The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into Tesla’s “self-driving” autopilot system after eleven crashes involving emergency vehicles. 

The investigation will cover over 750,000 Tesla cars made since 2014, which the NHTSA said covers the entire range. 

The main concern was the apparent inability of Tesla vehicles to stop when emergency vehicles are parked on roads, especially after dark.

From September, Gold Coast businesses will have to comply with bans on single-use plastic straws, which will come into effect in 2 weeks time. 

Restaurants, cafes and other eateries will no longer be allowed to distribute plastic cutlery or cups which make up to 75% of waste building up on Gold Coast beaches, according to Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon. 

The plastic ban was supposed to be introduced earlier last year, but was excused in response to pressure put on local businesses by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fire has broken out in a grocery store on Old Coach Road in Reedy Creek this morning. 

Emergency services were called at around 5pm just as staff arrived to begin work. Internal sprinklers were found to have been activated in extinguishing the blaze. 

Police are currently investigating the cause of the blaze.

A Sunshine Coast woman is working to secure safe passage for three Afghan siblings who fear for their lives in Kabul.

Zanette Perinoni was approached by a young man from Afghanistan who she met while leading a refugee support group.

The Afghan siblings - two men and one woman in their twenties - are currently stuck in hiding in Kabul.

Ms Perinoni especially fears for the sister, who she says faces a life of servitude if she is discovered.

A night curfew is now under effect in Melbourne alongside lockdown being extended for another two weeks.

Melburnians are now required to stay home between 9pm and 5am in addition to the other lockdown measures already in place.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says these tough restrictions are necessary due to the growing number of unlinked community cases in the city.

Three Australian bird species are being tipped as the next to go extinct from their King Island home unless invasive predator numbers can be controlled, says University of Tasmania’s Matthew Fielding.

 A study of the declining populations of the King Island brown thornbill, the King Island Scrubtit and the Orange-bellied parrot could be saved through a process Fielding calls “trophic re-wilding”. 

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyidden Yassin has handed his resignation to the King after a tumultuous 17 months in office. 

Yassin’s tenure has been weakened by in-fighting within his coalition, as well as from the government’s poor handling of several health, economic and political crises.

Malaysia's King says Muhyidden Yassin will remain as an interim premier, until new elections take place. Muhyidden Yassin is the country’s shortest serving prime minister.

Sewage in outback Queensland towns along the New South Wales border are not being tested for Covid-19. This has sparked fears from QLD health experts, who say the state is at great risk due to the NSW Delta variant being spread closer to its borders. 

Sewage testing for Covid is a vital warning sign in preparing for outbreaks. Towns such as Goondiwindi, Cunnamulla and St George are not listed on the Queensland Health website as providing any sewage testing results.