A decade after universities lifted their entry caps, student numbers have soared - but so have drop-out rates; Victoria's voluntary assisted dying legislation comes into effect this week; and protests continue as Hong Kong suspends – but doesn't scrap – controversial extradition laws.

Euthanasia becomes legal in Australia this week, with Victoria opening the way for terminally ill patients to end their life with medical assistance. It's the first time that assisted dying has been allowed in Australia since the NT legalised it two decades ago, only for Federal Parliament to nullify the laws.

Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos speaks with AM's Sabra Lane on the state's voluntary assisted dying legislation, which takes effect this week.

Mass protests have again shut down Hong Kong's the city centre overnight. The latest anti-extradition law demonstration is the largest to date, with organisers saying as many as two million people taking part.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says he wants to resettle all remaining refugees on Manus Island and Nauru. Crossbench MP Rebekha Sharkie says she will put pressure on the Government to find a solution sooner rather than later.

A new report suggests that extra university places for disadvantaged students has resulted in more dropouts. The Productivity Commission says 21 per cent of students who entered under the current "demand-driven" system either failed their degrees or dropped out altogether.

University chiefs are strongly defending their institutions in the wake of the Productivity Commission's report on demand-driven tertiary education. But the peak student body says it fears some universities are using students as cash cows.

Art is being used to boost the economy of small regional towns in Tasmania's south that were surrounded by bushfires this summer. The first exhibit – the sounds of 2,000 ravens in a forest – has opened at sunset during the internationally renowned Dark MOFO festival.

Hammerfest in Norway is known for being the northernmost 'town' in the world, but now better known for a tame beluga whale that appeared in its harbour, malnourished and wearing a harness. Locals have nursed it back to health, but some are now worried its unusual abilities pose a real threat to some.

In Venezuela, medicine is in short supply, and hospitals are barely managing to stay open; Australia's controversial anti-foreign interference laws don't appear to be doing anything to curb Beijing's efforts to control the political agenda; And a question of heritage — the fight to save historic fishing shacks in a North Queensland National Park.