Man who stole from orchard tries and fails to get discharge without conviction.

A “heavy police presence” is in the area while police attempt to resolve the incident

Fire and Emergency NZ was called to the scene at 7.08pm.

National wants Labour to come clean on whether roads will be cut.

A fugitive has been found dead at a home west of the Blue Mountains in NSW following a 21-hour stand-off with police.

Police were called to the Bowenfels home in Lithgow on Sunday after reports an armed man and woman were fighting.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Scott Tanner said when officers arrived at the home, the pair were "abusive to police".

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Officers tried to negotiate with the man, now identified as 29-year-old Daniel Whelan, but he and the woman, 20-year-old Ursala Saunders, went inside the property, locked the doors, and refused to come out.

A perimeter was established and specialised police, including negotiators and the Tactical Operations Unit (TOU), were deployed.

Police said a number of shots were fired from the home in the direction of police at about 4.20 pm, and they returned fire.

No one was injured during the exchange, police said.

Negotiations continued overnight but Whelan and Saunders refused to come outside.

Videos uploaded to social media by Saunders show her hiding behind a makeshift rice bag barricade in the home.

READ MORE: Adelaide father accused of execution-style shooting

The situation changed this morning when Saunders approached officers alone. 

"Just before 8.50am today (Monday 17 July 2023), the 20-year-old woman came out of the property and provided information to officers at the scene," NSW Police said in a statement.

Tanner said Saunders came out on her own accord with a firearm, believed to be a .22-calibre rifle, and surrendered to police.

Police entered the home and found Whelan dead with what is believed to be a self-inflicted injury. 

Tanner said Whelan was wanted by police for "some serious matters that dated back to 2021".

Those included domestic violence-related matters and matters relating to firearms.

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Police believe Whelan held anti-government beliefs.

"An investigation has commenced into all circumstances relating to the incident by a Critical Incident Investigation Team from Orana Mid Western Police District," police added.

Saunders is assisting police with enquiries. 

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.

National Domestic Violence Service: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). If you are in immediate danger call triple zero (000).

A bonanza for the small parties as National and Labour fail to fire.

Laura Dickason was quiet and calm as the charges were read to her.

Heavy downpours lashed South Korea for a ninth day on Monday as rescue workers struggled to search for survivors in landslides, buckled homes and swamped vehicles in the most destructive storm to hit the country this year.

At least 40 people have died, 34 others are injured and more than 10,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes since July 9, when heavy rain started pounding the country.

The severest damage has been concentrated in South Korea's central and southern regions.

READ MORE: Millions across country warned to brace

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In the central city of Cheongju, hundreds of rescue workers, including divers, continued to search for survivors in a muddy tunnel where about 15 vehicles, including a bus, got trapped in a flash flood that may have filled up the passageway within minutes Saturday evening.

The government has deployed nearly 900 rescue workers to the tunnel who have so far pulled up 13 bodies and rescued nine people who were treated for injuries. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were in the submerged cars.

As of Monday afternoon, rescue workers had pumped out most of the water from the tunnel and were searching the site on foot, a day after they used rubber boats to move and transport bodies on stretchers.

Hundreds of emergency workers, soldiers and police were also looking for any survivors in the southeastern town of Yecheon, where at least nine people were dead and eight others listed as missing after landslides destroyed homes and buckled roads, the county office said.

READ MORE: Nine bodies pulled from flooded road tunnel

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Photos from the scene showed fire and police officers using search dogs while wading through knee-high mud and debris from destroyed homes.

Nearly 200 homes and around 150 roads were damaged or destroyed across the country, while 28,607 people were without electricity over the past several days, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a report.

The Korea Meteorological Administration maintained heavy rain warnings across large swaths of the country. Torrential rains were dumping up to 3 centimetres (1.2 inches) per hour in some southern areas. The office said the central and southern regions could still get as much as 20 centimetres (7.9 inches) of additional rain through Tuesday.

Returning from a trip to Europe and Ukraine, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held an emergency government meeting. He called for officials to designate the areas hit hardest as special disaster zones to help funnel more financial and logistical assistance into relief efforts.

Yoon later visited Yecheon where he was briefed on the search and rescue efforts.

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Tiyrone Ballantine weaved in and out of cars on the Waikato Expressway to avoid police.

Customers of one of Australia's biggest energy providers have been warned to expect "unwelcome news" in the coming weeks, in an ominous email sent out this morning.

EnergyAustralia wrote to customers saying there had been "an overall increase in the cost of supplying electricity" in Australia and that account holders should expect a significant increase in energy prices from August 1.

"We acknowledge that it's likely to be unwelcome news for you and many of our customers," the electricity giant wrote.

REVEALED: How much power bills will be increasing by in your state

"We're committed to providing support to help you manage the impact of these changes."

In the email, sent to a southern Sydney resident and seen by 9news.com.au, the provider said customers in that area could expect an annual increase of roughly $305, thanks to changes.

That figure is down to a household's individual energy use, the email told the customer.

"These new rates are 22 per cent above the DMO reference price, however, can be 3 per cent above the DMO reference price if you pay on time," EnergyAustralia explained.

"The estimated annual price is $2640 (incl. GST).

"This is based on the new rates and an average residential customer using 6818 kWh on a single rate or flat tariff with controlled load in the Ausgrid area.

"Any applicable plan discounts have been included and what you actually pay depends on how much electricity you use."

READ MORE: Electricity prices are increasing. This is who's getting hit hardest

Network costs, market charges and increases to retail costs "primarily due to inflation" were also contributors to the price hikes, the energy giant said.

Providing electricity to some 1.6 million Australians along the nation's east coast, EnergyAustralia is just one of a number of companies who had sent similar emails to customers in recent times, warning them of price increases.

Discover Energy and Origin are among other Aussie providers warning of increases due this month and next.

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