The Bulgarian government has released Australian Jock Palfreeman, who was convicted of murder in 2009, from an immigration detention centre more than three weeks after the court granted him parole.

Palfreeman is not allowed to leave the country, but his release has still sparked political controversy in Bulgaria and abroad.

A 12 year-old South Australian girl has fallen at least 20 metres down a descent on the Uluru Summit, after losing her footing on the lower section of the climb.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service, who were initially very concerned about the potential injuries given the nature of the accident, transported the girl to Alice Springs Hospital, where she is in a stable condition.

Three of Brisbane’s foreshores are now open for dogs to run off-leash, after a year-long trial began on the weekend.

The three foreshore areas at Sandgate, Nudgee Beach and Manly will be open for the trial, after research conducted by the University of Queensland identified these areas as having low value for shorebird habitat.

Researchers will monitor the three sites throughout the year to observe any potential impacts on migratory birds.

A Queensland man has become the focus of widespread medical attention after his severed hand was successfully reattached by surgeons two months ago.

Brisbane factory worker Lawrence Cooper was operating a meat slicer when his hand was cut off below the thumb in August.

Surgeons say the extraordinary operation wouldn’t have been possible without the quick-thinking actions of a fellow worker, who immediately plunged the hand into a bucket of ice and applied a tourniquet to his arm.

An investigation has revealed the Chinese Government has co-funded at least four courses at the University of Queensland (UQ), that teach Chinese policy, music and language.

The courses have been accused of being vehicles of Chinese propaganda, and UQ is now being called to review its deal with the Chinese Government.

The ACT Government has sent a letter to the Commonwealth warning against overturning new cannabis laws, calling the laws the “will of the people”.

Senior federal ministers have criticised the ACT’s decision to legalise the possession, consumption and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis for adults in Canberra since it was announced last month.

The ACT attorney-general Gordon Ramsay said in the letter that the government did not condone the recreational use of cannabis but the laws are necessary to avoid “needless criminalisation”.

The Redland City Council has decided to set up a youth reference group.

Deputy mayor Lance Hewlett says “a youth reference group will also offer a platform for young people to voice their opinions to effect change.

“Our young residents are the future of our Redlands Coast community, and this is a great opportunity for them to have a say in how our community takes shape into the future”.

The state government has invested $1.4 million into protection for threatened species, including Moreton Bay humpback dolphins and powerful owls.

29 projects will receive funding, such as the powerful owl project, which will involve mapping habitat, monitoring diseases and a focus on conservation.

Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch says the funding is part of the $18 million Community Sustainable Action Grants Program.

Image: Alyssa Spisa

An international software company that specialises in writing smartphone keyboards in traditional languages is helping people protect their language.

The project, called Keyman, allows people to enter one of more than 600 different languages, most of which are in most languages.

Most languages are a language spoken by a large group of people, such as English, Spanish or Mandarin.

Keyman was developed by SIL International, a non-profit company, and chief software developer Marc Durdin said it was originally created in Laos in 1993.