Two people in China are being treated for pneumonic plague, commonly knowns as the black plague, one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. 

The two patients from the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia were diagnosed by doctors in Beijing. 

A spokesperson for the World Health Organisation says it understood that close contacts were being screened and managed. 

“The Chinese National Health Commission are implementing efforts to contain and treat the identified cases and increasing surveillance,” the spokespersons said.  

Authorities suspect two fires that started on Tuesday in Turramurra on Sydney’s north shore were an act of arson.

Shane Fitzsimmons from NSW Rural Fire Service said they are treating the fire as suspicious and have declared the area a crime scene. 

Mr Fitzsimmons said the fire is a heinous crime and the perpetrators deserve to have the whole weight of the law against them. 

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) says Australia needs to prepare the ground for a two-sided national energy market, where buying and selling energy can be provided for consumers in real-time.

The AEMC also clarified the advent of smart devices and virtual power plants has created the opportunity for a fully-fledged two-sided market.

AEMC chairman John Pierce said digitalisation has progressed to the point where it is time to consider a completely new approach.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams officially opened the Redlands Centre for Women headquarters at the Cleveland historical precinct. 

Councillor Williams said the centre will now be able to extend its service delivery by providing a welcoming women’s hub to enhance social connectedness. 

The council is pleased to have been able to offer RCW more stability after almost three years of uncertainty,” Cr Williams said. 

Redlands Centre for Women secured the facility after the council invited local community groups to submit proposals to use the building. 

Two neighbours in South Brisbane are at war over 34 centimetres of building foundation buried about three metres down in South Brisbane.

HS South Brisbane is seeking $524 000 in damages from United Voice, a union representing paramedics, childcare workers, and security guards, over the 34 centimetre of concrete that allegedly encroaches on neighbouring land by ‘intrusion upon the soil’. 

The presiding Supreme Court Judge has not yet decided whether to award compensation or the small section of land, which cannot be removed without risking the collapse of the building. 

The CEO of ride-sharing company Uber Dara Khosrowshahi, has compared the death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi to ‘mistakes’ made with driverless cars. 

In an interview on US television, Mr Khosrowshahi said the Saudi government made a mistake by killing Mr Khashoggi, like they had in developing self-driving cars. 

 Police have accused a Hong Kong university of being a “manufacturing base for petrol bombs and a refuge for rioters and criminals” following overnight clashes with anti-government protesters. 

The city was paralysed on Wednesday, with much of its public transport suspended and all universities closed after a night of violent clashes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Police had fired multiple shots and rounds of teargas at the campus on Tuesday night and used water cannon on students, who retaliated with petrol bombs and bricks.

 The ABC has apologized for unintentionally revealing the names and faces of three sexual abuse and harassment survivors in an coming documentary about the #MeToo movement.

Journalist and presenter of the documentary Tracey Spicer apologised for the mistake and said she was assured no one would be identified in the broadcast version. 

Media bosses say they are encouraged by their latest negotiations with the government over press freedom, expressing optimism they will secure support for reforms to restrict secrecy and protect journalists and whistle-blowers. 

The “Australia’s Right to Know” coalition of media organisations is pushing 6 recommendations, including public interest exemptions from a series of national security laws, protections for whistle-blowers, freedom of information reform and the right to contest search warrant,