the wider harm illicit drugs cause to the community," he said.

"They are motivated by profit, which is often used to fund further criminal activity."