More than 100 new models of electric vehicles have been unveiled at China’s annual auto show in Beijing.

The Chinese government has been championing new energy vehicles with a planned cap and trade quota system forcing automotive manufacturers to make at least 10 percent of their output new energy vehicles or face fines while also providing subsidies for manufacturers. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs and trade has admitted two Australians died in London’s Grenfell Tower inferno in June last year which killed 71 people following persistent questioning from the Australian newspaper.

71-year-old Victoria King and her daughter 41-year-old Alexandra Atala, found deceased next to each other in flat 172, were the last two victims identified by Westminster coroner Fiona Wilcox, in November last year.

DFAT officials until this week refused to divulge names and ages of the victims, citing privacy reasons.

The world’s largest medicinal cannabis company, Canopy Growth Corporation, is to set up its Southern Hemisphere headquarters in Victoria, which legalised use in limited circumstances in 2016.

The $16 million cultivation and production hub, expected to create more than 200 jobs, eventually aims to export the product overseas.

In 2017, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ government released their medicinal cannabis strategy, aiming to have Victoria supplying half of Australia’s demand for the product by 2028.

The Kombi Clinic, run by Nurse Mim O’Flynn, is up for a Hesta award in the nursing and midwifery category for their ‘incredible work’ helping those with Hepatitis C.

The Kombi Clinic, which specialises in treating Hepatitis C, works from Logan, Redcliffe, Spring Hill, Cleveland and Inala, offering those with a high risk of Hepatitis C a one-stop shop for treatment with no hospital visits or wait times.

Rainbow colours will be displayed on nine of Brisbane’s landmarks on the 17th of May to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

The day aims to raise awareness to those in the LGBTI community affected by discrimination and abuse and to support those living in countries where homosexuals acts are still illegal.

Indonesian Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara announced that the government will require high-rise buildings to provide access for the installation of fiber optics to internet or phone operators saying the regulation should be implemented soon.

Jakarta is continuing to pivot to become a modern city with the new regulation hoped to spur digital economic growth.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe have opened the Sir John Monash Centre, a museum paying tribute to the men and women of World War I in Villers-Bretonneux in France.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe delivered a heartfelt speech saying the Australian soldiers defended the French land inch-by-inch, "as if it were their own country".

"We will never forget that 100 years ago, a young and brave nation on the other side of the world made history by writing our history”, he said.

A two-metre long scroll featuring “confronting” homophobic slurs left on a Facebook post for a pride march has been included in the Queer Country art exhibition in Bendigo.

Artist Noel Hourigan, known as a “provocateur” in the queer art scene, has included in his piece the names of the people who made the offending comments as a way of holding them to account.

Mr Hourigan said, "They would never be able to say some of these statements in their workplaces, where there is laws that stop them from saying these things.”

The call to ban plastic straws has raised some unintended issues for those with disabilities who rely on the convenient utensil.

The plastic utensil has proven to be a beneficial and cost-effective tool for those who struggle with physical disabilities helping them to drink, eat and exercise their lungs, which isn’t as easily achievable with metal or biodegradable straws.