Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam has suspended an extradition bill after more than two million people joined mass protests against the proposed changes.

Critics feared the legislation would expose Hong Kong residents to China’s flawed justice system and lead to further erosion of the city’s judicial independence under the ‘one country, two systems’ policy.

Mrs Lam has apologised and accepted responsibility for the controversy, but resisted demands from protesters calling for her resignation.

The Queensland government has announced $4.5 million in funding for North Stradbroke Island’s Quandamooka Arts, Music and Performance Institute as part of a $25 million effort to transition the island from sand mining to tourism.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones says the project is expected to generate more than $8.5 million a year for the local economy during construction and more than $2.5 million for local businesses once up and running.

The Ipswich City council allegedly used ratepayers’ money to buy almost 700 memorabilia items, including signed sporting goods, artwork, photographs and garden gnomes.

Ipswich City Council interim administrator Greg Chemello says the council is unable to determine how much money was spent due to poor record keeping and is forming a community reference group to determine what should be done with the items.

A $1m federal grant will assist the funding of a brain device which can help restore eyesight as well as potentially assisting with neural conditions like epilepsy and depression.

The $570m Monash University-led research initiative is one of ten medical research projects to receive up to $1m funding from the federal government.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says the “investment has the potential to transform healthcare and stimulate growth” in various Australian medical sectors.

The Coalition awarded almost $1.4 billion in grants through its regional development program in the lead-up to the federal election, with about half of the funding not subject to a competitive tender process.

The spending included grants made through the Stronger Communities program, a political slush fund which gives every lower-house MP $150 thousand to spend on small community projects costing between $1,500 and $20,000.

The Canadian government has approved a $5.5 billion oil pipeline project after a federal court sent it back for review last year.

Environmentalists and First Nations groups successfully challenged the Trans Mountain project last year, with a federal court ruling the government had failed to adequately consult First Nations community over the project’s impact on endangered killer whales.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the project will fund Canada’s “transition to a green economy”, and ease its reliance on US oil markets.
 

South African two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya says athletics’ world governing body “used” her as “a human guinea pig,” after the IAAF insisted the 800m runner either take medication to control her testosterone or compete over a different distance.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport determined the new rules for athletes with differences of sexual development were discriminatory, but concluded the discrimination was “neccessary, reasonable and proportionate” to protect “the integrity of female athletics.”

Children as young as 10 have been kept in adult maximum-security watch houses while the government upgrades a Brisbane youth detention centre.

Queensland’s two youth detention centres usually have a capacity of 258 beds, but the upgrades, which began in April last year, caused a loss of 38 beds in the youth detention system.

A staffer at the Office of the Public Guardian says youth are being disadvantaged by the decision and placing children in maximum-security watch houses is a breach of Queensland law.