Wednesday's news in 5 minutes.

1. A major SIDS breakthrough could see the end of SIDS deaths.

A major SIDS breakthrough could see babies screened from birth for their risk of dying from SIDS.

The Daily Telegraph reports that a major breakthrough by researchers at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead has found that babies who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have greatly decreased levels of a brain protein which regulates sleep arousal.

The study also found Orexin protein is in low levels in the brains of adults with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Children’s Hospital at Westmead sleep unit manager Dr Rita Machaalani told The Daily Telegraph the breakthrough was proof SIDS is sleep related.

“It’s linked that there is a sleep related issue, which we’ve always known because the babies die in their sleep, but we didn’t know what it was linked to but this protein seems to be a major player in it,” she said.

“If we can determine what’s the normal level in babies when born than we can use those abnormalities to predict kids that might be at risk in the future of SIDS or sleep apnoea,” Dr Machaalani added.

While the SIDS rate has improved with more education about safe sleeping, Dr Machaalani said the fact babies are still dying shows it must be more than just that.

“Why would one baby die and another baby in the same situation not die? There has got to be something underlying that.”

2. Two schoolchildren airlifted to hospital after bus crash.

A seven-year-old boy has serious head injuries while a 10-year-old boy has abdomen and leg injuries after two school buses crashed in NSW.

Emergency services were called to the crash involving about 40 children on Tongarra Road at Albion Park, near Wollongong, just after 3.40pm.

Ambulance NSW Illawarra duty operations manager Inspector Norm Rees said a seven-year-old boy was thrown through a window and onto the road, while the 10-year-old boy was thrown about inside one of the buses.

Both were airlifted to Sydney Children’s Hospital in a serious condition.

Year 9 student, Riley Cunningham, who was travelling in the back bus, told The Illawarra Mercury the bus he was on rear ended the other bus.

“We couldn’t slow down fast enough and we just rear ended him,” Riley said.

“I thought I was fine, but then I looked down and there was blood coming out of my mouth because I hit the seat in front.”

3. Man dies after ramming BMW into ex-girlfriend’s house.

A man who drove his car his ex-girlfriend’s home in a domestic violence incident southwest of Brisbane has died in hospital.

The man, Neil de Graaf, 37, drove his new BMW into the garage of the property on Birchwood Road, Brookwater, at about 7.30pm on Monday night. He then doused the house in petrol and set it alight, but de Graff suffered burns to 95 percent of his body.

The ex-partner of de Graff, April Lane, 23, her 48-year-old mother and two 18-year-olds managed to escape.

Queensland Police’s Heath McQueen told Nine News they were fortunate.

“We’re very fortunate that we’re not standing here with a much worse situation… there could have been multiple persons deceased as a result of the incident last night.”

4. Father found his son waiting alone outside kindergarten.

The Herald Sun reports the man was shocked to discover his child standing outside the front gate without being signed out by his parents when he arrived at the Westerngate Kindergarten at Deep Park.

The man said he arrived with his wife five minutes before kinder ended and his son was standing alone.

A staff member had let him out as she thought she saw the boy’s father outside.

"I had smoke coming out of my ears. Me and my wife, our heartbeats were running at 100 miles an hour, we were fuming," he told The Herald Sun.  “I said to staff ‘What the hell is he doing?’."

“Someone could have got him, or he could have been hit by a car.”

“When you pick them up, you sign in and then they call your child’s name. We are paying for a service they should be looking after the kids.”

The company that operate the childcare service are investigating.

5. Sydney crime figure, Pasquale Barbaro, shot dead.

Sydney crime figure Pasquale Barbaro, 35, has been shot dead outside a house in Earlwood in Sydney's south.

The underworld figure died on the footpath on Larkhall Avenue about 9.40pm on Monday after he was shot multiple times.

News Limited reports that Mr Barbaro's grandfather and cousin were both killed in separate gangland hits in Brisbane and Melbourne.

No one has been arrested over the shooting.

6. Women earn almost $27,000 less than a man.

Women are earning almost $27,000 less than a man, while those in the executive level are being underpaid by $100,000.

The report from Australia's Workplace Gender Equality Agency, found that despite women making up half of the nation's workforce they earn less than men at every level The Age reports.

The average full-time base salary across all industries and occupations is 17.7 per cent, or $16, 219, less than men.

The report found that women hold just 16.3 per cent of CEO and 37.4 per cent of all manager roles.

7. Boy dies after becoming sick at school while in school 'detention’.

A school boy has died after getting sick while in school detention.

Nasar Ahmed, 14, who had severe asthma died on Monday afternoon at the London school.

The boy’s uncle said he started having a panic attack, which led to an asthma attack.

“I am very sad to confirm that one of our Year 9 pupils, who was taken ill at school last Thursday, has passed away in hospital,” executive head teacher Cath Smith told Sky News. “The whole school community sends our thoughts and prayers to him, and to his family. We will continue to offer support to the family, his fellow pupils and teachers at this very difficult time."

Nasar had been placed in detention after he accidentally tipped over a bin during a fight between two boys.

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